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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COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – MARCH 05: Jazz Johnson #22 of the Nevada Wolf Pack guards an Air Force Falcons player during the second half at Clune Arena on March 5, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

3. Jazz Johnson, Guard, Nevada

On a team lead by experienced seniors in the Martin twins and Jordan Caroline, Jazz Johnson is a rare outlier on the Nevada Wolf Pack.

The junior guard stands just 5-foot-10, but packs a big punch, averaging nearly 12 points per game.

The shoot-first guard has shown his versatility all season long, providing balance when the oft-inconsistent Martin twins fail to produce on offense.

With their backs against the wall as a seven seed, and a matchup against Michigan looming if they can get past Florida, the Wolf Pack are in trouble. This time, they aren’t as unknown, and will need more than the Martins and Caroline to make a run.

Luckily for them, they have one of my personal favorite sleeper picks in Jazz Johnson.

Johnson has shot a high percentage all season, and while his numbers aren’t incredible, he has the ability to put up big numbers in big games, as he dropped 20 points on Boise State in the Mountain West Quarterfinals.

Johnson will need to provide that boost and consistency for the Wolf Pack this tournament, as their path to the Elite Eight and beyond will be much, much more difficult than last season.

Johnson is the perfect jumpstarter for a team in Nevada that needs a serious boost come tournament time.

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