Kansas forward Cheick Diallo (13) looks for an outlet as he is defended by UC Irvine forward Brandon Smith (13) and center Mamadou Ndiaye (34) during the second half, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

ESPN’s Chad Ford has released his latest 2016 NBA Mock Draft, in which six of the top 10 picks are college freshmen. A seventh is 18-year-old Dragen Bender of Croatia.

Ford’s current top 10: Ben Simmons, LSU freshman; Brandon Ingram, Duke freshman; Bender; Jamal Murray, Kentucky freshman; Henry Ellenson, Marquette freshman; Buddy Hield, Oklahoma senior; Kris Dunn, Providence junior; Jaylen Brown, Cal freshman; Chriss Marquese, Washington freshman; and Jacob Poeltl, Utah sophomore.

The first Kansas University player in Ford’s mock draft is freshman Cheick Diallo, projected to be tapped No. 26 in the first round.

“Diallo didn’t really do much at Kansas this year, but that won’t stop a team like the (Toronto) Raptors from grabbing him,” Ford writes at the web address http://es.pn/1qof9N9

“He is tough and athletic, and he might have the best motor in the draft. He’s very, very raw. But had he stayed in school another year, he probably would have been a lottery pick. That makes him good value here.”

The 6-foot-9 Diallo has yet to hire an agent, which lends the possibility of Diallo returning to school. That’s unlikely. He was expected to be a one-and-done from day one at KU.

“If he stays in the draft, he’s likely in the No. 20 to No. 35 range. However, he could dramatically improve his stock with another season or two at Kansas,” Ford writes.

Draftexpress.com’s Jonathan Givony, who has Diallo as the sixth pick in the second round of the 2016 Draft, cited Diallo’s 7-4 wingspan and 9-1 standing reach as positives, his play on defense a negative at this time.

“He lacks experience in a serious way and does not possess great fundamentals or awareness at this stage. Diallo plays off his instincts quite a bit as well, being susceptible to biting on fakes, rotating wildly for blocks, and fouling at a very high rate (7.8 times per-40 minutes). It will take him some time to learn the concepts of NBA half-court defenses, and adding strength will also be a major priority in the long term, as he has a tendency to get pushed around with his lack of bulk,” Givony writes.

He added: “Diallo will now need to fight his way back into the first round through the pre-draft process to make up for the time and ground he lost at Kansas, but appears more than capable of doing so with what he brings to the table still as a prospect.”

Draftexpress.com lists KU’s Wayne Selden Jr. as the 11th pick and Perry Ellis the 29th pick of Round Two. NBAdraft.net lists Diallo as 26th pick of Round One, Selden the 11th pick and Ellis the 24th pick of Round Two.

Of KU junior Selden, Chad Ford writes: “Selden put together the best year of his three-year career at Kansas, but it still hasn’t been enough to get him firmly back into the first round. He was more aggressive as a scorer this season, and improved his jump shot significantly over the course of the past three years. When he gets going, he can be a force offensively. But his inconsistency likely keeps him somewhere in the second round.”

Ranking the winners: ESPN this week ranked every NCAA championship team Nos. 1 through 77.

UCLA’s 1970 squad, which went 30-0 with just two games decided by single digits, was deemed best title squad of all time. Coach John Wooden’s Bruins topped three other undefeated squads — Bob Knight’s 1976 Indiana Hoosiers (32-0), Wooden’s 1973 Bruins (30-0) and Phil Woolpert’s 1956 San Francisco Dons (29-0), who were led by Bill Russell.

Bill Self’s 2008 KU team, which went 37-3, was ranked No. 27 all-time. Phog Allen’s 1952 squad (28-3) checked in at No. 55, and Larry Brown’s 1988 squad (27-11) was rated 64th.

More on Whitt: Arkansas freshman Jimmy Whitt, a 6-4 combo guard who averaged 30.6 ppg as a senior at Columbia, Mo.’s Hickman High, is free to transfer to any school not in the SEC, his dad, Jim, told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

“From Jimmy’s perspective, he’s going to look around and see where he can find a fit that suits him,” Jim Whitt told the Democrat Gazette.

Whitt averaged 6.1 points off 38.7 percent shooting (79.2 from line) while logging 17.2 minutes a game in 32 games his rookie year at Arkansas.

In high school, he chose Arkansas over Kansas State, Illinois, SMU, Marquette, Cal and others.