For some fans of the hoops, the NCAA male basketball tournament is about school spirit, imperfect, ashtray Rons, the office support contest, the main main ones with fun pets or a myriad of other houses that make the madness of March popular.
And for others, the NCAA male basketball tournament is basically its only opportunity to become familiar with the players who will soon perform in the NBA.
This is a previous view of the tournament for the last group. If you are more curious about the probabilities of the lottery than Kenpom’s classifications, then let’s talk about what to observe in the coming weeks.
Equipment to see: Duke Blue Devils
First game: Friday at 2:50 pm et, opponent TBD
Whether her NBA favorite team collapsed blatantly (the Washington Wizards) or hilariously crumbled and slid in the lottery despite the high expectations of preseason (the philadelphia 76ers), the most important team to monitor in the tournament are the Blue Devils. If you can neglect Duke’s disgust for a moment, the Blue Devils are projected by many Draft experts to have three players selected in the Top 10 of the next NBA draft.
At this point, you probably know about Cooper Flagg, the striker who is the alleged selection No. 1 this June. Flagg was the recruit number 1 in the 2024 high school class, and last summer he obtained an invitation to practice against the US Olympic team. UU. As part of the select team. He averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 helps a contest as a first -year student.
The other names to know are striker Kon Knueppel, a shooting striker whose 3 -point skill makes it attractive to almost any team, and Khaman Maluach, a center that can offer teams a possible defensive anchor and a tire corridor at the next level.
Team I wanted to see: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
No team personifies the dichotomy of the University Games and the NBA better than the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers is expected to have two players, the guard Dylan Harper and the forward Ace Bailey, selected in the lottery.
Both the drafts of the NBA simulation and the ESPN have Harper in second place and Bailey is third, respectively. The only problem? The Scarlet Knights lost the tournament and also rejected an invitation to the NIT.
Another team with potentially multiple first round selections: Illinois Fighting Illini
First game: Friday at 9:45 pm et, opponent TBD
The Kasparas Jakuccionis guard and striker Riley are possible first round selections. Jakucionis has the opportunity to go in the top 10, while Riley is most frequently projected as the last third of the first.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report describes Jakuccionis as a Billups chauny guard that can prosper outside the ball. Meanwhile, ESPN invoices Riley as a player whose size in the wing could be an asset, although he still has a margin of improvement as a shooter.
Player who could shoot in your heart: Tre Johnson
First game: Wednesday at 9:10 pm et vs. Xavier
The Texas Lonchorns Guard, Tre Johnson, is a scorer without complexes that seems to have emerged as the fifth best player in the next Draft class. Almost all drills have a Top Tour consensus in Flagg, Harper, Bailey and the VJ Edgecombe of the Baylor Bears. Johnson is the player who often appears after them.
Johnson is a gunner who is not afraid to let him fly. You can create for yourself in the perimeter and seem to have scoring talent ready for NBA.
However, Lonhorns are not a guarantee to make a race in the tournament. Texas will play in the first four for the opportunity to make the field of 64 teams. Johnson’s great night could take a blow.
Enjoy them while you can: Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers
First game for Florida: Friday at 6:50 pm et vs. No. 16 Seed Norfolk State
First game for Auburn: Thursday at 2:50 pm et, opponent TBD
Both the Gators and the Tigers obtained seeds No. 1 in the next tournament. And both squads present to the players (Walter Clayton Jr. in Florida, Johni Broome in Auburn) who were semifinalists of the Naismith trophy. But neither gators nor tigers have players that most mockers hope to appear in the lottery.
In fact, while Clayton Jr. and Broome have the opportunity to be recruited, do not expect to hear their names called up to the first round or even in the second. Both Auburn and Florida have had great seasons. If you love to see the two teams play, appreciate what their stars do now, because they may not have the opportunity to shine as brilliant in the NBA.
