When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, the dirty secret is that it’s not always the best team that wins it all. Simply put, it’s the hottest team.
Momentum is everything in March Madness. That’s why a Cinderella low seed can go on to make an Elite Eight or Final Four run, and it happens almost every year. All it takes is a win or two to get things rolling, and from there, anything can happen.
Dig deeper into the actual makings of a NCAA Tournament run and you’d realize that those hot teams have at least one, if not more, hot players. These are players who can take over games, score at will and put a whole team, if not a whole run through March Madness, on their broad shoulders.
So with that said, here are the ten most dangerous scorers who will likely be in the field as we look ahead to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Malik Monk, guard, Kentucky
Freshman guard Malik Monk, a former five-star recruit, will likely only be in a Kentucky uniform for another month or so. He’s basically guaranteed to be a top pick in the next NBA draft, and he has the scoring ability to single-handledly propel Kentucky to yet another NCAA Tournament win.
Of course, with all the talent around Monk, John Calipari doesn’t need him to be a one-man show, but the fact remains that he could be. Monk is averaging 21.7 points per game this season, which is good for 12th in all of college basketball.
He’s a long, lanky guard with incredible range and the ability to stop on a dime and put up a silky smooth jump shot from just about anywhere on the court.
Monk scored an incredible 47 points against then-No. 7 ranked North Carolina back in December, and he put up 37 against Georgia in late January.
He’s one of the top scorers in the nation.
Kris Jenkins, forward, Villanova
What makes Kris Jenkins and the Villanova Wildcats so dangerous heading into the 2017 NCAA Tournament is their championship experience. They won it all last year in incredible fashion, with Jenkins’ last second three-point shot proving to be the game-winner over North Carolina.
Jenkins proved right then and there that he is one of the most dangerous scorers in college basketball.
Sure, he’s not even the top scorer on his team this season — that honor goes to guard Josh Hart — but after that buzzer beater, there’s no shot that’s going to be too big for Jenkins to take and bury in this upcoming tournament.
Frank Mason III, guard, Kansas
Frank Mason, Kansas’ senior guard, has played in some absolutely huge games in four seasons with the Jayhawks. His combination of ability and experience makes him very dangerous heading into the tournament.
Mason has led Kansas in scoring this season, putting up 20.2 points per game, which makes him a top 30 scorer in the nation.
What makes Mason so explosive for Kansas is his ability to do just about everything as a scorer. He can shoot from long-range (he’s shooting .509 from behind the three-point line), but he can also get his own shot off the dribble. Mason is also very comfortable pushing the tempo, running the floor and scoring for Kansas in the transition game.
Yes, he’s a facilitator — averaging 4.9 assists per game — but he can easily take over in the tournament as a scorer. So far this season, he’s put up 30 against then-No. 11 Indiana, 30 against UMKC, 28 aginst Oklahoma and 32 against Iowa State.
Nigel Williams-Goss, guard, Gonzaga
Junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss is as pure an offensive player as you’ll find this March, and he’s been a major reason why Gonzaga has been this successful in 2016-17.
At the time of this writing, Gonzaga is currently undefeated, and there’s a great chance the ‘Zags run the regular season table. And sure, the Bulldogs aren’t a one-man team, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue that they’d be an undefeated squad without Williams-Goss.
He leads the team in scoring, putting up 16.2 points per game. That may not seem impressive in the grand scheme of this list, but consider this: he’s shooting .516 from the field and can score in just about anyway possible.
Williams-Goss is a smooth shooter from the outside, he can drive the lane and he does a great job of moving without the ball.
He’s a star for Gonzaga, and he’ll be a star in March Madness.
Josh Jackson, guard, Kansas
Jackson is the second Jayhawk on this list and he’s looking up to Mason III on Kansas’ scoring chart. With that said, the freshman — a former five-star — is still averaging 16.5 points per game, and he has proven to be a fearless scorer for being as young as he is.
Young players don’t always thrive in Bill Self’s system, and the Big 12 is an extremely tough league in general. But Jackson has found a way to put up 22 against Kansas State and West Virginia, 23 against then-No. 2 Baylor and 31 on the road at Texas Tech.
And it’s not just the numbers for Jackson, it’s the way he plays the game on offense. He’s as able to knock down a huge three as he is to bring down the house with a monster dunk.
T.J. Leaf, forward, UCLA
T.J. Leaf, a 6-foot-10, 225 pound freshman forward, is one of the best big men heading into to 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Leaf is averaging 16.6 points per game this season for the Bruins, and he’s had nine 20-plus point games, including a 32 point outing against Washington State.
Post play matters in a big way in the NCAA Tournament, but Leaf is more than just a big man. Sure, he can bang down low when he needs to and he’s really good at getting open in the paint, but he’s agile enough to make plays on the perimeter or on the fast break. And if he’s left open, he’s going to make a defense pay.
Dillon Brooks, forward, Oregon
Dillon Brooks is the definition of explosion for the Ducks: He can do it all.
He’s a prolific scorer who leads the team with 15.1 points per game. He has a beautiful outside shot with NBA range but is a threat to score from anywhere on the court.
Brooks is very fun to watch in transition and he’s fearless when it comes to getting to the lane and getting a shot (or a nasty dunk) up at the rim. Brooks has nine games of 20-plus points so far this season, including 23 against then-No. 2 UCLA, 28 against then-No. 22 USC and 27 against ASU.
Justin Jackson, forward, North Carolina
At 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, Justin Jackson is a mismatch for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. He’s averaging a team-leading 18. 5 points per game this season for UNC, and that includes scoring totals of 34 against then-No.6 Kentucky, 28 against Monmouth and 26 against Virginia Tech.
Jackson is a very versatile scorer, which makes him tough to guard for defenders. He’s big enough to get the ball on the wing, turn his back and back down into the paint for a smooth hook shot, but he can also curl off picks and nail fadeaway three-pointers or make acrobatic plays at the rim in transition.
You never know what you’re going to get out of Jackson, and that makes him extremely dangerous in March Madness.
Luke Kennard, guard, Duke
Scoring 19.8 points per game, Luke Kennard is an extremely dangerous scorer for the Blue Devils. He’s a prolific three-point shooter (.456 from behind the three-ball line) who can rise up and nail a smooth shot from anywhere once he passes the half-court line. He moves well without the ball and is really adept at coming off screens, quickly gaining possession of the ball and effortlessly putting it up at the net.
Kennard is the type of shooter who barely ripples the net when he’s feeling it, and he has a lightning fast shot.
With that said, he can get his own off the dribble. With players like Jayson Tatum and Grayson Allen around him, he’s liable to go off in the tournament if defenses get too caught up in watching everything else Duke can throw at them.
Caleb Swanigan, forward, Purdue
In an era when it seems like the big man is fading, Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan keeps the tough, bruising nature of being a forward in the Big Ten alive.
At 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, he’s more than just a big body. Swanigan leads the Boilermakers in scoring, putting up 18.7 points per game. He scored 26 against then-No. 17 Maryland, 25 against Michigan State, 28 against Minnesota and 32 against Norfolk State so far this season. And those are just some of his more notable outputs.
In all, Swanigan has scored 20 or more points for Purdue 12 times so far this season.
Swanigan is a big, strong forward who can post up and bang down low like a typical big man, but he can also get out on the perimeter and has a smooth shot for a post player. He could even knock down a three or two in March Madness if a defense is unwise enough to leave him open, so all-in-all, he’s easily one of the top scorers in the country.