A Royal Pain
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Sacramento Kings fans should keep an eye on Gonzaga throughout March Madness

By Jonathan Roberts

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Zach Norvell Jr. #23 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs react in the final moments of their 83-71 win over the Baylor Bears in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Zach Norvell Jr. #23 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs react in the final moments of their 83-71 win over the Baylor Bears in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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With March Madness taking over the basketball world, and the NBA regular season winding down, Sacramento Kings fans should keep a close eye on Gonzaga as the Bulldogs continue their quest for a national title.

Unfortunately, the dream season the Sacramento Kings have chased since October has (nearly) reached the end of the road. After their horrible loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, the tragic number for the Sacramento Kings has gone down to just two games, meaning two losses, two wins from the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz or any combination of the two will result in the Kings’ playoff hopes officially being lost.

Adding insult to injury, the Sacramento Kings don’t have

their own

any first round pick for the upcoming draft, giving fans little interest in prospect scouting, mock drafts or college basketball in general, but that’s where they’d be wrong.

Not only do the Kings own a second round pick, they own three of them. As of this writing, the three Kings picks currently fall at 40th overall (via Los Angeles Lakers), 43rd overall (via Orlando Magic) and 60th overall (via Milwaukee Bucks), though those final positions are subject to change. The Kings own the Bucks pick outright, own the more favorable pick between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lakers and the second most favorable pick among the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Magic.

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What does any of this have to do with Gonzaga? A lot. The Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, have a plethora of NBA-level talent. That a top-tier college program has a lot of good players isn’t surprising, but what might be is where those players are projected to land in the draft.

While the Bulldogs’ top NBA talent, Rui Hachimura, is likely lottery-bound, three others could very well be within the Kings’ draft range come June 20. Killian Tillie was highlighted one of eight players to watch for Kings fans last week, and his average big board rank sat outside the top-80, with a high around the mid-40’s. Zach Norvell Jr. is another ‘Zag with a low average big board ranking at 64th overall, but he too has a high around the mid-40’s and projects to be a possible draft target for the Sacramento Kings. Brandon Clarke’s draft stock is a big harder to predict, with some big boards having him just outside the lottery, and others projected him in the low-to-mid-30’s.

Still, Gonzaga is a team with three NBA-level talents that could be available when the Sacramento Kings are on the clock this summer. There’s not another team in the tournament that can say that, or even in the NCAA. As a result, Kings fans should keep a close eye on Gonzaga and that trio of players, even more so as Gonzaga prepares to make a serious run at an NCAA title.

The ‘Zags are a one seed, all four of which are left. But, they have a good chance to move into the Final Four, perhaps more than any other of the tournament’s top seeds.

On Thursday, Gonzaga will take on a Florida State team that topped them in last year’s tournament, but that was against an injured Bulldogs team without one of their most important players: Killian Tillie. If they advance after that, they’ll take on the winner of Michigan and Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, before a date with the likely East Region champion Duke Blue Devils who nearly lost UCF in the Round of 32.

dark. Next. Eight prospects to watch during March Madness

Any way you look at it, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are likely to be on your televisions for the foreseeable future. They’ve looke dominant in both of their wins thus far while other teams have dealt with scares against lesser opponents. And with Brandon Clarke, Killian Tillie and Zach Norvell Jr. on the court, Sacramento Kings fans (and the front office) should be paying close attention.

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