10 Players Who Can Take Over the 2019 NCAA Tournament

Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Rounding out the elite of the elite on the 1 seed line, Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura is much more experienced than three names before him. A junior from Toyama, Japan, the 6'8" forward has now played a total of 98 games over the last three years, including nine -- count 'em, nine -- NCAA tournament appearances. Last year, Hachimura introduced himself to a degree, having scored 41 points with 14 rebounds and 6 blocks over the final two games of the Zags' mini-run.

In 2019, the big man has taken things a step further, placing his name among the final 10 up for the Naismith Trophy. Over 30.4 minutes a game, he is hitting 60.9% of his shots (46.9% from three) en route to 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks. Hachimura has distanced himself from a guy like teammate Brandon Clarke by using a team-high 27.7% usage rate, which has translated to 7.0 win shares.

Like Duke, Gonzaga will watch and wait to see which team they will face off with in the Round of 64. They play the winner of Fairleigh Dickinson and Prairie View in Utah, where they get things started Thursday night.