Sunday Shootaround

The cold war between NBA heads and college basketball believers needs to thaw. At the very least, it could use a 20-second timeout.

The two have always been distant, bickering cousins. Go back through the decades and you’ll find cranky scribes and wizened NBA fans rolling their eyes at March Madness. The complaints then are the complaints now: the game is too slow, the spacing is too limited, the refs are too inconsistent, and my god, can we have a possession without a cutaway to some middle-aged dude with a clipboard hyperventilating on the sideline?

Lately, however, it feels like we’ve crossed a Rubicon from ironic NBA detachment to out and out disdain. It doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, the college game is not like the NBA game, but it doesn’t have to be the NBA. It can exist on its own terms.

It’s true that there are those of us old enough to remember a more prosperous time in college basketball. Way back when the NCAA Tournament meant Georgia Tech’s Lethal Weapon 3, Arkansas’ 40 Minutes of Hell, the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV, and pre-championship Duke Blue Devils all competing in the same Final Four back.

There were no less than a dozen future first-round picks on those rosters (shoutout to Malcolm Mackey and Oliver Miller) with each participant sending multiple players on to the pros. Compare that to last season when there were three first-rounders total among the Final Four teams.

Far from an aberration, that combination of individual talent and iconic teams was a common occurrence back in the day. Where we used to watch players develop over time, now it’s an ever-changing personnel proposition. Even for the same power programs that load up on one-and-done recruits year after year. Things change.

But, here’s a little secret for NBA snobs. A week of cramming reveals that this year’s final college exam will be fun. There’s a bevy of point guards, athletic wings with diverse skill sets, and developing bigs with first round dreams. Many of those prospects are scattered among the tournament favorites, offering the possibility of some amateur advanced scouting before the draft.

There are also a number of good, veteran clubs that have been together for years and play like it. What Villanova, Virginia, and Cincinnati lack in top-end NBA talent, they make up for with steady play and exacting defenses.

That contrast between experience and young talent now lies at the heart of the Tournament. Nova’s Josh Hart may never be a star in the NBA, but he and the Wildcats have a legitimate chance at repeating for the first time in almost a decade.

With all that in mind, here’s an NBA-centric, player-focused guide to enjoying the Tournament. It won’t kill you, even if the endless timeouts and noxious parade of corporate champions may test your patience.

First, a word about who won’t be playing next week. Markelle Fultz, the presumptive top pick in this summer’s draft, saw his college career end with a whimper. Despite his many talents, his Washington Huskies team was decimated by early defections and never had a chance in the Pac-12. Scouts and talent evaluators aren’t holding that against him. In the words of one, Fultz just does everything well.

The other hot prospect sitting out March Madness is Dennis Smith. A turbo-charged point guard from NC State, Smith put on a show against Duke earlier this winter, but wound up exiting stage left following an uninspired showing in the ACC Tournament. That’s a pity because Smith is one of the more exciting freshmen in this year’s loaded point guard class.

That leaves UCLA’s Lonzo Ball as the man of the moment. He’s a unique player with a busted shot who still manages to carve up defenses with his uncanny passing ability. One of the cool things about Ball is that his unselfish play has transformed the Bruins from an also-ran into a finely-tuned offensive machine. (Defense appears to be optional and often comes in the form of a zone, but we can’t have everything.) Ball is a phenom, the one player you really have to see this week.

My favorite freshman point guard, however, is Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox. Fellow frosh Malik Monk gets a ton of attention for his scoring ability, but Fox makes the Cats get up and go. He can’t shoot from distance, but Fox is a crafty scorer who can navigate into space. He’s also an awesome on-the-ball defender.

Monk, meanwhile, is one of the best pure scorers in the country. He may have to transition to combo guard status in the pros, but his athleticism and range make him a likely lottery pick along with Fox. With the wonderfully named big man Bam Adebayo patrolling the paint, Kentucky has its usual array of first-round prospects.

The point guard class thins out after that (Frank Ntilikina from France is also a likely lottery pick), but there are a number of quality veterans who always seem to emerge as March heroes. Iowa State’s Monte Morris is your dad’s favorite player. The senior almost never turns it over. Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans is a delight. He’s the diminutive linchpin for The Cowboys’ high-octane offense.

Depending on how you classify Monk, there’s not a lot of top-end shooting guards in this year’s class. Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell is the one to watch here. He’s a classic Louisville guard who plays bigger than his size and has athleticism to spare.

The other main area of lottery competition takes place on the wing with three highly-touted freshman vying for a spot in the top five. You could not find three more different prospects.

Josh Jackson may be the most complete of the three. The Kansas freshman is an excellent passer, especially out of the pick-and-roll as a smallball four. His shooting can be a bit erratic (including an unsightly 56 percent free throw percentage), but he can score and he’s a tough defender.

Jackson is also hyper-competitive — he once trash-talked Gary Payton in high school — and that can spill over on the court. Off the floor, he was charged with misdemeanor property damage after allegedly damaging a female student’s car. He was also suspended for the first game of the Big 12 Tournament for a separate incident. (There’s a lot going on at Kansas.)

Duke’s Jayson Tatum is a terrific isolation scorer, combining solid footwork and length to score over the top of defenders. Tatum’s been overshadowed at times by the emerging Luke Kennard (he’s good!) and the ongoing Grayson Allen chronicles, but Tatum put together a strong ACC Tournament. He may not have Jackson’s upside, but he’s a year younger.

Then there’s Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac, an athletic freak with projection written all over his long, skinny frame. At the very least, Isaac should be a phenomenal defender in the pros when he puts on weight. He’s already a good rebounder and excellent cutter. You can dream big on Isaac.

The old man of the group is North Carolina junior Justin Jackson, who returned to school after last year’s wrenching loss in the championship game to Villanova. Jackson needed to improve his range and he became a solid 3-point shooter en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. Jackson’s moved up the draft boards and that climb could continue if Carolina has another solid run.

The bigs are a mixed bag. The only true center with lottery potential in the Tournament is Creighton’s Justin Patton. A late-bloomer who redshirted his freshman year, Patton is skinny but long, and is an excellent finisher at the rim. Jarrett Allen from Texas and Robert Williams from Texas A&M will not be invited, unfortunately.

The top-rated four man is Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen, who is a tremendous long-range shooter. He’s not just a spot-up threat. The Wildcats run a bunch of different actions for him, both off screens and in the pick-and-roll. There aren’t many 7-footers like him.

Playing the role of versatile Michigan State forward this year is Miles Bridges, who has hung around the lottery pack. Wake Forest sophomore John Collins is a super-efficient scorer and Gonzaga freshman Zach Collins is the the definition of intriguing, even with a limited role. Baylor’s Johnathan Motley emerged this season as one of the best forwards in the country, and could be in line for a late rise.

One player to keep an eye on further down the rankings is SMU’s Semi Ojeleye. The Duke transfer has had a breakout season for the season’s biggest surprises. He’s strong and skilled and if he were three inches taller he’d be a lottery pick. Ojeleye does a little bit of everything for the Mustangs. At the very least he’s an awesome college player.

There’s plenty here for the NBA fan to enjoy. Why not try holding the sarcasm in check and giving college ball another chance? You might even like it.