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NCAAM
Elite eight Australians set for the Madness of March
Louisville's Reyne Smith, Duke's Tyrese Proctor, Florida's Alex Condon and Arizona's Anthony Dell'Orso are set to compete in the NCAA Men's March Madness tournament starting on March 18, 2025. Photos: Getty Images
Eight of the 54 Australian men playing NCAA basketball certain to play for national title
- Six colleges featuring nine Australians are set to compete in 2025 March Madness tournament
- Tyrese Proctor's Duke Blue Devils are ranked second in the nation
- St Mary's Gaels have four Australians on their roster
Eight Australians are almost certain to play in the NCAA Men's March Madness tournament starting March 18, 2025.
They are:
- Arizona Wildcats: Anthony Dell'Orso
- BYU Cougars: Mawot Mag
- Duke Blue Devils: Tyrese Proctor
- Florida Gators: Alex Condon
- Louisville Cardinals: Reyne Smith
- Saint Mary's Gaels: Harry Wessels
- Saint Mary's Gaels: Joshua Dent
- Saint Mary's Gaels: Rory Hawke
RELATED: The 13 Australian women set for the Madness of March in 2025
There are 33 teams that are a virtual lock to play in the world famous 68-team college basketball tournament with 35 teams still fighting for an invitation.
Fifteen Australians competed in the 2024 tournament.
There are 54 Australian men playing NCAA basketball at in 2024-25 in the United States.
Sydney-born Tyrese Proctor, 20, has been crucial to leading the Duke Blue Devils (26-3) to No2 in the AP Top 25 in 2024-25. Proctor is dealing with a knee injury suffered in Duke's 97-60 crushing win against Miami on February 26, 2025.
There was concern it could end his season but it turned out to be a bone bruise. But he's expected back in the Blue Devils' rotation before the tournament.
Proctor plays alongside Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, who is mooted as a No1 NBA Draft pick if he decides to leave college after this season.
Proctor, a Junior, is also a projected NBA draft pick.
Florida big man Alex Condon is playing a significant role for the fifth-ranked Gators (25-4).
Three months ago, Condon wasn’t anywhere to be seen on ESPN’s 2025 NBA Mock Draft, now Australian big man and Florida Gators star Alex Condon has risen all the way to a be a predicted first round selection.
Experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had Condon, a 6’11” Sophomore from Western Australia, slotted to go at pick 26 by the Atlanta Hawks after the big man’s dominant season with Florida.
After sitting out three games after spraining his ankle, Condon copped a brutal elbow in the mouth in an 88-83 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.
"Got pushed back into the training room there with (trainer) Jon (Michelini), and he pushed him back in, put on the mouth guard, and we went back out," Condon told The Gainesville Sun.
"So got them straightened out yesterday in Gainesville.
"Just leaning I could feel them in my tongue. They were just back in my mouth; it was pretty gross.”
Condon will now wear a mouth guard after a metal wire was attached to his teeth.
"I’ve been pretty lucky," Condon added.
"I think especially my freshman year I didn’t have any issues with my body, so just more playing time and more people seeking out to initiate contact with you, it’s gonna happen.
"So just preparing for that and I think, my dad tells me all the time the harder you go in the less likely you are to get hurt, so I’m just taking that with me.”
Junior guard Anthony Dell'Orso, from Melbourne, is averaging 7.7 points per game, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the 24th-ranked Arizona Wildcats (19-10) while BYU Cougars (21-8) Senior Mawot Mag, also from Melbourne, is averaging 5.7 points per game on 51.4% fro the field and 1.8 boards.
Australian basketball nursery St Mary's Gaels, ranked 21st in the nation, are 27-4. The Gaels have three Australians on their roster: Harry Wessels; Joshua Dent; and Rory Hawke. They've followed in the footsteps of Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Jock Landale, Alex Ducas, Jordan Hunter, Clint Steindl, Emmett Naar, Kyle Bowen and Tanner Krebs who have all suited up for the Californian college.
Senior Reyne Smith, from Ulverstone, Tasmania, is playing major minutes for 14th-ranked 23-6 Louisville Cardinals. He's averaging just under 31 minutes per game, 13.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and almost an assist.
As the March Madness bracket continues to fill out, more Australian players have the potential to chase a National Championship.
Seven-time NBL MVP Andrew Gaze was the first Australian to play in March Madness. Gaze was pivotal in Seton Hall's march to the Final Four in 1989, eventually losing 80-79 in overtime to Glen Rice's Michigan in the Final.
RELATED: The 13 Australian women set for the Madness of March in 2025
