Among the biggest issues facing the NBA these days is how roughly a third of the league has no interest in winning games. It’s a byproduct of the lottery system that gives franchises with the most losses the best chance to pick as high as possible in the next draft.
Not all fans agree with tanking, I know it’s not a fun way to spend the final two months of the season. But if you’re one of the fans who wants to understand why it’s happening to this degree, all you had to do was watch college basketball Wednesday night because some of the best possible prizes from the 2026 NBA Draft were on display and awesome.
Let’s start with Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr.
Yes, the Razorbacks lost 117-115 in double-overtime at Alabama in part because the Crimson Tide’s Labaron Philon Jr., a possible lottery pick himself, went for 35 points and seven assists — but Acuff was still the story of the game. The 6-foot-3 guard from Detroit took 27 shots, made 16 of them and finished with 49 points, five assists and five rebounds in 50 — yes, 50! — minutes on the court. His 49 points are the most scored by any freshman in Division I men’s basketball since Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson got 50 in a win over Loyola Marymount in December 1990.
(That’s a crazy fact considering all of the freshmen who have played between then and now. Hand to heart, I would not have assumed that’s true. But it is, according to the back row in the bullpen at the CBS Broadcast Center, otherwise known as the research team.)
“He was in a [walking] boot for two days — and still did that,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “And I said, ‘You think you might have to miss this game?’ And he said, ‘Are you nuts?” He doesn’t care. Hurt, whatever it is. He was in a boot for two days.”
That’s an interesting quote — and probably the perfect place to transition to Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson, who, in contrast to Acuff, very much does (seem to) care about how he feels before determining how much to play or even whether to play at all. That’s been the narrative connected to him all season. Wednesday didn’t help.
Peterson started for the Jayhawks, scored 20 points in the first half, added three more early in the second… and then appeared, once again, to check himself out of the game with 17:40 remaining.
Take a look for yourself.
Peterson never returned.
As I’ve said many times, if it’s just a talent evaluation, Peterson should be the No. 1 pick in June. But all of the odd stuff connected to his availability might make it more of a conversation than it otherwise would be, especially with so many other awesome options available at the top of the draft — like BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, Tennessee freshman Nate Ament and Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler.
All three of them played Wednesday, too.
Dybantsa got 35 points and seven rebounds in BYU’s 75-68 loss at Arizona. Ament got 29 points and six rebounds in Tennessee’s 89-66 win over Oklahoma. And though Wagler wasn’t great in Illinois’ 101-65 victory at USC — the 6-6 guard finished with only 10 points and four assists in 29 minutes — he remains the best player on a team that’s No. 7 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan remains No. 1 for the 10th consecutive day.
Wagler will be a top-10 pick.
Bottom line, at least six potential lottery picks — Peterson, Dybantsa, Acuff, Philon, Ament and Wagler — and possibly more, were in action Wednesday, and two of them went into the record books. Acuff set the single-game scoring record for a freshman at Arkansas. Dybantsa set the single-season scoring record for a freshman at BYU. They’re both special, undeniably.
Why are so many NBA teams tanking?
That’s why.
The lottery for the 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for May 10.
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