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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Ranking the 15 top NBA draft prospects (Jarace Walker!) who are playing in March Madness

March Madness is back, which means basketball fans are going to get a closer look at the next generation of NBA players.

The top-3 prospects in our latest 2023 NBA Mock Draft are not playing college basketball this season. Victor Wembanyama is an MVP candidate in France’s top-tier league, Scoot Henderson is playing his second professional campaign in the G League and the Thompson twins won a championship in the Overtime Elite.

While the NCAA men’s selection committee was far from perfect, over the course of the next few weeks, we will see several notable prospects play on the biggest stage in college basketball.

If you want to prepare yourself for the draft, below are the prospects you need to familiarize yourself with before the tournament begins.

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1
Brandon Miller (Alabama)

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 1 (South)

FIRST OPPONENT: Southeast Missouri State/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 2:45 p.m. ET, CBS

There are a lot of questions about Alabama’s Brandon Miller following his alleged involvement in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. But on the basketball court, Miller is widely viewed as the best prospect who will play in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He is 6-foot-9 and shooting better than 40.0 percent on more than seven 3-point attempts per game.

2
Jarace Walker (Houston)

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 1 (Midwest)

FIRST OPPONENT: Northern Kentucky

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 9:20 p.m. ET, TNT

Houston’s Jarace Walker is an incredibly impactful defender more than capable of guarding both the ball handler and the screener in the pick-and-roll. Opponents are shooting just 29.7 percent in the paint when he is on the floor, per CBB Analytics.

3
Nick Smith (Arkansas)

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

SEED: 8 (West)

FIRST OPPONENT: Illinois

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 4:30 p.m. ET, TBS

Nick Smith is one of the first guards who will hear his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft. While he has missed time this season due to injury, it is easy to see what makes him such a highly-touted prospect. Despite his high usage rate, he rarely turns the ball over and he has an excellent scoring touch.

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4
Anthony Black (Arkansas)

© Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

SEED: 8 (West)

FIRST OPPONENT: Illinois

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 4:30 p.m. ET, TBS

Anthony Black is a 6-foot-7 playmaker and an above-average perimeter defender. He defends well against ball screens and opponents are just 11-for-42 (26.1 percent) when he contests their 3-pointers, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

5
Keyonte George (Baylor)

Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 3 (South)

FIRST OPPONENT: UC Santa Barbara

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Baylor’s Keyonte George is a solid two-way guard who competes well on both sides of the ball. He is efficient when driving to the basket, he tends to win battles for contested rebounds, and he is always quick to close out on opponents as a defender.

6
Gradey Dick (Kansas)

Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 1 (West)

FIRST OPPONENT: Howard

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 2 p.m. ET, TBS

Kansas freshman Gradey Dick is one of the most promising 3-point shooters in this draft class. He is shooting 50.0 percent from beyond the arc when he has finished in transition, per Hoop-Math, which ranks second-best among the 139 players who have had as many opportunities.

7
Cason Wallace (Kentucky)

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 6 (East)

FIRST OPPONENT: Providence

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

Kentucky’s Cason Wallace is an excellent defensive prospect. While he is shooting just 34.7 percent overall on 3-pointers, you can’t leave him wide open. He is 19-for-42 (45.2 percent) on his uncontested 3-pointers, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

8
Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 4 (Midwest)

FIRST OPPONENT: Kent State

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 9:55 p.m. ET, TBS

Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino is already a maestro in the pick-and-roll. He is handling 0.24 ball screens per touch, via AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform, which is near the most frequent among prospects participating in the tournament.

9
Kris Murray (Iowa)

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 8 (Midwest)

FIRST OPPONENT: Auburn

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 6:50 p.m. ET, TNT

Iowa’s Kris Murray is a steady, reliable forward who has enjoyed a breakout season as a junior. He has already recorded nine games with more than 25 points, including four performances exceeding 30 points.

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10
Dereck Lively II (Duke)

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 5 (East)

FIRST OPPONENT: Oral Roberts

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

Duke’s Dereck Lively is a vicious rim protector who has recorded multiple blocks in nine consecutive games. He is also averaging 1.11 points per pick as the screener in the pick-and-roll, via AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

11
Terquavion Smith (NC State)

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 11 (South)

FIRST OPPONENT: Creighton

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 4 p.m. ET, TNT

N.C. State’s Terquavion Smith has not had as efficient of a season as scouts would have liked to have seen, but the degree of difficulty on his shots is hard to ignore. He has made the second-most unassisted 3-pointers among all high-major players, per CBB Analytics.

12
Dariq Whitehead (Duke)

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 5 (East)

FIRST OPPONENT: Oral Roberts

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

Duke’s Dariq Whitehead has had a relatively hot and cold season mostly playing in the second unit for the Blue Devils. But when he has scored more than 10 points, his team has lost just once. If he has a big tournament, he has enough upside to potentially hear his name called in the lottery.

13
Colby Jones (Xavier)

© Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

SEED: 3 (Midwest)

FIRST OPPONENT: Kennesaw State

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

Xavier’s Colby Jones is one of the best upperclassmen in college basketball. Defenders are having trouble stopping him: He is shooting 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) on contested 3-pointers, via AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform. Jones also defends very well against drives and in isolation.

14
Jordan Hawkins (UConn)

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 4 (West)

FIRST OPPONENT: Iona

HOW TO WATCH: Friday, March 17, 4:30 p.m. ET, TBS

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is one of the best catch-and-shoot prospects in college basketball. He uses off-ball screens as well as anyone in the NCAA, and he is a volume shooter from beyond the arc.

15
Julian Phillips (Tennessee)

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

SEED: 4 (East)

FIRST OPPONENT: Louisiana

HOW TO WATCH: Thursday, March 16, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS

Tennessee’s Julian Phillips has struggled with his offensive efficiency, but on the defensive end of the floor, he is already a star. Opponents are 3-for-28 on 3-pointers when he defends them, via AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

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