5 First Round moments that epitomize what March Madness is all about

2. Tom Izzo gets in Aaron Henry’s face

Things were very dicey for the Michigan State Spartans in the first round against a game Bradley squad. The Braves threw everything they could handle at the Spartans, who escaped with a victory, but the headlining moment came early in the second half.

After a 10-0 Michigan State run early in the half, Izzo called a timeout and absolutely ripped into freshman forward Aaron Henry. Henry wasn’t receptive to whatever message Izzo was trying to deliver, and the Hall of Fame coach got a bit heated in this moment, lunging at Henry. Was this just intense, passionate coaching or did he go too far? Michigan State has a tough road to get to the Final Four playing in Duke’s region, but the spotlight on Izzo has intensified after this incident.

1. Ja Morant’s triple-double

We had all heard the hype about how good a player Ja Morant was entering the NCAA Tournament, but very few people could claim they had seen him play. Morant’s Murray State Racers play in the Ohio Valley Conference, meaning their chance for exposure on the national stage is very limited.

That changed in Hartford on Thursday, when Morant and Murray State matched up with Marquette in the first round. Morant took center stage in that one, putting on a dazzling display by recording 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists in the Racers’ 83-64 rout of the Golden Eagles.

That stat line made Morant the first player to record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament since Draymond Green had one for Michigan State in 2012. Morant was electrifying throughout the game, reminding many of a young Russell Westbrook with his ability to complete difficult passes and impact pretty much every aspect of the game.