March Madness All-Metro Teams: Top NYC-Area Players Shine in NCAA Tournament

The Post's Zach Braziller highlights the best performers from the New York City region in the 2026 NCAA Tournament

Mar. 17, 2026 at 1:58pm

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Three teams from the New York City area - St. John's, LIU, and Hofstra - have made the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and the region is well-represented among the top players in the Big Dance. The Post's Zach Braziller names his All-Metro First, Second, and Third Teams, featuring standouts like Arizona's Tobe Awaka, Wisconsin's Nick Boyd, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, and Kentucky's Otega Oweh.

Why it matters

The New York metropolitan area is a hotbed of basketball talent, and these All-Metro teams showcase the top players from the region who are making an impact in the NCAA Tournament. Their performances not only reflect well on their schools, but also highlight the depth and quality of players coming out of the NYC area.

The details

The All-Metro First Team is headlined by Arizona's Tobe Awaka, a former Cardinal Hayes star who is one of the premier glue guys in college basketball, as well as Wisconsin's Nick Boyd, a fifth-year senior who has emerged as a scoring machine for the Badgers. Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg and Kentucky's Otega Oweh round out the First Team, with Lendeborg being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Oweh serving as a do-it-all leader for the Wildcats. Hofstra's Preston Edmead, the CAA Freshman of the Year, also makes the First Team after hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to send the Pride to their first NCAA Tournament in 25 years.

  • The 2026 NCAA Tournament is currently underway.

The players

Tobe Awaka

A former Cardinal Hayes star, Awaka is one of the premier glue guys in college basketball, a ferocious rebounder and defender who notched career highs in points and rebounds this season for one of the top teams in the country, Arizona.

Nick Boyd

A fifth-year senior at Wisconsin, Boyd has made a superstar turn for the Badgers, emerging as a scoring machine and setting a program record with a 38-point performance in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Yaxel Lendeborg

Lendeborg's journey has taken him from junior college to UAB and now Michigan, where he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. The versatile forward is a two-way force and will be a consensus first-team All-American.

Otega Oweh

Kentucky's leader, Oweh closed the year strong after an inconsistent start. The Wildcats depend on the physical Oweh to do a little bit of everything, from scoring to distributing to defending.

Preston Edmead

The CAA Freshman of the Year made an immediate impact for Hofstra, and was instrumental in them reaching their first NCAA Tournament in 25 years, including hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in the CAA Tournament semifinals.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

The New York metropolitan area continues to be a hotbed of basketball talent, with players from the region making a major impact in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. These All-Metro teams showcase the depth and quality of the NYC-area players, who are helping their teams reach new heights on the national stage.