2025 March Madness: Star guards rise to the occasion as the heroes from Day 2

Every college basketball coach preaches the importance of guard play in the NCAA Tournament. And each March, fans seek the next "Kemba candidate," a title fittingly named after former UConn guard Kemba Walker, who carried the Huskies to a National Championship in 2011. 

Year after year, stand-out guards change the ceiling of their team in the Big Dance, and that was the theme on the second day of the tournament: 

As Colorado State surged to a Mountain West Tournament title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, it was guard Nique Clifford, who captured the headlines with his scintillating shot-making. But when Clifford went cold on Friday, in the Rams first round matchup with Memphis, sophomore Kyan Evans stepped up.

The smallest man on the court had the biggest night of anyone. Evans made a career-high six 3-point shots and scored a career-high 23 points. He also had four assists and didn't turn the ball over once. Despite shooting 3-of-13, Clifford still impacted the game, with six assists and eight rebounds, while Evans took the weight off his shoulders in the scoring column. Colorado State has won 11 straight, dating back to Feb. 15, and became the second 12 seed to complete an upset. The Rams now bring all that momentum into a matchup with fourth-seeded Maryland on Sunday. 

The Bears have had an up-and-down season because, well, that's life when you're led by sporadic freshman. But then there are performances like Friday that remind you just how dynamic top NBA prospects can be. Baylor's pair of projected first-round picks, V.J. Edgecombe and Robert Wright Jr., combined for 35 points to lead the Bears to a 75-72 win over Mississippi State on Friday. Edgecombe hit two timely 3-pointers in the second half, his