10 players primed to become household names in NCAA Tournament – Albany Herald

Field Level Media

The last time a freshman was the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament was 2015, when point guard Tyus Jones piloted Duke to its fifth national championship.

Jones — and Jahlil Okafor, another freshman — came up big for the Blue Devils, and Duke beat Wisconsin for the national title with tournament averages of 13.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

Duke is the No. 2 overall seed in the 2025 tournament and freshmen will likely lead them to San Antonio should head coach Jon Scheyer guide this group back to the Final Four for the first time since Coach K’s farewell in New Orleans in 2022.

Already a household name, Duke All-American Cooper Flagg’s status is up in the air for the first round and beyond due to a left ankle injury. But Scheyer’s cast is deep, talented and proved a threat without Flagg in the ACC semifinals and championship game.

Will Flagg or Kon Knueppel make this tournament their shining moment? Here are 10 players who stand a reasonable chance to become a household name this month.

Johni Broome, AuburnPlaying for the No. 1 Tigers in the rugged SEC, Broome was a marked man all season. That didn’t matter. He delivered a Player of the Year-type season with 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and the 6-foot-10 forward came up huge in the biggest moments. Broome can bang with his back to the basket and drill a 3. His one weakness is free-throw shooting. Broome shot 60.7 percent in 2024-25.

Walter Clayton Jr., FloridaHis 11th game this season with 20-plus points came in the SEC tournament championship game. Clayton scores at will, fearlessly attacking the rim with a smooth stroke. He made 13 triples in the Gators’ three-game run through the conference tourney.

Nique Clifford, Colorado StateHe has 15 double-doubles in 34 games this season and averaged 19 points per game for the Rams. At 6-6, 200 pounds, Clifford can be a matchup challenge because he gets to the glass and plays an attacking — but unselfish — brand of basketball.

L.J. Cryer, HoustonHe had 13 20-point games last season and returned as a graduate student in 2024-25 with 10 more 20-point outings entering his final NCAA Tournament. Already a national champion at Baylor as a freshman, Cryer is a seasoned winner who wants the ball with the game on the line and can finish it: He posted a career-best 91.5 FT percentage this season.

PJ Haggerty, MemphisAlready anointed AAC freshman of the year in 2023-24, Haggerty was conference player of the year as a sophomore. He’s the hot hand for Memphis with 83 points — a 42-point night against Wichita State in the AAC quarterfinal was one shy of the league record — in the conference tournament. He has 23 games with 20-plus points this season.

Kasparas Jakucionis, IllinoisA 6-6 freshman with triple-double skills, Jakucionis controls the tempo for the high-octane Fighting Illini. Paired with veteran backcourt mate Kylen Boswell, Jakucionis is a capable spot-up shooter and a dynamic playmaker who can get to the rim.

Kam Jones, MarquetteJones is a prolific scorer and All-American because of his production and efficiency. He was fifth in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.31) and turned in the kind of enormous effort in the regular-season finale that puts players on the marquee in the tournament with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s.

RJ Luis Jr., St. John’sHe had a pair of 4-of-18 shooting nights in the final six games prior to the Big East tournament final. He had 20-plus points in the other four. Luis is so much more than a scorer for the Red Storm, averaging 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. In the OT win and duel with Jones at Marquette in the regular-season finale, Luis scored 28 points with 11 rebounds.

Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary’sNamed West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Marciulionis already registers household-name status in some parts. The son of Sarunas Marciulionis has slick handles, a sweet stroke and no fear attacking the teeth of a defense. He averages 6.1 assists per game and is capable of getting 30 if you need it.

Bennett Stirtz, DrakeStirtz, the MVC Player of the Year, rung up his 18th 20-plus point game this season with 24 in the conference championship game. He’s the only player in Division I entering the tournament with 600 points (631), 180 assists (188) and 70 steals (71).