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March Madness has officially started. The Men's NCAA Tournament will crown a national champion among 68 teams. After the Sweet 16 ended, only eight teams were left. While the first weekend is filled with fun chaos, the second strips down to the best squads with actual hopes of a title.
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 Sweet 16 among those who advanced:
Egor Demin, BYU
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Demin's season ended with a 113-88 loss to Alabama. The lopsided loss showed the sea-sized gap between BYU and the rest of the field. Demin finished with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, seven assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-8 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. That's likely it for his college career as a one-and-done prospect.
Kon Knueppel, Duke
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Duke sweated out their first win of the NCAA Tournament. After two blowouts, they beat Arizona in a 100-93 win. Knueppel stepped up as the Blue Devils' second-best scorer behind Cooper Flagg. He finished with 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 8-of-9 on free throws. After cruising the first two tournament games, Knueppel stepped up when needed.
Khaman Maluach, Duke
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Maluach also stepped up for Duke with elite rim protection. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and four blocks. He shot 1-of-1 on free throws. Foul trouble kept him at 24 minutes but the seven-foot center did enough to contribute to their win over Arizona.
Alex Condon, Florida
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Florida has been viewed as a top title favorite and it's easy to see why. When the competition is supposed to be more challenging, the Gators still cruised to an 87-71 win over Maryland. That was despite Condon's night being cut short due to an ankle sprain. He only played 14 minutes and finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, four rebounds and two assists.
Johni Broome, Auburn
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A strong second half helped Auburn advance past Michigan in a 78-65 win. A 20-point scoring trio led the Tigers to victory. That included Broome. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting, 16 rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws. He also had two steals. The fifth-year senior put his squad on his back and refused to end his college career being quiet.
Danny Wolf, Michigan
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The flip side of that result was Wolf's probable final game at Michigan. The Wolverines lost but he did enough to get a win. He finished with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, six rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 0-of-2 on free throws.
Isaiah Evans, Duke
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Evans only played four minutes in a tight win over Arizona. He tallied three points on 1-of-2 shooting and one rebound off the bench. As the Blue Devils go deeper into the tournament, his playing time dwindles.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: March Madness Sweet 16: Recap of potential OKC Thunder prospects
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