March Madness is upon us, which means an onslaught of NBA Draft talk as fans tune into college basketball for the first time all season. Most passersby will focus on the blue bloods — Duke and Cooper Flagg, Auburn and Johni Broome, Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. — but there is much more meat on the bone for those looking to evaluate future pro talent.
The majority of prospects in the NBA Draft mix belong to Power Five schools. It's the way of the world. There are a precious few in the mid-major pool, however, and for many fans, this will be the first opportunity to watch them under the bright lights of a nationally televised game.
It's fun to root for the underdogs this time of year. It's March Madness tradition. Any mid-major that goes on an extended run will naturally curry favor with the broader basketball fandom. But, for those individual players, a deep run in the NCAA Tournament also opens the door to an NBA future. The league's scouts are thorough; no stone is left unturned. If there's a pro-level talent hiding at a small-time school, a front office will take the plunge. We've seen it time after time.
Here are the mid-major prospects most worthy of your attention in this year's tournament.
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3. Max Shulga, VCU
Few upset bets are stronger than VCU over BYU in the first round. With all due respect to the Cougars offense, which has been electric over the last month, I do not trust Egor Demin and BYU's backcourt to withstand the incoming pressure supplied by this Virginia Commonwealth defense. VCU gets after it, and mucks up the game relentlessly.
There's a lot going for VCU, beyond their program's lengthy history of March Madness success. Ryan Odom led UMBC past Virginia a few years back to become the first-ever No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed. His teams tend to rise to the occasion on this stage. Kevin Young is a brilliant coach, no doubt about it, but it's his first March Madness rodeo. BYU feels vulnerable.
That brings me to VCU graduate senior Max Shulga, the Ukranian point guard generating serious buzz as a potential second-round pick. Shulga is a lackluster athlete, to be sure, but he's 6-foot-4 and 197 pounds, with the strength to absorb contact on drives and carve out below-the-rim finishes. His real strength, however, comes behind the 3-point line, where he's a career 39.2 percent shooter on high volume.
Shulga takes care of the basketball and lights the nets on fire. His defense has improved drastically as a senior, up to 1.8 steals per game. VCU's success on that end could aid Shulga's stock a bit, although his appeal is rooted almost entirely in offense at the next level.
If the Rams reel off a few wins and press deep into the tournament, don't be shocked if Shulga's name becomes more prominent in NBA Draft circles.
2. Bennett Stirtz, Drake
Bennett Stirtz has been a hot topic in NBA Draft circles for a while, but the tournament has brought on a new surge of hype. If Drake gets blasted by Missouri in the first round, I'm not sure what folks will do. It almost feels like the Bulldogs are supposed to win, as if Stirtz has been ordained for March Madness legend by the basketball gods.
We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, of course. Missouri is a very good team — and actually a pretty tough matchup for Drake (I have the Bulldogs in the Sweet 16, but I don't feel great about it.) This is more or less Stirtz's first real test all season. He has wiped the floor with the Missouri Valley, but he has only played another NCAA Tournament team once. That was Vanderbilt, a lesser SEC foe than Mizzou.
A former D-II star turned lifeblood of Drake's offense, Stirtz has incredible impact metrics. He doesn't turn the ball over, he plays an absurd volume of minutes (39.3 per game, to be exact), and he's extremely exacting in his approach. What Stirtz lacks in strength or burst, he makes up for with creativity. Stirtz doesn't create much space with his handle, but he doesn't need a lot: just enough to flow into a pull-up or side-step jumper, which he tends to convert. He's hitting 38.6 percent of his 3s, with an impressive 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio. He even averages 2.2 steals, despite limited lateral agility. His hands are active.
If Stirtz can neutralize Missouri's quality defenders — Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II is another second-round prospect whose NBA appeal is rooted almost entirely in generating stops at the point of attack — and lead Drake to the upset, his stock is going to rise. Scouts are just waiting for him to do what he's done all season against real athleticism.
1. Nique Clifford, Colorado State
Nique Clifford has been on another planet these last few weeks. He took Colorado State from March afterthought to an autobid through the Mountain West Tournament. Over his last four games — the regular-season finale and three MWC Tournament games, all wins — Clifford has averaged 27.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals on .565/.478/.857 splits. He single-handedly kicked Boise State out of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Clifford has been on NBA radars since last season, but now he's emerging as a legitimate first-round prospect. If the Rams can string together a few more Ws, not much besides age will keep him out of the lottery. Clifford has a skill set every NBA front office covets. He's a quintessentially modern role player, with positive indicators out the wazoo and proper NBA athleticism.
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, it's difficult to fathom the force with which Clifford operates. He's a dominant positional rebounder, which is always a strong sign of NBA staying power. He jams up passing lanes, bullies thicker wings at the point of attack, and plays with a genuine physicality on both ends.
Offensively, Clifford has enjoyed a career-best season from deep (39.8 percent on 4.8 attempts), with new high-water marks in points, rebounds, and assists for good measure. Colorado State will let him push the tempo in transition or set up the offense at the top of the key. He's not a super advanced ball-handler, but he gets downhill with a quick first step and processes the floor extremely well. He can hit timely shots, even from funky angles, and he's an explosive vertical finisher in the paint.
There are strong Josh Hart vibes with Clifford. There are just too many tools in the toolkit for him to fail at the next level. NBA scouts will absolutely take notice if the Rams start progressing deep into March.