3 players who will determine their team's tournament fate
Good NCAA tournament teams have at least one difference-making player that can take control of a game at any point his team needs him to, but great NCAA tournament teams can still find success when that player stumbles.
Does it help to enter the Round of 64 with one, two, or maybe even three bona fide stars in a starting lineup? Absolutely. Is it necessary in order to realize one's national championship dreams? Not exactly, but it sure makes the margin of error a whole lot wider.
The responsibility of being the catalyst on a championship-contending team is something that can't be overlooked, and the reality is sometimes, these catalysts don't fire like they should. Here are three difference-making players whose performances will directly affect their team's tournament fate this year.
Lonzo Ball - UCLA
Touted by many as the best player in the country, Lonzo Ball has been the fuel for the nation's most efficient offense this season.
When he's on, Ball can dish the rock with ease and shoot the lights out. But when he's off - and he has been off on occasion this season - UCLA's Bryce Alford and TJ Leaf need to be ready to shift into fifth gear in order to have his back. The potential first overall pick struggled significantly in the Bruins' Pac-12 semifinal loss to Arizona, recording just eight points and six assists, proving that Ball is in fact mortal, and can be neutralized on the court.
UCLA is perhaps one of the few teams that has a strong enough lineup to support a struggling star, and they may be able to get through the early rounds of the tournament even if Ball's nagging thumb injury continues to bother him, but when the going gets tough, Ball will need to be sharp if UCLA hopes to take home the crown.
Nigel Williams-Goss - Gonzaga
Gonzaga absolutely steamrolled its competition in the West Coast Conference this season, and the man behind the wheel of the Bulldogs' wrecking machine was point guard Nigel Williams-Goss.
Williams-Goss has been able to do it all for the Bulldogs, leading the team in scoring, assists, and free-throw shooting while also sitting tied for third on the team in rebounding. The one thing Gonzaga should be wary of, is that if something were to happen to its star guard, they will be in some serious trouble.
Big man Przemek Karnowski has shown that he can be a consistent force, but the Polish 7-footer has only averaged 23.1 minutes in his senior season. The Bulldogs appear to be set on a track that rides the ebbs and flows of Williams-Goss' play, and fortunately for them, that play has been stellar of late.
Johnathan Motley - Baylor
Baylor enters the NCAA tournament as one of the most inconsistent teams in recent weeks, and in order for that to be corrected, they have no choice but to hope that Johnathan Motley is performing at his peak level.
Motley leads the Bears in scoring and rebounding by significant margins, just 0.1 of a rebound away from averaging a double-double, but after him, the production hits a steep drop-off. Motley's point production has been down in a number of losses for the Bears, including an eight-point effort in their 89-68 defeat to West Virginia.
The brass tacks of Motley's impact on the Bears is this: if he isn't putting the ball in the basket like he's proven he can, the Bears aren't winning games - and they will need continuous high-level production from him if they hope to reach the latter stages of the tournament.
(Photos Courtesy: Action Images)