March Madness isn’t just a whirlwind of breath-taking buzzer-beaters and heartbreak hotel upsets; it’s a veritable vortex of investment opportunities for sports card collectors who follow the sweet, sweet scent of potential. The Sweet Sixteen round has arrived, sealing college basketball fans to their seats as NBA scouts stealthily evaluate future prospects. The air is saturated with anticipation, and sports cards are the investment du jour.
Nothing captures the buzz better than Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the freshman alchemist turning his hoop dreams into gold—specifically, gold in the form of trading cards. With a towering 6′ 8″ stature and slick court maneuvers, Flagg is the apple of every scout’s eye and the number that card collectors are fixated on. Predicted as the future No. 1 NBA draft pick, Flagg’s stock is soaring like a tech IPO on steroids. Case in point: By March 25, his 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald’s All-American Red Refractor Auto /5 PSA 10 made a staggering leap from $9,500 to $11,000 in just two days. Not bad for someone who’s yet to make an NBA appearance.
Next on the cardhop’s map is Maryland’s Derik Queen, who needs no introduction after his heart-stopping buzzer-beater catapulted Maryland into the Sweet Sixteen. One moment of heroism—the shot heard ’round the campus—is now memorialized in cardboard courtesy of Bowman U Now, the swiftest regulatory authority for capturing sports history. Post-buzzer, his collectible brilliance is limited to autos numbered to 10, 5, and the holy grail, the 1. His 1/1 Superfractor card, featuring a stat-stacking monster game from November, recently changed hands for $599, with lesser mortals of commerce already feeling the urge to invest.
Kon Knueppel, another Duke darling, offers a refreshingly unpretentious elevation to the upper echelons of card trading. This sniper’s impeccable 25-point game against Miami earned him a Bowman U Now status card that’s trading for $230—a neat little number for a player carving out his spot in the draft lottery. With an ACC Tournament MVP in the mix, Duke fans and collectors are taking full advantage of his rising profile.
As the spotlight broadens, Arizona’s Carter Bryant occupies an intriguing seat. Bryant hasn’t yet captured Hollywood attention, but his potential lies dormant, like gold beneath the earth’s surface. At 6′ 8″ and equipped with a guard’s embrace of perimeter skills, he could blossom against Duke, pushing his card from the depths of refrigerated purses to price hikes rarely caught in the wild. His base Prizm Draft Picks lie around a negligible dollar, but tantalizing rarities—a /25 auto at $49.99, and a Black Gold /5 at $102.50—hint at untapped potential waiting to explode across the hardwood.
Don’t count out Duke’s Isaiah Demonte Evans. While Evans may have clocked a mere seven minutes against Baylor, this 6′ 6” talent still garners a whiff of collectible acumen. His Topps McDonald’s All-American Drive-Thru Superfractor 1/1 fetched close to $200, while a Jersey Patch Auto /5 touched $275. These modest prices hint at potential value waiting to skyrocket should Evans find his moment and his minutes on the court.
With Sweet Sixteen fervor whipping the market into a hypnotic state, these budding basketball behemoths stand to redefine their paths. It’s a perfect Pascale’s Wager unfolded upon the courts—national attention swirling, the NBA awaiting, and a sizzling card market locked and loaded. Stars are aligning. Onlookers and collectors alike are poised at the ready; those investing may indeed be getting in on the ground floor just as the elevator begins its ascent. Amid this tornado of talent, will the daring seize their chance before the rest of the world catches on? The cards lie in their hands.
