3 must-see college prospects every NBA fan needs to watch during March Madness 

While there are many college basketball fans who follow the sport year-round, there is also a large contingent that joins in on the fun only when the calendar turns to March. For those casual fans more invested in the NBA, here are three players with potentially bright NBA futures to keep an eye on during March Madness.

3) Dalton Knecht

Knecht has been one of college basketball's most dominant players this season. He is a skilled scorer, capable of taking over any game and is the main reason the Tennessee Volunteers may very well be a 1 seed when the tournament rolls around. He is averaging over 20 points while shooting above 40% from three as well. At 6’6, he has all the makings of a plug-and-play starter at the NBA level.

The SEC player of the year will likely be a household name by the time March ends; however, his path to stardom has been extremely atypical. Knecht spent two years at a community college before spending another two campaigns in Northern Colorado before ending up in Tennessee for his last season.

Because of this unusual path to stardom, Knecht will already be 23 years old next month. In recent years, the NBA draft has become increasingly younger. Teams now prefer to select young talents capable of growing in the league rather than older players who are likely closer to their ceilings.

This is sure to give some teams hesitancy when considering drafting Knecht; however, his impressive season has made him a near lock to be selected in the first round. After entering the season as a projected late second-round pick, ESPN’s latest mock draft now has him selected 18th overall, comfortably in the first round. If Knecht puts together a strong tournament, he will likely play his way into the lottery, something that would have seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago.