Upside and Motor: 1 prospect from each Final Four team with the most to gain

Has March Madness been a bit boring this year? Perhaps. We have four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, which ensures great basketball, but speaks to the noticeable lack of Cinderella runs. Arkansas, a talented SEC team led by the active NCAA Tournament wins leader in John Calipari, was the only double-digit seed to even crack the Sweet 16.

We can pour one out for the mid-major upsets that were so prevalent before NIL, but we shouldn't complain too much about the final slate. Again, this weekend is going to feature great basketball. Both semifinal matchups are chock full of intrigue as Duke's buzzsaw runs up against the scrappy Houston Cougars and the SEC gets one last showdown between Auburn and Florida.

Yours truly picked Houston to win it all, but picking against Duke right now feels like a fool's errand. Auburn is the top overall seed, but Florida won the SEC Tournament and has 10 straight wins under its belt. Both games will feature several noteworthy NBA Draft prospects on a collision course.

Here are the four Final Four prospects — one from each remaining championship contender — with the most to gain on Saturday and beyond.

Auburn — Tahaad Pettiford, guard, freshman

Tahaad Pettiford has been on an extended heater for most of March Madness. The diminutive freshman still isn't starting for the Tigers, but he was the driving force behind a Sweet 16 win over Michigan, dropping 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Johni Broome has more or less made his case to scouts across five NCAA seasons. He is Auburn's best player and it's on him to guide the Tigers across the finish line. Still, Pettiford could emerge as Auburn's top prospect in NBA circles. He's 19 with an efficient scoring profile and a skill set well-tailored to today's game, even if his slight 6-foot frame is bound to generate skeptics.

Pettiford doesn't necessarily stuff the ancillary portions of the stat sheet — he's not a prodigious passer or a high-level defensive playmaker — but the scoring chops are very real. He's shooting 37.1 percent on a high volume of 3s this season, mixing in sharp drives and a highlight reel full of mid-range pull-ups. He gets to his spots with a deadly first step and plays with an effusive confidence. NBA teams looking for a bench spark plug will earmark Pettiford on their boards.

If the freshman can pull through with a couple more big outings, he feels like a legitimate candidate to crash the first round. Quickness, shot-making dynamism, and touch all ooze off the screen with Pettiford. He has the spunk and skill to make up for size limitations.

Florida — Alex Condon, big, sophomore

Walter Clayton Jr. has been front and center for Florida's touch-and-go Final Four run, but it's sophomore Alex Condon with the most to prove, and gain, in Saturday's showdown with Auburn.

Condon has been steadily rising up draft boards all season. It's not difficult to understand why; he fits an invaluable archetype in the modern game. At 6-foot-11 and 230 pounds, Condon's blend of mobility and skill presents an easy NBA fit. He can space out to the 3-point line, attack closeouts with fluid handles, and fire pinpoint passes from the elbow. He's also one of the better defensive anchors in college hoops.

While Condon has been a prospect of interest all March, he hasn't really put together a signature performance yet. He dealt with an ankle injury in the Sweet 16 against Maryland. He was mostly quiet against UConn in the Round of 32 and Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, often fading out of games for extended stretches.

NBA scouts want to see Condon leave his imprint on a game for 30-plus minutes. Auburn presents the stiffest challenge yet, with Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell determined to hammer the post. If Condon can neutralize the Wooden Award frontrunner and propel Florida to the national title game, he's going to benefit in league circles.

Duke — Tyrese Proctor, guard, junior

Duke's entire starting five is on NBA radars at this point. It's easy to focus on the three freshmen — Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Kon Knueppel, all projected top-10 picks. For this exercise, however, let's turn our attention to the underappreciated junior point guard, Tyrese Proctor.

It has been an impressive March Madness run for Proctor, who has been a mainstay in Duke's rotation for three years now. Proctor was once billed as a potential one-and-done candidate, but inconsistency as a shooter and scorer has kept him in Durham. Still just 20, he's young for a junior and has plenty of room to grow at the next level.

We are finally getting a standout postseason run from Proctor. He poured seven 3s and 25 points on Baylor in the Round of 32, missing a single field goal attempt. Proctor took a backseat to Flagg against Arizona in the Sweet 16, but came back around against Alabama in the Elite Eight, logging 17 points and five rebounds against a backcourt with multiple NBA prospects.

For Proctor, it's all about the shooting. He has long impressed with his poise and efficiency as a playmaker, but NBA scouts have been hesitant over a lack of consistency and assertiveness as a scorer. If Proctor can penetrate a stingy Houston defense and put on another nice shooting display, it will boost his NBA stock in a meaningful way. Every team wants a tall playmaker who bombs 3s, defends his position, and doesn't turn it over.

Houston — Joseph Tugler, forward, sophomore

Joseph Tugler, Houston's 19-year-old sophomore, tends to take a backseat to high-scoring guards Milos Uzan and LJ Cryer in the discourse cycle. He's probably the Cougars' best NBA prospect, however, and Saturday's showdown with Duke presents a prime opportunity for Tugler to mount his case to league personnel.

This is a brutal matchup. Tugler is undersized at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, but he's a gadgety athlete who often serves as Houston's last line of defense in the paint. He's averaging 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals in 21.7 minutes this season. While not much of a scorer, Tugler is a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive end. He can switch around the perimeter, get up for blocks with a fathomless 7-foot-6 wingspan, and leave his impression on games through sheer force of will.

Duke presents Tugler with the opportunity to battle the likes of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, a trio of future top-10 picks. Flagg is the obvious point of emphasis. If anybody in March can cut off Flagg's power and keep the historically dominant freshman in check, it's Tugler. I'm not betting on it, of course, but Tugler's stock will skyrocket if he puts the consensus No. 1 pick on ice.

He's not going to hit 3s or score in bunches, but Tugler is an all-world defender with a chance to help Houston win in its traditional style — with gutsy, high-energy defense. Should the Cougs advance, don't be shocked if Tugler is the one roping in the praise.

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Who are five NBA Draft prospects ranked way too low in the consensus?

It's impossible to establish a real consensus among NBA Draft experts, much less front offices. That said, we generally know where certain prospects are trending — and sometimes, it does not align with their actual value.

Here are five prospects I'm pegging much higher than "consensus" as the college basketball season wraps up, using the latest Stock Market from NoCeilings for comparison.

Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina, sophomore

Average ranking: 11.2
What his range should be: Top 8

South Carolina sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles feels like a controversial figure in draft circles, but he shouldn't be. There is understandable skepticism around a 6-foot-7 "big" who doesn't shoot, but Murray-Boyles' weaknesses are otherwise few and far between. He's a legitimate five-position defender with shot-blocking equity. He's also a dominant interior scorer with promising touch and a live eye for passing. There is more star equity for the 19-year-old than folks seem to realize.

Noa Essengue, Ulm, 18 years old

Average ranking: 18.2
What his range should be: Lottery

France's Noa Essengue continues to produce for Ulm in a competitive German pro league. He is raw, but he's also one of the youngest prospects in the draft, offering a strong baseline with his athleticism, intensity, and scoring instincts. Essengue hits enough 3s to project as a shooter long term and he scores proficiently on cuts, straight-line drives, and offensive rebounds. He's toolsy, like unmolded clay, but Essengue continues to put up numbers despite his relative lack of polish.

Nique Clifford, Colorado State, senior

Average ranking: 25.2
What his range should be: 10-20

Few college basketball stars were better in the final weeks of the season than Colorado State's Nique Clifford. He essentially willed the Rams to an NCAA Tournament berth, showcasing the full breadth of his skill set. The jumper wasn't falling in March, but Clifford still found ways to impact winning with versatile defense, strong drives, and high-level passing reads. Lots of Josh Hart vibes here. He just does too many good things not to pop.

Labaron Philon, Alabama, freshman

Average ranking: 33.8
What his range should be: 10-20

Alabama frosh Labaron Philon is commonly pegged as a second-round pick, but he should probably be more of a fringe lottery selection. The criticisms are right there on the surface — he's a skinny, 177-pound guard with a wobbly 3-point stroke — but Philon brings too much to the table elsewhere. He's a crafty, deliberate playmaker, getting into the teeth of the defense with shifty handles and delivering high-level passing reads on the move. I'd bet he is a workable NBA shooter before long.

Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn, freshman

Average ranking: 65
What his range should be: Late first round, early second round

Circling back to Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford, whose scoring profile rivals the very best guards in this draft. He's 19 with plenty of upward mobility. The size concerns are fair, but Pettiford competes hard at the point of attack on defense. He should hold up well enough against NBA ball-handlers. So long as he's a passable defender at the next level, Pettiford's shot-making and supplementary playmaking should work wonders for an NBA bench unit.

Who holds the belt right now? A mini-NBA mock draft