NCAA Tournament Prospect Watch: South Region
The NCAA tournament feels even more loaded with NBA prospects this year than it did in 2014, which featured one of the most heralded draft classes of all time. Maybe it's the battle to be the No. 1 pick, or the constant shuffling of those in the lottery, or the fact that 33 of ESPN's top 40 prospects are on teams that made the field. Maybe we just love this time of year regardless of prospect quality.
In any case, there are 74 prospects in the tournament ranked in the top 100 by either ESPN, DraftExpress, or both. What follows is a list of prospects to watch in the South Region.
EAST | WEST | SOUTH | MIDWEST | Kentucky
Potential Lottery Picks
Jahlil Okafor - Duke - ESPN: 1, DraftExpress: 1
There's plenty to like about the presumptive No. 1 pick in June's draft, and a strong tournament showing - particularly if he runs into Kentucky - could more or less wrap up the top spot for him. Averaging 17.7 points and nine rebounds on 66.9 percent shooting for a No. 1 seed speaks volumes on its own; things like a 7-foot-5 wingspan, or the fact that Okafor won't turn 20 until midway through the 2015-16 NBA season, serve only as gravy.
Okafor is enormous, and his phenomenal hands, soft touch and refined footwork in the post make him close to impossible for any college defense to handle. The questions at the next level pertain mostly to defensive engagement and his ultimate upside on that end. Karl-Anthony Towns has improved more offensively as the season's gone on than Okafor has defensively, and the two centers are neck-and-neck atop draft boards.
Kevon Looney - UCLA - ESPN: 6, DraftExpress: 13
Maybe UCLA doesn't deserve to be in the tournament, maybe they do. The important thing for NBA fans is that they'll get a closer look at Looney, a potential top-10 pick and maybe the best forward on the board.
With an established inside-outside game and strong measurements - 6-foot-10, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot-2 standing reach - Looney is an enticing combo forward who could be a two-way difference maker. He would need to fill out his frame and stretch his range to really threaten the top five, but teams may fall in love with his size, handle and abandon on the glass.
Justise Winslow - Duke - ESPN: 10, DraftExpress: 9
Right there with Looney among the draft's top forwards is Okafor's teammate Winslow, a more natural small forward with just as much defensive upside. Winslow has the makings of an All-Defense NBA player if things break right, so it's just a matter of him showing enough on the offensive end to land in the top 10.
Winslow is averaging 12.3 points on 48.2 percent shooting and has outperformed expectations from long range. Despite the numbers, though, his offensive game lacks polish, and he's more of a safety valve and clean-up scorer than someone the offense can run through.
Considering he won't turn 19 until the Sweet Sixteen, there's plenty of time for that to develop while he defends and wreaks havoc on the boards.
Potential 1st-Round Picks
Malik Pope - San Diego St. - ESPN: 16, DraftExpress: N/R
How is a player on the fringes of the lottery by one outlet's measure and off the board entirely by another? By oozing with upside while being far, far away from contributing at the NBA level. Preaching patience with Pope - a 6-foot-10 wing with serious wheels and a handle - could prove profitable.
Jakob Poeltl - Utah - ESPN: 20, DraftExpress: 19
He could use a sophomore season with the Utes, but if the 7-footer declares for the draft, he's a surefire first-round pick. He's not raw, just somewhat unrefined, and 19-year-olds this big who move this well are simply too rare for someone not to take a chance.
Delon Wright - Utah - ESPN: 26, DraftExpress: 32
Far more NBA-ready is Poeltl's teammate, Wright, who will turn 23 before draft night. That seriously limits his upside, but he rebounds and defends well, has great size for the point and has shown an improved outside stroke in a somewhat small sample of shots. A contender could take a worse flier than Wright as their backup one-guard.
Tyus Jones - Duke - ESPN: 28, DraftExpress: 26
Advanced metrics love Jones because he can hit threes and get to the line at will, but scouts are a bit down on his upside because he doesn't check enough eye-test boxes. He's similar to Tyler Ennis from a year ago in that regard, and Ennis went 18th overall in a loaded draft.
Domantas Sabonis - Gonzaga - ESPN: 29, DraftExpress: 44
The 6-foot-10 son of Arvydas Sabonis doesn't have numbers that jump off the page - he averages 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 67.7 percent - but he's a great passer and a strong rebounder who's said to have a sky-high basketball IQ, hardly a surprise given his pedigree.
Potential 2nd-Round Picks
Isaac Copeland - Georgetown - ESPN: 47, DraftExpress: N/R
He's a 6-foot-10 freshman forward who can knock down the triple and has seen a spike in his performance since mid-January.
Norman Powell - UCLA - ESPN: 90, DraftExpress: 56
Powell makes up for a lack of height at the two with impressive length and athleticism, but even a spike in scoring as a senior may not have shown enough on the offensive end to warrant a draft pick.
Others to Watch
Tyler Harvey - Eastern Washington - ESPN: 80, DraftExpress: N/R
Jameel McKay - Iowa St. - ESPN: 97, DraftExpress: N/R
Georges Niang - Iowa St. - ESPN: N/R, DraftExpress: 94
Joshua Smith - Georgetown - ESPN: N/R, DraftExpress: 88
Aaron White - Iowa - ESPN: N/R, DraftExpress: 98
Chris Obekpa (suspended) - St. John's - ESPN: N/R, DraftExpress: 85