NCAA Tournament: Best Draft Prospect Matchup in Second Round

The first day of the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament is upon us. What is the best matchup for Saturday’s matches?

Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) reacts during the second half against the Alabama State Hornets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The first round of the NCAA Tournament is over and we witnessed stars being born, historic moments happen and a ton of great games. Saturday is the first day of the round of 32 and we have eight games set to play all day. Let’s dive into the most exciting prospect matchup that scouts will be paying the most attention to.

Auburn versus Creighton will potentially be the most exciting matchup of the day. Johni Broome is a potential first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 big man averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He shot 51.4% from the field, 27.8% from behind the arc and 59.9% from the free-throw line.

Broome is a fifth year senior that was the SEC Player of the Year that has starred for the Auburn Tigers. The skilled big man does a lot of things well for someone at his position. He does a good job of protecting the rim as he averaged over two blocks per game in his last four seasons. Broome does a great job of protecting the rim and altering a ton of shots. His pick and roll defense is advanced for a big man. The physical big man is eighth in the nation in rebounds per game at 10.6. He’s a consistent double-double machine that is also a good passing big man. Versatility is the word to describe Broome.

Creighton also has a fifth-year center that has been on draft boards for a couple of years now in Ryan Kalkbrenner. The 7-foot-1 center averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.7 blocks and 0.6 steals per game. He shot 65.7% from the field, 34.5% from behind the arc and 67.9% from the free-throw line.

Kalkbrenner is one of the best rim protectors in all of college basketball and in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 7-foot-1 big man has played in 168 games for Creighton and has never fouled out once. In every season he has played he has averaged less than two fouls per game which is remarkable for a center and it shows how high of an IQ he has on the defensive end. The Creighton star is an efficient scorer inside the paint and is a lob threat at all times due to his wide catch radius. If any player in college was to give Broome issues, it would be Kalkbrenner.

Scouts will be curious to see who wins the battle between the big men in Broome and Kalkbrenner. If one player was to dominate the matchup then you have to imagine it will significantly boost their draft stock as a lot of eyes will be on this game. One of these players will have their college career come to an end after this game. This should be a very fun game that will tip off at 7:10 PM EST on TBS or truTV.

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