Star power defines the 2024 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Of the 15 players named to the Associated Press All-American Teams, 12 remain.
With an abundance of headline talent spread across each of the four regionals, the importance of the supporting casts amplifies.
Each of the Sweet 16 features a potential difference-maker to watch in their pursuit of the Final Four:
UConn forward Alex Karaban, center, finds an outlet against Providence on March 9.
East Region
Connecticut: F Alex Karaban
Defending national champion UConn’s run to the 2023 title picked up momentum with dominant Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performances, both of which included breakout performances from then-freshman Alex Karaban.
Now a sophomore, Karaban is the Huskies’ third-leading scorer at 13.7 points per game. His length as a 6-foot-8 face-up player presents match-up problems — and just as significantly, Karaban’s role in winning a championship last year sets the tone for UConn first-timers.
“We know what this tournament is and we know what’s expected from this tournament,” he said ahead of the Huskies’ 75-58, second-round win over Northwestern. “We went through the experience of the tournament run last year and we are just trying to pass on our knowledge to the new guys this year.”
San Diego State: F Jay Pal
Campbell transfer Jay Pal moved into San Diego State’s starting rotation full-time in mid-February and established himself as reflective of the identity Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher preaches.
“Our culture is defensive rebounding,” Dutcher said ahead of SDSU’s 85-57 blowout of Yale in the second round. “We’re one of the few teams in the country that when we don’t make shots, we can still win games because our defense is that elite, our rebounding is that good.”
Pal complements All-American Jaedon LeDee on the glass, averaging 4.2 boards per game — second on the team to LeDee’s 8.4. Pal also ranks among the best players remaining in the tournament for shot-blocking percentage per KenPom.com metrics, averaging a rejection on 7.1% of defensive possessions.
Iowa State: G Curtis Jones Following Iowa State’s 67-56 win over Washington State to advance to the Sweet 16, Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger offered effusive praise of Curtis Jones’ scoring pop off the bench.
“He has been that great, impactful guard scorer off the bench and playmaker for us when he gets in,” Otzelberger said.
Jones is one of four Cyclones scorers averaging in double-figures and the only one doing so coming off the bench. With a team-leading 1.9 3-pointers made per game, Jones ensures Iowa State can cycle out starters Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey without sacrificing production.
Illinois: G Ty Rodgers
Illinois is riding one of the hottest streaks of any Sweet 16 team, winning 9 of 10 and six straight. The run coincides with Ty Rodgers’ uptick in production, which includes a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double against Ohio State and eight points and 13 rebounds vs. Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament.
Rodgers’ work on the boards plays a significant part in the Illinois out-rebounding opponents by more than eight per game.
Midwest Region
Purdue: G Fletcher Loyer One of four Boilermakers averaging double-figures scoring this season, Fletcher Loyer’s proven especially pivotal in some of Purdue’s marquee wins. He scored 27 points against then-No. 1 Arizona in December, matching his output in a defeat of Tennessee.
Loyer shoots almost 45% from beyond the 3-point arc, a necessary ingredient in keeping opposing defenses from packing in down low against 7-foot-4, reigning Naismith Award winner Zach Edey.
Gonzaga: F Anton Watson
Gonzaga extended its NCAA Tournament-qualifying streak that extends to 1999, and with an 89-68 rout of Kansas in the second round, reached its ninth consecutive Sweet 16. The Bulldogs ran into a rough patch in the opening two months of the season when their run of tournament appearances appeared in jeopardy.
Mark Few credited Anton Watson, a 14.5-point, 7.2-rebound per game averaging forward, for righting the ship.
“It was just kind of figuring each other out,” Few said before the meeting with Kansas. Anton … figuring out he needs to assert himself more than he ever had to when we had Drew (Timme), Julian (Strawther) and guys like that.”
In a bracket pitting Gonzaga against Purdue’s All-American Edey and potentially Creighton’s 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the Bulldogs’ interior duo of Watson and Graham Ike bear considerable responsibility.
Alabama guard Mark Sears, left, guards Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey during the first half of an SEC matchup on March 2.
Tennessee: G Jordan Gainey Former Salpointe Catholic Lancer Jordan Gainey has been Tennessee’s most consistent scoring option coming off the bench since his transfer from USC Upstate. Getting the 6.9-point-per-game scorer going in the Midwest Regional could be a key to sending the Volunteers to the Final Four.
Gainey had a stretch of Southeastern Conference games scoring in double-figures three times over five outings. While he has 10 combined points in Tennessee’s first two NCAA Tournament wins against Saint Peter’s and Texas, he impacted the second-round decision defensively with a pair of steals.
Creighton: G Steven
Ashworth Steven Ashworth broke out as a star scorer for Utah State a season ago, averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 43.4% on more than seven 3-point attempts per game. Ashworth sacrificed his own offensive numbers to join Creighton’s lineup, but remained an effective combo guard with the ability to distribute and put up points when called upon.
And he was called on in the Bluejays’ Round of 32 win over Oregon, knocking down five 3-pointers en route to 21 points.
“I knew Steven was going to step up,” said Trey Alexander, one of Creighton’s leading scorers at 17.7 points per game. “So I tried to do whatever I could to get those guys in situations to be successful.”
South Region
Houston: F J’Wan Roberts
Houston’s perimeter trio of LJ Pryor, Emanuel Sharp and All-American Jamal Shead have done plenty of heavy lifting as far as scoring, while forward J’Wan Roberts handles a little of everything.
Roberts ranks among the nation’s most productive players in a variety of advanced metrics, including top-100 in all of Division I for effective field goal percentage per KenPom.com. His 60% shooting from inside the 3-point arc fuels Roberts’ offensive productivity, and he ranks top 230 in both steal and blocked-shot percentages.
Roberts’ 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in Houston’s 100-95 overtime defeat of Texas A&M in the Round of 32 encapsulated the forward’s multifaceted contributions to the Cougars’ success.
James Madison’s Xavier Brown, left, defends Duke’s Tyrese Proctor on March 24 in New York.
Duke: G Tyrese Proctor
While Jared McCain’s eight made 3-pointers in Duke’s 93-55 blowout of James Madison stole the show, sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor quietly knocked down four 3-pointers to give him seven shots made from distance thus far in the NCAA Tournament.
Proctor also has a run of eight games scoring in double figures over the Blue Devils’ last nine, including the last six straight — all of which were against tournament-qualifying opponents.
“Coach (Jon Scheyer) has always emphasized letting your brother know that you have his back,” Proctor said last week. “And I think that’s just been a big focus for me this year.”
Marquette: G Stevie Mitchell
Supplementing Marquette’s explosive backcourt duo of Kam Jones (17.1 points per game) and All-American Tyler Kolek (15.3 points, 7.9 assists per game), Stevie Mitchell has filled an important niche for the Golden Eagles.
Mitchell’s 16 points in the first-round win over Western Kentucky marked his seventh double-figure scoring performance in the previous 10, and he carries a streak of 11 straight games grabbing at least three rebounds into the Sweet 16.
“Energy, just phenomenal energy,” is how Marquette coach Shaka Smart described Mitchell. “Gets his hands on the basketball. Those swing plays that he makes where it’s a deflection or he blows up an action, and then on the offensive end… He finds a way to get in there for some lay-ups.”
NC State: F Mohamed Diarra
Big man D.J. Burns Jr.’s recent run, including a 20-point, seven-assist performance in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game to send North Carolina State to the NCAA Tournament, and his 24 points and 11 rebounds in the second round vs. Oakland pushed him into the spotlight.
But the emergence of frontcourt mate Mohammed Diarra has played a pivotal role in the Wolfpack’s surge. NC State is among the more unique teams remaining in the Sweet 16 with its old-school interior tandem.
Diarra, who averages fewer than seven points per game on the season, has scored in double-figures in four of the Wolfpack’s last five. He has also grabbed 12-plus rebounds in six straight.
West Region
North Carolina: G Cormac Ryan A 31-point game against Duke in the regular-season finale showed Cormac Ryan at his most dangerous. Ryan is fourth among four Tar Heels averaging in double figures, posting 11.3 points per game, but he has cleared his average in six of North Carolina’s eight most recent outings.
That includes each of the Tar Heels’ first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins over Wagner and Michigan State. Ryan knocked down two 3-pointers in each contest, giving him nine games with multiple made attempts from deep over the last 13.
Alabama: G Aaron Estrada
A two-time Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year at Hofstra, Aaron Estrada settled into a more complementary offensive role alongside Mark Sears upon transferring to Alabama.
With averages of 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game — second, tied for first and first on Alabama’s roster — Estrada is not exactly an unknown. However, for the most prolific offense remaining in the NCAA Tournament, his perimeter defense may well determine the Crimson Tide’s Final Four prospects.
Clemson forward RJ Godfrey, left, dribbles past Baylor forward Josh Ojianwuna on March 24 in the Tigers’ second-round win over the Bears.
Clemson: F RJ Godfrey
With standout PJ Hall fouling out and Baylor rallying late in Clemson’s 72-64 second-round win to advance to the Sweet 16, reserve RJ Godfrey helped the Tigers push through.
His eight points, including 4-of-4 free-throw shooting down the stretch, marked his high since posting 12 points against Florida State in February. While Godfrey’s scoring contributions are limited, he keys Clemson’s defensive intensity coming off the bench with his ability to guard face-up and post players.
Arizona: G Jaden Bradley
UA coach Tommy Lloyd credited Jaden Bradley for “controlling the game” in the Wildcats’ 78-68 second-round defeat of Dayton. With his 12-point performance, UA improved to 7-0 when he scores in double figures.
Perhaps more significant, however, is Bradley’s defensive intensity. UA has won the last eight games in which Bradley makes a steal and boasts a double-digit-point margin of victory in each of those eight contests.
After a late push in the second half to solidify their lead, Arizona defeated Dayton, 78-68, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. (March Madness YouTube)
Arizona defeated Auburn, 69-59, to advance to the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. Jada Williams led the Wildcats with 17 points. Watch the full game highlights here. (March Madness YouTube)
