{"id":938364,"date":"2026-10-23T19:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T19:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/938364\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T19:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T19:00:12","slug":"potential-first-round-picks-shine-in-recent-college-basketball-exhibitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/938364\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential First-Round Picks Shine in Recent College Basketball Exhibitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the recent start of the 2026-27 NBA season<\/a>, college basketball is right around the corner.<\/p>\n

The campaign officially begins on Tuesday, Nov. 3, but plenty of teams across the country have already played multiple exhibition matchups to prepare for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

Multiple players who have the potential to be premier prospects in the 2027 NBA Draft shined in exhibition matchups<\/a>, giving fans and scouts a glimpse at what could be in store for 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at two potential first-round picks who starred for their teams in recent exhibition games.<\/p>\n

Amari Allen, Alabama<\/p>\n

In an 87-85 win against Auburn, the sophomore scored a team-high 23 points, adding four rebounds, two assists and four steals while committing three turnovers and shooting 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.<\/p>\n

Allen enters his sophomore year with the Crimson Tide as a likely first-round pick in the 2027 class after a strong freshman season at Alabama. The former four-star recruit averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a steal per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

After a solid debut campaign, Allen landed in the first round of NBA mock drafts and tested the 2026 NBA Draft waters. The talented wing player from Green Bay opted for a return to school, but still went to the NBA Combine, where he measured 6-foot-5-and-a-quarter without shoes while recording a 6-foot-8 wingspan and weighing 205 pounds.<\/p>\n

With more scoring responsibility as a sophomore, Allen could elevate his draft stock and secure a spot in the first round.<\/p>\n

The son of former NBA big man Obinna Ekezie Sr., the Cardinals’ standout enters the 2026-27 season with high expectations after being a five-star recruit in the 2026 class.<\/p>\n

Listed at 7-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Ekezie was the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 1 center in the cycle, according to 247Sports. In a recent exhibition matchup against Kansas, Ekezie lived up to his ranking with 16 points, eight rebounds, an assist and five blocks while shooting 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-6 from deep and 2-of-2 from the free throw line in 19 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Louisville outscored the Jayhawks by seven points when Ekezie was on the floor in an 89-83 win against Kansas. The Cardinals held potential top pick Tyran Stokes<\/a> to 3-of-13 shooting from the field.<\/p>\n

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