As the Sweet 16 wrapped up, which potential New York Knicks draft targets stepped up on Friday, March 29?
On Friday, March 29, the New York Knicks were off, but the 2019 Men’s NCAA Tournament continued with its eighth day. Four more games completed the Sweet 16, with the Elite Eight set for Saturday and Sunday action.
It started with the first No. 1 seed to fall, North Carolina. Auburn ran past them for 40 minutes and won by a lopsided margin. A clean win for Michigan State over LSU continued the action.
Closing the day was the dramatic matchups, as Kentucky escaped Houston and Duke barely defeated Virginia Tech.
The Elite Eight is now set, but which players deserve to be highlighted beforehand? Let’s look at the potential draft targets who stepped up on March 29:
Chuma Okeke, Auburn
Slash Line: 8-for-11/3-for-5/1-for-3
Stat Line: 20 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block
For 25 minutes, Chuma Okeke played like the best player on the court, even with Nassir Little, Coby White and Luke May wearing North Carolina’s colors. The sophomore forward was leading Auburn with 20 points, 11 rebounds and other contributions across the board.
However, late in the second half, Okeke suffered a gruesome knee injury that removed him for the rest of the game. He walked off with pressure on both legs, but Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was emotional in describing his star player.
"We're going to rally. I'll go hug on him."
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2019
Bruce Pearl gets emotional discussing Chuma Okeke after @AuburnMBB's win over North Carolina. 🙏#MarchMadness | #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/sOaD9dtrEz
As of this writing, there are no updates on Okeke’s status, but with the Tigers’ next game on Sunday, and with what happened on the court, it’s difficult to think he plays in the Elite Eight against Kentucky.
Okeke was a projected first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, per NBADraft.net. His 6-foot-8 frame projects to guard NBA frontcourt players, and he already stood out for this in school, with 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in 2018-19.
Now, Okeke can only await the official prognosis, which could impact his draft status and potential decision to return to school for another year.
Auburn, like Pearl said, will rally in the meantime and eye a Final Four appearance for the first weekend of April.