Tag: Ricky Council IV

2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projections for every pick post-March Madness

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the NCAA Tournament.

The NBA pre-draft process is in full swing as prospects around the world prepare to transition to the next level.

Teams around the league will begin hosting private workouts in the coming weeks as they finalize their draft boards. There will be various pro days on the radar and, of course, the draft combine and G League Elite Camp next month in Chicago, Illinois.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft. Several notable players have already decided to return to school, including Kyle Filipowski, Harrison Ingram, Baylor Scheierman and Kel’el Ware. Others are still mulling over their decisions.

Related: Key dates for NBA draft, combine, lottery and deadlines

With players still in the process of making decisions, some prospects were excluded from this mock draft because they are projected to return to school next season. However, most players projected to be drafted have already announced their decisions.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the NCAA Tournament. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of April 14. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and 76ers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

All-SEC guard Ricky Council to forgo eligibility, declare for NBA draft

Council was named to the All-SEC second team after averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals.

Arkansas junior Ricky Council IV announced Tuesday on social media that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and declare for the 2023 NBA draft.

Council was named to the All-SEC second team after averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 43.3% shooting from the field. He was one of eight players in program history to record at least 575 points, 125 rebounds, 80 assists and 40 steals in a season.

The 6-foot-6 guard emerged as a tremendous scorer given his ability to shoot and penetrate into the paint and finish at the rim. He found great success in getting to the line, ranking 11th in the country in free throws (173) and 18th in attempts (218).

Council is most commonly projected to be a second-round pick this year. He will have the opportunity to improve his stock in private workouts with teams and is a likely candidate to be invited to compete in either the draft combine or G League Elite Camp next month in Chicago, Illinois.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft.

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A March Madness men’s bracket prediction based on the best NBA talent in the tourney

Do you want to see as many NBA players play as many games as possible? Here is how!

March Madness is almost underway, and with the games beginning soon, you’re probably scrambling to get your bracket filled out.

It’s always great to follow along for Cinderella stories and potential upsets. Maybe you don’t want to fill out a bracket, and that’s perfectly okay. The odds of getting a perfect bracket are virtually impossible, anyway.

There are plenty of alternatives you can try to a traditional bracket, like a survivor pool. However, assuming you do want to fill out a bracket, we’ve got some tips!

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My pal, Charles Curtis, offered his bracket based on just 20 minutes of research. You can check out our brilliant staff’s actual predictions for March Madness, too.

But allow me to show you what a bracket would look like if we based it entirely on what would be the best-case scenario for NBA draft scouting. If you want to take a closer look and zoom in, you can click here.

THE BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.

The goal here was to get as many lottery picks playing as many games as possible. Here are some takeaways:

  1. Arkansas is the No. 8 seed in the West and they have a tough first-round opponent with Illinois. But they also have two likely lottery picks, Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black, and two other potential first-rounders with Ricky Council IV and Jordan Walsh. Let me see them play as many games as possible!
  2. Over the last few days, we’ve heard a buzz that Alabama’s Brandon Miller has “closed the gap” on projected No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson. If he continues to dominate during the Big Dance, we could see actual movement at the top of the draft.
  3. Duke is a No. 5 seed in the East and they have one of the toughest roads to the Final Four, especially with a challenging opening game against Oral Roberts. But they have three likely first-rounders here (Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively II) and two more draftable prospects (Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell) as well.
  4. Jarace Walker (Houston), Keyonte George (Baylor), Cason Wallace (Kentucky), Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana), Colby Jones (Xavier), Jordan Hawkins (UConn), Kris Murray (Iowa), Terquavion Smith (NC State), and Julian Phillips (Tennessee) are additionally notable prospects who will be dancing.

If you’re curious about these players, you can learn more about why these prospects are the best in the tournament on our rankings published earlier this week.

My best advice when you’re filling out a bracket is that the eventual winner who will tear down the nets is almost definitely going to be one of these eight teams.

But if you’re an NBA fan and just want to see as many future NBA players play as often as possible, this is the way you need to fill out your bracket instead.

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Arkansas basketball vs. Georgia: How to watch, stream, listen

Before the three-game gauntlet to end the season, they get what should be an easy game against Georgia. 

Arkansas basketball has been a roller coaster ride this season.

We started with a successful European tour, a top-ten ranking, and one of the best first-year students in the country.

Today, the Razorbacks haven’t been ranked since November, that star freshman missed almost two months of basketball, and the NIT looks more realistic than the NCAA Tournament.

The Hogs still have a chance to make a late push for a chance to play in the big dance, but another loss could end that dream. Arkansas needs to win the last four games, but three of their opponents are at the top of the SEC; but before the three-game gauntlet to end the season, they get what should be an easy game against Georgia.