Players Who Can Carry Middling CBB Teams to the 2017 NCAA Tournament

Basketball is a five-man sport, but there are situations where one really good player is all it takes to get a team to reach its goals. And for most college basketball teams, the ultimate goal each season is to make the NCAA tournament.

An invitation to the Big Dance is basically a given for many power-conference programs and the top tier of mid-majors. For everyone else, it takes some luck as well as getting hot at the right time. Having one player who can carry a team doesn't hurt, either, since those are the types that turn March into their own personal showcase, bringing the rest of their squad along for the ride.

Last season saw 18 teams make the 68-team NCAA tourney that hadn't earned a bid in the previous three years, if ever. Getting in was no doubt a team effort, but qualifiers such as Fresno State (Marvelle Harris), Oregon State (Gary Payton II) and Stony Brook (Jameel Warney) can credit one player's efforts above all others.

Which players from so-called "middling" teams—hey, a three-year tourney drought in a sport that sends almost 20 percent of its members to the postseason counts as such—can lift their squads into March Madness? Check out who we picked, then give us your thoughts in the comments section.

Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson

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Clemson last made the NCAA tournament in 2010-11, and for a little while last season, it looked like the Tigers' drought was going to end thanks to a 5-1 start in ACC play. They ended up losing eight of their last 13 games despite Jaron Blossomgame putting up a career year with 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds.

The 6'7" forward tested the NBA draft waters, going through the combine and getting evaluations before ultimately deciding to come back. And in doing so, thanks to a much more balanced lineup around him, Clemson has its best chance since coach Brad Brownell's first season to get an NCAA bid.

The Tigers have loaded up on transfers. Guard Marcquise Reed is eligible after averaging 15.1 points per game as a freshman at Robert Morris in 2013-14. The Tigers also add guard Shelton Mitchell from Vanderbilt and get former Texas A&M center Elijah Thomas at midseason.

Still, it's Blossomgame's play that will drive an NCAA tourney push, as he was one of only three players in the country last year with at least 575 points, 200 rebounds and 40 blocks while shooting at least 37.5 percent from three-point range.

"With Blossomgame leading the way, this is a 20-win roster," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote. "But Clemson would be lucky to go .500 without him."

James Daniel, Howard

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James Daniel led the nation in scoring last season, his 27.1 points per game more than two better than Buddy Hield. A lot of good it did him and Howard, which went 12-20 and finished ninth in the lowly MEAC.

A 5'10" guard who hasn't met a shot he didn't like, Daniel averaged 19.4 per game, including eight three-point attempts per contest, but shot only 38.8 and 33.2 percent, respectively. The senior is most effective when he takes it to the hole, resulting in a Division I-leading 280 free throws and 331 attempts, making for a solid 84.6 percent.

The Bison need Daniel to score as much as possible, since they were 1-9 when he scored 22 or fewer points compared to 4-5 when dropping at least 30.

Howard hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1991-92, finishing at or above .500 just twice since then. One of those was in 2014-15, when Daniel averaged 16.7 points per game as a sophomore.

PJ Dozier, South Carolina

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One of the most highly rated players to ever sign with South Carolina, PJ Dozier's father and uncle were standout Gamecocks basketball players in the past. Following in his family's footsteps was only part of the large expectations put on him as a freshman, when South Carolina came close to reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003-04.

Instead, a late-season collapse saw Carolina go 9-8 after a 15-0 start, and Dozier's struggles were noticeable. He averaged 6.7 points and 2.1 assists but shot only 38.1 percent and was abysmal from three-point range, with coach Frank Martin pulling him out of the starting lineup down the stretch.

Dozier's time to rise and be a floor leader is now, as the Gamecocks lost three of their top four scorers after last season, including the two most prolific outside shooters. The 6'7" Dozier has the length to contribute all over, but first he must improve his shot and cut down on turnovers.

The SEC is wide-open after Kentucky and Texas A&M, so a third-place finish would probably lock South Carolina into the NCAA field. Dozier is the one who will have to get it there.

Marcus Evans, Rice

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It's been 46 years since Rice was involved in the NCAA tournament, that 1969-70 team losing by 24 points in the first round. The Owls haven't come close since. Last year, they went 12-20 for their fourth consecutive losing record.

But amid that rough effort was reason to be optimistic about the future, possibly even in 2016-17, thanks to Marcus Evans' play as a true freshman. He averaged 21.5 points per game, the most by a freshman in Division I since Kansas State's Michael Beasley scored 26.2 per game in 2007-08 and then was taken second in the NBA draft.

The 6'2" Evans shot 47.2 percent overall and 31 percent from three-point range, making 79.8 percent of his foul shots. Combined with guard Egor Koulechov, who averaged 16.8 points with 7.0 rebounds as a sophomore, Rice has the makings of a duo that could be hard to deal with in Conference USA.

C-USA has had four different teams represent it in the NCAA tourney in as many seasons, with no dominant programs. Those are the conditions that Rice and Evans could take advantage of to end a long NCAA hiatus.

Josh Hawkinson, Washington State

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With Oregon State making the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1990 this past March, Washington State now has the Pac-12's longest drought at eight seasons. The last Cougars qualifier (2007-08) made the Sweet 16 under the guidance of coach Tony Bennett before he left to turn Virginia into a national power.

The Cougars were hoping Ernie Kent would be able to do something similar when they hired the former Oregon coach in 2014, but so far, he's gone 22-40 in two seasons with a 1-17 conference mark this past year. And that was with the conference rebounding leader for the second consecutive year.

Josh Hawkinson averaged 11.1 rebounds last season, good for 10th-best in the country, and 10.8 as a sophomore, scoring 14.7 points per game that year and 15.4 in 2015-16. The 6'10" forward had 20 double-doubles last season, 12th-most in the country and second-best among returning players.

WSU should get another big year from Hawkinson, but there's not much around him. Four players transferred out of the program, though second-leading scorer Ike Iroegbu came back after testing the NBA draft waters.

E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island

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Rhode Island wasn't supposed to have a player on this list. The 2015-16 Rams were set up to not only make the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1998-99, but also contend for the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. But most of the hope for those goals went away when E.C. Matthews was injured 10 minutes into the opener, going down for the season.

Somehow, the Rams still won 17 games and went 9-9 in the A-10 but lost to Massachusetts in the first round of the conference tourney. Four players averaged double figures on that team, with three returning, including senior forward Hassan Martin.

But it all comes down to Matthews to take that next step. The 6'5" guard averaged 16.9 points as a sophomore when Rhode Island won 23 games, tied for second-most during its NCAA hiatus. With him back in the fold and coach Dan Hurley sticking around instead of entertaining offers from bigger programs, the Rams can dust off those 2015-16 goals and slap a 2016-17 sticker on them.

Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern

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Northwestern is the only power-conference program never to have made the NCAA tournament, one of just five original NCAA members without a bid dating back to the first tourney in 1939. The Wildcats go into each year thinking it's their chance—much like the nearby Chicago Cubs in baseball—yet as the season goes on, it becomes evident they'll have to wait until next year.

Bryant McIntosh could be the player to end that skid.

The 6'3" guard averaged 6.7 assists per game last season—a school record and second to Michigan State's Denzel Valentine in the Big Ten—while scoring 13.8 points per game. Tre Demps, the team leader at 15.7 per game, was one of two starters to graduate.

McIntosh hit 36.6 percent of his three-pointers, so if he can up that accuracy a bit while remaining adept at dishing out to teammates, Northwestern's long NCAA-less existence may finally end. It helps that the Big Ten could be down in 2016-17 with many of the league's best teams from a year ago having significant holes to fill.

Omar Prewitt, William & Mary

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Like Northwestern, William & Mary is also part of that infamous quintet—the others are Army, St. Francis (New York) and The Citadel—to have never made an NCAA tournament. The Tribe's lack of postseason success isn't as notable, though, since they're in the Colonial Athletic Association and not the Big Ten.

What also makes the Tribe different from Northwestern and the rest of their tourney-less brethren is they've come so close so many times. They've lost in the CAA tournament final four times since 2008, including in 2014 and 2015.

Omar Prewitt was part of both of those teams, averaging double figures in all three of his seasons. The 6'6" wing only managed four points in the 2015 CAA final, making one of seven shots after dropping 33 points the night before.

He'd love another chance to make history with the Tribe.

Justin Robinson, Monmouth

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Monmouth fans probably take great offense to being called “middling,” especially after a season in which the Hawks knocked off UCLA, USC, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Georgetown as part of a 28-8 campaign.

But the Hawks still qualify for our definition, having last been to the NCAA tournament in 2005-06. While they were probably worthy of an at-large bid last season, they fell to Iona in the MAAC tourney final, which would have been their best opportunity to make the field.

Good thing Monmouth brings back most of its exciting squad for another season, though it's really the return of Justin Robinson that matters most. The 5'8" guard would have been the best player under six feet tall in college basketball last season if not for Oakland's Kay Felder, averaging 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Robinson didn't take a dip into the NBA draft waters, instead focusing on his senior year at Monmouth. The 39.4 percent three-point shooter will look to be more consistent and selective, as six of the Hawks' losses came when he shot below 50 percent overall.

Robinson, Monmouth and its famed Bench Mob will have another loaded nonconference schedule to build their resume with. The team has road games scheduled against South Carolina, Syracuse, Memphis and North Carolina.

James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan

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The 12-team Mid-American Conference has had eight different teams earn its automatic NCAA tournament bid since Eastern Michigan last made it in the 1997-98 season. The Eagles have been in the midst of an upswing of late, though, averaging 20.3 wins over the last three years under coach Rob Murphy.

Last year's squad was on the young side, with only one senior starter, which means the 2016-17 club will be more experienced and prepared to make a run to the NCAA tourney. James Thompson IV should be at the center of that charge based on how he performed as a freshman, when he averaged 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 64.8 percent.

Thompson, a former South Carolina signee, at one point made a then-NCAA-record 26 consecutive field goals. He averaged 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in four March games, taking momentum into the offseason.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information from 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.