Fansided

Winners and losers of the NBA Draft declarations

By Mike Phillips

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts to a play against the Auburn Tigers during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts to a play against the Auburn Tigers during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers talks to his team during the second half of the semifinal game in the NCAA Men’s Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 06, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers talks to his team during the second half of the semifinal game in the NCAA Men’s Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 06, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

Loser: Auburn

The Auburn Tigers were one of the more surprising entrants in the Final Four back in April, and it looked like Bruce Pearl had built a strong foundation.

A bizarre collapse at the end of their Final Four matchup against Virginia prevented what could have been Auburn’s first national championship, but now the odds appear stacked against the Tigers.

The NBA Draft claimed two key members of the Tigers’ rotation, guard Jared Harper and big man Chuma Okeke. Harper was a dynamic scorer for Auburn, averaging 15.3 points per game and knocking down 37 percent of his triples, so losing his offense is a big deal for the Tigers.

The other loss is Okeke, who had a fascinating decision to make. Okeke, who was widely considered to the glue for Auburn, tore his ACL in a Sweet 16 win and is now expected to be sidelined for a portion of next season.

The smart money when it comes to an injury is to return to school to rehab and rebuild your draft stock, but Okeke didn’t need to do that.

Scouts were clearly enamored with his potential and a lot of mocks have Okeke listed as a first-rounder, so it made sense for him to jump now and get a guaranteed NBA contract rather than risk lowering his stock by looking rusty upon return from injury.

Next. What E.J. Montgomery's return means for Kentucky. dark

Those defections hurt Auburn a lot since both players could have been All-America candidates entering the year. The Tigers still have a very talented core, but they now rank behind Kentucky and LSU in terms of threats to win the SEC next season.