Players to watch in the NCAA Tournament

Syracuse can go into big lulls when it struggles to score, and that's when Battle tends to take it upon himself to carry the Orange. Battle, who missed the ACC Tournament with a back injury, will need to be at full strength if Boeheim's bunch plans to make another deep tournament run. He rarely gets to rest (his 36.3 minutes per game is a break compared to the insane 39 minutes a game he logged last season), and his ability to score in a variety of ways is key to Syracuse's offense.

If you haven't seen the Red Raiders play this season, then you've been missing one of the nation's best two-way players. Culver averages over 18 points and six rebounds to lead the offense but is also one the top defenders in college basketball. He's capable of putting up a massive scoring night (26 against Kansas, 25 vs. Duke) and disrupting the opponent's offense. Remember that Texas Tech made it to the regional final last season and fully expects to take the next step. 

Cumberland, the American Player of the Year, has really broken out this season. Averaging nearly 19 points, 4.5 boards and 3.6 assists, he led the conference in usage rate as the Bearcats' do-everything player. He's developed into a three-point threat, which has made his ability to blow by guys and get to the rim all the more dangerous. He's tidied up his foul shooting, making him the guy who has the ball in clutch moments. Cincinnati finds itself as a No. 7 this season, a year after it was upset by a No. 7 seed. Cumberland and the 'Cats are ready to do damage.

Most people following along during the season wondered how Houston remained in the top 10 of the rankings each week. Who are these guys? Get to know Corey Davis Jr. Even the AAC doesn't totally get it. (He somehow got passed over for conference Player of the Year.) Davis is a leader in every sense of the word. He's poised even as he's relied on to carry a big offensive load and to be a keystone to the Cougars tough defense. He impacts a game just by being out there, and he's someone everyone can root for. 

The Boilermakers can be a problem in this tournament because they have Carsen Edwards and you don't. He led the Big Ten in scoring at 23.4 ppg and finished third in steals. His shooting percentage went down this season, but that was mainly because the volume of shots he's taking went up. (Only five players in Division I took a higher percentage of his team's shots.) Despite Purdue losing pretty much everything but Edwards from last year's squad, it still became Big Ten co-champions. 

Stop me if you've heard this before: Saint Mary's has a really good scoring guard. Jordan Ford has averaged 21.3 points (leading the West Coast Conference) for a Gaels team that plays at a slower pace than most. He's an outstanding shooter — 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from three — and led the way in Saint Mary's stunning upset of Gonzaga in the WCC title game. He is a load and will cause problems in the tournament. 

When it comes to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, we tend to pay attention in November and December as they face off against several power conference teams and then forget about them when they get into WCC play. That's why we need to be reintroduced to Hachimura. Easily the most significant college hoops player to come from Japan, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year averaged 20 points and 6.6 rebounds this season while shooting 60 percent from the field and greatly improving his shooting range. The forward can bang inside but is able to run the court in the Zags' high-octane offense. With Killian Tillie back, Hachimura could get a little more space in which to operate. 

Hagans isn't the first, second or probably third guy you think about as you watch Kentucky , but he may be the most important. Hagans, a freshman who reclassified to play this season, is one of the best defensive point guards in the nation. At a time when teams have embraced a perimeter-oriented offense, Hagans defensive pressure on opposing guards has mucked up offenses and allowed for errant passes that the Wildcats have turned into easy points. Many feel his ascension to the starting job and Quade Green's transfer were turning points to Kentucky's season. It seems every title contender has a scoring point guard, but not many have a guy who loves to defend them. The Wildcats do.

If you haven't followed Big East basketball this year (and we understand why you may not have), then you've missed out on watching Markus Howard play. The 5'-foot-11 guard averages 25 points, nearly four rebounds and four assists this season and was named the Big East Player of the Year. He put 45 points on Kansas State, 45 points on Buffalo and hung 53 on Creighton. With a lengthy stay in the tournament, he could top Jerel McNeal as the Golden Eagles' all-time leading scorer.

Everyone is skeptical of Virginia after its historic loss to 16-seed UMBC last year, but De'Andre Hunter believes this year will be different. Why? Well, this year he will actually get to play. Hunter missed the end of the Cavaliers' season last year due to injury, but he's been outstanding in his sophomore year. He does everything. His hitting 47 percent of his threes, he's among the team leader in virtually every statistic and is a key figure in Virginia's tough pack-line defense. He's not a guy who wows you with his play as much as he makes you say, "that guy is everywhere!"

Since Lamb arrived in Burlington, he has been the best player, leading the Catamounts in scoring as a freshman. He's smallish for a big man, but he's strong, quick and determined to score. He'll work around the basket, size defenders for a blow-by and has now developed a consistent three-point shot. Against UMBC in the America East championship game, Lamb went for 28 points and nine boards.

Lawson transferred to Kansas from Memphis and expected to be an important cog on a stacked team. It hasn't worked out exactly as planned for the Jayhawks, but Lawson has been vital since Udoka Azubuike missed most of the season to injury and Lagerald Vick left the program. He's averaged 19 points and 10.6 rebounds, which easily leads Kansas in both categories.

If you're looking for that mid-major gunner who can shoot a team to an upset or two, then here is your guy. Magee doesn't care who he's playing against; he's going to put up shots. He did have a tough year against the biggest of opponents (he went 8-of-38 from three against North Carolina, Kansas and Oklahoma) but could nail 6-of-7 threes like he did against East Tennessee State during the conference tournament. If Wofford looks to get to the second weekend, Magee will need to get hot.

Massinburg could be ready for a breakout tournament. The Bulls, a No. 6 seed, are a trendy pick as a Cinderella after they spanked Arizona in the 2018 tournament. Last year Massinburg scored 19 points in that game against the Wildcats and then scored 18 in a loss to another Wildcat team: Kentucky. This season he put up 43 points on West Virginia, 25 on Syracuse and 18 on Marquette. 

You might remember McDonald from Northern Kentucky's first NCAA Tournament team two seasons ago. (The Norse gave Kentucky a scare.) They are back, and McDonald is averaging 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He's a big guy who bangs in the paint but can hit threes on you as well. He's also a good passer who finds cutters and typically is sound with the ball. If things are going well for the Norse, he's usually a key reason why.

Utah State is one of the best teams you have probably never seen play. Merrill leads the way with 21.2 ppg and 4.2 assists. The Aggies love to get up and down and Merrill does a great job being wise with the ball. He averaged 23 points in the Mountain West tournament and scored 27 on Arizona State and 29 on Nevada. Utah State could find itself toe-to-toe with North Carolina, and Merrill will get a huge stage on which to shine.

Fans (and the selection committee) had to love the fact that Murray State won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and will have Morant in the tournament. He is the first player to average 20 points and 10 assists in a season and has helped make the Racers a "SportsCenter" staple. He is a likely top five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and most of America hasn't even seen him play much. Morant's exciting game will captivate the country, and he could pull off an upset or two. 

The defending champions typically rely on solid upperclassmen guards, but this Wildcat team needs a versatile big man to lead the way to Minneapolis. Paschall was sitting out his transfer season when the 'Cats won in 2016 and was a key role player on last year's title team. This year, he's been asked to do a lot on a transitional team. He's averaging 16.5 points and over six boards and has to be a leader defensively. 

The junior guard has been outstanding this year as the Pirates only returning starter, averaging 22.6 points. He took over as the heart and soul of the team and became a leader. He's been extremely hot over the last several games, averaging 28.8 points in Seton Hall's final four regular season games, which included wins over Marquette and Villanova, and he dumped 29 points on Georgetown in the first half of the Big East Tournament meeting.

Puscia has led the Huskies in scoring in both his seasons since transferring from San Diego State. The senior Serbian has averaged nearly 18 points, four rebounds and four assists this season even after he missed a month with a wrist injury. He's a smart passer and a tough, if not spectacular, scorer. He put 20 on Alabama early in the season and went 7-of-12 from three in the CAA championship game over Hofstra. 

What would it look like if one of those talented Virginia players got to taste freedom in another offense? Well, Shayok did just that and had a breakout season. After three years with the Cavaliers, he left for Iowa State and raised his scoring average to 18.7 points (a 10-point increase). He's become a deadly shooter, averaging 49.6 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from three and 87.7 percent from the foul line. 

Cam Johnson has been the steadiest player and Luke Maye is the heart and soul of the team, but if North Carolina wants to win its 7th championship it will be up to White to stir the drink. White has had one of the greatest freshman seasons in Tar Heels history with his ability to score from deep as well as getting to the basket. He's also a decent playmaker but has had some high turnover games this season. Roy Williams expects a lot from his point guards and White will be going to his first (and maybe only) big dance. He may also have the best head of hair in the entire tournament. 

Williams won his second consecutive SEC Player of the Year award by continuing to do what he always does: score in a variety of ways, bang inside, hit the boards and defend. He is amazingly consistent — he failed to score in double figures only twice and both were blowout wins — and continues to battle in other areas if he's having an off night at shooting. Simply put, he's a winner, and he returned to school in the hopes of making a deeper tournament run after getting upset by Loyola-Chicago last year. 

The star of the 2018-2019 season will be the biggest name during the tournament. After missing the final six games of the regular season, Williamson dominated the ACC Tournament, carrying the Blue Devils to the championship and winning MVP honors. There are always many subplots to any tournament, but one of the biggest ones will be how Zion navigates through it...or rather how opponents deal with him. 

The Spartans have been hit with injuries of late, but Cassius Winston has put all the extra work upon his shoulders. The Big Ten Player of the Year averages 19 points and 7.6 assists while hardly getting a rest. Over the last 14 games of the regular season, he averaged nearly 36 minutes a game. Not only is he comfortably leading the team in scoring, but he's also had eight games with at least 10 assists. If Michigan State wants to make another deep tournament run, Winston will have to carry a huge load.