There’s nothing better than March Madness. Nothing. … OK, maybe winning the lottery … and dating a supermodel … and owning a professional sports team. But that’s it. Period. We’re looking forward to kicking back Thursday afternoon and zoning out until Monday morning — well, actually, we’ll be working, but you’ll be kicking back and zoning out. While you are, keep an eye on these players:
Kenneth Faried
Morehead State’s 6-foot-8 wrecking ball had six games this season with 20 or more rebounds, including 21 in a win over Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley tournament. DraftExpress has him ranked 33rd overall, and that number could go up significantly if Faried and the Eagles score an upset over Louisville in the first round of the tournament. Scouts and GMs are human, and a big game against a team from a power conference could do wonders for Faried’s draft stock.
Douglas Davis
The Princeton guard’s pump-fake, fall-away jumper to win the Ivy League title made him an instant social media sensation. But Davis and Princeton, which played in the shadow of Harvard all season, are a threat. Ivy League teams generally succeed by shooting well from 3-point range. If Davis (a 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc in his college career) gets hot, the Tigers could be dangerous.
Talor Battle
It’s been a long time coming for the Penn State senior, who has more than 2,100 career points and has spent his career carrying mediocre teams. But the Nittany Lions got hot at the right time and secured a spot with a 13-point win over Michigan State in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. One thing is for certain: Battle — who scored at least 25 points nine times this season — will get plenty of looks.
Derrick Williams
A classic case of a great player going unnoticed because he plays on the West Coast. But Williams, the Pac-10 player of the year, is the real deal, averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a night for Arizona. The Wildcats will lean heavily on the 6-foot-8 sophomore. Five Arizona players average at least 7.8 points a game, but Williams is the only one in double figures.
