5 players with Bradenton ties aiming for NCAA basketball title when Sweet 16 begins

March Madness is in full swing.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is down to the Sweet 16, with action getting underway Thursday.

And some teams remaining have starters with connections to Manatee County.

Here’s a look at players with ties to Bradenton left in the tourney.

Alex Karaban

The 6-foot-8 power forward is a starter for the defending national champion UConn Huskies. Karaban was briefly in Bradenton. He played one semester for the Ascenders before transitioning to the powerhouse program.

Karaban is a redshirt sophomore originally from Southborough, Massachusetts. He won last year’s title with the Huskies, taking over starting duties in the second game of the season.

Karaban is averaging 10.5 points per game through two tournament games for the No. 1-seeded Huskies. UConn faces San Diego State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. It’s a rematch of last year’s national championship game.

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Shannon is a fifth-year starter for Illinois, which takes on Iowa State in an East Regional Sweet 16 game. The winner plays the winner of UConn-San Diego State in the Elite Eight on Saturday.

Shannon, who is from Chicago, played one year of prep school at IMG Academy. He’s been the catalyst for the Illini, scoring 28 points per game through two tournament wins.

But Shannon is facing rape and sexual battery allegations off the court stemming from a September incident in Lawrence, Kansas, according to multiple reports.

CBS Sports reported the charges were brought against Shannon in December, which led to Illinois suspending him indefinitely. Shannon only missed six games, returning after winning a lawsuit against the school for violating his civil rights with the suspension, the outlet reported.

His preliminary court hearing for the rape case is May 10.

Max Williams

A teammate of Shannon’s at Illinois, Williams also played at IMG Academy for one season. A senior, who has not seen many minutes, Williams has played three combined minutes during blowouts in the first two tournament rounds.

Armando Bacot

The Richmond, Virginia native is a fifth-year center as a graduate student for North Carolina. Bacot played his senior year of high school basketball at IMG Academy.

In two tournament games, Bacot is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game. UNC is a No. 1 seed in the West Region. The Tar Heels play No. 4-seeded Alabama in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

Zach Edey

The 7-foot-4 center is a Toronto, Canada native who played his senior high school season at IMG Academy. Edey is a starter for Purdue, who are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.

The Boilermakers play the region’s fifth seed, Gonzaga, in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

Edey is averaging 26.5 points and 17.5 rebounds per game through two tournament games.

How to watch March Madness games

For information on how to watch March Madness basketball games, visit www.NCAA.com.