The opening day of the 2014 March Madness tournament provided us with incredible moments, four overtimes, a buzzer beater and upsets galore including memories worthy of making the “one shining moment” cut when the National Title is handed out on April 7th, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. The second round also proved successful Canadians in the NCAA as teams featuring Canadian basketball players capped off a successful and historic day with 7-2 historical record. The biggest shocker, Whitby, Ontario’s Dyshawn Pierre helping No. 13 Dayton Flyers pull off a magical upset over the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in the very first game of the day.
Check out the top stat-lines from the top Canadians from the opening day of the 2014 madness and a see how they match-up in the round of 32. We started the tournament off with 27 Canadians on 18 teams and after a historic day, we still have 16 teams in contention and 23 players still remaining as day two kicks off.
Dyshawn Pierre – Sophomore | Whitby, Ont. | No. 11 Dayton Flyers (24-10, 10-6 A10): Pierre came up huge in his NCAA March Madness Tournament debut finishing off 12 points and a perfect game going 2-of-2 field goals, 7-of-7 free throws and 1-of-1 three-pointers, the No. 11 Dayton Flyers knocked off the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes in a thriller at the Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The Flyers will look to continue their run through the tournament in the round of 32 against fellow Canadian Tyler Ennis and the No. 3 Syracuse Orange.
Round 64: 60-59 win vs. No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes | 33 minutes, 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Up Next: No. 3 Syracuse Orange (28-5, 14-4 ACC)
Laurent Rivard – Senior | St. Bruno, Que. | No. 12 Harvard Crimson (27-4, 13-1 Ivy): Rivard’s first-half shooting touch proved to be a difference in the Crimson pulling off the second upset of the day over the No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bruno’s, Quebec product scored 9 of his 11 points in the opening 20 minutes as Harvard took a 36-29 lead. Eager not played his college last game Rivard knocked down three of the Harvard six three-pointers, going 3-of-4 for the game from the outside.
Round 64: 61-57 win vs. No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats | 35 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Up Next: No. 4 Michigan State (27-8, 12-6 Big Ten)
Tyler Ennis – Freshman | Brampton, Ont. | No. 3 Syracuse Orange (28-5, 14-4 ACC): Playing his last few games in Syracuse Orange uniform Tyler Ennis continued his stellar freshman season by slicing and dicing the Western Michigan Broncos as the Orange cruised in the third round of the tournament. Ennis finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 made baskets.
Round 64: 77-53 win vs. No. 14 Western Michigan Broncos | 36 minutes, 16 points, 6 assists, 2 steals
Up Next: No. 12 Harvard Crimson (27-4, 13-1 Ivy)
Nik Stauskas – Sophomore | Mississauga, Ont. | No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (26-8, 15-3 Big Ten): The 2014 Big Ten conference player of the year led three-Wolverine players in double-figures with 15 points to advance past the Wofford Terriers. Stauskas now is his second year looked good connecting on 3-of-6 triples.
Round 64: 57-40 win vs. No. 15 Wofford Terriers | 35 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds
Up Next: No. 7 Texas Longhorns (24-10, 11-7 Big 12)
Jason Calliste – Senior | Scarborough, Ont. | No. 7 Oregon Ducks (24-9, 10-8 Pac-12): Experienced and savvy veteran, Calliste scored 11 of his 14 points off the bench from the foul-line going 11/12 to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Round 64: 87-68 win vs. No. 10 BYU Cougars | 26 minutes, 14 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Up Next: No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (27-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
Losing Efforts
Jordan Bachynski – Senior | Calgary, Alberta | No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils (21-12, 10-8 Pac-12) An outstanding career by Jordan Bachynski came to a heart breaking end as the Texas Longhorns beat the Arizona State at the buzzer. Calgary Alberta native called it a career by notching a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds in his last game in an ASU uniform.
First-Round Matchup: 87-85 loss vs. No. 7 Texas Longhorns (23-10, 11-7 Big 12) | 33 minutes, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
Up Next: NBA Workouts, NBA Draft
Daniel Mullings – Junior | Toronto, ON | No. 13 New Mexico State Aggies (26-9, 12-410 WAC)
Round 64: 73-69 OT loss vs. No. 4 San Diego State Aztecs | 43 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Up Next: Senior season, Canadian national selection
Sim Bhullar – Junior | Toronto, ON | No. 13 New Mexico State Aggies (26-9, 12-410 WAC)
Round 64: 73-69 OT loss vs. No. 4 San Diego State Aztecs | 29 minutes, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks
Up Next: Stay healthy, improve conditioning for junior season
