NCAA Tournament 2023: Power ranking of top 100 players overall from the field
By Joey Loose
75. Dereck Lively II – Duke
One of the Blue Devils’ 5-star recruits, Lively hasn’t put up the numbers that were expected of him before the season, but he’s been an important part of Duke’s success down the stretch. He was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman and All-Defense teams and was among the national leaders in shot-blocking, averaging 2.3 blocks a game.
74. Jalen Slawson – Furman
In his fifth season at Furman, Slawson has played a vital role for the Paladins, averaging 15.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game this year. Slawson was named SoCon Player of the Year this season after being the conference’s top defender last year. His 20 points in the SoCon title game are a big reason why the Paladins are here.
73. Jamarius Burton – Pittsburgh
Burton is a talented scoring guard who’s really found his place these last few seasons with the Panthers. A former contributor at both Wichita State and Texas Tech, he’s averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists a game this year and is a big reason why Pittsburgh is in the Big Dance after low expectations in the preseason; he was given First Team All-ACC honors for his breakthrough season.
72. Jalen Hood-Schifino – Indiana
The Big Ten Rookie of the Year, Hood-Schifino has had his ups and downs this season but grew into a major role for this talented Hoosiers team. He’s averaging 13.5 points per game, but recently had a 35-point performance in the Hoosiers’ February road win at Purdue. He’s certainly one of the best freshmen in the NCAA Tournament.
71. Tyson Walker – Michigan State
Walker has blossomed in Michigan State’s backcourt and plays a vital role for the Spartans this season, averaging 14.6 points a game. A solid defender who was CAA Defensive Player of the Year at Northeastern, Walker puts up decent numbers across the board and was named Second Team All-Big Ten this year.