The best player every SEC team could face in the NCAA Tournament
By Chris Wright
Published:
Steph Curry was a one-man dream-wrecker in 2008.
A decade later, who takes his place? There is no shortage of candidates, and plenty stand in the potential path of the record 8 SEC teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at the best player each SEC team could potentially face.
Alabama: Villanova G Jalen Brunson
The Crimson Tide won’t have to wait long. They’re staring at a second-round matchup with No. 1 seed and 2016 national champion Villanova.
How much fun would it be to watch Collin Sexton and Jalen Brunson go at it for 40 minutes?
Brunson was a freshman contributor on Villanova’s title team. He’s now a junior star who led the Cats in scoring (19.4 points per game) and assists (4.7).
Arkansas: Purdue C Isaac Haas
The Hogs are in the bottom half of the East bracket that includes Villanova, but long before they could face the Cats, they’d potentially have to get through No. 2 seed Purdue. (That’s assuming Arkansas gets past March darling Butler in the opener, of course.)
Isaac Haas, a mobile, athletic 7-2, 290-pound center from Alabama, might not be the Boilermaker everybody fears, but he’s a matchup nightmare for the smaller Hogs.
Purdue gets contributions from all corners, but at times it has leaned on Haas. He has nine 20-point games this season and shoots a staggering 62.1 percent. If Arkansas can’t keep him off the offensive glass, it’ll be a long night and short stay.
Auburn: Kansas G Devonte’ Graham
The Tigers catch a bit of a break in terms of avoiding one player who could send them home early. Clemson, a likely second-round opponent, features five guys who average at least 10 points per game.
The earliest they could face a legitimate NBA-caliber player would be in a potential Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 seed Kansas.
Yet Devonte’ Graham isn’t the typical Jayhawk, a least not the typical recent Jayhawk. Graham is a senior — he arrived the year after one-and-done Andrew Wiggins went No. 1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Graham, who averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 assists, was a unanimous pick as Big 12 Player of the Year. He led the Jayhawks to the regular season and conference championships — his team accomplishments obviously counting for more than Trae Young’s one-man show in Norman.
Florida: UCLA G Aaron Holiday
If the last name sounds familiar, it should. Older brother Jrue Holiday played for the Bruins before bolting to the NBA.
Younger Aaron isn’t considered that kind of prospect — Jrue was a first-round pick in 2009 — but he’s absolutely the reason the Bruins returned to the NCAA Tournament.
Holiday led the Bruins in scoring (20.3) and assists (5.8).
Assuming UCLA wins its play-in game, Holiday vs. Chris Chiozza would be a good, old-school battle between veteran guards.
Kentucky: Arizona C Deandre Ayton
Can we just fast forward to the weekend?
Is there any way this second-round matchup wasn’t intentional? The NCAA Tournament is a TV show, after all.
Ayton (cover photo), the 7-1 phenom, is in the mix to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Missouri: Xavier G Trevon Bluiett
The Tigers might have the best player in the field in Michael Porter Jr.
They won’t face anybody on his level unless they make it all the way to San Antonio.
Xavier is an obvious obstacle in the second round. The Musketeers are team-oriented, but senior guard Trevon Bluiett can take over any game. He is a three-time All Big East selection who topped 25 points 11 times this season.
Tennessee: Texas F Mohamed Bamba
The Longhorns were a somewhat surprising selection, but that was Sunday’s news.
Bamba, a lean 7-footer, will pose a problem for any offense that challenges the very rim he is charged with protecting. Offensively, he’s not Anthony Davis, much less fellow Longhorn Kevin Durant. But he’s one of the few remaining defensive game-changers in college basketball.
Bamba led the Big 12 and finished second in the nation in blocks, averaging 3.7 per game.
Much has to go right for this matchup to happen. Texas would have to upset Nevada and No. 2-seeded Cincinnati just to make it to a potential Sweet 16 date against Tennessee. And the Vols would have to survive a second-round date against Miami, which features NBA prospect Lonnie Walker.
Texas A&M: UNC G Joel Berry II
Berry, a senior, won’t show up on any NBA mock drafts, but he was a huge part of “One Shining Moment” in 2017. He scored 22 points to lead the Tar Heels past Gonzaga in last year’s championship game.
UNC, the Aggies’ likely second-round opponent, typically goes as their senior point guard goes.
Berry averaged 17.1 points per game, a fraction behind versatile big man Luke Maye. Both were first-team All-ACC picks, but when UNC needs a bucket, the ball stays in Berry’s hands.
MORE NCAA COVERAGE: Bracket tips | How far every SEC team will go | 68 reasons we love the NCAA Tournament
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
