NCAA Bracket 2012: Tim Hardaway Jr. and 3 Guards Who Will Make an Impact

The NCAA tournament is here!  

Playmakers are one of the most important parts of a team's success.

Which playmaking guards could change the course of the NCAA tournament this year?

There are many stars guards who could lead their teams to glory. But four—Tyshawn Taylor of Kansas, Kendall Marshall of North Carolina, Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin and Tim Hardaway Jr. of Michigan—have an inside shot at the NCAA tournament title.

Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas

Taylor is one of the most surprisingly positive stories of the year, going from busted talent to big-time star.

Last year, Taylor struggled on the court with only nine points and five assists in 27 minutes off the bench and showed his immaturity. This year, he has grown with his teammates and averaged 17 points and five assists with strong percentages.

More importantly, Taylor is now the leader of an impressive Kansas team. Without him, the Jayhawks would have no chance in the tournament.

Taylor is playing well and should be feeding monster big man Thomas Robinson in the post. If that tandem works, Kansas can go far in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

Jordan Taylor is the key to Wisconsin's hopes of success in this tournament. His statistics are down from 18 points and five assists last year to 15 points and four assists this year, but Taylor remains a critically important playmaker for the Badgers offense.

Wisconsin depends on two things: its defense and Taylor's playmaking. If he keeps distributing the ball well and sticks to opposing guards, Wisconsin can go very far in this tournament. That's particularly true now that Syracuse no longer has Fab Melo in the lineup, which makes the Badgers' road to the NCAA Final Four that much easier.  

Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan

The Wolverines' top playmaker is critical to their potential success.

Hardaway Jr. is not a pure point guard—in fact he averaged less than three assists per game this year.  But he is a scoring, speedy, playmaking guard with the abilities to get to the hoop and force opponents to leave teammates open on the three-point line.

On top of Hardaway Jr., Michigan will need Trey Burke to do well. He is the other half of the Wolverines' success. But Hardaway Jr. will need to play well for Michigan to have the tournament success they want.

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

Talk all you like about John Henson and Harrison Barnes, but this team goes nowhere without monster playmaker Kendall Marshall. Unlike Tyshawn Taylor or Tim Hardaway Jr., Marshall makes his impression through distributive skills rather than scoring.

In fact, Marshall scores only eight points per game, but he accounts for almost 10 assists. Ten—that is almost unheard of for a college player. Marshall needs to continue feeding Henson and Barnes the ball for this team to thrive and win the NCAA tournament.