clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

March Madness 2017: Prospect Discussion Thread

The schedules and game times to help examine our favorite Bucks targets in the Tourney

NCAA Basketball: PAC-12 Conference Tournament-Arizona vs UCLA Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks may not play tonight after their stirring win over the Clippers last night, but you can bet Matthew Dellavedova will be celebrating his clutch performance last night by watching his alma mater, the Saint Mary’s Gaels, take on VCU tonight. Yes, it’s March Madness time everyone. Which also means it’s time to huddle together and share our judgments on prospects some of us (guilty) have barely watched all year.

Wisconsin is also in action tonight, taking on Virginia Tech with a scheduled 8:40 CT tip time. The Badgers may have fallen short of expectations this year, but it’s one last ride for Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Zak Showalter, Vitto Brown and the gang. Let’s hope it’s a long one.

Hayes is currently the only player projected to go in DraftExpress’ mock draft (No. 49), but Koenig’s off the dribble pull-up propensity and shooting ability from deep should mean he’ll get a look from teams. Brown’s length (6’8” with a 7’3” wingspan) and last season’s fireball session in the tournament filled me with some hope coming into this year, but he’s had a rocky, up and down year.

Back to the prospects people care about though. Tom Ziller put together the great roundup below of all the top prospects’ tournament game times and TV schedule over the next two days, so use this as your guidepost and share your thoughts in the comments below. Oh, and while you’re at it, subscribe to Tom’s sterling Good Morning It’s Basketball newsletter already.


This is March

The play-in games have been decided, so we know the full schedule for the first two days of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Here's a look at all the prospects slated for the first round in DraftExpress' latest NBA mock draft and when they play in the first round. Note that if the teams of these players win on Thursday, they'll play again Saturday. If they win Friday, they'll play Sunday. If they lose on either day, they will likely announce their eligibility for the NBA Draft by Monday. If a prospect isn't listed, he's not in the tournament or he's an international prospect.

The DraftExpress mock draft rank is in parentheses. All times are Eastern.

Lonzo Ball (No. 2): UCLA vs. Kent State, Friday at 10 p.m. on truTV

Josh Jackson (No. 3): Kansas vs. UC Davis, Friday at 6:50 p.m. on TNT

Jayson Tatum (No. 4): Duke vs. Troy, Friday at 7:20 p.m. on TBS

De'Aaron Fox (No.5): Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky, Friday at 9:40 p.m. on CBS

Lauri Markannen (No. 7): Arizona vs. North Dakota, Thursday at 9:50 p.m. on TBS

Malik Monk (No. 8): Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky, Friday at 9:40 p.m. on CBS

Jonathan Isaac (No. 9): Florida State vs. Florida Gulf Coast, Thursday at 9:20 p.m. ET on TNT

Miles Bridges (No. 12): Michigan State vs. Miami, Friday at 9:20 p.m. on TNT

Justin Jackson (No. 13): North Carolina vs. Texas Southern, Friday at 4 p.m. on TNT

Justin Patton (No. 16): Creighton vs. Rhode Island, Friday at 4:30 p.m. on TBS

Luke Kennard (No. 20): Duke vs. Troy, Friday at 7:20 p.m. on TBS

Donovan Mitchell (No. 21): Louisville vs. Jacksonville State, Friday at 2:45 p.m. on CBS

Johnathan Motley (No. 24): Baylor vs. New Mexico State, Friday at 2:40 p.m.on truTV

Harry Giles (No. 25): Duke vs. Troy, Friday at 7:20 p.m. on TBS

T.J. Leaf (No. 26): UCLA vs. Kent State, Friday at 10 p.m. on truTV

Bam Adebayo (No. 27): Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky, Friday at 9:40 p.m.on CBS

Semi Olejeye (No. 28): SMU vs. USC, Friday at 3:10 p.m. on truTV

Caleb Swanigan (No. 29): Purdue vs. Vermont, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on truTV

While you wait for the games to begin, be sure to check out Paul Flannery's NBA guide to the prospects and my little piece on why March Madness and college basketball are so entertaining. And if you're into office pools and the like, here's SB Nation's excellent live updating bracket.