March Madness: 10 breakout player candidates in 2019 NCAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Nassir Little #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a three pointer against the Louisville Cardinals during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – JANUARY 26: Emmitt Williams #24 of the LSU Tigers and K.J. Santos #2 of the Missouri Tigers compete for a rebound during the game at Mizzou Arena on January 26, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Emmitt Williams, Forward, LSU

A five-star recruit in the class of 2018, Emmitt Williams was just one of a group of highly-touted recruits turned into freshman difference-makers this season for the LSU Tigers.

While Williams hasn’t played quite at the level of Javonte Smart or Naz Reid, he’s shown plenty of flashes of that five-star potential, albeit in somewhat limited action.

That limited action is mostly due to the play of his fellow five-star big man Reid, but nonetheless, Williams has had a great deal of opportunities as a freshman with the Tigers, and will continue to have those opportunities as the Tigers enter the NCAA tournament.

Without coach Will Wade (at least for the time being), LSU is in a dire situation. Many people have the Tigers on upset watch against 14-seed Yale, but LSU’s talent is undoubtable. I, for one, think that LSU will have no problem getting through the first round at least, but it won’t be as smooth as it would be with Wade at the helm.

In order for LSU to make an unlikely run, they’ll need contributions from someone other than Smart, Reid, and Tremont Waters. Williams is the perfect candidate to do just that.

Averaging just 7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, Williams has put up serviceable numbers in limited action. However, those numbers have the potential to blossom into premier production, as shown with DiVincenzo’s excellence last year.

Given his five-star pedigree coupled with the numerous flashes of brilliance this season, I love Emmitt Williams as a breakout candidate this March.

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