If by some odd chance you haven't already heard about Adam Morrison, you're about to. (Source: AP)

Morrison enters the tournament as the leading scorer in the nation (28.4 PPG) and one of the most entertaining college players to watch. What makes Morrison so special is his innate ability to score in clutch situations, in key games and under heavy defensive pressure from opponents.  Morrison cemented his star status with his performance at the Maui Invitational tournament in November. Morrison scored 43 points including the game-winning free throws on Michigan St. in a triple OT marathon and instant ESPN classic game. Since then the legend of Morrison has continued to grow; he had five 40+ point games, thirteen 30+ point games and thirty 20+ point games. Simply put, he’s a natural competitor who thrives on the challenge and that’s perhaps part of the reason along, with his 3-pt shooting and skin colour, of why everyone draws comparisons to Larry Bird.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Morrison is that he accomplishes all this while playing through Type 1 Diabetes.  During games Morrison has to constantly monitor his blood sugar level. If the level is too low he grabs for a juice box or energy bar and if his level is too high he has to administer an insulin shot to the abdomen. He’s become a role model and poster child to diabetes sufferers.

As big as Morrison’s star has gotten this season his name cannot be brought up without the mention of J.J. Redick’s name following closely behind. Redick is the sweet shooting off-guard from Duke who battled Morrison all season long for the scoring lead and share of the national headlines. If you think there’s any kind of animosity between the two because of the media’s “Adam vs. J.J.” spin then you’re wrong. In fact, the two are friends who watch each other’s box scores, root the other one on, text message each other regularly during the season and play Halo 2 online together. As close as college basketball’s two best players are they are truly complete opposites, from their games to their appearance. Redick is a pure and unrelenting shooter who excels off screens and sets plays. Morrison is more of an improvisationist, who can switch gears by driving to the net or can set up outside and shoot unorthodox 3-pointers off the glass. Redick has shortly cropped hair and is clean shaven. Morrison has long locks and rocks the 8^th grade moustache look. Regardless of their style both are tremendous talents.

With the growing media attention and his ever increasing emergence as a national star Adam has been living the life of a rockstar this season and it's a role that's perfectly suited for him. He's already got the perfect namesake, he's got the long hair, he’s forced to use pseudonyms on the road just to elude autograph seekers, journalists who have sat down with him say he’s one of the best interviews out there and he's got celebrity fans in Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant and David Duchovny who attended one of his games against Pepperdine. During that Pepperdine game Morrison suffered a nosebleed and used some gauze to stop the bleeding. A fan with an entrepreneurial spirit retrieved the gauze after the game and posted it on Ebay where it drew several bids before Gonzaga forced the seller the pull the item off the block because it violated NCAA rules involving student athletes.

The frenzy and hype surrounding Morrison is certain to continue and pick up even more steam over the next few months. A successful NCCA tournament with Gonzaga will cement his status as a great player and will likely land him a top-3 position at the NBA Draft. And there’s the feather in his cap that will be realized this summer. Morrison received an invitation from USA Basketball to compete for one of 12 spots for August's FIBA World Championships in Japan. The selection is simply a testament to how close he is to succeeding on the pro level.