Players to watch in the 2018 NCAA Tournament

With Duke's stable of freshmen this season, Allen can sometimes become a forgotten man. He still hasn't reached the heights he did during his sophomore season — his production in losses is abysmal — but he's played better over the second half of the season. His penchant for cheap fouls returned in the ACC Tournament against North Carolina, but he will be relied on as a leader if Duke wants to live up to the preseason ranking and bring Mike Krzyzewski his sixth title.

Ayton has been a 20 and 10 guy all season and one of the toughest matchups for anyone. The freshman is a likely top three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, with unfair talent as a big who can shoot as well as drive. Currently he is embroiled in a recruiting controversy that has rocked the university as well as college basketball, but as long as he is on the floor, Arizona has a chance at winning the national championship.

Bates-Diop is the Buckeyes' first Big Ten Player of the Year since Evan Turner in 2010. He burst on the scene when he scored 32 points against then-No. 1 Michigan State. As he got hot, Ohio State got hot. Even though he struggled heading into the Big Ten Tournament, he still finished second in the conference in scoring and rebounding. 

What a career Berry has had, reaching two Final Fours, two title games and winning one national championship so far. He was the Most Outstanding Player of last year's Final Four and the first player since Bill Walton to score at least 20 points in consecutive National Championship Games. He is the heart and soul of the Tar Heels as well as their go-to guy in the clutch. He'd love nothing more than to finish his college career in his third straight title tilt. 

Bluiett's time at Xavier has coincided with the most successful era in Musketeers history, including their first No. 1 seed in the tourney, and he's been a big part of it. Last tournament, he was huge in Xavier's upsets over Maryland, Florida State and Arizona, but he was absent in the Elite Eight loss to Gonzaga. In February, Bluiett had a two-point effort against Georgetown and a six-point game against Creighton. While both were wins, he's going to have to be the guy leading the pace if the Muskies are finally going to break through to the Final Four. 

Bridges was just a role player when the Wildcats won the 2016 national title. Now, he's the do-everything guy. He plays great defense, hits threes, and can get to the basket and throw it down. Bridges is the reason Villanova is looking for its second title in three years. His hard work and patience have turned him into a likely lottery pick if he declares for the NBA, but for now, the redshirt junior is looking for another championship.

Bridges shocked the basketball world when he decided to return to college instead of becoming a one-and-done. A likely lottery pick, he has led the Spartans right back to the top of college basketball and one of the favorites to win a national championship. He is explosive around the basket yet can score from virtually anywhere on the court. If Tom Izzo is going to win his second championship, Bridges will be the guy who takes him there. 

Carter is the stir that mixes "Press Virginia's" drink. The senior has been the point man in the Mountaineers' famed press, but this season he's also taken on more of a scoring role. His scoring average jumped 3.5 points to 17 per game while he's tacked on three more assists per game (to 6.6). He's basically a thorn in his opponent's side — an annoyance and a playmaker. For West Virginia to be successful, the press has to work, and Carter is the one who makes it go. 

When you watch Cincinnati play, Gary Clark may not be the guy you focus on at first. He's quiet, unassuming and, from all accounts, a nice guy. His play on the court can be loud, though. He's second on the team in scoring (behind Jacob Evans) and the leading rebounder. He doesn't shoot many threes, but he makes them at a 43 percent clip. In a tournament that will be volatile as this one could be, having a senior big man you can count on is huge. 

The Jackrabbits are back in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, and Daum has been a major part of all those teams, winning the Summit League Player of the Year Award the last two seasons. He's a legit tournament darling, averaging 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds this season, and the big man can shoot from behind the arc. Daum struggled in his first two trips to the big dance. He doesn't want to see that happen again. Beware, Ohio State.

No one was really sure how good Purdue would be after all-everything big Caleb Swanigan left for the NBA. Turns out, once Carsen Edwards stepped his game up the Boilermakers became pretty darn good. The sophomore leads Purdue in scoring and greatly improved his shooting to become a confident leader. As the season has gone along, so has his performance, which includes a 40-point outburst against Illinois in the final week of the regular season. 

Elmore, the junior guard from Charleston, W.V., is the real deal. He is eighth in the nation in scoring (22.8 ppg) and seventh in assists (6.9 apg). He also grabs six boards a night, for good measure. Simply put, he is a load. The Thundering Herd are making their first tournament appearance since 1987, and Elmore was a big reason why. In the Conference USA title game against Western Kentucky, it was Elmore hitting the big shots. 

Evans will be key to any postseason success Texas Tech has. He has fought through a toe injury late in the season, which could be an issue as the Red Raiders move along the tournament. After sustaining the injury, he and the team have not been themselves, losing four straight games. If he can't be at his best (or near it), Texas Tech may be doomed. 

Foster was once labeled as a headache and was dismissed from Kansas State after his freshman season. Creighton took a chance on him, and it has paid off. Foster is averaging 20.3 points per game and is a deadly three-point shooter (42.2 percent) and one of the better redemption stories you will find this March. Simply said, he's the kind of player who could go off in the tournament, and his confident play could carry a well-coached Bluejays team far. 

Kevin Knox gets the pub, but Kentucky's turnaround is due in part to Gilgeous-Alexander's grasp of the point guard spot. He isn't De'Aaron Fox or John Wall, but he is a 6-6 playmaker who has sort of flipped roles with Quade Green and become the primary point guard. SGA, as he is known, is more of a slasher while Green is a better shooter. Having the ball in SGA's hands has turned around the fortunes of Kentucky's season. 

Graham has done a great job taking over the leadership role from last year's National Player of the Year Frank Mason III. Graham leads the Jayhawks in scoring and assists and is by far the guy who gets to the line most. He's played so well that his name is on all those awards lists. Kansas has been lying in the weeds this season, but you shouldn't underestimate the Jayhawks or Graham. 

Virginia is known for its pack-line defense, but the Cavs need to score points — and the man to do that is Kyle Guy. Guy leads the team in scoring and has become the go-to, well, guy for the Wahoos. His scoring average and minutes played have doubled since last season, and he had a great ACC Tournament for the Cavs. He's going to need to step up if Tony Bennett's bunch wants to finally reach the Final Four. 

Not only does he have a great name, but Mustapha Heron has some great game. Heron leads Auburn in scoring and is a great rebounder for a guard. He's not the best three-point shooter but can hit them. The same goes for his defensive play. He was once a weak defender, but he's worked at it to become competent. If Auburn wants to prolong its surprising season, Heron must be active on both ends of the court. 

New Mexico State is an excellent defensive team, and Jones is a key component of that. He is second in the nation in rebounding (13.2 boards a game), which is insane considering he is a guard. He is the only player in the top 20 in rebounding who is under 6-6. Though not a big scorer, Jones has gotten his average up to 11 points per game. The guy just loves to rebound — always has and always will. Any Aggies opponent will have nightmares keeping this guy off the glass.

You know where Love is when he's on the court. He's 6-9 and nearly 300 pounds of character. Love actually committed to South Dakota State but tore his ACL on the final play of his final high school football game. He followed head coach Scott Nagy when he moved on to Wright State and has had a sold freshman season. The best thing about him is the fact that he changed his last name from Vollbrecht to Love.

The NC State transfer has been outstanding in his first season in Reno, leading the Wolf Pack in scoring. There was panic in Nevada when he missed a game against UNLV with a Lisfranc sprain, which was thought to be season-ending, but he has returned and is back to his stat-stuffing ways. Nevada needs him if it plans on making any noise in the tournament.

Mathews has had a fantastic career at Lipscomb. He's been a top-notch scorer, averaging 22.1 points this season (12th in the country), including 33 in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game against Florida Gulf Coast. He popped 43 points on Kennesaw State earlier this season as well. Lipscomb won't likely get too far in the tournament, but to see Mathews stretch out on that stage should be a treat. 

Porter had a lot of preseason hype as one of the top freshmen but has been off the radar since November. He played just two minutes before missing the rest of the regular season with a back injury. He made a return in the SEC Tournament but looked rusty. Give this kid some credit: He could have just kept sitting and coasted into the NBA Draft this June. Instead, he wants to play and has been engaged with the team the entire season. It's nice to see even though he's a virtual lock to be a one-and-done. 

Sexton was a hot name early in the season and then was sort of put on the back burner as fellow freshmen Trae Young, Marvin Bagley III and Deandre Ayton took over much of the publicity. However, Sexton's performance in the SEC Tournament brought the eyes back to him. He followed up a 27-point effort against Texas A&M (where he also hit that game winner at the buzzer) by dumping 31 on regular-season champ Auburn in a stunning blowout. 

On the senior-laden Shockers, redshirt sophomore Shamet provides youthful exuberance. He leads the team in scoring and assists and is a solid rebounder for a 6-4 guard. He's their three-point threat and a guy who can create his own shot or find the open man for a scoring play. Shamet is key for Wichita State to make another Final Four run. 

Stark, the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, is an offensive spark plug. The Tulane transfer has been on fire as of late, averaging 27 points during the last two games of the OVC Tournament. After a breakout junior season, the senior has become more efficient this year by attacking the basket more and not firing up too many threes. Because of that, the Racers will be a tough out in the tournament. 

Young blasted on the scene early on and hasn't let up. He leads the nation in scoring and assists, something that's never happened before. After a fast start, however, the Sooners have limped down the stretch. Defenses have geared toward stopping Young, and while he is still putting up stats, he is doing so inefficiently. Oklahoma would love nothing more than to repeat 2016, when Buddy Hield put on a one-man show en route to the Final Four.