Image via Complex Original
The first week of March Madness is in the books, leaving just 16 teams to compete for the 2014 NCAA championship. Lost in the shuffle were a handful of top seeds: No. 1 Wichita State, No. 2 Villanova, and No. 2 Kansas. Also casualties of the first week? Some of the nation’s top freshmen. Tyler Ennis and Syracuse lost a third-round thriller to Dayton, Jabari Parker and Duke failed to make it out of the second round, and Andrew Wiggins and Kansas couldn’t get it done without fellow rookie Joel Embiid. But there are still many talented freshmen in the field. Here are the top eight…
8. London Perrantes, Virginia
Tournament Stats: 10.0 ppg, 4.0 apg
Perrantes doesn’t put up big numbers like some of the other guys on this list, but he plays important minutes for No. 1 Virginia. In their opener against No. 16 Coastal Carolina, the Cavaliers needed a solid second half from Perrantes (6 points, 5 assists) to come back from a five-point halftime deficit. Perrantes followed up two days later with 8 points and 2 assists in a win over Memphis.
7. Monte Morris, Iowa State
Tournament Stats: 14.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg
When Georges Niang went down Friday against North Carolina Central, Iowa State needed other guys to step up Sunday against UNC. Deandre Kane did most of the heavy lifting, but Monte Morris was solid for the Cyclones. He more than doubled his season average, putting up 13 points. It was his second double-figure outing of the tournament: In Iowa State’s second round win over North Carolina Central, Morris put up 15 points.
6. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky
Tournament Stats: 13.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.0 apg
Ahead of Sunday’s game between No. 1 Wichita State and No. 8 Kentucky, there was a chance Andrew Harrison wouldn’t even suit up. In Kentucky’s tournament opener against Kansas State, Harrison hyperextend his elbow, leaving the 6-6 guard in pain the day before tipoff. It was hard to tell when Sunday’s game began. Harrison, matched his second highest scoring total of the season, finishing with a team-high 20 points. The rookie came up especially big down the stretch, assisting on the go-ahead bucket and then hitting 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute to preserve the lead.
5. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
Tournament Status: 15.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 bpg, 1.5 spg
In the 34 games prior to the NCAA tournament, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson reached double-figures just 14 times, playing as the fourth or fifth option on a balanced Arizona team. Through two tournament games, though, Hollis-Jefferson has been one of the Wildcats’ biggest threats. In Arizona’s opener against Weber State, the 6-7 forward hit all five of his attempts from the field to finish with 13 points. Two days later he was even better. In Arizona’s 84-61 win over No. 8 Gonzaga, Hollis-Jefferson posted a career high 18 points. He did much of his damage from the free-throw line, where he went 8-8. Maybe it’s the shoulder shimmy?
4. Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
Tournament Stats: 18.5 ppg
Aaron Harrison doesn’t look like your typical guard. At 6-6 and 218 pounds, his size is a problem for most opponents. On the offensive end, he can use his strength to break down defenders in the paint, and on defense his length is disruptive. Harrison may be averaging 18.5 points through two NCAA games but his biggest impact thus far may be on the defensive end. In the 8-9 matchup with Kansas State, Harrison played a major role in Marcus Foster’s 7-of-18 shooting mark. Against Wichita State on Sunday, Harrison helped shut down Tekele Cotton (5 points).
3. James Young, Kentucky
Tournament Stats: 10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg
How can a McDonald’s All American and five-star recruit enter his freshman season under the radar? When three of his teammates received even higher ratings. According to ESPN, James Young was just Kentucky’s fourth-best recruit from the Class of 2013. Thirty-six games later, Young is playing more minutes than any other Wildcat and is Kentucky’s No. 2 scorer. He’s also been a serious challenge for opponents this March. Young scored 13 points and pulled down eight boards in Kentucky’s 78-76 win over No. 1 Wichita State. Young’s final bucket—a three-pointer from the right wing with 1:40 to play—gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
2. Aaron Gordon, Arizona
Tournament Status: 17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.5 bpg, 2.0 spg
Yes, Aaron Gordon can do filthy things in the air. But don’t let that fool you. The Arizona forward is more than a leaper. Gordon can also finish—according to hoop-math.com, he finished 75.4 percent of his shots at the rim during the regular season. Gordon was even better than that, though, on Sunday against Gonzaga. Against the Bulldogs Gordon hit 7-of-8 two-point field goals—and tacked on 1-of-2 three-pointers for good measure—for 18 points.
1. Julius Randle, Kentucky
Tournament Stats: 16.0 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 bpg
Remember when Kentucky was supposed to run the table? Yeah…that didn’t quite work out for the 26-10 Wildcats. But don’t blame Julius Randle for the team’s underwhelming regular season. The 6-9 forward was the only freshman to pull down 10 boards a game during the regular season, and he also led the Wildcats in scoring. And now, with the Wildcats coming together when it matters most, Randle is once again at the center of Kentucky’s success. On Sunday against Wichita State, Randle wasn’t the Wildcats No. 1 scorer or even No. 2 scorer (see the Harrison brothers above). Instead Randle played the unusual role of facilitator (career-high 6 assists) and, more importantly, controlled the paint: Randle’s block with 9:15 to go kept the Wildcats within a point of the Shockers and his 10 total rebounds were a game high.