Maple Madness: Six Canadians to Watch in this Year's March Madness Tournament

March Madness is back. Once again the annual tradition of filling out a tournament bracket while knowing full well it’s destined to bust within the first few games has taken over the internet—and we’re here for it. After last year’s tournament fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, college hoop fans can rejoice while spending the upcoming weeks ferociously jumping between countless concurrent games.

On the men’s side, 160 Canadians suited up for Division I NCAA schools this year and 25 of them have advanced to March Madness. We’ve narrowed those 25 players down to the six who you need to tune into over the next three weeks. And even when March Madness is over, there’s a chance you could see some of these guys suit up for Team Canada this June 29-July 4 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga (1)

Position: Guard
Hometown: Aurora, ON
Season Stat Line: 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game
Fast Fact: Andrew began playing basketball at the age of one when his father, Claude, bought him a Fisher-Price basketball hoop. He would join his first basketball team at age three.
First Game: Saturday, March 20, 6:20 pm, vs. TBD (winner of play-in game)

Eugene Omoruy, Oregon (7)

Position: Forward
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Season Stat Line: 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game
Fast Fact: Eugene was born near Benin City, Nigeria, before immigrating to Canada with his family as a one year old. He regularly visited Nigeria as a child and saw firsthand how poverty effected the region. This year for his birthday, he told his family to skip buying gifts for him, and instead donate money in his name to a non-profit working to eradicate poverty in and around Benin City.
First Game: Saturday, March 20, 6:57 pm, vs. VCU (10)

Chris Duarte, Oregon (7)

Position: Guard
Hometown: Montreal, QC / Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Season Stat Line: 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game
Fast Fact: After being born in Montreal, Chris moved to Dominican Republic with his family at a young age. He then played high school prep basketball in New York State before playing at the Junior College level where he the National Player of the Year Award. The very next season he was playing Division I ball at Oregon.
First Game: Saturday, March 20, 6:57 pm, vs. VCU (10)

Joshua Primo, Alabama (2)

Position: Guard
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Season Stat Line: 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game
Fast Fact: When Josh was just 16, he was invited to play with the Canadian National Team at the Under-19 World Cup in Greece, making him the youngest player on the team. He is currently projected as a second round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Josh is currently day-to-day with a knee injury but is expected back if Alabama can take care of business in the round of 64.
First Game: Saturday, March 20, 1:00 pm, vs. Iona (15)

Quincy Guerrier, Syracuse (11)

Position: Forward
Hometown: Montreal, QC
Season Stat Line: 14.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game
Fast Fact: Quincy had off-season surgery on his knee that forced him out of practice and training for eight weeks. What he could practice though, was his shot. Quincy worked on his jump shot while rehabbing his surgery and it paid dividends as he saw his points per game almost double this year.
First Game: Friday, March 19, 6:40 pm, vs. San Diego St. (6)

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Oklahoma State (4)

Position: Forward
Hometown: Vaughan, ON
Season Stat Line: 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game
Fast Fact: Matthew-Alexander has played alongside potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Cade Cunningham all season. In fact, Cunningham was a big reason why Matthew-Alexander chose Oklahoma State in the first place, "Cade is gone after his first year, we all know that, but he’s a great player and a guy that I really wanted to play with." Said Matthew-Alexander.
First Game: Friday, March 19, 3:25 pm, vs. Liberty (13)

Visit TSN for a full list of Canadian players playing in this year's Men's NCAA March Madness tournament.