The NCAA Tournament can turn great mid-major players into legends. These five players have a chance to make that happen this year if their team makes it in March.
Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Nigel Williams-Goss and Frank Mason are just a couple of star players who will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this year. They’re all in the running for the Wooden Award this year and are widely considered potential AP All-Americans.
Their teams are also all ranked and millions of people will pick them to make the Final Four. While their legacies could always improve, it’s safe to say that they’ll each have a special place in their fan base’s hearts and be well-remembered around the nation for being the star player on one of the best teams in the nation.
Not every star player has that luxury, though. For many players in mid-major conferences, the NCAA Tournament is where their stardom will be born.
Stephen Curry led Davidson to the Elite Eight in 2008, Steve Nash anchored Santa Clara in their upset win over Maryland in 1996 and Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew made one of the most iconic buzzer beating threes in the 1998 NCAA Tournament to upset Ole Miss.
Curry and Nash have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers in the NBA while Bryce Drew is an up-and-coming coach with Vanderbilt. Each would have also been remembered well by their respective fan base even without their historic wins. That being said, it cemented them in college basketball history and made people around the nation remember them forever.
Here are five players who have a chance to do the same this year if their team makes the NCAA Tournament.