The 2020 NBA Draft is a day away as the next crop of world-class basketball talent will find a new home tomorrow night, Nov.18.
On this week's episode of March Madness 365, Andy Katz reflects on the past 10 NBA Drafts, ranking the college careers of each No. 1 overall pick. The pod also features a look at the ACC this season as ESPN's Seth Greenberg joins Katz to break it all down. North Carolina's Garrison Brooks and Virginia's Jay Huff talk to Katz about their upcoming seasons and Chad "March Chadness" Aycock swings by to talk more NBA Draft.
Here are the college careers of the past 10 No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks ranked by NCAA.com's Andy Katz:
10. Anthony Bennett — UNLV, Drafted 2013
Anthony Bennett was the first player off of the board in 2013 when he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bennett was a dominant big man for UNLV during his one year in college basketball in the 2012-2013 season. He averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 boards and 1.2 blocks per game.
9. Markelle Fultz — Washington, Drafted 2017
2017 was the year of the West Coast point guard at the NBA Draft. The two top players in the draft were Pac-12 point guards — Markelle Fultz out of Washington and Lonzo Ball out of UCLA. The Philadelphia 76ers took Fultz first after his impressive freshman year for the Huskies. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists, 5.6 boards, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
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8. Andrew Wiggins — Kansas, Drafted 2014
Andrew Wiggins was one of the biggest names coming into college basketball before the 2013-2014 season. The athletic wing could do it all for the Jayhawks as he averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Katz thinks he could have been higher on this list, but because his March Madness resume only had him getting Kansas to the second round, Wiggins tops out at No. 8.
7. Kyrie Irving — Duke, Drafted 2011
Kyrie Irving is one of the most electric offensive players in the NBA — something he started to become famous for his freshman year at Duke. The former Blue Devil was hurt for part of the year, but in 11 games averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals and helped Duke make the Sweet 16 in the 2011 NCAA tournament.
6. Ben Simmons — LSU, Drafted 2016
Although LSU was unable to make the NCAA tournament during Ben Simmons' freshman year, the former LSU Tiger made a name for himself in the SEC and across the country. The 2015-2016 SEC Rookie of the Year, Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals per game.
5. Deandre Ayton — Arizona, Drafted 2018
Deandre Ayton was an absolute beast for the Wildcats during the 2017-2018 season. He was an unmovable force down low averaging 20.1 points, 11.6 boards and 1.9 blocks per game during his freshman season. He also helped Arizona nab a No. 4 seed in the 2018 NCAA tournament, but were quickly upset by No. 13 seed Buffalo in the first round.
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4. Karl Anthony-Towns — Kentucky, Drafted 2015
Karl Anthony-Towns was the best player on one of the best teams in college basketball, the 2014-2015 Kentucky Wildcats. KAT helped lead the Wildcats to an undefeated regular season, as he produced 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on an extremely balanced team. Unfortunately for Towns and company, they were unable to complete the perfect season as they fell to Wisconsin in the Final Four that year.
3. John Wall — Kentucky, Drafted 2010
Another Wildcat gets the nod here at the No. 3 spot, as John Wall was on another extremely talented Kentucky squad in 2009-2010. Wall put up 16.6 points, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game and was the 2009-2010 SEC Player of the Year during that season. He also helped lead the Wildcats to an Elite Eight appearance where they ultimately fell to West Virginia.
2. Anthony Davis — Kentucky, Drafted 2012
These three Kentucky players could be interchangeable as far as great college careers, but Anthony Davis lands here at No. 2 because he helped Kentucky win the ultimate prize — a national championship. Davis was talented on the offensive end, averaging 14.2 points per game, but his defensive ability was unmatched. The big man gobbled up 10.4 boards, had 1.4 steals and notched a jaw-dropping 4.7 blocks per game during his one year at Kentucky. He also recorded the second-most blocks in a single NCAA tourney with 29.
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1. Zion Williamson — Duke, Drafted 2019
Williamson's electrifying play caught the eyes of the college basketball world as he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 boards, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game and led Duke through a thrilling tournament and to the Elite Eight.
The March Madness 365 podcast is a weekly podcast covering all things college basketball. You can listen and subscribe to the podcast here, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.
