Welcome to March, when the rest of the country wakes up to the college stars we’ve been obsessing over since Midnight Madness. Conference tournaments are in full swing for the lower-tier and mid-major conferences, while the power fives are filled with teams jockeying for position. So, too, are players looking for an edge in the hearts and minds of scouts for NBA teams. Let’s look at what’s at stake this weekend (all times ET):
Saturday, noon -- Kentucky at Texas A&M: Here’s a chance for Robert Williams to show off against the very best the SEC has to offer. What has been notable about Williams during his breakout over the past month is how aggressively he has sought out his own shot. Through the end of January, he had reached double figures in shot attempts just six times in 21 games. In February? He averaged better than 11 shots. That his efficiency has actually improved while he’s doing it only reinforces the leap he has made. But last time out against Kentucky, he took just six shots, while the routinely big rebounder was held to just a pair of caroms. There’s no better measuring stick for NBA preparedness than going up against Kentucky, and those eager to project Williams will take note of how he looks Saturday.
Saturday, 2 p.m. -- Notre Dame at Louisville: Specifically, this is a chance for Donovan Mitchell, whose profile keeps rising, to show his skills as a perimeter defensive stopper. Notre Dame features Matt Farrell, who shoots 3-pointers in bunches (nearly six per game since mid-January) and makes them at a 42.9 percent clip. Mitchell, meanwhile, already showed that he can handle the point, with the athleticism and diverse offensive game to slot into the two for many teams as well. But did you know, per Synergy, his 0.623 points per possession allowed ranks 26th in the country at any position? Farrell shot 4 for 11 from 3 the first time these two teams met. A shutdown performance this time from Mitchell will send his stock soaring even further.
Saturday, 4 p.m. -- Baylor at Texas: Jarrett Allen is getting a lot of attention as an athletic rim-runner for Texas, and rightfully so. But here’s the thing about what it means to play the five at the NBA level right now: He’s going to need to expand his shot out to 3-point range, or he’s going to need to rim-protect/defend at a high level. And he’s not really doing the former -- only six attempts without a make this season -- so how he defends guys like Johnathan Motley will matter to an outsized degree in his overall draft profile. The first time around? It didn’t go too well. Motley, who to be fair scores on everyone, had a monster game, with 32 points and 20 rebounds. If Allen gets burned by Motley to that degree again, well, it’s not going to play well with those watching.
Saturday, 6 p.m. -- Kansas at Oklahoma State: Sure, there’s the obligatory Josh Jackson arc to watch and enjoy, but my focus will be on the point guards. Frank Mason and Jawun Evans are making a case for their spots in the point guard tier just below the the top-10 types, and it is worth noting Evans in particular. He seems to have found another gear. Against a stellar Monte Morris of Iowa State, Evans got the better of the matchup on both ends, scoring 29 points and adding six assists while holding Morris to 5-for-14 shooting. If Evans can show himself to be a true two-way player against Mason, it will reinforce the need to take him seriously as the draft drifts into the latter stages of the first round.
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. -- Duke at North Carolina: I hardly have to tell you to watch this, of course, but here’s what I would focus on in particular: Justin Jackson’s 3-point proclivity. Jackson is a less-athletic Josh Jackson in terms of skill set, but he has taken the 3-point shooting volume to another level. In his first 15 games, he made 38.4 percent of his 3s while attempting 5.7 per game. In his past 16 games, he’s making 39.8 percent on eight attempts per game. So the efficiency’s up, and the volume is way up. Well, Duke happens to be one of the best in the country at knocking guys off the 3-point line -- 16th in 3-point attempts allowed and 12th in opposing 3-point percentage. (The former is more predictive than the latter, by the way.) Seeing Jackson get and make those looks Saturday night will once again improve his draft profile, while separating him from Josh Jackson, who takes fewer than three 3s per contest.
