Cumulative nERD Score: +130.95

Newman was already having a strong tournament before going off in the Elite 8, but his 32-point effort against Duke helped him earn the top overall nERD score for any player left in the field. Against the Blue Devils, the sophomore guard had a 55.2% effective field goal percentage and shot 11-for-12 from the free throw line, and the combination of a 162.5 offensive rating and 27.9% usage rate helped translate to a 79.08 nERD score on Sunday.

The Mississippi State transfer was already hot before that game -- he had a +49.43 nERD rating against Seton Hall in the Round of 32 (28 points, 166.7 offensive rating). For the tournament as a whole, Newman is leading Kansas with 21.8 points per game while posting a 59.8% effective field goal percentage and shooting 20-for-22 from the free throw line.