March Madness 2012: Underrated Stars Who Will Carry Their Teams
The NCAA tournament is where the stars come out. We have heard about some of them all season long, but some of them are flying under the radar and waiting to make their mark on the biggest stage college basketball has to offer.
These are players that we have heard about in passing, but who don't get the national respect that they deserve. Anyone can tell you that Anthony Davis is going to be really good. We don't care about him, we already know that.
Here is a look at the underrated stars that will captivate the nation when the second round begins on Thursday.
Jae Crowder, Marquette
You don't have to look hard to figure out where Marquette's bread gets buttered. Crowder has been the driving force behind the Golden Eagles' success this season, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game.
The team will need every bit of that and more against a good BYU team that is going to challenge Marquette with speed and high-efficiency scoring.
Crowder has been a matchup nightmare for opposing teams this season, just because he is so versatile and can beat you in so many ways. He has to play a strong game for the Golden Eagles to make it to the third round.
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
Playing at Vanderbilt is not going to get you noticed by a lot of national media outlets, but Taylor deserves to be an exception to that rule.
Following the Commodores' run through the SEC tournament, Taylor has to step up his performance to get his team past the second round.
Fortunately, he has the skills and presence to give Harvard a lot of problems. Taylor is a forward with the shooting touch of a guard. He can hit shots in the paint or pull up from the outside. You have to keep a body on him at all times.
As long as Taylor is able to hit shots early to keep his confidence high, Vanderbilt will have little problems making it to the next round.
Erik Murphy, Florida
Nothing that the Gators have done in the last three weeks should inspire a lot of confidence for their tournament hopes. They lost four of five to limp into the Big Dance, with the lone win coming by three points against Alabama in the SEC tournament.
The great equalizer has been Murphy's performance in the middle of the court. He is a dominant scorer from anywhere. He is versatile enough to handle himself in the post or bring the ball up court to hit a three-pointer.
Florida needs Murphy to play like the star that he is in order to make it past the first weekend of the tournament. He is peaking at the right time, scoring 53 combined points in his last three games. Even though the team has lost two of them, he inspires hope that things will turn around soon.
