FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aaron Craft, PG,
Ohio State
In three seasons, Craft has 237 steals, shattering the school record of 204. He’s also the player Ohio State wants to have the ball at the end of games, because he’s a 79-percent free-throw shooter.
Ben McLemore, SG,
Kansas
The freshman was rated the ninth best shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com coming out of high school. Now McLemore is a strong candidate to be the first player chosen in the NBA Draft.
McLemore’s numbers are impressive — 16.4 points on 50.7-percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds, two assists and one steal per game.
Marshall Henderson, SG, Ole Miss
Henderson has been called for two technical fouls this season and more trash talking than NYC sanitation commissioner John Doherty. “I’ve been a villain everywhere I’ve gone,” he said.
He also shoots the 3. Henderson has made 131 3’s this season, or 13 more than the entire St. John’s team.
Derrick Nix, PF, Michigan State
He arrived on campus weighing 340 pounds, which limited him to just 7.8 minutes per game. He was a 27-percent free-throw shooter as a freshman.
Now a senior, Nix, who became a vegetarian, is down to 267 pounds. He’s playing 27.6 minutes and averaging 9.5 points. And that free-throw shooting? He’s up to 72 percent from the line.
Shane Larkin,
PG, Miami
Larkin had signed with DePaul two years ago, but asked out of his scholarship, citing a medical condition that required him to play close to home.
After missing the first game last season while the NCAA ruled to waive the one-year transfer rule, Larkin (14.6 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals) has emerged as the ’Canes’ leader in his sophomore season.
FIVE TEAMS TO WATCH
Belmont
The Bruins are fourth in the nation in shooting (49.4 percent), 12th in 3-point shooting (38.6) and 15th in assists (15.9). Reports the Bruins shoot in their sleep can’t be confirmed — or denied.
Butler
Analysts rave about their preparation and focus, but opposing coaches are more awed by the Dawgs’ attitude. “They’re very, very physical defensively and they’re very, very physical offensively,’’ Bucknell coach Dave Paulson said.
St. Mary’s
The Gaels have gone 17-3 since Jan. 1. All three losses were to No.1 seed Gonzaga. In rugged, Australian point guard Matthew Dellavedova, the Gaels have a player who does a little bit of everything.
VCU
The Rams lead the nation in steals with 11.8 per game. They also forced the most turnovers in college basketball with 675. And you thought driving through midtown at rush hour was havoc — ha!
Wisconsin
Coach Bo Ryan has written three books and produced five videos, all of which have been known to cause drowsiness, which is the way the Badgers play. But there’s no denying his success: 25-17 in the Big Dance.