5 men's college basketball players to watch out for in second-round of 2024 NCAA March Madness feat. Jermaine Couisnard

The first round of the men's 2024 NCAA March Madness is in the books, and there was no shortage of electric moments. It takes a special kind of player to shine on this stage with the entire world watching. With five rounds remaining in the tournament, there will be plenty more opportunities for these players to go on a magical March Madness run.

Thirty-two teams have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This list will look at five players from those 32 teams to watch out for after their performance in the first round of March Madness.

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Five men's college basketball players to watch out for in the second round of 2024 NCAA March Madness

1. Jack Gohlke, Oakland

Oakland v Kentucky

Oakland senior guard Jack Gohlke stole the show on March Madness' opening night. Gohlke dropped 32 points, shooting 10-20 from beyond the arc in the Golden Grizzlies' shocking victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Gohlke came off the bench for Oakland with the hot hand. They continued to feed Gohlke throughout the game after it seemed he couldn't miss from deep.

Of Gohlke's 355 field goal attempts this season, 347 of them have come from three-point range. Gohlke backed up the "shooters shoot" mentality, and it paid off as the Grizzlies earned a date with the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday.

2. Marcus Domask, Illinois

Morehead State v Illinois

Illinois senior forward Marcus Domask recorded the 10th-ever NCAA Tournament triple-double in March Madness history against Morehead State. Although Domask shot just 5-14 from the field, he finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Illinois overcame a solid effort from the No. 14th-seeded Eagles to win 85-69 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Domask wasn't the only member of the Illini who shone in this contest. Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 26 points, and Dain Dainja tallied 21 points off the bench.

Domask's record-breaking performance will put his name on the radar of future opponents as the Illini advance to the second round. They will match up with the No. 11 seed, Duquesne, on Saturday night. Eyes will be on Domask to see if he can replicate his outstanding performance from Thursday.

3. Jermaine Couisnard, Oregon

Oregon v South Carolina

The No. 11-seeded Oregon Ducks continued their momentum from winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship by shocking the No. 6-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday night. Senior guard Jermaine Couisnard stepped up once again for the injury-ridden Ducks, scoring 40 points against the Gamecocks in round one.

Couisnard's scoring outburst came from a highly efficient 63.6% field goal percentage. Couisnard was doing it all on the floor for Oregon, adding six assists and four rebounds as well.

The Ducks will have a tough matchup with Creighton on Saturday night, but Couisnard will be a nightmare matchup for whomever the Bluejays delegate to defend him.

4. Mark Sears, Alabama

Charleston v Alabama

Marcus Sears is the leading scorer on the highest-scoring team in the nation this season, averaging 21.4 points per game. The senior guard dropped 30 points in Alabama's opening March Madness game on Friday. He shot a highly efficient 69.2% from the field, including 50% from beyond the arc.

Sears continued to find the bottom of the net from the charity stripe, where he shot 9-11. He also added five assists and collected four rebounds on top of his dominant scoring performance.

Sears will look to keep things rolling for the No. 4th-seeded Crimson Tide when they match up with the No. 12-seeded Grand Canyon on Sunday night.

5. KJ Simpson, Colorado

Colorado v Florida

Colorado's junior guard KJ Simpson is averaging 21 points in the tournament after knocking off Boise State in the First Four and Florida in the opening round of March Madness. Simpson finished with 23 points against the No. 7-seeded Gators on Friday, including the game-winning baseline jump shot with two seconds left on the clock.

Simpson led the way in scoring for the Buffaloes, shooting 7-12 from the field and adding five assists and five rebounds. The No. 10-seeded Buffaloes will need another strong scoring performance from Simpson if they hope to upset No. 2-seed Marquette on Sunday.