Five Kentuckians (and more) to watch in the 2022 NCAA Tournament
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Selection Sunday: Both UK teams headed to Indiana for NCAA Tournament
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The transfer portal has never been more significant in college basketball, and a review of the top players in the 2022 NCAA Tournament who have ties to the state of Kentucky backs this up.
Johnny Juzang, a former University of Kentucky guard, will be trying to make it back to the Final Four with UCLA. And Auburn, with Eastern Kentucky transfer Wendell Green playing a key role, will also be among the favorites to win it all.
Here’s a glance at the Kentuckians searching for “One Shining Moment” (or more) during this year’s March Madness:
Five to watch
Devin Askew, Texas: The 6-foot-3 sophomore point guard who transferred from Kentucky plays 15.0 minutes per game for the Longhorns (21-11). He averages 2.2 points, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He scored four points in nine minutes in the team’s loss to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. His season highs include nine points at Gonzaga, 26 minutes vs. Kansas State and four assists vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Adham Eleeda, Bryant: The 6-foot-5 senior guard, a transfer after two seasons at Northern Kentucky, is the team’s third-leading scorer at 10.3 points per game. He shoots 83.3% from the free-throw line for the Bulldogs, the Northeast Conference Tournament champions. He scored a season-high 26 points against Mount St. Mary’s.
Wendell Green, Auburn: The 5-foot-11 sophomore transfer from Eastern Kentucky averages 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals for the Tigers (27-5). Green was named first-team All-OVC for the 2020-21 season after averaging 15.8 points and 5.0 assists for EKU. Some of Green’s season highs are 23 points vs. Alabama, 10 rebounds vs. Murray State, 11 assists vs. Georgia and five steals at Mississippi State.
Tavin Lovan, UAB: The 6-foot-4 junior guard starred in high school at Franklin-Simpson before joining this year’s Conference USA Tournament champions. He is averaging 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. Lovan had 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the team’s tournament championship victory against Louisiana Tech. His father, Tony Lovan, and mother, Veronica Cook-Lovan, both played for Western Kentucky. Season highs for Lovan include 14 points at Rice, seven rebounds vs. Louisiana Tech, six assists vs. Texas San Antonio and five steals vs. Millsaps.
Johnny Juzang, UCLA: The Kentucky transfer, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, leads the Bruins (25-7) in scoring at 16.0 per game — the same as during the team’s run to the Final Four last season — while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection is shooting 36.2% from three-point range and 82.2% from the free-throw line. His season highs include 28 points at Utah, 10 rebounds at Arizona State and six assists vs. Colorado.
Through the field
Dontaie Allen, Kentucky: The 2019 Mr. Basketball winner from Pendleton County has averaged 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 22 games played. He scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win against North Florida in late November. Allen averaged 5.4 points and shot 39.7% from long range as a freshman.
Tyler Barnes, Alabama: A 6-foot-8 graduate student/forward from St. Xavier, Barnes has appeared in four games for the Crimson Tide (19-13) this season, averaging 1.8 points and 0.5 assists.
Brennan Canada, Kentucky: The former Clark County star, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, has played in nine games and has scored six points.
CJ Fredrick, Kentucky: The 6-foot-3 junior guard starred at and won a state title at Covington Catholic before playing at Iowa. He is sitting out this season while recovering from a knee injury during the preseason. With the Hawkeyes, he averaged 7.5 points in 2020-21 and 10.2 in 2019-20.
Trey Hicks, Longwood: The 6-foot-8 freshman forward out of South Oldham has played in 10 games for the Big South Conference Tournament champions. He has averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds for the Lancers (26-6), who will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Sekou Kalle, Akron: He’s a 6-foot-10 freshman and former DeSales standout. Kalle has averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in six games for the MAC Tournament champions.
Tre King, Iowa State: The former Lexington Christian and Eastern Kentucky star is sitting out this season. He was a first-team All-OVC selection before transferring initially to play for the Georgetown Hoyas, where he did not end up playing in a game before leaving for the Cyclones.
Zan Payne, Kentucky: The 6-foot-4 redshirt junior starred in high school in Lexington Catholic and is the son for former Louisville star and Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne. He has scored eight points in nine games played.
Cam Pope, Jacksonville State: The 6-foot-1 freshman out of Male has not played this season for the Gamecocks, who won the ASUN Conference regular-season title.
Justin Powell, Tennessee: A 6-foot-6 sophomore guard who transferred from Auburn, Powell starred in high school at North Oldham. He has averaged 3.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 29 games.
Jackson Sivills, Murray State: A 6-foot-6 freshman guard who starred at McCracken County, Sivills has played in 15 games with averages of 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 4.1 minutes for the OVC’s regular season and conference tournament champions. He played in 14 games in last season’s COVID-shortened campaign and averaged 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds.
Aiden Terry, Rutgers: The former Bullitt Central standout, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, joined the team initially as a preferred walk-on, but was surprised with a scholarship in January 2022. He has played in three games, totaling four rebounds and one assist.
Rod Thomas, Murray State: The 6-foot sophomore guard from Paducah Tilghman has averaged 0.9 points, 0.7 rebounds and 3.0 minutes in 15 games for the Racers (30-2). He had appeared in nine games in each of the previous two seasons.
Ben Varga, Virginia Tech: The 5-foot-10 freshman guard and former St. Xavier standout was recruited as a preferred walk-on for the ACC Tournament champions. He has totaled 16 minutes over nine games played and has scored three points. His father, Paul Varga, played tennis for the University of Kentucky.
Chris Vogt, Wisconsin: A transfer from Cincinnati (and Northern Kentucky before that), the former Graves County standout averages 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes as a reserve for the Badgers. The 7-foot senior center shoots 47.2% from the field.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 7:02 PM.
