Senior discount

We’re less than a month away from the 2023 NBA Draft, so now’s the ideal time to start sharing The Field of 68’s NBA Draft prospect profile videos. We asked experts — coaches, analysts, players — to help ID what makes the likely first-round picks so good, what areas need improvement and much more.

You’ve already heard about Victor Wembanyama’s outlook (if not, watch it here) so we’ll start things with Scoot Henderson, the guy who says he should be the top overall pick. Gotta love his confidence.

Look for these profiles in the “Listen Up” section below.

Let's get to Wednesday’s news.

1. Kevin McCullar’s return cements Kansas’ title hopes

Get old, stay old. That’s the Kansas motto that helped bring Bill Self his second national title two seasons ago. The same sentiment will apply in 2023-24 with the return of super senior Kevin McCullar.

The 6-6 wing was an essential piece of Kansas’ 28-8 season, integrating right away after three years at Big 12 rival Texas Tech. He’s back after hearing feedback as part of the 2023 NBA Draft process that another year of college ball would be best.

He’s exactly what Kansas needs, too.

The idea of winning national championships with a lineup filled with star underclassmen is passé. Hasn’t been done since 2015. You can put the five best freshmen in the country on one team — and just about anybody would take Kansas’s starting five over that team. A former All-American big man, a point guard who started for a national championship team, two elite defenders and experienced shooting with Nick Timberlake (not to mention a gaggle of talented underclassmen for good measure).

This team has all the pieces to help Self win his third championship.

To be clear, McCullar is not a flawless player. He’s a below-average shooter, hitting just 30 percent of his 3s in four college seasons, but he’s a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist and offers a ton of versatility. The only issue? The Jayhawks might struggle to stretch defenses as Timberlake is the lone trustworthy shooter.

I get it, Kansas fans. DaJuan Harris and Hunter Dickinson both shot 40 percent from deep last season — on less than two attempts per game, and many of those were uncontested. That’ll be the challenge for Self’s squad to solve.

Does Kansas secure the preseason No. 1 spot with McCullar back in the fold? It’s more likely that there won’t be a consensus. Randomly enough, the top spot might depend on where Ernest Udeh Jr., a Kansas transfer, decides to play. He’s considering Duke and a slew of other schools but could return to Kansas if other options fall through.

Let the Duke/Kansas arguments commence for the next five and a half months.

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2. Ranking the Gavitt Games matchups

The official slate for Gavitt Games between the Big East and Big Ten was released on Wednesday.

Here’s a primer on which ones you have to watch and which games are just good for background noise.

1. Maryland at Villanova: The Hakim Hart revenge game! The former Maryland wing will help turn Villanova into a Top 25 team, making for a resurgent season after missing the NCAA Tournament in Kyle Neptune’s debut. Maryland returns three of its top four scorers — including a homecoming for Philly native Donta Scott. This pairing is the only one I see both teams being ranked at the time of the Gavitt Games, so that’s worth the top ranking.

2. Marquette at Illinois: The Illini lost in stunning fashion to Marquette two seasons ago, giving this a nice revenge flavor. The looming draft decisions for Marquette’s O-Max Prosper and Illinois’ duo of TJ Shannon and Coleman Hawkins will ultimately dictate the pregame hype for this one.

3. Michigan at St John’s: Juwan Howard and Rick Pitino at the most famous arena in basketball. What’s better than that? Sure, it would help if we knew more about Michigan’s roster, but there should be enough intrigue around Pitino’s first season at St. John’s to make up for just about anything else.

4. Wisconsin at Providence: The Friar faithful have wasted no time showing full support for new coach Kim English, who’s eyeing this difficult non-conference matchup as a potential NCAA tourney profile boost. Wisconsin returns notable names like Tyler Wahl, Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl and should have yet another 20-win season.

5. Xavier at Purdue: The Boilermakers will be a Top 5 team if Zach Edey returns. Conversely, most of Xavier’s key pieces from their 27-win season — Souley Boum, Colby Jones and Jack Nunge — are definitely gone. There’s still potential with this pairing, but it needs some star power.

6. Iowa at Creighton: This one feels like a complete mismatch. Iowa is going through a talent transition, while Creighton is likely to return Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and possibly Trey Alexander.

7. Georgetown at Rutgers: It’s the first marquee game of the Ed Cooley era. That’s about all the Hoyas have going for them thus far. Playing at Rutgers is always difficult, regardless of who's on the Scarlet Knights roster. If Cliff Omouryi and Paul Mulcahy withdraw from the NBA Draft, then Rutgers has another solid squad waiting in the wings.

8. Butler at Michigan State: This is the biggest mismatch of the Games. The most important part will be to see if Michigan State covers the likely double-digit point spread — and places itself in the national title conversation.

3. Who’s getting Caleb Love?

Where is the love? Fergie was asking…

After the Michigan admissions department displayed its tough defense, it’s been unclear where former North Carolina star Caleb Love will land for 2023-24.

Eric Bossi of 247Sports reported the primary options: Gonzaga, Arizona and Texas.

If you squint, any of the three might work:

• Could you imagine a 1-2 punch of Max Abmas and Love?

• Or an elite table-setter like Ryan Nembhard and Love?

• Or Love providing the scoring punch for Arizona?

Everybody knows who Love is: A guy who can put a team on his back or a guy who can shoot a team out of a game. So where does that leave him?

For my money, the best fit is in the Valley of the Sun. Love would thrive in the up-tempo system of Tommy Lloyd. Arizona’s perimeter options consist of sophomore Kylan Boswell, sophomore Jaden Bradley and senior Pelle Larsson — none of those three are the type to go for 30 points in one game. Regardless of his past deficiencies, Love has proven that he’s capable of doing that exact thing. He’s an alpha scorer who could elevate Arizona.

In transfer portal news:

• Caleb Shaw (Northern Colorado) will play at Grand Canyon.

• SMU transfer Stefan Todorovic is headed to San Francisco.

• New Mexico State adds ex-Seton Hall guard Femi Odukale.

Pass at your own peril

What makes Scoot Henderson such an enticing prospect? His G League Ignite coach, Jason Hart, breaks down the guard’s game, his build, tendencies and much more in this NBA Draft prospect preview. Will he last until the No. 3 overall pick?

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Links as you put that Tina Turner playlist on repeat. RIP.

• George Washington is no longer the Colonials. They’re now the Revolutionaries.

• St John’s transfer David Jones is attracting blue blood attention.

• Ex-Oklahoma State guard Keiton Page rejoined the program in an assistant coach role.

• How much did NCAA staffers make in 2022? And here’s the NCAA’s 2021 tax forms.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].