Top Players in the Sweet 16 Who Can Do It All

As LeBron James and his small-ball Miami Heat proved last year, positional versatility matters more today than at perhaps any prior point in basketball's century-long evolution.

The college game is no exception.

The prototypical roster construction of old—two bigs, one point, one shooter, one scorer—has given way to a more fluid design that emphasizes reciprocal parts.

In other words, you better have a guy or two that can do it all.

Luckily for these 10 Sweet 16 teams, they do.

Let's meet the shape-shifters, shall we?

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of KenPom.com.

C.J. Fair, Syracuse

Yin: 49.2 three-point percentage

Yang: Leads team in rebounding

Jim Boeheim has always had a jones for rangy 'tweeners who can disrupt on D and flummox on O.

C.J. Fair is just such a 'tweener.

The junior from Baltimore leads the Orange in scoring and rebounding average while connecting on almost 50 percent of his threes and sporting a surprisingly robust block percentage.

Adreian Payne, Michigan State

Yin: Second-best defensive rebounding percentage in the Big Ten

Yang: Surprisingly soft outside jumper; second on team in three-point shooting percentage (40.5 percent)

I know that questioning Tom Izzo is some sort of mortal sports-writing sin, but I do wonder if Michigan State is getting all it can out of Adreian Payne.

Payne is a fantastic interior athlete who just so happens to sport a feathery little jumper. The only problem is he didn't shoot it much until the back end of this, his junior year.

The 6'10" Ohio native attempted a mere three three-point attempts during his freshman and sophomore years combined. Through the first 16 games of the 2012-13 season, he'd launched only one long-distance try.

Then the lightbulb went off...or the strategy shifted...or the floodgates opened...or some other cliche to express sudden change. Over the season's final 19 contests, Payne attempted 1.9 three per game and connected on better than 40 percent of them.

Early indications are that he has the stretch to play stretch four at the next level, and Sparty would be wise to capitalize on those skills before Payne's time in Lansing is through.

Glenn Robinson III, Michigan

Yin: Second on team in steals per game

Yang: Second on team in rebounds per game

More a guard/'tweener by build, Glenn Robinson III has essentially been asked to play the second forward position in Michigan's undersized starting lineup. At times his slight frame has hurt him against bulkier frontcourt foes, but for the most part he's handled his duties well—particularly for a freshman.

And none of that has stopped Robinson III from exploring the territory where his basketball future lies: as a slashing scorer who can rock the rim and snipe from beyond.

The Wolverines ask a lot of GRIII—inside and out—but he's proven capable at almost every turn.

Cleanthony Early, Wichita State

Yin: Leads team in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and ranks second in offensive rebounding percentage

Yang: Second on team with 138 three-point attempts

Despite not starting for coach Gregg Marshall, Cleanthony Early leads the Shockers in points and shot attempts.

At times, he's been one of the nation's most electric offensive players, like on January 10 when he dropped 39 on Southern Illinois, or a month-and-a-half later when he hung 21 on Pittsburgh in the Round of 64 (despite going 0-for-6 from distance).

At other moments, the 6'8" JUCO transfer has looked, well, like a JUCO transfer.

But Early's talent is obvious, and he's a player worth tracking as this tournament progresses.

Victor Oladipo, Indiana

Yin: Second-best steal percentage in the Big Ten

Yang: Fifth-best offensive rebounding percentage in the Big Ten

It'd be easier to list the things that Victor Oladipo can't do on a basketball court.

For example, he can't be a height other than 6'5" (three years running). He also can't shoot lasers out of his eyes.

He can, however, shoot threes, guard positions 1-through-3, finish in transition, carve teams up in the half court and dunk basketballs with the kind of ferocity that gives stanchion engineers nightmares.

No player in America does more on both ends of the court.

Kenny Kadji, Miami

Yin: Second on team in defensive rebounding percentage and block percentage

Yang: Shot 62 more threes this season than prior two collegiate seasons combined

My favorite Kenny Kadji play this season wasn't really a Kenny Kadji play at all.

With 12 seconds to go in a home game against Virginia and the score tied at 50, Kadji set a high screen for point guard Shane Larkin and lingered at the top of the key.

The sequence left Kadji open for about a half second, after which approximately three Cavaliers players scrambled toward him.

This, friends, is the advantage of having a hyper-athletic 6'11" forward who can rain threes:  Other times are awful scared of him.

In the mad rush to account for Kadji, Virginia left Reggie Johnson, who stands 6'10" and weighs 292 pounds, completely unattended under the hoop. Larkin found Johnson for an easy lay-in and Miami hung on for a 54-50 win.

Ramon Galloway, La Salle

Yin: Led team in three-point percentage and three-point attempts

Yang: Leads team in assists per game

La Salle would probably prefer that Ramon Galloway not have to do it all. But with a guard-heavy lineup that's now without injured sophomore center Steve Zack, the 6'3" Galloway has had to become equal parts scorer, facilitator and rebounder for John Giannini's Explorers.

The senior's season log includes a 10-rebound game at Temple, a 12-assist performance versus St. Joe's and a 6-three-pointer night against Ole Miss in the Round of 32.

Sam Thompson, Ohio State

Yin: 12th-best block percentage in the Big Ten

Yang: Leads team in three-point shooting percentage

Sam Thompson's hops are legendary, but there's more to the Buckeye Sophmore's game than athletic spectacle.

Put backs and blocked shots will always be a part of Thompson's game, but he's starting to develop a jump shot that merits attention. And on the defensive end, he's got the physical tools to play almost anywhere.

Solomon Hill, Arizona

Yin: Second on team in three-point attempts this year

Yang: Led team in rebounding last year

Coach Sean Miller reeled in three blue-chip frontcourt players over the summer, forcing Solomon Hill to become a more perimeter-oriented player in his senior season.

Hill has handled the transition well, jacking up almost 1.5 more three-point attempts per game while maintaining a success rate north of 38 percent.

And while Hill's team doesn't need him on the boards anymore, the 6'7" California native is still a plenty capable inside player when the moment demands it.

Chase Fieler, Florida Gulf Coast

Yin: First on team in offensive rebounding percentage and second in block percentage

Yang: Shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range

Known primarily for the mammoth dunk he threw down against Georgetown (see above), Fieler has a more diverse offensive game than your average leaper.

Much of that is thanks to FGCU head coach Andy Enfield, a former shooting guru who helped fine-tune Fieler's form by adjusting the West Virginia native's thumb placement.

Fieler's three-point shooting percentage has improved each of his three years in Fort Myers, and he's coupled that with a burgeoning inside game to become one of the tournament's breakout stars.