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Breaking down the draft: Second round steals

Marquette University's Crowder reacts after his team defeated Murray State University in NCAA game in Louisville

Marquette University’s Jae Crowder (32) reacts after his team defeated Murray State University in their NCAA basketball game in Louisville, Kentucky March 17, 2012. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

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Over the next couple of days, each of our writers here at College Basketball Talk will weigh on certain topics and prospects. Yesterday’s question? Who will be the biggest bust in this year’s lottery. Today’s question? Who will be the steal of the second round:

Eric Angevine: I’m going with Jae Crowder out of Marquette. The positives about Crowder fill up a notebook: he’s tough, physical, built like a battleship, stays fired up and energetic, and can shoot from outside. The only knock anyone can seem to come up with is that he’s a ‘tweener’ in that he’s 6’7”. But he has long arms that will help him defend wherever his future coach puts him on the floor, so let’s not get hung up on labels. This guy’s a hardcore baller.

Raphielle Johnson: Scott Machado. Really thought for much of the season that Machado, one of the nation’s best floor generals, should go in the first round. He slips into the second he’s at the very least going to be a good backup point guard to begin his career. With the right system and the opportunities to make plays in pick-and-roll situations Machado will be of great value to a team.

Daniel Martin: Jae Crowder proved in college that he could compete and win in a high-major, high-competition conference. Questions linger because of his size, but there is nothing more valuable in the second round as a guy who will play hard every night and work to fill in the gaps on a playoff team.

Mike Miller: Jared Cunningham. Was tempted to choose Doron Lamb -- someone’s gonna be delighted to acquire his shooting skills -- but I’ll go with Cunningham for the upside. Few players in the entire draft are more physically gifted than the 6-5 guard. He’ll play defense, provide scoring off the bench and once his jumper becomes more consistent, be an All-Star caliber player for years.

Rob Dauster: Darius Miller. The odds of finding an all-star in the second round of the NBA Draft are more-or-less non-existent. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t players capable of playing a role. If there is anything we’ve learned from guys like Bruce Bowen, James Posey and now Danny Green, it’s that a 6-7 wing that can lock up defensively and knock down open threes, that there is a place for them in the NBA. That’s Miller.