Legends Classic 2013: Players Most Likely to Dominate Early-Season Tournament

The 2013 Legends Classic doesn't feature any ranked teams, but there is no shortage of top talent across the board.

Between Stanford, Houston, Pittsburgh and Texas Tech lie a couple of storied basketball programs. While each is trying to replace key contributors from last season, there are some budding stars waiting in the wings to take over for their respective teams.

Here are the most likely players to dominate the field at the Barclays Center. 

Chasson Randle, Stanford

Junior guard Chasson Randle led his team to an NIT Championship in 2011, leading all Pac-12 freshman with 13.8 points per game.

He didn't progress much as a sophomore, but so far in 2013-14, Randle is the guy for Stanford. He is averaging 21.1 points per game through four contests and has improved his shooting to 52.4 percent after falling below 40 percent last season.

Randle has shown the ability to shoot well despite garnering a big workload, jacking up 14 shots a game but still surpassing 20 points on average.

Just as well, Randle's pure scoring skill along with above-average athleticism and a rounded game make him a potential NBA draft prospect if he proves he can play past his lanky 6'2", 180-pound frame.

The action in the Barclays Center will be the toughest Randle has faced in this early season, but if anybody on Stanford will tear up this tourney, it's going to be the Rock Island, IL native. 

Talib Zanna, Pittsburgh

It's never easy to replace a lottery pick, but Pitt's frontcourt is in good hands after losing Steven Adams to the NBA draft this past offseason. 

Anchoring that movement to keep up the post dominance is Talib Zanna, who enters his senior season as one of three returning starters to the Panthers squad.

After sitting out the season opener, Zanna led the Panthers to a 21-point win over Fresno State on Tuesday. He notched 19 points and 10 rebounds—both game-highs—and shot an efficient 8-for-10 from the field.

The 6'9" Nigerian center notched 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds last year, but played just 23 minutes a game due to a loaded frontcourt.

Now as a featured player in the frontcourt along with fellow big man Lamar Patterson, Zanna should not only get more minutes, but more looks as Pitt looks to conceal its glaring lack of shooters.

TaShawn Thomas, Houston

A 2012-13 season that ended in a loss in the quarterfinals of the CBI Tournament didn't feature a lot of excitement for Houston. But it did feature a budding star.

Junior forward TaShawn Thomas emerged as a star. After a promising freshman season (10.7 points, 8.2 rebounds), he took the lid off his potential by putting up 17 points and 9.8 rebounds as a sophomore.

It's been more of the same as a junior for Thomas. He is averaging 18.3 points through four games—all wins—and is shooting an incredibly efficient 71.9 percent thus far.

Surely this will be a huge test for Thomas, who won't face this tough of competition very often all season long. But if the 6'8" forward keeps improving like he has throughout his collegiate career, he could add a major wrinkle to his NBA draft resume by showing up big-time in Brooklyn.