Hello again! Meet the players who return to the NCAA tournament this time for new teams. – Chicago Tribune

A year after Terrence Edwards and Chucky Hepburn played against each other at the NCAA tournament, they experience March Madness again as teammates at a completely different school.

This is College basketball in the time of the transfer portal.

Edwards scored a team high of 14 points last year to help a James Madison team with the twelfth seed to upset the Hepburn Wisconsin squad in the first round 72-61. Both players left their respective schools to Louisville in the low season, where the new coach Pat Kelsey overtook the squad after a terrible season in which they went 8-24.

You are now the two leading goal scorers of a team in Louisville, which has achieved the school’s first NCAA tournament since 2019. The Cardinals (27-7) face each other on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, Creighton (24-10).

Edwards, a 6-foot 6-swingman, was the Sun Belt Conference player of the year last season at James Madison. He pursued his 14-point performance against Wisconsin by scoring 13 points at a loss of the second round against Duke. This season he achieved an average of 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists for Louisville.

Hepburn, a three-year starter in Wisconsin, was an Associated Press All-ACC selection this season. The 6-2 Senior Guard has 16.2 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Edwards and Hepburn will try to transfer what they have learned from their former March Madness experiences in their former schools. Edwards said that the associated operations lead to more physical play.

Column: Is it okay to hate Duke? 3 urgent questions about this year’s NCAA tournament.

“You have seniors out there like me, who are left in both directions in both directions – our team, their team,” said Edwards. “Guys don’t want their college career to end because it is so much fun playing in such an atmosphere. Everyone will be at stake, and in March everything can happen.”

There are many other players in this year’s NCAA tournament, who were here last year, only with various schools.

Jakobe Coles, F, Grand Canyon (TCU)

Opening game: Friday against Maryland in Seattle

Coles is an all-western Athletic Conference player of the first team, who was selected as the most outstanding player of the conference tournament. The 6-8 senior played five NCAA tournament games in the last three seasons. Last year he scored 19 points on the 88-72 defeat of the TCU against Utah State. This season he has 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (Florida Atlantic)

Opening game: Thursday against UC San Diego in Denver

Goldin, who is 7-foot-1, scored an average of 7.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in the NCAA tournament during the 2023 Final Four Run from Florida Atlantic. He had 19 points and nine rebound in the loss of overtime of the OWLs against the northwest last year. He followed the former Fau coach Dusty May to Michigan and achieved an average of 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds this season. Goldin received the first team from the league’s media and was a selection of the second team from the coaches of the league and the Associated Press. Other players from this Fau Final Four team from 2023 in the NCAA tournament with new teams are Nick Boyd in the state of San Diego, Alijah Martin von Arkansas, Arkansas.

Tyrese Hunter, G, Memphis (Texas)

Opening game: Friday against Colorado State in Seattle

Hunter is in the tournament for a third team after he had reached Sweet 16 with Iowa State in 2022 and reached a regional final with Texas in 2023. He was back in Texas last year when the Longhorns lost in the round of 32. The 6-foot senior has 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season.

Zeke Mayo, G, Kansas (State of South Dakota)

Opening game: Thursday against Arkansas in Providence, Rhode Island

Mayo was in his third and last season in the state of South Dakota last year when he collected 19 points and four templates in an 82-65 NCAA tournament in the first round against the state of Iowa. He also scored 11 points in a 66: 57 defeat in the first round against Providence in 2022. The 6: 4 senior was an all-Big 12 selection of the third team from the league coaches this season. He achieves an average of 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3 assists.

Mark Mitchell, G/F, Missouri (Herzog)

Opening game: Thursday against Drake in Wichita, Kansas

Mitchell was a starter at Duke of the last two seasons. After a knee problem played in a round of 32 defeats against Tennessee in 2023, Mitchell played four NCAA tournament games for Duke and an average of 6.3 points last season. He has 14.3 points and 4.7 templates per game for Missouri this season. He was an AP All-Southeastern Conference selection of the second team. Mitchell injured his right knee at the South Heasters’ tournament, but will probably be available this week.

Jt Toppin, F, Texas Tech (New Mexico)

Opening game: Thursday against UNC Wilmington in Wichita, Kansas

Big 12 trainers selected Toppin as a conference player of the year for his performance in his debut season at Texas Tech. The 6-9 Sophomore had six points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in the 77: 56 defeat in New Mexico against Clemson last season. Toppin achieved an average of 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds for Texas Tech, while he shot 54.8% from the ground.