The NCAA Tournament is one of the greatest sports events on the calendar. The first few days of the tournament, when we have basketball on all day and all night, are just amazing. We even have people schedule medical procedures just so they can sit on the couch and watch the first two rounds.
There’s so much to love about college basketball. These are kids trying to live out their dream on the biggest stage. So many stars have come out of this. And sometimes it’s the smallest teams that find the biggest stars. Steph Curry came from Davidson. He led the 10th-seeded team all the way to the Elite Eight. Now, he’s one of the best players of all time.
Are there any Steph Currys in our midst? Let’s find the underrated players who can become stars this March Madness season.
1. Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
This is a situation of opportunity. Christian Anderson is already a really good player on a really good team, but he hasn’t been front and center for the Red Raiders. All eyes were on JT Toppin. Now, Toppin is out injured, so the focus is back on Anderson. He now has a chance to really prove that he's a star by himself. Can he take Texas Tech all the way?
Anderson has a chance to show he’s actually the next great thing coming out of T-Tech. Many believe that he is going to become an All-American once the team comes out, so it’s not like he’s anything short of a superstar. Anderson is averaging 19.9 points and 7.7 assists per game. He is playing an NBA-style game.
Toppin tore his ACL against Arizona State, so this is Anderson’s team for the rest of the season. Since the injury, Anderson has scored 21 and 31 points. He’s ready to dominate the tournament as a solo act. He can do this on his own, and he can really help his draft stock. Right now, mock drafts have Anderson going outside the lottery, but if he has a huge tournament, it’s not out of the question that he would go in the top 10.
2. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville Cardinals
We’re just a few games removed from Mikel Brown scoring 45 points in 34 minutes against NC State, so how under the radar can he truly be? That’s the interesting thing about college basketball this season. With these three superstars at the top of the NBA Draft (Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer), everyone else seems like an afterthought.
Trust us, Brown will be a star once March Madness turns into April draft coverage. He’s the type of shooter that gets the headlines in college basketball. He’s been dominant from behind the arc, and a team is going to talk themselves into him in the top five. We’re convinced he’s going to play his way into the conversation for one of these tanking teams.
Right now, Louisville is expected to be around a six seed. If Brown is able to push his team forward and make it into the Final Four, he will go down in history as a one-man wrecking crew. It will be very Curry-esque since he will be doing it with three-point shooting. Obviously, this will all come down to matchups, but Louisville still has a chance to make noise in the ACC Tournament, and Brown can build off of that momentum into March Madness.
3. Elliot Cadeau, Michigan Wolverines
Many might argue that not much about Michigan or Arizona can be considered “under the radar” this season, but there are a few reasons we expect Elliot Cadeau to do just that going into the NCAA Tournament. In his first season with the Wolverines, he’s averaging just 10.2 points and 5.5 assists. He was a high-quality transfer coming from North Carolina, but he wasn’t even the biggest transfer at Michigan. That was UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg. And for good reason. He’s leading Michigan in just about every statistical category.
However, it’s always the underdogs who play Cinderella in this month. Cadeau has been inconsistent this season, with his game log point totals all over the place, but we’ve seen him step up in big games. He scored 17 points against Michigan State a few weeks ago, but he failed to take down his old rival in Duke very recently.
Still, we see someone who is learning from this experience, and he will be a guy whose name we learn during the tournament. He doesn’t have to dominate every game. Michigan has players for that. He will have a moment where he becomes a Wolverines legend, and that’s more than anyone can ask for from this tournament.
4. Graham Ike, Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is always in this position every year. They haven’t played a ton of good teams, and they are coming into the tournament with very few losses. They face rival St. Mary’s before the real basketball starts. It’s no secret that people are overlooking the Bulldogs. Can we blame them with their zero championships to their name?
Which makes it the most interesting year for Mark Few’s squad. We’re looking at a three or a four seed for Gonzaga this season. And that is where we can see Graham Ike dominate. The senior is looking to go out in a big way, using the emotion from his final season as a jumping-off point to make a name for himself.
What makes this a great opportunity for Ike is that all eyes will be on him during this tournament. The fact that he’s been there for so long and star forward Braden Huff is out will give Ike the opportunity to showcase his skills on a national stage. We’ve seen him step up in the tournament before. He had 27 points last season against Houston and 18 against Purdue in the 2024 Sweet Sixteen. Unfortunately, both performances came in losses. Can Ike start performing at the top of his game in the big wins?
5. Rueben Chinyelu, Florida Gators
The Florida Gators have had the weirdest defense of a championship in a long time. They went from one of the favorites to make it back to the nets to a team on the cusp of missing the tournament altogether after a few early and devastating losses. Now, as we head into the SEC Tournament, they have a chance to secure a top-three seed.
Rueben Chinyelu had a rough start to the season, but he’s been stellar since that loss to UConn in December. He scores in double digits most nights, and he’s currently averaging a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. In their last top-10 matchup, a 98-94 victory over Vanderbilt, Chinyelu had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
He has the aura of a player who is going to step up in big moments. The junior out of Nigeria didn’t do much scoring on his way to a championship last year, but he’s playing a slightly different role this year. He’s not required to score, but he is definitely adding more than the 5.3 points he averaged during the tournament last season. He will want to step up and show he’s better than that this season.
6. Flory Bidunga, Kansas Jayhawks
There is one name being discussed at Kansas this season. People are enthralled with Darryn Peterson. They want to know why he doesn’t play every game. He’s in consideration for the number-one overall pick in the NBA Draft, so there will always be eyes on what he’s doing. Those eyes might wander towards Flory Bidunga during the tournament.
This has been an odd season for the Jayhawks, but they’ve been fun as heck to watch, and that is going to draw attention in the tournament. Bidunga is scoring just under 15 points per game from the center position, and that gives Kansas a huge advantage. He’s also really impacting their splits, with the Jayhawks performing much worse when he’s off the court.
Where he will really make headlines is with his defense. He might be the best defensive player in the country this season, and his almost three blocks per game are a big reason why. Blocks are an underrated spectacle in the NCAA. Bidunga will give scouts something to talk about with his performance on the biggest stage, and he might even drag Kansas far in the tournament this season. Peterson will get the attention, but Bidunga won’t care as long as they are cutting down nets.
7. Tarris Reed Jr., UConn Huskies
Like they never left, UConn is once again in the conversation for a national title. This is the one franchise in college basketball that has won this much but is being overshadowed by its women’s team. Do you realize that UConn has won six championships since 1999? This is an impressive level of dominance. We’re just two years removed from back-to-back championships.
Tarris Reed Jr. joined UConn to live that reality where he becomes a champion. Ironically, he transferred from Michigan, who might eventually stand in the Huskies’ way, but let’s get there first. Reed has been a breakout in his senior season, scoring 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Reed just had 20 points and 11 rebounds in what will be a statement game against St. John’s. If that’s the type of momentum we’re seeing from him going into the tournament, then he’s going to create some star power. With this being his senior season, we expect him to put everyone out on the court, and he’s only gotten better as the season has continued. If UConn is going to take it to the next level, Reed has to be someone bringing a new level of impact to the table.
8. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas Razorbacks
Darius Acuff Jr. has a great story coming into this season. He’s as hard working as they come, and he’s making things happen with pure grit and determination. He’s one of the best scorers in the NCAA this season, averaging 22.2 points. Many believe he will finish the season as the SEC Player of the Year. This is a player from Arkansas! The last unanimous choice for the award who played at Arkansas was Bobby Portis in 2015.
Acuff also has 6.2 assists, another statistic that’s at the top of the SEC. He’s already played himself into the lottery conversation for the NBA Draft, but he has a much higher ceiling than we haven’t seen yet. He’s dragged Arkansas to a likely top-five seed, and he could build even higher than that with a dominant performance in the SEC Tournament.
Acuff almost had his marquee moment earlier this season when he scored 49 points against Alabama. The only issue is that his team lost in double overtime. He put it all out there on the court, trying to get his team a win, but they didn’t. Scouts need to see him doing some winning in the tournament this season, and he has everything he needs to go on a run. The whole narrative of this season will elevate his story, as well. Acuff is clearly playing through injuries, and that toughness is something we all need to see in 2026.
9. Malik Reneau, Miami Hurricanes
Can you imagine if, coming off the heels of their Cinderella run to the National Championship Game against Indiana in football, the University of Miami basketball team makes another unlikely run from a lower seed? The Hurricanes are expected to be in the 7-10 range in terms of seeding, but a great showing in the ACC Tournament would go a long way. For that to happen, they need the absolute best out of Malik Reneau.
The 6’9 hometown boy has been great this season, scoring more than 19 points per game with 6.6 rebounds. Ironically enough, this is Reneau’s first season with the Hurricanes after transferring from… Indiana. What a wild turn of events this could be!
First, he has to get somewhere significant with this team. Unlike many of the others on this list, Miami hasn’t even completely secured its spot in the tournament, but Reneau has them in a really good spot. A big showing down the stretch can even improve their seeding. He’s already had some big game performances, like his 22 points and 10 rebounds against Florida, his 16 points and 10 rebounds against North Carolina, and 23 points and 12 rebounds against rival Florida State. He has a real chance to get himself in the national conversation with a big March.
10. Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt Commodores
To become a star on the biggest stage, it takes ice in a player’s veins and a whole truckload of confidence. Tyler Tanner is not missing any confidence in his game this season. He is doing great things on both sides of the court. He is scoring just under 20 points per game, but he’s also one of the top players in the country in steals. He can make insane plays which go a long way in terms of star power, and that’s what we’re looking for from this list.
Terry has been leading Vanderbilt this season, with big performances across his game log. He has just one game where he scored fewer than 10 points, and the Commodores didn’t need him in the win against Texas A&M. Vandy has suffered some losses as of late, and a few too many might start a really uncomfortable conversation, but they seem safe for the tournament right now.
It’s good for certain teams to face scrutiny and come out the other side. Terry can help this team move forward. He’s been doing his part, scoring 27 in a one-point loss to Missouri and 17 against Tennessee. Those performances will keep him in the conversation, and it will go even further if he can drag his team to the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite Eight.