We know Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker will be looking to do serious damage in this year's tourney. But which players are primed to unexpectedly take their teams into a deep run over the next three weeks?
Here are five players who could create an upset special.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him @JHelmuth or "like" CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
March Madness 5 Players Destroy Brackets
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Cameron Bairstow - New Mexico
Don't let the ho-hum conference culture out of New Mexico fool you. New Mexico is legit and Bairstow is a big reason why. The Lobos control the paint and defend the basket as good as anyone with the Bairstow/Alex Kirk combo. Baristow is a 6-foot-9 Senior who averages 20 points/7 rebounds a game while Kirk (7-feet) averages 13 points/8 boards.
New Mexico is a hot team right now and if they control the paint and put up points they way they have been, Bairstow could lead the Lobos past not only Stanford, but past a banged up Kansas team without Joel Embiid as well.
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Doug McDermott - Creighton
There's no better player in the country -- hands down. But people might not realize just how good this Creighton team is that McDermott leads. Sure, the Jays have a No. 3 seed, but McDermott is a 6-foot-8 senior who can score from anywhere on the floor: down-low or from behind the arc. And Dougie isn't the only shooter on the team; all five starters shoot at least 40 percent from three-point land.
If Creighton gets hot behind the best player in the nation, this is a team that could go to the Final Four. Remember, this is a team who finished second in the Big East conference. They're for real folks.
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Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State
Smart is arguably the best player in the country and by far the best player the casual fan probably hasn't heard of. The only reason OSU drew a No. 9 seed is because of his three-game suspension following his shoving of a fan at Texas Tech. Will the Cowboys live or die by Smart's hot hand? They could. But if they are firing on all cylinders, watch out.
Smart averages nearly 18 points-per-game, pulls down 5.6 rebounds per-game, is able to dish the assist and is a tremendous defender (nearly 3 steals per-game). With Arizona without Brandon Ashley, I could see OSU upsetting the Wildcats in the third round, possibly making it to the Elite Eight after defeating San Diego State.
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Shabazz Napier - UConn
Napier was the AAC's conference player of the year, and deservedly so -- the kid can take over any game. He's only 6-foot-1, but aside from averaging almost 18 ppg, he rebounds (6 rpg) and dishes the assists at a mad pace as well (5.2 apg).
UConn has length and veteran leadership. Combine those traits with arguably the best true guard in the country and this is a team who could easily upset Villanova and Iowa State.
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Taylor Braun - North Dakota State
Talk about a star player no one has heard of. This is a kid that almost didn't get a scholarship offer, now he's the best player in his conference. Sure, it's the Summit League, but this kid still puts up a ridiculous stat line: 18 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg, 41.2 3FG%. He's a pure shooter who also hits the boards and isn't afraid to pass the ball.
NDSU starts three Seniors and leads the nation in field goal percentage. They're a very popular pick to upset Oklahoma.
