9 March Madness heroes in waiting for 2024 men’s NCAA tournament

March is here, and the NCAA tournament is around the corner. The biggest star in college basketball is unquestionably Caitlin Clark, the Iowa women’s senior rewriting the college basketball record books. On the men’s side, household names are harder to come by — at least for now.

March Madness is the ultimate star-making machine. If you aren’t familiar with the top players in the field yet, you will be soon. Here’s a look at nine stars poised to make a big impact on the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament. This list offers a look at the most outstanding players in the country. It includes five players currently projected as first round picks in our latest mock for the 2024 NBA Draft. It exclusively features players on teams who will enter the bracket with protected top-4 seeds.

Before March Madness fully takes over the sports calendar, these are the players you need to know.

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Zach Edey, C, Purdue
Edey is arguably the most dominant college basketball player of his generation. He’s poised to become the first back-to-back national player of the year winner since Ralph Sampson in 1982-1983. The 7’4 center leads the country in just about every all-in-one metric to capture player performance, including box score plus-minus, PER, and win shares per 40 minutes. Edey’s 24 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on stunning scoring efficiency (66.5 percent true shooting) prove he’s a historically impressive interior force, but without a deep tournament run his legacy will be defined by March disappointment. Purdue became the second No. 1 seed to ever lose in the first round to a No. 16 seed when Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off the monumental upset last season. With an improved supporting cast around him this season, Edey is ready to end his college career with a run through the bracket to remember.

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Dalton Knecht, F, Tennessee
Knecht isn’t just the best story of the college basketball season — he’s one of the very best players in the country, too. Knecht spent two years in junior college and two years at Northern Colorado before blossoming into a superstar after transferring to Tennessee this season. The 6’6 wing is a scoring savant, dropping 39 points on Auburn, 31 points on South Carolina, 39 points on Florida, and 36 points on Georgia during his reign of terror in the SEC. While he’s shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range, Knecht is so much more than just a shooter: he’s a fearless slasher, has a dependable mid-range game, and is able to consistently get to the foul line. It feels like Tennessee always has an elite defense and struggling offense under Rick Barnes, and Knecht is the type of supernova scorer the Vols have been waiting for.

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R.J. Davis, G, North Carolina
A year ago, North Carolina found itself left out of the NCAA tournament one season after reaching the national title game in 2022. When the Tar Heels’ bubble burst, the change started: Caleb Love transferred to Arizona, UNC reloaded with a couple key transfers, and suddenly North Carolina are again one of the best teams in the sport. There’s no question who should get the ball down the stretch anymore. This is R.J. Davis’ team, and his emergence into a First-Team All-American-caliber guard is the biggest reason for the Heels’ improvement. Davis is a high-volume, highly-accurate three-point shooter, knocking down 41.1 percent of his threes on nearly eight attempts per game. He’s done an excellent job cutting down his turnovers, he’s nearly 90 percent from the foul line, and he has the highest assist rate of his career. Everything is in harmony in Chapel Hill again.

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Jamal Shead, G, Houston
Houston had every reason to take a step back this year after jumping from the mid-major American to the toughest conference in the country, the Big 12, while losing two first round draft picks to the NBA (Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser). Instead, the Cougars are in poll position to win the Big 12 in their debut season, which is a testament to the brilliance of head coach Kelvin Sampson and the toughness of his star guard, Jamal Shead. Houston needed Shead to take on more offensive responsibility this year, and he’s delivered: he’s averaging career-bests in scoring, scoring efficiency, and assist rate, all while being perhaps the best defensive guard in America. Only one other high-major player in the country is matching Shead’s 4.7 percent steal rate and 2.3 percent block rate. He’s Houston’s personal chaos engine, and he gives the team a chance to make a deep March run after last year’s surprising Sweet 16 exit.

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Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
A year ago, Clingan was something like UConn’s secret weapon during their dominant national championship run, a backup freshman center who was devastating on both ends when he finally got minutes. As a sophomore, Clingan is a full-fledged star and looks like a lottery pick. The 7’2 big man with a 7’7 wingspan is impossibly huge, and he knows how to use his size to great effect. Defensively, Clingan feels like the most fearsome rim protector in the country, with an 11.14 percent block rate that ranks top-10 in DI. Offensively, he crushes the glass and finishes everything inside with a dunk. Clingan still struggles at times to stay on the floor because of foul trouble or injuries, but when he’s locked in, UConn looks like the best team in the country.

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Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
Kolek was the breakout star of a Marquette team that surpassed every reasonable expectation last year to earn a No. 2 seed to the NCAA tournament. Kolek and the Golden Eagles aren’t sneaking up on anyone this season, and now they need a deep tournament run to solidify the rebirth of the program under Shaka Smart. Kolek is everything teams want out of a point guard: he’s a crafty three-level scorer, an excellent pick-and-roll playmaker, and a tough point-of-attack defender. Kolek creates the advantage on so many possessions with his ability to drive the ball into the teeth of the defense. He’s able to end them too with knockdown spot-up shooting ability. Every coach dreams of going into the tournament with a guard as gritty and as skilled as Kolek.

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Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky
Sheppard was almost an afterthought in Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class coming into the season with four of his freshman teammates rated higher in the RSCI. It took only a handful of games for Sheppard to prove not only was he arguably the Wildcats’ best freshman, he might be their best overall player. The son of two former Kentucky basketball legends, Sheppard is an incredible defensive playmaker with the wettest jump shot in the country. Sheppard has razors in his hands defensively, forcing turnovers at a historic rate for a guard with a monstrous 4.9 percent steal rate and 2.8 percent block rate. On offense, it feels like every shot Sheppard takes is going down. He’s making 51.7 percent of his threes, the best mark in America. Sheppard may come off the bench for John Calipari, but at this point there’s no doubt he’s a legitimate college superstar.

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Rob Dillingham, G, Kentucky
The other Kentucky freshman guard might be the most exciting player in the country to watch. Dillingham is electric live dribble creator and a dynamic pull-up shooter who feels like he’s toying with the opposing defense. The 6’2 guard is the most creative ball handler in college basketball, using slippery dribble crossovers and hesitations to create space whether he’s hunting threes or going to the basket. Dillingham is also a thrilling passer who is always ready to throw a lob or kick out to an open shooter. There’s so much sizzle to Dillingham’s game, but it’s also more functional than he gets credit for (he turns the ball over less frequently than Sheppard, for example). Kentucky can out-score any team in the country when they’re at their best, and Dillingham’s creation ability is at the center of their explosive offensive potential.

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Johni Broome, C, Auburn
Broome transferred to Auburn from Morehead State as a throwback big who would attack the glass, score inside, and protect the rim. Two years later, Broome is not only one of the best players in the SEC, but also the type of modern big man every team craves. The 6’10 senior has pulled off the difficult feat of maintaining what he was already great at while adding new dimensions to his game. Broome’s progression as a three-point shooter is staggering: he made zero threes in his first two seasons combined, then made nine last year, and has drained 24 triples this year at a 37.5 percent clip. Beyond the shooting, Broome has also leveled up as a playmaker, acting as the hub of so many Auburn actions in the halfcourt. Auburn is currently a top-15 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and Broome’s two-way skill makes it possible.