It's easy as pie to just come out and say that John Wall, Evan Turner, Sherron Collins, or Greg Monroe is going to be the difference maker in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The truth of the matter is that one of those guys is probably going to be in the discussion for the MVP of the dance if their team reaches the Final Four. But here at Cappers Info, we're going to take a look at some of the players that you might not have heard of before that can botch up your brackets if you're not careful!
Omar Samhan, St. Mary's Gaels: If you're an avid hoops watcher on the West Coast, you know that Paddy Mills may not have been the heart and soul of that St. Mary's team of a year ago. Now Samhan, who averaged team highs in both scoring (20.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 boards per game), is the undisputed leader of this squad. He's a force in the middle and won't have an equal, let alone a superior to match up with him in the South Bracket, save perhaps Notre Dame's F Luke Harangody. Villanova had better watch out. A potential second round date with St. Mary's could be lethal.
Keith Benson, Oakland Golden Grizzlies: Here's another double-double per night guy that can do some real damage to your brackets right away if you've got the Pitt Panthers going far in the West. Benson was Oakland's leader in several categories, including points (17.0 per game), rebounds (10.5 per game), field goal percentage (53.6%), and blocks (3.4 per game). At 6'11", Benson is a legitimate center. Pitt has the bodies inside to throw at him, but Benson may ultimately be too strong for any of them to contain. The Golden Grizzlies are a potentially very dangerous #14 seed.
Jahmar Young, New Mexico State Aggies: HC Tom Izzo has to know that this guy is going to be a real offensive force in the Spartans' 5/12 game this week. Young is scoring 20.5 points per game this year, and he's coming off of a 19-point WAC Championship Game against Utah State. He's not afraid to stroke the three ball, as he's a 37.6% shooter from beyond the arc, and he's also prolific from the field (46.1%) and the free throw line (83.8%). New Mexico State already played the role of spoiler once when it took down the WAC title. With Young's help, it can do it again to one of last year's NCAA Championship Game squads.
Ryan Wittman, Cornell Big Red: Perhaps if you watched the Cornell/Kansas game earlier this year, you've heard of Wittman. The guy can shoot the rock from anywhere on the court, and he can take the ball in the post if needed as well. Wittman led the Ivy League champs in scoring at 17.5 points per game, and his 42.4% shooting from beyond the arc is a big reason why Cornell led the nation in three point shooting percentage this year. Now, the Big Red will have their toughest task at hand since that trip to Allen Fieldhouse when they have to tackle a Temple team that is #3 in the country in total defense. If Wittman can get going though, Cornell can catch some fire and blow several teams out of the East Bracket.
