Each NCAA tournament, we see a few players rise up draft boards while playing on the biggest stage in college basketball. Players like Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver and Virginia’s De'Andre Hunter elevated their draft stock in 2019 after both teams made a Final Four run. Hunter was drafted No. 4 overall and now plays for the Atlanta Hawks, and Culver went No. 6 and plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“The NCAA tournament is a great test for some of these guys,” one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “The turnaround for the early games is similar to the NBA, so it’s nice to see who rises to the occasion and plays well under pressure.