By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
March Madness is here! The 64 best NCAA teams and players are ready for the knock out games with the final stop being San Antonio, home of this season’s Final Four.
And with basketball becoming a global game, here are the ten best European players of the event. Remember their name, cause you will meet them again in their near future in the NBA, or back in the old continent since they belong to the top level!
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk – Ukraine
- Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Position: G
- Stats: 15.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG
- Age: 20
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is one of the best guards in the NCAA, playing for one of the best teams. Scoring 15.3 points per game while also shooting 44.3% from the field and a highly impressive 45.1% from beyond the arc, he currently is the 13th best overall three-pointer shooter in the country.
Behind Devonte’ Graham’s 17.6 points per game, Mykhailiuk is second in scoring on his team. The 20-year old Ukrainian is also averaging 34.2 minutes per game.
Kansas has a 27-7 record and it’s the number one seed in the MidWest region. Mykhailiuk together with Graham and Azubuike want to lead this squad to the final-four under head coach Bill Self.
*Kansas will face Penn in the first round of the bracket.
Killian Tillie – France
- Team: Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Position: F
- Stats: 13.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG
- Age: 20
Killian Tillie has had an impressive sophomore year with Gonzaga. The younger brother of French national team member Kim Tillie who currently plays in Greece for Olympiacos Piraeus, led the Bulldogs to the WWC Conference title while being the MVP. In the championship game, the 20-year old had 22 points (9/13 FG) in 32 minutes.
In the three games the team played in this small tournament, he made 13/14 three-pointers, showcasing his shooting abilities. For the season he has been averaging 13.4 points while shooting an incredible 50% from the three-point line and 59.3% from the field. The question is whether he can lead this team to the final-four together with Jonathan Williams and Josh Perkins.
*Gonzaga will face UNCG in the first round of the bracket.
Dusan Ristic – Serbia
- Team: Arizona Wildcats
- Position: C
- Stats: 12.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG
- Age: 22
Dusan Ristic has been one of the most important centers in the collegian level. He has been averaging 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while playing in one of the best teams in the nation, next to draft prospect Deandre Ayton. He is also shooting 56.1% from the field. In the Pac-12 Tournament, he was part of the All-Second team as he led his squad to back-to-back titles. Silently but effectively Ristic is having his best year and is improving every single season.
After all, a few weeks back Ristic became the player with the most wins ever in the Wildcats’ history. The 22-year old senior has his eyes set on the national championship, and he’ll do whatever he can to lead his team to a second national title.
*Arizona will face Buffalo in the first round of the bracket.
Moritz Wagner – Germany
- Team: Michigan Wolverines
- Position: F
- Stats: 14.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG
- Age: 20
One of the best rebounders in the nation, Moritz Wagner is having a great year, leading his Michigan team to a 28-7 record and the third seed in the West region. He is averaging 52.9% from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc. In the Big Ten tournament, he won the Most Valuable Player award. The 20-year old has been leading the Wolverines in points (14.5), rebounds (7.1) and blocks (0.6).
Back in 2014-15, Wagner played for Alba Berlin in Germany, and he also has won a gold medal with the Under-18 German team.
*Michigan will face Montana in the first round of the bracket.