NBA Draft Roundup: Edey Helps Purdue Beat Top-Ranked Arizona
With the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft being wide open, college basketball’s top prospects are literally raising or lowering their stock on a game-to-game basis.
Here were some of the top potential draftee performances from Saturday’s loaded college basketball slate:
Purdue Tops Arizona in Top-Three Matchup
Purdue cruised to a 92-84 win over No. 1 Arizona Saturday in a battle between college basketball titans with draftees mixed throughout.
Boilermaker center Zach Edey didn't put up his normal production — shooting just 8-for-15 overall — but still managed 22 points, nine rebounds, an impressive five assists, two steals and one blocks as the focal point.
At this point, it's clear that Edey is likely a second round talent in the draft. But where he falls within that could be interesting.
Wooga Poplar, Miami
Poplar was at his best against La Salle Saturday, pouring on 25 points on white-hot 9-for-16 shooting overall. He also tacked on five rebounds, three assists and one steal while hitting five of his six free throw attempts in Miami’s 84-77 win.
Not to go unnoticed was new Hurricane Matthew Cleveland, a potential draftee who scored 14 points and added nine rebounds and three assists himself.
Kansas Edges Out Indiana in Prospect-Ridden Contest
In a blue blood battle Saturday, Kansas narrowly edged out Indiana, 75-71.
For the Jayhawks, Kevin McCullar — one of the top risers in the cycle so far — poured on 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. His shooting was there, just 3-for-11 overall, but he drew contact and converted at the line at a great rate, hitting 13 of his 16 tries at the charity stripe.
Kel’el Ware, the Hoosiers 7-foot potential lottery pick, struggled offensive, shooting just 3-for-12 overall. But still managed a productive day with 11 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and steals apiece and one block in just shy of 40 minutes.
Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako saw one of his best performances to date, scoring 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting, adding five rebounds and a steal, too.
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