Detroit Regional's top players pose tough task for TCU basketball

Eight teams in the Detroit Regional begin play Friday morning at Little Caesars Arena.

Six-seeded TCU (21-11) opens against No. 11 Arizona State or Syracuse at 8:40 p.m. It's the last first round game of the day.

The Horned Frogs didn't earn a six seed and their first NCAA tournament berth in 20 years without several star players. Seniors Kenrich Williams and Vladimir Brodziansky earned All-Big 12 honors and guard Alex Robinson stepped up after Jaylen Fisher went down with a season-ending injury in early January.

Here's a look at some of the top players to watch from the other seven teams competing in the Detroit Regional:

Jaren Jackson Jr., Fr., F/C, Michigan State

The 6-foot-11 junior is averaging 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds despite averaging just 22 minutes a game. . The former Big 10 freshman of the year is likely to be a top 10 NBA draft pick.

Miles Bridges, Soph., F, Michigan State

Bridges (6-foot-7) averages 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists and is shooting 37 percent from 3-point range. Bridges is likely to go in the top 20 of the NBA draft.

Carsen Edwards, Soph., G, Purdue

The Atascocita High School (northeast of Houston) is averaging over 18 points a game for a Boilermakers team with four players scoring more than 12 points a game. He's shooting 46 percent from the field, including 41 percent from the 3-point arc.

Isaac Haas, Sr., C, Purdue

The 7-foot-2, 290-pound post looms large in the paint despite playing just 23 minutes a game. He's improved his scoring and rebounding each season and is averaging 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a senior. He has 124 blocks in his career, including 46 this season. He's shooting 62 percent from the field.

Kyle Allman, Jr., G, Cal State Fullerton

The junior is averaging 19.4 points and 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game. He led the Titans with 26 points in their Big West Tournament title game and was named the tournament's MVP.

Jaylen Barford, Sr., G, Arkansas

He leads the Razorbacks with 18 points a game and is shooting 47 percent from the field, including 43 percent from 3-point range. He helped lead Arkansas to the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Kelan Martin, Sr., F, Butler

He's one of two seniors on the roster and leads the Bulldogs with 20.8 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. He's one of three unanimous selections to the All-Big East team and is the first Butler player to win a league scoring title in 31 years.

Zach Thomas, Sr., F, Bucknell

The 6-foot-7 forward led the Patriot League with 20.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as the Bison won the regular season and conference tournament titles.

DETROIT REGIONAL

(At Little Caesars Arena)

East Region

No. 2 Purdue (28-6) vs. No. 15 Cal State-Fullerton (20-11), 12:40 p.m. Friday

No. 7 Arkansas (20-9) vs. No. 10 Butler (20-13), approx. 3:10 p.m. Friday

Midwest Region

No. 3 Michigan State (29-4) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (25-9), 6 p.m. Friday

No. 6 TCU (21-11) vs. No. 11 Arizona State or Syracuse, 8:40 p.m. Friday

This story was originally published March 14, 2018 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Detroit Regional's top players pose tough task for TCU basketball."