March Madness has officially started. The Men's NCAA Tournament will crown a national champion among 68 teams. After the Elite Eight ended, only four teams were left. While the first weekend is filled with fun chaos, the second strips down to the best squads with actual hopes of a title.
As the entire sports world shifts its attention to the NCAA Tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder will watch with vested interest to see how possible draft prospects handle the national spotlight. Depending on how the lottery shakes out, the title contender could have a high lottery pick to a bottom first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Thunder Wire looked at 10 prospects that the Thunder could look into in the first and second rounds. Here's how they did in the Elite Eight among those who advanced:
Kon Knueppel, Duke
Duke continues to prove why they entered March Madness as the easy title favorite. An 85-65 win over Alabama showed off the clear talent gap between the Blue Devils and the rest of the country. Knueppel has stepped up with the upgrade in competition. He finished with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, five rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws. He also had three steals.
Khaman Maluach, Duke
Maluach feasted inside against Alabama. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, nine rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks and a steal. He remains one of Duke's five best players throughout this tournament run.
Alex Condon, Florida
