COLUMBUS, Ohio -- And just like that, it’s time for the NCAA Tournament. The bracket has been released, so let’s see which of our Columbus athletes can make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Nick Muszynski (St. Charles/Belmont) - Belmont and Muszynski were rightfully given an at-large bid to the tournament. Now, they have to capitalize. For Belmont, it’ll be interesting to see if Nick can play. He sprained his ankle in the semifinals against Austin Peay, but most signs point to him playing this week. Temple is a guard-oriented team which could mean a big day for the freshman on Tuesday. If they were to win, they’d play Maryland and Bruno Fernando. That would be a great matchup with Nick’s play clearly being the potential X-factor. Another win would mean LSU and Naz Reid/Kavell Bigby-Williams/Emmitt Williams or Yale and Miye Oni. All of those guys are tremendous athletes with NBA aspirations. Regardless, if Belmont wants to make a deep run, they are going to need big games from Muszynski against some future NBA prospects.

Nick Ward (Gahanna/Michigan State) - Ward being back for Michigan State this week was huge. He only averaged around 10 minutes per game, but his presence was huge for the team. Now, like Muszynski, it’ll be interesting to see how many minutes he gets this week. Sparty should have no problem getting by Bradley on Thursday, but the Saturday game should be one of the best of the weekend. Michigan State lost in overtime to Louisville earlier this year, and Ward only had 14 and 3 with 4 turnovers in 27 minutes. He was solid defensively. He was huge against Minnesota though going for 22 and 9 while holding Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu to a combined 17 points in a 24-point win. There really seems to be something special about this Michigan State team this season.

Sterling Manley (Pickerington Central/North Carolina) - Manley, like Ward and Muszynski, is also battling back from injury. He’s only been getting a minute or two per game, but him returning could be beneficial for the tournament. Friday against Iona would be huge for Manley to find his sea legs. Iona is a smaller, guard-oriented team, and if North Carolina can get out to a big lead they can play Manley a lot more than they have been. Sunday will be the big one. Washington runs the patent 2-3 zone, but they also have to big guys in Noah Dickerson and Nahziah Carter than Manley can maybe bang with for a few minutes. Utah State has a very good big guy in Neemias Queta. I like North Carolina to make a deep run, and the play of Manley could be another reason why they go on that deep run.

Northern Kentucky - Congrats to both Jalen Tate and Adrian Nelson who will be playing in the tournament this week after their big Horizon League championship. Northern Kentucky actually has a chance to win a game or two this week, and the play of Tate especially will be the reason why if they do. The Norse have Texas Tech first on Friday. Tate will be matched up with Jarrett Culver. Culver is a potential top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, so how Tate handles him could decide the outcome of that game. If they do pull off the upset, they’ll be matched up with either Buffalo, Arizona State or St. John’s. All 3 teams are led by their guards, Buffalo with CJ Massinburg/Jeremy Harris, State with Lugentz Dort/Remy Martin and St. John’s with Shamorie Ponds/Mustapha Heron/LJ Figueroa. If the Norse are going to be Cinderella, Jalen Tate has to be fantastic.

Ohio State - The common theme of today’s article seems to be players returning, and that’s once again the case here with Kaleb Wesson returning. He was huge against Indiana to get the Buckeyes into the tournament, and now him and Andre have to be big this week if they want to make a run. Their first-round game against Iowa State is going to be a tough one. Kaleb has to be a beast against Michael Jacobson and Cameron Lard, and there is no 2 ways around it. Andre has a tough task as well. He’s going to more than likely guard Talen Horton-Tucker, a guy who could be a first round pick, and that should be a fantastic matchup. A win would mean a game against either Houston or Georgia State, both teams that really rely on their guards. So, for the Buckeyes, the key will be keeping Kaleb out of foul trouble so he can dominate and the X-factor will be the defense of Andre against some elite guards.

Javon Bess (Gahanna/Saint Louis) - Even though it didn’t show this year, Saint Louis was the most talented team in the Atlantic 10. Now, they’ll get their chance to show that in the NCAA Tournament. Javon Bess was fantastic all weekend, scoring in double-figures in all four games to help the Billikens clinch a berth. His play this week will have to be huge if they want to win a few games. Their first game will be against Virginia Tech late Friday evening. Bess will probably be matched up with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a future NBA guard. He’s been fantastic this season, so Bess will have to come ready to play especially on the defensive end. A win would pit them against Mississippi State or Liberty. The Bulldogs top three scorers are all guards, and Liberty has a highly-talented wing in Caleb Homesley. Either way, Bess will have two tough matchups if Saint Louis can advance, so expect some big games from him.

Khalil Iverson (Delaware Hayes/Wisconsin) - Finally, we have the guy who may be playing the best out of any Columbus-based athlete in the tournament, senior Khalil Iverson. He’s been huge the last eight games of the season, averaging right around 13 points and 7 rebounds per game. The Badgers have a tough first-round game against an uber-hot Oregon team. Iverson will have the pleasure of guarding Louis King or Paul White, both of which played extremely well in the Pac 12 tournament. A win means a game against Kansas State or UC Irvine. Iverson will have another touch matchup if Kansas State wins because he’ll probably guard Xavier Sneed. UC Irvine is extremely balanced. This pod has four teams that win with defense. Wisconsin having a guy in Iverson who’s been able to go and get his own basket lately is the reason Wisconsin could make it to the Sweet 16.