Top NBA prospects in 2026 NCAA Tournament: Analysis, players to watch in March Madness including AJ Dybantsa

Brackets are filled out. Cinderellas headed the sweet 16 are selected. There’s even a first-round upset you know isn’t going to happen but just had to take anyway.

Now it’s time to start watching NCAA Men’s Tournament games — and seriously scouting for your favorite NBA team for the draft. NBA teams are way ahead of you; they have already done much of their work (they care more about interviews and medical reports from the NBA Draft Combine, as well as individual workouts, than the tournament games). That said, players can help or hurt themselves in the tournament, especially late first-round and second-round picks.

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If you’re an NBA fan watching a ton of games this week, here are 15 names to keep an eye on.

Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II, Duke

Cameron Boozer has lived up to the hype — 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game, leading the Blue Devils to the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Scouts have noticed, and Boozer is firmly ensconced in the top tier of this draft and is almost certainly going to be taken in the top three. Watch him against Sienna on Thursday and you’ll see a polished player who is just good at everything: Shooting (with 3-point range), rebounding, setting picks, using angles, passing, all of it.

Boozer is the biggest name, but he’s not the only guy getting drafted out of Duke this year. Also, keep an eye on Patrick Ngongba II, the Blue Devils’ 6’11” center. There are teams that like Ngongba’s defensive presence in the paint and his passing skills as a big man. However, he is a divisive prospect because he’s not an explosive leaper, leading to questions about his ability to rebound and finish at the rim at the next level. That will matter less in the next few weeks, and he is going to get drafted in the first round because of what he can be as a defensive big man.

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Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara, Michigan

You should get plenty of chances to watch this trio over the next few weeks, as the No. 1-seeded Wolverines expect a deep tournament run (they are my pick to win it all).

Michigan has been one of the best teams in the league because of their…

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Publish date : 2026-03-17 16:16:00

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