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For college basketball fans and scouts, one of the most exciting days of the year is Selection Sunday. That is when everyone gets to discover the road to winning the men’s NCAA Tournament.
This is when everyone discovers the path all prospects will take before potentially ending their collegiate tenure and beginning the pre-draft process.
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Of course, many players will use the momentum from March Madness to capitalize on their draft stock while it is at an all-time high and begin their professional careers. Others, however, might benefit from increased NIL packages in the NCAA and come back to school or enter the transfer portal.
Some highly-ranked players not included who could potentially return to college include Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston), Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor), Alijah Arenas (USC), Meleek Thomas (Arkansas) and Ebuka Okorie (Stanford). However, if these players decide to declare and stay in the draft, they could potentially warrant first-round consideration as well.
Our draft order is based on ESPN’s projected records and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.
1. Indiana Pacers: AJ Dybantsa
BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) sets the play in front of West Virginia Mountaineers forward Brenen Lorient (0) during the second half at T-Mobile Center.
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The race for the No. 1 pick is a tight one, but if the Pacers get the pick, the most likely candidate is AJ Dybantsa. Even though he has flirted with the idea of returning to college, he is the perfect missing piece (around Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac) for this roster. The Big 12 Rookie of the Year leads the nation in unassisted points scored (680) by a wide margin this season, per CBB Analytics. The emerging star became the youngest player in NCAA history with a 30-point triple-double against Eastern Washington on Dec. 22. Highlighted by his 43-point performance against in-state rival Utah on Jan. 24 and 40 points against Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament on March 10, he has averaged 28.4 points per game over his last 16 appearances.
2. Washington Wizards: Darryn Peterson
Kansas Jayhawks…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-mock-draft-7-0-184236113.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-13 18:42:00
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