Keisei Tominaga Absolutely Rules, Could Be the Star of March Madness

Like many of you, I am just now getting acquainted with the finer points of this year's selection of teams that make up the March Madness bracket. 'Tis the season for reading the 10,000 word ESPN and CBS breakdowns of the most likely Cinderella candidates and the sleepers who could become household names when the NBA Draft rolls around. It's also when we are exposed to the players who could become legends if their shots fall at the right time. And let me tell you, folks -- Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga is one of those players.

This is not news to B1G basketball enthusiasts but it is going to be news to the rest of the country. Nebraska is slated to take on Texas A&M in the eight/nine seed matchup in the South region on Friday. This highlight video is making the rounds today and it is only a taste of how freaking electric Tominaga is when he gets cooking.

Gaze in awe. Appreciate the greatness. Pray for glory for Nebraska. This kid has the juice. He's got a sweet release on his jumper and a little shimmy on his drives. More than that, it is evident from these clips that Tominaga is a walking bolt of lightning when he finds the bottom of the net. He possesses a showman's sense for the moment and knows just when to pull out a feral scream or a little finger wag. So much so that his act makes one nostalgic for Jimmer Fredette or Stephen Curry's legendary March games.

If you need more evidence than merely one Bleacher Report mixtape, here's Tominaga dropping 30 points on 70 percent shooting from the floor against Michigan earlier this month.

Nothing better than an athlete with showman qualities playing under a bright spotlight.

Plus, Tominaga has a fun underdog story. Japanese basketball players aren't terribly common at the D-1 level to start with. Tominaga started his career at a community college in Ranger, Texas before securing a transfer to Nebraska. He also starred for his home country of Japan in the first-ever three-on-three Olympic tournament in 2020 and already has a pretty solid track record in FIBA. That's a story we can get emotionally invested in a lot easier than guys who came up in the AAU circuit.

Nebraska could flame out in their first game on Friday night with Tominaga missing most of his shots and that is statistically the most likely outcome. But there is a chance that he becomes a legend and that's what this time of year is all about.

Keep an eye on this kid, is all I'm saying.