In some ways, March Madness is when NBA Draft season officially starts. And this year's draft is one for the ages, with several franchise-level players and a three-man race for the No. 1 pick. Of these three possible No. 1 picks, nobody has more to prove this tournament than Kansas' Darryn Peterson. The 6-foot-5 guard is a dynamic three-level scorer with arguably the best 3-point shot in the class. By all accounts, he has what it takes to be a future superstar.
He entered the season as the most likely No. 1 pick (albeit by a slight margin), but his constant hamstring injury problems and limited minutes have hurt his case. Peterson appeared in 22 out of 33 games, averaging 28.4 minutes. Oftentimes, he didn't play second halves or left the game early with cramping. Because of this, some people have gone on to question Peterson's passion for basketball. This has led to Peterson's on-court production being discussed less than it should be.
In my eyes, these concerns are a bit overblown. However, there's no denying that Peterson could especially benefit from a strong March Madness. With Kansas drawing the No. 4 seed in a loaded East Region, Peterson has plenty of chances to do so, as long as the Jayhawks take care of Cal Baptist on Friday.
4. Michigan State: No. 3 seed
Who knows if Michigan State and Kansas will meet each other in the tournament, but it remains a possible Elite Eight matchup. With a trip to the Final Four on the line, a big game (and run before that) would silence Peterson's doubters.
Besides the availability concerns, one thing that I'd like to see from Peterson is success against top-end defenses. Peterson has played six games against top-20 ranked defenses on KenPom, and he hasn't shot above 40 percent from the field in any of these games. Michigan State's 13th-ranked defense would certainly offer a massive test in a high-leverage game.
Believe it or not, but every other team on this list has a higher-ranked defense. As such, for Peterson to have a big tournament run, he'll have to step up against top-end defenses. Again, it's not super likely that these two teams face off, but if they do, Peterson will be challenged.
3. St. John's: No. 5 seed
I have St. John's ranked slightly above Michigan State, as it's a more realistic outcome that we see these two teams in the Round of 32. Frankly, these two teams are seemingly on a collision course to meet on the first weekend of the tournament, giving Peterson a perfect chance to make an early statement. For Peterson to really prove himself, making an early splash is the best way to go.
St. John's 12th-ranked defense and elite positional size can undoubtedly make life difficult for Peterson. As noted, with Michigan State, Peterson has typically struggled with elite defenses, making this the perfect game to shut down the narrative early. Assuming there's no Round of 64 upset (which is a fairly dangerous assumption), all eyes will be on St. John's and Kansas on Sunday.
2. UConn: No. 2 seed
A possible Elite Eight matchup with UConn requires a lot of things to break right for Kansas. I almost bumped up St. John's as a result. Nevertheless, there's no denying the magnitude of going head-to-head with one of the country's premier programs with a trip to Indianapolis on the line.
UConn has some real NBA talent, including Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban. Plus, Dan Hurley is arguably the best coach in college basketball, and this is a program that has won two national championships this decade. UConn's 11th-ranked defense is no joke, on top of all of this.
The two teams met back in December with UConn winning by five points. This was one of the games in which Peterson was inactive. Thus, if he plays and heroically leads Kansas to a Final Four appearance, it would be a full circle moment in some ways.
1. Duke: No. 1 seed
As if it could be anyone else. Not only is Duke the No. 1 overall seed, but they're the No. 2 defense in the country. Dame Sarr is an elite on-ball stopper who poses a challenging matchup for Peterson. And of course, they have Cameron Boozer, who is in the running with Peterson for the No. 1 pick race.
I can't think of a better way for Peterson to prove himself than beating Boozer in a head-to-head matchup to go to the Elite Eight. This is the type of stuff that movies are made of.
The tournament always has surprises, but the committee knew what it was doing when it put Duke and Kansas in the same region. Everyone wants to see this matchup, and a big game from Peterson could add another wrinkle to the No. 1 pick debate. It's also worth noting that Peterson didn't play in Kansas' regular season meeting with Duke -- a game that the Jayhawks lost by eight points.
If Peterson has the best tournament possible, it will undoubtedly be connected with a big-time performance against Boozer and Duke.