Four former unranked prospects to follow in the NCAA tournament

The NCAA tournament field is set and the snubs and seeding will be discussed to the moon and back in in the coming days. What’s done is done, however, so Rivals chooses to focus on the players that could help shape the first weekend of the tournament when play gets under way.

Below, national analyst Rob Cassidy explores four former unranked prospects to watch during the sport’s most exciting four days.

More: Four former five-stars that will shape the NCAA tournament's first weekend

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First game: Friday against UConn

Blackmon never cracked the Rivals150 back in 2022, but did garner three stars next to his name based on his play for All-Ohio on the summer circuit. He had some passing interest from Indiana and others but never claimed a single high-major offer, ultimately signing with Stetson, where he has become a bona fide star.

These days, Blackmon ranks fourth in the country in scoring, having poured in an eye-popping 730 points for the Hatters this season. The junior guard is averaging 21.5 points per game and threw up a 43-spot in the Atlantic Sun championship.

Sure, his stay in the bracket will likely be short, as a first-round matchup with No. 1 overall seed UConn is less than ideal. Still, if Stetson is to pull off the largest upset in the history of the tournament, it will be on the back of the explosive Blackmon, who could captivate the country should the Hatters get frisky against the Huskies.

First game: Thursday against Saint Peter’s

The most pleasant surprise of the season, almost nobody saw Knecht’s emergence as All-American coming when he transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado. Originally a junior college prospect, Knecht’s first season as a Volunteer has been a revelation to say the least, as he averaged 21.4 points on his way to earning SEC Player of the Year honors, and outperformed even that mark in SEC play.

Knecht, who is shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range this season, is part of a Vols roster that profiles as a team capable of making a deep run. He also could continue to help his NBA Draft stock, which has been in the upswing all year. Knecht is listed as a top-five pick in most mock drafts after being on the fringes of the draft radar prior to the year. There are few stories in the country more compelling than that of the Knecht, who absolutely shines in the underdog-made-good role.

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First game: Friday against Western Kentucky

Kolek was so far off the radar when he signed with George Mason out of high school in 2020 that he didn’t even have a Rivals profile, let alone a star ranking. Some of that may have been due to the pandemic, but the Golden Eagles star has been an absolute steal nevertheless. He transferred to Marquette following a freshman season that saw him become the Atlantic 10’s Rookie of the Year.

These days, the overlooked Kolek is one of the sport’s biggest stars and is part of a Marquette team that could steal the show in the coming weeks. Kolek will likely be something close to 100 percent by the time Marquette tips off against Western Kentucky after missing the Big East Tournament with an abdominal injury.

He could become a truly household name when casual fans tune in for the tournament, as few players impact a game as completely as the 6-foot-3 Kolek, who is averaging 15 points, 7.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles.

First game: Thursday against Illinois

Not only was Minix unranked with no stars coming out of Florida’s Vero Beach High School in 2019, the 6-foot-9 forward originally landed at NAIA Southeastern before transferring to the Division-I level and landing at Morehead State prior to this season.

All Minix has done since arriving at Morehead is average a team-best 20.8 points per game, which ranks among the top 25 per-game scorers in the country, and lead the Eagles to an NCAA tournament berth. Morehead is a decided underdog to Illinois in its first-round matchup, but any possible upset will come at the hand of Minix, who never feels far away from a massive scoring surge. Minix could be the talk of the town if things go south for the Illini on Thursday.