Two months ago, nearly everyone was predicting Iowa State one-and-doner Talen Horton-Tucker to be a first-round NBA draft choice.

Has that curiosity worn off, now that Thursday's two-round, one-night spectacle is here? Depends on whom you talk to.

Which brings me to this: The burly freshman with the gigantic wingspan should be the Cyclones’ fourth NBA pick of the past four drafts. Whether the combo guard will be the program’s first, first-rounder since Royce White in 2012 ... well, his former coach, Steve Prohm, sure hopes so.

“Thursday is a great day and a great moment for him, but it’s what you do with that moving forward — regardless if you’re picked 18th or 29th,” Prohm said. “I’m excited for him.”

The feedback that's reached Prohm's ears has been good. It's been more positive than negative.

“I still think first-rounder,” he said. “There’s a good bit of people that like him, and all it takes is just one in that last third of the first round. Hopefully he can fall in that window.”

Horton-Tucker in the first doesn’t look as much of a sure thing as it did when he announced his NBA intentions shortly after the season.

“He’s a mystery guy,” an NBA scout told me. “He’s just 18. He’s intriguing. He’s very talented. He’s also very raw.”

If you follow mock drafts, you’ll see that USA TODAY has Horton-Tucker going in the first round, to Milwaukee at No. 30 overall. You also may have seen the NBAdraft.net mock that has him going to Sacramento as the 60th and final selection.

He’s all over the board because, at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, his two biggest positives are that he’s young and that he’s got a 7-foot-1 wingspan.

“Talen is an anomaly,” ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla told me at the recent NBA Combine in Chicago. “Four or five years ago, we’d have called him a tweener, and his stock would be low. Now, they’re called versatile, and that bodes well in a league that values versatility.”

Horton-Tucker averaged 11.8 points during his only college season. He was a 40.6 percent shooter, but shot just 30.8 percent from 3-point range and only 62.5 percent from the free-throw line.

“I played a lot of positions,” Horton-Tucker said last month. “I’ve shown my all-around guard skills, versatility and the things I do best.

“I don’t do just some things really great, I do a number of things pretty good.”

He had moments of brilliance during a grueling 35-game season — like his 26 points, 14 rebounds six assists and three blocked shots against Illinois in the Maui Invitational, and like his 21 points and five 3-pointers against Baylor in the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Horton-Tucker also totaled just six points over the final three games of the season — against Kansas State, Kansas and Ohio State. He missed 18 of his 24 shots in that span, including all nine of his 3-point tries.

Freshmen inconsistency. Intrigue. Mystery.

... First-rounder?

“He’s a talented enough player to be considered first-round pick,” Fraschilla said. “The question is: Where does he fit into schemes? Is he a 2 or a 3? A guy with 7-1 wing span — can he play the 4?

“He’s unique because of his unique skill set, and he’s likely to be one of the youngest players in the NBA next year.”

His connection to Iowa State wasn’t as strong as others picked recently — Monte Morris in 2018, and Georges Niang and Abdel Nader in 2016. Morris and Niang played all four seasons. Nader played two after transferring from Northern Illinois.

Horton-Tucker played just 35 games, yet when his name flashes on the TV screen, it won’t matter. It’ll include the words "Iowa State."

And yet, did fans really get to know him? No.

Horton-Tucker was on campus such a short time that he hadn’t yet developed the connection that Niang, Morris and others had with fans who routinely filled Hilton Coliseum.

Those players left legacies. Horton-Tucker left early.

Nevertheless, he could be the first Cyclone to be picked in the first round since White, who, coincidentally, also played just one season.

And that would mean a significant addition to Prohm's recruiting resume, more national respect for the program he runs — and a lot of money for Horton-Tucker.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.