With Syracuse out, another top prospect exits the NCAA tournament
Another high-level prospect fell out of the NCAA tournament when the Syracuse Orange (3rd) fell to the Dayton Flyers (11th).
Point guard Tyler Ennis, projected to be a lottery pick (top 14) in June’s NBA draft, hit a pair of free throws with 24.8 seconds left, and a lay-up with 16.0 seconds left but his jumper from the top of the key and an open three-point look in the final moments didn’t fall.
Ennis finished with 19 points on 7-21 shooting with three assists in 40 minutes, but like Duke’s Jabari Parker and Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, one of the top names in the draft was eliminated relatively early in the tournament.
Forward Jerami Grant is also projected to go in the first round of the draft. He fouled out on Saturday after scoring just four points in 34 minutes.
Louisville (4th) forward Montrezl Harrell advanced with a win over St. Louis (5th), notching a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes.
Michigan (2nd) guard Nik Stauskas scored 17 points with eight assists in a 79-65 win over Texas (7th).
While Adreian Payne followed up his recent 41-point performance with just 12 against Harvard (12th), Michigan State (4th) was able to get the 80-73 victory.
Guard Gary Harris, projected to be a top-20 pick, scored 18 with five assists and three steals.
Sunday’s schedule features Andrew Wiggins as Kansas (2nd) battles Stanford (10th). Wiggins may be the top overall selection in June. His teammate, center Joel Embiid, is out with a back injury.
Julius Randle of Kentucky (8th) will battle top-seeded Wichita State. While Randle may go as high as top five, teammate Willie Cauley-Stein may go later in the lottery.
Arizona (1st), with forward Aaron Gordon, will play Gonzaga (8th) while Creighton (3rd), with Doug McDermott, will face Baylor (6th).
UCLA (4th) will also get the chance to showcase potential lottery talent in their matchup against Stephen F. Austin (12th).
Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine are all candidates for the first round of the draft.
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Top NBA draft prospects knocked out early in NCAA tournament
Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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