As the hype for the Final Four builds to a crescendo in the next few days, you'll hear all about the biggest stars on each team such as Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Shelvin Mack and Jamie Skeen.
Here's a look at four guys who aren't the leading scorers on their team and in several cases don't even start, but will play a crucial role in whether their teams cut down the nets in Houston or fail to even reach the title game.
Call them glue guys, call them unsung heroes, call them whatever you want. Just don't overlook the contributions that they make.
1. DeAndre Liggins, G, Kentucky: Haunted by the memory of Kemba Walker's 29-point, six-assist masterpiece against him in the Maui Invitational title game last November, Liggins told reporters a few weeks ago that he'd love a chance to guard the UConn star again. Liggins will likely get that chance on Saturday when the Wildcats get a rematch against the Huskies. With all due respect to Butler's Ronald Nored, Liggins is the premier perimeter defensive stopper left in this tournament as a result of his superior length, athleticism and drive. He held Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft without a field goal in the Sweet 16 and waged memorable battles with Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall in the East Regional finals.
2. Khyle Marshall, F, Butler: Since Butler big men Matt Howard and Andrew Smith have a tendency to get into foul trouble, it's imperative the Bulldogs have a trustworthy big man they can bring off the bench. Enter Marshall, a versatile 6-foot-7 freshman who has played sporadically during the course of the season but has come up huge in Butler's past three NCAA tournament games. Marshall is averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during that span, including a 10-point, 7-rebound outing against Florida in the Elite Eight. The top 150 recruit converted a three-point play to send Butler ahead 65-62 in overtime against the Gators, punctuating that play by sitting on the floor and shaking his fist.
3. Alex Oriakhi, F/C, Connecticut: The notion that Oriakhi is a barometer for the Huskies was all but disproven this past weekend in Anaheim because UConn flourished even though he mostly struggled. The backcourt duo of Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb were so good that the Huskies were able to overcome Oriakhi's modest 12 total points in two games, his single-digit rebounding totals and his foul trouble against Arizona. If Oriakhi can provide more of an interior presence for UConn in Houston this week, it would relieve some of the pressure on Lamb and Walker to continue their torrid play. No Final Four team has a huge, imposing front line, so the opportunity is there for 6-foot-9 Oriakhi to assert himself.
4. Brandon Rozzell, G, Virginia Commonwealth: If point guard Joey Rodriguez is VCU's leader and Bradford Burgess and Jamie Skeen are the Rams' two most explosive scorers, then that makes Rozell the X-factor. The streak-shooting senior embodies VCU's guns-blazing style, attempting eight 3-pointers per game during the NCAA tournament so far. Since a hand injury that cost him eight games in January but helped him rest enough to get his legs back underneath his jump shot, Rozell has been on a tear from behind the 3-point arc. He's averaging 16 points per game off the bench during the NCAA tournament and has sunk 15 of 32 attempts from behind the arc.
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