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It's officially March Madness season, and conference tournaments are heating up with Selection Sunday this weekend. Whether it's been AJ Dybantsa averaging 31 points during the Big 12 tournament, University of Massachusetts-Amherst securing an upset victory against University of Miami-Ohio, or just flat-out watching the best players in the nation go toe-to-toe, college basketball in March is already off to a strong start.
The SEC Tournament enters its semifinal stage today, with Florida facing Vanderbilt. Let's take a look at who to watch in today's Florida-Vanderbilt matchup:
The Gators have one of the most talented starting lineups in basketball — Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu. All five players are NBA prospects, with Haugh and Condon leading the pack respectively.
Thomas Haugh is a 6-foot-9 junior averaging 17.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, two assists, and 1.9 stocks per game while shooting 62.8% at the rim (164 attempts), 32.4% on non-rim twos (37 attempts), 34.4% from three (160 attempts | 8.8 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 75.6% from the free throw line (164 attempts). He's also recording an offensive rebound percentage of seven and a stock percentage of 4.4. Haugh is an impressive driver at his size, is a tough finisher at the rim, and can space the floor.
The projected late-lottery pick met the Productive Sophomore Query last season — 41 of the 57 players (72%) who have met the criteria played 5+ years in the NBA or are currently in the league.
The 6-foot-11 forward is averaging 14.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 stocks per game while shooting 65.8% at the rim (184 attempts) and 54.7% on non-rim twos (75 attempts). His inability to stretch the floor has continued this season, however, as he's converted eight of his 51 three point attempts and 65.1% of his free throws this season (169 attempts). On the other hand, Condon is impressively recording a 7.9 offensive rebound percentage, a 19.5 assist percentage, and a 5.9 stock percentage — the assist percentage stands out the most and highlights his developing ability as a passer.
Condon is currently projected to be a second round pick if he declares for the 2026 NBA Draft. If he's not likely to receive a guaranteed roster spot, Condon would return to college for his senior season and a significant NIL deal. Condon also met the Productive Sophomore Query last season, similar to Haugh.
Read More: Basketball Analytics: A February Update to the Productive Sophomore Query
The Commodores are a talented, cohesive team who has a handful of NBA prospects as well. Their offensive engine is Tyler Tanner — he's averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, and two turnovers per game. He's also shooting 64.7% at the rim (170 attempts), 40.2% on non-rim twos (87 attempts), 36.9% from three (141 attempts), and 85% from the free throw line (177 attempts).
The 6-foot sophomore guard has been unassisted on 63.7% of his made field goals this season and is estimated to have assisted on 29.5% of his teammates' made field goals when on the floor this season, Not to mention, the sophomore is recording a 4.2 steal percentage and a 1.3 block percentage this season.
Tanner is in an interesting juxtaposition when it comes to statistical queries: He's on pace to meet the Productive Sophomore Query, in which 41 of the 57 players (72%) who have previously met the criteria played five-plus years in the NBA or are currently in the league. Simultaneously, however, only four guards listed at 6-foot or shorter have stuck in the NBA since 2013 and the overall stick rate for those drafted since then is 21.5% (4-of-19).
Read More: The Productive Sophomore Query
Read More: A Study on Undersized Guards
The 6-foot-7 Cornell transfer is averaging 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 stocks, and 1.2 turnovers per game while shooting 62.3% at the rim (77 attempts), 50% on non-rim twos (48 attempts), 40.5% from beyond the arc (74 attempts), and 78.4% from the free throw line (97 attempts).
Okereke has been heating up lately — converting 13 of his past 23 three point attempts since February started (56.5%). He's also recording a 5.1 offensive rebound percentage, a 12.4 assist percentage, and a stock percentage of four.
Read More: From Walk-On to High Major: The Story of AK Okereke
Other players to monitor for Vanderbilt include 6-foot-2 senior Duke Miles (who's averaging 16 points per game) and 6-foot-7 senior Tyler Nickel (who's shooting 40.2% from three on 7.5 attempts per game and 13.9 attempts per 100 possessions) — both of whom have played themselves into NBA Draft conversations.
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Jordan is a senior at Cornell University where he is an analytics consultant for the men’s basketball team and Co-President of the Cornell ILR Sports Business Society. He has also interned for Sports Aptitude, where he helped interview former front office members and current professional basketball players with the goal of improving the pre-draft process.
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