2024 NBA Draft Picks by College and Conference: Full breakdown of selections per NCAA basketball
With the 2024 NBA draft completed, it's time to try to make some sense out of the whole process. The influence of international players is a continuing and growing trend, but some schools still produced a bunch of NBA talent.
Here's the final rundown on which schools and conferences saw their stars get picked in the 2024 NBA draft.
2024 NBA draft picks by college
#1. UConn: 4
Not shockingly, the defending NCAA champs were also the NBA draft champs. Standouts Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan were chosen No. 4 and No. 7, respectively, making the Huskies the team with two of the first three college players picked. The selections of Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer later in the draft demonstrated the NBA's respect for UConn's process.
#2. Kentucky, Colorado: 3
Interestingly, the two teams with three draft picks each won a combined zero NCAA Tournament games. What are the odds? Kentucky had lottery freshmen Reed Sheppard (No. 3 pick) and Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick) along with second-round veteran Antonio Reeves. A trio of guards add to UK's NBA links.
Meanwhile, Colorado had first-rounders Cody Williams (No. 10) and Tristan da Silva (No. 18). The Buffaloes also added guard KJ Simpson in the second round. Williams was the most highly regarded prospect but missed chunks of the season due to injury issues.
#3. Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Marquette, USC: 2
Five different schools managed a pair of picks. Baylor had first-rounders Ja'Kobe Walter (No. 19) and Yves Missi (No. 21). Duke had Jared McCain taken on Wednesday (No. 16) while Kyle Filipowski slid to Thursday and the second pick of the second round. Kansas ended up with a pair of second-round picks as frosh Johnny Furphy slid to No. 35 and veteran Kevin McCullar snuck in with the third-to-last pick.
Marquette guard Tyler Kolek slid to the second round and the No. 34 pick while big man Oso Ighodaro was chosen No. 40. Despite a miserable season, USC had two players tabbed – freshman guards Isaiah Collier (No. 29) and Bronny James (No.55).
2024 NBA draft picks by conference
#1. Pac-12: 9
The essentially defunct Pac-12 went out with a blaze of glory, with a conference-topping nine draft picks this year. Colorado's three picks and USC's two made up the majority of the total. Cal's Jaylon Tyson (No. 20) was the league's other first-round pick.
#2. Big East: 8
With the defending champion's four picks, the Big East had a good start on its eight overall selections. Marquette's pair of picks then raised the total further. Providence's Devin Carter (No. 13) and Crieghton's Baylor Scheierman (No. 30) were the remaining Big East draft selections.
#3. ACC: 7
The ACC managed seven draft picks, led by Duke's pair of choices. Other ACC first-round picks were Pitt's Bub Carrington (No. 14), Miami's Kyshawn George (No. 24) and Virginia's Ryan Dunn (No. 28).
#4. Big 12: 5
Despite two picks each from Baylor and Kansas, the Big 12 ended up with just one more pick total. That pick? Houston's Jamal Shead (No. 45).
#5. Big Ten and SEC: 4
The Big Ten and SEC surprisingly each had just four total draft picks in 2024. Aside from Kentucky's three players, Tennessee's Dalton Knecht (No. 17) was the only other SEC pick. The Big Ten picks included Purdue's Zach Edey (No. 9), Indiana's Kel'el Ware (No. 15) and Illinois' Terrence Shannon (No. 27).
#6. WCC: 2
The WCC's two picks were San Francisco forward Jonathan Mogbo with the first pick of the second round (No. 31) and Gonzaga's Anton Watson (No. 54).
Which schools and conferences were the winners of the 2024 NBA draft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.