Freshman NBA Prospects Playing in the 2021 NCAA Tournament
The 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball is underway with the March Madness Tournament. The event officially starts with the first four on March 18, 4 PM and will end on April 5 for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game.
Out of the 68 teams playing this year, there are seven freshmen that are marked as NBA prospects for 2021. These players have dominated the college basketball scene since November and fans hope to see their A-game for March Madness. Here are some of the most notable names:
Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham plays for the Oklahoma State Cowboys as a guard. The 6’8” guard is a young superstar with many options scouting him when he came out of high school. He has an average of 23.6 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals during the Big 12 Tournament on top of his 44% shot accuracy. He is given a draft range of 1 to 3. Cunningham remains at the top of the prospect list in recent Sportsbet.io basketball news.
Evan Mobley
Evan Mobley is a blocker for the USC Trojans with a total of 87 blocks in the pac-12. He has an average of three blocks per game and boasts a wide wingspan of 7’5”. His other notable trait is how he can swiftly move around the court. His footwork and 7-foot height allow him to cover a lot of grounds. He is given a draft range of 1 to 4.
Jalen Suggs
The Gonzaga Bulldogs’ prospect is Jalen Suggs who boasts a height of 6’4”. He is mostly known for his feat in the last four minutes of the West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament against the BYU Cougars. He is largely credited for the win as he scored a total of 8 points with two back-to-back three-pointers. He is given a draft range of 2 to 5.
Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes from the Florida State Seminoles is given a draft range of 5 to 10. He mostly plays the forward position but he has proven his versatility as he can switch between positions in the middle of a game. He is 6’9” and has a notable running speed that allows him to reach for a dunk or layup at any moment’s notice.
Moses Moody
Moses Moody rose to popularity as the shooting guard and leading scorer of the Arkansas Razorbacks. He has a 38% shooting accuracy from the 3-point range with his most notable skill being spot-up shooting. He is given a draft range of 7-10.
Keon Johnson
Keon Johnson from the Tennessee Volunteers is considered as the most athletic guard in the current draft class. However, he is only given a draft range between 6 to 10. This is likely due to how he was only noticed around the start of February after a change in playstyle. Recruiters suspect that his stock will rise in future games.
Jaden Springer
The last freshman prospect on this list is Jaden Springer from the Tennessee Volunteers. Just like Johnson, he was a late bloomer who was only recognized in the past month. He is given a draft range of 10 to 17 but it is expected to rise during the NCAA tournament. The 18-year-old has an average of 16.5 points per game with a shooting percentage of 45%.
The 2021 NCAA tournament has only just begun. The draft stock for each prospect is bound to change during the event. However, there is no denying that they are some of the best freshmen in the game right now. Stay tuned for more updates on Sportsbet.io basketball news.
