NCAA Tournament 2011: The Biggest NBA Draft Winners and Losers
March Madness is all about winners and losers, the joy of victory coupled with the agony of defeat as the field of 68 teams is whittled down to one, game by game.
And while the NCAA tournament may be the end of basketball for some, it's just the beginning for others.
So many times have the careers of NBA players—stars, role players and busts alike—been boosted by terrific tournament performances. The list of the tournament's most outstanding players reads, in part, like a roll call at the Basketball Hall of Fame or the All-Star Game, with names like Lew Alcindor, Earvin Johnson, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony.
Peppered in between are less luminous names like Ed O'Bannon, Juan Dixon, Pervis Ellison and Mateen Cleaves.
Bottom line: A great showing in the NCAA tourney can boost a prospect's draft status as much as a poor performance can break it.
So who are the individual winners and losers among the draft prospects in this year's edition of March Madness? Read on to find out!
Winner: Kyrie Irving, Duke
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Duke may have been anything but a winner in a 93-77 loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16, but Kyrie Irving was most definitely a winner.
The 6'2" freshman point guard returned to action for the Blue Devils after missing more than three months with a toe injury.
That time away didn't seem to bother Irving too much, as he averaged just under 18 points a game, including a 28-point performance against the Wildcats in Anaheim.
There has been much debate as to whether Irving's return was to blame for Duke's "early" exit from March Madness, with pundits accusing the precocious kid of disrupting the team's re-established chemistry upon his return.
Regardless of how much blame Irving truly deserves for the team's defeat, he certainly did plenty to thrust himself back into consideration for the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.
Loser: Josh Selby, Kansas
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Josh Selby was supposed to be the kind of game-changer that Irving turned out to be, but like Irving, the kid from Baltimore has struggled since returning from a foot injury in mid-February.
Luckily for Kansas coach Bill Self, he has one of the deepest and most talented teams in the country, so Selby's disappearance hasn't hindered the Jayhawks' ability to advance to the Elite Eight once again.
Though KU looks poised to advance to the Final Four, Selby's draft stock may continue to take a dive. The much-hyped freshman, who joined the Jayhawks in mid-December after serving an NCAA suspension, has managed only 13 points in 42 minutes, suggesting the high-flying tweener guard is far from a lottery pick. He may even have to wait until the second round of the NBA draft to hear his name called should he choose to throw his name in the hat after season's end.
Winner: Derrick Williams, Arizona
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One guy who definitely won't have to wait long before walking to the podium at Madison Square Garden is Arizona's Derrick Williams.
The sensational sophomore has played so well this season, particularly in the tournament, that he just might be the No. 1 pick in June.
Williams has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Wildcats, averaging just under 24 points and 11 rebounds through three games to lead his team to wins over Memphis, Texas and Duke on the way to the Elite Eight.
Win or lose against UConn, the 6'8" forward would really have to stink it up to be considered anything other than the best prospect in the upcoming draft.
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Loser: Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA
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While Williams' draft stock has gone up, up, up over the course of the season and into the NCAA tournament, Tyler Honeycutt, a fellow Pac-10 star, has seen his status drop steadily down, down, down.
Whether its nagging injuries, inexperience or lackadaisical play, Honeycutt has struggled to maintain his status as a surefire lottery pick every since his 33-point breakout performance at Kansas back in December.
Honeycutt played pretty well in UCLA's opening round win against Michigan State, filling the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks.
And while the sophomore's numbers against Florida were somewhat similar—13 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks—he struggled from the field, hitting only four of his 14 field goal attempts, and was neutralized on the boards by the long, athletic front line of the Gators.
As talented as Honeycutt is, he will have to do much better than that against elite competition if he hopes to go early in the draft someday.
Winner: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
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Never has a player made a more unsurprising splash in the NCAA tournament than Jimmer Fredette.
The senior star and national player of the year contender from BYU came into March Madness as the most prolific scorer in college basketball and did little to disappoint, averaging just a shade under 33 points and six assists in the Cougars' three tourney games.
Unfortunately, Jimmer wasn't quite able to carry BYU to the Elite Eight by himself, as the team faltered against a talented Florida Gators squad in overtime in the Sweet 16.
And while the Jimmer may be gone from the field, his tremendous shooting displays will not soon be forgotten, especially by NBA scouts, who don't often find players with the ridiculous range and accuracy that make Fredette a potential lottery pick.
Loser: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
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As good as Jimmer was in the tournament, his performance against Florida left interested parties with much to think about regarding his viability as an NBA star.
Certainly, Fredette's game is more than just spectacular shooting, as he led BYU in assists this season and has displayed tremendous physical and mental toughness in bowling his way to the basket when 25- and 30-footers just aren't quite as appealing.
As impressively productive as Jimmer was in the tourney, he jacked up quite a few shots, hitting only 40 percent of them overall. Jimmer's line in the Florida game was even more disconcerting, as he was successful on only 11 of 29 attempts, making only three of 15 three-point shots while accounting for more turnovers (six) than assists (five), all while playing against the Gators' diminutive tandem of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker.
So while Jimmer may have boosted his draft stock with a mind-blowing array of deeeeep shots, his selection spot in June may just as easily be hindered by his struggles against more athletic opponents, which will be the case for Fredette just about every night in the NBA.
Winner: Kemba Walker, UConn
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Jimmer Fredette is to BYU what Kemba Walker is to UConn.
Okay, well Kemba definitely has more talent around him than Jimmer did, but the scrappy junior from the Bronx has still been mighty impressive during tourney time.
After nearly notching a triple-double in Connecticut's tournament-opening win over Bucknell, Walker ramped his scoring up to 33 points while still chipping in six rebounds and five assists to lead the Huskies over Cincinnati before lighting up San Diego State for 36 points in the Sweet 16.
Walker, a player of the year candidate who is generously listed at 6'1", has done nothing to dispel the notion that he is a terrific college point guard and will be eminently effective in the NBA.
Of course, scouts still can't get over the fact that he's a bit shorter than the prototypical pro point, though it's certainly worth noting that Walker is as tall or taller than at least seven other starting point guards in the league—Ty Lawson, D.J. Augustin, Mike Conley, Darren Collison, Kyle Lowry, Jameer Nelson and (most important of all) Chris Paul.
Not that Walker is guaranteed to be as good as or better than any or all of those guys, but he's done just about everything possible this month to prove that he deserves a shot, perhaps even with a lottery team.
Loser: Nolan Smith, Duke
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On the other side of the coin is Nolan Smith, a player of the year contender in his own right whose March Madness performance left much to be desired, both for himself and for Duke.
The Blue Devils' captain did enough in the team's blowout win over Hampton and came up with 24 big points against Michigan in the second round.
However, with the previously-mentioned Kyrie Irving getting big minutes, Smith struggled in a big way against Arizona, coming up with an underwhelming eight points on 3-of-14 shooting along with two assists against six turnovers.
The senior is still likely to be a first-round pick, given this year's weak draft class, though his status as such is certainly more tenuous now that he and the Devils will be watching the rest of March Madness from home.
Winner: Trey Thompkins, Georgia
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Trey Thompkins doesn't quite have the name recognition of a Nolan Smith or a Kemba Walker, nor will he until the NBA draft since he and Georgia were eliminated in the first round, but the 6'10" junior did plenty in his one tournament game to leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of scouts and GM's everywhere.
Thompkins single-handedly kept the Bulldogs in the game against Washington with his 26 points and 11 rebounds, though it wasn't quite enough to overcome the Huskies in a 68-65 decision.
There's certainly no shame in such a loss for Thompkins, who solidified his status as a first-round talent with his brief but impressive showing in the NCAAs.
Loser: Chris Singleton, Florida State
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When it comes to size and skill set, Trey Thompkins might as well be a carbon copy of Florida State's Chris Singleton.
Both are versatile forwards, around 6'9" or 6'10", who combine perimeter skills with the size to battle and defend in the paint.
However, the two performed quite differently in the NCAA tournament.
While Thompkins dominated in one game—a loss—Singleton was practically invisible amidst the Seminoles' run to the Sweet 16. The junior from Canton, Georgia totaled only five points between wins over Texas A&M and Notre Dame before finally showing up with 16 points and nine boards in an overtime loss to Virginia Commonwealth.
To be fair, Singleton was coming off a foot injury that had sidelined him for six games leading up to March Madness. Nonetheless, Singleton certainly didn't help his draft stock any with the totality of his play in the tourney.
Winner: Chandler Parsons, Florida
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Versatility might as well be Chandler Parsons' middle name, and it's shown quite a bit in Florida's run to the Elite Eight, and possibly beyond.
Rather than ask what Parsons, the 2011 SEC Player of the Year, has done for the Gators, it might be more appropriate to ask what he hasn't done to see just how good he really is.
Need points? He scored 16 against BYU. Three-pointers? He's made five of those so far.
Need rebounds? He's averaging seven per game in the tourney.
Assists? He's got 22 of those so far against just eight turnovers.
How about wins? He has three of those in his back pocket with more potentially on the way.
All of this coming, mind you, from a guy who's 6'10". Now, that may not warrant a first-round pick for Parsons, but he has undoubtedly worked his way closer to that coveted guaranteed rookie contract that each of the first 30 selections gets.
Loser: Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
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Including Jon Leuer in the "loser" category is tough, especially after the way he played in Wisconsin's two tourney wins: 22 points and seven rebounds against Belmont, 19 and seven against Kansas State.
However, against repeat underdog Butler, Leuer showed off his best badger impression by burrowing out of sight. The senior from Orono, Minnesota managed a whopping three points (count 'em) while making just one of his 12 shot attempts in a somewhat shocking loss to the Bulldogs, last year's runner-up.
It would be patently irresponsible for any team to discount Leuer as a legitimate NBA prospect after one bad game, considering he's a 6'10" forward who can shoot, and the league is always desperate for players of any size who can stretch opposing defenses.
That being said, if you're the star player on your team and the best you can muster in the Sweet 16 is three points and six rebounds, you have to expect a bit more scrutiny from scouts and draftniks before you can expect to hear your name called in the first round.
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