A Bulls Fan’s Guide to the NCAA Tournament
Bulls Fans Guide to the NCAA Tournament: Day 1
With the First Four wrapping up, one of the most exciting days on the sports calendar is upon us: the start of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As someone who follows college basketball heavily, it might be my favorite day of the year, but if you’re someone who’s strictly into professional basketball, you may not be quite as excited. If you’re solely a Bulls fan, or your favorite college team didn’t make the tournament, you might want to watch this tournament from the prospective of looking at the players who might be donning a Bulls uniform this year. Luckily for you, I’ve put together a guide of the players to watch in each slate of games. Here’s everyone who will play in today’s games, with part two on tomorrow’s games still to come.
Slate 1: V.J. Beachem F, Notre Dame (vs Princeton, 11:15 a.m. CT)
The first day starts off with a couple of exciting 5–12 matchups, but not a ton in the way of likely NBA talent. In fact, Beachem is likely the only player playing in the first four games that has a chance to be drafted at all in 2017, and he’s in the late second round to undrafted range. However, good players have been found late in the draft, and Beachem has some potential. He was good as a junior last season and shot over 40% from 3 in a secondary role. He never took the next step as a senior, but could use the tournament to show that he can thrive in a bigger role.
Also worth watching: London Perrantes (Virginia, 11:40 a.m.)
Slate 2: Luke Kornet F/C, Vanderbilt (vs Northwestern, 3:30)
This slate features another pretty weak crop of talent as far as the 2017 Draft is concerned, with one late second rounder-undrafted prospect as the slate’s only draft hopeful. Kornet is another senior who hasn’t improved as much as scouts had hoped. He’s a seven-footer who shot 41 percent from three as a sophomore, but that number dropped to just 32 percent two seasons later. He did make the SEC All-Defense team, and has flashed some decent skills when it comes to putting the ball on the floor out on the perimeter. He’s got a lot to work on, but he’s got some skills to work with.
Also worth watching: Kasey Hill (Florida, 2:10 p.m.)
Slate 3: Caleb Swanigan F/C, Purdue (vs Vermont, 6:27 p.m.)
The evening slate starts to get more interesting from an NBA perspective, and there are two guys I was deciding between for this one. Swanigan is likely a late first to early second rounder in this draft, but has very good upside. His biggest question mark is likely his size, as he’s only 6'9 but would likely have to play at the 5 in the NBA due to his struggles in space defensively. His 7'3 wingspan is cause for optimism on that front. If he can find a role defensively, he will likely turn into a very good player, thanks to his effective inside-out game. He’s been a very effective post scorer through his two years in West Lafayette, and shot 43% from beyond the arc as a sophomore as well.
Josh Hart is the other player I considered and he deserves a quick mention as well. He may go in the late first round but is likely to wind up in the early part of the second, and DraftExpress has him going to the Bulls at 36 in their most recent mock draft. He doesn’t have phenomenal size or athleticism, but Hart is smart, versatile, and a reliable shooter. He’s unlikely to become a star at the next level, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t carve out a solid career.
Also worth watching: Hart, Mikal Bridges (Villanova, 6:10 p.m), Melo Trimble (Maryland, 5:50 p.m.)
Slate 4: Lauri Markkanen F/C, Arizona (vs North Dakota, 8:50 p.m.)
The final slate of the night is loaded with NBA talent, and it’s headlined by one of the players I’m most excited about in the upcoming draft. The Finnish freshman has been a revelation for Sean Miller in Tucson. The seven-footer shot 43 percent from deep on 4.6 attempts per game, and that’s despite a horrific shooting slump over the final month or so of the season, when he shot just 29 percent over the last ten games. He was sitting around 50 percent heading into February. Markkanen is more than just a spot up shooter, as the Wildcats often ran him off screens like a guard. He has reliably connected not just in catch-and-shoot situations, but coming off of those screens as well. He’s also comfortable putting the ball on the floor and often ran the pick and roll as the ball handler with fellow seven-footer Dusan Ristic as the screener, a skill becoming more popular with guys his size in the NBA. He has room to develop offensively in the post, and there’s real concerns defensively, but he’s an exciting player and one of two likely top 10 picks in this slate of games, along with Jonathan Isaac.
Also worth watching: Isaac, Dwayne Bacon (Florida St, 8:20 p.m.), Nigel Hayes (Wisconsin, 8:40 p.m.), Monte Morris (Iowa State, 8:57), Cameron Oliver (Nevada, 8:57 p.m.)
Make sure to check back later for part 2.
