Previewing Three of Saturday's Best College Basketball Matchups

Tomorrow's slate of games features numerous prospects. Let's dive into three games to watch tomorrow and which prospects to monitor.

Nov 28, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) looks to drive around Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

It's an action-packed Saturday of college basketball tomorrow, filled with numerous top-25 teams and potential NBA prospects playing. Let's dive into three games to watch tomorrow and which prospects to monitor in those games.

Ohio State at Auburn

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) dribbles up court during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Value City Arena in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Ohio State won 80-66. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State has a few interesting NBA prospects on their roster to monitor in this game. This Buckeyes' team is led by Bruce Thornton, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound guard. The junior is a skilled shooter off the dribble and can operate a pick-and-roll well. Questions remain about whether or not he can create rim pressure or separation without a screen. He's a similar archetype of player to Kylan Boswell on Illinois -- bigger undersized guards who can shoot off the dribble, operate a pick-and-roll well, but have questions regarding their creation ability when not given a screen.

John Mobley Jr is another intriguing player on Ohio State. He's a 6-foot-1 freshman guard who's averaging 12.9 points, 1.2 assists, and one stock in 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 55.6% from beyond the arc (five three-point attempts per game, 45 total attempts, 14 three-point attempts per 100 possessions).

Johni Broome is a player on Auburn to monitor, as he has the potential to win the Wooden Award and is averaging 19.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.5 stocks per game. Other players to monitor include Sean Stewart, Tahaad Pettiford, Chad Baker-Mazara, and Miles Kelly.

Read More: A Study on Undersized Guards

Tennessee at Illinois

Nov 28, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives around Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Likely the game with the most top prospects this weekend, the Vols head to Illinois tomorrow to take on the Fighting Illini. Illinois has a handful of potential first-round prospects, including Kasparas Jukucionis and Will Riley and other interesting prospects like Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell, and Carey Booth.

Jukucionis is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman that's averaging 15.4 points, six assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 stocks while shooting 65.4% at the rim (26 attempts), 44.2% from three (43 attempts), and 88.4% from the free throw line (43 attempts). He's been unassisted on 65.9% of his made field goals so far this season while assisting on an estimated 33.3% of his teammates' made field goals when on the floor. Overall, this is an extremely impressive statistical profile -- further confirmed through his 9.8 Box Plus-Minus.

Tennessee has a few highly-regarded prospects as well, including North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr, Zakai Zeigler, Jordan Gainey, and Cameron Carr.

Carr is a player that has remained interesting over the past few years, but only played in 60 minutes of action last season as a freshman. Now a sophomore, Carr averaged 10.3 minutes per game in four contests before facing a thumb injury that has since sidelined him. The 6-foot-5 wing is known for his prolific shooting ability, as he has a quick release, fluid energy transfer, and is consistent from shot to shot. He converted 33% of his catch-and-shoot attempts his senior season at Link, but this was on a notable 159 attempts. He also shot 87% from the free throw line at Link, another indicator of potential efficiency as a shooter. Lastly, Carr can provide value defensively as well due to his 7-foot-1 wingspan and work ethic on that end of the floor.

Gonzaga at UConn

Dec 8, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Liam McNeeley (30) reacts after scoring a three point basket during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The back-to-back champions returned with more firepower this season and saw significant wins against Baylor and Texas after starting the season off slow. This Huskies team is full of talent, including players like Liam McNeeley, Alex Karaban, Jaylin Stewart, Aidan Mahaney, and Ahmad Nowell.

McNeeley, the 6-foot-7 freshman, is an elite shooter and has also shown potential as a driver, as an off screen shooter, and as an on-ball defender. He can likely immediately step into a stationary shooter role/dribble-pass-shoot archetype while eventually growing into an off screen shooter.

Read More: Liam McNeeley Scouting Report

Gonzaga also has a few interesting prospects, such as Michael Ajayi, Ryan Nembhard, and Nolan Hickman.

Michael Ajayi is 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior wing who transferred from Pepperdine. Last season, he averaged 17.2 points and nearly ten rebounds per game while shooting 47% from three (83 attempts). While he hasn't seen the same level of success so far this season statistically, he's someone to monitor as the season continues.

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