Rising Stars
Rising Star: Louisville Junior Luke Hancock
Most pundits expected Louisville to be in the national championship game, but no one expected Luke Hancock to play an important role.
Rising Star: Louisville Junior Russ Smith
Russ Smith, nicknamed ‘Russdiculous’ for his frenetic style of play, has been simply wonderful in the tournament.
Rising Star: Arizona Senior Mark Lyons
Mark Lyons had a solid career at a perennial basketball power and helped lead his team to the Sweet 16—last season. This season, he helped lead another basketball power, this time Arizona, to the Sweet 16.
Rising Star: Creighton Junior Doug McDermott
It’s been one tremendous season for Creighton. From the rumors that Creighton will be one of the new teams invited to the Big East to the terrific season for the Bluejays, culminating in a No. 7-seed in the NCAA tournament.
Rising Star: Duke Senior Mason Plumlee
The Duke Blue Devils are a top-five team and will be a tough out come March because of one of the most overlooked attributes in college basketball: senior leadership. With so many talented players leaving early for NBA stardom, having a strong senior-led team isn’t as common as it used to be.
Rising Star: Kansas Freshman Ben McLemore
Ben McLemore may not get the attention that other Player of the Year candidates get, but the Kansas freshman has been drawing plenty of attention from the people that matter most: NBA scouts.
Rising Star: Michigan Sophomore Trey Burke
The Michigan Wolverines are the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in more than two decades, and one of the biggest reasons why is point guard Trey Burke. He flirted with the NBA draft at the end of the 2011-2012 season but decided to return for his sophomore campaign to bring Michigan a championship.
Rising Star: Indiana Sophomore Cody Zeller
The man at the center of Indiana’s return to the top of the college basketball world also happens to be the best center in college basketball, sophomore Cody Zeller.
Rising Star: Kentucky’s Marquis Teague
By: Mark Chalifoux There’s not much that hasn’t been said about Kentucky. The Wildcats clearly established themselves as the best team in the nation and have the chance to prove it as the favorite in […]
Rising Star: Kansas’ Thomas Robinson
By: Mark Chalifoux If Kansas is going to take down the Kentucky Wildcats in the National Championship game, it’s going to take a monster effort from All-American forward Thomas Robinson. Of course, Robinson is capable […]
