This is the type of NCAA Tournament that should delight college basketball and NBA fans alike because it features plenty of guys who figure to be part of an extraordinarily deep draft this summer.
It hasn’t always been this way lately.
Just two years ago, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and UConn’s Stephon Castle were the only two college players selected among the NBA’s first six draft picks. Alabama’s Brandon Miller was the only college player taken in the top
five of the 2023 draft.
The trend started to change last year, when college players dominated the lottery selections. Two of the top four picks were Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, who now are competing for NBA rookie of the year honors.
Even then, two of the top five players taken were Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, whose Scarlet Knights failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.
This year, college players again figure to dominate the draft, and nearly all of them are competing in March Madness.
Most of the attention regarding this draft has focused on the phenomenal freshman class. The No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft almost certainly will be one of three freshmen: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson or Duke’s Cameron Boozer. Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Tennessee's Nate Ament, Arizona's Brayden Burries, Houston's Kingston Flemings and Illinois' Keaton Wagler are among the other potential lottery picks competing in this tournament as freshmen.
In a draft class this deep, there also must be plenty of non-freshmen who should go on to have long NBA careers:
This 6-foot-3 guard has taken a major step forward in his sophomore season.
Anderson is scoring 18.9 points per game, up from 10.6 last season. He was an Associated Press first-team all-Big 12 selection. Anderson is shooting 42.5% from 3-point range while making 3.4 3-point baskets per game. Anderson also has averaged 7.6 assists. He ranks third among all Division I players in assists per game and 13th in 3-pointers per game.
Haugh made a combined seven starts his first two years at Florida but has come into his own as a junior.
The 6-9 forward has averaged 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 block while earning AP first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors. He closed the regular season by scoring 22 points in a victory over Arkansas and 20 in a win over Kentucky.
The 23-year-old Lendeborg will be older than most players in his draft class, which could cause him to get taken later than his college production would suggest.
The 6-foot-9 graduate student and UAB transfer has starred in his lone season with Michigan. He was named the AP Big Ten player of the year. Lendeborg is averaging 14.6 points, 7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound sophomore has stepped up while playing a complementary role to Boozer.
Ngongba has averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and and 1.1 blocks in just 22.4 minutes per game while shooting 60.2%. He has the ability to impact the game at both ends, first as a strong space-eater inside who can block or alter shots. He also has shown nice touch as a passer (1.9 assists).
Philon is a first-team AP all-SEC guard who is scoring 21.7 points per game.
The 6-4 sophomore has made 2.3 3-pointers per game and is shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc. He also has 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. Philon has scored at least 21 points in each of his last four games, and he has shot 12 of 24 from 3-point range during that stretch.
Stirtz has made a remarkable transformation from Division II player to NBA prospect.
After winning one Division II title in two years at Northwest Missouri State, Stirtz moved to the Division I level and helped Drake reach the NCAA Tournament. Now he's back in March Madness with Iowa. Stirtz earned first-team all-Big Ten honors from a league media panel. The 6-4 guard averages 20 points and 4.5 assists per game.
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AP College Basketball Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
