Busting Brackets
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NCAA Tournament 2019: Players from each region who can bust your brackets

By Jacob Matteson

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 06: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrates in the second half against the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 06, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.The Seton Hall Pirates defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 73-64. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 06: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrates in the second half against the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 06, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.The Seton Hall Pirates defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 73-64. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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MURRAY, KY – FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MURRAY, KY – FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

West Region

Ja Morant, Murray State, 12 Seed: Let’s get the most obvious name out of the way.  The projected Top-5 Draft pick, Ja Morant is arguably the most must-see player in the tournament whose initials aren’t ‘ZW.’  Morant is explosive, crafty and can sling the rock better than most.  Facing off against Marquette, his chess match with equally entertaining Markus Howard could easily be the most electric showdown that we have on the docket.

Every year we have the sexy 12 seed upset looming, and this year is no different as it just so happens a 12 seed happens to have one of the best players in the country with Murray State and Ja Morant.  Say hello to what could be most popular Bracket Buster.

Luguentz Dort, Arizona State, 11 Seed play in: As a fan of the Los Angeles Rams, I love that my favorite NFL team has Todd Gurley in the backfield.  If they didn’t have a good running back, I’d want someone who looks like Luguentz Dort.  For a Freshman, Dort is an absolute load to deal with.  In seven showings this season against eventual tournament teams, Dort averaged 19.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG and 2.0 SPG, all above his season averages.

Anthony Lamb, Vermont, 13 Seed: So I won’t lie…this was a tricky choice.  As a native New Englander, I’ll proudly wave the UVM flag on behalf of the highly underrated John Becker and Anthony Lamb.  While Vermont has a tough task with Florida State in the opening docket, if they were to in fact pull off the upset, it’ll be because of the ultra-consistent Anthony Lamb.

In four meetings against tournament teams this season–Kansas, Yale, Northeastern and Louisville–Lamb averaged 25 points per contest.  An absolute force at 6’6″, 227 lbs, Lamb will have a tough task ahead of him when he goes toe-to-toe with the vaunted Florida State Seminoles, but hey, what’s March without a few bold hopes?

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