The college basketball season gave us plenty of excitement over the last four months but now we’ve hit the NCAA Tournament. All of the ups and downs of this season have led to this moment and the remaining teams know exactly what sits in front of them.
In the West Region, Florida looms large after their SEC Tournament title, but let’s not snuff at Big East champion St. John’s either. There’s a lot of talent at Maryland and Texas Tech and let’s not ignore giants like Kansas and UConn further down the bracket. There’s clearly no shortage of talented players on these sixteen rosters.
As such we’ll be figuring out the most important players out of this West regional, focusing on who matters most in determining how this field unfolds. Let’s start running through those names, which feature great talent from more than half of these teams.
It’s hard to complain when a 5-star prospect becomes available and that’s exactly what Arkansas gets with Fland back from injury. In eighteen games this season he’s put up 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game with solid shooting numbers for the Razorbacks. Fland hasn’t been on the court since the middle of January when Arkansas was mired in a skid and his presence will certainly be important if the Razorbacks are going to make a run in this regional.
These Huskies certainly aren’t on the same level as the teams that won the last two national championships but Karaban’s presence is still very important. The junior forward averages 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds and has championship experience that can’t be understated. While UConn isn’t exactly expected to three-peat or even get close to that, Karaban is the playmaker they’ll lean most on these next few weeks, whether that’s in one game or six.
As a junior, Martin helped lead Florida Atlantic on a shocking run to the Final Four. Two years later it’s his final year of eligibility and he’s become a major playmaker for the Gators, averaging 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with solid shooting figures. Martin showed up throughout a successful season for top-seeded Florida and is one of many talented pieces that they’ll lean on for hopefully a deep run into the Big Dance.
There might not be a single mid-major player playing better ball than Clifford down the stretch this season. The fifth-year Colorado transfer is putting up 19.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game with the Rams but has really come on in recent weeks. He ignited Colorado State’s MWC Tournament title last week and has scored at least 24 points in each of their last four games, all away from home. Clifford is a name to watch in this bracket even on a 12-seed, as very few teams are hotter than Colorado State right now.
Not many teams in this field of 68 can match up to the talented starting five of the Terrapins but it’s the elite freshman center we’re looking closely at today. Queen has averaged 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in his initial season with the Terrapins, nabbing Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors while having his presence felt on both sides of the court. He’s an efficient scorer, a double-double machine, and put up 31 points in Maryland’s Big Ten Tournament loss just a few days ago, with the potential for even more production on the biggest stage.
St. John’s gets contributions from a lot of places during this historic season but it’s hard to ignore the Big East Player of the Year. Luis has been a total winner for the Red Storm, averaging 18.4 points and 7.2 rebounds a game in his junior season and second with St. John’s. There’s no question that he’s been consequential for the Johnnies, including a 29-point, 10-rebound effort in the Big East title game win on Saturday. Don’t be shocked if he puts up similar games this upcoming week.
In what’s become quite the memorable season for Memphis, Haggerty has put up some really gnarly numbers. He was named AAC Player of the Year after averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, becoming the vital scoring piece for the Tigers during a prosperous season. Memphis is here as a 5-seed because of Haggerty, who transferred in from Tulsa in the offseason, and he’s certainly one of the best bets to be the scoring leader in this regional.
This has been a disappointing season for Kansas, who settled for a 7-seed in the Tournament, but Dickinson’s career isn’t ending on a low note. The All-American center averages 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds in yet another dominant season with the Jayhawks. Many pieces on this roster have been underwhelming this year but Kansas’s best shot at advancing in this Tourney field is leaning heavily on Dickinson, who’s really shown up down the stretch this season with four straight double-doubles.
After a remarkable freshman season at New Mexico, Toppin has reached new heights since transferring to Texas Tech. The former MWC Rookie of the Year earned high honors in the Big 12 after putting up 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The Red Raiders have taken a major step forward this season and adding the Big 12 Player of the Year in the offseason was a certainly a big reason why. Expect great things from Toppin and the Red Raiders ahead.
Under Rick Pitino, Clayton was the MAAC’s top player and starred at Iona but he’s really exploded onto the national scene with the Gators. The senior guard averages 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists a game and is the biggest difference maker in this entire region. He makes 38% of his 3-pointers and affects the game in a number of ways for top-seeded Florida. His team is a heavy favorite to survive this regional, especially after Clayton had multiple great showings during an SEC Tournament championship this past week.