With March Madness coming to an end, some players have either contributed to their draft stock positively or negatively. In this article, the top 5 risers and fallers of March Madness will be listed.
Top 5 Draft Stock Risers
5. Jared McCain (6'3" Guard, Duke)
Recognized for his off-court controversies and TikTok dances, McCain is the real deal on the court. In his freshman campaign, McCain averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and an impressive 41.4% from the 3 (goduke.com). His upside lies within his elite 3pt shooting, but also his high motor as an undersized guard. After two 30-point performances in the tournament, McCain projects to be a mid-to-late first rounder.
4. N'Faly Dante (7'0" Center, Oregon)
In both of his two March Madness games, N'Faly Dante scored over 20 points and had 2 blocks and steals. Dante was uber-efficient offensively, shooting 68.9% in his two tournament games (ESPN). However, Dante projects to be a defensive anchor at the next level, and the way he protected the rim in the Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA Tournament was unbelievable. Dante was hit early in his career with the injury bug, but he has proven that when he is healthy, he is a force inside the paint. Ending of his collegiate career with a monster 28 points and 20 rebounds, Dante is now mocked to be a mid second rounder with upside to jump into the first round.
3. Tristan Da Silva (6'9" Forward, Colorado)
With Cody Williams and K.J. Simpson as his teammates, Da Silva was often overlooked by many Colorado fans and draft insiders this season. Including the First Four game, Da Silva averaged 18 points per game in the tournament on 61.2% from the field. (NCAA) Da Silva is mainly known for his 3 ball, but with his size and athleticism, he can guard anywhere from 2-4. This season, he shot 39.5% from the 3 and improved his free throw percentage from 75.5 up to 83.5 percent. At the pro level, Da Silva can be a 3 and D weapon that can be a high-quality role player for a contending team.
2. Dalton Knecht (6'6" Guard/Small Forward, Tennessee)
Dalton Knecht led his team to their second ever Elite Eight appearance in school history. Knecht is a pure scorer that averaged 21.7 points per game this season while shooting 39.7% from 3pt range (ESPN). This year, Knecht had a usage rate of 32.2% and a NET rating of 17.9 (Fox Sports). After his impressive season as a graduate transfer, Knecht seems to be mocked around the fringe lottery pick area in this upcoming draft.
1. Terrance Shannon Jr. (6'6" Guard, Illinois)
Shannon was extremely underwhelming against UConn in the Elite Eight, but this UConn squad is arguably a top 10 college basketball team ever. Including the Big Ten tournament, Shannon has scored over 25 points in 7 of his last 8 games with the Illini. A big question mark within his game was his ability to knock down the 3, which he improved upon by 4.1 percent, jumping up from 32.1% to 36.2% (University of Illinois Athletics). Despite being a fifth-year transfer, Shannon has played so well that he is flirting with a late-to-mid first round projection.
Top 5 Draft Stock Fallers
5. Yves Missi (7'0" Center, Baylor)
Missi is a pure defensive prospect that has no expectation of being a crafty big in the post. However, his defense in the NCAA Tournament was lackluster for his standards. He was getting outworked in the post by smaller bigs like Ian Scheffelin and PJ Hall. For someone who averaged 1.5 blocks a game this season, Missi's rim protection was not put on display during the tournament. He now projects to be a fringe or late-first rounder, when he could have easily gone within the first 20 picks.
4. Kyle Filipowski (7'0" Power Forward/Center, Duke)
Nothing necessarily diminished Kyle Filipowski's stock, but his tournament performances certainly made his prospect status worse. With the exception of the Houston Game, Filipowski did not eclipse 15 points and played poorly on the defensive end of the ball. Although his 3pt percentage and counting stats improved from his first year at Duke, Filipowski seems to be less engaged defensively and is more inconsistent on a game-to-game basis. Filipowski now projects as a mid-to-late first rounder, when he could have improved his draft stock into the top 10 picks.
3. Johnny Furphy (6'9" Forward, Kansas)
About halfway through the season, Furphy had been getting buzz about being a potential late first rounder in the NBA Draft. Furphy averaged around 9 points a game, on 46.6% from the field and 35.2% from the 3. These shooting splits indicate an inefficient player who is from 3 and does not have enough scoring prowess to help a team in the NBA. Besides being a Big 12 All-Freshamn Team member and having a second half to the season, Furphy is still too raw as a prospect and will most likely stay another year at Kansas.
2. D.J. Wagner (6'4" Guard, Kentucky)
Wagner, a highly-touted prospect that could have proved himself in the NCAA tournament, but completely folded against Oakland. Wagner went 0-5 from the field and 0-4 from 3pt range. This season, Wagner averaged under 10 points a game (9.9) on 40.5% shooting and 29.2% from the three ball( Sports Reference). Compared to Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, his teammates, Wagner produced significantly less than them while playing more minutes. With Wagner being mocked as a first rounder before the season started, he now sits as a late 2nd rounder who should stay another year in school.
1. Cody Williams (Colorado)
This is a HOT take, but the eye test this March Madness did not favor Cody Williams. Despite Williams shooting 41.5% from the 3 this season, he only shot 26 total 3's. Williams highest scoring performance was 12 points against Marquette, but had 0 points against a mediocre Boise State team. The potential is still through the roof for this kid, but he is no longer a top 8 selection in my eyes.
Alex Bailey, Senior Writer
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