Minnesota Timberwolves: 10 players to watch during March Madness
By Zach Lung
Coby White – North Carolina, PG
The North Carolina Tar Heels top the Midwest region as the No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season as the co-ACC champion alongside Virginia. Coming off a one-point loss against Duke in the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels will look to regroup around their trio of NBA prospects.
While senior Cameron Johnson is North Carolina’s leading scorer, the team’s title aspirations may live or die with the play of their up-and-coming guard, Coby White.
Coby White has continued to progress this season and enters the NCAA Tournament as North Carolina’s most important player. At 6-foot-5, White profiles as a true combo guard who can create his own shot and has shown improved playmaking skills throughout the season. While his play at times has been inconsistent, White has grown as a leader as the Tar Heels’ season has progressed. He is averaging 16.3 points and 4.2 assists per game this season and will look to gain national recognition with a solid performance in the tournament.
White has moved up draft boards in the recent months and seems like a lock to be a lottery pick in a draft that isn’t deep in point guards. The Timberwolves will likely be paying close attention to White’s performance during the tournament in assessing his overall skills, especially as they pertain to the point guard position.
All four of Minnesota’s point guarrds will be free agents this summer and the Timberwolves may draft Coby White if they believe he can fill that position at the next level.
Other players to watch for on North Carolina: Nassir Little, Cameron Johnson
Opening game: vs. Iona on Friday at 8:20 pm CT