5 first round NCAA Tournament games with NBA Draft implications

EVANSVILLE, IN - MARCH 09: Murray State Racers Guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles the ball during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 14: Iowa State Cyclones guard Talen Horton-Tucker (11) celebrates after making a three in the first half of a quarterfinal Big 12 tournament game between the Iowa State Cyclones and Baylor Bears on March 14, 2019 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Iowa State vs Ohio State

Last, but not least, is the battle of the states as Iowa State and Ohio State caps off this list and the late Friday tilt has a smorgasbord of talent on display. The Buckeyes have forwards Kaleb and Andre Wesson who are unlikely to be 2019 entrees but are definitely worth a look since this will likely be Ohio State’s final game of the season. Another player worth keeping a tab on for later is freshman guard, Luther Muhammad. Muhammad is the best two-way player on the Buckeyes roster. Capable of pressuring the ball the length of the court, Muhammad will have his hands full with the continuous throng of guards that the Cyclones could throw his way.

That list starts with Lindell Wiggington. After spending the beginning of the year recovering from injury, Wiggington returned to the lineup as a sixth-man — and all he did was win Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in the process. Wiggington is the Cyclones best one-on-one player and especially likes to attack the paint off the dribble. It was Wiggington who had the ball in his hands to close out Kansas in the conference championship game.

Following up at the guard spots are senior Nick Weiler-Babb and freshman Tyrese Haliburton. Weiler-Babb is a steadying presence capable of changing the tide of a game and Haliburton is likely the best perimeter defender that is not a member of the Virginia Cavaliers. The wiry 6-foot-5 Haliburton has made a name for himself because of his defensive abilities and is capable of stretching the floor.

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To wrap up, wings Marial Shayok and Talen Horton-Tucker (also a senior and freshman respectively) help make Iowa State a team that can play multiple styles with a variety of lineups at the disposable for Steve Prohm. Shayok is a Virginia-transfer who has flourished away from Tony Bennett’s structured offense. Shayok’s scoring numbers skyrocketed from 8.9 points per game in 2016-17 to 18.6 this season while playing 12 more minutes per game. Horton-Tucker has become a guard version of Draymond Green. Standing three inches shorter than Green, Horton-Tucker’s 6-foot-11 wingspan allows him to defend 1 through 4 on the court and he stuffs the stat sheet (12.1 PPG, 5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 SPG).

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