March Madness 2022: Top 25 players in the NCAA tournament

Top Sportsbooks

9.9

Bovada

75% Cash Bonus
Read Review
9.8

BetOnline

100% Free Play
Read Review
9.6

Heritage Sports

50% Cash Bonus
Read Review
9.6

BetAnySports

30% Cash Bonus
Read Review
9.5

Everygame

100% Cash Bonus
Read Review
9.5

Bookmaker

25% Cash Bonus
Read Review

Wagerallsports

Wagerallsports

Joined
Mar 6, 2018
Messages
41,197

March Madness 2022: Top 25 players in the NCAA tournament​

ESPN PLUS $ MATERIAL

Now that we have a bracket, it's time to sift through those 68 teams for the top 25 players in the 2022 NCAA tournament.

First, a friendly reminder. As with all top 25 endeavors from this desk, these rankings are based on college performance. This is not a mock draft. We have people who do that, and quite well!

Now, here are the top 25 players in the NCAA tournament:



i

1. Keegan Murray, Iowa Hawkeyes

Here at "Top 25 players in the NCAA tournament" HQ, we endeavor to be the opposite of the men's basketball committee in every way. No Duke-over-Tennessee seeding miscues here. We also do away with "body of work" thinking and embrace recency effect in a big way. Why? Because you will too over the next three weeks. We all will.

Which is very much on point because Murray is the best player in the country right now. The word hasn't quite gotten through yet, but it is indeed the case. Murray carries a number for possession usage at KenPom that's virtually identical to what Zion Williamson showed in 2019, but the Hawkeye boasts a slightly higher offensive rating. It has been an incredible performance, and Murray's 103 points in four Big Ten tournament games suggests there's more to come.

i

2. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky Wildcats

What really sets Tshiebwe apart from the rest are the minutes. We've seen high-effort dynamos who crash the boards, put up ridiculous rebound percentages and block shots -- and do so over about 50 or 60% of their team's minutes. Actually, that describes Tshiebwe's first year at West Virginia fairly well. But this season the 6-foot-9 forward is averaging better than 31 minutes per contest.

Tshiebwe's record-setting rebounding is extended across the length and breadth of Kentucky's most critical possessions. In SEC play, UK's shot volume was exactly as amazing statistically as its accuracy from the field, and the Wildcats shot better than any team in the league. Tshiebwe has been extraordinary.

i

3. Ochai Agbaji, Kansas Jayhawks

The development of Agbaji into a more or less complete scoring threat has been a genuine pleasure to watch over the course of four seasons. In just about every facet of the game, Bill Self's star is better than he has ever been before. Drawing fouls, hitting 3s, finishing at the rim (where he's shooting a cool 74% this season, per hoop-math.com), you name it. Agbaji is doing it all on a team that has the luxury of not needing him to do it all.

i

4. Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Holmgren straddles so many categories, but the first one that comes to mind is that he is a player who changes the game when he's sent to the bench. You can see the difference in opposing offenses as they eagerly take the ball to the rim, as long as they don't have to face that incredible wingspan. Add in the fact that he's hitting 41% of his 3s and that, despite your lying eyes, he is in fact an excellent defensive rebounder. Holmgren is unique.

i

5. Jabari Smith, Auburn Tigers

Well over 40% of Smith's shot attempts are of the 2-point jumper variety, and he's connecting on 38% of those tries. While that's a pretty good hit rate at his volume in that category, it does bring his 2-point shooting overall down to 44%. Pay no mind. The NBA will clean that up soon enough, and we're speaking of a prolific scorer who's also shooting 43% from beyond the arc as a 6-10 18-year-old. Believe the hype. Better yet, add 10 or 20% more.

i

6. Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona Wildcats

Mathurin is coming off a superb performance against UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. In 39 minutes the sophomore put up 27 points to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, a block, a steal and just two turnovers. Like stars on other loaded No. 1 seeds, Mathurin will occasionally be on the winning side in games where he only had to score eight or 12 points. He's fully capable of imposing his will on the opponent when the occasion demands it, however, and with any luck we'll see Mathurin do just that in the field of 68.

i

7. Collin Gillespie, Villanova Wildcats

When Villanova trailed Creighton late in the Big East title game, Gillespie played the good kind of hero ball. Instead of having their star dribble a hole in the floor leading into a contested step-back jumper, the Wildcats ran their stuff and Gillespie nailed back-to-back 3s to effectively seal the conference tournament title. He has been doing that seemingly forever for Jay Wright, and it really has been forever. Gillespie recorded 16 minutes and four points in the 2018 national title game.

i

8. Johnny Davis, Wisconsin Badgers

One popular discussion topic this season has been speculation over what Wisconsin would look like without Davis. Fortunately for fans of the Badgers, they don't have to find out the answer to that question: Davis is here, and he has been magnificent. The sophomore has functioned a bit like options 1, 2 and 3 all in one for a Wisconsin offense that relies heavily on his 2s and a team-wide lack of turnovers. An injury suffered on a flagrant foul committed against him in the Nebraska game at the end of the regular season might have slowed him some in the Big Ten tournament. Hopefully the field of 68 will witness Davis returning to full speed.

i

9. Drew Timme, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Any doubt that Timme is in fact the engine of a loaded No. 1 seed was erased when Gonzaga lost by 10 at Saint Mary's. The junior had an awful game, scoring just six points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor. That's not a customary performance from Timme, who's carrying a heavier load in this offense than ever before. Despite getting fewer looks at the rim this season, Timme is still converting better than 60% of his 2-point attempts and recording a higher share of his team's assists than at any point in his career.

i

10. Paolo Banchero, Duke Blue Devils

When Duke defeated Miami in the ACC tournament, Banchero proclaimed that he wanted to see archrival North Carolina in the title game. That didn't happen, of course, and Virginia Tech's players even claimed Banchero's comment motivated them on their way to an automatic bid. Maybe so, but this is the "fire" and "leadership" we want from stars, right? This particular star pressures defenses on the interior and distributes the ball skillfully while playing an outsized role in the Duke offense.

i

11. Kofi Cockburn, Illinois Fighting Illini

Few if any players on this list have greater repercussions on both sides of the ball than Cockburn. On defense, the junior is something of a one-man force field inside the arc, by virtue of his size alone. Then on offense, of course, Cockburn records his fair share of dunks (49, to be exact, per barttorvik.com). Opponents have seen him as the roll man on Illinois pick-and-rolls roughly a million times to date. They will see that action in a few more instances in the NCAA tournament.

i

12. Johnny Juzang, UCLA Bruins

Juzang has made two 3s over his last four outings and may still be rounding into form after sitting out two games with a late-season ankle injury. When he's on, as he most memorably was during the 2021 NCAA tournament, Juzang overwhelms opposing backcourts with his combination of size (6-7) and perimeter range. His No.1 ranking for accuracy from the line in Pac-12 play two seasons running suggests his 3-point shooting may yet become more accurate.

i

13. Jaden Ivey, Purdue Boilermakers

Everything everyone said about Ivey coming into this season has been shown to be true. He really has had a sophomore breakout season, his 3-point shot truly has arrived and he most certainly has emerged as possibly the most lethal offensive threat in the country with the ball in his hands. Ivey dissects opponents in the open floor and even pitches in on the defensive glass. Despite 1-of-8 shooting on his 3s against Iowa in Purdue's Big Ten tournament title-game loss, Ivey still scored 20 points and recorded eight assists.

i

14. Walker Kessler, Auburn Tigers

In addition to posting the nation's highest block percentage, Kessler alters shots he doesn't swat away and prevents tries he doesn't get to see attempted. Most of all, the sophomore does all of the above while staying on the floor. Kessler's averaging 26 minutes per contest and has fouled out once since the beginning of February. He's also capable of truly amazing all-around games. His 12 points, 11 rebounds and 12 blocks against Texas A&M during the regular season marked his second triple-double of the year.

an.
 

Wagerallsports

Wagerallsports

Joined
Mar 6, 2018
Messages
41,197
i

15. JD Notae, Arkansas Razorbacks

Notae authored what may have been the biggest Arkansas win of the entire season. In the Razorbacks' two-point win at home over Kentucky, the senior dished out eight assists and put up 30 points despite going just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. No matter what, Notae scores wherever he finds an opening. At 6-2 he riddled UK with 11 2-point makes. Notae is one of the most dangerous scorers in the entire bracket.

i

16. David Roddy, Colorado State Rams

When a player who was previously a career 24% 3-point shooter hits 45% of his tries from beyond the arc over an entire season, it represents a great leap forward. Roddy has taken that leap while perfecting his 2-point game as well. The result is one of the highest effective field goal percentages of any featured scorer in the NCAA tournament. The 6-6, 255-pound Roddy also cleans up on the boards and distributes the ball.

i

17. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana Hoosiers

Jackson-Davis is making Wooden Award voters look unwise for leaving him off the list of 2022 finalists. IU's featured scorer had an outstanding Big Ten tournament run, one that started with wins against Hunter Dickinson and Michigan and Kofi Cockburn and Illinois. Then Jackson-Davis played Iowa's Keegan Murray to a virtual draw (31 points for TJD, 32 for Murray). No small feat, surely. Over three games, the Hoosiers star went off for 75 points on 68% 2-point shooting. That'll do.

i

18. James Akinjo, Baylor Bears

Scott Drew struck gold in the transfer portal when he brought Akinjo to campus. The senior has been the starter at point guard for a defending national champion since the first day. Though his 3-point touch has gone missing for long stretches of the season, Akinjo directs an offense that rated as second only to that of Kansas' in Big 12 play. His assists had a hand in attaining that elite status, and on defense Ankinjo is a ball hawk who disrupts opposing backcourts.

i

19. Armando Bacot, North Carolina Tar Heels

Bacot is a double-double waiting to happen. His 19 points and 14 rebounds in a losing cause against Virginia Tech in the ACC semifinals represented just another day at the office for the UNC junior. The week prior to that Bacot needed just 30 minutes to put up 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting inside the arc in the Tar Heels' 13-point win at Duke. Should North Carolina be able to advance against Marquette, Bacot has the size and strength to make things challenging for next opponent Baylor.

i

20. E.J. Liddell, Ohio State Buckeyes

If you were building an NCAA tournament team with five copies of the same player, you could do worse than Liddell. At 6-7 he defends the rim and cleans the glass but also connects on 38% of his 3s. While the Buckeyes have lost four of their last five games, Liddell has continued to do what he does. His 16-13 double-double in a losing cause at home against Michigan included three blocks and a steal.

i

21. Luka Brajkovic, Davidson Wildcats

Your 2022 Atlantic 10 player of the year gives Bob McKillop the luxury of a 6-10 veteran who can space the floor, post up, distribute the ball and defend the paint. Note that Brajkovic's counting numbers are merely good rather than great, because McKillop also has the luxury of guys named Hyunjung Lee and Foster Loyer. Still, Brajkovic's a vital cog in the machine that is the Davidson offense

i

22. Josh Carlton, Houston Cougars

You can put Carlton up in the same offensive rebounding pantheon as Tshiebwe, Purdue's Zach Edey and David McCormack of Kansas. All of the above have the effect of making a missed shot by their team roughly equivalent to a four-yard gain on first down. Carlton gets special credit, however, for stepping in and serving as his team's featured scorer after Marcus Sasser went down with an injury in December. The 6-11 UConn transfer is also a good rim defender.

i

23. Douglas Wilson, South Dakota State Jackrabbits

For three years the SDSU offense has gone through Wilson, and this season the result has been 21 straight wins dating back to mid-December. A 6-7 senior who doubtless has the full scouting attention of Ed Cooley and Providence at the moment, Wilson made the Summit League tournament his personal highlight tape. In three wins he totaled 64 points on 56% 2-point shooting.

i


24. Zach Edey, Purdue Boilermakers

During the admittedly limited minutes that he's on the floor, Edey has an impact like few other players nationally. Purdue, go figure, finds it advisable to give a 7-4 player the ball close to the basket, and Edey personally accounts for one in every three shot attempts by the Boilermakers while he's in the game. Not all of those tries are the first shot in the possession, and in fact the sophomore recently passed Tshiebwe for No. 1 in offensive rebound percentage at KenPom.

i

25. Peter Kiss, Bryant Bulldogs

He's the nation's leading scorer at 25 a game, but look fast. Kiss and his Bulldogs are a No. 16 seed in Dayton. If Bryant advances against Wright State, Arizona is up next. Kiss makes buckets and plays to the crowd in a way that fires up fans both for and against. (He did pushups on the baseline after one basket in the NEC title game.) Definitely catch Kiss while you c
 

jon434

jon434

Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
2
Not bad, especially considering that Keegan Murray played a year at DME TriceLoans after HS because he had just one D1 offer (W. Illinois). Two straight Wooden/Naismith finalists for Iowa that were 3-star recruits.
 
Top