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Wednesday, March 20, 2013
 Patric Young's draft stock
By Luke Lapinski

 As we detailed earlier this week, there are plenty of reasons to look at Florida as one of the more dangerous teams in this tournament. And Patric Young is a major reason why. So what does the future hold for the 6-foot-9 junior?

He certainly has the pedigree to make an impact at the NBA level. But inconsistency has dogged him at times -- at least in terms of where he'll land in the draft. Our own Chad Ford currently has him at No. 29 on his big board -- essentially a borderline first rounder. And he notes that, despite a pretty balanced attack from the Gators, Young is the guy with the most NBA potential on the roster at the moment.

To that end, these could be very pivotal games in regards to his professional career. Assuming he opts to leave early, this is his last chance to really impress scouts in live game action. And what better venue to do so on than the game's biggest stage? A deep run by Billy Donovan's squad would almost certainly require an impressive performance by Young. And it would allow him even more time to show the basketball world what he's capable of.


Chad Ford
The right time to step up
"Young is one of the most frustrating players in the country. He looks like a lottery pick and, on occasion, even plays like one. But he'll also just not show up at times, and when he disappears, Florida really struggles. A huge tournament from him could do wonders for his stock."