ESPN’s NCAA Tournament NBA mock draft includes 4 Arizona Wildcats

There is a reason the Arizona Wildcats enter the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the second overall seed and behind only the Gonzaga Bulldogs in terms of title odds.

They have NBA talent, and a lot of it.

While wing Bennedict Mathurin and center Christian Koloko are likely first-round NBA Draft prospects this year, the pro talent on Arizona’s roster doesn’t fall off there.

In an NBA mock that only includes players who are about to perform in the NCAA Tournament, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz include four Wildcats through two rounds of drafting.

Givony has Mathurin heading to the Portland Trail Blazers as the No. 10 overall selection. Of what Arizona’s leading scorer (17.4 points per game) must show in Arizona’s postseason run, Givony writes:

Mathurin’s decision-making in high-leverage moments also will be closely scrutinized. He is at his best when keeping things simple, and he can be prone to huge swings of intensity and productivity on both ends of the floor, depending on the night and how well things are going early in games. The defensive end is where scouts will want to see Mathurin show better focus, especially off the ball, where he can at times be Arizona’s weakest link.

Koloko gets picked by the Miami Heat at pick No. 27 in the ESPN mock draft. Leading the team in rebounding (7.1 per game) and blocks (2.7), Koloko is scoring 12.1 points per outing.

Givony credits Koloko’s rim-running and shot-blocking while adding there are things to prove with an extended tournament appearance for the Wildcats.

Koloko’s thin frame, lack of physicality and developing feel for the game, which manifests itself in foul trouble, point-blank misses and struggles keeping up with the speed of the game are things NBA scouts will want to learn more about in high-stakes matchups with pro-sized frontcourts as the competition stiffens.

It’s here where two Arizona players who haven’t appeared very often in mock drafts show up. Guard Dalen Terry is off the ESPN board at 40th to the New Orleans Pelicans, while forward Azuolas Tubelis goes 53rd to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Terry, one of college basketball’s better glue guys, is a jumper and a few pounds of added weight away from potentially pushing himself onto the NBA radar. He is averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Terry has lately taken on more initiating duties with point guard Kerr Kriisa injured in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Another sophomore, Tubelis has appeared as Arizona’s best player on select nights. A smooth power forward, his scoring consistency could improve to bump his draft stock as a ball-moving power forward.

Tubelis is putting up 14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Arizona opens the tournament Friday at 4:27 p.m. MST against Wright State.

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