With the bracket finalized and the NCAA tournament set to kick off Tuesday, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team finds itself in the East Region as the No. 7 seed. In terms of individual talent, the East boasts some of the best floor leaders in college basketball along with some of the country’s most tenacious rebounders.
The Badgers have seen plenty of Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell this season, and the senior point guard finds himself alongside UW once again in the region. But, here are six other players to watch in the Badgers’ region this postseason:
Kris Dunn — Senior guard, Providence
Dunn is not only one of the best point guards in college basketball, but one of its best all-around players, averaging 16.0 points, 6.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds over the course of the season. While Providence has struggled as a team down the stretch, Dunn’s talent as a floor leader is sure to give the Friars a chance in any game they play going forward.
Brice Johnson — Senior forward, North Carolina
Johnson is an absolute monster on the boards, averaging 10.6 rebounds per game this season on top of 16.6 points — both of which are team highs. In January, Johnson managed to score 39 points and grab 23 rebounds against Florida State, further asserting his dominance on the glass despite being undersized at just 6-foot-9. Johnson also possesses a fairly consistent mid-range jump shot and has become more and more of a versatile threat on offense this season.
Demetrius Jackson — Junior guard, Notre Dame
Jackson is one of the quickest players in all of college basketball and one of the country’s more dangerous guards in terms of his ability to be a playmaker and score the basketball. While Jackson and the Fighting Irish have been rather inconsistent all season, the speedy point guard has been known to show up when his team needs him to the most. He won’t let Notre Dame to go down easily.
Tyler Ulis — Sophomore guard, Kentucky
Ulis took on the job of being Kentucky’s starting point guard this year after serving a reserve role for all of last season and has not disappointed. Listed at just 5-foot-9, the undersized point guard has relied on his quickness and big play ability to record seven double-doubles and average 16.8 points and 7.2 assists per game this season. His 3.79 assist-turnover ratio is fifth best in the country and Ulis has proven to be the kind of floor leader that can carry a team to the Final Four.
Devin Williams — Junior forward, West Virginia
Williams has been the anchor of a West Virginia defense that is among the very best in the country on the foundation of their smothering full court press. He’s coming off his most impressive performance of the season — 31 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas in the Big 12 championship game — and will look to continue his dominance in the paint on both sides of the ball. Williams has also recorded 15 double-doubles this season.
Jameel Warney — Senior forward, Stony Brook
Warney may be one of the most dominant post presences in the country that no one knows about. He is coming off a dominant performance in the American East championship game where he recorded 43 points and 10 rebounds and is averaging 30.3 points and 15.3 rebounds in his last three outings. While Stony Brook may have one of the tougher first-round matchups against Kentucky, yet another dominant performance from Warney could potentially put the team in a position to compete.
