March Madness has boiled down to the final three games in each of the men’s and women’s brackets.
On the men’s side, the two remaining No. 1 seeds in Arizona and Michigan will battle each other for a spot in the national championship game. The winner will take on either No. 2 UConn or No. 3 Illinois, who are aiming to play spoiler.
On the women’s side, the Final Four is as stacked as ever. UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina are all No. 1 seeds and back in the final mix for the second straight year. The Huskies will take on the Gamecocks, while the Bruins will meet the Longhorns.
Now’s the time for the remaining student-athletes to etch their names in the history books. But which ones will have the best chance? Let’s dive into the best players left in both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments as they reach a conclusion:
Men’s NCAA Tournament
ARIZONA: Brayden Burries, Koa Peat
Most of the top-end NBA prospects have been eliminated, such as Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson, who didn’t feature for UNC due to injuries. The Wildcats feature a pair of possible top-10 picks and/or lottery steals.
Brayden Burries, 6-foot-4, is the team’s leading scorer with 16.1 points per game while averaging a 50/81/40 shooting split. He’s not a heavy playmaking guard on this team, but he can light it up when needed. Koa Peat, a 6-foot-8 forward, is the other key piece. The incoming draft class features several rangy wings/forwards, the most coveted profile in the NBA. Peat still needs to develop a reliable shooting bag, but he’ll be important if the Wildcats can win it all.
MICHIGAN: Yaxel Lendeborg
The Wolverines have made it this far without many top prospects, though senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg is the best hope of a possible top-10 selection. At 6-foot-9, Landeborg is averaging a team-high 15.2 points to go with 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals on a 52/37/81.6 shooting split.
He might not have as high as a ceiling compared to some of his fellow forward peers in this class, most likely capping as a reliable floor-spacing 4. But right now, he’s Michigan’s best shot at the natty after two years at UAB.
UCONN: Tarris Reed Jr., Braylon Mullins
The Huskies don’t have a coveted prospect who could go early in the draft, but they are filled with multiple players who can impact college-level games. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball are among those, the former being a possible NBA rotation player. But Tarris Reed Jr. is the team’s heartbeat, as the 6-foot-11 center leads the team in scoring and is the key anchor down low, averaging 2.1 blocks and grabbing 8.8 rebounds. Reed Jr. might also make an intriguing second-round case as a traditional center for teams to develop.
After Reed Jr. is Braylon Mullins, who infamously hit the late deep 3-pointer to upset Duke in the Elite Eight. Mullins is a 6-foot-6 freshman wing who is averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals. His 3-point volume is too high (6.4 attempts) to be only converting at a 32.8% rate, but he has the minerals to make an impact. His confidence should also be high after the Duke game.
ILLINOIS: Keaton Wagler, David Mirkovic
The name that might jump out to most is Andrej Stojakovic given he’s the son of former Sacramento King Peja Stojakovic, but the senior forward is on his third collegiate program in three years and still needs some time to polish his numbers. The main name for the Fighting Illini is 6-foot-6 guard Keaton Wagler. The freshman is averaging 17.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists on a steady 44.5/40.7/79.6 shooting split on healthy volume. He could be an outside choice as a top-five pick given his size as a lead guard and current college-level impact, but would need time to impact the NBA.
David Mirkovic is also a name to watch. The 6-foot-9 freshman forward can rebound and shoot from all levels at a solid rate. The Montenegro native could be a sleeper pick if he sustains his 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds for a possible natty run.
Women’s NCAA Tournament
UCONN: Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong
The Huskies are 38-0 for a reason. A staple of the entire women’s basketball spectrum, next in line out of the program is star guard Azzi Fudd. Fudd is averaging 17.5 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals on a ridiculous 48.9/95.5/45.5 shooting split. Her current impact and WNBA trajectory is why the Dallas Wings will likely pair her with former Husky Paige Bueckers come the draft when they pick first.
Fudd is joined by sophomore forward Sarah Strong, who leads the Huskies with 18.6 points per game to go with 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks on a 59/84.8/40 shooting split. Equally as ridiculous. The Huskies are hunting a 40-0 record, and it seems very plausible that the efficiency of Fudd and Strong can propel them there.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Joyce Edwards
Dawn Staley has been at the helm of the Gamecocks’ women’s basketball turnaround the last several years. Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards is the key piece this time. She’s averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 58% from the field and 71% from the foul line. She’s not currently a 3-point shooter, but her leap from her freshman year to now indicates she will find new ways to improve her game.
Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot are other pivotal members of the team, but Edwards will be the one to dictate whether the Gamecocks can play underdog despite being a 1-seed.
UCLA: Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens
The Bruins are likely set to have the most top-end WNBA draft picks in this class, and it’s not hard to see why. Lauren Betts at 6-foot-7 has been as dominant as they come, averaging 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals on 57.9% field-goal shooting. Some of her scoring numbers and percentages have regressed from her previous seasons, but it’s mainly because others have stepped up to put UCLA in an even better position to win it all.
The guard trio of Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens have supported Betts the most, as all three have been versatile on and off the ball and provide efficient multi-level shooting. Should UCLA meet UConn in the final, it would be the best matchup in terms of overall quality.
TEXAS: Madison Booker
The Longhorns now face the long task of having to take on UCLA to gain a championship berth. The best player who can charge an upset would be 6-foot-1 forward Madison Booker. The junior is averaging a college-best 19.3 points per game to go with 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals on 52.3% shooting overall and 84.9% from the charity stripe.
Her main weakness to this point has been 3-point shooting, but she’s upped her volume to a college-most two attempts per game this season and will need to keep going if Texas is to carve its own upset.