When we watch the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as fans, many of us understandably root for the underdog in most of the games. Even if it messes up “our brackets,” who can resist watching a school they’ve never heard of topple a school they’ve heard of far too many times? That’s why last night, every non-Duke fan in the country was disappointed by Gerald Henderson’s game-winning play to vault the Blue Devils over Belmont, and that’s also a major reason why Henderson’s play will be soon forgotten.

Let me just describe the play, which I think would be YouTube fodder if Henderson had played for Belmont. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the game and trailing by a point, Duke’s Henderson came shooting up the court at full speed, going right around three Belmont defenders for an acrobatic, high-speed layup that would give Duke the 71-70 victory. Without that play, provided everything else would have been exactly the same the Devils would have lost the game by a point and been eliminated.

Now, this play has been shown in highlights throughout the night and into the day, but by tonight most people will have forgotten about it. (These would be the same people who waved at their TV screens in what has become a non-verbal boo when it happened.) But if Henderson’s play had taken out a top team like Duke, it’d be shown in previews for next year’s tourney.

Of course that isn’t to say that the game was only memorable for one play. I think this game showed a lot about Duke, a lot of things that I did not believe the Blue Devils capable of this year myself. And of course, last night’s game showed just how good a 15 seed can be as Belmont went toe to toe with Duke.

Credit to the Selection Committee for making this game possible, and for making the road a little tougher than usual for top seeds. Yes, Belmont was a 15 seed by nature, on the level of the likes of American University and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. At the same time, Belmont played the same style of basketball that Duke likes to play. They’re a team of sharpshooters, taking a lot of three point attempts and making a lot of them. They’re also a small team like Duke, not known for their inside presence or their defense. The Bruins are a sort of mid-major Blue Devils in that sense.

With all the folks wearing Duke Blue last night, with all the expectations of the Blue Devils being a 2 seed in the West region, Belmont knew they would be under a lot of pressure from the get-go, and it did not get to them one bit in the entire game. So poised were the Bruins that after Henderson’s go-ahead layup Belmont managed to take two desperation shots that wouldn’t fall. Simply, the Bruins gave this game everything they had and have nothing to regret in this tournament.

Duke will be looked at skeptically in their next round for this. Almost losing to a 15 seed is considered a sign of weakness in the tournament, especially when the top team in your bracket wins a game by a score like 70-29. But the Blue Devils were down a point with less than 20 seconds remaining, with everyone in the building not affiliated with Duke hoping that Belmont could hold on, and they got the big shot at the right moment. They played a solid second half and came back for a win, something they couldn’t do in their losses to Clemson, Pitt or Miami. It was the second half that cost them each of those games, but it was their play late last night that advanced the Blue Devils. If they can continue finishing so strong, Duke will be a devilish opponent in this tournament.

Meanwhile, in the Midwest, Kansas State took out Southern California with a fantastic team effort, winning a game that lived up to the hype it received almost immediately.

On Selection Sunday, Kansas State was given an eleven seed out in the Midwest and Southern California was given the six seed, meaning they would face each other in the first round. A matchup that puts Michael Beasley on the same court as O.J. Mayo is going to get national attention after all. While Beasley was still the star of the show for Kansas State, what propelled the Wildcats to the second round was some fantastic play by Bill Walker and Ron Anderson and a supporting cast that was better than anyone expected.

The three K-State forwards played amazing basketball last night against USC. Beasley led the way with 23 points and 11 boards, most of which came in the second half because of early foul trouble. Walker was right on his heels with 22 points and five rebounds. Anderson had ten points and eight boards. Once the Wildcats got a lead in the second half, they did not let go and smothered the Trojans to advance.

Mayo had 20 points of his own, and Davon Jefferson added 15 for USC in the losing effort. In all fairness this was probably Mayo’s best game, considering the stage and the pressure. The freshman played fantastic ball in what may very well be his last collegiate game, and showed college basketball a rare glimpse of who he was. Really this is a discussion for another column, but Mayo’s performance both displayed his immense talent and his dire need for more time in college basketball.

Jacob Pullen, a Kansas State guard who hasn’t really been heralded, came off the bench to contribute ten points and five assists. Pullen and Anderson ran the game late, using their respective passing ability and inside presence to hold the ball as long as possible and drain the game clock, almost the way a football team would do. Credit to coach Frank Martin for teaching his Wildcats how to hold onto a lead and joining his former boss Bob Huggins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.