March Madness: 5 small school players poised to be household names

March Madness 2019: 5 small school players poised to be household names

EVANSVILLE, IN - MARCH 09: Murray State Racers Guard Ja Morant (12) shoots a free throw during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3 of 5

OXFORD, OHIO – MARCH 01: CJ Massinburg #5 of the Buffalo Bulls celebrates after a victory over the Maimi (Oh) Redhawks at Millett Hall on March 01, 2019 in Oxford, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

3. CJ Massinburg, Buffalo

If Massinburg sounds somewhat familiar to you, that’s because he was one of the stars of last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Bulls upset Arizona in the first round last season, with Massinburg scoring 19 points in the win, including five three-pointers.

Buffalo carried the momentum from that upset forward into this season, where they ran roughshod over the MAC by racking up a 16-2 record in conference play. Massinburg was a big part of that success, averaging 18.3 points per game while finishing second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (3.0 apg).

The Bulls are battle-tested, playing Marquette and winning at Syracuse in the non-conference schedule while also racking up 31 wins. Massinburg can also get hot from the perimeter, hitting 41.5% of his threes, so don’t be shocked if the Bulls make another deep run.

Home/March Madness