Andrew Wiggins (Kansas)
Not since LeBron James has a player received so much hype coming out of high school. Wiggins had an enormous amount of pressure on him coming into this season, and while some have been disappointed by the Kansas swingman, he has for the most part been outstanding.
Wiggins is the complete package, an athletic guard who can get to the hoop with an impressive array of moves and a quick first step, while also capable of knocking down the long range shot. His main shortcoming thus far has been his finishing ability, which has been inconsistent and could add another five points to his points per game average of 16.8.
Defensively he gets his fair share of deflections, although he is not the most physical player going around and could do with putting on a bit of size. He will still snatch a bunch of rebounds though and defends well enough on the perimeter. His past two games have been major statement games, so it appears he is coming right at the right time of year, expect big things from him this March.
Nik Stauskas (Michigan)
Canadian swingman Nik Stauskas emerged last season as a player with a deadly outside shot, but this season he has brought a more all-round complexion to his game and represents much more of a threat. A 6' 5" sophomore, Stauskas was named Big 10 Player of the Year and despite the quality he was up against, was the clear choice for the award.
His ball handling is reasonable and he has a solid passing game, although he is not the most athletic player, which can make it tough for him matching up with an explosive wingman.
Despite this, he is a competitor and his scoring ability makes him integral to Michigan's chances at making a run for the national championship.
Jabari Parker (Duke)
While perhaps not as athletic as Wiggins, Parker brings more physicality to the plate and has the moves and skills to make him just as much of a threat. He has a nice looking shot, particularly from inside and mid-range, although he can be inconsistent from the outside. With a 7-foot wingspan he is capable of grabbing plenty of boards too. Some would rate him as the No. 1 draft prospect for the 2015 and is certainly a player worth keeping an eye on.
Doug McDermott (Creighton)
Doug McDermott has had one of the most prolific careers in college basketball history, having made Creighton relevant and drawn comparisons to the great Larry Bird over the past few years. The senior forward will be in his final NCAA tournament this season and will arguably be the best player on show too. At 6' 7" he is a match up problem on offence, boasting a sweet outside shot and a handful of good post moves, meaning whether the opposition puts a guard or a forward on him, he has the ability to exploit their weakness.
However his strength on attack is also his weakness on defence and while he gets away with a lack of speed and real size in college, it may prevent him making the same impact at the next level.
He will be remembered as one of the great college players, having recently become only the eighth player to surpass 3000 career points in its history.
Rob Loe (Saint Louis)
The first of our Kiwis, 6' 11" Rob Loe has really flown under the radar in New Zealand, given his prominence on a team that was at one stage ranked in the top ten in the nation. Loe has steadily improved in his time at Saint Louis and as a senior he has been one of the top players on the Atlantic 10 regular season championship winning team.
Julius Randle (Kentucky)
This year's Kentucky recruiting class were supposed to be the best ever, with some even predicting them to go 40-0 for the season. Given these lofty expectations, their current record of 22-9 has made them a bit of a letdown and at times their talented freshmen have looked like boys playing against men.
One who has not disappointed has been the 6' 9" forward Julius Randle. Randle is strong, proving very difficult to stop when he decides he wants to take it to the hoop. His skill level is high and the efficiency he operates at his good, averaging over 50% from the field and racks up a double-double in points and rebounds pretty much every game. As part of the talented class including Wiggins and Parker, Randle will be one of the most highly touted players in next year's draft should he choose to enter.
CJ Fair (Syracuse)
Syracuse always seem to have good players and this year is no exception. Of these senior CJ Fair is arguably the best, although perhaps not the best prospect. An athletic forward, Fair knows how to score and has a good skill-set, although may lack the size to make it in the pro's. At this level though Fair is as good as anyone going around, the leading scorer on a Syracuse team also featuring freshman point guard sensation Tyler Ennis and highly touted big men Jerami Grant and Rakeem Christmas. Expect them to be right up once again there when it comes to the later stages and don't be surprised if Fair is right in the action.
Tai Webster (Nebraska)
Webster certainly has the talent, an explosive player, capable of getting the hoop and finishing through contact. His skills are up there with the best and he is a streaky shooter too, who can be tough to stop when he gets going. Having impressed with the Tall Blacks at the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, he has shown he can do it against grown men and it will be only a matter of time before he begins to flourish in the USA.
As a starter at Nebraska he has been relatively unselfish and perhaps needs to look to do more at times, although there have been enough glimpses of his talent to show what he is capable of. His numbers compare similarly to Kirk Penny's in his freshman season, which is certainly encouraging looking ahead.
Joel Embiid (Kansas)
It is hard to believe Joel Embiid only started playing basketball in 2011. The 7-foot freshman has flourished this season and is getting better with every game. Originally from Cameroon, Embiid has drawn comparisons to Houston legend Hakeem Olajuwon, who also hailed from Africa. The more you watch of him, the more you see it too, as he possesses brilliant footwork and moves reminiscent of Olajuwon himself. His length combined with his athletic ability make him a threat on both offence and defence, as both a scorer and a shot blocker.
His health though will be the biggest question heading into the tournament, having suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. While it is still up in the air whether he will be back in time, he would be a huge loss to Kansas and it may be that he will come back later if the team makes it that far.
He has a high ceiling and will be amongst the first names called if he decides to enter the NBA Draft next year. Whether he should though is another question, as given his improvements this year, you would have to think he would get even better with another year in college.
Russ Smith (Louisville)
Russ Smith is fast and aggressive, so much so that his coach, Rick Pitino, named a race horse after him. As a 6-foot shooting guard he is undersized, but he does not let that stop him from being one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. He attacks the hoop hard and while inconsistent from the outside, can be a streaky shooter who is tough to stop when he gets going. Inevitably he has drawn comparisons to former NBA great Allen Iverson, one of the best pound-for-pound players of all time.
Last year he was a member of the national championship winning Louisville team, one of the key players along with Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng. While Dieng and Siva have both moved on to the pros, Smith has returned for his senior year and will be looking to repeat his success once again.
