Poulakidas returns for another March Madness run after dropping 28 points in Yale’s upset win against Auburn in the Round of 64 last year. The Bulldogs are back to that familiar No. 13 seed and are going up against another SEC foe, this time No. 4 Texas A&M, in the first round. Warning to the Aggies: Poulakidas, a 6-foot-6 guard, is even better than he was last season.
The lefty sharpshooter averages 19.2 points and drills 40.9 percent of his 7.8 three-point attempts per game. Over the past three games, Poulakidas went 13-of-29 (44.8 percent) from deep to lead Yale to another Ivy League championship.
Donovan Dent | New Mexico Lobos (South Region)
One of the more electric scorers in the country, Dent has the ability to go for 40 in any game. That’s exactly what he did earlier this season in a win against NCAA Tournament team VCU, an elite defensive team that ranks No. 1 in the country in effective field-goal percentage allowed (44.4 percent).
Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard, closed the season on a hot streak, scoring at least 20 points in eight of New Mexico’s last 10 contests and averaging 23.5 points in that span. If the Lobos get past Marquette in the Round of 64, Dent could cause serious problems for No. 2 Michigan State if it beats No. 15 Bryant, as expected.
Nique Clifford | Colorado State Rams (West Region)
No. 12 Colorado State, which plays No. 5 Memphis in the first round, closed the season with 10 straight wins to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, and Clifford was the main reason why. The NBA-ready forward averaged 22.1 points on 79-of-131 (60.3 percent) from the field during that winning streak.
Clifford, a 6-foot-6 guard, can score at all three levels, is a terrific defender and has that uncanny clutch gene that makes him a perfect fit for March Madness. He’s also a special athlete who isn’t afraid to challenge defenders at the rim, so don’t be surprised if he gives us the highlight dunk of the tournament.
Bennett Stirtz | Drake Bulldogs (West Region)
Stirtz, who’s 6-foot-4, is one of the best game-managing point guards in the country. The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year averages 19.1 points, 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals and is shooting 49.3 percent shooting from the field and 38.6 percent from three.
What makes Stirtz so tough to guard is patience and control with the ball in his hands. He rarely turns the ball over, and he knows how to get Drake the best shot possible after lengthy possessions. Those players are hard to come by in March. He and No. 11 Drake will play No. 6 Missouri in the first round.
Kyler Filewich | Wofford Terriers (Midwest Region)
Filewich, a 6-foot-9 center, isn’t going to drop 30 points and drain six threes in a game like these other players are capable of, but he’s an electric factory on the court. The big man for No. 15 Wofford shoots his free throws “granny” style, making them at only a 31.8 percent clip.
The Hack-A-Kyler could be a profitable strategy for Tennessee if it finds itself in a close game down the stretch, but sinking two underhanded, winning free throws to knock off a No. 2 seed would make Filewich a March Madness legend forever.
