This NCAA has new twist, probable No. 1 NBA pick

The top two players selected in last year’s NBA draft and four of the top five picks in 2023 had never played in an NCAA Tournament before beginning their pro careers.

That trend figures to end this year with Duke forward Cooper Flagg.

Flagg sprained his ankle in Duke’s opening game at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and didn’t play the rest of the week. Duke has indicated Flagg will be available for March Madness. As the No. 1 seed in the East Region, Duke (31-3) plays its first tournament game Friday.

If Flagg is healthy enough to play, basketball fans will be able to watch the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft at this year’s NCAA Tournament. That’s something they weren’t able to experience the last couple of years.

The first two picks in last year’s draft were Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, international prospects who didn’t play college basketball. The only college player taken among the first five selections in the 2023 draft headed by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was Alabama’s Brandon Miller, who went second overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

The last No. 1 pick with NCAA Tournament experience was Paolo Banchero, who led Duke to the 2022 Final Four before the Orlando Magic selected him first overall.

Flagg already was considered the likely No. 1 pick even before the 6-foot-9 swingman backed up the acclaim accompanying his arrival on campus by emerging as a national player of the year front-runner his freshman season. Flagg is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks.

While Flagg is one of the headline attractions in this year’s NCAA Tournament, two other likely top-five picks won’t be participating in March Madness despite playing college basketball this season. Rutgers went just 15-17 this season despite having Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, who could end up being the next two picks in the draft behind Flagg.

Even so, this year’s tournament field features plenty of NBA prospects beyond Flagg:

VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor

Opening game: Friday vs. Mississippi State at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Notes: A guard from Baylor (19-12) has been selected in the first round of three of the first four drafts, with Davion Mitchell going ninth in 2021, Keyonte George 16th in 2023 and Ja’Kobe Walter 19th last year. Edgecombe figures to continue that trend.

The 6-5 guard from the Bahamas was named the Big 12 freshman of the year by the league’s coaches. He averages 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois

Opening game: Friday vs. Texas or Xavier at Milwaukee.

This 6-6 freshman from Lithuania scored at least 20 points in six straight games earlier this season, a stretch that included matchups with NCAA Tournament teams Arkansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Missouri. Jakucionis’ scoring has leveled off a bit since then, but he still has been a stat stuffer with 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for Illinois (21-12).

Tre Johnson, G, Texas

Opening game: Wednesday vs. Xavier at Dayton, Ohio.

Notes: Johnson earned first-team Associated Press all-Southeastern Conference honors and was named the conference’s newcomer of the year this season. He has NBA size at 6-6 and clearly has scoring ability. He has averaged 19.8 points for Texas (19-15) as a freshman while playing in the nation’s toughest conference. He has shot 39.2% from 3-point range while making 2.7 3-pointers per game. He had a 39-point performance in an overtime loss at Arkansas and scored 32 in a victory over Kentucky.

Liam McNeeley, F, UConn

Opening game: Friday vs. Oklahoma at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Notes The AP Big East newcomer of the year had 18 points and 11 rebounds against St. John’s and 38 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton in back-to-back games last month. The 6-7 forward is averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his freshman season with UConn (23-10). McNeeley will enter the NCAA Tournament looking to end a bit of a slump, as he has shot 15 of 52 overall and 4 of 19 from 3-point range over his last four games.

Derik Queen, C, Maryland

Opening game: Friday vs. Grand Canyon in Seattle.

Notes: The 6-10 freshman is a traditional post player who doesn’t have a 3-point shot at this point – he’s just 2 of 24 from beyond the arc this season – but he’s done great work around the basket. Queen is averaging 16.3 points and 9 rebounds for Maryland (25-8). He enters the NCAA Tournament with eight double-doubles in his last 10 games. He’s coming off a 31-point performance in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Michigan.

Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State

Opening game: Friday vs. Bryant at Cleveland.

Notes: Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who was part of Michigan State’s 1999-2000 national championship team and played 13 seasons in the NBA. The 6-3 freshman has made an impression by shooting 51.2% overall and 41.2% from 3-point range. He’s only started 11 of 32 games for Michigan State (27-6) while averaging 12 points, but he’s come on strong lately. Richardson is averaging 19.5 points over his last four games and has scored at least 17 in each of them.