Observing Jeremiah Fears, Alex Karaban, and Solo Ball in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament

March 22nd, 2025

Yesterday, I took the time to watch Liam McNeeley and UConn take on Jeremiah Fears and Oklahoma in a first round game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. It was a tough, hard-fought defensive battle, and Jeremiah Fears had a terrific showing, but UConn was able to get a close win due to the strong performances of Solo Ball, Alex Karaban, and Tarris Reed Jr. Here are my thoughts on how Fears and other various prospects fared in this game.

Oklahoma’s freshman point guard, Jeremiah Fears scored 20 points, made 2 threes, and had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in his team’s 67-59 loss to UConn, and his superb performance in this game likely cements his status as a likely lottery pick in the 2025 draft. (Photo: Zachary Taft/Imagn Images, via OUInsider and Rivals)

Jeremiah Fears played very well in his team’s tough loss to UConn. He is a speedy, very athletic point guard that did a tremendous job of making plays to help his team when he was on the floor, and he had a terrific showing in this game.

Fears is a fleet-footed playmaker that did a good job of scoring on quick drives to the hoop. He has a quick first step and he can consistently get into the lane to score and get free throws. He also has a nice spin move to put opponents in the proverbial spin cycle when taking it to the basket. Plus, he also shot the ball very well from the outside, and he excelled at making smooth pull-up threes in this game. Sometimes though, he would take tough, rushed shots that would lead to misses.

He also showed off solid playmaking skills. He excelled at making drive and kick passes as well as finding opponents on the move to set up plenty of scoring chances for his teammates. Every once in a while though, he would occasionally over-dribble, which would lead him to get balls poked away to commit turnovers.

Also, he did a good job of rebounding the basketball. Defensively, he looked to be perhaps above average. He showed a knack for quickly picking off passes to get steals. However, he struggled to defend in screen situations, as he would have trouble fighting through screens, which would lead his team to commit fouls and allow scores. Another time, he committed a foul on a drive due to over-aggressiveness.

In general, Jeremy Fears had a strong performance and he really helped himself in his team’s loss to UConn. He is a very athletic point guard that turned in a very good all-around game, and he could end up being a lottery pick in the 2025 draft, as he could end up being a star player in the NBA.

Alex Karaban scored 13 points, and had 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in his team’s 67-59 win over Oklahoma. (Photo: Zachary Taft/Imagn Images, via Sporting News)

Alex Karaban had a satisfactory showing in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He was able to score in a variety of ways, despite being streaky with his shot. In this game, he made timely, clutch plays to help his team down the stretch to help his team secure the victory.

He struggled with his three-point shot early, but he was able to run off of a ball screen to make a quick, timely deep three late in the game. Karaban showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble. He showed off a solid floater game, and he also managed to use a pump fake to score inside. On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to score in traffic when he would look to drive all the way to the basket.

As a playmaker, he looked to be about average at best. He was not able to get any assists in this game. Sometimes he would force the issue too much on offense, which led him to be turnover prone.

He rebounded and defended well. He was active at contesting shots, and he was able to make a big block to a teammate to help his team protect the paint late in the game. Overall, Karaban is a skilled combo forward that projects well into a 3 and D role for the NBA, and though he doesn’t posses elite physical tools, his versatility, skill set, and intangibles could enable him to be a solid second round pick in the 2025 draft.

Solo Ball scored 14 points, made 2 threes, and had 5 rebounds in his team’s 67-59 win over Oklahoma.
(Photo: Lance King / Getty Images Sport / Getty, via theScore.com)

Solo Ball had a very solid showing to help his team get a win over Oklahoma. He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, as he especially shot the ball well from the outside, and he also defended well.

He is a gifted movement shooter that would run off ball screens to make quick, smooth threes, and he also made a timely long two-pointer late in this game. He also was able to pull up to knock down a mid-range jumper, and Ball shot the ball very well.

As a playmaker, he looked to be about average at best. He wasn’t able to get any assists in this game, but sometimes he would over-dribble, which lead him to commit some turnovers. Ball also rebounded and defended well. He showed a knack for blocking shots to help his team protect the paint due to possessing good athleticism, timing, and instincts, and he also contested a three to force a miss.

In summary, Solo Ball had a strong showing in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that can shoot, score, and defend, and he could be a good value pick for an NBA team if he is available for them to select in the late first to the second round range in the 2025 draft.

Tarris Reed Jr. also played well in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He did a very good job of scoring out of the post, as he is a strong, mobile big man that would use drop step moves and quick spin moves to score on jump hooks and step-through moves, and he also was able to throw down a powerful dunk once.

He also showed off decent playmaking skills. Reed did a good job of passing the basketball, but sometimes he would over-dribble and play too aggressively, which would sometimes lead him to commit turnovers.

Also, Reed rebounded the ball very well. Defensively ,he looked to be about average at best. He would sometimes tend to play too aggressively and end up out of position, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Reed had a strong showing as he played well off the bench to help his team get a win over Oklahoma. He’ll need to add a reliable outside shot to his arsenal and will need to be a more disciplined defender in games, but his athleticism, inside scoring skills, and upside could enable him to be a solid second round pick in the 2025 draft.

Oklahoma’s 6-10 senior big man from Mali, Mohamed Wague played very well in his team’s loss to UConn. Surprisingly, even though he hadn’t played nearly as much this season, Wague outperformed far above his expectations, and he ended up being Oklahoma’s second best player in this game.

He showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, as he is excelled at scoring on the move, and is an athletic, physical player that showed a knack for finishing plays energetically at the rim. Sometimes though, he would commit careless turnovers on offense.

Also, Wague did a great job of rebounding the basketball. He also defended well. He showed a knack for blocking shots off of drives to his teammates, and he also excelled at drawing charges due to good positioning. He also was able to intercept a pass to get a steal. On one play though when defending in the post, he got beat on a drop step move, which led him to commit a foul and allow a score that time.

Overall, Wague had a strong showing in his team’s loss to UConn. While he’ll need to be more assertive on offense and expand his skill set on that end of the floor, he is an athletic, energetic big man that may have the skills to make it to the NBA someday.

Samson Johnson had a decent showing in his team’s win over Oklahoma. Johnson played fairly well on both ends of the floor, and he generally excelled at making hustle plays to help his team in this game.

Johnson showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He particularly excelled at scoring on rolls to the rim, and on one play, he caught a lob to score and get fouled that time. He also managed to score on a tip-in after leaping up to get an offensive rebound.

Plus, he also passed the ball well, and he would make timely passes to find his teammates on dribble handoffs to notch assists. He also rebounded the ball very well, and Johnson made a much more concerted effort to crash the glass to help his team out on the boards.

He also played decent defense in this game. Johnson has good hands, as he was able to block a shot to a teammate due to possessing good size, athleticism, and timing, and he also would get his hands on a pass to get a steal. He’ll look to jump on loose balls, and he also was able to alter a shot off of a drive to get a stop late in the game. On the downside, he was also quite foul prone, and he closed out too hard to foul a three-point shooter late in the game.

Overall, Johnson played fairly well in his team’s win over Oklahoma. While he will need to expand his skill set offensively and be a more disciplined defender in games, Johnson is a very athletic, high-motor big man that could be an option for NBA teams to consider in the mid to late second round of the 2025 draft, and he could end up being a solid backup big man at the NBA level.

Jalon Moore had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to UConn. He was at his best when he would attack the basket to score the basketball, as he excelled at scoring on hustle plays and finishing plays at the rim, and he also did an adequate job of scoring off the dribble. Sometimes though, he would take tough, rushed shots that would lead to misses, and he also missed all of the threes he took.

He also was a bit turnover prone. He drive quickly to the hoop but had a ball poked off of himself that went out of bounds, and he also threw a hasty pass that got intercepted another time. Moore also did a satisfactory job of rebounding the basketball, and he also blocked a shot in this game. Overall, Moore didn’t have his best game, but he is an athletic, energetic forward that is a second round prospect for the 2025 draft, and he projects into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.

Jaylin Stewart played fairly well in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He is an athletic, skilled forward that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor. He was able to run off a ball screen to make a smooth three-pointer. He also ran the floor to score the basketball.

Also, he was able to get an assist in this game, but he didn’t get many rebounds in this game. He also defended fairly well. He is an active help defender that can get steals and blocks, but he would sometimes struggle to defend quicker players, which would sometimes lead him to commit fouls and allow scores. Overall, Stewart is an athletic forward that may have considerable upside, and while he’ll need to be more assertive on offense and improve his shot creation skills, he is a second round prospect that could project well into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.

Liam McNeeley started off playing well, and then he ended up having a rough shooting night in his team’s win over Oklahoma. Despite being his team’s best player and prospect, McNeeley did not have the best game on his own team in this game against Oklahoma, and he struggled to consistently make shots in this game.

Early on, he was able to get the ball on a dribble handoff to score on a strong move in traffic. He also was able to run quickly to get the ball on another dribble handoff to make a spot-up three off the catch. On the downside, he tended to miss on tough, contested drives to the hoop, and he had trouble making threes later in the game, whether if it was off the catch or dribble, and sometimes he would take tough shots late in the clock that would hurt his shooting percentages.

He also passed and handled the ball well. McNeeley was able to make a nice spinning pass to find a roll man to notch an assist once, and he is a crafty playmaker that has solid court vision.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He also defended fairly well. He was able to defend straight up in the post to force his man to commit a traveling violation, and he tended to be in position to help his team get stops. On the downside, he would sometimes commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, McNeeley didn’t have his best game, but sometimes bad shooting nights happen. Still, he’s played very well this season, and based on all of the other games he’s played this season, he is a skilled, crafty scorer that could end up being a solid complementary player in the NBA.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Fears and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.