March Madness Money Prospects

Today being the first day of the third month of the year, the term,"March Madness" is ever appropriate with the current chaos surrounding NCAA Basketball and it's allegations of a money scandal that has brought the attention of the FBI. Whether fans didn't know, didn't care, or already felt that the game of college basketball was "corrupt", the timing of it, while never ideal, definitely doesn't help matters at all, as this time of year is when the attention paid to college basketball is typically at it's peak. It remains to be seen how the fallout of the scandal affects the attendance and ratings of the NCAA Tournament and I'm curious to see the impact it has on a tradition of those across the country filling out their brackets with hopes of winning themselves some cash.

To this point most teams across college basketball have played nearly a full regular season, while some prospects conferences have already began the playing of their conference tournament. Regardless, a number of student-athletes will grace the national stage of college basketball over the next month or so, with hopes of not only leading their program to the Final Four, but simultaneously raising their profile and buzz on the radar of the NBA Draft held in June. March Madness gives players the stage to put their best talents in full view of a national audience and leave an impression on the minds of NBA teams and their fans come June 21, the night of the draft. With many games being played on a busy night of college basketball, I've decided to highlight a few potential 2018 NBA Draft prospects that can earn some money with their play in March.

Tony Carr, Guard (Penn State)

Having put his name squarely on the radar of prospects to be considered for the first round in the 2018 NBA Draft with his recent play, Tony Carr will grace one of, if not, the biggest stages to perform when he goes up against Northwestern at Madison Square Garden tonight.  The lanky 6'5 lead guard has lit it up as of late averaging 23.6 points over his last five games, with his 30 points in an upset victory of then #8 Ohio State as the high during that span.  Carr is a threat to get hot at any point in time during the game as he shoots well with from range having a 46 3P% for the season.  He will look to lead his team to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament with a victory tonight as Penn State enters their first game since the end of the regular season on a three game losing streak. 

Rawle Alkins, Guard (Arizona)

With the recent turmoil of the NCAA Basketball scandal directly surrounding Arizona, Alkins has upped his play of late, particularly last week when he averaged 20 points in the two games that the Wildcats played.  The sturdy built 6'5 sophomore combo guard from New York City's legendary high school program, Christ The King, put up 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists  in a lost to Oregon on the road, and had a season high eight rebounds to go along with 16 points in a victory over their in-state rival Oregon State.  A streaky shooter from the outside, Alkins shot the ball well from three making five of eleven attempts (45%) in the two games against the PAC 12 universities from the state of Oregon.  He and the 19th ranked Wildcats will take on Stanford tonight looking to build momentum heading into the PAC 12 Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament, as uncertainty surrounds the present and future of their program.

Tony Brown, Guard/Forward (Oregon)

Few players in the country possess the offensive versatility that the five star freshman Brown has.  At 6'7, with the ability to lead the break and find teammates, while also being capable of using his wingspan and body control to his advantage around the rim to get off his own shot, Brown is a highly capable offensive force. His play of late, however, hasn't been effective nor indicative of the caliber of prospect he has the potential of being, as he shot 9-30 from the field (30%) and 1-10 behind the three point line in his last three games. During that span he failed to reach double figures twice and only managed to score 11 points in the one game he did.  With Oregon still competing for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament tonight's game at Washington State will be crucial for their chances to play in the Big Dance and Brown to have the opportunity to show the type of player he is on the national stage later this month.

Moritz Wagner, Forward/Center (Michigan)

Wagner vaulted on the scene as a legit NBA Draft prospect during March Madness last year, highlighted by his performance against Louisville when he dropped 26 points to help advance Michigan to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.  A 6'11 junior from Germany, Wagner returned this season and has put together a solid year thus far improving his totals from last season averaging 14.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG in under 30 minutes.  The skilled and agile big man has maintained his efficiency while increasing his production shooting 54 FG% and 41 3P%.  Wagner was selected 2nd team All-Big Ten for his play and leads Michigan against Iowa today at Madsison Square Garden as a part of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

Omer Yurtseven, Center (NC State)

Playing in the shadows of another freshman last season, in current Dallas Mavericks rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., Omer Yurtseven averaged just under six points per game, while clocking in 19 minutes a game.  This season the 7' from Istanbul, Turkey has done better to acclimate himself to the NCAA game in just his second full year of playing basketball in America, averaging 13.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game in under 24 minutes. His efficiency has climbed along with his productivity as he's raised his field goal percentage from 46% last season to 60% this season, while he's made 18 out of 36 three pointers, after only attempting three in 2016-17. After going 15-17 last season and not coming close to the NCAA Tournament, Yurtseven has helped lead NC State to a 20 win season thus far, aided by the Wolfpack's current four game win streak.  During that stretch, Yurtseven has played well, as he has all season, with his standout performance coming against Wake Forest where he scored 21 points, draining three treys, and blocking five shots.  He and the Wolfpack enter tonight's crucial game against a Georgia Tech team in a similar situation, looking to solidify their chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid.