Results may vary

THEY SCORE, but they're never the primary option. They defend, but their jobs extend beyond locking down a top scorer. They start, but they don't star. Meet the guys commonly referred to as X-factors: players whose performance is often a bellwether of their team's success. These X's exhibit great degrees of variance, blowing up in wins and falling apart in losses. And for a six-pack of top NCAA tourney teams, a deep run may ultimately hinge on whichever version of their X shows up over the next few weeks.

To read about how x-factors could determine their teams' tourney runs, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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Jordan Brenner | email

ESPN The Magazine contributing writer

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Brenner writes for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider. He covers the NBA and college basketball.