The week of March Madness is here and we are under 72 hours away from the festivities getting underway. The biggest stars in college basketball will be going at it all over the nation as they try to become the next NCAA Tournament hero.
Some of those stars will waste no time going at each other. The first round of the tournament, which will be played on Thursday and Friday, features all kinds of one-on-one matchups between some of the best players in the country at their positions.
Which matchups will feature the stars going head-to-head? Let’s get into the five most intriguing individual matchups of the first round.
Kam Jones (Marquette) vs. Donovan Dent (New Mexico)
As soon as the bracket came out, this battle between two of the best point guards in the entire country jumped off the screen. Donovan Dent and Kam Jones have been two of the most enjoyable players to watch this college basketball season, and now they will do battle in the Round of 64.
Dent played in the NCAA Tournament last season as just one part of a three-headed monster in the Lobos backcourt, but he is running the show all by himself this season. He hasn’t had any trouble adjusting to the extra workload, winning Mountain West Player of the Year while averaging 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game. He can score it from the outside and finish anywhere in the lane with either hand while also being one of the best playmakers in college basketball.
Jones is headed to the NBA as a potential first-round pick after this NCAA Tournament, and it has been a joy to watch him take on more of a ball-dominant role as the lead guard for Marquette after Tyler Kolek headed to the pros. Jones’ assist total has more than doubled — from 2.4 per game as a junior to 5.9 per game this year — but that’s not why you come to watch him play.
Jones is one of the flashiest scorers in college basketball. The Second Team All-American’s microwave heat-checks from beyond the arc have the chance to light up the tournament, but he also has the body type and the elite pacing to take advantage of smaller defenders in the lane, a la Jalen Brunson.
The battle between Jones and Dent has a chance to decide what should be a very competitive game between Marquette and New Mexico as two of college basketball’s best players go at it in round one.
Nique Clifford (Colorado State) vs. PJ Haggerty (Memphis)
Colorado State is one of the hottest teams in the country coming into the NCAA Tournament, as Niko Medved and company ride a 10-game winning streak into the Big Dance. Nique Clifford is the biggest reason why. The former Colorado Buffalo has been on an absolute tear that has him appearing in the first round of plenty of mock drafts, and he is looking to continue shooting up big boards with a big run in March.
For the season, Clifford has been doing it all for an undersized Rams squad that struggled to replace the production of Isaiah Stevens at the start of the season. The Colorado native is averaging 19 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, leading his team in all four categories. During this current win streak, Clifford has only been held under 22 points three times.
This is all not to bury the lead on Haggerty, who ran away with AAC Player of the Year honors after a stellar season for Penny Hardaway’s squad. Haggerty scored 21.8 points per game this season and can fill it up with the best of them, as evidenced by his 42-point outburst against Wichita State in the AAC quarterfinals.
How much these two are actually matched up likely depends a lot on the availability of Tyrese Hunter, who is questionable with a foot injury. Without Hunter, Haggerty will likely have to take on a lot more point guard responsibilities, which would allow him to guard some of Colorado State’s smaller players. However, expect Clifford and his long, lanky frame to be hounding the star scorer on Friday in Seattle.
Yale backcourt vs. Texas A&M backcourt
I know the headline says 1-on-1, but how about a little 2-on-2 action in the backcourt of the most popular 13-over-4 upset. Both Yale and Texas A&M possess elite backcourts, and all four starters at guard will have a major impact on the game.
Texas A&M has one of the best backcourts in the SEC in Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps. The two guards combine for nearly 30 points per game and are the only two Aggies averaging double figures, so they will both be instrumental in the game plan on Thursday. Both are also pests on the defensive end, combining for three steals a night.
On the Yale side, some March Madness diehards will remember John Poulakidas from last year’s upset of Auburn in the first round of the tournament, but he has taken it up a notch this year. The First Team All-Ivy League performer averaged 19.2 points per game this season while shooting over 40% from 3-point range.
One of the role players on last year’s Yale squad, guard Bez Mbeng, has blossomed into a star. The senior won both the Ivy League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after a do-it-all season where he averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He will likely be tasked with containing Taylor, something that he is more than capable of doing as a three-time Ivy League DPOY. That battle will be a fun one to watch on Thursday evening.
Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s) vs. Marquel Sutton (Omaha)
The list can’t be all guards, can it? Let’s hop down on the block and chat about one of the best players you may not know about coming into this tournament.
Omaha’s Marquel Sutton became the first Maverick to win Summit League Player of the Year honors after a season where he averaged 19.1 points and eight rebounds per game. He ratcheted that scoring average up to 21.3 points a night in league play and was a headache for opposing defenses every night. In three games in the conference tournament, Sutton scored 69 points and grabbed 37 rebounds, so he took his game up a notch when the stakes were high.
He will have his hands full on Thursday night against a red-hot St. John’s squad which will certainly be looking to get Zuby Ejiofor going on the interior. Ejiofor doesn’t get as much praise as his teammates Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis Jr., but the big fella is just as important to Rick Pitino’s winning formula.
Ejiofor ranks second on the Johnnies at 14.6 points per game and leads them with eight rebounds per game. His full offensive arsenal was on display in the Red Storm’s Big East semifinal win against Marquette where he scored a career-high 33 points.
If Omaha wants to keep it close and pull a stunning upset, Sutton has to win this matchup to drive the Mavericks offense.
BYU backcourt vs VCU backcourt
Closing the list out is another fascinating matchup of guards who will go a long way towards deciding a game that feels close to a coin flip going in.
BYU is led by star Richie Saunders, a First Team All-Big 12 selection who blossomed into one of the conference’s best players, averaging 16 points per game for Kevin Young and the Cougars. Saunders is one of the best shooters in college basketball, knocking down 43.3% of his tries from beyond the arc on over five attempts per game. If VCU wants to match like bodies, expect Joe Bamisile (15.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG) to be matched up on him throughout.
If you like big guards, this game is for you. Potential lottery pick Egor Demin runs the point for the Cougars and has done it all this season, averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 assists per game. He will be going up against the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Max Shulga, who was one of the most underrated players in the nation all season long. For the season, Shulga averaged 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals per game.
As a whole, BYU against VCU is a fascinating stylistic matchup. These four elite perimeter players going head-to-head makes it even more mouth-watering.
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