Prospect Watch: Observations from the Opening Weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament
Scouting the standouts, strugglers, and surprises after four jam-packed days of hoops
After four straight days of being glued to the TV, flipping channels like a madman, streaming games on my phone, iPad, and laptop—often simultaneously—while chasing around my very active 2-year-old son, I’ve finally come up for air. The opening weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament is in the books. No buzzer-beating Cinderella runs. No mid-major magic. Just the power players from the ACC, SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten holding court. Even the Big East, usually good for one Sweet 16 bid, is on the outside looking in for the first time since 2019. The SEC? It has 7 of its 14 teams still dancing. Arkansas, technically a 10-seed, is the closest thing to an underdog—but even that feels like a stretch considering their talent level.
Now that the dust has settled and the bracket’s been trimmed to 16, I wanted to share some of my personal observations on how some of the top NBA prospects fared over the opening weekend. Some players helped themselves. Some didn’t. But the stage was massive, and the lights were bright—and I was locked in.
Flagg Back in Flight as Duke Advances to Sweet 16
The big question coming into the 2025 NCAA Tournament was simple: how effective would Cooper Flagg be? After missing the final two games of the ACC Tournament with an ankle injury suffered against Georgia Tech, there were real concerns about the health of Duke’s star freshman and the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. But over the opening weekend, Flagg put most of those doubts to rest. He averaged 16.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks across Duke’s wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor, showing little sign of being limited.