The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft came and went Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. ET with very little noise. All 30 prospects on the CBS Sports Big Board rankings — those with first-round draft grades — either declared or are testing the waters, as expected, with no major surprises on deadline day. And of the 60 players on the Big Board, only three — all of whom projected as second-rounders — are definitively returning to school.
However, we still await news on a handful of talents who have not indicated one way or another whether they are staying or going. Those players include Michigan freshmen Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate as well as Fresno State’s Orlando Robinson, and several others just outside our Big Board have yet to publicly announce one way or another.
We’re also not through the entire draft process, either. But with most of the class publicly announcing, our tracker taking stock of the 2022 draft landscape ahead of this summer is nearly complete. Next up we’ll have a pre-draft process and the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline of June 1 for those who intend to return to school. So as players decide whether to stay in the draft or return to school, the tracker will also update. For now, let’s look at a few key takeaways from the deadline.Ā
Huge news for North Carolina
Word of Armando Bacot’s return next season for North Carolina was significant for the Tar Heels, giving them an established star big man to build around. However, Caleb Love’s return this weekend was even bigger, at least related to the draft. Bacot was not a top-60 prospect; Love was a borderline first rounder. Getting him back into the fold gives UNC four of its five starters returning for next season. It’s why Gary Parrish ranks the Tar Heels as the clear No. 1 in his latest Top 25 And 1.
Big potential in the Big Ten
The Big Ten routinely rates out as a top-three conference in…
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