These 10 NBA Draft prospects improved their stock in March Madness

March Madness is now complete, which means a month of transfer portal shenanigans and the extended prelude to June’s NBA Draft. Prospects will declare, but many will maintain their college eligibility and toe the line, waiting on scouts’ insight before determining whether to take the next step or return to school.

The NCAA Tournament is the best stage to evaluate prospects, as every game carries life-or-death stakes. It’s a small sample size at the end of the day — hardly the end-all, be-all — but it means something. Here are 10 prospects who helped their cause, either for this year or future years, over the past few weeks. Prospects who began the tournament with a solid consensus lottery grade, such as Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler and Labaron Philon, were left off.

Álvaro Folgueiras | F | Iowa

Álvaro Folgueiras will almost certainly return to Iowa for his senior season, but this March Madness run offered a nice launchpad for his 2026-27 draft candidacy. He didn’t get much mainstream traction this year, but Folgueiras has the profile of a classic sleeper — an analytics darling with positional size and a funky but functional skill set.

Folgueiras was effectively benched early in Iowa’s Elite Eight loss to Illinois after a couple of turnovers, but the Hawkeyes don’t get that far without him. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 14.7 points through the first three rounds, showcasing his slick interior finishing, his quick hands on defense, and a penchant for timely 3s — including the game-winner against Florida in their Round of 32 upset.

Folgueiras is not a great athlete on paper, but he’s so slippery and deceptive with his movement. He’s a great finisher around the rim (74.7 percent), he gets his hands everywhere on defense (2.7 STL%) and his positional rebounding is rock solid. If he can produce more consistent results from 3-point range next year in a more focal role, don’t be shocked if he’s a 2027 first-round pick.

Bennett Stirtz | G | Iowa

This is a slight cheat, as Bennett Stirtz ranked ninth on FanSided’s last big board and he probably won’t improve on that. In the consensus, however, Stirtz was viewed more as a late-teens or 20s prospect coming into the tournament. That could hold true come June, but an incredible run to the Elite Eight will at least force teams to think a bit harder about the senior point guard.

Stirtz was already a fringe first-round candidate last summer, when he led 11-seed Drake to an upset of Missouri in the tournament’s opening weekend. A year later, on a real team with real resources, he led the Hawkeyes to the second weekend, which required the upset of the tournament over 1-seed Florida.

No coach trusts his star more than Ben McCollum trusts Bennett Stirtz. The man played all 160 minutes of Iowa’s four NCAA Tournament games. Over that span, he committed three turnovers and one personal foul — with 73 points, 14 assists and three steals. Stirtz’s IQ and command of the court, paired with electric shot-making skills on the perimeter, puts him in a rare category for older guard prospects. He’s worth lottery consideration, truly.

Billy Richmond III | F | Arkansas

Arkansas sophomore Billy Richmond is another probable return candidate whose name could start to generate real buzz next spring. That said, he will get his share of looks now, and testing the waters wouldn’t be the worst idea. In keeping with John Calipari tradition, Richmond is one of several top-shelf athletes in an Arkansas roster that frequently out-ran and out-jumped its opponents.

Richmond is an effortless high-flyer who dominates out in transition, where he exhibits remarkable body control at full speed. A smaller wing with a limited playmaking profile is not every team’s cup of tea, but Richmond’s bounce allows him to defend much larger than his 6-foot-6 listed height. He creates events on one end (3.0 BLK%, 2.2 STL%) and finished with authority at the rim, often as a lob target who can stretch the floor vertically.

NBA teams will want to see Richmond handle a few more on-ball reps and shoot better than 25.9 percent from deep, but athletes of his caliber tend to stick on NBA radars.

Andrej Stojakovic | F | Illinois

Andrej Stojaković has an NBA case at 21 years old, but he’s probably a second-round pick at this point, so returning to Illinois and a productive partnership with David Mirković is probably the correct path forward. That said, he swung the momentum of several Illinois victories this March, most notably with his 21-point performance against VCU in the second round.

Stojaković doesn’t put up the flashiest numbers, really in any respect. His stocks are low, he’s shooting 24.4 percent from deep and averaging more turnovers (1.3) than assists (1.0). And yet, Stojaković is a classic example of “has that dawg in him” energy on the basketball court. He’s a much more impactful defender than the numbers suggest, and there are positive indicators for NBA teams (or Illinois) to take solace in.

He’s an 80-plus percent free throw shooter over the last two seasons, which is a positive sign for his long-term shooting development. Stojaković also gets downhill relentlessly, drawing fouls at a healthy clip and converting 65.7 percent of his attempts at the rim. If the shot comes around as a senior, with his hardcore mentality and winning personality, Stojaković will gain a lot of fans.

Pryce Sandfort | F | Nebraska

Pryce Sandfort will undergo sports hernia surgery this offseason, which ironically improves the outlook for Nebraska. It all but guarantees his return after a brilliant Sweet 16 run, which included 23 points on seven made 3s against Troy and 25 points on six made 3s in a nail-biting loss to Iowa.

Sandfort is firmly on the NBA map at this point. Every NBA team wants shooting, which Sandfort delivers en masse. He’s a classic movement shooter on the wing, with solid positional size and enough activity on defense to stick at the next level. He plays smart, too, with an extraordinarily low turnover rate (5.9 TO%).

A lack of rebounding and overall physicality could hamper Sandfort’s upside at the next level, but he’s a clear as day role player bet, with the IQ and off-ball gravity to really accuentate an established core in the NBA.

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