John Gasaway, ESPN Insider 2y

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

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

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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