College Basketball: Previewing Draft Prospects in Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee

It's the first weekend of March and, with that, means the beginning of conference tournaments.

Teams are competing for to win an automatic bid to March Madness — one of the most exciting tournaments in all of sports. Additionally, Power Four conferences feature continued competitive play — including Louisville heading down to Coral Gables to face the Miami Hurricanes, the Gators visiting Lexington to play the Kentucky Wildcats, North Carolina facing Duke in Durham, Auburn playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Texas Tech playing Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars, and Vanderbilt facing Tennessee.

Let's take a look at who to watch in tomorrow night's Vanderbilt-Tennessee matchup.

Tennessee Volunteers

Nate Ament

The No. 23 AP-ranked team in the country boasts one of the most talented freshmen in the country in Nate Ament. The 6-foot-10 guard is averaging 17.4 points, 2.4 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 stocks, and 2.3 turnovers per game while shooting 54% at the rim (100 attempts), 39.6% on non-rim twos (149 attempts), 32.8% from beyond the arc (116 attempts | 7.9 attempts per 100 possessions), and 79.2% from the free throw line (207 attempts).

Despite the finishing numbers being lower than ideal for a 6-foot-10 guard, Ament has a knack for drawing free throws -- recording a .567 free-throw rate this season. Recording a 6.6 offensive rebound percentage, 15.1 assist percentage, and a 4.1 stock percentage are all positive signs as well. Ament is a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Nate Ament is on track to meet the Efficient Tall Freshman (ETF) query this season -- 41 of the 60 players (68%) who have met the criteria played five-plus years in the NBA or are currently in the league.

Ament's playing status is currently up in the air for Saturday's game due to an ankle injury.

Bishop Boswell

Another player to watch for the Vols is 6-foot-4 sophomore Bishop Boswell. He's only averaging 6.7 points per game, but he's also averaging 2.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. His efficiency is impressive -- 63.3% at the rim (30 attempts), 43.6% on non-rim twos (39 attempts), and 43.1% from three (51 attempts). You'd like to see his free throw percentage improve (67% on 63 attempts), but overall his statistical profile is interesting. He's also recording a 17.7 assist percentage, 6.2 offensive rebound percentage, and a 3.1 steal percentage.

Other players to watch on Tennessee include 6-foot-5 freshman Amari Evans, 6-foot-1 senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, and 6-foot-11 senior Felix Okpara.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Tyler Tanner

The No. 24 AP-team in the country has a handful of talented players that has led to them finding success this season. This team starts with 6-foot sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, who's averaging 19 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, and two turnovers per game. He's also shooting 64% at the rim (164 attempts), 39.1% on non-rim twos (87 attempts), 36.8% from three (136 attempts), and 85% from the free throw line (167 attempts).

Tanner has been unassisted on 64.6% of his made field goals this season and is estimated to have assisted on 29.8% of his teammates' made field goals when on the floor this season, Not to mention, the sophomore is recording a 4.2 steal percentage and a 1.4 block percentage this season.

Tanner is in an interesting juxtaposition when it comes to statistical queries: He's on pace to meet the Productive Sophomore Query, in which 41 of the 57 players (72%) who have previously met the criteria played five-plus years in the NBA or are currently in the league. Simultaneously, however, only four guards listed at 6-foot or shorter have stuck in the NBA since 2013 and the overall stick rate for those drafted since then is 21.5% (4-of-19).

Read More: The Productive Sophomore Query

Read More: A Study on Undersized Guards

AK Okereke

The 6-foot-7 Cornell transfer is averaging 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 stocks, and 1.2 turnovers per game while shooting 65.3% at the rim (72 attempts), 48.8% on non-rim twos (41 attempts), 40.3% from beyond the arc (72 attempts), and 79.5% from the free throw line (88 attempts).

Okereke is a versatile forward on both ends of the floor -- he can playmake or drive off of dribble handoffs, put the ball on the floor and attack a closeout, and space the floor, while defensively he can contain multiple positions. He's also recording a 5.1 offensive rebound percentage, a 12 assist percentage, and a 4.1 stock percentage -- the latter showcasing impact as a defensive event creator.

Other players to monitor for Vanderbilt include 6-foot-2 senior Duke Miles (who's averaging 16 points per game) and 6-foot-7 senior Tyler Nickel (who's shooting 40.1% from three on 7.7 attempts per game and 14.2 attempts per 100 possessions) -- both of whom have played themselves into NBA Draft conversations.