2014 Bracket Busters Gallery

5-Cincy ousted by 12-Harvard

Craft of Wisconsin (2-seed) ousted by 8-seed UK (in a final4 matchup)

Cuse lose. 3-seed ousted by 11-Dayton

McDermotts. 3-seed Creighton bumped by 6-seed Baylor

Dukies dumped by 14-seed Mercer. Big Time.

Kansas falls to 10-seed Stanford in 2nd round. Boom.

Lequan Lewis and VCU ousted in 1st round by 12-seed SF Austin

Villanova dumped by eventual-champ UConn (7-seed over 2 in 2nd round)

14-seed Mercer takes down Duke in the 1st round

Dayton rejoices after beating Cuse (11 over 3 in 2nd round)

Harvard yo. 12-seed over 5 in 1st round

NDSU takes out another 5 (Oklahoma) in 1st

SFA upsets VCU

UK over Wichita State in the 2nd round

These guys are a group of players that I consider to be more focused than most players in the nation. The very top guy in this category is amongst the best in the nation statistically, and if you watch Calliste play, you can see such an effortlessness in the way he shoots; he truly makes it look easy. Calliste's 3-point shots look like free throws. You'll find with all these guys, there's a consistency in their technique, and a concentration level that is unsurpassed. I know there are other guys people like, but I believe what makes shooters great is consistency, and this year, these guys have been exceptional in that department.

Jason Calliste, Oregon Ducks. Not widely known, but Calliste nails over 50% of all the 3-pointers he shoots, which is #4 in the nation

Joseph Young. Can't have a conversation about shooters without mentioning Young. 41% from downtown, 19 ppg. The Ducks do have the best rotation of guards in the nation... 6 guys average better than 16 minutes a night, and I don't know any 2 guards for any team that shoot with better percentages combined than Young and Calliste

Travis Bader. 6-5 shooter from Oakland. He shoots 40% from downtown and averages 20 ppg. Bader has more attempts and more 3-point shots made than anyone in the history of Division I basketball (he broke J.J. Redick's record of 3-pointers made just this year). Confidence.

Nik Stauskas. Player of the Year in the Big 10. At season's start, everyone discussed how far Michigan could advance with Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson leading the way. But its been Nik Stauskas (and even Caris LeVert) who have done most the leading. Nik averages 17 ppg and shoots 45% from downtown. Many times I've seen him side-step and shoot really quickly, very reminiscent of Reggie Miller (look at the release point and form).

C.J. Wilcox. Great shooter for Washington. 18 ppg and 45% from floor.

Ethan Wragge, Forward. When people think of Creighton, they think of McDermott, but Wragge's the man from downtown. 92% of his shots are outside the arc and 47% of them go down. 6-7/225 Senior.

Brady Heslip, Baylor guard. Last year he was a bit down (below 40%). This year he's at 47%, and was clutch through 2 rounds of the NCAA tourney.

Roberto Nelson's Beavers didn't make the field, but Roberto was godsend, averaging 20ppg while shooting 40% from downtown. #beastmode

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Clutch

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You could consider many of these guys great shooters and place them in the category above, but I put them here because they're maybe not as consistent, possibly make more mistakes, take more risks, but in a pinch, they can nail some big time shots without a worry in the world. That makes these guys primetime performers, clutch, and if I were a GM, they're (sometimes) guys I want playing for me.

Russ Smith, Louisville. His nickname is Russdiculous and it was Coach Pitino who coined the term. Russ is either the hero or scapegoat, but this guy is fearless. Multiple times I've seen him bang down clutch shots with guys in his face. It just doesn't matter. This short video is his game-winning shot vs Cincinnati.

Tyler Ennis. The Freshman from Syracuse came into this season with high expectations (but not as pumped up as other Freshmen) and he delivered. As the season progressed, he emerged as one of the premier primetime performers at crunchtime. This picture was his game-winning shot vs Pitt. I'd say he's been more clutch than any other Freshman this year. Ennis plays beyond his years, and shows the kind of poise down the stretch of ball games that teams will want in the NBA.

Traevon Jackson. The lefty looks just like his Father Jimmy Jackson, and he plays in the Big 10 (just like Dad did) at Wisconsin. Trae is widely regarded as a clutch performer; he's knocked out countless opponents with buzzer-beater shots.

T.J. Warren. He's not a deep threat, but he is the ACC Player of the Year and one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. He averaged 25 ppg (#3 in the nation), and pretty much single-handedly got NC State into The Big Dance. The last time he had under 20 points in a game was back in January and in back-to-back games in March he had 41 and 42. Stylin'.

Marcus Paige. He's been the heart and soul of North Carolina all season long. Whenever he throws it up, I expect nothing but net. Swiss. No, Swish. I mean when the ball goes through hoop, swiss.

Nick Johnson. The Pac-12 Player of the Year took his game to another level this year. Inside or out, he was primetime. He's got the 360 jam perfected. It's too bad they didn't have Brandon Ashley vs Wisconsin (in the Elite 8)... this year's team had the makings of a champion. Everyone but Mayes are underclassmen, so if they all return, they'll probably be the #1 overall seed.

Scottie, beam me up. With all the studs and future NBA players in the SEC, Scottie Wilbekin emerged as conference Player of the Year. Not the best shooter, but quite possibly the best all-around guard in the nation when factoring in what he does on both ends of the court. At crunchtime, you can count on this guy to either get a steal, setup a teammate, or knock down a clutch shot.