NBA Draft: Possible First-Round Names to Watch in the NCAA Tournament

On3 takes a look across the 68 teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament to discuss potential first-round 2024 NBA Draft picks.

Seven teams that can win a championship

G Trey Alexander, Creighton

The Buzz: Trey Alexander spent the better part of last season playing off the ball, finishing plays on the offensive end. This year, he showed a little more ability on the ball. Alexander has a smooth floor game, with his ability to dribble, pass, and shoot it. In Big East play, the lengthy 6-foot-4 guard averaged 18.6 points and 5.0 assists during Big East play. His shooting dropped from 41.0 percent last season to 32.7 percent this season, however, over his final 11 games he shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Creighton is the 3-seed in the Midwest region, they will play Akron in the first round.

G Stephon Castle, UConn 

The Buzz: Stephon Castle is a gamer. When the lights come on and the ball is tipped, Castle continues showing he can find a way. The 6-foot-6 wing grew up playing predominantly on the ball. He has shown this season at UConn that he is an excellent off-ball connector. Castle has upside defensively with his length and anticipation. Over his last 20 games, since the calendar turned to 2024, Castle has averaged 12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. UConn has won 19 of their last 20 games. UConn earned the No. 1 overall seed and will play Stetson in the first round of the East Region.

C Donovan Clingan, UConn

The Buzz: Unlike most in college basketball, Donovan Clingan has a unique ability to close up shop around the basket. He is listed at 7-foot-2 and 265 pounds, he moves better than you think and has good timing around the rim. He uses his length and understanding of timing and angles to affect play in the paint. Clingan has struggled with a couple of lower body injuries this season, he has played 21.9 minutes per game. There are questions with his lateral mobility and his offensive game outside of 15 feet, but he has shown some interesting passing markers. His per-40 numbers this season are 22.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks. UConn earned the No. 1 overall seed and will play Stetson in the first round of the East Region.

F Tristan da Silva, Colorado

The Buzz: Tristan da Silva is 6-foot-8, 200 pounds, and he has a lengthy and fluid frame. A lot of his intrigue comes with his shooting ability, knocking down 38.3 percent of his three-point attempts (358) over his last three seasons. While da Silva has a high basketball IQ he lacks athleticism and production around the rim. He has scored 1,408 points in his four years at Colorado and his 15.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals gave production across the board. Colorado will play Boise State in the play-in game to earn the No. 10 seed in the South Region. 

G Robert Dillingham, Kentucky

The Buzz: Robert Dillingham is one of the more electric scorers in college basketball. The 6-foot-2 guard has the crafty handle and the feel to get to his spots on the floor, and rise up the second he feels his man is off-balance. Dillingham has good length and his wiggle is more predicated on his shifty handle than his burst. He is aggressive when looking for his shot, which can sometimes stop the ball from moving. Dillingham has shot the ball at a high clip, 44.9 percent from three. He has played an electric role off the bench, allowing him the ability to play freely in shorter spurts. Dillingham averaged 26.5 points per 40 and maintained his shooting percentage in SEC play, shooting 44.3 percent from three. Kentucky is a 3-seed in the South Region and will play Oakland in the first round,

F Ryan Dunn, Virginia

The Buzz: Ryan Dunn is a premier defensive player, able to impact the game on the ball or off the ball. At a lengthy 6-foot-8, he has the quick-twitch enough to guard top perimeter players and the timing and pop to act as a weak-side rim protector and get into the passing lanes. He averaged 3.6 stocks this season, leading the ACC with 2.3 blocks per game. Offensively, things are a little different. He was inconsistent this season with his shooting. He shot 20.6 percent from three and 53.3 percent from the free-throw line. While much of his offense has been within his capabilities, he shot 55.2 percent from the field, it lacks creativity and creation. The defensive side of the floor will carry his weight here. Virginia will play the play-in game against Colorado State, the winner will be the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region.

C Zach Edey, Purdue

The Buzz: Zach Edey is big, even by NBA standards. With that size, Edey has excellent touch and good footwork. Edey has been the most dominant player in college basketball, for two seasons now. His 24.4 points lead NCAA DI and his 11.7 rebounds are third. The obvious questions are about the athleticism and his offensive game fitting in the modern NBA. He has improved each season he has been in college. And despite some obvious questions, he has some very intriguing positives as well. Purdue earned the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and will play the winner of the Grambling State and Montana State play-in game.

C Kyle Filipowski, Duke

The Buzz: Kyle Filipowski was the central figure of a Duke team that stayed in the top 15 for the full season. He averaged 17.1 points. 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this season. The intriguing aspect of Filipowski’s game was his passing. Duke was at their best this season when they ran the offense at different levels through the 7-foot-0 center. He lacks lift which inhibits his ability to finish at the rim at times. But his ability to face up and dribble, shoot, and pass is interesting for the first-team All-ACC performer. Duke earned the No. 4 seed in the South Region and will play Vermont in the first round.

F Johnny Furphy, Kansas

The Buzz: Johnny Furphy had a big spurt in the middle of the season when Kansas inserted him into the starting lineup. Furphy has positional size at 6-foot-8, and the ability to space the floor and shoot with deep range. He is a fluid athlete, which allows for an overall upside. His production was inconsistent on the season He averaged 6.2 points and shot 21.4 percent from three over his last four games. In the 15 games before that, the Australian wing averaged 12.2 points and shot 38.1 percent from three. Kansas earned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and will play Samford in the first round. 

F DaRon Holmes, Dayton

The Buzz: DaRon Holmes took a jump from last season to this, extending his range and adding more fluidity to his athleticism. The 6-foot-10 center got better each month of the season, improving his counting stats and maintaining his efficiency. He averaged 20.4 points. 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks this season while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three this season. He moves well, has natural timing, and he showed toughness this season. Dayton earned a No. 7 seed in the West Region and will play Nevada in the first round. 

C Oso Ighodaro, Marquette

The Buzz: Oso Ighodaro is a unique big with his ability to process and facilitate. He has good passing touch and is able to make plays at multiple levels of the court. Ighodaro is not a great shooter, he has attempted two threes in his four years at Marquette. But he has an interesting ability with crafty touch finishes within eight feet. Marquette listed Ighodaro at 6-foot-11 this season, if that size is legit, Ighodaro brings some pretty unique things to the table as an NBA five. He averaged 14.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals this season. Marquette earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region and will play Western Kentucky in the first round.

F Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

The Buzz: Dalton Knecht was one of college basketball’s most prolific scorers this season. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 24.9 points in SEC play while shooting 41.1 percent from three. The SEC Player of the Year scored 20 or more points in 13 of his final 18 games of the season. There are some defensive questions, but he has good length and athleticism with instincts. He had seven 30-point games, two 39-point games, and a 40-point game this season. Tennessee earned a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and will play 

G Tyler Kolek, Marquette

The Buzz: Tyler Kolek has produced for the past two seasons. He has had eight games this season with ten or more assists and nine games with 20 or more points. Kolek is a quick processor and a crafty player who understands pace. Kolek has solid size as a lead guard at 6-foot-3 and he understands angles and passing lanes. He does have questions about his athletic twitch. The ceiling might not be as high with Kolek, but he does offer some comfort in you know what you are getting. Kolek shot the three at a 40-percent clip this season while raising his stats along with his percentages and efficiency. Marquette earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region and will play Western Kentucky in the first round.

G Jared McCain, Duke

The Buzz: With Jared McCain, the shooting leads the way. But the confidence and his winning ways are hard to ignore. McCain shot 39.9 percent from three on the season, taking 5.6 threes per game. McCain lacks ideal positional size and length and he is an average athelte. But his confidence and understanding of pace help him get to spots, especially in the open floor. McCain did have some inconsistent stretches this season, but he showed a nose for the ball, averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Duke earned a No. 4 seed in the South Region and will play Vermont in the first round.

F Kevin McCullar, Kansas

The Buzz: For a good portion of the early part of the college basketball season, Kevin McCullar was the best player on one of the best teams in the country. Kansas found some struggles and McCullar battled some late-season injuries. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, McCullar did a lot of everything across the floor, less an inconsistent jump shot. McCullar is a defensive presence and his passing might have been his most intriguing offensive tool. He handled some secondary play-making for Kansas as well as attacking the rim with purpose in transition. McCullar led the Jayhawks in points (18.3) and steals (1.5) while finishing second on the team in rebounds (6.0) and assists (4.1). Kansas earned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and will play Samford in the first round.

C Yves Missi, Baylor

The Buzz: Yves Missi is an electric athlete as a 7-footer. He has great length with burst and fluidity. It is easy to see the defensive upside the native of Cameroon brings to the floor. Offensively, he finishes plays that others create. Right now, he plays as a roll man and out of the dunker spots. He runs the floor well and changes ends quickly. He will need to continue adding weight and adding to his offensive repertoire. Rim protection and vertical spacing are the obvious tools as he averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks this season. Baylor earned a three-seed in the West Region and will play Colgate in the first round.

F Terrence Shannon, Illinois

The Buzz: Terrence Shannon has ended the season on a tear that has been hard to ignore. Throughout February and March, Shannon averaged 25.6 points including a 40-point outburst in the Big Ten championship game that set the single-game record. The efficiency of his scoring has been inconsistent, as a lot of his points come off aggressive straight-line drives. He did shoot 35.7 percent from three. The first-team All-Big Ten performer has scored 2,058 career points. His production goes without saying. Illinois earned a No. 3 seed in the East Region and will play Morehead State in the first round. 

G Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

The Buzz: Reed Sheppard has been one of college basketball’s most consistently productive players all season. Coming off the bench for Kentucky he has shown shooting touch with range and excellent basketball feel. He lacks length causing size questions. He is a good athlete and has really high-level anticipation and fluidity even without great twitchiness. Sheppard has proven to be one of the best connectors in the game, playing well off others. While he can get lost at times off the ball and can get blown by when guarding on the ball, he has excellent instincts in the passing lanes, leading the SEC in steals at 2.5 per game. Sheppard has shown a unique ability to enhance the play of other great players when he is on the floor. Kentucky earned a No. 3 seed in the South Region and will play Oakland in the first round.

G Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor

The Buzz: In theory, Ja’Kobe Walter brings a lot of interesting pieces to the table. At his best, he is a shot-maker and a defensive wing. Walter showed some shot-making chops, finishing with 13 games where he had three or more made threes. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard also averaged close to five free throws per game. He also had nine games this year where he finished with less than ten points. The defense has been up and done, especially on the ball. He has a higher floor in this NBA Draft as he is one that you have a feeling of what you will be getting with Walter. Baylor earned a three-seed in the West Region and will play Colgate in the first round.

F Cody Williams, Colorado

The Buzz: Cody Williams has flashed pretty significantly as a freshman at Colorado. He started the season off strong before struggling with a couple of mid-season injuries He ended up averaging 11.9 points in Pac-12 play while shooting 53.4 percent from three and 35.7 percent from three. There are questions about how much he affects winning as Colorado is 8-3 in the games he missed this year and 16-7 in the games he has played. Williams has an excellent – albeit currently thin – frame, listed at 6-foot-8 with lengthy arms. He is an average athlete and did not show much creation this season, he averaged 1.7 assists to 2.1 turnovers. There is clear intrigue here with what he could turn into with his natural gifts. He is the younger brother of Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams. Colorado earned a spot in the play-in game against Boise State. The winner will be the No. 10 seed in the South Region and will play Florida.

Potential Second-Round Draft Picks: F PJ Hall (Clemson), F Baylor Scheierman (Creighton), C Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), G Cam Spencer (UConn), F Pelle Larsson (Arizona), G DJ Wagner (Kentucky), F Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina), F Justin Edwards (Kentucky), G KJ Simpson (Colorado)

Did not make NCAA Tournament: C Kel’el Ware (Indiana), G Devin Carter (Providence), G Isaiah Collier (USC), F Jaylon Tyson (Cal), F Dillon Jones (Weber State), F Kyshawn George (Miami), G Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest), G Carlton Carrington (Pittsburgh)