NCAA Basketball: Previewing the 3X3U National Championship

Pool 3

Big East

Desi Rodriguez, Seton Hall: The Pirates had an extremely talented senior class but Rodriguez is the best choice for this tournament. He is an excellent scorer (17.5 points per game) with a nose for snagging difficult rebounds. At 6’6″, he is dangerous offensive matchup who can hurt teams from inside and out.

Rodney Bullock, Providence: Bullock’s scoring took a bit of a dip this season but he learned to take care of the ball better. He is replacing Trevon Bluiett in the field and will be a valuable asset because of his ability to hit tough shots. Bullock averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season.

J.P. Macura, Xavier: Bluiett’s teammate, Macura’s play on the floor over the past few years has been consistently overlooked due to some of his antics. Macura can really get under opponents skins and often plays best under pressure. He is a better defender than most give him credit for and is a capable 3-point shooter from no matter the distance (37.7%).

Andrew Rowsey, Marquette: This is one of the most difficult players to figure out in the field. Due to his short stature (5’10”) and overall poor defensive skills, he could struggle in the event. However, he is also one of the best offensive options and is deadly from 3-point range (41.5% on 8.6 3PA per game). Rowsey averaged 20.5 points per game this season.

Mid-American

Mike Laster, Ohio: After averaging just 5.2 points per game as a junior, Laster had a breakout season this year, posting 14.5 points per game. The 6’4″ guard was the leader for the Bobcats all season long and needed to be in order to keep the team afloat (14-17 record). He is more than capable of hitting the three and finishes around the rim well.

Wes Clark, Buffalo: By now, everybody knows who Wes Clark is. He dropped home 25 points in Buffalo’s first-round upset over Arizona and did everything he could in the losing effort against Kentucky (26 points). He has the hot hand right now and could surprise more folks in this event. He averaged 15.5 points and 5.4 assists per game this season.

Kevin Zabo, Kent State: Formerly on San Diego State, Zabo spent the past two seasons with Kent State. He averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game this season while increasing his shooting percentages across the board. The Canadian is not a high-volume shooter but can get hot in a hurry.

Cecil Williams, Central Michigan: Williams is arguably the toughest player to guard on the MAC team. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season and shoots the ball well from mid-range as a 6’6″ forward. He is far from being a tremendous 3-point shooter (30.3%) but can knock them down from time to time.

Big West

Chance Murray, UC Riverside: A former Arizona State Sun Devil, Murray is a do-it-all guard. On the season, he averaged 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season. He is not an efficient scorer but can get his buckets in bunches. In addition, he came away with nearly two steals per game in the regular season.

Leland King, Santa Barbara: Leland King has bounced around during his collegiate career. After playing two years with Brown, King sat out a year before spending one season with Nevada. Then, he moved on again and played his final year with Santa Barbara this season. He is an effective shooter from deep and put up his best overall season this year with a double-double of 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Victor Joseph, Cal Poly: The leading scorer for the Mustangs this season, Victor Joseph was a solid choice for this event. He shoots the ball well from beyond the arc and is a solid on-ball defender. Joseph was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection this year while averaging 14.4 points per game.

Gabe Vincent, Santa Barbara: A four-year double-digit scorer for the Gauchos, Vincent was an excellent college player. He put up 12.4 points and 3.3 assists per game while swiping over one steal per contest. He was named to the second-team All-Big West.

Atlantic Sun

Brandon Goodwin, Florida Gulf Coast: Despite being a poor 3-point shooter (27.5%), Goodwin was one of the best scorers in the country this season. He averaged 18.6 points per game and connected on 56.4% of his attempts inside the arc. In addition, his all-around play affected the game in many different ways. He also snagged 5.5 rebounds and dished out 4.8 assists per game.

Nick Masterson, Kennesaw State: Now this is a knockdown shooter. While attempting 4.5 3-pointers per game, Masterson dropped in a ridiculous 54.1% of his trifectas. At 6’5″, he can get shots off with relative ease when given even an inch of separation. In this kind of event, he can be a deadly weapon. Masterson averaged 15.8 points per game on the season.

Divine Myles, Stetson: Another all-around talent, Myles dished out 4.2 assists to go with pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game. Because of this, his 16.8 points per game were somewhat overshadowed at times. Myles also takes care of the ball well on offense while forcing turnovers on the other end.

Ramel Thompkins, Upstate: Of the 276 total field goals attempted by Thompkins this season, 192 of them were from beyond the 3-point arc. He shot 38.0% on those shots and proved to be a consistent threat from deep. He averaged just 10.8 points per game but is the right kind of role player for an event like this.