It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but someday, somehow, the Arizona Wildcats will have to contend with some of college basketball’s best players if they hope to reach their March Madness aspirations.
Should the Wildcats advance to the Elite Eight, Michigan’s maulers or Villanova’s villains will be in the offing. And from there, it’s anyone’s guess. Does Kansas lurk? Or mighty Miami, which knocked off USC and then took out Auburn?
Here’s a look at 11 of the brightest remaining stars in the NCAA Tournament, certain candidates for Most Outstanding Players, and potential foes for Arizona to vanquish.
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme
Mark Few has a knack for finding these freakishly fundamental, offensively sound, remarkably annoying stars who become shockingly productive. After scoring 19 points on an absurd 65.5% shooting last year, Timme has "regressed" to 18.2 points and 59.2% shooting. He's had a remarkable tournament so far, posting a combined 57 points and 27 rebounds.
Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren
Are we really going to put two Zags on this list? Well, yeah, we are. It is arguable who has made a bigger impact in Spokane this season, the venerable Timme or the towering freshman Holmgren. Talk about making a splash: The 7-foot, 18-pound center — OK, he's 195 pounds, but he looks thinner than a rail post — had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his first game and went on to average 14.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season, good for 18th in the country. And his 61% field-goal shooting ranks 13th nationally. Not a bad debut.
Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji
Bill Self has done it again. One of the country's best player development coaches, Self has ushered Agbaji from a productive if precocious freshman to one of the best seniors in the country and a probable first-round NBA Draft pick. Ogbaji averages 19.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, though he's been off his game in the tournament. He's bound to bust out after averaging 13 points on 36% shooting in the opening weekend.
Villanova guard Collin Gillespie
Just one of those smug players you love to hate, with his silky stroke and Philly strut. The guy is deadly accurate — particularly at the free-throw line — and he's been a steady all-around player for years. After his season was cut short last year by a torn MCL, he's returned with a vengeance. With 34 points and eight dimes in the tournament so far, he's just finding his rhythm.
Duke forward Paolo Banchero
A projected top-3 pick for what feels like years, Banchero has been Mike Krzyzewski's promised child in his final season. Sending off a legend like Coach K into the sunset, the 6-10 forward became his final five-star, and he's played like one, averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and three assists per game. His outside shooting leaves much to be desired, but he has gone 4 for 9 from deep in the tournament.
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey
True, if anyone on the Boilermakers can be considered a giant, it is 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey. But no Boilermaker plays bigger than Ivey, the sensational sophomore scorer. Some of his individual performances this year have been outstanding: A 27-point, 8-rebound effort in Game 2 against Indiana State, 22-10-6 in a nine-point win over North Carolina, and more recently, a 22-9-5 showing in Purdue's 75-70 Big Ten Tournament semifinals win over Michigan State. He was terrific in the opening weekend of March Madness, combining for 40 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 15-of-18 free-throw shooting.
UCLA guard Johnny Juzang
After one of the legendary NCAA Tournament runs in history last year, Juzang entered this year's postseason hampered by a lingering ankle injury. He went off for 20 points eight times this year, including four straight in January, so we know he can still catch fire.
North Carolina forward Armando Bacot
Bacot let the world know he'd go down as an all-time rebounder two years ago as a freshman, when he averaged 8.3 rebounds per game to go along with 9.6 points over 24.4 minutes per game. His rebounding numbers dipped slightly last year as his offensive game grew, seeing as his shooting percentage bumped from 46.9 to 62.8. This year, it's been the best of both worlds for the Tar Heels: 16.4 points on 58.8% shooting, plus 12.5 rebounds per game, third in the nation. Oh, and that fantastic field-goal percentage ranks 20th in the country.
Center Hunter Dickinson has been the brawn behind Michigan's unlikely run to the Sweet 16.
Michigan center Hunter Dickinson
At 7-1, Dickinson is the tallest player on this list — if you don't include Purdue's Edey, who deserved a mention — and he has been one of the most productive over the last two years. After averaging 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season, Dickinson blossomed to 18.7 points and 8.4 rebounds this year while shooting 57.1% from the field. If he returns for a third season in Ann Arbor, Dickinson will be a preseason All-America nominee.
Arkansas guard JD Notae
Call it a learning curve: Last year, Notae's first with Arkansas since transferring from Jacksonville, saw him average 12.8 points per game in 22.6 minutes per game. With some SEC bona fides under his belt, Notae has increased his scoring to a voluminous 18.4 points per game, to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals. The All-SEC pick was the only player in the conference to rank among the top 15 in scoring, assists, steals and defensive rebounds.
Miami guard Kameron McGusty
A transfer from Oklahoma after his playing time dropped from 24.9 minutes and 17 starts in 31 games as a freshman to 18.5 minutes and eight starts in 32 games as a sophomore, McGusty has been on a strictly upward trajectory. His stats and usage have improved every year, but the two most impressive leaps came this season in scoring — from 13.3 to 17.5 points per game — and turnovers, where he's dropped to 1.8 from 2.5.
