Top NCAA Tournament prospect list includes two Wolverines, but not Hunter Dickinson
Michigan is preparing for its NCAA Tournament opening-round matchup with the Colorado State Rams and looking to turn around its fortunes in the postseason. However, the Wolverines lack the NBA talent of other teams in the field of 68, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.
Two Michigan basketball players cracked the list of the 58 best NBA prospects in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. None of them was sophomore center Hunter Dickinson.
The Wolverines’ freshman pair of Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate did make it, coming in at No. 33 and 45, respectively. Houstan went to the Indiana Pacers in this scenario, while Diabate landed with the Detroit Pistons.
Both players came in as On3 Consensus five-star recruits, but have had varying degrees of success this season. Houstan is averaging 10.5 points, four rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the Wolverines. Diabate has scored nine points per night with 5.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists. The two have spent most of the season starting at the three and four spots in Michigan’s lineup.
They came into the season as NBA Draft lottery hopefuls, but have been inconsistent on a night-to-night basis. We will have to see if second-round standing is enough to get them to make the leap this offseason.
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Dickinson’s omission from the list is eye-opening. He has averaged 18.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds in 29 games in 2021-22 and has been a focal point offensively.
Michigan’s first round opponent features NBA prospect
Michigan’s showdown with Colorado State could be decided by how it handles Rams wing David Roddy. Roddy is averaging 19.4 points per game this season and was the Mountain West Player of the Year. ESPN’s prospect list ranked him 26th and has him going to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Here is what ESPN said about the talented scorer:
The Mountain West Conference player of the year, Roddy emerged as a potential All-American and one of the most versatile and unique college players as a junior. At 6-foot-6, he sees quite a few minutes at center, which he can thrive at thanks to his 260-pound frame. While he’s comfortable operating with his back to the basket, he’s also a creative ball-handler and outstanding passer who is converting 45% of his 3-pointers on the season, making him a huge mismatch that has lit up mid-major and high-major teams alike.
While Roddy is competitive with excellent instincts, his lateral quickness and ultimate position defensively at the NBA level is something scouts will want to gather more information about in the NCAA tournament. He has a great opportunity to solidify his standing versus a Big Ten team in Michigan and then a potential showdown with Tennessee, one of the best defensive teams in college basketball in the Round of 32.
No. 11 Michigan and No. 6 Colorado State tip off at 12:15 p.m. ET from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The winner gets a date with either No. 3 Tennessee or No. 14 Longwood on Saturday.
