2021 NCAA Tournament West Region roundtable, key questions

3. Who will be the biggest impact player of this region?

Sinodhinos

There are a lot of players who were in the discussion for their conference Player of the Year, but there are a lot of Player of the Year candidates as well. While I may have gone outside the box with Virginia, I am going to go with a more obvious choice and say Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert. Having been already named WCC Player of the Year there is no reason he will not continue to score 19 points per game.

Being surrounded by such a good team, opponents will not be able to focus on just him as they might versus Evan Mobley or Luka Garza. If opponents do make him the focal point of their scouting report, his teammates will flourish just as much, thanks to him. Either way, Kispert is going to make an impact.

Mauro

Corey Kispert.  Can the best player on the best team be considered an impact player?  He truly makes Gonzaga as dominant as they are.  He can hurt you in so many ways and no one has a player who does the things that Kispert does.

Bernstein

Gonzaga has been the most dominant team through all of college basketball and that isn’t just because of their playstyle but, their players. Their biggest impact player has been Jalen Suggs. The 6-foot-4 athletic guard can muscle his way through any defender in his path. This past season he averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Suggs led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season (26-0, 15-0) making them the best team in the NCAA. There is no doubt this team will make a run and will be all thanks to the start point guard Jalen Suggs.

Loose

This is a region filled with talent, especially on some of the top teams. We already know about the deep talent on Gonzaga’s roster, but it’s impossible to deny the role Luka Garza will play in determining the West’s Final Four team. The Hawkeyes have the country’s best player and they’ll need him at his best, especially if they meet those Bulldogs in the Elite Eight.