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Will Jeremy Lamb & Andre Drummond leave for NBA draft or stay at UConn?

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Not to intentionally revive a dreaded buzzword, but the “eye test” doesn’t look good right now, if Connecticut is hoping to keep Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb around for another year in Storrs.

This week, the NCAA struck down UConn’s appeal of their ruling to ban the Huskies from the 2012-13 postseason, including the NCAA tournament, because of a low Academic Progress Rate. Junior Alex Oriakhi has chosen to transfer and, because of that low APR score, can play right away at virtually any destination he chooses.

So what incentive remains for Drummond and Lamb to stay put?

Both are projected to be NBA lottery picks, with Drummond going somewhere in the Top 5 and Lamb toward the late lottery.

Drummond has popped up on lists as a possible bust at the NBA level, but there is little room for his stock to improve and could face criticism on the same level as Baylor’s Perry Jones III if he returns to school.

Lamb returned to school after last season, following a tidal wave of buzz about his draft stock that came with Connecticut’s NCAA title. His impressive length, at 6-5, and the NBA drafts primarily on potential, which he certainly has.

Questions have been raised about Jim Calhoun’s health once again and Oriakhi, on his way out the door at Connecticut, told SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria, “In my opinion, I think they’ll go.”

They have until April 10 to declare for or withdraw from the NBA draft, as told by the NCAA, or must enter by April 29, according to NBA early-entry rules.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_