Men's NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking the Top 20 Players in the Sweet 16

Which college basketball stars are left standing after a whirlwind first weekend of the 2023 men's NCAA tournament?

Ahead we'll count down the top 20 players who will be in action in the Sweet 16 as a means of resetting the landscape for another exciting wave of basketball starting Thursday.

The focus is current production, so NBA upside was not a factor in these rankings. For example, Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. has a bright pro future, but he is not a big enough factor in his team's success to earn a spot on this list.

Recent performance was weighted more heavily than anything else, though each player's full-season body of work was the foundation for their spot in the rankings.

Which star is No. 1?

20. Davonte Davis, Arkansas

An SEC All-Defensive team pick, Davis has been turning heads with his offensive game of late, tallying 16 points against Illinois in the first round before pouring in a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting in Saturday's upset of No. 1 seed Kansas. He has scored in double figures 19 times this year, and 15 of those have come since the beginning of January.

19. Amari Bailey, UCLA

A 5-star recruit and the No. 9 player in the 2022 class, Bailey averaged a modest 9.6 points during the regular season. However, his production has spiked since Jaylen Clark was lost for the year in the regular-season finale. In his last five games spanning the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments, Bailey is averaging 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists, and he has 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting in his two NCAA tournament games.

18. Matt Bradley, San Diego State

The offensive numbers don't jump off the page for Bradley, but that's more a product of the slow tempo that San Diego State plays with than anything. The 6'4" guard leads the Aztecs in scoring at 13.0 points per game, and he claimed first-team All-Mountain West honors for the second year in a row.

17. Jarace Walker, Houston

With a 6'8", 240-pound frame and the ability to drive, dish or pull up from three-point range, Walker is a tough matchup when everything is clicking. The freshman has dealt with some ups and downs this year, but he is one of the most physically gifted players in the country. He had just seven points on Saturday against Auburn but added 10 rebounds and six blocks to make his presence felt.

16. Julian Strawther, Gonzaga

Drew Timme is the focal point of the Gonzaga offense, but Strawther has been a terrific second option this year, averaging 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 42.3 percent from three-point range. He had 28 points against Grand Canyon in the first round and chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds on Sunday against TCU.

15. Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee

Vescovi is the leading scorer for a Volunteers team built on defense. He averages 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc, and he is tied for the team lead with 59 steals. The first-team All-SEC selection had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block against Duke on Saturday.

14. Ricky Council IV, Arkansas

On an Arkansas roster loaded with future NBA talent, Council has been the team's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game as he made a seamless transition from the AAC to the SEC after transferring from Wichita State. The 6'6" guard has 39 points through two NCAA tournament games, and he's done a fantastic job at the free-throw line, knocking down 21 of 23 from the charity stripe.

13. Tyger Campbell, UCLA

One of the best point guards in the country, Campbell is averaging 13.4 points and 4.9 assists with a 177-to-57 assist-to-turnover ratio. He had 10 assists against UNC Asheville in the first round and followed that with 12 points, seven assists and two steals against Northwestern on Saturday.

12. Jordan Hawkins, UConn

Since exploding for a season-high 31 points against St. John's on Jan. 15, Hawkins is averaging 16.9 points and shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Huskies offense runs through forward Adama Sanogo on the inside, but Hawkins has become a reliable secondary scoring option over the past few months.

11. Souley Boum, Xavier

After one season at San Francisco, a transfer year and then three seasons at UTEP, Boum is thriving as the go-to scorer at Xavier. The 6'3" guard is averaging 16.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and he has knocked down 78 threes at a 40.8 percent clip. He had 17 points against Kennesaw State in the first round and 14 points against Pitt as one of six players in double figures.

10. Marcus Carr, Texas

A first-team All-Big 12 selection, Carr is averaging 15.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, and he leads Texas with 62 steals. The Longhorns suffered five of their eight losses in games he scored fewer than 12 points, and he will continue to be the primary catalyst for their offensive attack.

9. Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State

After spending most of the past two seasons at Florida watching from the sidelines after he collapsed on the court during a game on Dec. 12, 2020, Johnson entered the transfer portal and joined Kansas State in an attempt to get his basketball career back on track. The 6'5" forward has done just that, averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as one of the biggest comeback stories in recent memory.

8. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

One of the most imposing interior players in college basketball, Kalkbrenner is averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and he won Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row. The 7'0", 235-pound center shoots 70.6 percent from the floor, and he had a season-high 31 points against NC State in the first round.

7. Isaiah Wong, Miami

Wong won ACC Player of the Year honors while averaging 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and he has improved from 30.2 to 38.7 percent from beyond the arc. The 6'3" guard had just five points on 1-of-10 shooting against Drake in the first round, but he bounced back with 27 points and eight rebounds against Indiana to lead the Hurricanes to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row.

6. Markquis Nowell, Kansas State

An undersized 5'7" guard who started his college career at Little Rock, Nowell has developed into one of the best guards in the country. Playing alongside fellow All-Big 12 pick Keyontae Johnson, he is averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, and he had 27 points and nine assists against Kentucky on Sunday.

2022-23 Stats: 34 G, 17.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 61.3 FG%, 30.5 PER

Adama Sanogo has steadily improved in his three years at UConn since joining the Huskies as a top-100 recruit during the 2020-21 season.

The 6'9", 240-pound forward averaged 14.8 points on 50.4 percent shooting last season, and he has upped his efficiency considerably this year with a 61.3 percent shooting percentage that ranks 16th in the nation.

He had 28 points and 13 rebounds on 13-of-17 shooting against Iona in the first round and followed that with 24 points on 11-of-16 attempts from the floor against a really good Saint Mary's defense.

2022-23 Stats: 36 G, 17.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 48.1 FG%, 25.5 PER

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was a secondary scoring option behind Johnny Juzang on the 2020-21 UCLA team that made a surprise run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed that started off in the First Four.

The 6'6", 220-pound forward is now the Bruins' leading scorer, and he had 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Northwestern in the second round to lead UCLA back to the Sweet 16.

He is averaging 20.6 points and 8.7 rebounds over his last 12 games, and he has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this year.

2022-23 Stats: 36 G, 19.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 44.1 FG%, 24.2 PER

Brandon Miller was the only freshman to earn a spot on the consensus All-American teams, claiming second-team honors after leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to the top overall seed.

The 6'9" forward was held scoreless in 19 minutes of action against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round, but he rebounded with 19 points against Maryland in the second round and he'll be counted on to keep producing.

B/R's NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman had him going No. 3 overall in his latest mock draft, behind only international star Victor Wembanyama and G League standout Scoot Henderson, so it's fair to call him the best pro prospect in the tournament field.

2022-23 Stats: 35 G, 21.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 62.1 FG%, 30.8 PER

Drew Timme has been one of the most consistent scorers in college basketball the past three seasons, averaging 19.0, 18.4 and 21.1 points per game after coming off the bench during his freshman season.

The 6'10" forward shined during the NCAA tournament last year, scoring 82 points in three games before Gonzaga was bounced from the tournament, and it has been more of the same this year.

He had 21 points against Grand Canyon in the first round and followed that with 28 points and eight rebounds on 12-of-21 shooting in an 84-81 victory over TCU on Sunday to lead Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 for the eighth straight tournament.

2022-23 Stats: 35 G, 16.9 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.8 RPG, 44.1 FG%, 25.5 PER

There's a strong case to be made that Marcus Sasser is the most important player in the country to his team's success.

The All-American guard suffered a groin injury against Cincinnati in the AAC tournament semifinals and watched from the sidelines during a 10-point loss to Memphis in the final that snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Houston Cougars.

He then reaggravated the injury in the first round against Northern Kentucky and didn't play in the second half, and the Norse managed to hang around in what was a five-point game with 3:36 left to play before Houston eventually pulled away.

The 6'1" senior was back to his usual productive self Saturday with 22 points in 31 minutes against Auburn, and he'll be counted on to lead the way as the Cougars push toward the Final Four.

All stats courtesy of Sports Reference. Recruit rankings via 247Sports' composite list.