The NCAA Tournament provides a valuable opportunity for NBA scouts and executives to travel all around the country to get an extended look at players in must-win situations.
It’s also an opportunity to players to climb up draft boards. Last year, Purdue center Zach Edey led Purdue to the championship game and wound up being picked ninth. UConn freshman guard solidified himself as a top five pick. Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois to the Elite Eight and was a first round pick a few short months later.
Here’s a look at 10 players who likewise helped themselves during the first week of the NCAA Tournament.
Derik Queen, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, Maryland
Whether fans believe Queen traveled or not in the final 3.6 seconds of the win over Colorado State, the fact that Queen made an incredible play with the game on the line is what matters most. The belief that head coach Kevin Willard had in his star freshman speaks volumes as well. Queen was a top recruit coming out of high school and played for powerhouse Montverde Academy alongside Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Asa Newell and Rob Wright. Queen’s draft stock has been all over the place from the start of the season but he has solidified himself as a first-round pick.
In Maryland’s 72-71 victory over Colorado State, Queen finished with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks and really turned things around in the second half, making adjustments defensively. His development in guarding the pick-and-roll has improved and so has footwork off the block, where he gets to his spots and executes well on mismatch situations. The game-winner against Colorado State solidified his name in Maryland basketball history but what he continues to do against tough competition and the confidence he displays at a young age makes him very desirable for numerous NBA teams to pick him in the late lottery.
Tyrese Proctor, 6-foot-6 junior guard, Duke
Proctor emerged onto the draft radar his freshman season when he moved to the states from Sydney, Australia. He reclassified and was one of the youngest freshmen three seasons ago. Proctor has struggled with nagging injuries the last couple of years but started to piece everything together this season while playing alongside Flagg. Proctor still has a slight frame but his three-point jumper has become more consistent. Proctor drained a career-high seven three-pointers against Baylor and has made 13 threes in the tournament, more than any Duke player in history. He also became the first Duke player to hit five threes in back-to-back games since 2010. Duke coach Jon Scheyer was the last player to accomplish the feat for the Blue Devils. In the first two games of the tournament, Proctor is shooting 78.9 percent from the field and an astonishing 81.3 percent from 3-point range on eight attempts per game.
Jeremiah Fears, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, Oklahoma
At one point early on in the season, Fears was leading all collegiate players in assists and was being compared to Hawks point guard Trae Young with the way he started at Oklahoma. Fears cooled off a bit during conference play but reignited his game in the SEC Tournament and then made a mark in the loss to UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Fears averaged 25.7 points and 3.7 assists in his final three games, showcasing his incredible passing ability out of the pick-and-roll and his shot creation as a primary ball handler. His draft stock has been anywhere from late lottery to mid second round all season long, but now it appears Fears could hear his name called earlier than previously anticipated.
Nique Clifford, 6-foot-6 senior guard, Colorado State
Clifford elected to return to Colorado State after testing the NBA Draft waters last spring. His decision worked out well for both him and the Rams. Clifford was the Mountain West Player of the Year and led CSU to a conference championship. They were one defensive stop away from the Sweet Sixteen. Clifford finished the season averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. His legacy at CSU was cemented after he scored 681 points in two seasons and ended his career as the program’s all-time scoring leader for a single season. Because he’s a fifth-year senior, some teams might shy away from him because of his age, but what he can add to any NBA team makes him an intriguing first round prospect.
Danny Wolf, 7-foot junior center, Michigan
Wolf transferred to Michigan from Yale and has been instrumental in the frontcourt for the Wolverines in the second half of the season. His two-way skills make him a true inside-outside threat. He passes the ball extremely well, averaging 3.6 assists per game, and has a budding three-point jumper while shooting 32 percent on three attempts per game. Wolf’s size alone makes him a desirable prospect but it’s the little things he’s showing in the tournament that could shoot him into the first round. He had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the second-round win over Texas A&M.
Tahaad Pettiford, 6-foot-1 freshman guard, Auburn
Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament and has been led by SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome all season long. Pettiford came alive in the second half against Creighton and helped the Tigers secure a spot to the Sweet Sixteen. The lefty combo guard scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half against Creighton and added six rebounds and three assists. Pettiford is tough when getting downhill and although he favors the left side of the rim, he consistently finishes with both hands. Pettiford was a top-30 recruit coming out of high school and has really blossomed into a consistent guard who can be inserted in multiple lineups. With how well he’s played in the tournament for the No. 1 seed Auburn, Pettiford could be working his way into the first round.
Donovan Dent, 6-foot-2 junior guard, New Mexico
Dent became the first player in Mountain West conference history to record at least 20 points and five assists in seven consecutive games. He has been the anchor for the Lobos all season long and the way he plays so calmly under pressure is exactly what NBA teams are looking for. What Dent lacks in height, he makes up in strength and his ability to absorb contact when getting downhill. Dent remains a bit of a streaky three-point shooter but he has great scoring instincts and can create for others on or off the ball. In the final game against Michigan State, Dent scored 14 points and dished out six assists. For a player who has flown under the radar for most of the season, Dent could start popping up on mock drafts in the coming weeks.
Richie Saunders, 6-foot-5 junior wing, BYU
Star point guard Egor Demin is the big name at BYU this season, but many scouts and execs are pleasantly surprised with how well Saunders has played all season. He’s the Glue Guy and on-court leader for this BYU team that has made the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2011. Saunders led all BYU players with 25 points in the two-point win over Wisconsin while also adding seven rebounds and committing zero turnovers in 30 minutes. He’s tough defensively and does the little things that don’t show up in the box score like deflecting passes, tipping rebounds to teammates and winning 50-50 balls. Saunders could elect to return for one more season and play with the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, AJ Dybantsa, next year. But don’t be surprised if he tests the waters.
Walter Clayton Jr., 6-foot-3 senior guard, Florida
Clayton transferred from Iona two seasons ago and had a chip on his shoulder going up against a UConn program that eliminated his Gaels in 2023. In the last four games, Clayton is averaging 22.5 points and shooting 52 percent from three-point range. Florida is headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017 and the Gators’ success on offense starts with Clayton. His shot selection has been a little inconsistent but he has been red hot since the conference tournament and is showing NBA scouts that he could be a plug-and-play backup guard right away.
John Tonje, 6-foot-5 senior guard, Wisconsin
Even though the Badgers came up short against BYU, Tonje had one of the most impressive performances of the first two rounds. The fifth-year senior finished with 37 points (10 of 18 from the field) and was unbelievable down the stretch for Wisconsin. Tonje guard scored from all three levels, was deadly in transition with the way he actively pushed the ball up the court and frequently finished through contact after getting through seams and splitting the defense. Tonje could sneak up draft boards if he puts in a strong NBA Draft combine and does well in workouts with teams, but his play in the tournament provides the omentum he needs heading into the draft season.
