2016 Final Four: No 1-And-Dones Means A Lot More Fun

With there being no 1-and-dones in this year’s Final Four, college basketball has finally been reclaimed by the old guys.

Unless Jalen Brunson or Malachi Richardson suddenly become first-round commodities, the 2016 Final Four will feature exactly zero one-and-done NBA prospects.

And it’s the greatest thing for the sport.

Something that gets lost in college basketball is the players that stick around, especially the four-year seniors. Freshmen take over the headlines as soon as one season concludes and we begin looking at the next.

NBA fans that casually check in on college hoops merely look for who their team could possibly draft. The best way to get an assessment on those potential pros are to see them when the stakes are the highest, when they and their team are in a one-game playoff with their season, and possibly collegiate career, on the line.

Last year’s champions, the Duke Blue Devils, featured three one-and-done prospects, including one that could’ve gone first overall. Their opponents in that title game, the Wisconsin Badgers, featured zero.

The other two teams in the Final Four, the Kentucky Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans, featured three combined, all of which came from Kentucky.

Houston will have a different feel to it. Between the Villanova Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners, North Carolina Tar Heels and Syracuse Orange, there are exactly zero freshmen currently projected to be first-round draft picks.

Based on Draft Express’ latest mock draft, the only player on these four teams projected to be a first-round pick is Buddy Hield of Oklahoma, who comes in at No. 7. North Carolina’s Brice Johnson (33rd overall) and Michael Gbinije (54th overall) are the only other players on that list, all of them are seniors.

Related Story: 2016 NBA Draft: Buddy Hield Has Perfect Timing

Resident NBA mock drafter Maxwell Ogden also has Hield as the No. 7 prospect for the 2016 NBA Draft, but has Johnson as the No. 26 prospect. No other players on Final Four teams appear on his list, either.

With a huge lack of one-and-done players in this Final Four, college basketball has gone back to where it was before the rule changes that made “one-and-done” common terminology in both NBA and college circles.

Much has been made of there not being a national champion without a “surefire” first-round prospect since 1987, though most of that attention centered around Kansas. Given that there’s just one surefire first-round prospect left, that should give Oklahoma the clear edge in Houston.

But if there’s anything we’ve learned for the 2016 NCAA tournament it’s to suspend what you think will happen and just wait and see.

Syracuse “shouldn’t” have even made the tournament field. I, as well as a number of other prominent media members in college basketball circles, have stood by this throughout the entire tournament. The Orange don’t care how they got there or what other people think of them. They’re in the Final Four when others are sitting at home, wondering where it all went wrong.

Actually, Syracuse is the one team that could have some one-and-done players as Richardson and Tyler Roberson have presented themselves to the masses over the past two weeks and present some interesting skill sets. Roberson’s incredibly active on the boards, long and has a strong body for a freshman.

Richardson has shown an ability to take a game over, highlighted in the win over Virginia to get to the Final Four.

Except neither of them are on CBS Sports’ Sam Vecenie’s big board and are rarely mentioned in draft talks. Part of that is because they haven’t had the greatest seasons. They’ve been good, but not outstanding.

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Yet their team is in the Final Four.

Villanova has two players on Vecenie’s big board, but both are upperclassmen in junior Josh Hart (No. 62) and senior Daneil Ochefu (No. 115). North Carolina has Johnson (No. 42), sophomore Justin Jackson (No. 43), senior Marcus Paige (No. 71) and junior Kennedy Meeks (No. 99) on there, as well. Hield (No. 8) is the only one for Oklahoma.

Last year’s Final Four featured 12 draft picks. This year’s Final Four could feature fewer than five.

Yet this year feels special, because of that. Unlike previous years, the years featuring John Calipari’s all-first-round-pick lineups, there is less attention on how these players will fare in the pros and more attention is being paid to how these players will finish their collegiate careers.

Being a four-year college basketball player isn’t something to be ashamed of, though those in the NBA circles seem to scoff at the notion. “If they’re not going pro, why should I care?” is something that’s been heard more than once this season, and it will continue to be the thought to many.

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But for those that appreciate the dedication, the work it takes to get from one level to the next, the ones that pass up the chance to go pro, opting to go back to school to finish what they started, this is as perfect a Final Four as you can get.

While many will focus on the lack of NBA prospects and the Syracuse-North Carolina game featuring two teams that have dealt with NCAA infractions (past and future), the attention should be on how these four teams have earned the right to play for a national championship despite those things.