Sam Avellone
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Every March, the focus of the sports world shifts to college basketball as millions of people fill out a bracket in anticipation of the NCAA Tournament. With the increased viewership, there is no better time for players to make a name for themselves than during March Madness. You can count on Player of the Year candidates like Oscar Tshiebwe, Kofi Cockburn, Johnny Davis, and Keegan Murray to show up for the moment, and the future NBA lottery picks such as Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero will certainly be ready for the big stage as well.
But what about the players that do not headline Sportscenter every night? Which players should you be on the lookout for? One of the college basketball experts at Pickwise selected five players that could help lead their team on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament this March. Let’s take a look.
Five Players To Watch
AJ Griffin – Duke
6’6” Freshman Shooting Guard
10.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 48.8% 3pt; All-ACC Honorable Mention
AJ Griffin’s season averages do not jump off the page because the freshman did not play more than 20 minutes per game on a consistent basis early in the season. However, do not be fooled – he is a crucial piece of Duke’s offense now. Griffin is one of the nation’s premier shooters, ranking 9th among all players in 3-point% and 11th in KenPom’s Offensive Rating. In addition to his shooting prowess, he makes smart decisions on the court, as he ranks 53rd in turnover rate and in the top 215 in fouls committed per 40 minutes. Since December 14th, the Blue Devils are 5-5 SU when Griffin scores 10 points or less, while they are 16-0 SU when he scores 11 or more over that span.
Andrew Nembhard – Gonzaga
6’5” Senior Point Guard
11.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, 1.6 stl; First Team All-WCC
Andrew Nembhard may not be a future top 3 NBA Draft pick like Chet Holmgren, or the WCC Player of the Year like Drew Timme, but he was part of Gonzaga’s Runner-Up team last year and will be heavily relied upon to lead the offense with his experience and leadership. In his second season with the ‘Zags, the senior Florida-transfer ranks 7th in assist:turnover ratio, shoots over 36% from 3-point range, and defends at an extremely high level. Expect him to be on the floor for the vast majority of every Gonzaga game in the tournament.
David Roddy – Colorado State
6’6” Junior Power Forward
19.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 45.4% 3pt; Mountain West Player of the Year
While David Roddy might be a bit undersized for his position against some of college basketball’s top teams, he is an extremely efficient player with a top 100 usage rate. He leads Colorado State in points and rebounds, and has the ability to step outside and knock down 3-point shots at the second-highest rate on the team. Thanks to his versatile play, Colorado State has collected some quality wins against teams such as Mississippi State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s, and Boise State twice. If the Rams make a run this year, it will likely be because of Roddy.
Josh Carlton – Houston
6’11” Senior Center
11.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 62.4% FG%; First Team All-AAC
Josh Carlton was merely a role player in his four years at UConn before transferring to Houston as a graduate student to play for the Cougars. After injuries to Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, coach Kelvin Sampson made Carlton the focal point of the offense – a role in which he has thrived. Carlton is a force to be reckoned with in the paint, as he ranks 5th among all players in offensive rebounding rate, 58th in block rate, 85th in fouls drawn per 40 min, and 97th in 2-point percentage despite playing just 53% of minutes.
Malachi Smith – Chattanooga
6’4” Sophomore Shooting Guard
20.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.7 stl, 41.5% 3pt; Southern Conference Player of the Year
Malachi Smith is one of the best scorers in all of college basketball. The sophomore has poured in 25 or more points on nine occasions and ranks among the nation’s best in free throw percentage and 3-point percentage. Smith is a great defender too, as he ranks in the 80th percentile per Synergy’s defensive metrics, while KenPom ranks him 24th in fouls committed per 40 minutes and 259th in steal rate. Do not be surprised to see Smith lead the Mocs to a first round upset this week.
Honorable Mention: Zach Edey, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jaylin Williams, KJ Williams, Chucky Hepburn
Check out all of our March Madness Team news and analysis including our expert March Madness Predictions for every game throughout the tournament.
