With March Madness less than a week away there’s no doubt that players around the NBA will be preparing their brackets in support of their alma maters. Several colleges are known for producing great players but which 2022 March Madness team has the best squad of active NBA players?
Inspired by s1icked1ts‘ mockups, we’ve assessed some of the top March Madness teams based on their current NBA alumni.
Michigan Wolverines
Starting 5: Tim Hardaway Jr, Duncan Robinson, Caris Levert, Jordan Poole, Franz Wagner
Bench: Moe Wagner, Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas
USC Trojans
Starting 5: Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Porter Jr, DeMar DeRozan, Evan Mobley, DeAnthony Melton
Bench: Onyeka Okongwu, Chimezie Metu, Dewayne Dedmon, Taj Gibson
Kentucky Wildcats
Starting 5: John Wall, Devin Booker, Julius Randle, Jamal Murray, Anthony Davis
Bench: Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Aaron Fox, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Tyrese Maxey
Texas Longhorns
Starting 5: Myles Turner, PJ Tucker, Kevin Durant, Jarrett Allen, Avery Bradley
Bench: LaMarcus Aldridge, Mo Bamba, Jaxon Hayes, Corey Joseph, Tristan Thompson
Kansas Jayhawks
Starting 5: Marcus Morris, Kelly Oubre Jr, Joel Embiid, Devonte’ Graham, Andrew Wiggins
Bench: Ben McLemore, Markieff Morris, Josh Jackson, Quentin Grimes
UCLA Bruins
Starting 5: Kevin Love, Lonzo Ball, Zach Lavine, Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell
Bench: Jrue Holiday, Kyle Anderson, Aaron Holiday, Kevon Looney
Duke Blue Devils
Starting 5: Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley
Bench: RJ Barrett, Gary Trent Jr, Seth Curry, Luke Kennard, Wendell Carter Jr
Breaking down the best March Madness squads
College powerhouses Duke and Kentucky come away as the most talented rosters with USC deserving of a special mention. Two-fifths of the current Chicago Bulls starting lineup are on the Trojans squad. Add Rookie of the Year front-runner Evan Mobley to the mix and you’ve got yourself quite the trio.
Duke have a fine combination of All-Star talent and reliable shooting. Any lineup featuring Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram will cause opponents headaches. Their lack of height and presence down low is their only weakness but shooters Seth Curry and Luke Kennard should more than compensate for it with precision shooting.
Kentucky however has the upper hand thanks to their deep bench. Even if you rule out the injured Jamal Murray, the Wildcats have enough talent to start two different lineups that could compete against every other team on this page. They can play big with a twin-tower lineup featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis or go small with Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shooting won’t be an issue with Tyler Herro in the team and Bam Adebayo will be more than ready to step up when Anthony Davis inevitably gets injured. The Wildcats win this one easily.
With Kentucky and Duke ranked as third and fourth favorites for the NCAA title in 2022, a showdown between the two colleges could very well be on the cards.
March Madness Preview
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