Dynamic Duos Ready to Light Up the 2018 NCAA Tournament

The NCAA tournament is where the stars come out, and the more a team has, the better its chances are to make a deep run.

Sure, there are going to be some tremendous individual performances by some of college basketball's top scorers. But as impressive as guys like Oklahoma's Trae Young have been, when it's just one guy, there's always the likelihood they can get neutralized by the right game plan.

That's not so easy when a team has multiple dynamic players who are capable both of putting their teams on their backs but also of being able to play off their partners. It's much harder to slow down a duo.

With the NCAA tourney less than four weeks away, we've identified some pairings that figure to have the best shot to light up the scoreboard. Listed alphabetically, these duos are selected for their combined numbers but also the capability for one half to go off if the other has an off game.

Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier, Arizona

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Combined statistics: 39.3 PPG, 14.1 RPG, 4.7 APG, 57.5% FG, 41.3% 3-pt FG, 79.9% FT

The most ideal duo is one that features a fierce inside force and a deadly outside shooter, which perfectly describes Arizona's Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier. Ayton is a 7'1" freshman center who has dominated in the paint with 17 double-doubles, while Trier is a seasoned 6'5" junior guard who shoots 43 percent from three-point range.

Ayton (19.7 points per game) and Trier (19.6) have combined for 28 games of 20 or more points, five times in the same contest. Ayton does most of his damage in the paint, often scoring off putbacks—thanks to his 2.9 offensive rebounds per game—though he has a killer mid-range jumper and has also drained 10 threes.

Trier spends plenty of time on the perimeter but can also score in the lane, shooting 64.3 percent on twos. And both are masters of drawing contact and making opponents pay for it, combining for 11.1 free-throw attempts per game.

Grayson Allen and Marvin Bagley III, Duke

Ben McKeown/Associated Press

Combined statistics: 36.3 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 6.3 APG, 51.6% FG, 37.7% 3-pt FG, 70.7% FT

The mark of a great duo is not just how well they perform together, and play off each other, but how each is capable of taking over if the other one can't get it done. Duke has found out the past week what life is like without 6'11" forward Marvin Bagley III, the best of its talented freshman class, who has missed three straight games with a knee injury.

Thankfully, the Blue Devils still have senior Grayson Allen. In Bagley's absence, the 6'5" guard has averaged 22.3 points per game, all wins, including 19 in Sunday's 66-57 victory at Clemson to give Duke sole possession of second place in the ACC. Allen is 19-of-19 from the free-throw line in the past three contests.

Bagley is expected to return soon, at which time Duke gets back a double-double machine (18 in 24 appearances) who has dropped at least 20 points on 12 occasions. If Allen can stay as productive when Bagley comes back, the Blue Devils will have an inside-out combo that few can match.

Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk, Kansas

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Combined statistics: 32.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 10.0 APG, 41.8% FG, 42.9% 3-pt FG, 81.9% FT

Kansas is in a dogfight to keep its amazing streak of Big 12 regular-season titles alive, but as important a goal as that is the bigger one: getting back to the Final Four. The Jayhawks have fallen in the Elite Eight the past two seasons, losses that featured guards Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk unable to get them over the hump.

It will be those seniors who determine whether Kansas can get one step further this season, just as it's been that backcourt duo who have led the team all year. They have combined for 163 three-pointers, making the Jayhawks one of three schools in Division I with teammates who each have hit at least 75 threes.

The 6'2" Graham has been so integral to the Jayhawks that rest isn't an option for him. He's averaging 37.3 minutes per game, 39.3 in Big 12 play, logging all 40 minutes in 10 consecutive games. The 6'8" Mykhailiuk isn't that far behind, playing 36.2 minutes per game during conference play.

Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Combined statistics: 28.6 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 49.9% FG, 39.11% 3-pt FG, 83.4% FT

Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. are the youngest duo on this list, the former a grizzled veteran as a sophomore compared to Jackson, a freshman. But while they lack in NCAA tournament experience—Michigan State lost in the second round last year—they have shown during this season they can come through in clutch situations.

During the Spartans' 10-game winning streak, which includes a victory over Purdue and Saturday's massive comeback at Northwestern, Bridges and Jackson have combined to average 29.2 points per game. And if one has an off game the other has filled the void, as was the case Tuesday when Bridges had only five points on 1-of-7 shooting but Jackson responded with a career-high 27 that included five three-pointers.

A 6'7" wing, Bridges is the more consistent offensive force, but the 6'11" Jackson finds other ways to contribute when not scoring. He has six double-doubles, and his total of 3.2 blocks per game leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for third in the country.

Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin, Nevada

Loren Orr/Getty Images

Combined statistics: 36.6 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 47.5% FG, 38.3% 3-pt FG, 74.6% FT

Don't know much about Nevada, other than that it has been ranked a few times this season? Then pull up a chair and let us teach you about a program that has turned transfers into treasures with its top four scorers all beginning college at another school.

That includes juniors Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin, who began at Southern Illinois and North Carolina State, respectively. Caroline, a 6'7" guard, is in his second season with the Wolf Pack and was a key member of last year's NCAA tournament team, while 6'7" forward Martin (and twin brother Cody) are in their first year of eligibility after sitting out 2016-17.

Combined, Caroline and Martin have 27 games of at least 20 points, 12 of those coming in Mountain West Conference play. And where they get a slew of their points is at the line, their 343 free-throw attempts making them one of just four sets of teammates in Division I who each have taken at least 150 foul shots.

Joel Berry II and Luke Maye, North Carolina

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Combined statistics: 36.1 PPG, 14.3 RPG, 5.5 APG, 45.2% FG, 39.3% 3-pt FG, 76.6% FT

Need proof that guard Joel Berry II and forward Luke Maye are capable of teaming up to take North Carolina deep in March and maybe into April? Just look at what they did last year in helping the Tar Heels win the national title.

Though Justin Jackson was UNC's leading scorer and Kennedy Meeks the team's top rebounder in 2016-17, without Berry's heady play in the backcourt and Maye's unexpected contributions off the bench, that championship wouldn't have happened. And they're why the Heels have a shot at being the first defending champ to advance beyond the Sweet 16 since Florida in 2007.

Berry, a 6'0" senior, is picking up steam as the season progresses. He's averaged 18.1 points per game in ACC play and 18.6 during UNC's five-game winning streak. In that same stretch, Maye, a 6'8" junior, has averaged 20.2 points and posted two of his 14 double-doubles.

Carsen Edwards and Vince Edwards, Purdue

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Combined statistics: 32.3 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, 47.1% FG, 40.0% 3-pt FG, 83.1% FT

Carsen and Vincent Edwards don't just share the same last name; they also have similarly strong games that have made Purdue one of the teams to beat this season. At least until recently, when the Boilermakers dropped three in a row before sneaking past Penn State at home on Sunday.

Purdue played that game without Vincent Edwards—the 6'7" senior forward who is averaging 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists—because of an ankle injury. Without him, it meant Carsen Edwards had to carry the load, and the 6'1" sophomore guard did by scoring 27 points.

Purdue will need to get Vincent Edwards back to go deep in the NCAA tournament, since he is a matchup nightmare who can play down low or shoot from deep. He and Carsen Edwards have combined to score 20 or more points on 16 occasions in 15 different games.

Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson, Villanova

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Combined statistics: 36.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 7.0 APG, 52.2% FG, 41.8% 3-pt FG, 81.7% FT

Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson were freshmen guards on Villanova's national title team in 2015-16, with Brunson starting and Bridges coming off the bench. They only combined for six points in 37 minutes in the championship game, but the experience of being on that big stage should prove invaluable for them—and the Wildcats—during this year's NCAA tournament.

Now juniors, they have shown throughout this season they're capable of getting Villanova back to the Final Four and maybe winning another title. Look no further than how they performed Saturday in a 95-79 win at Xavier that put the Wildcats back in control of the Big East after they had lost two of their previous three games.

The 6'7" Bridges scored 25 points and was 10-of-15 from the field, hitting four three-pointers. The 6'3" Brunson tied a season high with eight assists along with 11 points. With fellow junior guard Phil Booth having missed the last seven games with a broken hand, Villanova's other veterans have shown they can fill the void.

Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura, Xavier

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Combined statistics: 32.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 5.6 APG, 46.4% FG, 41.3% 3-pt FG, 83.4% FT

Don't let Saturday's 16-point loss to Villanova, its first at home this season, distract you from the fact Xavier has one of the most dangerous guard duos in college basketball. Without those seniors, the Musketeers wouldn't have won nine in a row and ascended to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll, their highest ranking in school history.

The 6'6" Bluiett and 6'5" Macura have combined for 890 points in 2017-18 and 3,529 for their careers. That includes 183 points in nine NCAA tournament games over the previous three seasons. The duo led Xavier to the Elite Eight last year. 

Bluiett has 16 games of 20 or more points this season, four of those coming in February. Macura can put up big numbers on occasion, such as 27 points in a Jan. 20 win at Seton Hall, but his value is most felt through hustle plays and a propensity for getting under opponents' skin.

Statistics are courtesy of SportsReference.com and are through games of Sunday, Feb. 18. Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.