The first week of the NCAA tournament has already given us some fantastic storylines, none more improbable than UMBC’s victory over Virginia, the first time a No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed.
In the frenzied aftermath, many of the headlines went to leading scorer Jairus Lyles, who dropped 28 points on the Cavaliers, or to head coach Ryan Odom, who has reportedly attracted the attention of big-time programs with coaching vacancies. This short piece, though, is dedicated to K.J. Maura, the Retrievers’ 5'8" point guard from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The America East Conference’s shortest-ever Defensive Player of the Year, Maura causes all sorts of mayhem on the court, enough to make Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber is not looking forward to facing him on Sunday in the second round.