Prospects to Watch in North Carolina, San Diego State First Four Matchup

With the First Four of March Madness kicking off in Dayton on Tuesday night, one particular matchup has a few NBA prospects taking the floor in a last-ditch effort to improve draft positioning come June. After a shocking Selection Sunday that saw UNC earn a final spot despite their 1-12 Quad 1 record, freshmen guards Ian Jackson and Drake Powell will be key cogs in the Tar Heels proving they are worthy of being in the tournament. They will be matched up with a tough San Diego State squad led by redshirt sophomore Miles Byrd whose 3 & D potential makes him an intriguing prospect despite struggling with efficiency.

Drake Powell | Guard | 6'6 | 195 lbs | Freshman | UNC

The five star prospect coming out of high school has had an underwhelming season, but has shown flashes of his potential at the next level and why he was so highly touted coming out of high school. Powell is coming off a productive game against No. 1 Duke as he put up 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist in 36 minutes. Powell is thought of as a fringe first-round prospect at this point as teams will weigh the physical tools he possesses with limited production. The long wing has great positional size even spending time playing power forward at North Carolina this season and has the physical tools to be a high-level wing defender. Powell averaged only 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game this season. He scored the ball efficiently shooting 49.5% from the field and 37.1% from three, but did so on limited volume and only shot 65.4% from the free throw line.

Ian Jackson | Guard | 6'4 | 190 lbs | Freshman | UNC

Jackson, the 7th overall recruit coming out of high school, has faced inconsistent playing time all season which could be the case again on Tuesday night. In the minutes he has played, Jackson has been UNC's best scorer at times making tough shots from all over the court. He is a natural scorer and can heat up in a hurry. He has mainly served as a microwave scorer off the bench for UNC, but averaged over 22 points in a seven game stretch heading into conference play that showed his scoring ability is up there with the best in the country. This can also be a detriment to him as he does not playmake for others and doesn't offer too much else outside of his scoring prowess. Jackson went scoreless in only 10 minutes in the Tar Heels' semifinal loss to Duke, so it will be interesting to see how much run Hubert Davis gives him in even higher stakes. Jackson has averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals in 24.4 minutes per game on 46.4% from the field and 39.6% from three.

Miles Byrd | Guard | 6'7 | 190 lbs | RS-Sophomore | SDSU

For San Diego State, Miles Byrd has been a breakout player after averaging only four points per game on last season's Sweet 16 team. Byrd has the mold and skillset of a 3 & D wing at the NBA level despite struggling with efficiency as the season has progressed. He uses his long arms and athleticism to jump passing lanes, get deflections on the ball and make timely blocks on guards, wings and bigs. One of the best defenders in the nation, he averages 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. On the offensive end, Bird has shown an impressive shotmaking and playmaking ability for a wing. He can make shots off the catch or off the dribble while also being able to play above the rim and hit pullup jumpers. The downside to his draft profile is he has been extremely inefficient only shooting 38.4% from the field and 30.8% from downtown. He has also shot below 40% from the field in 16 of the 29 games he's played this season. Despite these struggles, Bird has a solid stroke and is a career 82.6% free throw shooter indicating his shot could improve over time with better looks.

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