March Madness is finally here. Brackets have been revealed, bold takes have been tossed around everywhere, and cinderellas have been picked. Fans have talked themselves into multiple teams being able to cut down the nets, but at the end of the day, only one will. Whoever wins the tournament will have to play great as a team, but also get big-time performances from role players, or in some cases, just massive games from their stars. The players below all can change the outcome of not just one game, but for some, the entire tournament.
Both Chance McMillan and Darrion Williams are expected to play for the Red Raiders during the tournament, but they are both dealing with injuries and it is uncertain how available they will be. Due to the injuries, Texas Tech will need someone to pick up the possible loss of scoring next to J.T. Toppin, and Christian Anderson is the guy to do it.
The 6’2 freshman guard averaged just under 11 points per game off the bench while shooting 40.7% from three. He had to step into the starting lineup on multiple occasions this year due to injuries and he always produced. He had nine games of 15 points or more this season, and he made multiple big shots down the stretch of close games.
In a loaded freshman class, his name wasn’t mentioned with the top-end NBA talent, but he showed he can make a major impact on a game. He could have the chance to do so in the tournament if McMillan or Williams are limited. Even if they are a full-go, Anderson will provide a major offensive spark off the bench, and if he gets hot he can make Texas Tech even more dangerous.
The team’s best players usually aren’t listed as X-factors, but Wade Taylor has the scoring ability to single-handedly raise the ceiling for the Aggies. He has taken a step back as a scorer this year as he has taken on a bigger role as a playmaker with a career-high 4.3 assists per game, but he is the guy A&M looks to for offense when they need it the most.
Texas A&M is an elite defense team and one of the country’s best rebounding teams, but their offense is troublesome as a large portion of it comes from offensive rebounds. They will need to find other ways to score if they want to make a run in the tournament, and Wade Taylor is the answer to that.
If he catches fire like he did last year in the SEC tournament and March Madness with at least 20 points in all five games, the Aggies could make some real noise due to their physical style of play. If he can’t find his shot, they could be an early exit due to their lack of shot creation outside of Taylor and Zhuric Phelps.
Oregon only made it to the second round in last year’s tournament as they lost in double overtime to Creighton, but Jermaine Couisnard erupted for the Ducks in their two games as he averaged 36 points per game. He is no longer on the team, but Jackson Shelstad has a chance to do something similar.
Nate Bittle is a reliable scoring option for the Ducks, but Shelstad elevates the offense when he is on his A-game. He has the ability to catch fire in a hurry and create for himself with his quickness, but he has also been completely taken out of games as well. Over the course of an entire season, it is fine to go cold for stretches, but in a win-or-go-home scenario, he can’t disappear. He averaged 13 points per game this season, but he scored at least 15 points in 17 of the Ducks games.
Oregon is traditionally great in March, and their defense this season makes them a dark horse, but to really go far they need a consistent offensive spark, and Jackson Shelstad is the number one option to give it.
Illinois has been one of the toughest teams to figure out this season. In one game they look like a top-ten team in the country, and in the next, they lose by twenty because they can’t shoot. Despite the fact that no one on the team shoots higher than 35% from three, it is clear Illinois has plenty of capable shooters on the roster. They scored at least 90 points in 11 games this season, and at least 80 points in 21 games.
They have the makeup of a high-powered offense, but they are the streakiest three-point shooting team in the country. If Illinois can put together a string of consistent shooting games, they can make a true run in the tournament because of their offensive upside, but if they have another sub-30 % shooting night, they will be a first-round exit.
Illinois lives and dies by the three as they shoot 30 a game, the fifth most in the country, and their outcomes show it as well. Basketball is a make-or-miss sport, and when Illinois makes their shots they win by a lot, but when they miss their shots, they lose by a lot, and both Maryland games and their game against Duke are a perfect example of that.
Tennessee has the same problem every year in the tournament. They play great defense, but they don’t score enough and this team has that written all over it, but Jordan Gainey has given the Volunteers some life on offense as of late. He has become a much-needed secondary shot creator next to Chaz Lanier and he has come up clutch in some massive games.
Teams are going to do everything they can to force someone else to score other than Lanier, and Gainey has to be that guy. He averaged 11.4 points per game this year, but he had 11 games of at least 15 points, and most notably, a 24-point game against Florida in the SEC championship. There is going to be a game where Tennessee goes cold on offense and they need someone to spark it other than Chaz, and Gainey has to be that guy.
Florida’s trio of guards is what drives this team, but their bigs elevate them to another level. Alex Condon is the best of the bunch and Rueben Chinyelu starts next to him, but Thomas Haugh is second best big on the team and he would start for basically any other team.
He averages 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, and he shoots 36% from deep. He is a Swiss army knife on offense and a versatile defender. His name isn’t mentioned much due to the offensive firepower of the Florida guards, but he has become a true difference-maker on both ends of the floor. If the Gators make a deep run, Haugh will be a massive reason why.
When Grant Nelson is in his bag on offense, he is a true game-changer, but when his shot isn’t falling and he turns the ball over, his impact feels minimal. He has a tendency to show up when he is needed most as he took over in the sweet sixteen last year against number one seed UNC as he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks. On the road against Auburn earlier this month he had 23 points and 8 rebounds in an upset win. He has shown he is a big game player, but he can also disappear at times.
His status for the start of the tournament appears to be un in the air at the moment, but if he is healthy and fully engaged, Bama can make a run as he elevates their ceiling, but if he misses time or is limited while on the court, it will be a massive blow for the Crimson Tide.
X-Factors can change the outcome of a game and there is no other way to put it. Time after time players have unexpected massive performances and it changes the game. Sometimes it is a star having an elite game, and sometimes it is a role player playing like a star. Regardless, there are always surprise performers who step up when their teams need it the most, and these players (and skills) can change their team’s tournament outlook if they rise to the occasion.
There are plenty of other players who fit the mold of an X-Factor such as Emmanuel Sharp, Isaiah Evans, Caleb Grill, and others, but these guys feel like they can truly sway the outcomes of their team’s tournaments as they provide an elite ceiling for their team’s when they perform at a high level.
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