Every year, the NCAA Tournament brings new faces into the limelight. For some schools, it’s their first time with a large national TV audience even if they have played a conference championship game on TV. The attention is different from the conference championship because now everyone is watching. For some players, they aren’t the stars of their team but they make a big shot, big stop or other big play, or have a big game come tournament time that brings them out from behind the shadows.
That’s all part of what makes the NCAA Tournament special, and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino echoed this sentiment when, after his team won the Big East Tournament behind a big effort from Montrezl Harrell, said, “You never know in college basketball who’s going to step up. That’s the beauty of college basketball.”
Who are the players you may learn about this year? Earlier, we showed you players on teams playing their first game on Tuesday or Thursday. Now we bring you players on teams who play their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday or Friday.
Mike Black, Albany
Washington already knows Black better than they care to admit since he got the game-winning basket in Seattle for the Great Danes this year. He’s a competitor, a floor leader and a prime reason Albany is in the NCAA Tournament.
Derrick Marks, Boise State
The sophomore made a big jump from his freshman year, when he showed a lot of potential. He can score, he can shoot, and he leads the team in assists.
JaQuon Parker, Cincinnati
Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick make this team go, but Parker can keep defenses honest with his touch from long range. He’s also a good rebounder from the wing.
Andre Roberson, Colorado
The Buffaloes don’t get a lot of publicity, but Tad Boyle has turned this into a basketball school and Roberson averages a double-double, including 11.3 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the country.
Grant Gibbs, Creighton
Doug McDermott naturally gets a lot of pub, but Gibbs runs the show and is a very effective complement on the perimeter. He takes care of the ball and shoots 40 percent from deep.
Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke
Playing behind Seth Curry and Quinn Cook on the perimeter, he’s been able to largely be a role player albeit a very good one. Now more people will get to see how good he is and will be.
Will Yeguete, Florida
When he’s on, Yeguete is a game-changing type of player as he’s strong enough to play power forward but also very athletic and active. He can be in on a lot of plays.
Bernard Thompson, Florida Gulf Coast
The sophomore guard has a bright future ahead after a good freshman season and good development this season. He also shined in a couple of big games, scoring 21 points on 8-15 shooting at VCU and 24 on 9-13 shooting at Duke.
Nate Lubick, Georgetown
The glue guy for the Hoyas will fill the stat sheet on a nightly basis and fits perfectly in their system. He’s very skilled and physical and shows a high basketball I.Q.
Brandon Paul, Illinois
He’s made the highlight reels with some big shots, but he’s the guy that makes this team go offensively as their leading scorer and one who can be very good when he gets going.
Christian Watford, Indiana
He’s always had intriguing potential, but it’s been just that – potential. Consistency has finally come, and as a result he’s begun to approach that potential this season while not getting the kind of attention that Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo have received.
Sean Armand, Iona
Lamont Jones was the MAAC’s Player of the Year and spent two seasons at Arizona, so people know the nation’s third-leading scorer. Armand is the second half of the most prolific scoring duo in the nation.
Will Clyburn, Iowa State
The Cyclones’ best player is overshadowed by many others in the Big 12, but the Utah transfer made an instant impact for the Big 12’s top scoring team.
Devon Moore, James Madison
A leader who has had an up-and-down career that’s included time lost to injuries and academics, Moore is a solid floor leader who can score and is the team leader.
Travis Releford, Kansas
A great example of a “program guy”, Releford is a solid complement and also plays good defense for the Jayhawks. He’s very capable offensively but has plenty of scoring options on his team.
Angel Rodriguez, Kansas State
The sidekick to Rodney McGruder will need to play well for this team to advance in the NCAA Tournament. He’s already made a nice leap this season in an expanded role.
Tyreek Duren, La Salle
A cerebral floor leader, he has a great feel for how to get his offense in between getting teammates like Ramon Galloway going.
Jamal Olasewere, LIU
When Julian Boyd went out with a season-ending injury, he became the go-to guy and responded well. He was already a solid complementary piece as an excellent rebounder.
Durand Scott, Miami
Shane Larkin may be racking up the accolades, but Scott is a solid senior leader for this team. He’s played both guard spots over his career, so Jim Larranaga can use him with just about any lineup.
Andre Hollins, Minnesota
Rodney Williams will make the highlight reels, but Hollins leads the team in scoring and assists and is easily their best outside shooting threat.
Murphy Holloway, Mississippi
A solid complement to Marshall Henderson, he scores inside when they get the ball to him and is the school’s all-time leading rebounder, averaging 9.6 boards a game this season.
Richard Howell, NC State
While C.J. Leslie is the Wolfpack’s “potential” guy, Howell is the one who produces all the time. A double-double machine, he always plays hard and anchors the frontcourt for the Wolfpack.
Reggie Bullock, North Carolina
The steadily emerging shooter is third on the team in scoring and led them in three-point field goal percentage, no small feat being a teammate of P.J. Hairston.
DeQuan Hicks, Northwestern State
The junior forward combines with James Hulbin to anchor the post for the Demons, making well over 58 percent of his shots to lead the team in scoring.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
A very versatile and athletic guard, there isn’t much he can’t do on the court. He can score, shoot and was fifth in the Big East in assists.
Lenzelle Smith, Jr., Ohio State
He came up big last year in the NCAA Tournament, but most people probably don’t know he’s the second-leading scorer and rebounder behind Deshaun Thomas because of how much attention Aaron Craft gets.
Romero Osby, Oklahoma
He’s always had potential, but never really lived up to it until his last chance this year. Not only is his scoring up, but he’s also set a career high in field goal percentage and is still a good rebounder.
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State
The do-everything guard is one of the best players in the Mountain West and doesn’t get much pub. He not only scores and gets teammates going, but he also pulls down over nine boards a game.
Lorenzo McCloud, Pacific
The senior point guard on the well-balanced Tigers, he has greatly improved his shooting percentages and cut down on turnovers to lead the team in scoring and assists.
Scootie Randall, Temple
Randall redshirted last year but had a nice return save for his shooting numbers being down. He’s a solid complement to Khalif Wyatt and has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
Larry Drew II, UCLA
The point guard had new life after having a tough time at North Carolina. This team had several key newcomers, and Drew ran the show with them to the tune of a better than 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
James Bell, Villanova
For most of his first two years, he waited his turn before becoming a starter. He’s not a star now, but the junior wing is a big barometer of how this team does and is their top three-point threat.
T.J. Price, Western Kentucky
Florida International was able to slow him down in the Sun Belt final, but he had a great run up to that point to continue the big leap he has made in his sophomore year.
Ryan Evans, Wisconsin
There aren’t many Badgers who can’t shoot, and Evans is one of them, but he can post a double-double on any night and is another who has steadily improved over his career in Madison.
