15 Players Ready to Explode During 2013 NCAA Tournament
15 Players Ready to Explode During 2013 NCAA Tournament
March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for several reasons, but there may be nothing better than witnessing little-known players from small-town schools rise to the occasion during what is probably the only time they’ll be able to share the big stage with some of college basketball’s powerhouses.
Major upsets are another reason we love the NCAA Tournament, and it’s usually a star player from a little-known program that creates the madness. We all take notice when it happens, and then typically proceed to throw our brackets in the trash.
But even if it does get the best of us, we all have to appreciate the moment when a school like Belmont or Bucknell topples one of the nation’s more accomplished basketball programs. Sometimes it takes just one player to lead the charge and create a stir when tourney time rolls around.
The average college basketball fan knows all about players like Cody Zeller, Peyton Siva and Trey Burke and the havoc they are capable of creating in the month of March. But what about guys like Mike Muscala, Nate Wolters and Khalif Wyatt? Where’s the love for them?
Well, most basketball fans simply haven’t been able to see much, or any, of these talented athletes. But that’s all about to change in this year’s NCAA Tourney, a place where any player with enough toughness and passion for the game can steal the national spotlight.
The time in the spotlight for these little-known stars may only be temporary, but the memories they can create for themselves and their programs will last forever. Here are 15 players you probably don’t know much about that are ready to explode in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Allen Crabbe, California
Crabbe is one of a few players in this year’s tourney with the potential to drop 30 points on any given night. He started off the 2012-13 season red-hot with 60 combined points in Cal’s first two games, and even dropped 31 on the road against Arizona Feb. 10.
Andre Roberson, Colorado
The Buffaloes are a much more dangerous team with Roberson, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year, in the lineup. The nation’s leading rebounder (11.3 RPG) is fully recovered from an illness that cost him two games just before postseason play began, and if Colorado gets past Illinois in the second round, he’ll likely be the main reason why.
Romero Osby, Oklahoma
Osby has been an absolute machine as of late, pouring in 17 points or more in each of the Sooners past eight games. The senior forward is also averaging seven boards per game on the year, and he’d like to make a memorable tourney run before his days as a collegiate athlete come to an end.
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State
Franklin doesn’t get much attention playing for the Aztecs, but what everyone should know is that he is the only player in the country who leads his team in scoring (16.7 PPG), rebounding (9.5 RPG), assists (3.2 APG) and steals (1.5 SPG). That’s right, this guy absolutely dominated the Mountain West Conference and is about to give us more of the same in the NCAA Tournament.
Dwayne Evans, Saint Louis
Evans has recorded a double-double in six of his last 12 games after going through a rough stretch halfway through the season. The junior forward has posted at least 16 points and eight rebounds over his past seven games and will look to carry that high level of play into the tourney against New Mexico State.
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State
Wolters is averaging a whopping 22.7 PPG on the season, and his 53-point night in early February lets you know exactly what he’s capable of. The sharpshooting senior has surpassed the 30-point mark four times this year and is also averaging over five rebounds and five assists per game.
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
Smart isn’t exactly a secret, but those who don’t yet know what the talented freshman is capable of are about to find out in a hurry. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard is averaging 21 PPG over his last four and has recorded at least two steals per game in 28 contests this season.
Mike Muscala, Bucknell
Muscala is one of the most dominant big men nobody knows about, averaging 19 PPG and 11.2 RPG on the year for Bucknell. The 6-foot-11, 239-pound senior is what makes the Bison tick, and they’ll ride him as deep into the tourney as they possibly can.
Colton Iverson, Colorado State
Another dominant big man flying under the radar, Iverson is coming off a 24-point, 16-rebound performance against UNLV and we can only imagine he plans on continuing his dominant play against Missouri in the second round of the tourney. The 6-foot-10, 261-pound senior is averaging 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds a night on the season.
Murphy Holloway, Ole Miss
Holloway has a whopping 13 double-doubles on the year and helped Ole Miss take home the SEC Tournament title with 23 points and 10 boards in a 66-63 win over Florida. Marshall Henderson gets much of the credit for where this program is at, but Holloway is the one doing all the dirty work down low.
Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's
Dellavedova helped Saint Mary’s advance to the second round of the tourney after posting 22 points, six rebounds and four assists in the play-in game win over Middle Tennessee on Wednesday. Expect more where that came from for as long as the eleventh-seeded Gael’s can hang on in the tourney.
Khalif Wyatt, Temple
Wyatt is averaging 19.8 PPG on the year and has broken the 30-point mark on four different occasions, the most recent coming Mar. 10 in a 84-76 win over VCU — a five-seed in this year’s tourney. If he can keep it up, the Owls could make a surprise run deep into the tournament.
Anthony Bennett, UNLV
Much of UNLV’s success this season has been because of Bennett’s stellar play. He’s averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a night, and can surprisingly knock it down from deep when he’s got the hot hand. A well-rounded player like this can carry a team pretty far in in tournament play.
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh
Woodall has actually been pretty inconsistent this year, but he’s streaking right now and it’s obviously coming at the perfect time. The 6-foot, 190-pound guard is the motor that makes the Panthers go, so if he’s on top of his game, they can definitely make some noise.
Will Clyburn, Iowa State
The Cyclones will take on Notre Dame in the second round hoping Clyburn can muster up another one of those monster performances he’s been having all season. He’s put up some stinkers, too, but the senior guard has seven double-doubles under his belt and has scored 20 points or more on seven separate occasions as well.
