Atlanta Hawks: 14 Players to Watch in 2019 NCAA Tournament

P.J. Washington

The Kentucky Wildcats are the 2 seed in a loaded Midwest region that features North Carolina in at the 1 line. The Wildcats were defeated by conference rival Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, but Kentucky seemed fairly unimpressed with Tennessee throughout the matchup.

Kentucky is playing with gusto since getting eviscerated by Duke in the first game of the regular season in the Champions Classic. This Kentucky team is deep and seasoned, as graduate transfer Reid Travis gives them a bit more depth and experience than the usually freshman-heavy Kentucky has had in years prior.

For Atlanta Hawks fans, P.J. Washington is a completely dominating force who took over the team’s last game against Tennessee and almost single-handedly willed them to a victory. Look for him to be a mid-to-late lottery pick that might shoot up draft boards if he dominates in the tournament behind his pugnacious playing style.

Bruno Fernando

Maryland are not the most popular team in the field in this NCAA Tournament, as many bracketologists seem comfortable picking either of the play-in game’s winner (Temple or Belmont) to defeat Maryland.

However, the Terrapins do boast one of the best big men prospects in the tournament with Bruno Fernando, a massive 6-foot-10 center with a 7-foot-4¼ wingspan that allows him to affect lots of shots at the rim.

A great rebounder and opportunistic scorer, Atlanta Hawks enthusiasts should keep on eye on the Terps for Fernando alone.