Tre Mann – Page 18 – Syndication Server

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 3.0: Checking in before March Madness

Which future NBA players will be playing during March Madness? Who have been the best players on the inaugural G League Ignite squad?

These are the kind of questions that many basketball fans are asking right now, especially if their favorite team is projected to have a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Now that the NCAA tournament is on the horizon, and as the G League Ignite’s first year nears the end of the regular season, players have started separating themselves as potential top picks.

So in order to get a better sense of where all of the prospects stand right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

Since our last update back in December, these are the players who have improved the most: Kai Jones (Texas), Sharife Cooper (Auburn), Taevion Kinsey (Marshall), Moses Moody (Arkansas), Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga), Davion Mitchell (Baylor), Nah’shon Hyland (VCU) and Corey Kispert (Gonzaga).

Below are the full rankings based on the latest mock drafts from top analysts and experts.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

2021 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Latest updates before March Madness

This mock should provide an update, if the season ended today, on the talent that could be available when your favorite team is on the clock.

We’re rapidly approaching March Madness and top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga have started their long-awaited season, which means the 2021 NBA draft finally has some more clarity.

Even though it took a while for us to see the G League Ignite in action, the bubble season is underway in Florida, giving us a more confident assessment of the full class. Meanwhile, in the NCAA, enough of the regular season has eclipsed to extract meaning from a larger sample size of scouting.

Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the collegiate season due to the ongoing pandemic, this class has multiple players that project as potential stars. Remember, though, this class is incredibly fluid.

This mock should provide an update, if the season ended today, on the talent that could be available when your favorite team is on the clock.

For more information on many of the second-rounders, as well as some sleepers that were not included in this mock draft, I expanded in my big board published late last month.

The main difference from the big board is that this mock factors intel, team fit, front office philosophy and roster construction. For example, there are more international players included here because I’m projecting teams with surplus picks will select draft-and-stash players rather than roster four or five rookies next season.

This draft order, which factors in trades and pick protections, was pulled from the latest Tankathon update following the games on Feb. 11.

All relevant statistics are from BartTorvik.com, KenPom.com, Sports-Reference, RealGM and Synergy Sports Tech. Data is accurate as of February 11, 2021.

Tre Mann’s career game highlights our key takeaways in UF’s road win over Georgia

Florida shot over 50 percent from the field and dominated inside as it beat UGA 92-84. Here are our three takeaways from Florida’s road win.

Florida followed up its stunning 26-point win over Tennessee on Saturday with another gem of a performance. Taking on Georgia on the road, the Gators once again dominated in the paint and rode an elite shooting performance to a 92-84 victory.

Center Colin Castleton returned to the rotation after missing the Tennessee game, but Omar Payne still got the start. Meanwhile, Scottie Lewis was absent once again.

But even shorthanded, this UF team continues to show how much it has improved in the last couple of weeks. Georgia (9-5, 2-5 SEC) was able to keep it competitive for much of the game due to its own masterful shooting performance, but with the win, Florida (8-4, 5-3 SEC) is now two games over .500 in conference play and currently just 2.5 games back from conference leader Alabama.

As good as the win over the Volunteers was, it’s games like this that Florida can’t afford to lose to preserve its NCAA Tournament stock. A road win over a Bulldogs team that shot over 50 percent is a good start.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Here’s what the Gators need to do to defeat Georgia on the road

The Gators are tipping off against the ‘Dawgs this afternoon – here’s what they need to do to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak.

The Florida Gators are slated to tip off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a Saturday afternoon matchup. The teams are both 2-of-5 in their recent games against SEC opponents, with Georgia defeating Kentucky on a buzzer-beater and the Gators coming off a shocking blowout of Tennessee in their last game, respectively.

Without a doubt, Florida has been the better team this season despite their seemingly endless string of setbacks. The expert consensus seems to be that the Gators will come out on top in this game. BetMGM gives Florida a 4.5 point advantage, and other sportsbooks echo that sentiment with similar spreads across the board. The ESPN Basketball Power Index puts UF’s chances of victory at 74.6 percent, which is nearly the highest it’s been since the team entered conference play.

Almost nothing has come easily to this team, though, and the Gators need to stay locked in if they’re going to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak. Here are three keys to a Florida win over the Bulldogs.

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Georgia, per BetMGM

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball at Georgia

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0: Who are the top players to know?

While the college basketball season has been strange, we have a more clear idea of which top prospects are expected in the 2021 NBA draft.

Unfortunately, putting together a big board at this point in the year is an incomplete task. The inaugural NBA G League Ignite team, a new developmental team that plays exhibitions and is meant to serve as an alternative to college for some players, has not yet begun their season.

That makes it impossible to track development for top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green as well as potential risers like Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix.

While there are some honorable mentions included for some fringe prospects, several names (e.g. Duke’s DJ Steward, UNC’s Caleb Love, Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon, Miami’s Earl Timberlake) were omitted on account of projected returns to the NCAA. As of right now, however, it is still a great challenge to predict who will be in this class.

The key to this draft is fluidity and being willing to accept that things will change quickly. Players will have slumps and some may be slow to adapt to the new normal. Rankings now are hardly reflective of where they will be as we get closer to March Madness.

Note that any conversations with NBA scouts mentioned in the article were held under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on behalf of their teams.

All relevant statistics are from BartTorvik.com, KenPom.com, Sports-Reference, RealGM and Synergy Sports Tech. Data is accurate as of January 22, 2021.

Tre Mann and improved defense will be key to a victory over the LSU Tigers

Florida men’s basketball is coming off a win against Vanderbilt – here are three things they need to do to keep it rolling versus LSU.

The Gators are set to tip off their Saturday afternoon game against LSU, marking the second game in the SEC portion of their schedule. Florida came away from their Wednesday matchup against Vanderbilt with a decisive victory and will be seeking a repeat performance against the second-highest scoring team in the SEC.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index likes the Gators’ chances, giving them a 59.2 percent chance of winning. The Tigers are no pushovers, though. Therefore, most of the intrigue regarding this team revolves around how head coach Mike White decides to approach stiff competition without Keyontae Johnson. The squad didn’t seem to miss their star player’s contributions in the midweek battle against Vandy, but LSU is a team of an entirely different caliber than the middling Commodores.

The story of LSU’s young season is their dynamic offensive output. Among their top four leaders in minutes – all of whom are scoring over 13 points per game – three are shooting above 35 percent from beyond the arc. In order for Florida to secure a win against their toughest competition of the season in their first game of 2021, they’ll need to do a number of things right. Here’s a small handful of the more important points to carry out correctly to get a win.

Three takeaways from Florida’s loss to the Seminoles

Florida Gators men’s basketball dropped its seventh-straight match with FSU after star forward Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court.

The Gators lost their rivalry game against Florida State on Saturday, with a final score of 73-81. The biggest story of the game was, obviously, the loss of star forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed unresponsive on the court and was taken to the hospital.

The Seminoles looked great throughout this game, and while the Gators were not able to bounce back from the initial shock of losing Johnson, they were able to play well for the last 12-ish minutes of the game. Unfortunately, they fell too far behind Florida State in the intervening time. Florida was clearly in no state of mind to play in the minutes after Johnson’s departure, as many players were visibly shaken up. Scottie Lewis, Tyree Appleby, and Omar Payne were even brought to tears.

Despite the cloud that hung over this game, there were substantive basketball played. Every minute played is instructive about this team’s identity because the season is still so new. Although the Gators faced a worst-case scenario, Colin Castleton played what was arguably his best game so far, but the stars of the day were Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis. Here are some things we observed during the loss to FSU.

Here’s how the Gators can snap their 6-game losing streak to FSU

Florida has lost their last six matchups against Florida State, but here’s how that bleak streak could end on Saturday morning.

The Gators basketball team hasn’t taken to the court since their home opener on Sunday evening, but that rest was needed. Florida is set to take on their first ranked opponent of the season — the Florida State Seminoles.

The face of Florida State’s roster looks pretty different as the new season unfolds. The team’s 2019-2020 roster was plundered in the draft, sending two players to the NBA in the first round. The new-look Seminoles are no pushovers, though. The Gators are given a 58.2 percent chance of victory by ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. BetMGM predicts a good game as well, giving the Seminoles a razor thin 3-point edge.

Florida enters this game looking to end a losing streak against Florida State, dropping their last six matchups to the in-state rivals. Although that storyline will undoubtedly dominate the airwaves, simply seeing how well this team tightens their game while facing a tough opponent should be instructive as well. Here are three things the Gators have to do win this game.

Three takeaways from Gators’ 90-70 win over Boston College

Though the fate of Thursday’s game seemed sealed from the start, there’s still plenty to be learned from the way it played out.

Optimism is always abundant after a decisive win, and the Gators came away from their second game of the season with successes on multiple fronts. Florida started strong in the first minutes and they never let off the gas, ending up with a 90-70 win over their ACC foes. Boston College, on the other hand, seemed miscalibrated from the start and played sloppily on both ends of the court.

Though the fate of this game seemed sealed from the start, there’s still plenty to be learned from the way it played out. Florida was much more confident in their identity than Wednesday and it showed on the court. True, it’s easy to play well against an opponent who was off their game all night, but the things that put them out in front on Thursday evening will translate over the entire schedule.

Bearing that in mind, here are three takeaway’s from the Gators’ authoritative win against the BC Eagles.

Recap: Gators conquer Army in a nail-biting 76-69 finish

Florida defeated their first opponents of the 2020-2021 season in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate.

Wednesday afternoon, Florida came away from their first game of the 2020-2021 season with a win, defeating the Army Black Knights by a final score of 76-69. Although the Gators had a none-too-comfortable seven-point margin when game ended, it felt downright paunchy compared to the razor thin lead that the two sides traded a handful of times within the last minutes of the game.

The Gators’ most notable player on the afternoon was guard Tre Mann. He shot 46.2 percent from the field (including half of his 3-point attempts) and went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, tallying to a career-high 19 points. Mann added six rebounds and four assists to his already packed stat sheet for a performance that was downright impressive from any angle.

Also making meaningful contributions to the Gators’ victorious outing were forward Keyontae Johnson and guard Tyree Appleby. It’s no surprise that Johnson played a major role — he led the team in scoring last season and is an early favorite to be the SEC player of the year. He’s never been the best 3-point shooter, and scored on only a third of his attempts from beyond the arc, but he is still a cornerstone of the Gators’ offense.

As a transfer who didn’t receive the start, Appleby’s contributions were less expected. However, if Florida is going to improve on last season’s 19-12 record, they’ll need to consistently see rotational players play well. Appleby took that step on Wednesday, providing 15 points thanks to his steady shooting from the field and capitalizing on his frequent free throw opportunities.

On the other side of the court, Army’s top scorer was Lonnie Grayson. The small guard took over a starting role for the Black Knights in 2019 and looks to reprieve his role this season as well. He notched 13 points for Army and hit both of his free throws. His shooting percentage from the field was not especially dazzling, but he hauled in eight rebounds and was crucial in his team’s effort to keep the game close.

Florida’s next game tomorrow will be the second of their two contests scheduled to take place at Mohegan Sun Arena during the Bubbleville event. They will take on the Boston College Eagles at 9:30 p.m. EST. The Eagles are three games deep into their schedule and will be looking to bounce back from a loss to St. John’s on Monday.

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