Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Orlando Magic 2022 NBA Draft: 3 rising, 3 falling after the NCAA Tournament

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Ochai Agbaji and Kansas celebrated a national championship and made a statement ahead of the NBA Draft. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Ochai Agbaji and Kansas celebrated a national championship and made a statement ahead of the NBA Draft. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona Wildcats
Bennedict Mathurin had the game of the tournament in leading Arizona past TCU in the second round. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

2022 NBA Draft: 3 Rising and 3 Falling after the NCAA Tournament

Rising: Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona

Looking for the performance of the NCAA Tournament? The one individual performance where one guy just took over the game and made things happen for his team to survive and advance? The game everyone was transfixed by in the early rounds of the tournament?

That would come from top-seeded Arizona’s overtime thriller against TCU in the second round of the tournament. And that would be the performance Bennedict Mathurin gave in helping Arizona survive.

He scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in total in the game. With Arizona on the ropes, he stepped up bigger in the clutch, scoring the game-tying 3-pointer and continuing that through overtime to seal the game.

Mathurin has been an interesting player throughout the season. He projects as something of a 3-and-D wing. He has good size and length to be a great defender. His shooting is impressive with good percentages in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

But it is these scoring bursts like the one he had against TCU that catches everyone’s eyes. He averaged 17.7 points per game this year. He had another 30-point game against Illinois too.

In three NCAA Tournament games, Mathurin averaged 21.0 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. He had some poor shooting games — including a 4-for-14 performance in their loss to Houston — and so there are still some questions of offensive consistency.

But there was more good than bad in the tournament and all season. That should put him on people’s radars a whole lot more. This was a good tournament for Mathurin as he climbs firmly into the top-10.