5 potential breakout stars of the 2025 NCAA Tournament

As the NCAA Tournament approaches, there will be plenty of told about the top players in college basketball. Auburn’s Johni Broome and Duke’s Cooper Flagg both had excellent seasons, helping each of their teams secure earn 1-seeds.

However, every year, there are always players who step up in the NCAA Tournament, sometimes from off the beaten path, who captivate the audience. While it is impossible to predict exactly who will shine, there are signs of players who could step up when the lights are the brightest.

Let’s discuss players who might not be in the spotlight heading into March Madness, but have each had memorable seasons of their own. Here are five breakout candidates for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

F Nique Clifford, Colorado State

2024-25 Stats: 19.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 50.7% FG, 39.8% 3P

Nique Clifford showed up this offseason on NBA Draft boards, but he opted to come back to Colorado State after a 1st-Round NCAA Tournament appearance last season. In the 2024 year, Clifford earned 1st-Team All-Mountain West honors as well as Mountain West All-Defense. Clifford is a state sheet stuffer who can finish plays on offense while also initiating the play many possessions. The 6-foot-5 forward also guards the opposing team’s best perimeter defender while switching down to gather deflections and rebounds. He shot 41.7 percent from three in league play.

Colorado State finished 16-4 in the Mountain West this season earning a 12-seed in the West Region. Clifford will play Memphis in the first round.

G Silas Demary, Georgia

2024-25 Stats: 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, 37.6% 3P

Silas Demary saved his best basketball for Georgia’s stretch run. Over the last two months of the season, the 6-foot-5 point guard averaged 17.5 points with a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. When it comes to winning time, Demary has a propensity to step up. Demary is a big-bodied lead guard, and while the aesthetic of his game might not catch the eye, the winning nature of what he does certainly will. He is a high-level perimeter defender, able to guard on or off the ball with equal disruption. This year, he shot the ball consistently well, knocking down 37.6 percent of his threes (5.7 attempts) in SEC play and 80.0 of his free throws. In this industry, you have basketball players and you have hoopers. Demary is a hooper.

Georgia finished the season 20-12 earning a 9-seed in the Midwest Region. The Bulldogs will play Gonzaga in the first round.

G PJ Haggerty, Memphis

2024-25 Stats: 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds. 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 48.4% FG, 38.4% 3P

PJ Haggerty was a top 75 recruit via On3 in the 2022 high school class and was a top 15 via On3 in the Transfer Portal this off-season. So I am not sure if he technically qualifies in this breakout category for those who have been reading On3 for a while. However, the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard still seems to ball under the radar in most college basketball conversations. Haggerty’s 21.8 points per game is third in D-I basketball this season and his 270 free-throw attempts led the AAC. He is adept at touching the paint and puts a relentless amount of pressure on the rim. Haggerty improved his shooting by almost 10 percentage points this season, knocking down 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts. He has been one of college basketball’s best, and most consistent scorers this entire season.

Memphis finished 16-2 in AAC play and earned a 5-seed in the West Region. The Tigers will play Colorado State in the first round.

G Jase Richardson, Michigan State

2024-25 Stats: 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds. 1.9 assists, 51.2% FG, 41.2% 3P

Jase Richardson was a top-50 recruit and is the son of Michigan State national champion Jason Richardson. So within the Spartan faithful, Richardson is not an unknown commodity. However, Michigan State made a late run in the Big Ten that coincided with the 6-foot-2 freshman being put into the starting lineup and his being given the keys to the car. Richardson started the final 11 games of the season, and the Spartans won nine of those games, including wins over NCAA Tournament teams Oregon (x2), Illinois, Purdue, Michigan (x2), Maryland, and Wisconsin. In those 11 starts, Richardson averaged 17.3 points while shooting 42.3 percent from three. He gave the Spartans a jolt of electricity for the home stretch and it will be interesting to watch if he can continue that into, and through the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State finished 17-3 in the Big Ten earning a 2-seed in the South Region. The Spartans will play Bryant in the first round.

G Max Shulga, VCU

2024-25 Stats: 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 38.6% 3P

Max Shulga earned A10 Player of the Year honors this season after being the best player on the best team in the league. The 6-foot-4 guard led the league in win shares and box plus/minus. Shulga is a quick processor on the ball, able to create an offensive advantage in the half-court while also moving the ball. He is a career 39.2 percent three-point shooter on 3.7 attempts per game. While the numbers might not be entirely eye-popping, his effect on the game is hard to ignore.

VCU finished 15-3 in the A10 earning an 11-seed in the East Region. The Rams will play BYU in the first round.