Entering the new year and conference play for college basketball, top NBA draft prospects are looking to finish strong. At this point in the season, scouts really begin to pay attention, and this can be true for fans as well.
Week by week, there should be interesting matchups between NBA draft hopefuls. Here are the best potential NBA draft prospect matchups for the week of January 1st!
2024 NBA Draft Prospect Matchups: Week Of January 1st
North Carolina vs Pittsburgh: Tuesday, January 2nd
This will be the first of many stops in the ACC this week. Pittsburgh freshman Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington will compete against North Carolina’s Elliot Cadeau and Harrison Ingram. Carrington is the star in this one as he is currently seen to have first-round potential. Cadeau was a blue-chip recruit who may be best served coming back for his sophomore season. Ingram doesn’t have gaudy stats or a ton of buzz, but he has the do-it-all forward potential that NBA teams may be intrigued by.
Duke vs Syracuse: Tuesday, January 2nd
Duke is headlined by sophomore prospects Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor. Both have legitimate first-round potential. For Syracuse, sophomore Judah Mintz is their most realistic prospect. He was expected to have a breakout campaign, but the three-ball hasn’t developed as most scouts hoped.
Clemson vs Miami: Wednesday, January 3rd
Miami’s Wooga Poplar is shooting a blistering 50.0 percent from three in his junior season. Previously seen as an athletic wing, the emergence of his perimeter shooting has placed him on draft boards. For Clemson, they’re off to an 11-1 start in large part due to the efforts of six-foot-ten PJ Hall. Hall isn’t a flashy first-round or lottery talent, but he’s averaging 20.5 points per game and has his team 16th in the country.
Colorado vs Arizona: Thursday, January 4th
Cody Williams is the player to watch in this matchup. Williams has skyrocketed up draft boards in his freshman season, projecting as a top 10 pick currently. Arizona’s the much better team, however, sitting at number four in the country. Kylan Boswell leads the charge as an NBA draft prospect, with most mocks having him as a second-round guy. Boswell is the engine at point guard for a deep and veteran-filled Arizona team.
Kentucky vs Florida: Saturday, January 6th
Where to start is the question for Kentucky in terms of draft prospects. Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw all hope to hear their names called on draft night. Dillingham and Sheppard highlight the group currently as projected lottery talents. Out of Florida, Riley Kugel was seen by many as primed for a sophomore breakout. He hasn’t quite capitalized on those projections, but having a big showing versus Kentucky can help turn things around.
USC vs Stanford: Saturday, January 6th
USC is led by potential top 5 pick Isaiah Collier at point guard. Collier will hope to find more consistency in conference play. Other draft prospects for USC include Bronny James and Kobe Johnson. James, the son of Lebron James, will be hoping to heat up after missing most of the season thus far following a scary cardiac incident. For Stanford, Andrej Stojakovic is the lone NBA draft prospect as a freshman. He may be better going back to school for another year, but there’s plenty of season left for him to make a push. He’s the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, and he’s a six-foot-seven shooting guard with great perimeter ability.
