What if Jalen Brunson enrolled at Temple? How might Appalachian State be perceived if Devonte Graham didn’t waver from his initial college commitment? Could Florida State be playing on Saturday if Udoka Azubuike accepted its scholarship invitation? In this week’s Evans Seven, we take a brief look at seven integral members of this year’s Final Four teams who could have changed the face of another program and, in turn, denied their current teams a chance at March stardom.

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The head of Villanova's snake, Brunson is on the cusp of national player of the year honors, thanks to his leadership and dominance at the lead guard position. A coach on the floor who doesn’t get too low or too high, Brunson’s pulse remains steady despite the circumstances that his team is facing, which shows some of Jay Wright’s impact on the Chicago native.

However, Wright never should have had the chance to coach Brunson, becasue Fran Dunphy was primed to mentor the All-American. Temple was set to hire Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach until attempted sexual assault and aggravated battery charges were pressed against the former NBA journeyman. Once Brunson’s employment at Temple was no longer possible, the odds of a marriage between Villanova and Jalen Brunson became greater. Temple is now struggling to find its footing in the American Athletic Conference, while Villanova can rightfully be perceived as the newest member of the blueblood gang.

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Playing on a very talented Garner Road travel program in the summer of 2012, Graham wasn’t a highly regarded college prospect. Lacking strength and explosiveness, Graham thought the best that he could get was a scholarship opportunity from Appalachian State. After committing to the program, Graham had a tremendous senior year at Garner Magnet High School and upon his breakout winter, decided to take another look at his recruitment. The acting head coach at the time, Jason Capel, denied Graham’s request to be released from his letter of intent.

Kansas ultimately landed Graham in the fall of 2014, but what if he had decided to remain loyal to Appalachian State? Capel may still have been fired, but could the Mountaineers have been the story of this year’s NCAA Tournament while riding the hot hand of Graham? Might Jim Fox be the up-and-coming head coach that high-major programs would be monitoring?

The recruitment of Azubuike didn’t match the talent or prestige of the four-star center in the 2016 class because many believed the physical intimidator would end up at Florida State. The Seminoles were heavily involved with Azubuike during his younger years, and his proximity to the Tallahassee campus did not hurt the Seminoles’ cause.

However, the longer the process went on, the better it looked for others to take a stab. Kansas’ persistence and ability to sell its development with its prior big men really stood out with the Nigerian center, allowing the Jayhawks to wrap Azubuike up.

Could Kansas be where it is now without Azubuike? Likely not. Could Florida State be playing in its first Final Four since 1972? FSU centers converted just one field goal against Michigan in the Elite Eight. Chances are strong that an Azubuike-led Florida State unit would have accounted for more than that, since he is on pace to finish the year with the second-best field goal percentage in NCAA history.

Outside of the success Chris Holtmann had in the early going at Ohio State, questions surfaced surrounding the point guard position. C.J. Jackson and Andrew Dakich masked some of their issues this season, as did Jae’Sean Tate, but what could have been if the prior staff would have, instead of prioritizing Cassius Winston, focused the majority of their attention on Simpson (who went by Xavier Simpson in high school)?

The former Rivals150 prospect ultimately decided to take a leap at Michigan’s offer to lead the program, but if the top in-state program had recruited him thoroughly, maybe the Buckeyes would have their answer at point guard. They now enter the offseason with a pressing hole to fill at the lead guard spot, while the Wolverines look set for the next two years as they boast one of the top defensive guards in America. John Beilein’s hiring of assistant coach Luke Yaklich has received a bevy of praise, but without Simpson in Ann Arbor, their top-five defensive efficiency numbers would have never been achieved.

When Mississippi State landed the services of the five-star guard in August of 2015, many believed that the top in-state prospect would lead the Bulldogs back to the NCAA Tournament and push the program to the top of the SEC. Instead, things went off the rails quickly in Starkville, as Newman struggled with his efficiency, making just 40 percent of his shots and MSU finishing the year at 14-17.

The Bulldogs are still looking in from the outside of the NCAA Tournament, while Newman has entered the Final Four as the hottest player in America. Since the beginning of the Big 12 Tournament, Newman has led Kansas in scoring in all but one of its contests. There was a reason why he was so heavily regarded, and he is proving that his move to Kansas and playing next to a quality playmaker in Devonte Graham was the right thing to do.

Without Newman, Kansas’ chances of defeating Duke in the Elite Eight would likely been non-existent, especially since the redshirt sophomore scored all of KU’s points in overtime.

Iowa State failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 this season. Questions remained at the point guard position until Steve Prohm placed Nick Weiler-Babb at the one, though injuries and a rocky start were too much to overcome.

Could things have been different if Custer would have stuck it out in Ames? A freshman on the 2015 ISU team that finished second in the Big 12 standings, Custer was unable to see the floor much, mustering just 1.1 points per game before making the move to Loyola-Chicago.

Everything else is history for the redshirt junior, as he has been the catalyst for the Ramblers' run to the Final Four. The impact that he may have had on Iowa State might not have been as profound compared to what he has done for the Missouri Valley program, but take Custer off Loyola and place him on Iowa State's roster and the Big 12 may have set a record for having the greatest percentage of its teams making the NCAA Tournament in one season.

Very few people in the United States knew much about Moritz Wagner when he became the lone member of Michigan’s 2015 recruiting class. College interest was minimal, and finding film of the German forward was difficult.

Give credit where it is due, however. After receiving a tip and doing the appropriate groundwork, John Beilein was able to woo the frontcourt mismatch that is Wagner to take the flight across the Atlantic Ocean and suit up for the Wolverines.

As good as Wagner has been from his sophomore year on (topped by his Big Ten Tournament MVP honors last month), the German forward had originally planned to sign a professional contract with Alba Berlin. How would he have developed in his native country competing against others much older than him compared to a more patient approach in Ann Arbor? Where would Michigan be without the ideal big man in Beilein’s offense, one who can rebound but also make over 39 percent of his perimeter attempts? Those questions do not have to be answered, as Wagner remains Michigan’s heartbeat this March.