ESPN: Five Players Who Could Be X Factors in March

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Five women's college basketball players who could be X factors in March

Some of the most underrated players on top-10 contenders could be the difference leading into the NCAA tournament.

www.espn.com

Mechelle Voepel: The five are: Kayla Jones, NC State; Natalie Chou, UCLA; Ciera Johnson, Texas A&M; Moon Ursin, Baylor and

Katie Benzan, Maryland
Ivy League followers knew what a smooth shooter Benzan was the past three seasons at Harvard, when she made 287 3-pointers. Now she leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (3.6) and 3-point percentage (43 of 85, 50.6).

When Benzan decided in the spring to play her final season elsewhere, she initially opted for Texas. But when Karen Aston was fired, Benzan changed her mind and picked Maryland. It was a great break for the Terps, who had lost leading 3-point shooter Taylor Mikesell, who transferred to Oregon.

Benzan is the third-leading scorer (15.3 PPG) for the No. 7 Terps (11-1), and is also averaging 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds. She has scored in double figures in all but one game for Maryland, which meets Ohio State on Monday (ESPN2/ESPN App, 7 p.m. ET).