March Madness Day 2

Virginia’s Justin Anderson re-established himself as a scoring threat after a month sidelined due to injuries.

Day 2 of the NCAA tournament second round is behind us, and while there it didn’t offer as many close games as Thursday, there was plenty of excitement. Upsets weren’t at a premium, but their were a few scares (*cough, cough* LOUISVILLE). As done yesterday, a few potential draft prospects for the NBA were highlighted below. Make sure you check back each day this weekend as we continue to follow players helping and hurting their draft stock during the NCAA Tournament.

Justin Anderson – Virginia

The University of Virginia star had missed over a month recently due to an injury to his shooting hand followed right after by an appendectomy. While Virginia is most known for its defense, Justin Anderson will undoubtedly play a role in how far the Cavaliers can go. Against the Belmont Bruins, Anderson played 26 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points on 4-6 shooting and grabbing five rebounds. The injuries appeared to be behind him, as he attacked the hoop with ease and finished as Virginia’s 3rd leading scorer. It will be worth watching whether Anderson continues to come off the bench, or is placed back into the lineup on Sunday.

Kris Dunn – Providence

The sophomore from Providence entered the tournament known his playmaking ability this season. After two years of shoulder injuries that kept him out for much of his freshman season and all of last season, the redshirt sophomore broke out this season, averaging 15.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. However, Dunn struggled against the Dayton Flyers Saturday night, finishing with 11 points (4-13 shooting), four assists, seven turnovers, and five fouls. Providence would go on to lose to Dayton 66-53, ending what could have been a much longer run for the Friars.

Justice Winslow – Duke

Considered one of the best prospects in this draft (ranked 11th in our latest mock draft), Justice Winslow had a quiet night offensively finishing with six points, but dished out seven assists, and tenacious on the boards, finishing with 11 rebounds. It was an all-around good performance for Winslow, as the Blue Devils came away with an easy win against the 16th seeded Robert Morris Colonials.

Domantas Sabonis – Gonzaga

The son of the great Arvydas Sabonis, the freshman Domantas finished with seven points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, as they came away with an 86-76 win over North Dakota St. Considered a prospect for the 2016 NBA Draft, a deep tournament run could showcase Sabonis’ skillset, who has averaged 9.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Zags this season.

Tyler Kalinoski – Davidson

Senior Tyler Kalinoski had a strong season for the Davidson Wildcats, averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Joining the Atlantic 10 Conference after decades in the Southern, Davidson was picked last, but surprised the league by finishing first in the regular season, earning their first at-large bid. While not considered a top NBA draft prospect, a solid tournament run could have increased his stock. Sadly for Kalinoski and the Wildcats, their tournament run is over following an 83-52 loss to the University of Iowa. Kalinoski struggled, getting into foul trouble early in the first half, and finished with only five points (2-9 shooting) and six rebounds.