That first Thursday and Friday remain two of the great days on the American sports calendar: noon-to-midnight hoops, four games on screen at a time, buzzer-beaters detonating out of nowhere and a campus or small college town you've never heard of suddenly becoming the center of the basketball universe.
While projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson will sit out the entire ACC Tournament and all of March Madness with a left hand fracture, the Boozer twins and several other 2026 NBA Draft prospects will be very available.
Last season, Haugh was a key reserve for the Florida team that cut down the nets in San Antonio. This season, he is a bona fide All-America candidate and first-round NBA draft prospect who could lead the Gators to their second back-to-back national title reign in program history. His scoring average has increased from 9.8 to 16.9 points while maintaining a similar impact on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Philon, a big combo guard, has been enjoying a breakout sophomore season in 2025-26. Through 24 bouts with Alabama, he's averaging 21.3 points while slashing .507/.396/.777, 4.9 dimes, 3.5 boards, and 1.3 swipes per game. He's expected to be a mid-to-late lottery selection, meaning he'll be right within the Bulls' striking range. But would Chicago really want to add another ball-dominant guard next to incumbent starting point guard Josh Giddey, who's still just 23 and has room to grow? That remains to be seen.
BRADEN SMITH IS SHORT. Not while he walks around Purdue's campus, of course -- he's listed, perhaps generously, at 6 feet. But as a potential NBA prospect? Purdue's leading point guard is short. He knows it, his opponents know it and NBA scouts know it. He was undersized as an unranked high school recruit whose most likely destination until the Boilermakers extended a scholarship offer was Belmont.
