March Madness: 10 key freshmen in 2019 NCAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 16: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 73-63 in the championship game of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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5. Devon Dotson, Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks are probably one of the top teams under the most pressure to succeed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Freshman Devon Dotson has been one player they’ve relied on this season as a full-time starter and that won’t change despite ending their streak of consecutive regular season and conference tournament titles.

Dotson comes into the NCAA Tournament averaging 12.1 points, 3.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game through 34 starts. He’s shooting 37 percent from 3-point range on 30-of-81 shooting, showing his ability to do whatever’s needed for the team at any moment.

He went 4-of-7 from behind the arc in a career-high 25-point, 10-rebound and 5-assist effort on the road against the TCU Horned Frogs on Feb. 11. It was his lone double-double of the season but it came at a key time as Kansas came away with an 82-77 victory.

They’ll need more of Dotson’s heroics more than ever as a No. 4 seed in this year’s field. It’s their lowest seed since the 2006 NCAA Tournament and ends their consecutive streak of three-straight seasons with a No. 1 seed. After making last year’s Final Four, Dotson will be a key cog in how far they go this year.

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