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March Madness potential breakout players, stars in 2026 NCAA tournament
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- March Madness potential breakout players, stars in 2026 NCAA tournament
Stars are born during the regular season. Legends are made in March Madness.
Players like Ali Farokhmanesh , D.J. Burns, Steph Curry and most recently Walter Clayton Jr. in 2025 have morphed from star players to superstars when the lights are the brightest in March Madness to guide their teams to deep runs.
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REQUIRED READING: March Madness heroes, breakout stars of the past: Where are they now?
When the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 17, a few more players will have a chance to join them in March Madness lore with breakout performances.
Here's a look at 10 potential breakout players, stars to watch out for during March Madness 2026:
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Robbie Avila , Saint Louis
The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year has always garnered hype as the "most interesting college basketball player," but he will make his NCAA Tournament debut with the Billikens this season. Avila's decision to follow coach Josh Schertz from Indiana State to Saint Louis is paying off.
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The 6-foot-10 center from Oak Forest, Illinois, is averaging 12.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Saint Louis. He's shooting 41.6% from 3-point range on a team that was seventh in the nation in scoring.
If it's not his game, Avila's goggles will definitely draw your attention while watching the Billikens play.
Thomas Haugh , Florida
Haugh picked Florida due to his love for Tim Tebow. He has a chance to end his collegiate career by contributing the same number of national championships as the former Gators great quarterback.
After coming off the bench last season for the national champions, Haugh stepped into a starter role for the Gators this season and quickly became their best player. He's averaging 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
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Generally, Haugh has been the engine for Todd Golden's high-powered offense.
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
With teammate Aden Holloway in the doghouse for legal troubles, Alabama's leading scorer might have to bear even more of a load to help the Crimson Tide reach the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in six seasons.
Last season, Philon was fifth on Alabama with 10.6 points per game. This season, with the departure of Mark Sears , he's averaging 21.7 points per game and leading the team with 4.7 assists.
The sophomore scored 35 points in a double overtime win over Arkansas on Feb. 28 and scored at least 20 points twelve times this season. He has the potential to put Alabama on his back and carry them.
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Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
UConn coach Dan Hurley called Reed the "barometer" for the success of the Huskies following the team's loss in the Big East Conference tournament championship game. The 6-foot-11 Michigan transfer was outplayed by Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor in UConn's loss to St. John's.
Reed had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks when UConn beat St. John's. He is averaging 13.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 blocks per game for the Huskies, making a huge difference at the rim to impact games.
Christian Anderson , Texas Tech
It would have been easy to write off Texas Tech as a threat in the NCAA Tournament following the season-ending injury to JT Toppin . However, Christian Anderson has really stepped into his absence.
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The sophomore point guard is averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Anderson has a pair of 30-point games this season, but is equally great at distributing them to his teammates for scoring opportunities
Joshua Jefferson , Iowa State
While the 2026 freshmen class have taken much of the attention when it comes to the 2026 NBA Draft, Jefferson should hear his name in the top-five, if he has the tournament he is capable of. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for the Cyclones.
The Saint Mary's transfer is a stat-sheet stuffer, a solid playmaker at his size and can also knock down the 3-pointer at a decent clip at 34.5% this season. He also brings solid defense to the table, which makes him one of the better overall players in the tournament.
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Boopie Miller, Southern Methodist
SMU has a tough road ahead of itself after limping to the finish line in the regular season with just one win in its final six games. However, if Miller can catch fire in the postseason, he can take the Mustangs for a deep run.
Miller is averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for SMU. He recently had a 32-point effort, knocking down seven 3-pointers. He followed that up with a 25-point performance against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament.
Bruce Thornton , Ohio State
The 6-foot-2 senior guard will finally make his NCAA Tournament debut, entering the tournament already registered as the all-time leading scorer in Buckeyes history. Much of the nation will get to know more about Thornton, one of just two Big Ten players with 2,000+ career points, 500+ career assists and 500+ rebounds.
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Thornton has averaged a career-best 20.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 56% shooting from the field, including shooting at a 40% clip from 3-point range.
Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh
Lehigh faces a long shot to pull off multiple upsets in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Mountain Hawks need a win over Prairie View A&M in the First Four to even have the opportunity to play as the No. 16 seed against No. 1 Florida.
If anyone has a chance to get Leigh some upset wins, it's Whitlock. The 6-foot-2 junior guard was 18th among Division I players with 21 points per game, hitting 44.5% from 3-point range this season on 5.1 attempts per game.
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Three-point shooting can be the "great equalizer" in the NCAA Tournament, and Whitlock does this very well. Even if he does not get past the first round, Whitlock is going to be near the top of every Power 4 school's wish list in the transfer portal.
Cruz Davis, Hofstra
Davis has already had a pair of impressive scoring games against Power 4 opponents this season. He scored 36 points against Pitt on Dec. 7 and followed it up with a 22-point performance against Syracuse just six days later.
On the season, Davis is averaging 20.2 points per game and has had four other 30-point performances. Against a high-powered Alabama offense, it might take more of the same for Hofstra to pull off the upset win over Alabama.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA tournament potential breakout players, stars this March Madness
