March Madness 2019: One player who will dominate each region

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Markus Howard (0) during the second half of the Big East Tournament quarterfinal game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the St. John's Red Storm on March 14, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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PROVIDENCE, RI – FEBRUARY 23: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Markus Howard (0) in action during a college basketball game between Marquette Golden Eagles and Providence Friars on February 23, 2019, at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

West Region: Markus Howard, G, Marquette

What? Is this not the guy you were thinking you’d see? Well, let loose your dreams of seeing a Cinderella run for Murray State. Watching them in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament should have been enough to convince you they don’t have the talent for March. Ja Morant will get his one game to shine, but Howard is the real X-factor here.

Howard’s Golden Eagles are simply too deep and talented to fall to the inferior Racers. In the next round, Howard likely gets Florida State, a top-50 defense with rim protector Mfioundu Kabengele lurking on the interior. Their top guard defender, Trent Forrest, grabs 2.5 steals per 40 minutes. The Seminoles allowed the 39th-lowest opponent field goal percentage all year and will be a tough challenge for Howard.

If he can score well, though, it’s tough to imagine Florida State’s offense keeping up.

And Marquette has no reason to believe Howard will be anything less than spectacular. He has scored in single digits only twice all year and fewer than 20 points just nine times. Howard is the type of playmaker March was made for — think Kemba Walker or Trey Burke.

The bigger question is the Golden Eagles’ supporting cast. If the Hauser twins can provide consistent two-way play at the forward spots, Marquette could supersede Villanova in the Big East and make a run that announces Howard’s arrival as an NCAA legend.

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