We’ve once again reached that special time of year in college basketball when heroes are born, March Madness Brackets get busted and buzzer-beaters become the norm. That’s right, it’s March Madness, baby! There’s just something about this time of year that brings out the craziness in all of us. Maybe it’s the unpredictability of the games, the wild upsets, and the Cinderella stories. Either way, the month of next few weeks are about to get a whole lot more exciting thanks to the NCAA Men’s March Madness tournament.
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#10 – Solo Ball, UConn
With easily the best name in the March Madness game this year, Solo Ball can back it up too. The UConn sophomore has played consistently – as a team player, not just solo – all season long. He’s averaging close to 15 points per game, which is a lot when you consider there are three other Huskies players who need to share the ball too, each one also racking up 10+ ppg. As a sophomore, Ball also has a year of experience under his belt so he shouldn’t buckle under pressure.
#9 – Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
One of the biggest big men in March Madness this season, the 7’1” Kalkbrenner could be this year’s Zach Edey, the Purdue giant who took the team all the way to the National Championship game last season. Kalkbrenner brings more than just size to the NCAA Tournament, scoring an average of 19 points and picking up close to 9 boards each game. On the other side of the ball, Kalkbrenner just picked up his 4th Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also a 5th-year player, so he’ll be looking to go all out in his final March Madness appearance.
#8 – RJ Luis Jr., St John’s
The Red Storm forward is looking to stir up plenty of attention as one of the March Madness players to watch. He might be opting for the NBA draft in just a few months, and all eyes are on the tournament to see what players can handle it al. Luis Jr certainly can – he’s a threat for steals, assists, rebounds and points, averaging close to 18 ppg. RJ can be clutch too – he forced St. John’s last regular season game into overtime by hitting the tying shot with just 10 seconds on the clock.
#7 – LJ Cryer, Houston
The Cougars are known for their intense defence this season, and it’s true they don’t have any scorers lighting teams up. But LJ Cryer is a legit threat who could emerge as a big star if Houston goes deep as many oddsmakers think they might. He leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage, and if he gets hot the Cougars will be in the hunt for the Final Four.
#6 – PJ Haggerty, Memphis
What’s with all the J’s in this year’s list of March Madness players to watch? RJ, LJ, and now PJ, who has the flashiest stats of them all. Haggerty has carried the Tigers this season with an NBA-like 21 points per game, to go along with over 5 boards and 4 assists per game. If the Tigers go far in the NCAA Men’s Tournament, it’s likely that Haggerty – probably hitting J’s (that’s jumpers) himself – is the reason why.
#5 – Mark Sears, Alabama
The Crimson Tide are rolling this season behind Sears’ scoring. He has averaged just over 19 points per game this season, and he’s only getting hotter. Sears has soared to over 22 ppg in the last few weeks heading into the tournament, making him one of the March Madness players to watch.
#4 – Kameron Jones, Marquette
In a rare move, Jones was asked to switch from his wing position to playing guard before the season started, and the senior slid into the new role with ease.
He’s the main producer on Marquette’s offense, scoring 18.4 points per game while also dishing out over 6 assists per game. Jones can also dial up the offense against top opponents too. In their final regular season game, Marquette went down to St. John’s in OT, but Jones scored a huge 32 points along the way.
#3 – Braden Smith, Purdue
The NCAA basketball tournament always produces a game-stealer, a player who lights up the highlight reels for 3 straight weeks en route to the Final Four. Smith could be this year’s guy; he’s an electric playmaker, leading the Big Ten in steals and assists.
And when he needs to heat up the Boilermakers on the scoreboard, he can shoot the lights out too. Smith recently played back-to-back games where he scored 23 points.
#2 – Johni Broome, Auburn
One of the top finalists for the John Wooden Award this season, Broome would be leading the country in votes for the league’s top basketball player if it weren’t for the next guy on this list, Cooper Flagg.
Broome is just the kind of big man that a team can ride deep into the March Madness brackets, with regular double-doubles on his way to a season where he scored 18 points per game and pulled down an average of almost 11 rebounds. He’s the main reason the Tigers have been one of the top 3 college basketball teams in the country.
#1 – Cooper Flagg, Duke
Just like you knew Duke was going to be in the running again to make the Final Four, if you’ve been anywhere near the college basketball highlights this season, you knew Flagg was going to be at the top of every list for players to watch at this year’s March Madness.
The fantastic freshman has been racking up the jams and the clutch shots this season, picking up almost 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He’s even stepped up his 3-point game since the season started, with an amazing 50% from downtown in the 10 games leading up to the NCAA tournament. Expect Flagg to have every basketball fan standing at attention throughout March Madness.
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Of course, there will be new stars made during the tournament that aren’t on this list, but these top 10 March Madness players to watch are going to go all out to push their teams to the Final Four and maybe even beyond.
