Monthly Archives: March 2022

European stocks rose as all eyes are firmly focused on the Federal Reserve meeting later today the first in four years, where an interest rate hike is expected. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

European stocks pushed higher on Wednesday as investors awaited a widely anticipated decision by the US Federal Reserve on interest rate policy.

In London, the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) closed 1.6% higher on the day, while the CAC (^FCHI) gained 3.7% in Paris, and the Frankfurt DAX (^GDAXI) advanced 3.8%.

All eyes are firmly focused on the Federal Reserve meeting later today the first in four years, where an interest rate hike is expected, Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.

Should this fail to materialise, further volatility across European and the UK market should be expected. Its also worth keeping in mind the Russian invasion of Ukraine means the frequency and extent of rate rises may not be as high as previously predicted.

The positive mood also comes amid fresh signs that a negotiated deal to end the conflict in Ukraine may be a step closer. Sentiment was lifted as President Zelensky said peace talks are starting to "sound more realistic" while conceding that Ukraine will not join Nato.

Travel and leisure stocks, autos, and financials are leading the gains in Europe, with all major bourses in the green.

Meanwhile, traders will also be keeping their eyes on the prospect that Russia might default on a bond payment.

A $117m (90m) interest payment is due on a US dollar bond, which Russia has said it will pay in roubles this would start the clock ticking on a potential default. However, it will still have a 30-day grace period to make the coupon payments.

Read more: Bank of England set to raise interest rates for third time since pandemic

Across the pond, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) was 2.2% up at the time of the European close. The Dow Jones (^DJI) gained 0.9%.

On Tuesday, US markets managed to finish the session sharply higher, with the S&P 500 finishing ahead for the first time since last Wednesday.

Later in the session, the latest US retail sales report for February will be revealed. Expectations are for sales to rise by 0.4% in February.

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US retail sales saw a big rebound in January after a decline of 1.9% in December. January retail sales showed that, despite weak consumer confidence, spending rebounded at its fastest rate in 10 months, rising by 3.8%, well above expectations of 2%.

The biggest gains were in online sales, as well as furniture, autos and building materials.

Read more: What does the EU's backtrack on bitcoin mining ban mean for crypto investors?

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, with the Nikkei (^N225) climbing 1.6% in Japan, while the Hang Seng (^HSI) rocketed more than 9% in Hong Kong after plunging earlier in the week, and the Shanghai Composite (000001.SS) climbed 3.5%.

The rally came after Beijing pledged policies to boost financial markets and stimulate economic growth.

Chinese stocks had been hit by fears that the economy would suffer from renewed lockdowns and disruption to the electronics manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, further deterioration in the real estate sector amid bad debts, and the country potentially providing support to Russia in its war on Ukraine," Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

"These factors added to existing pressures around tighter regulatory interference on various sectors and whether Chinese companies should still be allowed to list their shares on overseas markets.

Now Beijing has vowed to introduce policies that benefit markets although the big unknown is still whether the country will side with Russia."

Watch: How does inflation affect interest rates

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European stocks climb as Fed to raise rates for first time since 2018 - Yahoo Finance

The Washington Commanders had a busy Wednesday afternoon. After appearing to lose running back J.D. McKissic to the Buffalo Bills, the Commanders reportedly offered him the same money he was getting in Buffalo and he decided to stay.

On the heels of that surprise came news that the Commanders had cut three players: left guard Ereck Flowers, safety Deshazor Everett, and defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, which saves them $19 million against the cap.

Ioannidis was not expecting to be released, and Alan Herman, Ioannidis' agent, wasn't expecting it either especially in light of a conversation Herman says he had with a team representative. Herman told the Associated Press that he and his fellow agent, Jared Fox, were lied to by Commanders senior VP of football administration Rob Rogers when they spoke to him during the NFL combine.

They looked us straight in the eye, Rob Rogers, and Rob basically said to Jared and myself: Absolutely not. We have no thoughts of releasing Matt Ioannidis, Herman told The Associated Press. We dont particularly care to be lied to to our face. I dont like when someone lies to my face.

They took him out of the free agent market now for two days. That puts us now at a disadvantage because other teams have paid other defensive linemen contracts, and (Ioannidis) hasnt been able to take advantage of that. Thats not the way you conduct business in the National Football League.

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Those are some spicy words to throw around, but it's likely a reflection of how he and Ioannidis feel. Ioannidis has been with the Commanders since they drafted him in 2016. He's been around long enough to see four different quarterbacks come and go, and he's played under two different head coaches and one interim head coach. Releasing players is part of the calculus of the game, but it's hard to blame Ioannidis for feeling some kind of way after having the script flipped on him like that.

But to be fair to the Commanders, the conversation between Herman, Fox, and Rogers happened before the team traded for quarterback Carson Wentz, who comes with a cap hit of over $28 million this season. That's a pretty significant chunk of cap space, and the surprise of being able to retain McKissic probably forced Washington's hand. Unfortunately for Ioannidis, conversations aren't contracts, and he's now looking for a new team for the 2022 season.

DT Matt Ioannidis was surprisingly released by the Commanders on Wednesday, and his agent was not happy about it. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

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DT Matt Ioannidis cut by Commanders, agent not happy after team 'lied to our face' - Yahoo Sports

A former Georgia wide receiver was arrested on Wednesday and charged with the 2021 murder of an Athens-area gas station attendant, the Oconee County Sheriffs Office announced, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ahkil Crumpton was arrested and charged after police said he shot and killed 23-year-old Elijah James Wood at a RaceTrac gas station early on March 19, 2021. Crumpton, a Philadelphia native who has been under investigation since last month, allegedly was dressed in all black with a face covering on when he killed Wood who was later found dead behind the counter by a customer.

Crumpton was arrested in Philadelphia after officials said they matched the shell casing from the gas station shooting to another crime scene in Philadelphia.

For the past year we have seen the pain, agony, and frustrations this murder has brought to Elijahs family, friends, and to our community, Sheriff James A. Hale said in a statement. We all know this arrest will not bring Elijah back, but we hope his family, friends, and this community can now begin the healing process. We also know that the fight is not over. We must now successfully prosecute the case in a court of law.

Crumpton played at Georgia for two seasons in 2017 and 2018, and had 10 receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown during that span.

We were stunned to learn that the suspect in this horrific crime is a former UGA student-athlete, the UGA Athletic Association said in a statement, via the Journal-Constitution. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to Elijah Woods family.

Ahkil Crumpton, who played two seasons at Georgia in 2017 and 2018, was arrested in Philadelphia on Wednesday. (Jamie Gilliam/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)

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Former Georgia WR arrested, charged with 2021 murder of gas station attendant - Yahoo Sports

Investors are starting to get very nervous about the market's near-term direction, and it shows in their actions.

"Russia/Ukraine drives fund manager cash levels to highest since April 2020 (COVID), global growth optimism to lowest since Jul08 (Lehman)," said Michael Hartnett, Bank of America chief investment strategist, in the latest survey of managers from the bank.

The details behind the report are ugly.

Hartnett notes growth expectations among fund managers is at a 14-year low. The majority of those surveyed expect inflation to be "permanent." As for risks, the Russia-Ukraine war is seen as the number one "tail risk" for markets followed closely by a global recession.

Amid these risks, fund managers took their allocation of cash to 5.9% from 5.3% in the prior month. This was the highest allocation to cash since March 2020.

"Cash levels are rececessionary," Hartnett points out. A rare bright spot is that investors haven't totally thrown in the towel on stocks.

"Investors remain overweight stocks, not underweight; equity allocations are not at 'recessionary' close-your-eyes-and-buy levels," Hartnett added.

Markets continue to reflect these multitude of concerns, however.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) and S&P 500 (^GSPC) are down by about 5% each so far in March, according to Yahoo Finance Plus data. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) is off 6.2% on the month.

Yahoo Finance's Jared Blikre reports the Dow and S&P 500 are in correction territory and the Nasdaq Composite is mired in a bear market.

From their respective record highs, the Dow is down by 11%, the S&P 500 is down 13.5% and the Nasdaq Composite has shed 22.5%.

"The bond markets is getting very concerned about the growth outlook and growth prospects. That being said, we are seeing nominal yields rise across the board. Not just in the United States, but across the G-7 economies in general which is telling you that I think a lot of traders are worried about persistently high inflation," said DoubleLine portfolio manager Bill Campbell on Yahoo Finance Live.

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Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Investors are beginning to hoard cash on recession fears: BofA - Yahoo Finance

With the NCAA men's tournament tipping off in earnest with a full slate of games on Thursday, we pulled together a roundtable to answer burning questions that'll help you fill out your Tourney Pick'em bracket. Here are our Cinderellas, dark horses, first No. 1s to fall, best first-round bets and Final Four/champion picks.

Frank Schwab: I somehow picked four SEC teams for our "Yahoo Bracket Now" show this week, and I might as well stick with it: Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee, with Auburn and future top-three NBA draft pick Jabari Smith carrying Auburn to the title over Kentucky.

Nick Bromberg: It just means more to Frank and I am meeting him halfway. Kentucky and Auburn are making the Final Four and will be joined by Gonzaga and Arizona. The latter two teams win their semifinal games and Gonzaga takes down Arizona in a close national championship game.

Sam Cooper: Ive got Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas Tech in the Final Four. Kentucky beats Texas Tech and Arizona takes care of Kansas in the Final Four. From there, Ive got Kentucky taking down Arizona in the title game. I like the way John Calipari has assembled this roster. After so many years of teams that rely on mainly freshmen, hes got just one in the starting lineup this year, TyTy Washington. Washington and Oscar Tshiebwe get the job done for BBN.

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Greg Brainos: Gonzaga, Kentucky, Tennessee and Kansas. In the final, Kansas falls to Kentucky in a battle of Midwest versus fake Midwest, Ashley Judd hires a brass band to march everyone from the Superdome to Bourbon Street, and the night ends with John Calipari and Drake singing karaoke in a dive bar.

Pete Truszkowski: Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas and Tennessee. I think this is the year Gonzaga finally gets it done. UCLA returns a lot of the team that went on that run last year and they had a double-digit lead over Arizona in the second half of the Pac-12 championship game. The Midwest region features a bunch of teams who could be described as frauds such as Providence and Wisconsin, so Kansas has a good path there. As for Tennessee, they might be the hottest team in the country right now.

Mark Drumheller: Gonzaga, Kentucky, Houston and Iowa make up my Final Four. Ultimately, Kentucky cuts down the nets. TyTy Washington, Kellan Grady and Oscar Tshiebwe give Kentucky the offensive versatility to score several different ways. That makes all the difference when trying to win six straight games against the best teams in the nation. They stumbled down the stretch, but with it will come together with their point guard healthy.

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 22: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to Oscar Tshiebwe #4 and Sahvir Wheeler #2 during the game against the Albany Great Danes at Rupp Arena on November 22, 2021 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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March Madness: Which teams will make the Final Four and who will win it all? - Yahoo Sports

As Japan begins to open its borders to foreign travel following a three-month restriction in response to the Omicron variant, Pacific airline companies are preparing to reap the benefits of increased travel activity to and from the East Asian nation.

We're gearing up in anticipation of the Japanese market, which is the most important international market for Hawaii opening up over the next couple of months, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram told Yahoo Finance Live in a recent interview. We're really monitoring that situation very closely. And that's going to dictate a big part of how our schedules look for the summer.

Travelers from Japan typically are the largest tourism group in Hawaii, according to Hawaii Public Radio. In 2019, Hawaii welcomed 1.5 million arrivals from Japan, The Hawaii Tourism Authority reported.

A surf board concession stand is closed on Waikiki Beach due to the business downturn caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. April 28, 2020. Picture taken April 28, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Garcia

The Japanese government announced that it would increase the limit on new arrivals from 5,000 to 7,000 each day and, beginning April 1, will raise the figure to 10,000. The worlds eleventh-most populous country has been a bit of an outlier in regards to international travel restrictions in the past few months, taking a more aggressive approach to limit potential coronavirus outbreaks.

I think there's the same potential for [increased demand] on the international side, as policy changes are put in place in places like Australia, which we've already seen, and then Japan and Korea, which are starting to relax some of their restrictions for transborder travel, Ingram said. And that positions us pretty well.

Visitors wearing protective face masks walk under decorations for the New Year at Nakamise street leading to Senso-ji temple at Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

In November, Japan shut its border to non-Japanese travelers in response to the outbreak of the Omicron variant. Even now, access to Japan from the U.S. is extremely limited. Travel for tourism is still not allowed in Japan.

We've seen a great recovery in terms of demand for domestic leisure travel and demand domestically for travel into Hawaii, Ingram said. [The recovery] was upset a little bit in the back part of the year with the Delta surge and then the Omicron surge at the end of the year. But as we've entered 2022, and we've come down from that peak in Omicron cases, demand is very strong and shaping up to be a good summer domestically.

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Ihsaan Fanusie is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @IFanusie.

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Hawaiian Airlines 'gearing up in anticipation of the Japanese market: CEO - Yahoo Finance

In this article, we will discuss some of the notable stocks getting crushed today. To take a look at some more stocks that are moving down, go to Why These 5 Stocks Are Getting Crushed on Wednesday.

Despite the S&P 500 Index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) Index, and the NASDAQ Composite Index all trading in the green, numerous notable stocks such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), and Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUY) are among the top decliners for the day.

Lets look at the reasons for the decline and how hedge funds are positioned in these stocks.

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10. NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ:NLOK) is down more than 10% as of 10:17 AM ET following updates that the Tempe, Arizona-based cybersecurity providers $8.6 billion acquisition of Avast has hit a roadblock. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it will take a deeper look into the proposed merger of the two entities before making a final decision. The CMA claims that the merger would reduce competition and would result in British consumers getting a worse deal for cybersecurity solutions. NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ:NLOK) has announced that it expects the deal to be completed by mid to end of this year, instead of the April 4 deadline shared previously. Of the 924 hedge funds in Insider Monkey's database, 36 funds reported owning a stake in NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ:NLOK) at the of Q4 2021, up from 34 in the preceding quarter.

9. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) has declined 6.5% as of 10:49 AM ET following the announcement by the Pentagon that it will request to buy 61 F-35s as opposed to the previously planned number of acquiring 94 Lockheed Martin Corporations (NYSE:LMT) stealth jets. Six F-35s are currently in action in the Eastern European region following the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. They are performing an air policing mission between Estonia and Romania. The F-35s are facing issues during flight following a hardware and software upgrade that has cost $14 billion. According to data compiled by Insider Monkey, 42 hedge funds have a holding in Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) as of Q4 2021, with a cumulative value of $976.1 million. D E Shaw is one of the leading investors in Lockheed Martin Corporations (NYSE:LMT) as of Q4 2021.

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8. Baker Hughes Company (NYSE:BKR) has tumbled over 4% as of 10:50 AM ET after crude oil prices continue to fall following the report by the Energy Information Agency (EIA), reflecting a build-up in crude oil reserves by 4.3 million barrels. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute (API) had estimated the inventory to grow by 1.87 million barrels during the same period. Crude oil prices have retracted significantly after reaching multi-year highs earlier this month as fresh concerns related to demand came out of China following an increase in COVID-19 cases and broader restrictions. Overall, 35 hedge funds held a stake in Baker Hughes Company (NYSE:BKR) at the end of Q4 2021.

7. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is down more than 4.9% as of 10:55 AM ET, following renewed hope for a breakthrough in peace talks. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that negotiations are becoming more realistic. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has shared that there is some hope for compromise. As of Q4 2021, 33 hedge funds held a position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) with a combined stake value of $561.4 million. Yacktman Asset Management is long over 400,000 shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) as of Q4 2021.

6. Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) has crashed by more than 7.3% as of 11:11 AM ET. The coal price is giving back some of its gains after the recent rise following the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is the third-largest exporter of coal in the world. Coal prices and the stock prices of coal-producing companies have risen significantly due to supply constraints. Australia was facing floods, which hampered its ability to export coal, while the Indonesian government also implemented an export ban in the recent past. However, the outlook of coal looks grim in the future due to its adverse impact on the environment. The front-month future of coal is trading at $303.35 per ton, down $32.80 per metric ton for the day. Of the 924 hedge funds in Insider Monkeys database, 28 held a stake in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) at the end of Q4 2021.

In addition to Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU), stocks such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), and Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUY) also reported a decline today.

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Why These 10 Stocks Are Getting Crushed on Wednesday - Yahoo Finance

The pandemic wreaked havoc on Hollywood's production pipeline but its lights, camera, action for moviemakers as COVID-19 restrictions ease and projects ramp back up again.

"We're back at pre-pandemic levels and going stronger and greater [than pre-COVID]," Hal Rosenbluth, president and CEO of Kaufman Astoria Studios, told Yahoo Finance during a recent interview.

Kaufman Astoria, which has produced high-profile films and television series from "The Irishman" to "Orange is the New Black" is an industry staple in New York City.

Rosenbluth said the company is currently "running upwards of 60 projects."

"We believe that the unions are at capacity, and we are constantly trying to grow facilities, as well as manpower," the executive added.

As other economic sectors, such as the restaurant industry, struggle to lure back workers amid the ongoing labor shortage, Rosenbluth doesn't believe that the film industry has lost a significant amount of its workforce due, in large part, to its fast-thinking pandemic response efforts.

"This was an industry that figured out a way to handle the pandemic in as positive of a fashion as possible [and took] the steps necessary to keep everybody safe."

"And it's proved, at least for New York, that we were one of the pillars of the economy as we were back in business. To do our business, you have to be here you're not doing it remotely, so we've seen everybody come back up, the union's go back up and running and I'm pretty sure they're all at pre-pandemic levels," he revealed.

New York, NY, USA - July 12, 2016: Kaufman Astoria Studios: The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a historic movie production studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens.

With productions now in overdrive aided by the streaming boom the availability of soundstages has been a primary concern as competition for viable filming spaces heats up.

Rosenbluth explained that New York City's desirable filming location has helped Kaufman Astoria, and other neighboring production studios, become "the flavor of the month" as investments pour into the space.

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"For our area in New York, it is a very positive thing to have a good balance of supply and demand, so most of the shows that what really want to be here in the New York metropolitan area have been able to find a home," he continued.

Hollywood's recent pivot to streaming has also helped "fill the [production] void" in between big blockbuster hits, Rosenbluth explained.

"For years, we were a very big mix of television shows and feature films. Over the last several years, we have been almost 100% television production, either for streaming or for network," he said.

Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Food Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193

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Film, TV production 'back at pre-pandemic levels,' aided by streaming: Studio CEO - Yahoo Finance

Several members of the University of the Southwest golf team, including the head coach, were killed on Tuesday night when a pickup truck collided with the team van on its way back from a competition in Texas.

Nine people eight members of the men's and women's golf team and their head coach Tyler James were aboard a passenger van traveling back to the USW campus in Hobbs, New Mexico, on Tuesday night. According to a preliminary report from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the van was driving northbound on a two-lane road in Andrews County when a Dodge 2500 pickup driving southbound veered into the other lane and collided with the van head on. Both vehicles eventually caught fire.

Six students and James were killed in the crash, according to Texas DPS, while two students were airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, and are in critical condition. The driver and passenger of the pickup truck were also killed.

USW released a statement about the crash on Wednesday morning.

The USW campus community is shocked and saddened today as we mourn the loss of members of our university family. Last night, the mens and womens golf teams were traveling back to campus from competition in Midland, Texas, when their bus was struck by oncoming traffic. Nine passengers, including the coach, were on the university bus involved in the fatal accident. While the accident investigation is still underway, reports indicate that seven passengers aboard the bus were killed in the crash. Two of the passengers are in critical condition undergoing medical treatment in Lubbock, Texas. USW is coordinating with Texas DPS to assist with the investigation and public information efforts. University administration is communicating with families of the students and coaching staff to provide more information as it becomes available.

USW counseling staff and the worship team will be available on campus today to provide support for students, faculty, and staff. Please keep the families of students, coaching staff, and the USW community in your prayers as we come together to support one another during this difficult time."

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Midland College athletic director Forrest Allen told KWES-TV that the Midland Golf Tournament, which the USW golf team had attended Tuesday, has been canceled.

"All of the players and their coaches from the participating schools met together early this morning, Allen said. We were all shocked to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with USW as they grieve this terrible loss. I have talked with USWs Athletic Director Steve Appel to let him know that all Midland College athletic team players and coaches are ready to help in any way during this time.

Midland College president, Dr. Steve Thomas, also released a statement.

We extend our condolences to the USW family, Thomas said via CBS7. This is a devastating loss to that school, and words cannot express how deeply hurt we feel for their loss. I have ordered the MC flag to fly at half-staff through Friday to honor the memories of Coach Tyler James and his team.

Six members of the Univeristy of the Southwest golf team, as well as their coach, died in a head-on collision on Tuesday night. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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Multiple members of University of the Southwest golf team killed in head-on collision - Yahoo Sports

The NCAA men's tournament is stacked with future NBA talent, with the draft's top three prospects Auburn's Jabari Smith, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paulo Banchero all playing for title contenders.

But not every impact player in the tournament is slated for the NBA lottery this year. There's a good chance more than one player from the list below makes headlines in the first weekend of tournament play and beyond. They could certainly improve their NBA draft prospects in the process.

A 6-9 junior forward who dominated the SEC, Oscar Tshiebwe has emerged from solid role player to Wooden Award favorite after transferring from West Virginia this season. He's the primary reason No. 2 seed Kentucky has better odds to win the national championship ahead of East region No. 1 seed Baylor.

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Tshiebwe gets the job done on both ends of the floor, averaging 17 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the floor. He doesn't shoot from outside, which contributes to his projection as a late first-round pick. But his game could certainly anchor a national championship run for the Wildcats. It was good enough to win SEC Player of the Year.

Oscar Tshiebwe, right, and Walker Kessler are both poised to make an impact on the NCAA tournament. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Freshman center Holmgren gets most of the hype of Gonzaga. And rightfully so he's a 7-footer who shoots 41.2% from 3-point distance and blocks 3.6 shots per game. But it's 6-foot-10 junior forward Drew Timme who earned WCC Player of the Year honors.

Timme was the leading scorer on last season's team that featured Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert and advanced to the national championship. With Suggs and Kispert gone to the NBA, Timme returned as the anchor for the Bulldogs. He's once again Gonzaga's scoring leader while averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. If Gonzaga wins its first national title, Timme will be a primary reason why.

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Another high-profile transfer, Walker Kessler has lived up to his five-star status since arriving at Auburn from North Carolina. Kessler flashed his two-way ability when given the chance in 8.8 minutes per game in a crowded UNC frontcourt last season. With a starting role at Auburn as a sophomore, Kessler was named first-team All SEC and a member of the league's All-Defensive team.

A 7-1 forward, Kessler averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and an astonishing 4.5 blocks per game. His 20.4% 3-point rate leaves plenty to be desired and helps to keep him out of the NBA lottery conversation. But paired with Smith, he's a big reason the Tigers enter the tournament as a No. 2 seed and legitimate title contenders.

A full-time starter since arriving in Chapel Hill in 2019, Bacot was a big reason Kessler struggled to find playing time as a freshman. As a junior, Bacot was named First-team All ACC and finished second in Player of the Year voting to Banchero.

Can Armando Bacot lead North Carolina to the NCAA tournament's second weekend? (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

A 6-10 junior center, Bacot averaged 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the Tar Heels. Lack of an outside game hurts his NBA prospects like other players on this list. But he's North Carolina's best and most consistent player. He came up big in the regular-season finale win over Duke, tallying 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field. If UNC advances to the second weekend as a No. 8 seed, Bacot will surely be a big reason why.

Johnny Juzang emerged as an unexpected star of last year's NCAA tournament run that saw No. 11 seed UCLA advance to the Final Four. He's not catching anyone by surprise this year. A 6-foot-6 junior guard, Juzang earned All-Pac 12 honors for a second straight season for a Bruins team that enters NCAA play as a No. 4 seed.

Juzang averages 16 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 36.2% on 4.3 3-point attempts per game. He's proven himself under NCAA tournament pressure before. There's no reason to think Juzang can't make an impact on the tournament for a second straight season.

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Five players poised to make an impact on the NCAA men's tournament - Yahoo Sports