Duke standout projected to land with struggling NBA team

The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and we officially have a Sweet 16 heading into the second weekend of games.

The initial 68 teams is down to the Sweet 16. The action picks up again on Thursday, March 26 in San Jose, California, with Purdue vs. Texas, and the next round of games runs through Friday, March 27, with a late-night matchup between Iowa State and Tennessee.

Heading into the second weekend of games, three No. 1 seeds are left in the NCAA Men’s Tournament: Duke, Arizona and Michigan. Florida is the only team that fell to an upset, when they lost to the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes, with a 73-72 final score.

After March Madness wraps up, it will be time to look ahead to the NBA draft. Heading into the event, ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo has put together a mock draft of where he believes college players will end up.

“They are informed by ongoing conversations with NBA executives and scouts, as well as my own evaluation process from time spent on the road at games and watching film,” he notes in the piece. “With conference tournaments getting underway and a prospect-heavy NCAA tournament one week out, here are our latest projections looking ahead to the 2026 draft.”

Duke standout Cameron Boozer is one of the top players in college basketball, so he’s likely to go early. Woo has him going as the No. 3 overall pick to the Indiana Pacers.

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“Boozer, the ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, has made a loud argument for himself as the best player in college basketball and would provide excellent value if he falls to No. 3,” he notes in the piece.

Woo adds, “He’s having a historically productive season operating as the fulcrum of a Duke team with title aspirations. He excels in nearly every offensive area.”

Those are the good points. As for negatives, Woo adds, “But his average explosiveness, coupled with slower defensive ground coverage, has raised questions about his ceiling.”

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Scouts also wonder if he can rise to be the “best player on a championship-level NBA team.” But, really, it’s rare when a rookie rises to the top that fast. He has all the pieces to make a great NBA player, and that’s what matters.