March Madness has officially started. The Men’s NCAA Tournament will crown a national champion among 68 teams. After the Round of 64 ended, only 32 teams were left. The first two rounds are always chaotic with a jam-packed schedule of four days of nonstop basketball.
As the entire sports world shifts its attention to the NCAA Tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder will watch with vested interest to see how possible draft prospects handle the national spotlight. Depending on how the lottery shakes out, the title contender could have a high lottery pick to a bottom first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Thunder Wire looked at 10 prospects that the Thunder could look into in the first and second rounds. Here’s how they did in the Round of 64:
Egor Demin, BYU
Demin showed off his outside shot in BYU’s 80-71 win over VCU. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-7 from 3. It was a decent debut for the likely lottery selection. The Cougars did just enough to beat the Rams.
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Baylor outlasted Mississippi State in a tight 75-72 win. Edgecombe finished with 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. The Bears’ best player didn’t necessarily take over but contributed just enough to help escape with a close victory.
Kon Knueppel, Duke
Zero doubt existed on Duke’s outcome against 16th-seed Mount St. Mary’s. The Blue Devils blew them out in a 93-49 win. Knueppel had a quiet six points on 2-of-5 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He only played 19 minutes, as this quickly turned into a blowout.
Khaman Maluach, Duke
The same can be said about Maluach. He finished with 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-1 from 3. He only logged 15 minutes before he sat out the rest of the contest. Duke didn’t need to do too much to beat Mount St. Mary’s.
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Fears’ season is over after Oklahoma’s heartbreaking 67-59 loss to UConn. He left it all out on the court. He finished with 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 8-of-8 on free throws. He’ll likely be a lottery pick despite some scoring inconsistencies this season.
Alex Condon, Florida
It was an easy blowout win for Florida. The first seed collected a 95-69 win over Norfolk State. Condon had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals and two blocks.
Johni Broome, Auburn
Another blowout win for a first seed. Auburn cruised to an 83-63 win over Alabama State. Broome had 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and 4-of-9 on free throws. The double-double machine had no problem taking advantage of his size.
Danny Wolf, Michigan
Michigan avoided an upset with a close 68-65 win over UC San Diego. After a dominant first half, the Wolverines let go of the rope in the second half and flirted with disaster. Wolf finished with nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 0-of-3 on free throws.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Despite being a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup, Creighton showed why they’re leagues ahead of Louisville. The Bluejays collected an 89-75 win. Kalkbrenner had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had four blocks.
Isaiah Evans, Duke
Evans had a quiet game against Mount St. Mary’s. He finished with four points on 2-of-9 shooting and two rebounds. He shot 0-of-5 from 3 and played 20 minutes off the bench. Duke doesn’t depend on him to secure wins but he can be a game-changer.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: March Madness Round of 64: Recap of potential OKC Thunder prospects
