The greatest sporting event in the world is upon us.
The NBA Playoffs are obviously fantastic, and few things beat a Game 7. Yet the NCAA Tournament -- March Madness, if you will -- creates a Game 7 every time in its single-elimination tournament. Is it as fair as the NBA Playoffs? Of course not, but that's part of the charm.
Setting up shop on Thursday to watch 12-straight hours of basketball is sublime, often with as many as four different games going at once. Yet this is an NBA website, and whatever your love for college basketball, there is a Cleveland Cavaliers angle to enjoying the madness.
The Cavaliers will go into the 2025 NBA Draft with a pair of late second-round picks, and it would be extremely helpful to their future success if they can find at least one player who can contribute to the Cleveland bench over the next couple of seasons. They need inexpensive role players more than they need to swing for the fences.
As discussed recently, one model to follow is that of the Golden State Warriors, who have hit on a few recent picks of more experienced college players, players such as Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
If the Cavaliers want to hit on such players, they can tune into the NCAA Tournament for a few options. Last week, we highlighted three players from the talent-rich Duke Blue Devils. Here are three more players on good teams who could be on the Cavaliers next season if things break right.
No. 3: JT Toppin, PF, Texas Tech
As with most great players in college basketball nowadays, JT Toppin began his career at another school (New Mexico) and then transferred to Texas Tech, where he has been one of the very best players in the nation. He was recently named a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award, a list of 10 of the nation's best players. He has a decent shot to be a First-Team All-American this season and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Toppin is a do-it-all forward who keys the Red Raiders on both offense and defense. He has 15 double-doubles on the season and is averaging 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. That goes along with some truly outstanding individual performances against top-tier competition, at one time dropping 41 and 15 in a win over Arizona State.
Toppin is not a knockdown shooter, but his shot doesn't appear to be broken. If he can shoot competently enough, the 6'9" forward has enough defensive tools and a strong motor to be a rotation player for a good NBA team. If his shot truly develops, he can be a long-term replacement for Dean Wade.
First Game: Thursday, March 30th at 10:10 PM vs UNC Wilmington
No. 2: Kam Jones, G, Marquette Golden Eagles
It is very possible that the Cavaliers will lose Ty Jerome in free agency this summer, and they could be in the market for a microwave scorer off the bench. Yet they will be better off if they can find such a player who can create offense on-ball but also shoot well enough to excel off-ball. That is how Jerome has made such an impact this season.
Enter Kam Jones, a player who went from an off-ball dynamo alongside Tyler Kolek in Marquette to taking the reigns of the offense this season and excelling. He is averaging 19.3 points and 5.9 assists per game for the Golden Eagles and is a likely All-American.
Jones proved last season he can shoot, but his difficulty transitioning to on-ball pull-up 3-pointers has crashed his efficiency. That can also push his draft stock down enough to make him an option for Cleveland in the second round. Betting on a bounceback and a solid NBA career is the kind of bet that is worth making.
As the centerpiece of the Marquette offense, tuning into a game will mean a lot of seeing what Kam Jones is capable of.
First Game: Friday, March 21st at 7:25 PM vs New Mexico
No. 1: Johni Broome, C, Auburn Tigers
The National Player of the Year award will go to one of two players: Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who will then go first overall in June's NBA Draft; or Auburn senior Johni Broome, who is likely to fall into the second round of the draft.
The great disconnect between college basketball and the NBA has been the center position. Elite post scorers can still dominate in the college game even if they are not defensive difference-makers, but the NBA game has throttled such players out of the spotlight.
Broome is an extremely skilled player, efficient around the basket with touch and power. He is also a rebound magnet, twice leading the entire nation in rebounds per game.
The question will come on defense. He is a prolific shot-blocker when challenged in the paint; can he defend in space? Can he make the cross-court rotations necessary against NBA offenses?
Broome deserves the chance to answer those questions, and he will get drafted. Given the Cavaliers' need for a backup center, Broome is a sensible swing to take to try and find a good change-of-pace coming off the bench.
Broome's Auburn Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites, which means interested Cleveland fans should get plenty of chances to watch him go to work.
First Game: Thursday, March 20th at 2:50 PM against either St. Francis or Alabama State