2023 NBA Draft picks by college team, school: Arkansas and UCLA lead, SEC stands out with 10 picks

By Waseem Akram On Jun 24, 2023

From start to finish, the 2023 NBA Draft was a showcase of SEC talent. The conference took the first college player off the board (Alabama’s Brandon Miller at No. 2), the last player selected (Kentucky’s Chris Livingston at No. 58) and led many of the time in between, sending 10 chances to the professional ranks in the two-round event.

The Big Ten was second with eight players selected, starting with Michigan’s Jett Howard at No. 11. The NBA took five players from the ACC ranks. The Pac-12 and Big 12 were close behind with four. Eleven schools sent multiple players to the draft in 2023. Among those, two programs led the way with three apiece.

Let’s take a deeper look and see which schools produced the most NBA-bound talent in 2023.

Arkansas (3)

Anthony Black (No. 6 to Magic)
Nick Smith Jr. (No. 27 to Hornets)
Jordan Walsh (No. 38 to Celtics)

Eric Musselman does it again, helping make two first-round picks and three players overall. Jaylin Williams was drafted in the second round last season and Moses Moody was selected No. 14 overall by the Warriors in 2021. Black is the highest draft pick in the Musselman era.

UCLA (3)

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Number 18 to Heat)
Amari Bailey (No. 41 to Hornets)
Jaylen Clark (No. 53 to Timberwolves)

Jaquez was a late riser in the ring and worked his way up to mid-round consideration. Bailey chose to go through with the draft process and became a second round pick. If he had stayed with the Bruins one more season, he could have been a first round pick.

Alabama (2)

Brandon Miller (No. 2 to Hornets)
Noah Clowney (No. 21 to Nets)

Miller beat out Henderson for the right to be picked second and will head to Charlotte to join a rising star in LaMelo Ball. Miller joined Antonio McDyess (No. 2 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft) as the highest draft pick in school history.

Duke (2)

Derek Lively ll (Number 12 to Mavericks)
Dariq Whitehead (No. 22 to Nets)

Coming into the draft, the Mavericks seemed like the perfect landing spot for Lively. Dallas was able to trade back with the Thunder, acquire additional assets and select the player they desired during the process.

Kentucky (2)

Cason Wallace (No. 10 to Shades)
Chris Livingston (Number 58 to Bucks)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kentucky’s guard is drafted in the lottery. Wallace continued the tradition of a long-standing program and is now heading to a good position in Oklahoma City.

Houston (2)

Jarace Walker (No. 8 to Pacers)
Marcus Sasser (No. 25 to Pistons)

The Pacers were likely to be Walker’s destination, and that’s exactly where he landed. Indiana traded back one spot and was able to draft their guy while getting a bunch of second round picks.

Indiana (2)

Jalen Hood-Schifino (No. 17 to Lakers)
Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57 to Warriors)

Jackson-Davis was considered a late or early second-round pick before slipping to the bottom of the draft. Both Indiana products landed in the Pacific Division.

Michigan (2)

Jett Howard (Number 11 to Magic)
Kobe Bufkin (No. 15 to Hawks)

The first real surprise of the draft happened when the Magic selected Howard with their second lottery pick of the night. Howard rose up the draft board late in the process and joined Black in Orlando.

Miami (2)

Jordan Miller (Number 48 to Clippers)
Isaiah Wong (No. 55 to Pacers)

Miami’s dynamic duo that helped lead the Hurricanes to the Final Four last season. Both landed in the second round.

Penn State (2)

Jalen Pickett (No. 32 to Nuggets)
Seth Lundy (No. 46 to Hawks)

Penn State was one of two Big Ten teams with multiple draft picks this year, and the pair of Nittany Lions were selected in the second round. The defending NBA champions traded up to get Pickett.

UConn (2)

Jordan Hawkins (No. 14 to Pelicans)

Andre Jackson Jr. (No. 36 to Bucks)

The reigning national champions saw two players selected. Hawkins is considered by many to be the best shooter in the draft. He was taken by the Pelicans with the last lottery pick. He will have the opportunity to participate immediately on a competitor in the west.

Schools with one pick in the draft

Balor: Keyonte George (No. 16 to Jazz)

Belmont: Ben Sheppard (No. 26 to Pacers)

Central Florida: Taylor Hendricks (No. 9 to Jazz)

Clemson: Hunter Tyson (No. 37 to Nuggets)

Dayton: Toumani Camara (No. 52 to Suns)

Eastern Michigan: Emoni Bates (No. 49 to Cavaliers)

Furman: Jalen Slawson (No. 54 to Kings)

Gonzaga: Julian Strawther (No. 29 to Nuggets)

Iowa: Kris Murray (No. 23 to Trail Blazers)

Kansas State: Keyontae Johnson (Number 50 to Thunder)

Marquette: Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Number 24 to Mavericks)

Missouri: Kobe Brown (Number 30 to Clippers)

State of Ohio: Brice Sensabaugh (No. 28 to Jazz)

Pepperdine: Maxwell Lewis (No. 40 to Lakers)

Santa Clara: Brandin Podziemski (No. 19 to Warriors)

South Carolina: Gregory Jackson ll (No. 45 to Grizzlies)

Tennessee: Julian Phillips (No. 35 to Bulls)

Villanova: Cam Whitmore (No. 20 to Rockets)

Washington State: Mouhamed Gueye (No. 39 to Hawks)

Xavier: Colby Jones (No. 34 to Kings)

Breakdown by conference

SEC: 10

Big Ten:8

ACC, Big East: 5

Big 12, Pac-12: 4

AAC, WCC: 3

MAC, Right, MVC, A10: 1