March Madness is the most wonderful time of year for basketball fans. The bracket is set. The favorites are preparing for a long run that they hope will culminate in a trip to San Antonio for the Final Four while underdogs are convincing themselves they could be a Cinderella story.
Team success is the ultimate goal in the NCAA Tournament, but the spotlight often doubles as a showcase for individual players to improve their NBA Draft stock with top-notch performances.
This year’s draft class is loaded. NBA teams are unabashedly tanking for the likes of Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey and Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe. Others, such as Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis and Georgia’s Asa Newell, figure to be high lottery picks given their size and NBA-ready skills.
But much of the rest of the first round could be highly influenced by what we see from other players over the next month.
Here are 10 players who could improve their draft stock with a stellar March Madness:
Tre Johnson | Texas
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 guard, is already a lock for the lottery after averaging 19.8 points and winning Rookie of the Year in the SEC. But can he challenge the likes of Edgecombe and Jakucionis for the draft class’ top two-guard? If he can take down Xavier in the play-in, he’ll have a head-to-head matchup against Jakucionis and Illinois for all the basketball world to see.
Jeremiah Fears | Oklahoma
Fears, who is 6-foot-4, is another electric freshman guard who will have a chance to leave a major impression with scouts in a marquee eight-nine matchup against the two-time-defending champion UConn Huskies. If his jump shot is falling, watch out. He averages 17 points, 4.1 boards and 4.1 assists.
Derik Queen | Maryland
The Big Ten Rookie of the Year has been rising up draft boards despite not being able to stretch the floor and playing an old-school big-man style. While the 6-foot-10 center’s numbers don’t scream lottery pick (16.3 PPG, nine RPG, 1.9 APG), he has great feel for the game and can pass a lot better than his assist numbers suggest. He could have a monster game in the Round of 32 against the guard-heavy Memphis Tigers.
Liam McNeeley | Connecticut
McNeeley, the Big East Rookie of the Year, is capable of going off when the lights are the brightest, like when the 6-foot-7 forward exploded for 38 points and 10 rebounds on the road against Creighton earlier this season. If he and the Huskies can survive Fears and the Sooners in the Round of 64, it would give him a chance to topple the top-seeded Florida Gators and vault himself into the top half of the lottery.
Jase Richardson | Michigan State
The 6-foot-3 guard doesn’t have the elite hops of his dad, former NBA standout Jason Richardson, but don’t get it twisted: Jase (12 PPG) has NBA skills and all-world brakes and deceleration. The way he slithers around the court, manipulating the defense with his craftiness, is reminiscent of New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson. A deep tourney run for the Spartans could vault Richardson into the top half of the lottery.
Kam Jones | Marquette
Jones, a 6-foot-5 guard, is the type of microwave scorer who is easy to fall in love with in March. The 6-foot-5 senior guard (19.3 PPG and 5.9 APG) plays like a left-handed version of Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings. If Marquette wins its opening game, it will have more than a puncher’s chance against Richardson and Michigan State in a two-seven matchup in which Jones could solidify his status as a first-round pick.
Johni Broome | Auburn
The SEC Player of the Year (and possible National Player of the Year), Broome isn’t the flashiest player in the country, but the 6-foot-10 foward produces like few others (18.9 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.1 APG and 2.3 BPG). Most mock drafts have him near the end of the first round, but like last year’s National Player of the Year, Purdue’s Zach Edey, a dominant run to the Final Four will help his status to the point where a late lottery team could consider him.
Danny Wolf | Michigan
Wolf, a 7-foot, 255-pound center, is one of the better playmakers in college basketball. You read that correctly. Michigan’s crafty center (13.1 PPG, 3.7 APG) has a lot of Denver’s Nikola Jokic in his game (in terms of playing style, not production) and will be the focal point of Michigan’s dangerous team should it advance a few rounds. He’s a late-first-rounder with room to flirt with the back of the lottery.
