The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, more commonly known as March Madness, will see a number of African collegiate athletes, many of whom are legitimate NBA prospects, competing for top honours over the next three weeks.
The field of 68 teams is set, with tipoff for the first game on Tuesday 13 March, and the teams will be eliminated one at a time until the national championship game on 2 April, and a new champion (or defending, if North Carolina have anything to say about it) is crowned.
Here are six African players to keep an eye on this month, and possibly beyond to the NBA draft.
First Four play-in games
Paschal Chukwu (Syracuse - Nigeria)
In his second season for the Syracuse Orange after transferring from Providence University, the Nigerian centre is putting up a little over five points per game while pulling down an average of seven rebounds in his 27 minutes per game.
The ability to alter shots is where Chukwu, a junior, excels as he was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in blocked shots per game. Syracuse [20-13] need to defeat Arizona State on Wednesday in order to advance to the field of 64, where they would get to play the [21-11] Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs.
The Tournament
Mohamed Bamba (Texas - Ivory Coast)
Another member of the unofficial association of collegiate African forwards and centers, Mo Bamba is one of the more highly touted players in college basketball and will more than likely be playing in his final game (or games) for the University of Texas during the tournament.
Bamba, with a 7'9" wingspan on his 7 foot frame, is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA draft and scouts will be watching him intently. His ability to step out to the three point line as well as alter shots on the inside saw him finishing the season averaging 13 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.
Bamba and his Longhorn teammates will have to navigate a matchup against the 7th seeded University of Nevada on Friday.
Udoka Azubuike (Kansas - Nigeria)
Entering his sophomore year at Kansas after missing out on the majority of his freshman season with a wrist injury, the 7'0" Nigerian quickly made up for lost time.
Azubuike dominated the Big 12 with 13.7 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he missed out on the Big 12 tournament after spraining a knee in practice.
Nonetheless, the Jayhawks [27-7] marched on to the tournament title and now, armed with a #1 seed, will be taking on Penn [24-8] on Thursday in a 1 vs 16 matchup in which Azubuike is expected to be healthy enough to play.
Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky - Senegal)
One of the more intriguing players on the college scene this year, Diallo flirted with the NBA draft last year but, at the last minute, decided to attend Kentucky. After a somewhat rocky season, the Wildcats [24-10] finished strong to win the SEC championship and secure a #5 seed in the tournament.
Next up for Diallo and Kentucky (before the uber athletic freshman likely opts for the NBA draft in the summer) will be 12th-seed Davidson in a Wildcats vs Wildcats matchup.
Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky - South Sudan)
The sophomore from South Sudan has gone from strength to strength during the season and with his ability to knock down the open three when playing the center position, Kentucky are a dangerous team.
Gabriel averaged 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the season but came alive in the SEC tournament, especially in the Wildcats' semi-final win over Alabama in which he shot 7-7 from three point range and tied his career high with 23 points.
A second-round game against #4 seed Arizona appears likely but the Wildcats would be wise not to overlook Davidson on Thursday.
Sagaba Konate (West Virginia - Mali)
Bamako-born Konate has been a steady presence for the West Virginia University Mountaineers all season. The sophomore forward averaged nearly 11 points, 7 rebounds, and more importantly 3.3 blocks per game during the season.
Konate's athleticism and length on the interior gave WVU opponents trouble numerous times throughout the season. The 24-10 WVU team received are seeded 5th in the tournament and will take the court on Friday against the 12th seeded Murray State University [26-5].