The second day of March Madness featured six lottery-projected players, who all came away with big first-round wins.
NBA draft lottery picks took over the NCAA tournament on Friday
It was a big night for future stars.
At this stage of the college basketball season, it’s hard to improve draft stock with single-game performances. But scouts were watching as these freshmen played their first games under immense tournament pressure.
Six of Draft Express’ top eight players cleared the first round of the tournament with ease: UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, Kansas’ Josh Jackson, Duke’s Jayson Tatum, Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk and Michigan State’s Miles Bridges.
But not all played to their potential.
Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Size: 6’6, 190 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’7
DraftExpress projected: No. 2
Ball had a slight scare in the first half as he landed awkwardly on his hip, though he didn’t miss time. It clearly didn’t hurt his play much.
The projected top-five pick finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added four rebounds and three assists to just one turnover in 34 minutes. That’s all his team needed to beat Kent State, 97-80. They’ll play Cincinnati next.
Highlight play:
Josh Jackson, SG, Kansas
Size: 6’8, 203 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’9.75
DraftExpress projected: No. 3
Jackson scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting in only 23 minutes because of his team’s dominant 38-point win over UC Davis. The lengthy wing also added a block and a steal to his seven rebounds.
Though Washington’s Markelle Fultz (who won’t play a tournament game) still stands as the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick, Jackson isn’t out of the question. That especially holds true if a team lacking an immediate need for a point guard can snag the top pick.
Kansas will play Michigan State on Sunday.
Highlight play:
Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke
Size: 6’8, 204 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’11
DraftExpress projected: No. 4
Tatum’s Blue Devils let Troy in the game a bit in the second half, but this one was never close. The freshman’s outrageous swats were a big reason why, and he had four of them.
He had 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 12 rebounds, and four steals in a monstrous effort. His emergence has been key to Duke as the team looks poised to make a deep tournament run.
Duke will play South Carolina in the next round.
Highlight play:
De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Size: 6’4, 174 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’4.5
DraftExpress projected: No. 5
On an off night from his backcourt teammate Monk, Fox was the primary scorer.
He had a team-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting and three assists, though he turned the ball over six times. Because Fox wasn’t at his best and Monk shot poorly, Kentucky couldn’t separate itself enough from Northern Kentucky to make this win comfortable.
Kentucky won, 79-70, and will face a much better Wichita State team in the second round.
Highlight play:
Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Size: 6’4, 197 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’3.5
DraftExpress projected: No. 8
Monk played into his criticisms, showcasing little with his jumper not falling.
In 34 minutes, he had 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting (0-of-6 from deep), two rebounds, and two assists. Isaiah Briscoe picked up some of the scoring load, and Bam Adebayo, another freshman with first-round potential, cleaned up the interior with 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Monk gets another opportunity on Sunday.
Miles Bridges, SF, Michigan State
Size: 6’6, 226 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’8.8
DraftExpress projected: No. 12
Bridges was huge in the Spartans’ unexpected 20-point win over Miami, with 18 points and nine rebounds. Michigan State was down double digits early, but Bridges turned on the jets and never looked back, shooting 8-of-12 from the field.
The MSU wing has the most to gain out of this group because his team has been mostly mediocre and hasn’t been a draw to the national media. Bridges has been solid all season even if his team hasn’t, and his stock could rise by June’s draft.
The Spartans play Jackson and the Jayhawks next.
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