NBA Draft: Four Prospect Matchups to Watch This Weekend

Let's take a look at four matchups with NBA prospects this weekend.

Nov 10, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Asa Newell (14) dunks the ball against the Texas Southern Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As the college basketball season begins to heat up, we've seen some incredible matchups between teams like Kentucky-Duke, Baylor-Arkansas, and Kansas-UNC. This upcoming weekend features a handful of additional star-studded matchups.

Let's take a look at four matchups with NBA Prospects to watch this weekend:

Georgia at Georgia Tech: Friday, Nov. 15

Nov 10, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) dribbles against Texas Southern Tigers guard Kavion McClain (2) at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

This in-state rivalry matchup includes a handful of prospects to watch, starting with Asa Newell from Georgia and Baye Ndongo from Georgia Tech. Newell is a five star freshman who's listed at 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds. He's off to a hot start so far through three games, averaging 17.7 points, eight rebounds (21.4 offensive rebounding percentage), one assist (7.7 assist percentage), and 3.6 stocks per game (13.5 stock percentage).

After a productive freshman season, Baye Ndongo is off to a great sophomore season through three games as well. The 6-foot-9, 215 pound big man is averaging 16.3 points, 2.7 assists (16.6 assist percentage), 9.3 rebounds (9.7 offensive rebounding percentage), and 1.7 stocks per game (4.2 stock percentage).

Georgia's 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr is another interesting prospect to watch. He's averaging 13.3 points, four assists, five rebounds, and 1.3 stocks through three games while noticeably shooting 84% from the free throw line (25 attempts).

Other Players to Watch: RJ Godfrey (Georgia), Somto Cyril (Georgia), De'Shayne Montgomery (Georgia), Jaden Mustaf (Georgia Tech), Darrion Sutton (Georgia Tech), Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech), and Javian McCollum (Georgia Tech)

West Virginia at Pittsburgh: Friday, Nov. 15

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Tucker DeVries (12) shoots against Washington State Cougars forward Jaylen Wells (0) in the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

This matchup is headlined by Tucker DeVries (West Virginia), who met my Efficient Tall Freshman (ETF) query in 2022. DeVries was a junior for the Drake Bulldogs this past season and helped lead them to the NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 21.6 points, 3.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He was tasked with creating a heavy proportion of Drake's offense, as he was unassisted on 55.5% of his made field goals while also assisting 21.2% of his opponent's made field goals when he's on the floor.

Additionally, DeVries was efficient as both a pick-and-roll ball handler and off of handoffs. He and his father are both took their talents to West Virginia, as his father Darian DeVries is the new Head Coach at West Virginia after having the same role at Drake. DeVries has a real chance to land a two-way contract in 2025.

Other prospects to watch include 7-foot junior Guillermo Diaz Graham, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, and 6-foot-11 junior Jorge Diaz Graham. All three players are on Pittsburgh.

South Carolina at Indiana: Saturday, Nov. 16

Oct 15, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Indiana faces off against South Carolina this Saturday -- a game that includes potential first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles. The 6-foot-7, 230 pound forward/big had an extremely productive freshman season, meeting the criteria for my Productive Young Athlete Query. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, one steal, and one block per game while recording an offensive rebounding percentage of 12, an assist percentage of 17.2, a 2.8 steal percentage, and a 4.6 block percentage last season as a freshman. Additionally, Murray-Boyles finished 67.6% of his attempts at the rim (145 attempts) and 41.3% of his non-rim twos (46 attempts) while displaying intriguing passing flashes from the post. His free throw percentage of 66.7% (87 attempts) last season was not the strongest number, but is an adequate start and indicates some potential. Murray-Boyles only attempted five threes last season in total, a number that will likely need to increase -- especially since he doesn't have the size to be a true five at the next level.

Other potential prospects to watch in this game include 6-foot-8 sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana), 6-foot-6 freshman Bryson Tucker (Indiana), 6-foot-3 sophomore guards Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle, as well as South Carolina's 6-foot-7 junior Zach Davis and 6-foot-5 freshman Cam Scott.

Ohio State at Texas A&M (Friday, Nov. 15)

Nov 4, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Sean Stewart (13) shoots against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

This matchup in College Station features a number of potential NBA prospects. Ohio State has a multitude of prospects to watch in this game, including 6-foot-2 freshman guard John Mobley Jr who's had a productive start to the season, Duke-transfer and 6-foot-9 big man Sean Stewart, and the 7-foot Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw. Bruce Thornton and Felix Opara are two other players to monitor for the Buckeyes.

Texas A&M also has an interesting group of potential prospects, starting with 6-foot-4 freshman guard Andre Mills and 6-foot-7 junior Solomon Washington. Washington displayed some intriguing defensive potential last season but needs to improve his shooting to round out his overall projection to the next level. Senior guard Wade Taylor IV is another player to monitor.

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