Buddy is best, but Nova, UNC boast better depth

— -- It's fair to say any team that reaches the Final Four likely has a roster made up of outstanding players. Ranking which players are most outstanding within that group is, by definition, going to be difficult.

But I never shy away from a challenge. I crunched the numbers on players seeing regular minutes during four NCAA tournament games and discovered that Syracuse's  Tyler Lydon is now a shot-blocking beast, Oklahoma's  Khadeem Lattin just needs a friendly whistle (for a change), and Villanova's  Mikal Bridges deserves a cool defensive nickname like "The Glove."

Also  Buddy Hield is pretty good at basketball.

There are 30 players who will play in Houston who have averaged at least 10 minutes per game in the NCAA tournament. Here is how I would rank those outstanding performers ("If you ask me, they're all winners!") from Nos. 1 to 30:

1. Buddy Hield, Oklahoma: I'm not sure we've seen a Final Four team more reliant on a single player than Oklahoma is on Hield. If you're thinking "UConn with Kemba," or "UConn with Shabazz," keep thinking. Walker and Napier were the charismatic and high-possession leaders of teams that also had very strong secondary scorers (Jeremy Lamb and DeAndre Daniels, respectively) as well as dominant tournament defenses. And while Jordan Woodard in particular is having an excellent tournament for the Sooners, it's no slight against the team to point out that Hield is carrying an exceptionally heavy load on offense for a team that over the past four games has been good but by no means great on defense.

Conversely, if you're thinking this characterization sounds like a critique or even a forecast of doom for coach Lon Kruger's team, keep thinking -- again. Hield is (duh) the best player in Houston, not to mention the best player in college basketball, period. He destroyed a No. 1 seed in the regional final more or less single-handedly. There is not a doubt in my mind that Oklahoma is capable of winning the national championship in its current Hield-reliant configuration. He's that good.

2. Brice Johnson, North Carolina: If not for Hield's explosion, we would very likely be huddled in quiet awe around Johnson. In the tournament, the senior has converted 63 percent of his 2s as the primary scoring option for a top seed, and he has killed his team's past four opponents by getting to the line consistently and shooting 87 percent once he's there. Making due allowance for the competition he faces on the glass from his own teammates, Johnson might also be the best defensive rebounder in the Final Four.

3. Kris Jenkins, Villanova: This was a photo finish between Jenkins and one of his teammates for No. 3. I'll go with Jenkins, though, because it's really hard to say no to a guy making 77 percent of his tournament 2s. I'm also giving the junior full credit for flexibility. Despite shooting just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc against Kansas, Jenkins chipped in with a 6-of-6 performance at the line to go along with three assists and a steal.

4. Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova: Arcidiacono presents us with an intriguing case in which a player currently is as good as people previously said he was. When Arcidiacono won co-Big East Player of the Year honors for 2014-15, alongside Providence's Kris Dunn, let's just say that some analytic eyebrows were raised. Now those eyebrows are down -- Arcidiacono is on a trajectory that could end with him being named Most Outstanding Player in Houston. No player in this year's Final Four has been more deadly at such a high volume from the line (93 percent over the past four games). His 3s are falling, and he has committed just four turnovers in 207 tournament possessions.

5. Marcus Paige, North Carolina: Indiana fans are still seeing Paige splashing first-half 3s in their nightmares. The Tar Heels senior hasn't achieved similar results inside the arc during the tournament, but UNC's two-headed point guard look is definitely stressing already-thin opponents who are trying to keep UNC off the offensive glass.

6. Malachi Richardson, Syracuse: His season stats, or even just his four-game tournament numbers, don't show just how good Richardson feels about his game right now. In the second half of an Elite Eight game against what had previously been one of the nation's finest defenses, the freshman scored 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field (6-of-6 at the line) to go along with zero turnovers.

7. Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma: Hield's high-volume scoring has been made much easier in the tournament by Woodard's shooting 58 percent from 3. The junior has also recorded seven steals in 207 defensive possessions.

8. Josh Hart, Villanova: Hart is taking an even higher percentage (30.6) of Villanova's tournament shots during his minutes than Hield is for Oklahoma (29.8). The junior's 3s haven't been falling, but he has hit 56 percent of his 2s while contributing his fair share to the Wildcats' teamwide automatic shooting from the line.

9. Daniel Ochefu, Villanova: Ochefu has recorded significant increases in both playing time and workload in four tournament games. His most impressive outing was a 17-point performance on 7-of-11 shooting against a Miami defense that had previously shut down all comers on the interior.

10. Michael Gbinije, Syracuse: Meet your Cal Ripken Award winner for endurance: Gbinije edges out Hield for percentage of tournament minutes played. In addition to being durable, the erstwhile Duke Blue Devil has taken very good care of the ball while attempting far more shots than any Orange player. Most importantly, Gbinije has been able to remain active and disruptive on defense even as he averages just 90 seconds of rest per tournament game.

11. Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma: No player in the Final Four has dished more assists in the tournament than Cousins (21). Yes, that number gets a lift when a certain Buddy Hield is your teammate, but Cousins has dished those assists while also hitting 37 percent of his tournament 3s.

12. Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina: If Meeks played for any other team, he would probably smash every record for offensive rebounding. As it is, he has pulled down 20 percent of the Tar Heels' misses during the tournament. Keep in mind that's with Meeks having to compete with his rather estimable teammates for each offensive board.

13. Tyler Roberson, Syracuse: The Orange junior achieves what North Carolina does by committee. Roberson has pulled down a whopping 19 percent of Syracuse's missed shots during his tournament minutes. And you can look past that sub-60 season number for free throw accuracy. In the tournament, Roberson has gone 11-of-12 at the line.

14. Tyler Lydon, Syracuse: No player in Houston gives me more of a "just scratching the surface" sense than Lydon. Both in the tournament and throughout the season, coach Jim Boeheim has used him as a role player on offense. Yet there's every indication that Lydon can handle a far heavier workload, and the freshman is also the proud owner of the Final Four's best tournament block percentage.

15. Jalen Brunson, Villanova: Brunson's best game in the tournament was his 12-point, four-assist effort against Iowa. On the season, the freshman has functioned a bit like a second Arcidiacono. Both players are pass-first combo guards capable of hitting shots from either side of the arc. The future is bright in coach Jay Wright's backcourt.

16. Khadeem Lattin, Oklahoma: The only thing between Lattin and a big game might be fouls. In the tournament, he has been averaging nearly seven whistles per 40 minutes, but if the sophomore can stay on the floor, he has definitely proved he can score inside the arc and block shots.

17. Trevor Cooney, Syracuse: Cooney picked up four huge steals against Virginia, but for a guy who's shooting 47 percent on his 3s in the tournament, he's not, well, shooting enough 3s. Maybe part of that was good Cavaliers defense, but the senior needs to be more perimeter-oriented than one shot from beyond the arc in 11 field goal attempts.

18. Justin Jackson, North Carolina: Carolina has so many options on offense that a player like Jackson can shoot 46 percent on his 3s in the tournament and be a valued contributor instead of the hot hand. The sophomore has also dished out nine assists while giving the ball away just three times.

19. Mikal Bridges, Villanova: Bridges is a freshman who comes off the bench, but you wouldn't have guessed that from the way he played against Kansas. The lanky 6-foot-7 wing repeatedly disrupted the Jayhawks' offense, to the tune of four steals in 15 second-half minutes (and five in the game as a whole).

20. Joel Berry, North Carolina: Aside from a 2-of-3 showing against Indiana, Berry's 3s haven't yet fallen in tournament action. When they do (it's only a matter of time until he catches that accuracy fever from Paige), perhaps North Carolina will start beating opponents by 22 instead of these 16-point-or-so nail-biters we've seen from the Tar Heels over the past three games.

21. Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina: This is as high on this list as a reserve can possibly be after fouling out in seven minutes in a Sweet 16 game. Despite that outlier, Hicks has been a good source of interior points for UNC because, in percentage terms, he has been the team's best offensive rebounder in the tournament besides Meeks.

22. Ryan Spangler, Oklahoma: For the most part, Spangler has been quiet in the tournament (four points and six boards against Oregon in 35 minutes), but the senior's history suggests we'd be wrong to read too much into that small sample size. A 62 percent career 2-point shooter who cleans the defensive glass without fouling is always good to have around.

23. Theo Pinson, North Carolina: As he did during the regular season, Pinson has provided coach Roy Williams with defense and assists in the tournament. And while his five offensive rebounds might not sound like an impressive total over four games, seen in the context of a reserve playing limited minutes for a hot-shooting team, they are indeed noteworthy.

24. Nate Britt, North Carolina: Next season, when playing time might be more plentiful, Britt's evident knack for shot selection and defensive rebounding will serve him well.

25. Dajuan Coleman, Syracuse: Coleman is a starter whose minutes are limited by coach discretion, fatigue or both. That being said, when the senior is in the game, he is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive glass.

26. Christian James, Oklahoma: The 6-foot-4 reserve freshman had five boards apiece on the offensive and defensive ends in 26 minutes against the Ducks. This followed his 4-of-6 performance from beyond the arc against Texas A&M.

27. Phil Booth, Villanova:  At Villanova, the reserve who comes off the bench for 17 minutes per tournament game is an 81 percent free throw shooter for his career. Sending the Wildcats to the line is not a good idea.

28. Darryl Reynolds, Villanova: Reynolds has displayed a newfound and rather extreme ability to draw fouls and get to the line during the tournament. The junior has attempted 15 free throws in just 58 minutes.

29. Franklin Howard, Syracuse: Boeheim doesn't turn to his bench much, but Howard's defense has earned him double-digit minutes per game in the tournament. A freshman who does that at Syracuse with little to no responsibilities for scoring is likely to be heard from in the future.

30. Dante Buford, Oklahoma: Buford barely clears the minutes threshold for inclusion on this list, but his 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc in the round of 64 suggests Kruger could have one promising freshman on his hands.