The air is electric as the heart-pounding symphony of sneakers on hardwood signals that March Madness is again in full throttle. This annual dance of destiny can only mean one thing: those jaw-dropping buzzer-beaters are back on the menu, tantalizing our basketball-craving souls. But it isn’t just the scintillating plays that are setting the world ablaze; the card market is a bubbling broth of excitement as it rides the Sweet Sixteen wave. As scouts with steely gazes skulk in the shadows and diehard fans remain rapt in front of their screens, this is the opportune moment for college basketball’s young studs to inflate their draft cosmetics as well as their cardboard clout. Let’s delve into the names that are stirring up a tempest, both on court and in the dripping hot cauldrons called collector’s carts.
Cooper Flagg of Duke finds himself perched atop Olympus, as the much-anointed one does precisely what everyone foresaw: ruling headlines, bedeviling defenses, and persuading collectors to hammer the “Buy It Now” button like it’s arrestingly unfashionable. Standing an impressive 6’8″, the freshman phenomenon is unanimously pegged as the heir apparent for the position of No. 1 overall pick. Duke’s continued survival in the public’s frothy basketball revelry means that Flagg’s card prices, already verging on the stratospheric, defy gravity further. By March 25, his 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald’s All-American Red Refractor Auto /5 PSA 10 was moving for an amicable $11,000. Merely two days prior, the same card fetched $9,500. An NBA tenure is yet to grace his resume, but his memorabilia is valued akin to elite All-Star relics.
Meanwhile, Derik Queen of Maryland demonstrates how one dramatic buzzer-beater needs only seconds to tilt the scales of interest. By sending Maryland through to the Sweet Sixteen with one of the tournament’s iciest shots, Queen cemented himself in both narrative and card lore, prompting Topps to swiftly enshrine the moment on a Bowman U Now card. Queen’s hobbyist intrigue isn’t new; his November 2024 Bowman U Now card, marking a herculean 22-point and 20-rebound night, recently saw its 1/1 Superfractor sell for $599, and with the spotlight invigorating his profile, his latest card offerings (available through March 30) boast autographs numbered to 10, 5, and that desired 1. Card enthusiasts, you know the drill.
Then enters Kon Knueppel, another Duke revelation. His name may cause a stutter, but his shooting prowess leaves no room for debate. A Duke freshman scaling draft boards with the silent slink of a cat at midnight, his cards parallel this rise. After torching Miami with a blistering 25-point showcase, Knueppel earned the Bowman U Now nod, with one such card commanding $230 on March 19—a tidy sum for a prospect sitting in the draft’s middle-to-latter lottery quadrant. Knueppel isn’t resting on the laurels of one card; one celebrates his status as the ACC Tournament MVP, apparently because this man’s heating coil won’t cease.
Over at Arizona, another tale unfolds through the lens of Carter Bryant. Measuring up at 6’8″ and possessing savvy defensive instincts alongside solid perimeter capabilities, Bryant fits the mold for modern NBA stardom to a tee. Yet, his cards linger in more humble confines—for the moment. Arizona’s tilt in the Sweet Sixteen against Duke might be the leverage he requires. Base Prizm Draft Picks dally at the single-digit dollar mark, while more exotic variations—such as his /25 auto—hover near $49.99, and a Black Gold /5 suddenly materializes at $102.50. Should Bryant erupt for 20 or more against those Devils, those price tags will soon don a rocket to the heavens.
Not to be overlooked, Isaiah Demonte Evans, another Duke entrant, lacks a breakout to etch into history but remains a captivating figure worth tracking. Ranked 15th in last year’s lauded recruiting class, Evans’s 6’6″ frame hasn’t yet received ample daylight, clocking a mere 7 minutes against Baylor—but this hasn’t dampened collector ardor. His 2024 Topps McDonald’s All-American Drive-Thru Superfractor 1/1 went under hammer at nearly $200, whilst a Jersey Patch Auto /5 scaled towards $275. Not staggering fortunes by any means, yet should Evans snatch significant playtime and showcase scoring acumen, these modest valuations could fast find themselves basking in higher climes.
As the Sweet Sixteen unfolds its drama, an atmospheric rise in the fervor for these budding luminaries follows lockstep. It is the confluence of three mighty rivers—national notoriety, the promise of NBA brilliance, and a card market simmering to a boil. For those with inklings of card prophecies and draft aspirations, this spellbinding weekend offers a strategic tableau from whence stars might be claimed and recognized, before the wider world fully awakens to their shining promise.
