Kings Report – 3/19
With Sacramento’s season fading, attention shifts to draft prospects starring in this week’s March Madness.
With only four weeks left in the NBA regular season, the teams that will make the play-in tournament are pretty well decided. In the West, the 10th-place Portland Trail Blazers are 10 wins ahead of the 11th-place Memphis Grizzlies, and in the East, the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets are seven wins clear of the Milwaukee Bucks. Needless to say, the Sacramento Kings are not among them.
Still, the Kings have managed to win four of their last six games and now sit as the fourth-worst team in the league. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’d receive the fourth pick if the season ended today, as the NBA determines the top 14 picks through a lottery. While the system is designed to discourage tanking, it’s hard not to question it when the actual drawing isn’t shown publicly.
So instead of pretending the Kings’ win over the Los Angeles Clippers means anything, let’s focus on what actually matters: draft prospects you can catch in the first round of March Madness this week.
This Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, 64 college teams will face off in the first round of the tournament. Duke is currently favored to win it all at +300 odds. The top overall seed Blue Devils will open against No. 16 Siena, led by star forward Cameron Boozer, at 11:50 AM on Thursday. Of course, I’ll be at work, but I’m sure my new boss won’t mind if I step away for a bit (kidding!). Of course, Duke is favored to win this game by 28.5 points, but you never know when a low-seeded team will surprise you.
AJ Dybantsa and BYU enter the tournament as a No. 6 seed and will take on No. 11 Texas on Thursday at 4:25 PM. Dybantsa has been one of the most explosive scorers in college basketball this season, even leading the nation in scoring at times, and sits near the top of many draft boards.
Kansas and top prospect Darryn Peterson will open the tournament against No. 13 seed California Baptist on Friday night at 6:45 PM. I’m not sure how much the selection committee factors projected excitement into these time slots, but if they do, this primetime matchup feels like one worth tuning in for.
Of course, the Round of 32 will be wrapped up before I’m back with another column, but the Sweet 16 tips off next Thursday and Friday—and that’s when things really start to get interesting. Enjoy the games, and keep an eye on those future Kings while you’re at it.