This NCAA Tournament Might Finally Feature a Clear-cut No. 1 Overall Pick

The first two selections from last year’s NBA draft and four out of the top five choices in this year’s draft hadn’t participated in an NCAA Tournament prior to starting their professional careers.

That trend is expected to conclude this year with the Duke forward. Cooper Flagg .

Flag sprained his ankle during Duke’s first match at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and did not participate for the remainder of the week. According to Duke, Flagg was affected by this injury. will be available For March Madness, as the top-seeded team in the East Region, Duke (31-3) will play their initial tournament match on Friday.

Should Flagg recover fully from his injury, basketball enthusiasts will have the opportunity to witness what could very well become the top choice in the coming draft during this year’s NCAA Tournament. This hasn’t been possible for them over the past few seasons.

The initial two selections in last year's draft were Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, international prospects who didn’t play college basketball. The only college player taken among the first five selections in the 2023 draft headed by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was Alabama’s Brandon Miller, who was selected second overall by the Charlotte Hornets.

The last No. 1 pick with NCAA Tournament experience was Paolo Banchero, who led Duke to the 2022 Final Four before the Orlando Magic selected him first overall.

Even before the highly-touted 6-foot-9 wing reinforced expectations surrounding his debut with stellar performances, Flagg had been regarded as the top choice for the number one draft pick. Throughout his first collegiate season, he has established himself as a leading contender for Player of the Year. Currently, Flagg boasts averages of 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.

While Flagg is one of the headline attractions in this year’s NCAA Tournament, two other likely top-five picks won’t be participating in March Madness despite playing college basketball this season. Rutgers went just 15-17 this season despite having Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, who could end up being the next two picks in the draft behind Flagg.

Even so, this year’s tournament field features plenty of NBA prospects beyond Flagg:

VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor

Opening game: Friday vs. Mississippi State at Raleigh, North Carolina.

A guard from Baylor (19-12) has consistently been chosen in the first round across three out of the initial four drafts, with Davion Mitchell being picked ninth in 2021, Keyonte George at sixteenth in 2023, and Ja'Kobe Walter at nineteenth last year. This pattern seems likely to persist. Standing at 6-foot-5, the Bahamian guard earned the title of Big 12 Freshman of the Year according to votes cast by conference coaches. His statistics include an average of 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois

The opening game will be held on Friday against either Texas or Xavier in Milwaukee.

Earlier this season, this 6-foot-6 freshmen from Lithuania went on a remarkable run of scoring at least 20 points in six consecutive games. During that streak, his performances against notable opponents like NCAA Tournament participants Arkansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Missouri stood out. Although Jakucionis' scoring has decreased slightly since then, he remains an impactful player for Illinois (21-12), averaging 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest.

Tre Johnson, G, Texas

The opening game will be held on Wednesday against Xavier in Dayton, Ohio.

Notes: Johnson earned first-team Associated Press all-Southeastern Conference He received honors and was titled the conference’s rookie of the year during his first season. Standing tall at 6-6, he possesses notable height for the NBA and demonstrates clear-cut scoring prowess. As a freshmen player for Texas (with a record of 19-15), he managed to average 19.8 points while competing in one of the country's most competitive conferences. His three-point shooting accuracy stands at 39.2%, hitting about 2.7 shots from beyond the arc each contest. Notably, he delivered an impressive 39-point effort in an overtime match against Arkansas and followed up with another strong showing of 32 points when they beat Kentucky.

Liam McNeeley, F, UConn

The opening game will be held on Friday against Oklahoma in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Notes The AP Big East rookie of the year In consecutive games last month, he scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against St. John’s, followed by 38 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton. This 6-foot-7 forward is currently averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game during his freshman year with UConn (23-10). As McNeeley heads into the NCAA Tournament, he aims to break out of a recent scoring funk, having made only 15 of 52 shots overall and 4 of 19 from beyond the arc in his past four contests.

Derik Queen, C, Maryland

The opening game will be held on Friday against Grand Canyon University in Seattle.

The 6-10 freshman is a conventional big man inside without a three-point shot yet—this year, he has only made 2 out of 24 attempts from deep—but he excels near the rim. Queen is scoring an average of 16.3 points and grabbing 9 rebounds per game for Maryland (25-8). Heading into the NCAA Tournament, he boasts eight double-doubles over his past ten games. His recent form includes a standout 31-point effort. Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Michigan.

Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State

Opening game: Friday vs. Bryant at Cleveland.

Notes: Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who was part of Michigan State’s 1999-2000 national championship team and played 13 seasons in the NBA. The 6-3 freshman has made an impression by shooting 51.2% overall and 41.2% from 3-point range. He’s only started 11 of 32 games for Michigan State (27-6) while averaging 12 points, but he’s come on strong lately. Richardson is averaging 19.5 points over his last four games and has scored at least 17 in each of them.

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