- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 402,828
- Reaction score
- 43
You must be registered for see images
March Madness has officially started. The Men's NCAA Tournament will crown a national champion among 68 teams. After the Round of 32 ended, only 16 teams were left. The first two rounds are always chaotic with a jam-packed schedule of four days of nonstop basketball.
As the entire sports world shifts its attention to the NCAA Tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder will watch with vested interest to see how possible draft prospects handle the national spotlight. Depending on how the lottery shakes out, the title contender could have a high lottery pick to a bottom first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Thunder Wire looked at 10 prospects that the Thunder could look into in the first and second rounds. Here's how they did in the Round of 32:
Egor Demin, BYU
You must be registered for see images attach
Demin helped BYU upset Wisconsin in a tight 91-89 win. He finished with 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. The Cougars have advanced to the Sweet 16 and Demin has played the playmaker role through their first two tournament games.
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
You must be registered for see images attach
Edgecombe's season ended with an 89-66 loss to Duke. Baylor couldn't keep up as the talent gap between both squads is massive. Edgecombe finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, six rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws. That likely ends his college career as he enters the NBA draft as a probable lottery selection.
Kon Knueppel, Duke
You must be registered for see images
Knueppel wasn't asked to do much in Duke's win over Baylor. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, three assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. It was an easy win for the Blue Devils where everybody got involved.
Khaman Maluach, Duke
You must be registered for see images
The same can be said for Maluach. He had eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and five rebounds. He shot 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks. Not much was asked out of him in Duke's lopsided contest against Baylor. He's been a productive starter through two tournament games.
Alex Condon, Florida
You must be registered for see images
Florida avoided disaster with a 77-75 win over UConn. The back-and-forth affair turned into a free-throw contest in the final moments. Condon was quiet with just five points on 1-of-2 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. He struggled at the charity stripe with a 3-of-8 showing. The Gators need him to be better to win a national championship.
Johni Broome, Auburn
You must be registered for see images
Auburn advanced past Creighton in an 82-70 win despite Broome. He had a bad night with eight points on 4-of-13 shooting, 12 rebounds and an assist. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 0-of-2 on free throws. Creighton did an excellent job at shutting him out and almost escaped with an upset because of it.
Danny Wolf, Michigan
You must be registered for see images
A strong second half helped Michigan outlast Texas A&M with a 91-79 win. Wolf played third-fiddle with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had three blocks. Without his contributions, the Wolverines likely succumb to their first-half deficit.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
You must be registered for see images
Kalkbrenner left everything on the court to finish his five-year career at Creighton. He had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. Alas, that wasn't enough as the Bluejays' season ended against Auburn.
Isaiah Evans, Duke
You must be registered for see images attach
Evans seldom played in Duke's blowout win over Baylor. He missed both his shot attempts in his seven minutes off the bench. Perhaps returning another college year could help his draft stock since he's buried on the bench. He still has another game at least to make a statement though.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: March Madness Round of 32: Recap of potential OKC Thunder prospects
Continue reading...
