At least once every March Madness, a double-digit seed captures the hearts and minds of the college basketball world. On the latest episode of March Madness 365, Andy Katz broke down what or who drives these double-digit seeds as he analyzed the 10 best players on seeds 10 or greater in this year's tournament.
CBS Sports and The Athletic’s Seth Davis also joined this episode of MM365.
Here are the 10 best players on double-digit seeds in this year's NCAA tournament, ranked by NCAA.com's Andy Katz:
10. Max Abmas — Guard, Oral Roberts (15-seed)
Abmas won the Summit Player of the Year award and helped lead the Golden Eagles to a conference championship on the back of his 24.4 points per game. Oral Roberts will have its hands full in the first round of the NCAA tournament though when they go up against Big Ten conference tourney runner-up, 2-seed Ohio State.
9. Ethan Thompson — Guard, Oregon State (12-seed)
The Beavers wouldn't even be in the NCAA tournament if it weren't for their magical run in the Pac-12 tournament. Part of that run was 6'5" guard Ethan Thompson who leads Oregon State in scoring and assists with 15.4 points and 3.9 assists per game. The Beavers will face 5-seed Tennessee in the first round.
8. Neemias Queta — Center, Utah State (11-seed)
Neemias Queta is a tremendous rim-protector, but he can also get it done on the offensive end. The 7'0" big man for the Aggies averages 15.1 points, 10 rebounds and 3.2 blocks a game. He'll be leaned upon heavily if Utah State wants to take down 6-seed Tennessee in the first round.
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7. Dante Harris — Guard, Georgetown (12-seed)
The Hoyas are scorching hot right now, and so is Dante Harris. The freshman guard was named the Big East tournament MVP after he helped Georgetown cruise through a tough Big East field as an underdog. Harris averaged just under 12 points and 4.75 rebounds per game in the Big East conference tourney.
6. Jason Preston — Guard, Ohio (13-seed)
The Bobcats will face 4-seed Virginia in the first round — a Virginia team that has had some COVID issues as of late, setting them up for a potential upset. If Ohio's Jason Preston plays up to his stat-line, the Bobcats could get it done. Preston led Ohio to a MAC conference title averaging 16.6 points, 7.2 assists and 6.8 boards per game.
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5. Buddy Boeheim — Guard, Syracuse (11-seed)
Buddy Boeheim has been shooting the lights out of the ball this season. He averages over 42% from the field with a 37% clip from beyond the arch. Boeheim leads the Orange in scoring too with 17.1 points per game. 'Cuse will have its hands full against 6-seed San Diego State in the first round, but with Hall of Fame head coach (and Buddy's father) Jim Boeheim at the helm, the Orange could make a deep run.
4. Tyson Etienne — Guard, Wichita State (11-seed)
Tyson Etienne was named the co-Player of the Year in the American conference this season. Etienne averaged 17 points per game for Wichita State this season. He'll need to show up for the Shockers this tournament as they'll have their hands full with fellow 11-seed Drake in the First Four with a potential date with 6-seed Southern Cal on the line.
3. Ron Harper Jr. — Guard, Rutgers (10-seed)
Ron Harper Jr. can do it all on the offensive end for Rutgers. He has averaged 15.4 points per game for the Scarlet Knights this season. The 6'6" guard will look to lead Rutgers up against 7-seed Clemson in the first round — a game Katz sees them winning. If Rutgers can beat the Tigers, they'll have a potential date with 2-seed Houston.
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2. Darryl Morsell — Guard, Maryland (10-seed)
Another star from a 10-seed Big Ten team lands here at No. 2 on Katz's list. Darryl Morsell was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this season as he leads a dangerous Maryland squad into the NCAA tourney. Morsell will have his hands full against 7-seed UConn in the first round though, as the Huskies are led by one of the best guards in the country in James Bouknight.
1. Aaron Henry — Forward, Michigan State (11-seed)
Katz believes that when Aaron Henry is on, he is one of the best players in the Big Ten. The Michigan State forward averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Spartans this season. Sparty will be up against fellow double-digit seeded blue-blood UCLA in the First Four with a date against 6-seed BYU on the line.
