March Madness 2011 Predictions: 5 Returning Players Who Could Make a Difference

Thursday's NCAA tournament games will be hard to beat:

• Morehead State handing Louisville an early exit coupon.

• Princeton nearly taking down Kentucky.

• Butler winning on a last-second putback.

• Temple avoiding being put out by Penn State.

However, today's contests promise to be filled with great play and great players.

Here are five players who are—or could be—returning from injury and could make a difference as the rest of the field lays it on the line in Friday's March Madness action.

Will George Mason's Luke Hancock Be Hampered as the Patriots Face Villanova?

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 18: Luke Hancock #14 of the George Mason Patriots drives to the basket against Mouphtaou Yarou #13 of the Villanova Wildcats during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 18, 201

On Tuesday, George Mason forward Luke Hancock was wheeled off the practice court, the shoe removed from his left foot.

George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga reports that this shouldn't have any effect on Hancock's play against Villanova today.

The Patriots need the the 6'5" forward to bring his versatile game at full force.

Will Arizona's Kyle Fogg Be Back to Full Strength for the NCAA Tournament?

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 27: Kyle Fogg #21 of the Arizona Wildcats drives against the Kansas Jayhawks during the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational at The Orleans Arena November 27, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kansas won 87-79. (Photo by Ethan M

Arizona junior guard Kyle Fogg, who was limited and out of the starting lineup last week because of a quad strain, should be close to full strength as the Wildcats go up against No. 12 Memphis today.

Fogg has led the team in assists from his shooting guard position, and he is counted on to be a lockdown defender against the Tigers' talented backcourt.

How Effective Will Georgetown's Chris Wright Be Against VCU?

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Chris Wright #4 of the Georgetown Hoyas takes a jump shot during a college basketball against the Providence Friars on February 5, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas won 83-81. (Photo by Mitchell Layton

In a game against Cincinnati on Feb. 23, Chris Wright, the Georgetown point guard, broke his non-shooting hand.

In the last four games of the season, Georgetown went an ugly 0-4.

The Hoyas are a different team with Wright running the show.

Not only has he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game this season, Wright also leads the team in steals (41).

What kind of impact will this layoff have on him and the team?

If Wright comes back at full strength, Georgetown goes from being a question mark to an exclamation point.

If he does not, the game today could end up with the Hoyas wondering what could have been.

Will FSU's Chris Singleton Get on the Court Today Against Texas A&M?

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ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 27: Chris Singleton #31 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Old Spice Classic at Disney's Milk House on November 27, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Imag

As confident as Georgetown is about Chris Wright's return, Florida State is wondering whether or not Chris Singleton will be able to play today.

Singleton broke his foot in a game against Virginia on Feb. 12.

He had surgery two days later, and the Seminoles (21-10) have won three and lost three without their leading scorer (13.8 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg).

Even if he is only able to play at 50 to 75 percent, Singleton, last year's ACC Defensive Player of the Year, would help the Seminoles defend the Aggies' strong frontcourt players.

The difficult part about Singleton's injury is that it is his foot, which will affect how he runs, jumps and cuts—everything that he's known for.

Can Kyrie Irving Put Duke into the Championship Game?

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KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 22: Kyrie Irving #1 of the Duke Blue Devils in action during the CBE Classic game against the Marquette Golden Eagles on November 22, 2010 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Kyrie Irving's playing status may be one of the biggest questions going into this year's NCAA tournament.

If he can play anything close to what he did for the first eight games of Duke's season, the Blue Devils will not only be in the championship discussion—they may also move into being the favorites.

Before going down with a toe injury, Irving was beginning to make a case for not only freshman of the year awards, but also for the Naismith and Wooden awards.

At the time, Irving was leading the team in scoring and assists. Nolan Smith moved over to replace the freshman guard.

But Irving's full return would bolster the Blue Devils' offensive and defensive punch.

He is expected to play around 20 minutes in today's game against No. 16 Hampton.