7 Must-Watch NCAA Tournament First Round Games for Hawks Fans
By Chris Guest
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Buffalo
The Arizona Wildcats are stacked with NBA-level talent spearheaded by the supremely gifted center DeAndre Ayton. Ayton projects to be a dominant center in the league for years to come, and he has all the makings of an NBA unicorn – speed, ballhandling, shooting, defending, size, length, skill. When combined with a chiseled 7’1”, 250-lb frame, you have the makings of a generational talent.
Combined with Allonzo Trier’s (18.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.3 apg) consistent production and Rawle Alkins’s skillful play style and late-first round pedigree, and you have the makings of a dangerous team.
In the Pac 12 conference championship, Ayton obliterated the USC Trojans to the tune of 32 points and 18 rebounds in 39 minutes, and Alkins delivered a thunderous, momentum-shifting dunk that led the Wildcats to the win:
As the Hawks continue to lose at an alarming rate, their chances of nabbing the number one overall pick go up. If they can hover around that area, Ayton might be available to them with the first or second overall pick.
With Minnesota’s pick probably conveying (the Hawks get the pick if it falls between numbers 15-30), they also have a chance to select Ayton’s running mate Alkins, who looks to be NBA-ready as well.