March Madness Sweet 16 Spotlight: Key Players Who Can Carry Their Teams to a Championship

Before the NCAA Tournament began, I wrote about the top players in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Six of those 10 players listed are still in the Sweet 16. All six of those players have the potential to carry their teams deep in the NCAA Tournament.

I'll talk about them below in this Sweet 16 spotlight for the top stars.

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Key Players Who Can Carry Their Teams to a Championship

1. Cooper Flagg (Duke Blue Devils)

College basketball's best freshman, Cooper Flagg, has scored nearly 19 points per game while adding 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He's also shot 48.8% from the field and has scored at least 14 points in each of the first NCAA Tournament games.

Flagg is playing after he sprained his ankle earlier in the ACC Tournament. Duke didn't need him against a weak ACC, but he will surely need him down the stretch in the NCAA Tournament.

He's the leading scorer on the best team in college basketball.

2. Johni Broome (Auburn Tigers)

Johni Broome is the opposite of Cooper Flagg. He's been in the league for five seasons. In addition, he started his career with Morehead State. After two seasons with Morehead State, he joined the Auburn Tigers, where he's enjoyed the same success against better competition.

Broome has scored 18.4 points and grabbed 10.7 rebounds per game this season. He's also shot over 50% from the field and has three assists per game.

Broome hasn't been much of a factor in Auburn's first two games. But we've seen him take over games before. He scored at least 23 points against Ole Miss and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. If Auburn wants to win this thing, Broome must be playing his best.

3. Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida Gators)

Walter Clayton Jr. has scored nearly 18 points per game this season. However, in the NCAA Tournament, Clayton Jr. has scored 23 points in back-to-back games.

Clayton nailed some extremely difficult threes to escape UConn over the weekend and ultimately pushed past the Huskies by himself.

He'll want to limit turnovers and earn more assists. But there's no question that he's a bonafide superstar with ice in his veins. He's clutch, and that'll help down the stretch.

4. JT Toppin (Texas Tech)

JT Toppin has added 18.1 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game, shooting 56.2% from the field in his first season with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Toppin performed well with New Mexico last season, scoring 12.4 points per game in his freshman year. But he's taken a huge leap with Texas Tech this season and has become one of the best players in college basketball.

Toppin and the Red Raiders are playing the lowest seed in the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, Arkansas won't be an easy challenge for Texas Tech.

Toppin will need to continue his dominance to help Texas Tech get by.

5. Tre Kaufman-Renn (Purdue Boilermakers)

When people discuss Purdue, they often acknowledge Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. But Tre Kaufman-Renn is the X-factor.

Kaufman-Renn scored more than 20 points per game this season. He also added 21+ in each of his first two NCAA Tournament games this year. He's shot nearly 60% from the floor and has totaled 6.5 rebounds per game.

That said, against McNeese State, Kaufman-Renn added 22 points and 15 rebounds to go along with eight foul shots. He's the X factor if Purdue wants to get past Houston and continue another monumental run.

6. Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee Volunteers)

Zakai Zeigler isn't going to put up massive point performances every game. However, he's earned 7.4 assists per game and is easily the best point guard remaining in the NCAA Tournament Field.

He's already got 18 assists in two games in the NCAA Tournament. He's also a senior leader with a voice. If Tennessee makes a run, it'll be because of what Zeigler brings to the table.

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