2024 NCAA Tournament: Ranking the Top 20 Players from the South Region

2. Jamal Shead (Houston)

Since arriving at Houston back in 2020, Shead has been important for the Cougars, but the word important just doesn’t seem strong enough. He was a reserve as a freshman on that Final Four team but has learned and grown his game over the years. Expected to do much more as a senior, this season has been really special for him, earning Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a result.

Shead averages 13.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the Cougars and is rightfully a menace on both sides of the ball. While his shooting numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s among the national leaders in both steals and assists this season and was doing impactful work as a defender in his first season in the Big 12. He also dropped 29 on Texas Tech, 25 on Texas, and has the potential to cause nightmares for the opposition on both sides of the court.

1. Tyler Kolek (Marquette)

Just consider what Kolek has done in his career. He was A-10 Rookie of the Year in a pretty great season at George Mason before transferring to Marquette in 2021. He’s been the full-time starting point guard in these last three seasons, winning Big East Player of the Year honors last season. An injury has kept him out of the lineup in recent weeks, but when he’s been available he’s continued to play commanding basketball for Marquette.

Kolek is putting up the best numbers of his career, averaging 15.0 points and 7.6 assists per game for the Golden Eagles. He’s also shot 40% from outside the arc and we don’t need to tell you how much better Marquette is when he’s leading this lineup. Kolek leads the nation in assists per game and recently dropped 32 points on Villanova with many other 20-point affairs. Whether it's scoring or setting up his teammates, Kolek is one of the best weapons in this entire Tournament and Marquette has deep run potential if he’s healthy this week.