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After a month of big upsets, buzzer beaters and Cinderella stories, we’ve reached the national title game in the 2023 NCAA tournament. The UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs are fighting for the top prize in men’s college basketball, but several players are also looking to improve their stock ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft. Here’s a look at which players are trending in the right direction heading into the national title game, and which ones will need to show some improvement.
Stock Up
Adama Sanogo, UConn
Sanogo hit a couple triples in the win over Miami, and that’ll help push him further up draft boards. Teams will be willing to overlook a lot of his flaws if he can shoot the three well. Sanogo is dominant on the glass but might not have the ability to be as successful at the next level against bigger post players. For now, his energy and hustle should keep pushing him up draft boards. He enters the title game with three double-doubles in five contests.
Matt Bradley, San Diego State
Bradley didn’t shoot the deep ball too poorly this season, but he hit 50% of his shots in the game that mattered Saturday. The senior doesn’t have the ideal developmental curve NBA executives look for, but he showed tremendous poise and confidence in big moments. He’ll project as a rotation player for now and should be able to attract some attention in the second round.
Stock Down
Jordan Hawkins, UConn
After lighting up Gonzaga, Hawkins was quite muted in the win over Miami. Now, he was not at 100% after dealing with a stomach bug for much of the weekend so there’s a reason he didn’t have a pronounced impact. The Huskies were also content to let Sanogo dominate, which limited Hawkins’ opportunities. He’ll try to have a big statement game Monday to improve his stock ahead of the draft.
Darrion Trammell, San Diego State
Trammell wasn’t getting much buzz until his strong showing against Alabama, mainly due to his age and physical build. After going for 21 points on 9-16 shooting, Trammell has combined for 17 points on 7-22 shooting in the next two contests for the Aztecs. The most stunning statistic is that he has only recorded one assist, which is not what you want out of a point guard. Trammell could have some intrigue as a bench player but he’s likely going to be undrafted unless he goes off in the title game.