When the NCAA Tournament begins this week, fans will get a chance to see some very talented players. Some will move on to the NBA while others will be limited to their 15 minutes of fame.
Here are a few of the players we’ll be watching over the next several days.
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Saasser suffered a groin injury during the Cougars AAC Tournament semi-final game and missed the next night’s championship game.
His health is the biggest question mark hovering over the Midwest Region where Houston is the top seed.
If Sasser can get healthy in time, Houston will be one of the favorites to run the table and win it all.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana:
Jackson-Davis has been a double-double machine in his time in Bloomington and few players can put a team on their back like the Indiana senior.
He was the second-best player in the Big Ten this year behind Purdue’s Zach Edey.
Jackson-Davis averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds this season for Indiana and will be one of the stars to watch during the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Jalen Pickett, Penn State
A talented scorer from Rochester, New York, Jalen Pickett can get hot for Penn State at any moment.
If the Nittany Lions are to make some noise in the tournament, it will be up to Pickett to beat the drum.
He averaged 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the Big Ten Tournament while leading the Nittany Lions to the title game.
Jalen Wilson, Kansas
Wilson is the leader of a Kansas team that will certainly be a tough out in the Big Dance.
He was the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year and finished the regular season as the conference’s leading scorer at 19.8 ppg while also leading the Big 12 in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and double-doubles with 11.
A junior, Wilson is another upperclassman that could use his experience to make a difference in March.
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Already a three-time All-American, Timme is back in the mix for another year of All-American honors as he looks to add “National Champion” to his bio as the greatest Zags player in program history.
Timme led the West Coast Conference with 20.9 ppg and has yet again been a force near the basket with 62.4% shooting and 7.3 rebounds per game. Gonzaga is playing its best basketball season at exactly the right time. But they’re also in the tough West Regional which includes Kansas and UCLA.
Timme will need to step big again if the Zags hope to advance.
Mike Miles, TCU
Miles suffered a knee injury on Jan. 28 and TCU went on a 1-5 streak. The truth is the Horned Frogs lost six of its 12 games with Miles slowed by injury.
The 6-foot-2 junior guard is one of the premier point guards in the nation.
Miles is averaging 17.3 ppg on 49.7 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent shooting from 3-point range.
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