From ESPN
Sneed took advantage of his big opportunity against Kentucky, as he came up with arguably the best game of his college career in inarguably the most important setting he's ever played in, scoring 22 points while making 5 of 8 3-pointers and pulling down nine rebounds in 30 minutes. He was forced to watch the end of the game from the bench after battling admirably with Kentucky's supersized frontcourt all game long, seeing most of his minutes at the power forward position despite standing only 6-6. Sneed plays bigger than his height, with a shredded frame and a wingspan that was measured in high school at 6-9.
The biggest thing that Sneed showed in this game, besides his impressive physical tools and competitiveness, is his potential as an outside shooter. This is the third time in this calendar year that he's made five 3-pointers or more in a game, and he's made outside shots with nice volume in each of his two seasons in college thus far (2.3 made 3s per 40 minutes), so there are certainly some things to work with there despite his inconsistencies in this department (career 33 percent, according to our database). He has good shooting mechanics, particularly with his feet set, although he will need to improve the speed of his release, including the way he dips the ball to his knees on the catch. This isn't as much of an issue at the power forward position as it might be playing on the wing, where his size likely projects him to play some of his minutes in the NBA. Moving forward, scouts will want to see him improve his feel for the game and become a better ball handler in the half court, including demonstrating better ability to make shots off the dribble, where he was just 5-of-20 this season, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
Still, players in Sneed's 3-and-D mold are very much en vogue in today's NBA, as he projects as a multipositional defender who can attack a closeout, knock down open jumpers and bring huge energy on both ends of the floor. Having just turned 20 in December, he is younger than most of the sophomores in our Top 100 prospect rankings, meaning he has plenty of time to continue to improve upon his weaknesses, especially when you consider his career trajectory as a three-star high school recruit (No. 134 RSCI). Sneed was largely viewed as a 2019 or 2020 prospect leading into the NCAA tournament, but helping Kansas State reach the Final Four may accelerate that timeline.
While Kentucky's huge front line posed an interesting challenge for Sneed and Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago will be a very different type of test. The Ramblers also like to trot out very small lineups, meaning Sneed might not have the same type of space to work with in terms of attacking closeouts and knocking down spot-up jumpers. After his breakout performance against Kentucky, NBA scouts will likely be watching much more closely now to see how he fares against smaller lineups, including Loyola's nominal power forward, 6-6 senior Donte Ingram, who certainly gets after it on the defensive end.
Sneed took advantage of his big opportunity against Kentucky, as he came up with arguably the best game of his college career in inarguably the most important setting he's ever played in, scoring 22 points while making 5 of 8 3-pointers and pulling down nine rebounds in 30 minutes. He was forced to watch the end of the game from the bench after battling admirably with Kentucky's supersized frontcourt all game long, seeing most of his minutes at the power forward position despite standing only 6-6. Sneed plays bigger than his height, with a shredded frame and a wingspan that was measured in high school at 6-9.
The biggest thing that Sneed showed in this game, besides his impressive physical tools and competitiveness, is his potential as an outside shooter. This is the third time in this calendar year that he's made five 3-pointers or more in a game, and he's made outside shots with nice volume in each of his two seasons in college thus far (2.3 made 3s per 40 minutes), so there are certainly some things to work with there despite his inconsistencies in this department (career 33 percent, according to our database). He has good shooting mechanics, particularly with his feet set, although he will need to improve the speed of his release, including the way he dips the ball to his knees on the catch. This isn't as much of an issue at the power forward position as it might be playing on the wing, where his size likely projects him to play some of his minutes in the NBA. Moving forward, scouts will want to see him improve his feel for the game and become a better ball handler in the half court, including demonstrating better ability to make shots off the dribble, where he was just 5-of-20 this season, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
Still, players in Sneed's 3-and-D mold are very much en vogue in today's NBA, as he projects as a multipositional defender who can attack a closeout, knock down open jumpers and bring huge energy on both ends of the floor. Having just turned 20 in December, he is younger than most of the sophomores in our Top 100 prospect rankings, meaning he has plenty of time to continue to improve upon his weaknesses, especially when you consider his career trajectory as a three-star high school recruit (No. 134 RSCI). Sneed was largely viewed as a 2019 or 2020 prospect leading into the NCAA tournament, but helping Kansas State reach the Final Four may accelerate that timeline.
While Kentucky's huge front line posed an interesting challenge for Sneed and Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago will be a very different type of test. The Ramblers also like to trot out very small lineups, meaning Sneed might not have the same type of space to work with in terms of attacking closeouts and knocking down spot-up jumpers. After his breakout performance against Kentucky, NBA scouts will likely be watching much more closely now to see how he fares against smaller lineups, including Loyola's nominal power forward, 6-6 senior Donte Ingram, who certainly gets after it on the defensive end.
