Happy tourney time to all who celebrate! This is the time when college students become legends and no team is safe regardless of their seeding. Players like Caitlin Clark have already established star power with flashy plays all season. Others like Duke freshman Kyle Flipowski are peaking at just the right time in the season.
Here are some top players to keep your eye on this March Madness.
Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark is one of the most exciting athletes in all of college sports. Clark has elevated women’s basketball and drawn praise from LeBron James and Kevin Durant. She led Iowa to a Big Ten championship for the second year in a row. In the Big Ten championship game, Clark finished with thirty points, seventeen assists, and ten rebounds showing the moment is not too big for her. They are coming off a disappointing tournament end in the second round against Creighton last season. Iowa has the best offense in college with Clark being the best three-point shooter. She has already drawn comparisons to another lethal shooter, Steph Curry, for her ridiculous ability to shoot anywhere from the half court line. While her scoring gets most of the attention she is also a fantastic facilitator on the court, averaging over eight assists per game which leads all of division one basketball.
Kyle Filipowski
The Blue Devils are peaking at just the right time, freshman center Kyle Filipowski in particular. He was named MVP of the ACC Tournament, averaging 19.7 points and seven rebounds in the tournament despite playing on a sprained ankle. The seven-footer can shoot from anywhere on the court and helps spread the floor.
The Blue Devils ended the season on a nine-game winning streak. Duke as a team feels slighted after being given a fifth seed in the East region of the tournament and will likely use that to fuel a deep tournament run. It’s not often that Duke is looked at as an underdog and it’s incorrect to treat them as such.
Aliyah Boston
The Gamecocks are the best team in college basketball period. Led by head coach Dawn Staley South Carolina is just six wins away from a perfect season and are the clear cut favorites this year. Looking to become just the fourth team to win back to back championship’s in the women’s tournament. Boston is a proven winner and the entire South Carolina roster is must watch if you are a basketball fan. She was named SEC Player of the Year for the second year in the row. Technically some of her stats are down from last season when she won the Naismith Player of the Year award, but that’s more a testament to how deep South Carolina is. She is the best player in the tournament and likely will be the number one pick in the WNBA draft next month.
Jalen Wilson
Even after losing four of their best players including Ochai Agbaji, Kansas still managed to lock up a number one seed in this year’s tournament. The reigning champions Jayhawks look to go repeat. Jalen Wilson has become “the guy” for Bill Self. Wilson led the Big 12 in both points per game and rebounds per game. Many of his younger teammates view Wilson as the team leader and want to win in his final season at Kansas.
Wilson was unable to play in the tournament his freshman year due to injuries and Covid cancelled the tournament during his sophomore season so he is making the most of this current run.
The team got some good news that head coach Bill Self could be back on the sideline for the tournament. Self missed the entire Big 12 Tournament after undergoing a heart catheterization. He was back with his players at practice and is considered day to day. Wilson told media that he expects Self to be there for the tournament.
