March 18, 2005 | ESPN.com's NCAA Tournament coverage

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Germain Mopa Njila, Vermont
I have said that stars come out and shine in the NCAA Tournament. A 6-4 senior forward from Cameroon, Germain Mopa Njila entered the contest against Syracuse averaging just 5.5 ppg.

Mopa Njila hit 9-of-10 shots from the field, scored a career-high 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists as the Catamounts stunned Syracuse. While Vermont stars Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine contributed, Mopa Njila came through in the clutch as a surprising star.

TEAM OF THE DAY: Vermont
The Catamounts scored one the biggest upset of the first two days (until Bucknell beat Kansas), defeating the fourth-seeded Orange. Vermont's defense did an outstanding job keeping Syracuse sharpshooter Gerry McNamara in check, as he shot just 4-of-18 from the floor.

COACH OF THE DAY: Tom Brennan, Vermont
Slated to retire after the season, the Catamounts coach ensured at least one more game with the upset over Syracuse. The always-happy Brennan was emotional after the victory. He thought his trunk was packed after the game went into overtime. But he has another game Sunday, baby!

CO-SHOCK OF THE WEEK: Vermont over Syracuse | Bucknell over Kansas
It was quite a Friday night. First the Catamounts stunned Syracuse, then Bucknell upset Kansas. A No. 4 seed and a No. 3 seed went away in a hurry.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.