Players to watch in the Final Four

Abdur-Rahkman wasn't highly recruited by big-time programs in high school but has turned into one of the steadiest players in Michigan hoops history. He has seized on every opportunity that has opened up for him and made the most of it — including receiving an unlikely scholarship after Michigan saw a max exodus of players following the 2014 season. He isn't flashy, but he's unafraid to take the big shot or make the big play. 

Azubuike didn't start playing basketball until he was in high school but ended up making the McDonald's All-American Team as well as the Jordan Brand Classic. His freshman season at Kansas ended after 11 games when he suffered a wrist injury, so he wasn't going to let the knee injury he suffered late in the season keep him from another NCAA Tournament. He's slowly getting back to form, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 boards in the Sweet 16 win over Clemson. Though he's still not 100 percent, he needs to be out there if the Jayhawks want to bring another title back to Kansas.

Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson played in Villanova's 2016 national championship win over North Carolina, but neither had major roles in the win (they combined for six points, three rebounds and no assists). One guy on the 2018 Wildcats who did come up big that day? Phil Booth. Booth led 'Nova with 20 points, hitting 6-of-7 from the field and all six of his free throws. Booth has scored just 25 total points in this tournament, but if there is anyone in San Antonio who knows what it feels like to be a key contributor to a championship team, it's him.

Bridges will be the best NBA prospect at the Final Four. A likely lottery pick if he decides to leave for the draft, he's an elite defensive player who can attack the basket on offense as well as hit from the perimeter. With his size and athletic ability, he can guard bigs as well as quick guards, which will be huge when going up against Kansas and potentially either Michigan or Loyola-Chicago. When it gets down to winning time, he's money from the line. What more could you want?

Brunson could win the Wooden Award before all is said and done this year. He's been the unquestioned leader of the Wildcats, averaging 19.2 points and 4.6 assists per game (both lead the team) while shooting 52.7 percent from the field. Brunson is even more than that. He's a solid defender and can play on the perimeter or in the post. He's got a fire rarely seen in college basketball and is someone who can lead Villanova to its second title in three years.

Custer leads the Ramblers in scoring and assists this season, averaging 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. He played his freshman year at Iowa State before transferring to Loyola-Chicago. Once eligible, he has become an unquestioned leader of the team and won the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year Award this season. Custer's biggest moment was hitting the game-winning shot to beat Tennessee to advance the Ramblers to the Sweet 16.

Is there anyone who is more "Villanova" than DiVincenzo? In the Wildcats' first-round win over Radford, he dished out eight assists. In the next round against Alabama, he dumped 18 points in the first half. He's their stat stuffer, averaging nearly 13 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists — all of that while coming off the bench. He can substitute for any of the starters and just mesh right in.

Graham has done a fantastic job taking over the reigns of the Jayhawks from Frank Mason III. He may also follow in Mason's footsteps as a National Player of the Year Award winner as well. Graham sets the tone for everything and has the game most like last year's Final Four Most Outstanding Player Joel Berry II. He hits big shots, leads Kansas in scoring, finds the right guy (7.3 assists per game) and usually does a bang-up job defensively. He is a true leader in every sense of the word.

Ingram, the 6-6 senior from Chicago's famed Simeon High School (where he was a teammate of Jabari Parker), is the leading rebounder for the Ramblers. He may be the most well-known of the Ramblers after he hit the buzzer beater to sink Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and was huge in their MVC championship win over Illinois State. Because Chance the Rapper shouted him out, Ingram is now on Twitter for all to follow. 

Krutwig is an old-school player who seems to have dropped in from a different time. The freshman sets screens, makes nice passes to cutters and stays in the paint for his points. Krutwig does a great job making plays out of his post position, both with his back-to-the-basket offensive game and his ability to find open teammates. While there are a trio of seniors who will see their Rambler careers end in San Antonio, Krutwig's impact is just beginning.

Matthews was the West Region's most valuable player after a superb offensive output in the Wolverines' four games. His true strength is defense, where he's one of John Beilein's go-to guys. Matthews was one of those big-time Kentucky recruits but couldn't get any minutes behind the revolving door of one-and-dones. Upon transferring to Michigan, he decided to become a terror on the scout team as he sat out a year. Now he is in the Final Four.

Mykhailiuk has played big-time basketball for a while. Back in his native Ukraine, he played in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague when he was 15 years old. Now in his senior year at Kansas, he has developed into a deadly long-range shooter who can get to the rim and make athletic plays around the basket. His shooting has been huge in opening up the floor for others — he's hitting 44.7 percent from three. He crashes the boards as well and has become a much better passer.

Simply put, Newman has been a huge reason for Kansas' run to the Final Four. The former one-and-done prospect transferred to Kansas after an underwhelming freshman season at Mississippi State. After sitting out a year, he has come on strong over the last few weeks. He's scored at least 20 points in five of his last seven games, including 30 points against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament and 32 points in the Elite Eight win over Duke, where he scored all 13 of the Jayhawks' points in overtime.

Poole certainly knows about the highs and lows of being a freshman in the NCAA Tournament. After hitting one of the biggest shots in Michigan history against Houston in the second round, Poole played just two minutes in the Wolverines' victory over Florida State in the Elite Eight. It happens. Still, Poole has shown confidence in taking a big shot, and he may be relied on in a big moment in San Antonio. If so, he will be ready. 

Richardson has been playing basketball with teammate Clayton Custer since the third grade. He twice made the All-Kansas high school team and is a key reason Custer transferred from Iowa State to Loyola-Chicago. Richardson is a glue guy who was the Missouri Valley Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. In the Ramblers' Elite Eight win over Kansas State, Richardson's offense shined with a season-high 23 points.

Simpson is the Wolverines' defensive stopper. Against Texas A&M, he clamped down on Aggies star TJ Starks, who scored just five points. That's what he does. He makes life miserable for opposing guards and forces them into tough shooting nights. He also leads the Wolverines in assists. What he may be best known for, though, is his odd free throw shooting routine. Because he's such a poor shooter from the line (51 percent on the season), the coaches have him dribbling to his side and then turning the ball over his shoulder for the shot. 

Spellman has really broken out during this tournament. He is a legit 6-9 with a seven-foot wingspan, and he's just as comfortable hitting threes as he is banging in the paint. The redshirt freshman has shown tremendous discipline by shedding some pounds and getting quicker. Most college basketball fans will remember Spellman from a sequence against West Virginia in which he blocked a shot that nearly put a crater in the floor, then trailed the ensuing transition opportunity for a putback dunk. 

Townes is in his first season with Loyola-Chicago after transferring from Fairleigh Dickinson following his sophomore season. At FDU, he helped lead the Knights to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Florida Gulf Coast in the First Four. In high school, he was a teammate of former Kentucky star and current Timberwolves' leader Karl-Anthony Towns and former Vanderbilt star Wade Baldwin IV. Townes hit a huge three to put the game away in the Ramblers' Sweet 16 win over Nevada.

Vick entered the NCAA Tournament cold, hitting just four of his last 19 threes. Now he's heating up at the right time. In this tournament, he's hit 10-of-21 from downtown, averaging 13.6 points per game. Against Duke, he was key at breaking down the zone. He's also third on the team in rebounding (4.9 per game) and assists (2.2), and when picking your poison, he tends to be the guy opponents help off of. If he can stay aggressive, he will be a key factor for Kansas cutting down the nets. 

Wagner is a kid that you just have to root for. A skinny German who flew halfway around the world to play college basketball has blossomed into a star for a Michigan squad that is trying to win its first title since 1989. He is the dream center for John Beilein — a guy who can pass out of the post as well as stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting. He leads the Wolverines in scoring and rebounding.