Basketball is a team sport but every team has a player that’s the most important to their team’s success. It’s like when parents have multiple kids and they say they love them all equally. They don’t. They love some more than others because some kids are more important than others. One kid will become a climate scientist and invent a contraption that saves the planet from global warming and the other kid will sit on the couch eating processed food watching Netflix for 35 years. Without further adieu, here’s every team’s client scientist.
Andrew Nembhard — Gonzaga
You pretty much know what you’re gonna get with Timme, Kispert, Ayayi and Suggs. Nembhard brings something else to the table. Passing. He’s arguably the best passer on their roster. When Nembhard is playing well, the team is pretty much unbeatable. Initially, I was worried the Florida transfer would be jealous of Suggs’ lottery bound stardom but Nembhard has quietly had a nice season on a team that really didn’t need his services to be successful. He’s shooting 47% from the field, 33% from three, 80% from the line and, more importantly, averaging nearly five assists per game. If he can take his game to another level in March, the rest of the field doesn’t stand a chance.
Franz Wagner — Michigan
Franz Wagner is a bad boy. The 6’9 small forward out of Berlin has a little Luka Doncic in his game and yes I’m comparing him to Luca because he’s the only other white European player I could think of. OK, to be fair he probably has more Bogdan Bogdanovic in his game especially because his biggest problem is he tends to disappear at times. In a big game against Ohio State last week he had 9 points on 2-4 shooting. That speaks to Michigan’s balance but he’s arguably the player you want to have the ball in crucial situations (Livers?) and if he’s not taking shots the entire game you worry that when you need his offense during the tourney he may not be in a rhythm.
Davion Mitchell — Baylor
I know Jared Butler gets all the hype but to me Mitchell is the man on this team. Not only is he the best defender but his offense has come such a long way in the last two years. Three years ago he averaged 3.7 points a game for Auburn and now he’s nearly averaging 15. Mitchell, like Wagner, tends to disappear at times but when the game is on the line, I want the ball in Mitchell’s capable hands.
Andre Curbelo — Illinois
Curbelo is the ultimate ‘no-no-no-ok-fine’ player. At the beginning of the year it was hard to see how he and Brad Underwood could ever coexist but somehow it works. Curbelo is key because if Ayo is having a bad game, Curbelo is the only other player on the roster who can control tempo and run the offense efficiently. He takes ridiculous risks and attempts insane passes reminiscent of ex-Illini point guard Frank Williams but he makes the game more interesting and last week against Wisconsin he tallied 17 points and 7 rebounds (7 rebounds!) off the bench to help the Illini seal the deal. If Illinois is going to make a run, Curbelo will play a crucial role because he’s the kind of guy that fears no man, much less an NCAA tourney opponent.
Joe Wieskamp — Iowa
It feels like Wieskamp, or someone that looks like Wieskamp, has been at Iowa for 30 years. Let’s be honest, all of Iowa’s skinny white guys have looked the same for decades. Ryan Bowen. Jarrod Utoff. Aaron White. Matt Gatens. They’re all the same person, right? When he’s being aggressive and playing well, Wieskamp makes Iowa a legit contender to get to the Elite Eight. If he’s missing in action, and Garza has a bad game, Iowa can be upset in the first round.
John Petty Jr. — Alabama
It’s tough being John Petty Jr. He stayed four years at Alabama because no one in the NBA would draft him. It’s like being the last person at a party no one wanted to go to in the first place. It feels cold and lonely and you’re not sure where to go once the lights go out. Petty is the definition of a streaky shooter and when he gets it going he can still occasionally knock em down from long range. The problem is Petty doesn’t play much defense and he doesn’t rebound so if he’s not knocking down shots wouldn’t Alabama be better off playing Quinnerly and Shackelford at the same time?
Quentin Grimes — Houston
Is Quentin Grimes good? He left Kansas after a dismal freshmen season and critics wrote him off. More importantly, he couldn’t shoot to save his life. He shot 38% from the field his freshmen season. Not good. This year he’s up to 40% which is still not good. But in his last five games he’s gone for 29, 13, 20, 33 and 22. So maybe he is good? I still can’t tell.
Collin Gillespie — Villanova
I love guys like this because next year Collin Gillespie might be chosen seventh or eighth at the LA Fitness lunchtime run in downtown Philly. My favorite part of the game is when Gillespie takes the ball into the low block, like Jalen Brunson did two years ago, then realizes he’s really short and not that great on the low block and dribbles it out. He’s been steady this year but he hasn’t made the leap Villanova needed him to make for them to be a legit contender.
Leonard Hamilton
Quick, name three guys that play for Florida State. It’s tough right? Every year they have great athletes but no superstars because they play so many guys. I guess Raiquan Gray is the leader but he still seems out of shape which, at this point in the season, is hard to understand. M.J. Walker and Scottie Barnes are other guys to watch but at this point I guess the key to their success is Hamilton and his system. I root for Leonard Hamilton because he seems like a great guy and I’d like to see him win it all one year. I just don’t know when that year will be.
Marcus Zegarowski — Creighton
The universe was expecting huge things after Ty-Shon Alexander left for the NBA. It hasn’t worked out that way with two dismal games against Georgetown and 43% shooting on the season. But Zegarowski has a cool name, his mom is always cheering for him in the stands and he can get hot. Not sure you can bet on it happening but he could lead Creighton to the Sweet 16.
Cade Cunningham — Oklahoma State
Originally I was not a huge fan because I was on Team Suggs but Cunningham is winning me over. He reminds me a little bit of Luka because he doesn’t let anyone speed him up and he sees the whole floor. He’s not nearly the shooter Luka is, and I don’t know if his will to win is the same either, but his overall feel and court presence is comparable. The more he trusts his teammates, the better his team has played down the stretch. The Cowboys can win a few games this year if the NCAA lets them play in the tournament.
