2019 NCAA Tournament: Lesser known players who will turn into national stars
By Brian Rauf
Anthony Lamb, Vermont
Vermont has quietly been one of the best mid-major programs over the past few years and is in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
Lamb has a driving force on both of those teams (he missed the second half of last season, and Vermont lost to UMBC in the conference championship game) and is the kind of player that can lead the Catamounts to an upset or two this week.
Just ask Kansas – Lamb scored 24 points against them as Vermont gave them a real test. Louisville can back up KU’s endorsement, as Lamb scored 25 against them in another game Vermont nearly won (both were on the road).
What makes Lamb so dangerous? Well, there are really no holes in his game. An undersized forward at 6-6 and 230 pounds, he’s strong enough to battle on the inside (7.8 rpg), can score in the post, and has range stretching out to the three-point line.
This year, Vermont has taken more advantage of his high basketball IQ and made him more of a playmaker, as they run almost all of their offense sets through him. Lamb has also emerged as a rim protector (2.0 blocks per game).
Vermont is a smart, well-coached team that plays really strong defense. If Lamb plays well, he gives them the added value of a star, which you need to pull off the kind of upsets Vermont is hoping to do.