6. E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island
Matthews was supposed to be here last year.
In 2015, he was an NBA prospect expected to lead Rhode Island to the NCAA Tournament. Then he tore his ACL in the first game of the 2015-16 season and missed the entire year, and the Rams floundered without him.
This year, Matthews and the Rams are getting what was promised to them.
He’s averaged 14.9 points per game, and enters the NCAA Tournament fresh off an A-10 Tournament MVP award after his Rhode Island team won three games in as many days. That culminated in a 19-point, 9-rebound performance in the final victory over VCU.
Very much the heart and soul of this Rams team, he and his team are playing really well right now, and he’ll be in the middle of anything they do well.
7. Semi Ojeleye, SMU
Ojeleye is a Duke transfer, having been little more than a bit-part player in his two seasons under Mike Krzyzewski. In his first year at SMU, the forward immediately showed the Blue Devils what they were missing.
He averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He’s not your average big man, though, with a 42.8 percent rate from beyond the arc. That means he can stretch the floor and cause matchup problems on a team that simply doesn’t have a lot of big men.
Ojeleye is capable of going off, as he did in the AAC tournament opener, when he dropped 36 points on East Carolina while also pulling down 12 boards.
Ojeleye is a key part of a very balanced SMU attack, and a big reason the team comes into the tournament having won 16 games in a row.
8. Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee State
Potts is not exactly an unknown commodity. After all, he dropped 19 points on Michigan State in the Blue Raiders’ stunning upset as a 15 seed last year. It was no fluke, as the all-action guard has once again averaged 15.8 points per game for Middle Tennessee this season, and he likes to grab a rebound or two as well, pulling down 5.5 per game. His exploits are well-known, as he scored 27 and 25 in games against fellow tournament teams Vanderbilt and VCU, respectively, earlier in the season.
Potts seems to step it up when the bright lights come on, as his season-high 30 points came in the Conference USA tournament final. Potts is talented and has done it before, and he’s liable to do it again to Minnesota if given the chance.
9. Junior Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s
The best Mount St. Mary’s can hope for as a 16 seed is a play-in victory, which they recorded, and then a loss to Villanova, but Robinson isn’t an ordinary player on a 16 seed. Another player who overcame a height disadvantage to play at a high level, the speedy point guard has driven the Mountaineers forward all season long.
The junior guard stands just 5-5, but his 22-point performance in the NEC title game shows what he can do. He averages 14.1 points per game, shoots just under 40 percent from three, and is the key reason the Mountaineers have made it where they are. He already threw in a team-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting in the play-in game and could even give a team like Villanova a few headaches.
10. Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
Thornwell and South Carolina flew under the radar a bit in the SEC this season, but discount them at your own risk.
The senior has proven himself to be a prolific scorer as he’s averaging 21 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. That was buoyed by a remarkable 44-point, 21-rebound show in a quadruple-overtime win over Alabama.
This is a guy who dropped 34 on Kentucky in January, though his performances have suffered a bit late in the season. His team’s have as well, so Thornwell is of particular importance to the Gamecocks. If he can pick it up, South Carolina will pose problems for their opponents once the games start.
