4 NCAA Tournament prospects Nuggets fans can watch as potential Nikola Jokic backup
By Ben Handler
Oso Ighodaro, Marquette
Ighodaro is the rare modern big man who doesn’t really space the floor or protect the rim. But he does virtually everything else at a very high level. The 6’11” Ighodaro has the versatility to play inside and out on both ends. He can defend on the perimeter and around the basket at a high level and should have no problem switching onto wings in the NBA.
He can be a pick-and-roll playmaker as a screener and can run offense out of the high post. He has some Jokic-like skills and could run some of the same actions off the bench, possibly even a lot of the same two-man actions with Murray and Gordon.
Ighodaro also loves to get out and run, so he could provide a nice injection of pace off the bench for a generally slow Nuggets team. He may need to add size and strength to hold his own at center in the NBA, but he has a varied enough skillset to make up for it.
Oso and the Marquette Golden Eagles are the 2 seed in the East Region. They’ll take on Western Kentucky in the first round on Friday afternoon. They could possibly face Kentucky in the Sweet 16, then the number 1 seed, Houston for a trip to the Final Four.