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NCAA Basketball: Previewing the 3X3U National Championship

By Lukas Harkins

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: A general view of the court with March Madness signage is seen prior to the start of the game between the OklahomaSooners and the Rhode Island Rams in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: A general view of the court with March Madness signage is seen prior to the start of the game between the OklahomaSooners and the Rhode Island Rams in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Edwards
MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Edwards /

Pool 5

Big Ten

Nate Mason, Minnesota: This was a disappointing season for Minnesota. They dealt with injuries and suspensions but Nate Mason lived up to the hype. He was the leader for the Golden Gophers with his averages of 16.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. Even though he is not particularly efficient inside the 3-point arc, he shot 39.1% from deep.

Vincent Edwards, Purdue: Edwards is incredibly well-rounded. His numbers might not jump off the page but his impact is undeniable. He averaged 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting about 40% from 3-point range. With his size (6’7″) and defensive ability, Edwards is a great player to have.

Robert Johnson, Indiana: Archie Miller’s first season was not exactly a success but Johnson did his best to lead the Hoosiers. He recorded career-highs in points (14.0), rebounds (4.5), and assists (2.7) per game while remaining relatively efficient.

Jae’Sean Tate, Ohio State: Keita Bates-Diop was the household name for Ohio State this season but Jae’Sean gets buckets. He averaged just 12.3 points per game on the year but has the perfect play style for this event. He excels in attacking the basket and is a very good rebounder for his size.

Conference USA

Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee: This is a well-known name in the college basketball world. Potts was an integral part of the rotation for the Blue Raiders over the past few seasons. Even though they missed the Big Dance this year, Potts showed out with another solid year, averaging 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He also his over 40% of his 3-pointers.

Ronald Delph, Florida Atlantic: Delph’s all-around game on both ends of the floor is what makes him dangerous. The seven-footer might not be the most efficient player but he dropped 14.6 points per game nonetheless. In addition, his size makes him a solid rebounder (8.7 boards per game) and shot-blocker (2.0 swats per game)

Gerdarius Troutman, Florida Atlantic: Best name in the field, hands down. With the funny business aside, though Troutman is another knockdown shooter on the C-USA team. He shot 41.4% from three and averaged 12.3 points per game for the Owls.

Southern

Stephon Jelks, Mercer: Even though Jelks started all 34 games for Mercer this season, he did not post extremely impressive per game averages. He finished the year putting up 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest but his efficiency is worth talking about. He shot 52.3% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

Marvin Smith, UNC-Greensboro: Smith is another solid selection for this field. Even though he was not the most efficient player in 5-on-5 games, he should excel with more space to work. On the year, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Alex Thompson, Samford: A former Auburn Tiger, Thompson spent the last two seasons with Samford, starting 55 of the team’s 66 games. He struggled this season to replicate his 3-point success of a season ago but was much better inside the arc. He averaged 11.6 points for the Bulldogs this season.

Ria’n Holland, Mercer: Holland gets buckets. Flat-out, this 6’0″ guard knows how to fill up the basket. He averaged 16.6 points per game this season while shooting over 50% inside the arc and 45.0% from three. He is a dangerous scorer when he gets hot. He only played in 19 games this season but dropped over 30 points twice.

Southland

Jordan Capps, SE Louisiana: This 6’6″ forward shot just 54.9% from the free throw line this season but that does not make any less of a force. He shot 54.1% from the field on the year and that contributed to his average of 13.4 points per game. In addition, he came away with nearly a full block per game.

Travin Thibodeaux, New Orleans: Thibodeaux did a bit of everything for New Orleans this season. His traditional per game marks of 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists represent a solid player but his defensive attributes are what make him so talented. He came away with 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game for the year.

Shawn Johnson, Incarnate Word: Johnson was the second-leading scorer for Incarnate Word this season. Considering the Cardinals went just 2-16 in conference play, this is not saying a whole lot but Johnson is still talented. He is an above-average shooter from three and plays bigger than his size. Despite being just 6’4″, he added 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game to his stat line.

Joseph Kilgore, Texas A&M Corpus Christi: At 18.6 points per game, Kilgore finished third in the Southland in points per game this season. This was a career-high by a wide margin and he also picked up his top mark in rebounds, assists, and steals.

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