2025 March Madness players to know before the tournament 

2025 March Madness players to know before the tournament 

March Madness is one of the best times of the year for sports fans. It is arguably the best tournament across all sports that brings the country together to watch schools of all sizes compete for basketball glory. One of the best parts of the NCAA Tournament is the players from smaller schools that become media darlings after incredible performances. Last year, NC State big man DJ Burns captured the hearts of many fans with his mix of power and finesse. Also, Oakland guard Jack Gohlke caught the attention of many as he went ballistic with 10 three-pointers to upset No. 3 seed Kentucky. Now, I will pick a few players that I think can become the 2025 March Madness fan favorites.

I think these few players are incredibly talented and if their teams can win I think college basketball fans will like to watch their stories unfold. These players will be from higher double-digit seeds because that’s what March Madness is all about. Here, is my list of three players that can shock the world and possibly lead their teams to amazing Cinderella runs.

Nique Clifford Colorado St Rams 12-Seed

I believe Nique Clifford is one of the best players in the tournament that not a lot of people know about. Clifford is a 6’6 senior guard who played three seasons at Colorado before transferring to Colorado State. He has been incredible this year averaging 19 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals. His numbers increased during the Mountain West Tournament which shows he is a player that is capable of raising his game when the lights are brightest.

Colorado State is one of the hottest teams in the country and they are playing their best basketball right heading into the tournament. Clifford can do everything on the court and with a couple of wins I think he can become one of the media darlings of the 2025 March Madness tournament. Also, there will be a lot of NBA eyes on Clifford as he tries to raise his stock on NBA draft boards.

John Poulakidas Yale Bulldogs 13-Seed

John Poulakidas is a bigger 6’6 guard who has had a breakout senior season for the Bulldogs. He has been a solid contributor for the past couple of seasons but now he is Yale’s go to scorer. Yale pulled off an upset last year over 4-Seed Auburn and I think they can do it again over 4-Seed Texas A&M this year. If the Bulldogs were able to go on a Cinderella run I think Poulakidas would gain a lot of fans across the country.

Poulakidas is an amazing scorer who averages 19.2 points on 45 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from the three. Yale plays a clean and efficient style of basketball and Poulakidas is their X factor. He is a talented shot-maker who can potentially lead Yale to huge upset wins. 

Bennett Stirtz Drake Bulldogs 11-Seed

Junior guard Bennett Stirtz is the catalyst for this Drake Bulldogs offense. The former Northwest Missouri State product has been amazing in his first year of Division 1 ball. He averaged 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season. Also, He scores the ball at a pretty efficient rate with 49/38/79 percent shooting splits.

However, scoring is not his only skill as he has great court vision. Stirtz excels at getting his teammates open looks, and he has extremely active hands-on defense, as he averages 2.2 steals per game. The Drake Bulldogs have a tough path as they face No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round and a possible matchup with No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the second round. However, if head coach Ben McCollum and Bennett Stirtz can carry Drake on a deep tourney run, I can see Stirtz becoming a fan favorite.

Fans never know what teams can capture the magic and make a Cinderella run. There are awesome stories and players on every tournament team. I chose these three skilled players because I think their teams have a chance of winning some games. Furthermore, these players have the potential to become the talk of the 2025 March Madness tournament.

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