Elite Eight 2012: Ranking Most Important Players Left from Each Team

I've been doing an enormous amount of college basketball lists over the last few weeks and over the course of the whole season. They have been a lot of fun and very rewarding, because in doing them I've learned a a lot.

Some of the knowledge has come from research, some has been from watching players and teams I normally wouldn't. And a significant amount has come from readers who have left comments. They've pushed me to research even more and dig even deeper.

So with that said, a lot of the lists recently have contained many of the same players, just in different orders. When you read this title you may expect to read about the best player on each team, or the players who have meant the most to each team all season. I decided to take a different route.

This list is going to be the most important players in the Elite Eight based on each team's matchup and which player is likely to be needed to step up. Here is my personal list of the most important players on each Elite Eight qualifier.

8. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist being in the last spot on the list is no slight against him or his ability. The fact that he is on it at all is a testament to his ability. He is last because he plays for the best team that will be favored in every single game it plays.

Kentucky has so many great players, but Kidd-Gilchrist stands out as the most important in the Elite Eight.

The Wildcats will go against Baylor, one of very few teams that has a chance to compete with Kentucky as far as size and length on the front line.

Kidd-Gilchrist is the choice because the strength of Baylor in the tournament has been the guards. Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip have set the South region on fire.  

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has the ability as a defender to take Pierre Jackson out of the game. In a close game against Mississippi State, point guard Dee Bost was killing the Wildcats—that is, until Kidd-Gilchrist guarded him. Bost was a non-factor for the entire second half.  

He can do the same thing to Jackson and the Bears' hopes of an upset.

7. Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

Louisville finds itself in a surprise matchup with Pitino pupil Billy Donovan's Florida Gators.

The Gators are the significantly better offensive team, but the Cardinals have developed into one of the best defensive teams in the nation. That transformation has been led by center Gorgui Dieng.

In the last two games against New Mexico and Michigan State, Louisville has given up just 100 total points. In those games, Dieng has averaged five blocks and 2.5 steals per game. He has become a one-man wrecking crew at the back of Louisville's defense.

Florida took it to Marquette down low on Thursday, and Dieng will be responsible for forcing them to the outside.

6. Jeff Withey, Kansas

When Kansas is up, that means it's time for Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. Not on this list, though.

You pretty much know what you're going to get with Robinson and Taylor, but Jeff Withey is incredibly important in Kansas' matchup with North Carolina.  

The Tar Heels have a huge front line with Tyler Zeller and John Henson. They are both taller and longer than Robinson, so Withey will need to provide help on the glass and defensively.

In three tournament games, Withey has amassed 17 blocked shots, including an incredible 10 blocks against NC State last night.

Robinson will be the best player in the game, but he will be outnumbered—unless Withey is at his best.

5. Dion Waiters, Syracuse

Syracuse is another team with a lot of depth and a lot of different facets to it. The most important today will be Dion Waiters.

Without Fab Melo, the Orange isn't nearly as strong defending the interior, but Syracuse thrives on creating turnovers and getting out on the break.

There aren't many players better in transition than Dion Waiters. He is capable of both starting and finishing the Syracuse fast break.

Ohio State is one of the best half-court defenses in college basketball, so any easy points Syracuse can get will be huge. Waiters can provide that type of scoring.

4. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft are tremendously important players for Ohio State, but Jared Sullinger is a huge key against Syracuse.

The Orange can cause havoc with the 2-3 zone and close out on shooters like no other team. Points on the perimeter will be hard to come by.

Points inside are usually difficult to score on Syracuse, but the Buckeyes need to do whatever they can to exploit the absence of Fab Melo.

Sullinger is fresh off a 23-point, 11-rebound thrashing of Cincinnati and Yancy Gates. He should be able to do the same thing against the thin back line of Syracuse's defense.

3. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

North Carolina looked dysfunctional on offense without Kendall Marshall. The Tar Heels ended up relying heavily on big men Tyler Zeller and John Henson.

The two trees combined for 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting, while grabbing 32 rebounds and blocking six shots. On Sunday, Carolina faces a formidable tandem in Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey. It is likely they will play each other close to a draw.

That makes Barnes incredibly important. With the lack of scoring and cohesion against Ohio, Barnes could have provided a serious lift. He didn't, shooting 3-of-16 from the field.

Barnes has the ability to be a virtuoso offensively, and Sunday would be a great time to remind people. Carolina's title hopes depend on it.

2. Erving Walker, Florida

The Louisville pressure is fierce. It has allowed just 54 points per game in the NCAA tournament and held No. 1 seed Michigan State to just 44 points.  

Louisville is holding tournament opponents to just 34.7 percent shooting from the field. The Cardinals also forced Michigan State's top three ball-handlers into 11 turnovers. On the season, the trio averaged just six turnovers per game.

It would be easy to just say Bradley Beal is the most important because he is playing the best of anyone on the team right now—but in order to beat the pressure and get into their offense, the Gators are going to need Walker to have a great game and take care of the ball.

Walker hasn't shot well in the tournament and has eight turnovers in the last three games. He isn't setting the world on fire, but Walker has a lot of experience and should give Florida a fighting chance.

1. Perry Jones, Baylor

Perry Jones has just 22 field-goal attempts in three tournament games. He has scored just 23 points and gone to the free-throw line just four times, missing three of them.

After grabbing 11 rebounds against an undersized and nonathletic South Dakota State team, he has just nine total over the past two games. Jones hasn't played well, or at least not aggressively. That has to change.

Baylor is one of very few teams that can match up inside with Kentucky, but Jones will need to play like he wants it. He stepped his game up some against Xavier, scoring 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

Jones is supremely talented and there is almost nothing he can't do on the court. It's just a matter of him going out and doing it. If Perry Jones can turn in the type of game people expect from him, Baylor is one of less than a handful of teams capable of beating Kentucky.