Canadians To Watch

The massive 7-footer has improved steadily over his first two seasons for the Sun Devils, demonstrating an ever-evolving offensive game. Heading into his junior season, the Calgary, AB native will be expected to carry more of an offensive load and appears capable of doing so, having averaged over 10 points and six rebounds over his last 13 games.

2012-13: Bachynski has continued his solid all-around play, providing a valuable defensive and rebounding presence for the 10-2 Sun Devils. His top performance this season included a triple-double against Cal State Northridge in which he blocked 12 shots.

One of the most skilled members of the 2012 NCAA class, the 6-foot-8, 230-pounder is expected to be an immediate contributor with the Running Rebels. A lottery pick hopeful for the 2013 NBA Draft, Bennett can score inside and out and is a solid rebounder with the potential to dominate at the college level.

2012-13: Bennett has only built on his tremendous start, more than living up to his billing as one of the nation's top recruits. He has become the unquestioned top threat on a talented UNLV squad and is easily among the top freshman performers thus far in the NCAA season.

Among the top big men in the 2011 class, Birch committed to Pittsburgh but decided to transfer after just 10 games. The former McDonald's All-American will play at UNLV in 2012-13, but is not eligible to suit up until the completion of the fall semester in late 2012 because of NCAA transfer guidelines.

2012-13: Birch has made a nice immediate impact in the paint since playing in his first game Dec. 17. He provides the Rebels with solid rebounding and shot blocking and finishes well at the rim. Alongside fellow talented big men Bennett and Mike Moser, Birch has the opportunity to thrive and re-establish himself as a potential NBA prospect.

The top-rated Canadian in his 2009 recruiting class, Cadougan has risen steadily into a significant contributor for one of the Big East's top teams. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder is effective as a traditional pass first point guard and as a senior will be relied upon for his leadership and game management skills.

2012-13: Cadougan has been steady all season for the Golden Eagles providing solid leadership and distributing the ball well. More often than not Cadougan makes the right pass and helps his teammates get good solid looks.

In his first season with the Bears, the Burlington, ON native established himself as one of college basketball's deadliest shooters setting a school record for three point percentage. His nine threes in the second round of the NCAA tournament placed him on the national stage and he will be counted on to grow into an expanded role in his second season.

2012-13: Heslip has yet to find his shooting touch this season and his scoring numbers have suffeered because of hit. If the Bears want to make apush int he tournament they need him to find his range.

Following his first season with the Longhorns, the talented guard had thoughts of declaring for the 2012 NBA Draft, but decided to return for his sophomore season. With the departure of backcourt mate J'Covan Brown, he will be relied upon to take the reigns for a young squad and with some refinements to his game has a chance to be a lottery pick.

2012-13: The NCAA finally handed down its ruling on Kabongo, suspending the guard a total of 23 games for accepting improper benefits from an agent and providing false statements to the NCAA. He will be eligible to return Feb. 13, hopefully with enough time to help the Longhorns make an NCAA Tournament push.

One of the top Canadian talents in the 2009 recruiting class, the 7-footer was forced to compete with a number of talented big men, including Robert Sacre for playing time in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. The Kamloops, BC-native decided to redshirt his junior year with the hope of assuming a leading role this season.

2012-13: Olynyk has become an integral part of coach Mark Few's lineup this season and the junior big-man is rewarding his coach with excellent production. He has failed to reach double digits in scoring only once this season as he has developed into a very efficient inside scorer.

Despite not being quite as heralded as his fellow 2011 Canadian recruit, Kabongo, Pangos was an immediate contributor in his freshman season, averaging over 31 minutes per game. He will again be relied upon heavily to lead one of the best teams in the nation and with continued improvements, could become one of the best guards in the country.

2012-13: Pangos leads the Bulldogs in minutes played this, indicating how valuable the Gonzaga coaching staff considers him to be. Despite his raw scoring numbers being down a bit this season he has actually been quite efficient. He has shot the ball paticularly well from three-point range where he is connecting on nearly 44% of his attempts.