MUNICH (Germany) — As the game of basketball becomes increasingly global, NCAA teams have followed a similar path, with international players taking on a more prominent role on college rosters.

With the biggest stage in men’s college basketball, the NCAA Tournament, just around the corner, the event is once again set to serve as a showcase for the future of European basketball.

In this article, we’ll highlight 10 European players you won’t want to miss in March Madness.

Christian Anderson (Germany)Guard

Birth Date: April 2, 2006 (19 years old)
Height: 1.88m (6ft 2in)
Team: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Anderson had already been an important piece for a Texas Tech squad that reached the Elite Eight last year, but the German guard took a leap in his sophomore season, developing into one of the top players in the college game. Anderson is averaging 18.9 points and 7.6 assists per game, a top-three mark in the NCAA, while also shooting 42.5 percent from three.

He’s an all-around offensive weapon who can run the offense, make plays for teammates, but also call his own number.

While their record doesn’t suggest they’re the dominant team of years prior, Texas Tech has beaten two number-one seeds this season: Arizona and Duke. They’re a dangerous team and Anderson, one of the top guards in the college game, is certainly one of the players to watch.

David Mirkovic (Montenegro)Forward

Birth Date: January 6, 2006 (20 years old)
Height: 2.05m (6ft 9in)
Team: Illinois Fighting Illini

In a league that can sometimes be difficult for young players to adapt to, especially those coming from overseas, Mirkovic has not only adjusted quickly but also become a difference-maker for one of the top teams in the NCAA in just his first season.

The 20-year-old has made an impact with his combination of size, touch and scoring versatility, which allows him to create his own shot both in the paint and from the perimeter. He’s also a prolific rebounder and has shown the passing vision to find teammates from the post.

Illinois has become the unofficial college team of the Adriatic, with four of their top eight players by minutes per game coming from the region. With freshman guard Keaton Wagler and Mirkovic as their main players, the Illini will look to prove that you can rely on freshmen to win big at the college level.

Mario Saint-Supery (Spain)Guard

Birth Date: April 14, 2006 (19 years old)
Height: 1.90m (6ft 3in)
Team: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Saint-Supery came into his first season in the NCAA after a 2024-25 campaign in which he saw extended minutes at two of the highest levels of competition in the world: the Spanish ACB and FIBA EuroBasket. It’s no wonder, then, that the Spanish guard adapted quickly and has made an impact for Gonzaga as a playmaker for others who can also hit three-pointers at a tremendous rate.

This season has been a return to form for Gonzaga. After bowing out in the NCAA Tournament’s second round for the first time in more than a decade, the Bulldogs have bounced back, heading into March Madness with a 30-3 record and a WCC title. After reaching the championship game twice over the last decade, the Bulldogs are a sneaky candidate to win it all.

Dame Sarr (Italy)Guard

Birth Date: June 04, 2006 (19 years old)
Height: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Team: Duke Blue Devils

While Sarr doesn’t have the individual stats of some of the other names on the list, he has excelled in a complementary role for the top team heading into March Madness, playing alongside some of the most talented players in college basketball, including potential first overall pick in the NBA Draft Cameron Boozer.

The Italian wing has made an impact with his perimeter defense, covering multiple positions and consistently creating turnovers and deflections. His offense has been a work in progress, but he has been able to contribute as a transition finisher, spot-up shooter and connective passer.

Duke will once again be one of the teams to watch in March Madness, and Sarr, albeit in a limited on-ball role, will be a key cog in the Blue Devils’ machine.

Motiejus Krivas (Lithuania)Center

Birth Date: October 30, 2004 (21 years old)
Height: 2.18m (7ft 2in)
Team: Arizona Wildcats

In his third year with the Wildcats, Krivas has had his best individual season, being named to the All-Big 12 First Team while also finding team success, with Arizona winning the conference title and heading into March Madness with a 32-2 record. The Lithuanian big has been dominant in the paint.

His massive 2.18m size makes him valuable on the defensive end of the floor with his rebounding and rim protection, but he’s also a plus on offense, contributing with his self-creation in the low post and his ability to crash the offensive glass.

Arizona has been knocking on the door for the better part of the last decade and a half, but their second-ever national championship has remained elusive. With Krivas as their anchor, and their best-ever regular season under their belt, this might just be their year.

Paulius Murauskas (Lithuania)Forward

Birth Date: February 13, 2004 (22 years old)
Height: 2.04m (6ft 8in)
Team: Saint Mary’s Gaels

Murauskas played sparingly as a freshman for Arizona before transferring to Saint Mary’s, where he has been named to the WCC All-Conference First Team in back-to-back years, improving both his productivity and efficiency with each passing season.

The Lithuanian forward is a jack-of-all-trades player who might not have an elite trait but is able to impact the game on multiple levels. He’s a prolific rebounder who can also put the ball on the floor to attack the basket, distribute the ball efficiently, and has improved as a three-point shooter, now converting 33.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

On paper, the seventh-seeded Gaels aren’t the first team that comes to mind when looking at the favorites to win it all, but they are a team that has contended in the WCC and reached the NCAA Tournament consistently. That experience could be a difference-maker in March Madness.

Aday Mara (Spain)Center

Birth Date: April 7, 2005 (20 years old)
Height: 2.20m (7ft 3in)
Team: Michigan Wolverines

After two years of ups and downs at UCLA, Mara transferred to Michigan, where he has been playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 67.4 percent from the field for a Wolverines squad that will enter March Madness as a number-one seed.

Mara has made an impact with his size, his touch around the basket and his ability to pass from the post, but what has made him extremely valuable has been his rim protection. The Spanish center was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, with his average of 2.6 blocks per game ranking third in the entire NCAA.

With a talented frontcourt trio that includes Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Mara, the Wolverines have enough size and talent to win their first title since 1989.

Henri Veesaar (Estonia)Forward

Birth Date: March 28, 2004 (21 years old)
Height: 2.08m (6ft 10in)
Team: North Carolina Tar Heels

Veesaar spent three years at Arizona before transferring to North Carolina, where he has exploded this season, averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The Estonian big possesses elite size, length and mobility, which allows him to make an impact in the areas we’d expect from someone his size: rebounding, finishing around the rim and blocking shots.

What makes him an intriguing prospect, however, is his much-improved three-point game, as he has converted 42 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Veesaar will attempt to lead the Tar Heels to their first title since 2017, but the team will have an uphill battle without projected top-five NBA Draft pick Caleb Wilson, who is out with a hand injury.

Thijs De Ridder (Belgium)Forward

Birth Date: January 31, 2003 (23 years old)
Height: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Team: Virginia Cavaliers

De Ridder had multiple years of professional experience before heading to college basketball, and it paid off with him quickly adapting to the college game. He established himself as Virginia’s top scorer and rebounder, leading the team to a 29-5 record.

The Belgian forward is a force in the paint with his ability to convert shots around the basket and dominate the glass, but he’s also shown an improved perimeter game, especially as a three-point shooter, converting 34 percent of his attempts.

At 23 years old, De Ridder’s experience has been one of the keys for Virginia in the first year of the Ryan Odom era, where the Cavaliers seem to be back to the dominance they regularly showed over the last decade and could return to glory in the Tournament.

Emanuel Sharp (Israel)Guard

Birth Date: March 7, 2004 (22 years old)
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Team: Houston Cougars

Sharp spent all four years of his college career at Houston, a program that has become synonymous with consistency in recent years. The Cougars have never lost more than eight games in a season while also making at least the Sweet 16 every year since 2019. The 22-year-old has been flawless in a complementary guard role, doing all the things that make life easier for his teammates.

He’s a sharpshooter who has converted over 300 three-pointers in his college career, and he’s a tenacious perimeter defender who can stay in front of opponents and make life difficult for opposing ball-handlers.

Houston reached the National Championship game last season, falling to Florida by just two points. This year, with Sharp’s experience complementing outstanding freshman Kingston Flemings, they will look to win it all for the first time ever.

Honorable mentions

The college game is becoming increasingly international. This year, nearly 100 European players will be on the rosters of teams that have qualified for the NCAA Tournament, which means it’s nearly impossible to compile a list without leaving some great players out.

Some of the toughest cuts on this list: Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic (Illinois), Rienk Mast (Nebraska), Matas Vokietaitis (Texas), Lazar Djokovic (VCU), Samet Yigitoglu (SMU), Owen Aquino (High Point), Yoav Berman (Queens), Christoph Tilly (Ohio St.), Sananda Fru (Louisville), Killyan Toure (Iowa St.), Ivan Kharchenkov (Arizona), Elliot Cadeau (Michigan) and Johann Grunloh (Virginia)

Expect all of them to make their mark, and be sure to follow them and their teams during March Madness.

FIBA