NCAA F4 Tournament- Players to watch

Today, I decided to spend some time and write a different article than the rest I wrote till now. In few minutes, we have the first game of the NCAA basketball final four tournament at Houston. I will write about players who can change the fortune of the games and worth watching.


North Carolina:

Brice Johnson - PF

I guess all of you are familiar with him, the leader of North Carolina, a player who should be a late 1st round pick or an early 2nd one. Brice Johnson is averaging 17.1 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 27.9 MPG.
An extremely good athlete, a really nice body, he stands at 6'9 with a wingspan of 6'11. Brice Johnson is a very quick player for his size with a great lateral speed and a top elevation. Brice Johnson is one of the best 2-way players for college. His size and his defensive instinct make him a defensive force. A very good blocker, additional to that he is able to switch and defend any kind of player at that level. 
Offensively is a very good player, he will score all of his points near the rim. He has a bit of "weird" post moves but are very efficient. Cannot describe the way he posts-turns and shoots. Just watch him.

Marcus Paige - PG

He is the best guard of the North Carolina team, he is averaging 12.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 3.7 APG in 31.5 MPG. Even though he is a PG, a lot of the time he will play off the ball as Tar Heels are playing almost always with 2 point guards. 
In the previous game against Indiana, he was on fire and he started the game with four 3-pointers in row, he totally destroyed them, he was the game changer. 
Marcus Paige has a nice size for college, even though he is a bit skinny. Paige has the full package of a point guard, he is pretty fast with a nice first-step, he has a good frame for college, a good ball-handler and a very good passer. Also he is the best shooter of North Carolina.

Oklahoma:

Buddy Hield - SG

Not many things to say about Buddy Hield, we spoke for him few days ago, I would suggest you to read our previous article here. In few words, he is the best athlete of the final four tournament and the best shooter, I expect him to light up the NRG arena like no one else.

Isaiah Cousins -PG

I think Cousins is the first name that can surprise you a bit. He is averaging 12.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 4.6 APG in 33.4 MPG.
He is not the traditional PG, he plays a lot more like a SG, but when you share the backcourt with Buddy Hield, then you better evolve and become a good point guard. Actually this is what happened with Cousins, I wouldn't say that he is a point guard but he looks a lot more like one now, than one year ago. His vision improved a lot and same goes for his passing abilities.
He is not the best athlete, I would describe him as an average one. The only think that really helps him is his size. He stands at 6'4 with a wingspan of 6'6.
As for his defense? Again an average defender, but his size helps him a lot in college. 
Even though there are many disadvantages with him playing as point guard and his defensive problems, Isaiah Cousins can score like few out there. 

Villanova:

Ryan Arcidiacono - PG

A floor general, a true floor general. I like him as a player, yes he does not have NBA potential, yes he is not a good athlete, not fast, not strong, not not not... But that did not stop him from being a great player for Villanova. 

Arcidiacono knows how to read a game, how to pass, he will not make easy mistakes, if you give him space, he will make the shot. You think that his opponent is more athletic than him? Well, he will not score any easy point against Arcidiacono. He will stay in front and close to his opponent and he will always contest the shot. In order Villanova to win Oklahoma he needs another great game from his floor general.

Arcidiacono in his last year at Villanova is averaging 12.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 4.3 APG. 

Mikal Bridges - SF

The first freshman of our list, but not the last. Mikal Bridges has a good season till now, he is averaging 6.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 20.4 MPG.

Probably one of the best athlete of the final four tournament. He stands at 6'7 with a wingspan of 7'0"5. A very good size for NBA and great for NCAA. 

Not the best offensive player, but is a good ball-handler and he can even create his own shot, I see potential on him, but I do not expect Bridges to be the X-factor on offense. Actually he is a TOP defender, one of the best in the tournament till now. Bridges has an excellent size and speed.He is able to guard from 1-4 position. I am curious, if he will be the one who will be guarding Buddy Hield. If you want to win Oklahoma, you better find a way to stop Buddy Hield. 

Syracuse

This team has heart, they just keep coming and they never quit, they were able to turn around their last two games against Gonzaga and Virginia.

Michael Gbinije - PG/SG

Gbinije is averaging 17.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 4.4 APG.

Gbinije is not your typical point guard, he started his career as a shooting guard and just this year he plays more and more as a point guard. Excellent size for point guard, he stands at 6'6. Additional to his size, Gbinije has an excellent frame.He is not the most explosive players, but he uses perfect his size.

A good shooter, even though he needs to work his release. Gbinije love the mid-range jumpers, he just loves them and he is pretty efficient also. His vision, is a lot better than what you expect from someone who till recently was not playing as a point guard. 

As for his defense, Gbinije is a good defender, he can guard players from 1-3 position in college level. He is a critical player for Syracuse, in his last five games he never played less than 38 minutes!

Malachi Richardson - SG/SF

Richardson is the second freshman of our list, he has a very good year, he is averaging 13.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.1 APG in 34.3 MPG.

Amazing size for SG, he stands at 6'6 with a wingspan of 7'0. A very good athlete also, 

Richardson has a good frame. Generally, your eyes will go on him, great size, length and frame.

In the last game vs Virginia Cavaliers he was just great, Richardson had a great second half. Syracuse needs him to continue from where he left. He had many up-downs in the season till now. 

He can score, even by penetrating (most common) or shooting the three, not the best shooter though, but he has the green light to shoot and he is confident. I really like his vision and playmaking abilities, don't be surprised if he set up plays and pick and rolls. 

Finally Richardson is a good defender, is really hard to be a bad one with a size and the athleticism he has, a good help defender also. 

Hope you enjoyed the report, a different one than usual and is posted a bit late. Looking forward to your comments.

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*MPG: Minutes per game, PPG: Points per game, RPG: Rebounds per game, PER: Player efficient rate, FG: Field goals.