There really isn’t anything in the world that is quite as exciting and unpredictable as March Madness. Every year, millions of people watch the selection show on Sunday, and then proceed to print out a paper copy of the bracket, and fill it out. Probably more than five or six times. The NCAA Tournament truly has it all.
Last year Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs drilled a halfcourt shot as time expired to get Gonzaga to the National Championship game. In 2010 Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward almost made a three-quarter court shot that would have changed the history of college basketball. There are so many great moments, players, coaches and fans during the madness, that we often forget about what’s happening this weekend, which is conference tournaments.
I would argue that this is your best chance to see who a player really is before they enter the draft. In the NCAA Tournament field of 64, sometimes players are off for a game or two, or someone might crumble under the pressure.
So that is why I think this weekend is our best shot to take a look at some future NBA players playing on one of basketball’s biggest stages. While I’m still confident the Cleveland Cavaliers will make the playoffs, I can’t help but watch some of these guys playing this weekend, and wishing they did have a first-round pick guaranteed; that’d only be the case if they don’t make the playoffs.
Even still, there will be multiple opportunities to watch whoever you want, but today I’m going to zone in on a few guys who could be late-lottery picks if the Cavs fail to make the playoffs. On top of that we’ll take a look at two under-the-radar guys who could shine in the coming weeks. I know we write about the NBA on this site, but I am incredibly excited for this year’s iteration of March Madness.
With that being said let’s take a look at my new Big Board (and you can see how it differs from last time here), where we’ve seen a couple risers and a few guys whose stock is trending down.