Five players poised to make an impact on the NCAA men’s tournament – Yahoo Sports

The NCAA men's tournament is stacked with future NBA talent, with the draft's top three prospects Auburn's Jabari Smith, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paulo Banchero all playing for title contenders.

But not every impact player in the tournament is slated for the NBA lottery this year. There's a good chance more than one player from the list below makes headlines in the first weekend of tournament play and beyond. They could certainly improve their NBA draft prospects in the process.

A 6-9 junior forward who dominated the SEC, Oscar Tshiebwe has emerged from solid role player to Wooden Award favorite after transferring from West Virginia this season. He's the primary reason No. 2 seed Kentucky has better odds to win the national championship ahead of East region No. 1 seed Baylor.

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Tshiebwe gets the job done on both ends of the floor, averaging 17 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the floor. He doesn't shoot from outside, which contributes to his projection as a late first-round pick. But his game could certainly anchor a national championship run for the Wildcats. It was good enough to win SEC Player of the Year.

Oscar Tshiebwe, right, and Walker Kessler are both poised to make an impact on the NCAA tournament. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Freshman center Holmgren gets most of the hype of Gonzaga. And rightfully so he's a 7-footer who shoots 41.2% from 3-point distance and blocks 3.6 shots per game. But it's 6-foot-10 junior forward Drew Timme who earned WCC Player of the Year honors.

Timme was the leading scorer on last season's team that featured Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert and advanced to the national championship. With Suggs and Kispert gone to the NBA, Timme returned as the anchor for the Bulldogs. He's once again Gonzaga's scoring leader while averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. If Gonzaga wins its first national title, Timme will be a primary reason why.

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Another high-profile transfer, Walker Kessler has lived up to his five-star status since arriving at Auburn from North Carolina. Kessler flashed his two-way ability when given the chance in 8.8 minutes per game in a crowded UNC frontcourt last season. With a starting role at Auburn as a sophomore, Kessler was named first-team All SEC and a member of the league's All-Defensive team.

A 7-1 forward, Kessler averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and an astonishing 4.5 blocks per game. His 20.4% 3-point rate leaves plenty to be desired and helps to keep him out of the NBA lottery conversation. But paired with Smith, he's a big reason the Tigers enter the tournament as a No. 2 seed and legitimate title contenders.

A full-time starter since arriving in Chapel Hill in 2019, Bacot was a big reason Kessler struggled to find playing time as a freshman. As a junior, Bacot was named First-team All ACC and finished second in Player of the Year voting to Banchero.

Can Armando Bacot lead North Carolina to the NCAA tournament's second weekend? (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

A 6-10 junior center, Bacot averaged 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the Tar Heels. Lack of an outside game hurts his NBA prospects like other players on this list. But he's North Carolina's best and most consistent player. He came up big in the regular-season finale win over Duke, tallying 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field. If UNC advances to the second weekend as a No. 8 seed, Bacot will surely be a big reason why.

Johnny Juzang emerged as an unexpected star of last year's NCAA tournament run that saw No. 11 seed UCLA advance to the Final Four. He's not catching anyone by surprise this year. A 6-foot-6 junior guard, Juzang earned All-Pac 12 honors for a second straight season for a Bruins team that enters NCAA play as a No. 4 seed.

Juzang averages 16 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 36.2% on 4.3 3-point attempts per game. He's proven himself under NCAA tournament pressure before. There's no reason to think Juzang can't make an impact on the tournament for a second straight season.

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Five players poised to make an impact on the NCAA men's tournament - Yahoo Sports