NCAA Tournament 2023: 5 bigest early stars through 1st days of games

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 10: Boo Buie #0 of the Northwestern Wildcats reacts after scoring against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at United Center on March 10, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

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Penn State Nittany Lions guard Camren Wynter NCAA Tournament Andrew Funk Norpsu031023 Am16192 /

No. 1: Andrew Funk, Penn State

Speaking of Penn State, what a showing from the Nittany Lions in their first tournament game since 2011. They built an early lead against the Aggies and never looked back, finishing with a resounding 76-59 victory.

Senior Andrew Funk paced the Nittany Lion offense, draining eight threes and finishing with 27 points. It was an electrifying performance from the former Bucknell transfer, who was fresh off a pair of quiet games in the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue and Indiana.

Thanks to Funk and company, Penn State is celebrating its first tournament win since 2001, when they upset UNC in the second round. It’s quite the achievement, but this Nittany Lion won’t be satisfied as they gear up for Texas on Saturday. Whichever team is able to keep the hot shooting going will come out on top, and both Funk and Rice should play major roles.

dark. Next. Top 5 Moments from Day One of 2023 NCAA Tournament

The first day of March Madness is one of the best days on the sports calendar, and it certainly lived up to the hype this year. While these players were the ones that made the most impactful first impressions, there should be plenty of thrilling moments yet to come. Make sure to follow Busting Brackets to stay up on all the action.

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