Eight March Madness players to watch

Fierce allegiances, bracket frustration and appreciation for the game's fundamentals figure as key elements of our national obsession with the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

But the Big Dance is not just a collective experience for us - or for its players.

With the NBA draft just three months away, the tournament's best individual performers will be striving to make a star turn that not only helps their team advance, but raises their own prospects as well.

Here are eight players who are among the most likely to make your jaw drop over the course of the next three weeks: