Three teams from the New York City area are headed to the Big Dance — St. John’s, LIU and Hofstra — and there will be plenty of standout players from the region, too. Here’s a look at the best of the bunch:
All-Area March Madness First Team
Sr. F Tobe Awaka
(9.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG)
School: Arizona
Hometown: Hyde Park, NY
The former Cardinal Hayes star is one of the premier glue guys in the sport, a ferocious rebounder and defender who notched career highs in points and rebounds this season for one of the top teams in college basketball.
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Sr. G Nick Boyd
(20.6 PPG, 4.2 APG)
School: Wisconsin
Hometown: Garnerville, NY
A fifth-year senior, Boyd has made a superstar turn at Wisconsin, emerging as a scoring machine for the dangerous Badgers. His 38-point performance in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals set a program record.
Sr. F Yaxel Lendeborg
(14.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG)
School: Michigan
Hometown: Pennsauken, NJ
From junior college to UAB and now the Big Ten Player of the Year, the versatile Lendeborg’s journey could be taking him to the NBA next as a lottery pick. He’s a two-way force, and will be a consensus first-team All-American.
Sr. G Otega Oweh
(18.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
School: Kentucky
Hometown: Newark, NJ
Kentucky’s leader closed the year strong after an inconsistent start. The Wildcats depend on the physical Oweh to do a little bit of everything, from scoring to distributing to defending.
Fr. G Preston Edmead
(15.9 PPG, 5.4 APG)
School: Hofstra
Hometown: Deer Park, LI
The CAA Freshman of the Year made an immediate impact for the Pride, and was instrumental in them reaching their first NCAA Tournament in 25 years. His 3-pointer off the glass to win the CAA Tournament semifinals at the buzzer over Towson was a forever moment for the kid from Long Island.
All-Area Second Team
Jr. G Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
West Orange, NJ
10.2 PPG, 5.6 APG
So. G Boogie Fland, Florida
Bronx
11.6 PPG, 3.4 APG
Sr. G Bryce Harris, Howard
Brentwood, LI
17.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG
Sr. G Jamarques Lawence, Nebraska
Plainfield, NJ
9.7 PPG, 4.0 APG
Sr. G Jayden Pierre, TCU
Elizabeth, NJ
10.5 PPG, 2.7 APG
All-Area Third Team
Jr. F Mouhamed Dioubate, Kentucky
Queens
8.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG
So. G Ian Jackson, St. John’s
Bronx
9.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Sr. G Malachi Smith, Connecticut
Bronx
3.5 PPG, 2.7 APG
Jr. G DJ Wagner, Arkansas
Trenton, NJ
7.6 PPG, 2.4 APG
So. G Simeon Wilcher, Texas
Plainfield, NJ
6.2 PPG, 1.8 APG