March Madness is beloved because of both the quality and quantity of games. There are 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, and many of the matchups end in iconic fashion.
What makes the tournament so great, though, is the players. There have been a number of great March Madness players throughout the history of the big dance, and every year, players make their name under the bright lights of the tournament. Big March Madness performances help boost players' NBA Draft stock.
So, who are the March Madness participants who have most helped out their 2026 NBA Draft stock this year?
8. Terrence Hill Jr., VCU, PG
VCU sophomore Terrence Hill has had a great offensive season. The guard is great in the pick-and-roll, and he hits jumpers as a spot-up shooter. In a first-round win over North Carolina, Hill's offensive prowess was on display. He scored 34 points despite only attempting two free throws.
Hill might not be ready for the NBA just yet. He still needs to improve on the defensive end, but if he returns to a VCU program with a history of great defense, he just may develop on that end enough to become a legitimate NBA Draft prospect come next year. His rise really started with his huge March Madness game.
7. Tramon Mark, Texas, SG
Texas didn't make the original field of 64 teams. The Longhorns had to win their way into the Round of 64. They did so when Tramon Mark hit a game-winner over NC State in the First Four. Texas went on to win two more tournament games, one over potential number one pick AJ Dybantsa and BYU and another over a perennial contender in No. 3 seed Gonzaga.
Even when they lost to Purdue in the Sweet 16, Mark had 29 points and knocked down five 3-pointers. Texas teammate Dailyn Swain has improved his draft stock, too, but he was already looked at as a potential first-round pick. Mark, meanwhile, didn't have much draft buzz before the tournament.
He has played six seasons of college basketball, and NBA teams aren't usually into such old prospects, but a team in need of a play-now player just might decide to add Mark to their roster.
6. Braylon Mullins, UConn, SG
NBA teams love to see prospects stay poised and answer the call when big moments are there for the taking. Despite being just a freshman, Braylon Mullins did just that when he hit a game-winner from deep 3-point land just before the buzzer sounded against Duke in the Elite Eight.
Mullins' numbers haven't been jaw-dropping this year, and his 3-point shot has been streaky at times, but he is responsible for one of the biggest moments in college basketball history. Now, UConn is in the Final Four yet again with a chance to win their third title in four years.
Mullins still needs to develop some, both physically and when it comes to his game, but a classic game-winner did nothing but boost his draft stock.
5. Isaiah Evans, Duke, SG
Isaiah Evans hasn't seen a 3-point shot he doesn't like, and his marksmanship from deep will be coveted by NBA teams. The shooting guards can hit spot-up jumpers, shoot off the bounce, or hit shots off movement. Unfortunately, he had a rough Elite Eight game, especially in the second half.
However, that doesn't take away from what he did during the rest of the NCAA Tournament. Evans had 25 points just one game prior, and he hit nine total 3-pointers during tournament play.
4. Otega Oweh, Kentucky, SF
Otega Oweh averaged 26.5 points per game over two March Madness matchups. That was tied for the sixth best mark among all NCAA Tournament participants. Darius Acuff, Tyler Tanner, and Rob Martin were the only other players with that many points who played multiple games, and the latter two are surefire first-round picks.
Oweh is a great athlete, which leads to some really impressive slashing ability. He also thrives in the point-of-attack defensively. However, a hitch in his jumper has prevented him from cultivating much draft stock. Had it not been for that flaw, Oweh would be much more highly touted as a prospect.
Even so, he just keeps balling, and he has been Kentucky's best player for two straight seasons now. There likely is a team out there that thinks it can fix his jump shot, and everybody is happy with everything else they saw, especially during the NCAA Tournament.
3. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa, PG
Iowa was the biggest Cinderella story of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes were just the nine-seed, so they had to knock off an eight-seed (Clemson), a one-seed (Florida), and a four-seed (Nebraska) en route to making it to the Elite Eight. Clemson spent time late in the season ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll, Florida was the reigning champions, and Nebraska had the inspiration of having their best season in program history, yet none of them were able to handle Iowa.
That is largely because of the play of Bennett Stirtz. The guard started his career at Division II Northwest Missouri State before he transferred to Drake and then to Iowa. He got better at each stop, despite his level of competition increasing each year. Stirtz just keeps getting better and keeps rising up to take on better opponents, and that was evident when he thrived under the bright lights of March Madness.
Under the leadership of Ben McCollum over the last two seasons, Stirtz has almost never subbed out. He does a little bit of everything for his teams. His 3-point shot wasn't great in the NCAA Tournament, but that is far from a concern long-term, and the fact that he still found success just goes to show his versatility.
2. Tarris Reed, UConn, C
Tarris Reed had a favorable round-one matchup against Furman. Going against an undersized and undermatched team, Reed had the opportunity to put up massive numbers that would boost his draft stock. That is exactly what he did, as he scored 31 points and added 27 rebounds, making him just the second player in NCAA Tournament history with a 30-20 game on 80% shooting. The only other player who had ever done that was Bill Walton, arguably the best college basketball player of all time.
Reed's scoring production has continued during UConn's run to the Final Four. He had 20 points against Michigan State and 26 against Duke. UConn couldn't get anything going against Duke in the first half outside of force-feeding Reed the ball, who was having his way down low. He kept the team afloat before they eventually mounted a massive comeback that ended with a game-winner from Mullins.
All this scoring from Reed is great news for his draft stock, because everybody already knew what he could do as a shot-blocker. Reed has proven himself as a two-way player, and it may result in him becoming a first-round pick.
1. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas, PG
Darius Acuff's rise up NBA Draft boards began before the NCAA Tournament, but he continued to make a case for himself as a top-five prospect throughout March Madness. In fact, many have wondered if this didn't look like one of the best NBA Draft classes ever if Acuff would have a case as the number one overall pick. Acuff was taken 20th overall in ClutchPoints' post-All-Star mock draft. Even back then, that was viewed as a huge slide, but Acuff's rise since then has been meteoric nonetheless.
Acuff is incredibly fast and has a great handle that he uses to drive right past defenders. He then can finish at the rim with explosion or finesse, which has led to him drawing comparisons to a mix between Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving. Rose, in particular, also saw his draft stock shoot to the moon late in the year during his time at Memphis before he ended up becoming the first overall pick in 2008.
Acuff averaged 27.8 points over Arkansas's final seven regular season games. He then had 91 points in three conference tournament games and 88 points in three NCAA Tournament games. Furthermore, Acuff's playmaking proved to be way better than anyone would have thought coming into this year, as many were concerned he'd be a mere shot-chucker at Arkansas. Acuff's 6.4 assists per game were the most in the SEC.
John Calipari guards always tend to excel at the NBA level. This was the case with Rose at Memphis and tons of backcourt players at Kentucky. Acuff seems poised to continue that trend at Arkansas, and although the top four of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson has seemingly been set for a while, don't be surprised if someone takes the gamble on Acuff in that part of the draft and completely shakes up the entire evening on June 25.
