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NBA DRAFT: Benn Mathurin drafted by the Indiana Pacers with pick No. 6

Benn Mathurin during draft night as his name was selected to the Pacers.
Benn Mathurin during draft night as his name was selected to the Pacers. (John Minchillo | Associated Press)

Former Arizona guard Benn Mathurin was selected with the No. 6 overall pick to the Indiana Pacers making him the first Wildcats guard drafted in the top 10 of the NBA draft since 2015 when Stanley Johnson was taken with the eighth overall pick.

"I'm really excited for those guys. I think they all have bright futures. The one thing I always remind them is that I'm trying not to be a cheerleader for them, I just remind them how hard it is and how hard it's going to be and how you handle the difficulty of the path they're on how you handle that as probably ultimately going to determine how successful you can be at that level. And I think they're all built for it.

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During his two seasons at Arizona, Mathurin averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line. In those two years he racked up awards being named Pac-12 Player of the Year this past season helping led the Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen.

Mathurin's shining moment came against TCU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against TCU where he dropped 30 points while hitting the game tying 3-point shot to send the game into overtime as the Wildcats went on to win 85-80 to advance to the next round.

By joining Indiana, Mathurin will be teaming up with former Arizona point guard and fan favorite TJ McConnell. He becomes the 76th player in program history to be selected in the NBA Draft.

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