Shabazz Napier was an electric guard that entertained the nation immensely on his way to taking his Connecticut Huskies to a championship last season. All of the buzz surrounding this tournament is centered around which player might be able to carry that torch this year and bring his team on a deep run. Unfortunately, players like Napier are rare (and almost exclusive to Connecticut, see: Walker, Kemba) and magical runs like the one UConn was on last year do not happen every season. That isn’t enough to deter us from trying to find him in this year’s crop of players!
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State
Much of the buzz surrounding this Ohio State freshman comes with how high he will go in this year’s NBA draft. The impact he will have on this NCAA tournament will go a long way to solidifiying himself in the top 5. He has his work cut out for him though when his Buckeyes take on VCU and their “Havoc” pressure in the first round. Plus Ohio State hasn’t exactly been lighting it up in the late season (3 of their 4 wins since February 26 have been against teams finishing 11th or worse in the Big Ten standings). Russell will have to improve upon his already amazing 19.3 points per game and 5.1 assists per game to carry the Buckeyes far and most of the players that go on deep runs like this are upperclassmen. Russell may be up to the task to prove that he can carry his team.
Dez Wells, Maryland
The nation was truly introduced to Dez Wells when he scored 26 points in Maryland’s huge win over Wisconsin on February 24. Many would tell you that Wells is not the best player on the team and that freshman Melo Trimble may be the real player to watch on Maryland. Wells has a knack for coming up big in big games and is the senior leader on the Terrapins. This team can be really dangerous given that they have several players that can carry the squad, but Dez Wells is the most physically and mentally mature. The only real problem would be a possible Sweet Sixteen matchup with Kentucky.
Juwan Staten, West Virginia
Speaking of Sweet Sixteen matchups with Kentucky, Maryland may not even be able to get there if they have to face a very dangerous West Virginia teams that presses and turns other teams over at an alarming rate. Their fearless leader is Juwan Staten who when healthy is one of the most dangerous and underrated guards in the country. Playing most of the season with various ailments, Staten was able to put up 14.5 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. The real question when it comes to Staten has to deal with his health and whether or not he’ll actually play. Staten has not suited up since February 24, but head coach Bob Huggins has said that Staten is ready to go and play at his highest level.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown
DSR was picked to be Big East Player of the Year by a preseason coaches poll. He was not able to carry that title at the end of the season, but Smith-Rivera was unquestionably the best player on an upstart Georgetown team. The young Georgetown squad needed that upperclass leadership that led them to get a No. 4 seed in the Tournament, and Smith-Rivera has provided it all season. Gameplans will all be designed to shut down D’Vauntes; the only question is whether or not he will be able to get his teammates in the correct spots to succeed, which is a little more difficult when he plays more off of the ball.
Kris Dunn, Providence
The guy that did win the postseason Big East Player of the Year (at least Co-Big East POY) is Providence’s unstoppable force on the ball. Dunn enjoys setting up his teammates more than anyone on this list, and thus he is not even Providence’s leading scorer (that award goes to LaDontae Henton). Dunn is probably the most complete player on this list. He can score, pass, and defend better than anybody aforementioned. I would not want to make a gameplan against this guy, as he is perhaps the most dynamic guard on this list and very well could be this year’s edition of Shabazz Napier!
