Former high school players from Georgia left in the NCAA Tournament

With two rounds of The Big Dance firmly set in stone, how many of the original 27 players from Georgia have still got their dancing shoes on?

The answer? Eight. Eight young men from all across the NCAA will duke it out in the Sweet 16 in hopes of taking one more step towards the National Championship Trophy.

Drake Cardwell- Auburn (Evans)

Dylan Cardwell- Auburn (McEachern)

Ja’Heim Hudson- Auburn (Wheeler)

Will Richard- Florida (Woodward Academy)

Christian Anderson- Texas Tech (Lovett School)

Cameron Sheffield- Duke (Chattahoochee)

Luke Champion- Arizona (Lambert)

Gicarri Harris- Purdue (Grayson)

With his younger brother Drake redshirting this year, Dylan Cardwell, a fifth-year senior and Auburn fan favorite has been representing the Cardwell family well in this tournament. So far, his stats haven’t exactly jumped off the page, however he has played some quality minutes against both Alabama State and Creighton averaging 20.5 minutes a game. He has no qualms about making the hustle plays necessary for team success. In the first round against Alabama State, he had a bit of foul trouble with three, but also picked up one steal, one block, and eight boards. In the next round against Creighton his impact was felt more broadly across the statistical categories with six points on 3-for-3 shooting, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. In addition, Ja’Heim Hudson has logged one rebound for Auburn on the Tigers’ path to the Sweet 16.

Though the first round ended in a decisive victory for the Gators over Norfolk State, Florida’s senior guard Will Richard had a bit of a slow start in terms of shooting. He ended with eight points, five of which came from the free throw line and shot one for six on the game. He was able to contribute with his hustle plays and passing, racking up five assists, four rebounds, and a steal but this was certainly an off night for the usual 13.5 points a game scorer. The next game against UConn was much more on brand. He was able to contribute 15 points, three steals, two assists, and six rebounds, all while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from the three-point line. It was certainly the right time to turn it on as the Gators barely edged out defending champion UConn, 77-75. This is the kind of game Florida fans have come to expect from Richard when it matters most, and they can only hope he will continue this level of play in the coming days.

Christian Anderson has been struggling from the field in the first two rounds, only shooting 4-for-18 across those two games. On the season he averages 10.5 points a game, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, on 42.6% shooting. Since the beginning of the tournament these averages have dropped to six points a game, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, on 22.2% shooting. Clearly Coach McCasland still believes in him as he averages 37.5 minutes per game, and will look to heat up against Arkansas this Thursday.

Purdue freshman guard Gicarri Harris is in a similar position as Anderson, albeit at about half of the minutes. Over the course of the first two rounds, he’s averaged three points and 6.5 rebounds on 20% shooting. Harris has found a way to contribute by way of his rebounding, which is up 2.6 from his season averages. Fans will have to wait and see if they can expect more as Purdue faces off against Houston on Friday.