Dallas Mavericks: NCAA Tournament Bracket Prospect Preview

The NCAA Tournament brackets are here and here are things to watch for as a fan of the Dallas Mavericks and prospects at the top of the draft.

The Dallas Mavericks currently own the seventh worst record in the league heading into a matchup with the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

After being officially eliminated from the playoffs just a few days ago, attention now turns to the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft and the top prospects that could find their way to Dallas.

Now that the NCAA Tournament brackets have been revealed, here are quick thoughts and takeaways for Mavs fans to look forward to at the start of the tournament on Thursday.

South Region

-Kevin Knox and the Kentucky Wildcats earn the 5th seed and should be headed for a second round matchup with the Arizona Wildcats. This will be one of the best second round matchups of the whole bracket.

-DeAndre Ayton and Arizona lands the 4th seed in the bracket and is headed for a huge matchup with the surging Kentucky Wildcats.

-Virginia is the overall top seed in the tournament and would be a huge matchup for Ayton and the Wildcats if Arizona advances to sweet sixteen.

-Lonnie Walker and the Miami Hurricanes land the 6th seed and could advance with a tough Tennessee team in the second round.

-Mo Bamba and the Texas Longhorns barely get in and land the 10th seed where they are the underdog vs. a tough Nevada team. If they upset Nevada, they should matchup with the two seed in Cincinnati in the second round.

*This is obviously a stacked prospect region for the top of the draft.

East Region

-Villanova earns the top seed in the bracket and should pave the way for everyone to watch Mikal Bridges for an extended time.

-If Villanova advances to the second round, they could face Collin Sexton and Alabama as they earned the 9th seed. A Sexton vs. Bridges matchup in the second round would be incredible.

-Arkansas landed the 7th seed and that will be another look at big man Daniel Gafford who is rising up the draft boards..

*As far as prospects near the top of the draft, this region is lacking compared to the South Region.

Midwest Region

-Kansas lands the top overall seed in the region.

-Michigan State lands the 3rd overall seed in the region and that means Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges having a potential huge matchup against Duke in the sweet sixteen.

-Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter Jr. land the 2nd seed and should face Trae Young in the second round before facing Michigan State in the sweet sixteen. This will be a massive game.

More from The Smoking Cuban

-Trae Young and Oklahoma somehow get into the tournament and will face Duke if they can upset Rhode Island in the first round.

West Region

-Xavier lands the top seed in the region.

-Missouri lands the 8th seed in the region and will give everyone a chance to see Michael Porter Jr. play another college game. If he can lead them to the second round and upset the top seed in Xavier, he would propel himself to the top-tier of prospects….if he isn’t there already.

-North Carolina lands the 2nd seed.

-Robert Williams and Texas A&M land the 7th seed and could matchup with UNC in the second round. This will be a matchup to watch if they both advance.

See full bracket here.

Next: Dallas Mavericks 2018 NBA Draft Board 1.0

There are plenty of prospects to watch if you are a fan of the Dallas Mavericks. Tune in Thursday as the main slate of games are set to begin.