Looking Ahead: NCAA Matchup of Week Features Jarace Walker Against Taylor Hendricks

As it relates to NBA Draft talent, what is the top college basketball matchup of the week?

As we approach the end of the calendar year, there’s already a fairly large sample size of games to analyze to determine who the top teams in the country are. It’s truly a wide open race to the top, meaning March will be an exciting month.

Every week, there’s a ton of exciting college matchups that feature upcoming NBA talent. As such, NBA fans are able to get a look at players that will be making an impact at the next level one day firsthand.

As it relates to future draft prospects, which college matchup are we most excited about entering the week?

Houston Cougars vs UCF Knights 

Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST | ESPN+

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Featured Prospects: Marcus Sasser, Jarace Walker, Terrance Arceneaux, Taylor Hendricks

It’s a New Year’s Eve matchup between two of the top forwards in the entire country. Both Jarace Walker and Taylor Hendricks have the upside to go in the lottery of the 2023 NBA Draft depending on how their freshman seasons finish up.

Walker is a well-rounded forward with the physical frame to dominate the game, while Hendricks is more of a slender combo forward with high upside as a perimeter shooter.

Among all freshman to play at least 20 minutes per game, Hendricks is third in the class with a 10.0 C-RAM, according to Cerebro Sports. Meanwhile, Walker has earned an 8.1 C-RAM, which is just outside the top 25 among players that meet this criteria. 

In this game overall, Houston will have upper hand when looking at both rosters top to bottom. Marcus Sasser is one of the best guards in the country and should be playing in NBA next year. He’s an explosive scorer and has the ability to take over the game on offense.

From there, Terrance Arceneaux is another player for the Cougars that will likely make the jump to the NBA, even if it’s not for another year or two.

Again, this is one of the most exciting matchups of the week as it relates to draft talent, but overall UCF may find it tough to come out on top. 

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