NBA scouts were treated to an epic matchup between UCLA and Kentucky that had three projected top-10 picks and six top-30 prospects on the floor. Several other top talents got significant exposure as well during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.
Here's a look at 29 players, including Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.
Who helped and hurt themselves over the past few days?
Stock up
De'Aaron Fox, PG, freshman, Kentucky
Fox had the most impressive game of his career and of the NCAA tournament on Friday, scoring 39 points and absolutely dominating UCLA's Lonzo Ball in a huge win for Kentucky. Fox's speed, toughness and aggression on both ends of the floor carried the Wildcats into the Elite Eight and made the case that he belongs in the conversation with the other elite point guards in the draft.
His game against North Carolina was more of a mixed bag. He got into early foul trouble and didn't really regain the rhythm he has shown throughout March until the end of the game. However, he did hit a couple of big 3-pointers and showed the fight he has exhibited all season.
Fox definitely improved his draft stock in the last month and has moved into the No. 4 to No. 8 range in the draft. Among point guards, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball still have the edge, but Fox is now neck-and-neck with North Carolina State's Dennis Smith -- and has created some daylight between himself and France's Frank Ntilikina.
Malik Monk, G, freshman, Kentucky
Monk had a big game against UCLA, dropping 21 points and shooting 4-for-9 from 3-point range. When he gets hot, he's the most explosive scorer in the draft. He scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the second half against the Bruins, which really set the tone for Kentucky for the rest of the game.
He struggled against North Carolina for most of the game. The Tar Heels put the bigger Justin Jackson on him, taking away clean looks, but Monk got red hot at the end of the game and hit two huge 3s in the last 40 seconds of the game to keep the Wildcats alive.
In NBA terms, there are still concerns about his size and length at his position, and even more concerns about his ability to run the point -- such as when Fox went out with foul trouble early against the Tar Heels -- but Monk still looks like a lock somewhere in the No. 4 to No. 8 range.
TJ Leaf, PF, freshman, UCLA
UCLA lost, but for the second time this season, Leaf played a terrific game against Kentucky. He's a super-skilled 4, tough and athletic, and he can get his points from anywhere on the floor. His defense can be questionable at times, but a number of scouts spoke about how impressed they were with him in the Kentucky game. He's looks like a pick in the 12-to-20 range.
Jordan Bell, PF, junior, Oregon
Bell was the breakout star of the weekend for both Oregon and NBA scouts. His dominant defensive performances against Michigan and Kansas drew raves from scouts.
He shut down Moritz Wagner in the first game, finishing with 16 points, 13 boards and two blocks. On Saturday, he shut down the entire KU team, posting 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks and altering a number of other KU shots. His athleticism combined with his aggressiveness in the paint intimidated the Jayhawks, forcing them into bad shot after bad shot.
Bell has always been a strong defensive presence, but he has been especially potent with Chris Boucher out. It seems to have freed him up to be the leader of this team defensively and he has embraced it.
Coming into the tournament he looked like a potential second-round pick. Now the question is whether he could sneak into the first round. Teams are always wary of drafting undersized centers who don't have much offensive game, but Bell's defensive upside is huge and may be worthy of a pick in the first.
Frank Mason, PG, senior, Kansas
It was a tough way for Mason to go out. He said after the game that it felt a bit like his life was over. But he went out fighting. He was the only consistent offensive weapon for the Jayhawks against Oregon and scored 28 points against Purdue.
Teams love his toughness, speed and shooting stroke. He's undersized, but he was the only one who could really do anything against the shot-blocking prowess of Bell. Lots of scouts seem willing to spend a second-round pick on him. I just don't think he sneaks into the first.
Sindarius Thornwell, G, senior, South Carolina
Every year there's a senior who NBA scouts have given up on that comes into the tournament and puts himself back firmly on the NBA radar screen. That's Thornwell this year. He has been dominant all tournament and he was huge versus Baylor and Florida, averaging 25 points, 6.5 rebounds and two steals and hitting five 3-pointers.
His shot is a bit unorthodox. He's not an elite athlete. He's already 22 years old. But there's a toughness, a two-way versatility that could translate in the NBA.
I'm not sure he did enough to get into the first round, but his chances of landing a NBA draft combine bid are high. And he's still got more basketball to play. He's one of the biggest risers of the tournament.
Ethan Happ, C, sophomore, Wisconsin
Happ had another strong game for Wisconsin, scoring 21 points, grabbing six boards and dishing out four assists for the Badgers.
He has one of the more unique games in the draft and scouts struggle to know exactly how to project him. While he's likely a second-round pick, he does have a shot at the first round, especially among analytically-minded teams.
Tyler Dorsey, G, sophomore, Oregon
Dorsey put up another huge performance for Oregon this weekend. He had 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3 against Michigan and then 27 points, including six 3-pointers versus Kansas.
Dorsey is peaking at just the right time. He has scored more than 20 points in his last seven games in the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments. He has been red hot from 3, which opens up the rest of his floor game.
Teams have been on the fence about his draftability. The shooting and ball-handling are intriguing, but he's an undersized 2 who lacks elite quickness and athleticism. Some teams have him as a bubble first rounder. Others don't have him in their top 60.
He's got another chance to shine this weekend in the Final Four. It will be interesting to see where he lands should he decide to declare for the draft.
P.J. Dozier, G, sophomore, South Carolina
Dozier has had a good tournament for South Carolina, especially showing off how his length allows him to get to the basket on the offensive end and create havoc for smaller guards on the defensive end.
He needs to add strength and his shooting (both from 3 and from the line) leave a lot to be desired, but his steadiness for South Carolina has been noted by scouts who have always liked his potential since he was a top recruit out of high school. He has two more games to make his case that, at the very least, he's a legit second-round pick candidate.
Luke Maye, PF, sophomore, North Carolina
Maye was awesome this weekend for the Tar Heels, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 boards against Butler and then scoring 17 points against Kentucky, when he hit dagger after dagger that put the Wildcats away. He was 5-for-8 from 3-point range during those two games and certainly got the notice of scouts who are always on the hunt for big men that can stretch the floor.
However, his lack of elite size, length and athleticism clearly limits his ceiling in the NBA. And fans probably aren't aware that he scored just 5.5 points per game during the season. To rise further, he needs to return to school and build on a great weekend, but it's not out of the question that he becomes a second-round pick in 2018.
Markelle Fultz, PG, freshman, Washington
Fultz's team didn't make the tournament but I think that may have had an unintended positive consequence this weekend. The major knock on Fultz all year is that his team wasn't winning. While he ended the college basketball season No. 1 on our top 100, there was a chance that if Lonzo Ball could lead UCLA on a Final Four run, that could push Ball ahead of Fultz on a number of draft boards.
UCLA's loss in the Sweet 16, combined with Ball's mediocre performance, stymied that threat. While some teams do prefer Ball, Fultz's chances of going No. 1 increased a bit when Ball stumbled on Friday.
Stock down
Lauri Markkanen, PF, freshman, Arizona
Markkanen was surprisingly ineffective against Xavier, scoring just nine points on 3-for-9 shooting and just going 1-for-6 from beyond arc.
His late-season shooting slump combined with concerns that he has been struggling to create his own shot have hurt his draft stock -- slightly. I think he's still a near-lock for the top 10, but given how good the guard play has been ahead of him, I think there's a better chance he's in the Nos. 7 to 10 range.
Edrice Adebayo, PF, freshman, Kentucky
Adebayo was awful against UCLA, scoring just two points and grabbing four boards without making a shot from the field. He started off poorly against North Carolina as well, before returning to form in the second half and finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds.
That inconsistency is what scares scouts and cooled the momentum he built the previous month. I still think he goes somewhere between Nos. 15 and 25 if he decides to declare for the draft. But if he stays another year and works on his perimeter game and consistency, he has the physical tools of a top-10 pick in what should be a significantly weaker draft in 2018.
Moritz Wagner, F/C, sophomore, Michigan
Wagner was the NBA scout darling of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament after he dropped 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting against Louisville. He had a much harder time against Oregon's Jordan Bell. Facing a strong, physical, athletic shot blocker, he often rushed his shots and seemed out of sorts the entire game. He ended with seven points and five rebounds in 24 minutes and missed all four of the 3s he took.
It's just one game, but it definitely cooled some scouts who were adamant last weekend that he's a lock for the first round. He still might be. He's just 19 and has all the skills NBA teams look for in a stretch 4. But after Thursday's performance, you could make the argument that he needs another year to add strength. There are a lot of Jordan Bell types in the NBA.
Ike Anigbogu, C, freshman, UCLA
He's only 18 years old and a number of NBA teams think he's got enormous upside, but he had zero impact in the NCAA tournament and looked overmatched against Kentucky on Friday. He may still go in the first round, but whoever is drafting him is drafting a project. An interesting project, but a project nonetheless.
Devonte Graham, PG, Jr. Kansas
Graham had his best game of the tournament against Purdue, going off for 26 points and shooting 5-for-9 from 3, but he was absolutely awful versus Oregon, finishing with just three points and missing all seven shots he took from the field.
A number of scouts had Graham as a sleeper second rounder, but his struggles against Oregon surely left a sour note. Graham may also want to consider that with Frank Mason graduating, he can have the point guard position to himself next year and try to work his way into the first round. He has the talent -- much more talent than he showed on Saturday in Kansas City.
Devin Robinson, F, junior, Florida
Robinson was terrific in the first two rounds of the tournament, but reverted back to his mediocre play in the next two rounds. He had seven points and five rebounds against Wisconsin and just five points and one rebound in the loss to South Carolina.
Robinson's inability to consistently assert himself has been an issue for scouts for three years. After the gains he made in the first two rounds, he was brought back to earth this weekend.
Stock neutral
Lonzo Ball, PG, freshman, UCLA
After playing like the No. 1 pick in the opening two rounds for UCLA, Ball fizzled against Kentucky -- scoring just 10 points, hitting just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc and committing four turnovers. He was completely outplayed by Fox after the first five minutes of the game and down the stretch he looked surprisingly passive.
It was one of his worst performances of the season at the worst possible time for UCLA and it was clear that Kentucky had scouted him well.
That said, the NBA folks I spoke with don't think the performance will affect his stock. He has been awesome all year and one game won't do damage to a guy that has the best court vision of any point guard prospect in a long time. He's still a likely top-three pick and some lottery teams have him ranked No. 1 on their board.
Josh Jackson, G/F, freshman, Kansas
Jackson played his worst game of the tournament at the worst possible time for Kansas versus Oregon. He picked up two quick fouls and didn't score in the first half -- and a furious effort by Jackson in the second half wasn't enough to put Kansas over the top.
But even in a bad game for Jackson, there were plenty of positives. He grabbed 12 boards, handed out five assists and played terrific defense in the second half. The production wasn't quite there, but the effort was and that's a huge selling point for Jackson. He's a gamer.
All in all, it looks like Jackson ends the tournament right where he began, looking like a pick in the 3-to-5 range, with a small chance of still going No. 1. If he figures out how to rein in all that aggressiveness and consistently knock down jumpers, he could be a superstar in the league.
Zach Collins, C, freshman, Gonzaga
Collins had an unusually quite game versus West Virginia, scoring just one point and grabbing four boards. He perked up a bit versus Xavier on Saturday with six points, six boards and a block in 13 minutes of play.
Scouts aren't expecting him to dominate coming off the bench for Gonzaga. It's the upside -- size, athleticism, offensive and defensive versatility -- that are appealing. He remains a likely late lottery pick with still another game or two to go this season.
Caleb Swanigan, PF, sophomore, Purdue
Swanigan had his typical strong box score against Kansas with 18 points, seven boards and four assists. But he committed six turnovers and struggled defensively.
He's got a very solid shot of going somewhere in the 20s in the draft. But he's not a first-round lock.
Tony Bradley, C, freshman, North Carolina
Bradley doesn't get a lot of minutes (just 14 total this weekend), but he makes the most of those minutes as a defensive presence and a low-post scoring option.
The Tar Heels don't need a big impact from him thanks to the play of Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, but when he's on the floor, he makes an impact and scouts have taken notice. He's a likely first-round pick if he declares.
D.J. Wilson, F, junior, Michigan
Wilson shot the ball well for Michigan, going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc against Oregon. He added six boards, two steals and two blocks and really showed off his athletic versatility.
But scouts continue to question his toughness and his readiness for the NBA. Most think he needs another year of school. But if he declares, he's got a good shot of landing in the late first round to early second round.
Justin Jackson, G/F, junior, North Carolina
Jackson continues to have a good NCAA tournament, with 24 points, five boards and five assists versus Butler and 19 points, five rebounds and four assists versus Kentucky. His length posed huge problems for Malik Monk in Sunday's game and his basketball savvy and leadership were on full display. He committed just two turnovers this weekend, despite being the focal point of the defense.
His recent shooting challenges continued, however, after a strong showing in the first two rounds. He was just 3-for-13 from 3-point territory in the two games this past weekend.
Scouts continue to be on the fence on Jackson. Some have him firmly in the mid-first round, others in the second. He gets at least one more game, this time against Dylan Brooks and Oregon, to show he has what it takes to be a good NBA player.
Allonzo Trier, SG, sophomore, Arizona
Trier had a much better game against Xavier, with 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He went just 3-for-10 from 3 and missed a potential game-winning shot versus Xavier.
Still, he has been one of the best 2-guards in the country the last month and given the dearth of 2s in this draft, I think he's got a real shot of cracking the late first round.
Dillon Brooks, F, junior, Oregon
Brooks was Oregon's best player all season, but he has gotten a little lost in the shuffle thanks to the stellar play of Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey in this tournament. His performance this weekend was noteworthy, as he posted 12 points, four rebounds and five assists versus Michigan and 17 points, five boards and four assists versus Kansas. He hit 3s, he made big plays and he showed his knack for passing.
But his struggles defensively continue to hurt him a bit with NBA scouts. I think he has stayed right where he started the tournament -- in the 30-to-50 range.
Johnathan Motley, PF, junior, Baylor
Motley had a typical stat line -- 18 points, nine boards -- against South Carolina. A number of teams have him in the late first round. Others have him in the early second. Nothing has really changed because of the tournament.
Nigel Hayes, F, senior, Wisconsin
Hayes had another great performance in the tournament -- this time against Florida. His high basketball IQ and toughness really stood out again.
But scouts are still skeptical of his size and perimeter game. He's got a real shot at the second round, but I don't think he did enough to convince teams he's a first rounder.
Trevon Bluiett, F, junior, Xavier
Blueitt continued his tear through the tournament against Arizona, with 25 points on Thursday. But he struggled mightily against Gonzaga on Saturday, scoring 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting.
He made an impression on NBA scouts as a potential second-round pick. He should test the draft waters, but it's probably in his best interest to return to Xavier for his senior season.