How did the top 2021 basketball recruits turn out? And how you can watch them this week.
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A year ago they were in high school. Starting on Thursday, they’ll get their shot on the big stage.
Most of the elite basketball prospects from the recruiting class of 2021 will make their NCAA Tournament debuts this week. For many of those players, it’ll be a one-and-done postseason before they head off to the NBA.
Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Duke’s Paolo Banchero are the top three prospects for the 2022 NBA Draft — according to the latest ESPN rankings — and all three will be representing top teams in the March Madness field. They won’t be alone. At least 16 of the top 25 recruits from the 2021 class are expected to play in the NCAA Tournament. Several others from that group missed out.
Here’s a guide on how to watch those top-ranked college basketball freshmen this week (with each player’s 247Sports composite ranking coming out of high school)
Thursday’s games to watch
(1) Chet Holmgren and (21) Hunter Sallis will represent No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga against Georgia State at 4:15 p.m. on TNT. Holmgren — a uniquely skilled 7-footer — is a must-see player who averaged 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range. He’s No. 1 on ESPN’s NBA Draft board. Sallis, a former Kentucky recruiting target, is a role player off the bench, playing just 14.1 minutes per game in his freshman season.
(5) Emoni Bates and (6) Jalen Duren were supposed to turn Memphis into Final Four contenders this season. That didn’t happen. The Tigers struggled for much of the campaign but have gone 10-2 since Bates was sidelined in late January, a surge that earned them a No. 9 seed in the tournament. Memphis plays Boise State at 1:45 on TNT. Duren is No. 6 on ESPN’s draft board, while Bates’ future with the Tigers is uncertain. He’s not eligible for the 2022 draft due to his age, and he’s not expected to play for Memphis this week.
(9) Kennedy Chandler emerged as one of the top point guards in the Southeastern Conference this season, as expected, and he’ll lead No. 3-seeded Tennessee against Longwood at 2:45 p.m. on CBS. Chandler led the Vols in points (13.8 per game), assists (4.6) and steals (2.1), and ESPN rates him as the No. 22 prospect in this year’s NBA Draft.
(11) Caleb Houstan was one of the top players on a Michigan team that squeaked into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, and the Wolverines will play Colorado State at 12:15 on CBS, the first of 16 tourney games on the schedule Thursday. He’s No. 50 on ESPN’s draft list for 2022. (17) Moussa Diabate is averaging 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds — and has started in 23 games — in his freshman season at Michigan.
(12) Peyton Watson has played just 13.3 minutes per game behind an experienced backcourt at No. 4-seeded UCLA, which starts things off against Akron at 9:50 p.m. on TBS.
(14) Kendall Brown is one of only two Baylor players who has started all 32 games this season. The top-seeded Bears play Norfolk State at 2 p.m. on TBS, and Kentucky could see Brown in the Elite Eight if the top-ranked seeds in the East Region win out. He’s the No. 17 player on ESPN’s NBA Draft board.
(15) TyTy Washington and (16) Daimion Collins have obviously had very different freshman seasons at Kentucky, with Washington emerging as UK’s top backcourt scorer and the No. 11 player on ESPN’s draft list. Collins is a high-upside forward who has played relatively sparingly — 7.5 minutes per game with no double-digit minutes in any game since Dec. 31. The No. 2-seeded Cats play Saint Peter’s at 7:10 p.m. on CBS. (3) Shaedon Sharpe joined UK’s team as a practice player in January and will not play in the NCAA Tournament. He’s No. 7 on ESPN’s list of top draft prospects and could go pro without ever playing a game for the Wildcats.
Friday’s games to watch
(2) Paolo Banchero, (18) AJ Griffin and (23) Trevor Keels are all starters for No. 2-seeded Duke, which starts its tournament at 7:10 p.m. Friday on CBS against Cal State Fullerton. Banchero leads the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding, Griffin is one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the country (46.7 percent), and Keels is third on the team in points and assists. They’re all projected as first-round draft picks by ESPN: Banchero (No. 2), Griffin (No. 8) and Keels (No. 25).
(7) Jabari Smith was obviously under-ranked coming out of high school. The forward for No. 2-seeded Auburn has averaged 17.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, shooting 42.8 percent from three-point range. The Tigers will play Jacksonville State at 12:40 p.m. on truTV, and Smith is ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 prospect for the NBA Draft, though it wouldn’t be a shocker if he was selected even earlier.
(13) JD Davison has had an uneven freshman campaign at Alabama, which got a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play either Notre Dame or Rutgers at 4:15 p.m. on TNT. Davison, who is averaging 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, is always a threat to turn in a highlight-reel play, but he’s dropped to No. 33 overall on ESPN’s 2022 draft board.
(20) Max Christie leads No. 7-seeded Michigan State in minutes played and is second on the team in scoring. The Spartans will play Davidson at 9:40 p.m. on CBS, and Christie is No. 41 overall on ESPN’s draft board.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "How did the top 2021 basketball recruits turn out? And how you can watch them this week.."
