2016 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Underrated Players that Could Fuel Upsets

2016 March Madness Picks & Predictions – Underrated Players that Could Fuel Upsets: Upsets can happen in the NCAA Tournament for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a top-ranked team simply doesn’t take an underdog seriously, and other times, a team from a smaller conference is just much better than they are given credit for. However, many upsets are fueled by an unheralded star player shining on the big stage. Having an X-factor during March Madness can level the playing in the NCAA Tournament. Just ask Davidson when Stephen Curry was scorching the nets. Is there another Curry in the field this year? Maybe not, but here are a few players that are good enough to lead their teams to an upset win or two.

2016 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Underrated Players that Could Fuel Upsets

Jameel Warney, Forward, Stony Brook Seawolves

Warney has been an unstoppable force for the Seawolves. He enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 19.8 points on 63.7 percent shooting, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. He was even more impressive in the conference tournament, pulling down 23 rebounds in the opener and dropping 43 points on 18-of-22 shooting in the title game. Granted, Stony Book draws a brutal matchup against Kentucky in the Round of 64, but while the Wildcats have been solid lately, they are a No. 4 seed for a reason. Not to mention the fact that Kentucky’s strength has been its backcourt, so Warney could do a ton of damage against Kentucky’s big men, especially uber-soft freshman Skal Labissiere. If he Warney has another 40-point effort in him, the Wildcats could all they want and then some from the Seawolves.

A.J. English, Guard, Iona Gaels

He stuffs the stat sheet as well as any player in the NCAA Tournament, and the senior guard is averaging 22.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is also knocking down 3.4 treys per game and is attempting 6.7 free throw attempts, so he can score beyond the arc, at the rim and everywhere in between. English should have plenty of chances to score against a dreadful Iowa State defense that currently ranks 257th in the country in points per game, and while the Cyclones also boast an excellent offense, the Gaels certainly have a puncher’s chance with a scoring machine like English leading the charge.

Joel Bolomboy, Forward, Weber State Wildcats

Bolomboy ranks third in the country in rebounding, pulling down 12.7 boards per game, and he is also averaging 17.2 points on 58.1 percent shooting. Of course, knocking of a deep, experienced Xavier squad would be a major feat, but No. 15 seeds have had some success in recent years. Not to mention the fact that teams in the realigned Big East have yet to back up their lofty seeding in the NCAA Tournament, albeit in a small sample size. Bolomboy can give the Wildcats a steady scoring option in the post, and he can help them control the boards. If Weber State is going to spring the upset, Bolomboy will have to have a monster double-double.

Marvelle Harris, Guard, Fresno State Bulldogs

The senior guard can contribute as a scorer and a distributor, and he posts a solid all-around line that includes averages of 20.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Harris is also averaging 1.9 3-pointers made per game, and he is attempting 6.9 free throws. The versatile scorer will have to bring his best to help Fresno State oust third-seeded Utah, but for what it’s worth, the Utes lost a majority of their games against stronger opponents. Granted, Utah doesn’t have a bad loss either, but this team isn’t unbeatable by any means, especially if Harris is feeling it.

You can get expert 2016 March Madness picks and 2016 March Madness predictions this month from NSAwins.com’s top handicappers plus a pre-filled downloadable and printable 2016 March Madness Bracket to help you win your office pool!