The NCAA Tournament is the pinnacle of the college basketball season. It’s where legends are made, and stories are written. But it’s also a stage for college players to show NBA evaluators their talents for the upcoming draft(s), whether that be at the end of the season or a few years down the line. Performances in March Madness is not the be-all end-all for prospects, but it gives reputable insight on how a player performs during impactful games, and in the spotlight. In tournament stock watch, we look at players whose stock rose and others who fell. So, let’s jump in.
Stock Up
Trayce Jackson-Davis – Indiana
24 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 5 BLK, 1 STL, 58.8 FG% vs Kent State
23 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 5 BLK, 70,0 FG% vs Miami
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 23.5 PTS, 9.5 REB, 3.0 AST, 5.0 BLK, 63.0 FG%
Jackson-Davis is a consensus All-American, 4x All-Big Ten and 2x Big Ten All-Defense player for Indiana. He certainly has the pedigree. Coming into the NCAA Tournament we had him slotted him in the late first round of the draft. So, did he improve his stock? Did he highlight his ability to play in big games? Certainly. The Greenwood, Indiana, native, posted a jaw-dropping 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in the Round of 64 against Kent State. Yes, that’s a real stat line. And despite the loss to Miami in the next round, Jackson-Davis still showed up with a 23-point, eight-rebound and five-block outing. Jackson-Davis ended his season with six straight 20-point games and finally has the nod from most scouts that he’s a likely first rounder, despite being a Senior. TJD had high expectations heading into the tournament and he delivered.
Terquavion Smith – NC State
32 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 44.4 FG% vs Creighton
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 32.0 PTS, 2.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 1.0 BLK, 44.4 FG%
ACC All-Freshman and 2022-23 All-ACC Terquavion Smith had a stellar game for NC State in the opening round against Creighton. Smith totaled 32 points while shooting 44.4% from the field. The NC State guard averaged 4.1 assists during the year, but he only dished out one during the contest. Despite this, Smith still had 17 games with five or more assists, so, his passing game is there, it just wasn’t prevalent in this game. Given his ability to score, which he did at a 17.9 clip during the season, and his performance in a season-ending game, Smith likely solidified a spot in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.
Julian Strawther – Gonzaga
28 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 60.0 FG%, 50.0 3P% vs Grand Canyon
10 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 4 TOV, 30.0 FG% (3-for-10), 28.6 3P% (2-for-7) vs TCU
Next Game: Sweet 16 vs UCLA
Julian Strawther is still playing in the tournament and has a date with UCLA in the Sweet 16 on March 23. The Gonzaga guard’s first game against Grand Canyon saw a scoring explosion that produced 28 points and a 10-rebound performance. We learned Strawther can really take over a game at will, and given that he dropped 40 points, six rebounds and three steals during the season, it’s safe to say the Las Vegas native knows how to score. Especially from 3-point range, where he shot 42.3% for Gonzaga on the year. While Strawther slowed down a bit during the Round of 32 game against TCU, he still managed to score 10 points and grab nine boards. He was a projected late first round pick heading into the tournament, expect him to stay around that range with the arrow pointing upward.
Keyontae Johnson – Kansas State
18 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 53.3 FG% vs Montana State
13 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 35.7 FG% vs Kentucky
Next Game: Sweet 16 vs Michigan State
Everyone is aware of the incredible story of Keyontae Johnson. And after he was cleared to play for his final year of eligibility, people didn’t know what to expect from the Norfolk, Virginia native. Well, Johnson came back to average 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 51.4% from the field and 40.5% from beyond-the-arc for Kansas State. We saw some key parts of Johnson’s game in the closing minutes of Kansas State’s win over Kentucky; his ability to make clutch shots. In particular, Johnson drained an ISO step back 3-pointer that put Kansas State up 67-62 with a minute and 23 seconds remaining in the game. Here’s what’s true: Kansas State is still playing; Johnson is leading the way and he’s raising his draft stock with each game. Johnson is one of the seniors with an outside shot at cracking the first round, and with K State playing Michigan State in the Sweet 16 can continue to enhance his tourney resume.
Adam Flagler – Baylor
18 PTS, 1 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 70.0 FG%, 60.0 3P% (3-for-5) vs UCSB
15 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 42.9 FG% (6-for-14), 0.0 3P% (0-for-4) vs Creighton
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 16.5 PTS, 1.0 REB, 3.0 AST, 54.2 FG%, 33.3 3P%
Flagler came into the 2023 NCAA Tournament already a champion from Baylor’s run during the 2020-21 season. And after spending a few years with the program, Flagler averaged 15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season. The Duluth, Georgia, native shot 42.6% from the field and 40.0% on 3-pointers during the year. As a projected mid second round pick, Flagler may hear his name a little earlier in round two after solid performances during March Madness. Against No. 14 UCSB, Flagler posted 18 points and five assists. He put up nine points in each half and hit a couple of late 3-pointers to seal the game for the Bears. Following this, Flagler scored 15 in a nine-point loss to Creighton. He noticeably missed all four of his 3-point attempts, which would have changed the tide for Baylor, but hindsight is always 20/20. As a guard, Flagler is a scorer who isn’t afraid to shoot from beyond-the-arc and make a whole bunch of them (he had 80 made 3-pointers this season). For his draft stock, Flagler pretty much lived up to the expectations heading into the tournament, so, he’ll most likely stay as a middle second round selection.
Jaime Jaquez – UCLA
17 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 5 STL, 57.1 FG% vs UNC Asheville
24 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 57.9 FG% vs Northwestern
Next Game: Sweet 16 vs Gonzaga
Jaime Jaquez has an extensive list of accolades that includes All-American honors, 3x All-Pac-12 and 2x Pac-12 All-Defense. Jaquez averaged 17.5 points and 8.1 rebounds this season. In the Round of 64 against UNC Asheville, the Bruins’ guard had a 17-point night. The stat line also included eight rebounds and five steals. Jaquez upped the ante to 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists in UCLA’s win over Northwestern in the following round. Down the stretch in a tight game against Northwestern, Jaquez made shots, found open teammates, and crashed the boards. The Camarillo, California, native, is showing he’s a big contributor on all parts of the floor in big games. Gonzaga will be a test for Jaquez, so, we’ll see how he performs then. Jaquez figures to be an ideal rotational bench player at the next level and continues to creep up the second round with his tremendous play.
Tyrese Proctor – Duke
7 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 27.3 FG% vs Oral Roberts
16 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 46.2 FG% vs Tennessee
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 11.5 PTS, 2.5 REB, 4.5 AST, 1.5 STL, 37.5 FG%
We projected Tyrese Proctor as a top 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft prior to the NCAA Tournament, and his stock is certainly trending even further up after his games against Oral Roberts and Tennessee. As a freshman, Proctor averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Duke Blue Devils. From the floor, the Sydney, Australia, native, 38.1%. Proctor only scored seven points against Oral Roberts, but all seven came in the second half. He followed this with 16 points and six assists against Tennessee. The 6’5” guard tried to keep the Blue Devils within reach of the Volunteers by scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. What we learned is Proctor can flip the switch and keep a game within reach in clutch moments. But it’s hard to say if his stock will rise for next year. What we can say is Proctor still has some work to do, but a taste of the NCAA Tournament with solid performances during his freshman season will help him grow next season, if he indeed elects to return to school.
Adama Sanogo – UConn
28 PTS, 13 REB, 1 BLK, 76.5 FG% vs Iona
24 PTS, 8 REB, 1 BLK, 68.8 FG% vs Saint Mary’s
Next Game: Sweet 16 vs Arkansas
UConn cruised in both of its wins during the opening weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies beat Iona by a comfortable 24 points and Saint Mary’s
by 15. A lot of this was due to the dominance of Adama Sanogo, who recorded 28 points and 13 rebounds in the game versus Iona, and 24 points and eight rebounds against Saint Mary’s. Following a six-point performance in the first half against Iona, Sanogo exploded in the second for 22 points. The Huskies forward also scored 14points in the second against Saint Mary’s. What does this tell us? Well, the 6’9” forward can turn it on during critical parts of games. At 17.5 points and 7.4 rebounds on the season, Sanogo is enhancing his chances to hear his name called on draft night.
Stock Down
Nick Smith – Arkansas
6 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 20.0 FG% (2-for-10), 2 PF, 2 TOV, 28 minutes vs Illinois
0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0.0 FG% (0-for-4), 2 PF, 16 minutes vs Kansas
Next Game: Sweet 16 vs UConn
Nick Smith is one of the highest-rated prospects of the 2023 NBA Draft who ended up playing in the NCAA Tournament. And let’s just say, it wasn’t a good viewing by any means. We have the Arkansas guard at fourth overall in the upcoming June draft, and his stock might tumble a bit after his performances on the big stage. In 28 minutes against Illinois, Smith shot 2-for-10 from the field and recorded only six points. In a breakdown on Smith, which you can find on NBADraft.net, Evan Tomes noted that Smith can be too content with midrange shots instead of taking the ball to the rim. That checked out in this game, where most of Smith’s missed shots were on jumpers. In a critical game against Kansas, Arkansas head coach benched Smith after 16 minutes of play where he shot 0-for-4 and picked up two fouls. Smith had a very emotional reaction after the game and while he is trending down, he still has a number of fans among scouts and has time to change his tournament script.
Keyonte George – Baylor
9 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 PF, 2 TOV, 22.2 FG% (2-for-9), 14.3 3P% (1-for-7) vs UCSB
7 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 PF, 1 TOV, 10.0 FG% (1-for-10), 0.0 3P% (0-for-3) vs Creighton
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 8.0 PTS, 3.0 REB, 2.0 AST, 1.5 STL, 15.8 FG%, 10.0 3P%
Keyonte George was another top prospect who had a rough go in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. We had him as the seventh overall pick prior to the start of the tournament and that’s trending down after both of his games. George struggled mightily attempting to shoot the ball, especially from 3-point range in the first game. George is clearly a streaky shooting from beyond-the-arc, and that was on display in Baylor’s Round of 64 matchup against UCSB where George shot 1-for-7 from 3-point range. He followed that game with a 1-for-10 overall shooting night in Baylor’s loss to Creighton. So, there’s work that needs to be done there, but George is still a promising young prospect and shouldn’t fall too far past the mid first round of the draft.
Zach Edey – Purdue
21 PTS, 15 REB, 1 AST, 3 BLK, 63.6 FG% vs Fairleigh Dickinson
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 21.0 PTS, 15.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 3.0 BLK, 63.6 FG%
One might look at Zach Edey’s statistics from Purdue’s Round of 64 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson and wonder how he is on this end of the list. Well, those
who watched understand. After the 7’4” center made a shot with nine minutes, 25 seconds left, Edey failed to even attempt a shot the rest of the game. Less than a minute after, he made one-of-two free throws to put Purdue up 50-49, but that’s the last we would see of his offense. Edey went on to miss another free throw and turned the ball over with a minute left in the game. he struggled with keeping up with the flow of the game and looked sluggish running the open floor, Now, one game doesn’t necessarily determine a player’s entire career, but for Edey to not convert a shot for nearly 10 minutes in a win-or-go-home game isn’t the best look. Edey has been a borderline draft pick all season, and while he stands a good chance to be drafted, his tourney performance with Purdue falling as a 1 seed did him no favors.
Dereck Lively – Duke
4 PTS, 12 REB, 1 AST, 6 BLK, 66.7 FG% (2-for-3), 29 minutes vs Oral Roberts
0 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK, 0.0 FG% (0-for-0), 36 minutes vs Tennessee
Overall in NCAA Tourney: 2.0 PTS, 11.5 REB, 1.0 AST, 4.0 BLK, 66.7 FG%
Lively is seen by some as a potential first round pick, who began to flash some of the potential that made him the top prospect according to ESPN coming out of high school. Against Oral Roberts in the Round of 64, Lively grabbed 12 rebounds and recorded six blocks, only second to his season-high of eight. In Duke’s loss to Tennessee the next round, Lively followed with 11 rebounds and two blocks. So, what’s the problem? Well, Lively’s offense was nonexistent in both games. In 29 minutes against Oral Roberts, Lively scored four points and shot the ball three times. It didn’t get any better against the Volunteers. The Philadelphia native went scoreless and didn’t attempt a single shot. Lively has the tools defensively, but his offensive game needs a great deal of work and it showed on college basketball’s biggest stage. While he’s intriguing, the diminishing value of non-skilled athletic centers, similar to running backs in the NFL, has his value hovering in the bubble first round area.
