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NCAA Tournament 2019: Flecthcer Magee, Florida Gators among top Day 1 performers

By Logan Butts

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers celebrates scoring at the end of the first half during the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers celebrates scoring at the end of the first half during the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 19: Dylan Windler #3 of the Belmont Bruins dribbles during the first half against the Temple Owls in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 19: Dylan Windler #3 of the Belmont Bruins dribbles during the first half against the Temple Owls in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Day one of the first round is in the books, who were today’s top NCAA Tournament performers?

It was a jam-packed first day of action featuring upsets, star-making performances, coronations for already established stars, and statement games from some of the top dogs. Let’s take a look at the top performances, both individual and team, from the opening day of the first round.

Just as a note, I may not give as much attention to the best seeds here. They mostly took care of business and will have plenty of chances to be discussed later on.

OVC Stars (Belmont’s Dylan Windler and Murray State’s Ja Morant)

Everyone knew about the electrifying Ja Morant heading into the tournament, and the future lottery pick delivered.

The 12-seed Racers upset (is it really an upset when that many people picked you to win?) the 5-seed Marquette squad. The truly surprising part was that they absolutely dominated the Golden Eagles. Morant put together a 17-11-16 line, giving him the first NCAA tournament triple-double since Michigan State’s Draymond Green in 2012.

Morant’s high-flying athleticism and scoring ability are obviously impressive, but his passing vision is what separates him as a player. He dished a number of beautiful dimes in the win. Ja Rules!

Belmont may not have pulled off the (also heavily predicted) upset, but the Bruins gave it everything they had in a 79-77 loss to Maryland.

Dylan Windler played out of his mind, pouring in 35 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The senior showed why he has shot up NBA draft boards this season by keeping Belmont in it until the very end.

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