John Gasaway, ESPN Insider 1y

March Madness: 68 impact players of the men's tournament

Men's College Basketball, UConn Huskies, Iowa State Cyclones, Illinois Fighting Illini, Auburn Tigers, San Diego State Aztecs, BYU Cougars, Washington State Cougars, Florida Atlantic Owls, Northwestern Wildcats, Drake Bulldogs, Duquesne Dukes, UAB Blazers, Yale Bulldogs, Morehead State Eagles, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Stetson Hatters, Purdue Boilermakers, Tennessee Volunteers, Creighton Bluejays, Kansas Jayhawks, Gonzaga Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Longhorns, Utah State Aggies, TCU Horned Frogs, Colorado State Rams, Virginia Cavaliers, Oregon Ducks, McNeese Cowboys, Samford Bulldogs, Akron Zips, Saint Peter's Peacocks, Montana State Bobcats, Grambling Tigers, Houston Cougars, Marquette Golden Eagles, Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, Wisconsin Badgers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Florida Gators, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Texas A&M Aggies, Boise State Broncos, Colorado Buffaloes, NC State Wolfpack, James Madison Dukes, Vermont Catamounts, Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Longwood Lancers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Arizona Wildcats, Baylor Bears, Alabama Crimson Tide, Saint Mary's Gaels, Clemson Tigers, Dayton Flyers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Michigan State Spartans, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Lobos, Grand Canyon Lopes, Charleston Cougars, Colgate Raiders, Long Beach State Beach, Howard Bison, Wagner Seahawks

While you work up your bracket and study every last statistic on team performance, don't lose sight of the individual players behind all those numbers.

When the season began in the fall, the talk was of returning players like Purdue's Zach Edey and Duke's Kyle Filipowski. Those two have lived up to the expectations. They've also been joined by several emerging stars in 2023-24.

With players staying longer and transferring more freely, there's a definite veteran feel to the sport's biggest names. Still, you'll run across a first-year star or two on our list of the bracket's most promising performers.

One striking aspect of this year's tournament field is that it includes virtually every player on the AP All-America's first, second and third teams. You have to look at the honorable mentions and a star like Devin Carter of Providence to run across a name that's not in the field of 68. There's plenty of star power in this tournament.

Meet the 68 impact players of the 2024 men's field. Players are organized by region and matchup. And, yes, some teams get more than one entry.

East Region

Tristen Newton, No. 1 UConn Huskies

Newton is a scoring point guard who gets to the rim on offense and hits the glass on D. His triple-double against Villanova in February was vintage Newton: 10 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists.

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