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Top 25 players in the 2019 NCAA tournament 🏀
Top 25 players in the 2019 NCAA tournament
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Welcome to our second annual look at the best 25 players in the field of 68. Well, in all honesty, make that 60.
You'll notice there are no players in the First Four on this list. There's a reason for that.
Last year I worked myself up into a fine state of analytic bliss praising UCLA's Aaron Holiday to the skies, only to have my editor helpfully inform me on the morning the piece was scheduled to run that the player in question was actually no longer in the NCAA tournament. To be fair, that was an excellent editorial point, and I had to write up a 26th player on the spot. Never again.
As always, NBA-agnostic player evaluation is the name of this game. There are people who do mock drafts and are really good at it. Conversely, this is all about how players would be ranked in terms of present-tense college impact only.
1. Zion Williamson, Duke Blue Devils
So, that ACC tournament was a pretty fun watch, yes? College basketball is better with a healthy Williamson. It just is. The 6-foot-7 freshman enters the tournament carrying a ridiculous 76 percent conversion rate on his 2-point attempts. If you've been reading along with the top 25 lists this season, you know the secret sauce here: Williamson gets point-blank scoring opportunities with a frequency we've never seen before. This season, 87 percent of his 2-point attempts have been recorded at the rim. That is absurd, and it's also a testament to wise and total abstinence on non-rim 2s. Oh, he also posted the second highest steal rate of anyone in ACC play. This list is NBA-potential-blind, but for the record, the eye test and the metrics do agree: Zion will be amazing at the next level.
2. Ja Morant, Murray State Racers
Lest you think this is just a list of star players putting up big individual numbers, with Morant we have a fairly cut-and-dried case in which his team likely wouldn't be here without him. In the Ohio Valley Conference title game against Belmont, the 6-foot-3 sophomore erupted for 36 points and closed out the 77-65 win down the stretch by getting to the line again and again. Morant is the proud owner of the nation's highest assist percentage, his dunks are the stuff of legend and we should all personally thank each member of the men's basketball committee for putting the Racers in a game against Markus Howard and Marquette. That will be 40 minutes of elite guard-vs.-guard mayhem and mastery.
3. Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga Bulldogs
In any normal non-Zion season we'd be rubbernecking at the spectacle of a San Jose State transfer shooting 71 percent on his 2s for a No. 1 seed. Indeed, at the risk of oversimplifying matters in service of a handy thumbnail, Clarke is Williamson on offense (albeit at lower usage) and former Bulldog Zach Collins on D. Not content with being merely one of the best rim defenders in the country, the 6-foot-8 junior is additionally a force to be reckoned with on the offensive glass. The stats recorded by Gonzaga players are on occasion received with some skepticism, but Clarke's numbers held steady across the board against the Zags' toughest nonconference opponents.
4. Cassius Winston, Michigan State Spartans
One is tempted to say Winston is Ja Morant, only with a date of birth less appealing to the NBA. The grand old man still manages to get around the court at the age of 21, however, and he and the Murray State star rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation in assist percentage. The Spartans have been without one player or another pretty much all season long, yet the end result was dropping all the way "down" to a No. 2 seed that many observers saw as a slight to the Big Ten's regular-season co-champion and automatic bid holder. It appears MSU can survive losing players as long as the player in question isn't Cassius Winston.
5. Grant Williams, Tennessee Volunteers
Not to see this glass as half-empty, but this might be statistically the best offense Rick Barnes will ever have at Tennessee. It has been that good, and Williams is the engine of the Volunteers' attack. The junior is something of an artist in residence at the line, drawing seven fouls per 40 minutes and hitting 82 percent of his free throws. If there's an additional underappreciated aspect to Williams' game, it's that for significant stretches of minutes he's the tallest Vol on the floor when Kyle Alexander sits. His ability to more than hold his own in the paint on defense at 6-foot-7 has been a nice bonus for Barnes' team.
6. RJ Barrett, Duke Blue Devils
Perhaps any player who started alongside Williamson would earn a reputation as the relatively inefficient one, but no sane coach in the country would turn down a featured scorer who knocks down 54 percent of his 2s on a ridiculously high number of attempts. No, Barrett's 3-point shooting isn't what you'd call automatic, but it's serviceable, and anyway, when you get to the point where no one even notices a 26-12 double-double at North Carolina that includes four made 3s, the entire discussion has been reframed.
7. Markus Howard, Marquette Golden Eagles
Howard is reportedly healthy and ready to go after he appeared to suffer a wrist injury in Marquette's Big East tournament semifinal loss to Seton Hall. Steve Wojciechowski's star was just 1-of-15 from the floor in that game, but when he's at full strength (and when the refs are not calling 56 personal fouls in 40 minutes) the junior is one of the best pure shooters in the game as well as an underrated distributor. His matchup with Morant promises to be one of the highlights of the round of 64.
8. PJ Washington, Kentucky Wildcats
Hopefully, reports coming out this week concerning a possible injury to Washington, including sightings of him in a walking boot, will not prevent the sophomore from playing in the tournament. After all, no one should be happier to see Reid Travisreturn to the UK lineup. Washington saw his production and efficiency both hit a rough patch in his teammate's absence, but the 6-foot-8 star snapped back to his old self (albeit in a losing cause) with a strong 16-point effort in just 20 foul-blighted minutes against Tennessee. When the Wildcats are at full strength, Washington is free to take whatever overmatched opposing defenses surrender, be it in the paint or, occasionally, beyond the arc.
9. Ethan Happ, Wisconsin Badgers
Greg Gard should give very serious consideration to hypnotizing Happ and convincing him that every game in the NCAA tournament is in fact Senior Night at the Kohl Center in Madison. In the Badgers' home finale against Iowa, the senior went 11-of-18 (61 percent) at the line. That'll do, and if hack-a-Happ is off the table for opponents, you're looking at a straight-up conference POY-level performer with zero disclaimers. No player in the country, other than Williamson, is as skilled as Happ at getting all the way to the rim, be it on drives or from classic back-to-the-basket post moves. His passing is justly renowned, and he absolutely owns the defensive glass.
10. Tremont Waters, LSU Tigers
Matisse Thybulle gets much of the praise for elite perimeter defense this season, and not without reason. Just be sure to carve out dedicated space for Waters under that same heading. The sophomore has recorded four or more steals in no fewer than nine games this season. Yes, Waters' shot selection can at times be ... innovative? Bold? Something less euphemistic? Be that as it may, the sum total for LSU is a 5-foot-11 distributor and scorer who somehow converts 51 percent of his 2s and is also a constant thorn in the side of the opponent's point guard.
11. Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga Bulldogs
Hachimura is the leading scorer for what might be the best offense in the country, and his production is as efficient as it is voluminous. Arguably his most valuable trait is one of the least visible: Hachimura just never commits turnovers. That's notable for a 6-foot-8 featured scorer who so often has the ball in his hands, and it's central to how Gonzaga wins. In West Coast Conference play, the Bulldogs gave the ball away on fewer than 13 percent of their possessions.
12. Cam Johnson, North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina has seen a talented scorer or two, but over the past decade, Johnson tops them all in terms of accuracy from the field. You have to go all the way back to Ty Lawson's ACC POY season in 2009 to find a better effective field goal percentage than what Johnson has posted this season. His shots just go in, and defenses trying to cope with Luke Maye, Coby White and the 46 percent shooting of Johnson are finding all of the above to be a very tall order.
13. Carsen Edwards, Purdue Boilermakers
Edwards occasionally elicits a "Trae Young last season" brand of qualified praise for contributing a very high number of missed shots to the box score, and, well, he does do that. (He shot 40 percent on his 2s in Big Ten play.) Still, it's hard to argue with the broader team results. With the 6-foot-1 junior acting as a shiny object to fixate opposing defenses, the Purdue offense this season sliced through the Big Ten at a rate of 1.12 points per possession. It's also true that looks can be slightly deceiving, and those boring free throws Edwards makes in abundance with the clock stopped are providing the Boilermakers a measurable lift.
14. Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati did something in the American tournament title game that no other team has done this season. The Bearcats made Houston look overmatched in UC's 69-57 win. Give a sizable share of the credit there to Cumberland, who rang up 33 points even while going 1-of-7 on his 3s by getting to the line 13 times. It's the kind of performance Bearcats fans have seen all season long from the 6-foot-5 junior, who is a fit representation of his team. Cumberland's 2-point success rate isn't the best at first glance, nor is that of the team as a whole. But Cincinnati and its star just get more chances to score by taking excellent care of the ball. It also helps that Cumberland has a teammate like Nysier Brooks to crash the offensive glass.
15. Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Culver brings a lot to the table for Chris Beard, giving Texas Tech both the best defensive rebounding (at 6-foot-6) of any starter and the highest assist rate on the entire roster. Plus, the sophomore is, of course, the main source of scoring for a Red Raiders offense that absolutely blew up in mid-February before suffering an off night against West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament. The combination of Culver and the hyper-accurate perimeter shooting of Davide Moretti will be a lot to handle for defenses in the West bracket.
16. Cameron Jackson, Wofford Terriers
His teammate Fletcher Magee tends to get the lion's share of the publicity, and understandably so. When you're on the cusp of setting an NCAA career record for made 3s, you'll earn yourself some well-deserved attention. Then again, Magee was a 3-point machine last year, too, and all it got the Terriers was an invite to the CIT. This season, Jackson has been one of the most efficient high-possession-usage players in the country. His offensive rebounding has worn out opponents all season long, and he doubles as a highly disruptive defender. With Jackson and Magee, Wofford has one of the finest inside-outside duos in the entire bracket.
17. De'Andre Hunter, Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Bennett's sophomore is the best high-volume interior scorer in a rotation blessed with multiple 3-point threats, one of whom also happens to be De'Andre Hunter. With teammates the caliber of Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome and a defense that is consistently excellent, Hunter doesn't always need to put up big numbers on offense, but he's capable of doing so. In the Cavaliers' 12-point win at Louisville in February, Hunter scored 26 points in just 27 minutes thanks in large part to a 7-of-9 performance inside the arc.
18. CJ Massinburg, Buffalo Bulls
A versatile wing who ordinarily scores from both sides of the arc, Massinburg is currently mired in an 11-for-44 slump on 3s. In response, the senior has very sensibly started getting himself to the line: Massingburg's late free throws allowed UB to escape a determined challenge from Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference tournament semifinals. In the last two games of the Bulls' push to the MAC tournament title, he was 16-of-19 at the line.
19. Coby White, North Carolina Tar Heels
When North Carolina has a skilled yet electric point guard driving the ball straight up the middle of the floor in transition at warp speed, it's good to be a Tar Heel. For a freshman to post a turnover rate as low as White did while handling the ball for the fastest-paced UNC team Roy Williams has ever had is nothing short of remarkable. Add to that the fact that the 6-foot-5 point guard has developed into a reliable perimeter threat as the season has progressed, and you have one daunting matchup challenge for opposing defenses.
20. Marial Shayok, Iowa State Cyclones
The scary thing about the already excellent Shayok is that there might yet be blue sky above his performance in terms of accuracy from the perimeter. The senior converted 89 percent of his tries at the line in Big 12 play, suggesting that his 39 percent shooting on 3s for the season might be a floor instead of a ceiling. In the Cyclones' toughest game on their way to a Big 12 tournament title, Shayok went 8-of-8 at the line and enabled ISU to beat Kansas State 63-59 in the semifinals.
21. Myles Powell, Seton Hall Pirates
When Seton Hall lost in double-overtime at Georgetown at the beginning of the month, this team was 7-9 in the Big East and its tournament prospects were bleak. Since that time, however, Powell has scored 34, 20, 31, 22 and 25 points. The junior put the Hall on his back, Kevin Willard's team beat Marquette twice and Villanova once, and now Powell has a chance to show what he can do on the sport's biggest stage. It has been an outstanding March performance so far.
22. Barry Brown Jr., Kansas State Wildcats
One of the best defenders in a defense-heavy Big 12, Brown posted the highest steal rate in the league in conference play. Kansas State had the best defense in the conference not named Texas Tech, and the main strength of that D is takeaways. Wildcats opponents gave the ball away on 23 percent of their possessions in Big 12 play, by far the highest rate in the league. Brown also chips in with assists as part of K-State's distribute-by-committee approach alongside Kamau Stokes and, when healthy, Dean Wade.
23. Matisse Thybulle, Washington Huskies
The nation's leader in steal percentage and a figure renowned for blocking opposing 3-point attempts, Thybulle has been described as an "angel of chaos." Washington flamed out in the Pac-12 title game against Oregon, but the Huskies might not have made it that far if not for the senior's five-steal performance in a three-point win against USC in the quarterfinals. While Thybulle's perimeter shooting has been off this season, a decent career mark (36 percent) plus 85 percent accuracy at the line in 2018-19 suggest the 3-point woes could be a blip.
24. Dedric Lawson, Kansas Jayhawks
It seems like a long time ago, but Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the preseason not only on the assumption of a healthy Udoka Azubuike but also in part on Lawson's potential. The Memphis transfer delivered. Lawson was option No. 1 for the Jayhawks' offense, and despite recording just two dunks all season, he thrived inside the arc and at the line (where he shot 80 percent). The junior hasn't scored fewer than 16 points in a game since February.
25. Anthony Lamb, Vermont Catamounts
The sign at the America East title game in Burlington said: "LAMB IS BETTER THAN ZION." Strictly speaking, that's incorrect, but the sentiment is laudable, and the player who triggered the placard love is indeed outstanding. As a prototypical 6-foot-6 mid-major "big," Lamb does it all for the Catamounts, up to and including drawing fouls, rebounding opponents' misses and defending the rim. The owner of the highest assist percentage on John Becker's roster, Lamb is a regular Ethan Happ, only with 3s and good free throw shooting added to the mix.
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Originally Posted by 2daBank
