March Madness Will Showcase Hidden Gems

Fourteen days into the month of March and the buzz is definitely in the air as we get closer to the most exciting tournament in the world. It's so exciting that even this weekends selection show that will determine the "at large" teams that will be part of the field of 64 is a must watch for me

On Thursday, March 20th the madness itself will officially begin. Most of these college players will be playing for the their respective teams; with a single goal of winning their games and advancing to the Final Four. A small fraction of these college players will be playing for an opportunity to be noticed by NBA scouts. This is the part of this tournament that I am very excited about (just as much as I get excited about the almost daily buzzer beaters and "sportacular" plays).

Tyler Hansbrough. Michael Beasley. Kevin Love. OJ Mayo. Chris Douglas-Roberts. These five guys are practically household names in basketball circles. (You'd have to be living on an undiscovered planet if you said you've never heard of them). They are just a few of the players that scouts and fans already have on their radar.

Then there are the not-so-well-known players. NBA scouts are paid to know about them but most fans (including myself) will be finding out who they are as the tournament rolls on. They are the players that will play on a much higher level than what their natural skill set presents. They are the players that will increase their NBA draft stock into the first round or just to be drafted. It's these kinds of players that truly makes the tournament that much more exciting.

Here's a list of five guys that I will be paying special attention to during the tournament.

• Stephen Curry - Guard, Davidson (25ppg & 5rpg)
  
• Jerryd Bayless - Guard, Arizona (20ppg & 4apg)
  
• Shan Foster - Guard/Forward, Vanderbilt (21ppg & 5rpg)
  
• Luke Harangody - Forward, Notre Dame (21ppg & 10rpg)
  
• Gary Forbes - Guard/Forward, Massachusetts (20ppg & 8rpg)
  

There will be a plethora of talented college players on display during March Madness. The players mentioned in this blog are just a tip of the iceberg.

Sportaculary yours,

The Vicarious Athlete