March Madness: 25 Players Who Will Define the 2026 NCAA Tournament

Superstars are made in March. With 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, there will be nonstop basketball action over the coming weeks, and every team and player in the big dance will be giving it their all in the hopes of being crowned champions. Every year, big-name players prove their talent in March Madness, while unheralded players from smaller schools also etch their names in the history books and basketball folklore forever. Here are the 25 players who will define the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Alex Karaban, UConn

UConn is looking to become the first team since the John Wooden UCLA teams of the ’70s to win three championships over a four-year period. Alex Karaban is the only Huskie who was on both the 2023 and 2024 championship teams. Karaban has played the role of shooter during his entire career with the team, and it has resulted in him becoming the program’s all-time most winningest player. Karaban isn’t UConn’s top scorer, but he is on this list because he is the heart and soul of a team looking to make history. All five of the Huskies’ starters score in the double digits per game, anyway.

Braden Smith, Purdue

Braden Smith got off to a slower-than-expected start, as did his Purdue Boilermakers. The team quickly turned things around. Since his early struggles, Smith has been putting the basketball in the hoop with efficiency. Of course, he is most known for his playmaking ability, though. Smith is just one assist shy of tying the all-time career assists record, meaning unless something goes drastically wrong in the NCAA Tournament, the point guard is going to finish his career as the best passer college basketball has ever seen. He has aspirations even greater than topping the record books, though. Smith would like to end his college career a national champion, something he fell just short of when Purdue lost in the title game in 2024.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

Cameron Boozer is the frontrunner to win the Naismith Player of the Year award as the best player in college basketball. If he does so, he will be just the fifth freshman ever to take home that title. That would also make for back-to-back seasons in which a first-year Duke player was given the award, as Cooper Flagg was the Player of the Year last year. A deep March Madness run could not only establish Boozer as one of the best college basketball players of the 21st century, but also one of the best players in college basketball history. Boozer is a double-double machine who scores inside and out. He has the highest KenPom rating ever (3.253), too.

Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska

Nebraska is the only power conference team that has never won a March Madness game. Now, they have a chance to end that curse on the back of their coach’s son. With Fred Hoiberg at the helm, Sam Hoiberg has emerged as one of the Cornhuskers’ best players. He has been particularly effective as of recent, as Hoiberg ranks fifth in the nation in scoring increase from the first half of the season to the second half.

Robbie Avila, Saint Louis

Robbie Avila, nicknamed Cream Abdul-Jabbar, rose to fame two years ago with Indiana State. The rec spec wearing 240-pounder is thriving with Saint Louis now. He is shooting 41.6% from deep and is one of the best passing bigs in the country. He has grown from being a fan-favorite because of his unique look to a legitimate force in college basketball, which was evidenced by being named the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year. Every NCAA Tournament has fan-favorites, but Avila might be the biggest darling of March Madness this year.

Graham Ike, Gonzaga

Gonzaga has far too often fallen just short in the 21st century. They once again have a great team, but it will take even more than expected out of Graham Ike for them to make a championship push. That is because Braden Huff will miss most, if not all, of the NCAA Tournament. Ike has the ability to put the Bulldogs on his back, though. Now in his sixth year in college, Ike led the WCC with 19.7 points per game en route to being named the conference’s player of the year.

Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Darryn Peterson has had one of the most tumultuous seasons in NCAA history. His freshman campaign with Kansas has been a rollercoaster, but he will need to be at his best for Kansas to have a chance. Peterson is the potential number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He scores with ease, and his superior offensive skill set could lead to triumph for the Jayhawks. However, Peterson has often sat out and subbed out of games because of cramping issues and injury concerns, and many have come to question his competitiveness and whether he even wants to find success with Kansas. Peterson could prove the haters wrong by showing up in a big way during the big dance.

Thomas Haugh, Florida

Florida is the reigning NCAA champion. Arguably, their three best players from the title team, Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard, are gone, but the Gators still played well enough to earn a one seed in March Madness this year. They have a great chance to repeat as champions with Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon still on the roster. Boogie Fland transferred to the program to step up as one of their leaders, too. Haugh has become the team’s best player since the team started using him more on the wing. He is a do-it-all slasher who can even get hot from deep.

Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

The 2026 NBA Draft is stacked. All season long, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa have been in the running for the number one pick, and Caleb Wilson hasn’t been far behind. Darius Acuff has absolutely exploded late this season, too. The Arkansas guard is on an absolute scoring tear as of late. Acuff scored 49 points in late Feb. before putting up 93 points through three SEC Conference Tournament games. He is the kind of player who can single-handedly carry his team to victory.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg is one-third of Michigan’s huge frontcourt. Alongside Morez Johnson and Aday Mara, the Wolverines physically outmatch their opponents. Lendeborg scores down low and collects rebounds like Johnson and Mara, but he is a more versatile player. Lendeborg is shooting better than ever before from outside, and he even has some playmaking knack. He was arguably the best player to transfer before the season, and he has a chance to show just what the transfer portal can provide a team if he leads Michigan to a national title.

Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

Many assumed that Texas Tech would fall off a cliff after JT Toppin suffered a season-ending injury. After all, Toppin was chosen as ClutchPoints’ preseason best player in the nation. The Red Raiders have stayed afloat because Christian Anderson has become a star, though. Since Toppin tore his ACL, Anderson has taken on an even bigger burden as both a scorer and a playmaker. Anderson ranks 13th in the nation in 3-point makes per game (3.4) and third in assists per game (7.6). The scoring and assisting combined are good for 1,310 points accounted for, the most in the entire nation.

Nick Boyd, Wisconsin

Wisconsin has a dynamic duo between Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. Boyd is averaging 20.6 points per game with what is his third collegiate team. A tournament run for Wisconsin would be a Cinderella story, but that is nothing new for Boyd because he was a part of the Florida Atlantic team that made the Final Four a couple of seasons ago.

Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State

While Braden Smith has been the most talked about when it comes to playmaking, Jeremy Fears is actually the nation’s leader in assists. The Michigan State junior is averaging 9.2 assists per game. There aren’t a lot of other creators on Michigan State’s roster, so Fears carries a heavy usage rate while the rest of his teammates play hard defense and knock down open shots.

Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s

St. John’s will be contenders in the NCAA Tournament largely because they had arguably the best transfer portal class in the nation this year. Ian Jackson came over as a five-star, and Bryce Hopkins, Joson Sanon, Oziyah Sellers, and Dillon Mitchell joined the program as four stars. It is the steady veteran who has served as the glue for the team, though. Zuby Ejiofor has been with St. John’s for three seasons now, and even with a bunch of high-ranking upperclassmen around him, it is he who is the top scoring option (16.3 points per game).

Kingston Flemings, Houston

Kelvin Sampson’s Houston teams have often been led by upperclassmen in recent years, but it is freshman guard Kingston Flemings who is their top option this year. Like all Houston players must, Flemings plays lockdown defense. He has really impressed as a scorer and a playmaker, too. Flemings wasn’t on the Houston team that lost in the national championship game last year, but he will be looking for revenge for his teammates nonetheless.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee

Tennessee teammate Nate Ament had a case to make this list, but it is Ja’Kobi Gillespie who is the Volunteers representative among the 25 most important players in March Madness this year. The senior guard is averaging 18 points and 5.5 assists per game. Tennessee is arguably the best six-seed in the field, so there is potential for Gillespie to lead a Cinderella run.

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Bennett Stirtz is Ben McCollum’s ultimate weapon. Since following him from Drake to Iowa, Stirtz is averaging 20 points and 4.5 assists per game. Stirtz has gotten better every time his level of competition has increased, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he thrived under the bright lights of March Madness.

Patrick Ngongba, Duke

While Cameron Boozer is clearly the best player on Duke’s roster, the team is actually loaded with future NBA players. One such player is Patrick Ngongba. The team’s starting center has held down the paint all season long by scoring on the block and hauling in rebounds. He is one of the players who could define March Madness because he drastically elevates Duke’s ceiling. Right now, he is dealing with a foot injury, but Ngongba might be able to return to action sooner rather than later.

Boopie Miller, SMU

Boopie Miller will have to play his way into the field of 64. SMU is taking on Miami (OH), which has only lost one game all season, in the First Four. Either team will be fun to watch play in the Round of 64. Miami (OH) has been criticized for a weak strength of schedule, but its games tend to end in close victories. For SMU, Miller is one of the best pure scorers in the nation.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

While Cameron Boozer is poised to win the Naismith Player of the Year award, AJ Dybantsa’s freshman season shouldn’t be overlooked. The top-ranked recruit in BYU history went on to lead the entire nation in scoring. Dybantsa averaged 25.3 points per game by scoring at all three levels. His ability to get downhill and score at the rim, in particular, displays why he may be a future NBA star. BYU will need Dybantsa to play so incredibly well that he cements his case as the number one pick in the process if they are to go on a Cinderella run. That is because Richie Saunders is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

Iowa State has a great big three featuring Joshua Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey, and Milan Momcilovic. It is hard to pick who the best player of that trio is, but Jefferson does the most overall for his team. He is a triple-double threat who became the first player in Big 12 history with multiple triple-doubles in a season. Jefferson stuffs the stat sheet as a scorer, an assist man, a rebounder, and when it comes to racking up steals.

Labaron Philon, Alabama

Alabama has the top offense in the nation. They score 91.7 points per game. However, the Crimson Tide allows 83.5 points per game, which ranks just 356th. This style of play gives them the potential to beat any given team on any given night when they are hot, so they could legitimately upset a powerhouse. However, they are vulnerable on a nightly basis and could just as likely lose to a lower seed. Regardless, this high-octane style of play should make for some entertaining basketball, and Labaron Philon is the leader of the team.

Keaton Wagler, Illinois

It was hard to pinpoint just one player for Illinois who will write the story of 2026 March Madness. Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are an elite big-man brother duo, for example, and Kylan Boswell, Andrej Stojakovic, and David Mirkovic are all averaging just over 13 points per game. It is Keaton Wagler who is the Fighting Illini’s best player, though. Wagler wasn’t a highly-ranked recruit coming into the year, but the freshman has played his way into draft lottery consideration. Wagler is a jumbo guard who does a little bit of everything.

Thijs De Ridder, Virginia

Thijs De Ridder played professional basketball in Europe before joining Virginia in the college ranks, so he should be more than prepared for the NCAA Tournament. De Ridder’s European background is on display when he suits up for the Cavaliers. He is fundamentally sound, can hit jump shots, and plays for his teammates.

Donovan Dent, UCLA

Donovan Dent transferred to UCLA after winning the Mountain West Player of the Year honor with New Mexico last year. His return home didn’t start off pretty, but Dent has improved throughout the course of the season, and the Bruins have gotten hot at the right time. Dent had a stretch with 78 assists to just six turnovers to end the season, but he left his most recent game with a calf injury. The good news is that Dent isn’t expected to miss any time.

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