How every Phoenix Suns player played in the NCAA tournament

Deandre Ayton

2018: (4) Arizona lost to (13) Buffalo in First Round

I remember really looking forward to watching Deandre Ayton play in the NCAA tournament. I had seen him play a few games here and there throughout the regular season, but with the Suns in line to potentially draft him, I wanted to get a good look at his skill set.

I remember not being impressed.

Sure, I was impressed for all the reasons you should be impressed with Ayton. Athleticism. Size. All that. But Buffalo was a horrible matchup for him and the Arizona Wildcats. They were chock full of athletic wings who drove by Ayton like his feet were stuck in quicksand.

It really didn’t give him a fair shot at showing off his low-post presence.

During the season, Ayton was a beast. He averaged a double-double with 20.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

In his one game in the NCAA tournament, he managed just 14 points, although he did contribute 13 rebounds over the much smaller Buffalo squad.

That one mediocre game wasn’t enough to keep the Phoenix Suns from drafting him #1 overall (cough–over Luka Doncic–cough) just a few months later.