Zion Williamson Continues To Show Why He Might Be First Overall Pick
The longer that the Duke season goes on, the more that Zion Williamson continues to show why many project him to be the first overall pick. On the season, he is averaging 21.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 18 total games. In those games, he is shooting a whopping 67% from the field. His solid field goal percentage was certainly not hurt the other night against Pittsburgh. In that game, which Duke ultimately won 79-64, Williamson went a perfect 9 for 9 in the first half. In the game, Zion ended up with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. As it stands now, the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Phoenix Suns are all on “Zion watch” as they currently have the four worst records in the NBA. As things look right now, he definitely might be the type of talent that could turn any of these franchises around.
Duke Could Welcome Back Starter This Weekend
Speaking of Duke, they could be getting back a solid piece this weekend in Tre Jones. The freshman point guard is expected to play against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Jones has been out the last couple weeks after suffering an injury against Syracuse where he separated his AC joint. With other players like Zion Williamson (21.7 points, 9.3 rebounds), RJ Barrett (23.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4 assists) and Cam Reddish (13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals) exploding this season, Jones has nicely fit in as a piece that steadies the ship. He is averaging 8.1 points, and 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. While Duke has an extremely young team and is occasionally vulnerable to letdowns, they are arguably the best team in the nation when everything is clicking. If nothing else, they are certainly one of the most explosive and entertaining to watch.
Number One Tennessee Needs Overtime To Beat Unranked Vanderbilt
At 17-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC, Tennessee currently ranks as the best team in all of NCAA basketball. It would stand to reason, then, that they shouldn’t have too much trouble with fellow conference foe Vanderbilt, who is 9-9 and 0-6 in the conference. For the Volunteers, that was not the case, as it took overtime for Tennessee to finally put the game away. After ending regulation 76-76, the Volunteers outscored Vanderbilt 12-7 in overtime to finally pull out the win. In the victory, Tennessee’s Grant Williams was mesmerizing, scoring 43 points and coming down with 8 rebounds. Guard Jordan Bone also chipped in 14 points and 7 assists. For Vanderbilt, forward Aaron Nesmith (24 points, 6 rebounds) and guard Saben Lee (21 points, 7 assists) led the way.
Several Top-25 Matchups Set For Saturday
While there are several top-25 teams in action this weekend (no. 1 Tennessee, no. 2 Duke, no. 3 Virginia, no. 10 Virginia Tech, 12 Marquette, no. 13 Maryland, no. 14 Texas Tech, no. 21 North Carolina State, no. 23 Louisville and no. 25 LSU), there are three games of particular interest as they pit two top-25 teams against one another.
No. 9 Kansas at no. 8 Kentucky
This early evening game on Saturday is the biggest game of the weekend as Bill Self takes his Jayhawks (16-3) to take on John Calipari’s Wildcats (15-3). For Kansas, they have been led by Dedric Lawson (19.5 points, 10.9 rebounds) and Lagerald Vick (15 points, 3.9 rebounds). For Kentucky, they have 4 players averaging over 12 points per game with Keldon Johnson (14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Tyler Herro (13.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists) leading the way.
No. 16 Auburn vs. No. 22 Mississippi State
Saturday evening sees to SEC teams square off as Auburn (13-5) travels to take on Mississippi State (14-4). For Auburn, they have been led by Bryce Brown (16.9 points) and Jared Harper (15.3 points, 6.6 assists) while Mississippi State is led by Quinndary Weatherspoon (16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds).
No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 20 Ole Miss
In this Saturday morning matchup, the Big 12’s Iowa State Cyclones travel to take on SEC’s Ole Miss. For the Cyclones, they are led by Marial Shayok, who is averaging 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Ole Miss has two elite scorers in Breein Tyree (17 points, 3 assists, 3.4 rebounds) and Terrence Davis (15.8 points, 3.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds).
Darius Garland Withdraws From Vanderbilt
Darius Garland, the Vanderbilt point guard who is expected to be a possible lottery pick, has decided to forgo the rest of his school year in preparation for the upcoming draft. For full disclosure, Garland was already out for the season as he had a torn meniscus in his left knee, which he had surgery on in November. While he only played 5 games with the Commodores this season, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 47.8% from behind the arc. While the injury was obviously a huge blow to this collegiate season and any chances that Vanderbilt had at a successful season, it is not expected to drastically affect his draft stock.
While Garland’s case is unique because he is already out for the season, it will be interesting to see if this strategy is used by any other players this season. In college football, we have already seen countless examples of players forgoing bowl games in order to prepare for the NFL draft. Additionally, we have already seen Scottie Pippen suggest that Zion Williamson should do the same as he feels he has solidified his position as the top overall pick, but in a day and age where there is constant debate over whether college athletes should be paid or not, the financial incentives are certainly there for a player who has established their draft stock not to risk future earnings by playing out a season and risking injury at any moment.
