EIGHT WHO ARE SHINING
Joe Mazzulla, West Virginia: Mazzulla is only 6-2 and he comes off the bench for the Mountaineers, but he played a huge role in West Virginia’s 73-67 upset of No. 2 seed Duke. Mazzulla came close to a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) against Duke. His drive into the lane led to a basket that capped an 18-3 run and gave West Virginia a seven-point lead. It forced Duke to call a timeout while Mazzulla pounded his chest and released some of his emotion. “No. 3 looked like Jason Kidd,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who called Mazzulla, the MVP of the game. If Mazzulla can continue making an impact, it would certainly enhance West Virginia’s chances of moving past Xavier.

Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin: Hughes broke out of a mild scoring slump and matched his career high with 25 points in a 72-55 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. Hughes scored only eight points in a first-round victory over Cal State Fullerton, but he matched that total in a 13-2 run that broke open the game and eliminated Michael Beasley and the Wildcats. The Badgers are 31-4; they don’t care who scores the most points or who gets the headlines. And they don’t seem to care that people continue to overlook them. “I like playing under the radar,” Hughes said. “We know what we’ve got in the locker room. It put a chip on our shoulder and made us go out and play even harder.” Wisconsin, the No. 3 seed in the Midwest, is 10-1 against lower-seeded teams in the NCAA tournament with Bo Ryan as coach. That can’t be comforting to No. 10 seed Davidson in their Sweet 16 matchup.

Wayne Ellington, North Carolina: It would have been easy to place Tyler Hansbrough in the list of Eight Who Are Great. Hansbrough is the national player-of-the-year candidate who defines this North Carolina team. Or Ty Lawson could have worked his way into this portion of the column as the point guard who has returned from injury. But it’s time to give Ellington his due. The sophomore guard scored 16 points in the opening round and followed that up with a 20-point performance as the Tar Heels smothered Arkansas on Sunday, 108-77. It’s all about offensive efficiency for Ellington. He was 8 for 12 from the field, grabbed three rebounds, had an assist and didn’t commit a foul in 25 minutes. Elllington is just one more piece in the puzzle, one more weapon that will make the Tar Heels difficult to beat — in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Kyle Weaver, Washington State: Weaver and teammate Derrick Low are models of consistency. Weaver has opened the tournament with 14 points against Winthrop and 15 against Notre Dame. And you’ve got to love a guard who doesn’t mind getting dirty inside. Weaver had nine rebounds against Notre Dame and eight were on the defensive glass, where he really excels, and add in three assists, three steals and a block. The Cougars were able to slow the pace and hold Luke Harangody in check, but the assignment will be much more difficult against the North Carolina, the No. 1 seed overall — especially in Charlotte.

Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky: Lee, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year, had 15 points and four assists but really wasn’t a huge factor as the Hilltoppers stunned Drake 101-99 in overtime at Tampa in the first round. Tyrone Brazelton scored 33 points and Ty Rogers had the dramatic winning basket that sent Western Kentucky into the second round against No. 13 seed San Diego. Everyone familiar with Western Kentucky said Lee would have to bounce back if the Hilltoppers wanted to move to the Sweet 16. Lee, who averaged 20.4 during the regular season, did just that. Lee showed off his repertoire of shots and hit some big free throws to lead Western Kentucky to a 72-63 win. If the Hilltoppers expect to have any shot against top-seeded UCLA, Lee, Brazelton and Rogers will have to combine their forces again — and play the games of their lives.

Wayne Chism, Tennessee: The 6-9, 242-pound sophomore might be playing his most productive basketball. He has put together double-figure scoring in four consecutive games for the first time this season. Chism had 16 points in the opener against American and 16 more Sunday in that dramatic win over Butler. Chism is 12 for 21 from the field in the tournament and has 12 rebounds. Chism has had foul trouble and needs to avoid that if Tennessee is going to march past Louisville and into the Elite Eight.

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Derrick Rose, Memphis: The kid simply doesn’t play like a freshman. In the first two tournament games of his career, the young point guard scored 17 points in each. In addition to the 34 points, Rose had 10 assists, including seven in the huge win over Mississippi State on Sunday. And Rose had 14 rebounds, nine of them Sunday. That may be his biggest contribution, especially as the Tigers prepare for their next challenge. Michigan State will be physical and the Spartans will attack the boards. Memphis will need rebounding help from every starter and Rose seems willing to oblige. He has plenty of help in this talented lineup, but he could be the player that makes the difference on the drive to the Final Four.

Jerry Smith, Louisville: His statistics aren’t sensational, but the sophomore guard symbolizes what makes the Cardinals do so good. Smith is doing exactly what is expected of him and a little bit more. Smith scored 12 points against Boise State and 12 points against Oklahoma as Rick Pitino’s scrappy bunch breezed into the Sweet 16. Smith is 9 for 17 from the floor, including a 6-for-12 performance from 3-point range. Pitino was pleased with his team’s effort offensively and defensively Sunday as Louisville attacked Oklahoma and sent the Sooners home. “I definitely think we’re playing our best basketball right now,” Smith said. “We’re clicking right now, we’re really focusing in and we are here to win.” The Cardinals came into the tournament on a two-game losing streak, but that seems to be in the past. Right now, it’s not hard to imagine Pitino drawing up a game plan to beat Tennessee in the Sweet 16 and then taking his best shot at No. 1 North Carolina.

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