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There is an adage in college basketball that point guard play determines success in the NCAA tournament.

Look no further than well-known playmakers on past champions this decade, including Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves, Duke's Jay Williams, Maryland's Steve Blake and North Carolina's Raymond Felton.

This season, however, the nation's strongest All-America candidates are big men or wing players, namely Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, Texas's Kevin Durant and Ohio State's Greg Oden. And many of the nation's top contenders this March will look for direction from point guards who generally have been overshadowed by more recognizable players.

Here are five big-program point guards who will have opportunities in the tournament to enhance their profile:

Taurean Green, Florida

Joakim Noah and Al Horford are the marquee names at Florida, but Green's ballhandling played an integral role in the Gators' run to last season's title. This season, Green leads the Gators in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game, and has had his biggest offensive performances in Florida's biggest games. He averaged 23 points in games against Kansas, Florida State and Ohio State.

Darren Collison, UCLA

UCLA actually may have improved by losing Jordan Farmar early to the NBA draft. Collison has more than filled the void, providing a burst of speed that Jordan Farmar did not possess. Collison, who averages 2.4 steals per game, is perfect for coach Ben Howland's defensive mind-set. It also helps that the sophomore distributes six assists per outing and shoots well; he made 59 percent of his shots in non-conference play.

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