The primary weekend of the NCAA Match has come and gone. The entire top-10 gamers on my 2026 NBA Draft board performed on groups that made the Large Dance, though two (North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.) didn’t play due to damage.
It was a loaded bracket of expertise for NBA scouts to take a look at, with many prospects delivering huge performances to assist themselves and their groups transfer ahead.
Beneath, we’ll break down the highest 4 prospects who performed in March Insanity and provide scouting notes on 15 others. We’ll begin with the participant who’s No. 1 on my board …
Dybantsa reveals why he needs to be the highest decide
On condition that the NCAA Match typically acts as a last examination for gamers, it’s fascinating to see how gamers develop and enhance all year long. And in Dybantsa’s case, the areas the place he’s gotten higher are plain. He was a flawed participant coming into school and also will exit with issues he has to work on, however he confirmed this season that his ceiling stays extremely excessive.
Texas coach Sean Miller deployed a pointy recreation plan within the Longhorns’ 79-71 first-round win over BYU, sending a double group each time Dybantsa would catch within the put up or drive to the rim. Usually, Matas Vokietaitis would assist off the Cougars heart to clog the lane on Dybantsa’s drives. Then, on his ball-screens, Texas would at all times ship two gamers to the ball and blitz him to attempt to power it out of his palms. This technique was efficient as a result of BYU didn’t have sufficient firepower round Dybantsa, but the star freshman nonetheless dropped 35 factors and 10 rebounds. It additionally led to a enjoyable mid-game interview with Miller, when he was requested gradual Dybantsa down.
“I don’t suppose we will,” Miller stated after Dybantsa’s first 14 factors. “We have now to do the most effective job we will, and we will’t accumulate fouls that gained’t permit our group to be the most effective we might be. We’re making an attempt arduous; I’m not giving in. However there’s simply little or no you are able to do with that proper there.”
The flashes of superstardom on this recreation have been distinctive. Dybantsa’s shot-making from the midrange was absurd. He knocked down a number of contested jumpers through the use of his whole athletic 6-foot-9 body to raise excessive of defenders and knock down pictures. There have been pictures, just like the one you’ll see beneath, that I feel solely he may make within the entirety of school basketball.
AJ Dybantsa fades from midrange 🎯#MarchMadness @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/QRX2xVauzD
— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2026
Dybantsa additionally showcased his skill to get into the lane and use terrific footwork on his gathers towards the rim to get defenders off-balance. He utilized every little thing from Eurosteps to step-throughs to up-and-unders to seek out methods to get to the rim. Dybantsa’s endurance and footwork in ball screens and drives received considerably higher all through the season. Final summer time with Staff USA on the Underneath-19 World Cup and early on this season, groups may hassle him by sending two gamers to the ball or by digging into his drives. Oftentimes, he would merely act as a downhill freight practice towards the rim and throw up a extremely contested shot whereas making an attempt to attract contact. His decision-making continues to be not excellent in all these cases, however the development from then to now could be clear. He has a greater understanding of play off two ft, play on stability and use his huge body to get extra environment friendly pictures or to attract fouls.
Right here’s an amazing instance, the place as an alternative of simply flying into the assistance defender, he makes use of his left foot as his pivot foot, stops, permits the Texas participant to fall for the faux, hits the step-through after which makes use of all his size to get to the rim to complete.
AJ steps by way of for ANOTHER powerful bucket 🪣#MarchMadness @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/W0uEC5Mwkk
— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
We didn’t see a lot of the passing that Dybantsa showcased throughout the second half of the 12 months on this recreation, as he averaged 4.3 assists in his last 22 video games earlier than this one. However we did see that he often nonetheless struggles along with his decision-making on drives when he faces these doubles. He turned it over 5 occasions towards Texas and had a few poor reads during which he didn’t see the place assist defenders have been coming from. The flashes of court docket imaginative and prescient have been there within the second half of the 12 months, however he nonetheless averaged 3.5 turnovers in his last 13 video games. Given the expansion we noticed all year long, I consider we will venture him bettering on this regard. Nevertheless it’s going to take a while and endurance.
The larger points that I’ve with Dybantsa come on protection. We didn’t fairly see sufficient from him by way of his understanding rotate throughout the court docket on protection and make an impression participant on that finish. The entire instruments are there for Dybantsa to be a wonderful defensive participant. He’s lengthy and athletic, sturdy and bodily and doesn’t again down from contact. However he wants to repair his tendency to hop into his defensive slides versus simply sliding alongside the bottom to keep up his athleticism and stability. He additionally must showcase higher recognition for a way the opposing group is making an attempt to assault, and he must get to his assist rotations faster. I’ve damaged down that tape a number of occasions this 12 months on my Sport Idea Podcast; listed here are a few of the full-game breakdowns so that you can watch.
However I’ve landed (for now) on him because the No. 1 prospect as a result of Dybantsa’s highs are the very best of any participant within the class, and his points are essentially the most fixable. He’s not as constant as Cameron Boozer proper now, however Boozer’s lack of vertical pop at round 6-foot-8 — along side his questionable pull-up recreation off multiple dribble — makes me surprise how shut we’re to his ceiling already. And whereas I don’t suppose we’ve seen the most effective of Darryn Peterson this 12 months, Dybantsa’s instruments at 6-9 with explosive athleticism and energy now blended with a extra constant model of endurance are extra spectacular than Peterson’s at 6-6 as a equally scoring-inclined participant.
A part of the explanation that I had Dybantsa at No. 3 coming into the 12 months behind Peterson and Boozer was that I believed he stagnated a bit at Utah Prep final 12 months and didn’t showcase a lot in-season development. However he confirmed at BYU that he’s not performed working and rising as a participant. I appreciated that although Dybantsa got here into the season as a 20-point-per-game scoring machine, he improved the place he wanted and have become a 27-point, four-assist-per-game dominant power.
The Darryn Peterson expertise at Kansas left nearly everyone confused. (William Purnell / Imagn Photographs)
Peterson leaves scouts with many questions
We’ve dug into the Darryn Peterson damage scenario sufficient this 12 months, so I simply wish to discuss what we noticed from him on the court docket, particularly since he performed a minimum of 28 minutes in every of his final 9 video games. He logged 37 minutes whereas dropping 28 factors in Kansas’ first-round win towards Cal Baptist after which had 21 factors in 36 minutes within the Jayhawks’ loss to St. John’s on Sunday.
My largest takeaway is that I don’t know precisely what to remove from the entire Peterson expertise. He’s undeniably a massively proficient participant who’s a shoo-in to go someplace within the prime 5 of the draft so long as his medical checks come again clear. But, even his 49 factors in two event video games raised questions on what he does properly, what his strengths are and whether or not he was utilized correctly this season by Invoice Self.
I increase that last query about Peterson after the St. John’s recreation. My opinion on Peterson coming into the season was that he was a dynamic combo guard who may play each on and off the ball. He confirmed an immense quantity of enchancment as a ball-screen playmaker and passer in his last highschool season at Prolific Prep (right here’s some tape that I broke down explaining what I noticed). However this season at Kansas, Self used him virtually completely off the ball. In the long run, I feel that was a mistake.
I can perceive the thought course of behind why Self performed Peterson extra off the ball. First, Peterson being out and in of the lineup needed to make it tougher to combine him as a main ballhandler. Second, the group’s roster building was a difficulty from a spacing and capturing perspective. By placing Peterson extra on the ball, you’re taking the ball out of Melvin Council Jr.’s palms. On condition that Council isn’t an amazing shooter from distance, groups may play off him and crowd the paint much more.
However after we lastly noticed Self put the ball in Peterson’s palms within the second half towards St. John’s, it was an amazing instance of why the group wanted to lean into giving its finest participant the ball extra typically, as an alternative of working him extra off pindowns and flares to create pictures. Kansas’ offense flowed rather more easily with Peterson working the present. The Jayhawks averaged 0.703 factors per possession within the first half and 1.3 ppp within the second half. Though he completed the sport with zero assists, Peterson made a number of passes that led to hockey assists or created open pictures that his teammates missed. He completed eight possessions out of ball screens or dribble-handoffs within the second half as a scorer.
From an NBA standpoint, it was an excellent reminder that even when Peterson didn’t shoot significantly sturdy percentages this 12 months (he completed at 43.8 % total), he’s nonetheless a remarkably gifted offensive participant who didn’t play within the position anticipated of him this season. Nonetheless, his efficiency deserves scrutiny even accounting for the position and his well being. Peterson didn’t persistently create paint touches. He was a really perimeter-based scorer, and a number of NBA scouts texted me over the weekend asking if I used to be fearful about his tendencies as a shot “chucker.” I’m much less fearful about his passing numbers than many, however scouts have introduced up the truth that he posted simply 38 assists on the season.
Peterson may find yourself anyplace from No. 1 to No. 5 on my board. There are clearly nonetheless some medicals that want reviewing and a few intel NBA entrance workplaces should dig into earlier than they really feel comfy with the place they rank him. Nevertheless it’s not simply the unusual well being scenario that has scouts’ minds in a pretzel proper now concerning Peterson.
Acuff is totally dominant regardless of defensive points
Each time I discuss to an NBA scout or government about Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., the dialog inevitably turns to his protection or his measurement (he’s listed at 6-3, 190 kilos). These issues are legitimate, and it’s grow to be a preferred speaking level amongst Acuff that the NBA doesn’t play protection anyway. The fact is that it’s more durable than ever to defend within the NBA due to the fashionable uptick in capturing resulting in bigger swaths of house that groups have to cowl. Moreover, the principles don’t favor defenders or the purpose of assault. But, the top-five groups in defensive score are the 5 NBA groups with essentially the most wins this season.
Protection does matter within the NBA, which is why groups have some trepidation about Acuff. He’s been unhealthy on that finish this season, and the Razorbacks’ second-round win towards Excessive Level didn’t assuage any issues. Watching diminutive Excessive Level guard Rob Martin repeatedly get by him or preserve his benefit in ball screens persistently was one other eye-opener. Acuff isn’t significantly fluid by way of his hips and tends to get clipped on screens, and his effort in restoration can be missing. He’s additionally not that impactful away from the ball. To grow to be a constructive NBA participant worthy of a top-10 decide, Acuff must be an outlier star offensive creator within the vein of a Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson or Damian Lillard.
The excellent news for Acuff? We’re working out of causes to suppose he gained’t be that outlier star offensive creator. I’m undecided I’ve ever watched a extra dominant efficiency in school basketball from a freshman guard who’s nonetheless a young person (he turns 20 in November). I don’t suppose he has the athletic upside of Lillard, Donovan Mitchell or Derrick Rose, however he’s extra superior along with his footwork and total polish than any guard I’ve seen at this degree at this age within the decade that I’ve been doing this.
Acuff does an unbelievable job of entering into the paint, utilizing his body to defend defenders and sustaining his benefit. He could make pictures going to his proper or left from the midrange or from 3. He can play off two ft and preserve his stability or go up off one foot if he has to beat a rotating defender towards the rim. He makes floaters. He can hit fadeaways if he wants a little bit of house to shoot excessive of defenders, or he can velocity up his launch if he wants to take action from 3. Acuff by no means appears off-balance, which permits him to persistently threaten the protection from basically in all places inside 30 ft of the rim.
Can Acuff be the type of star offensive creator who doesn’t simply rating but in addition elevates one other star subsequent to him? Eradicating Stephen Curry from the equation, I’m extremely skeptical {that a} small guard can lead an NBA group to a title. However that doesn’t imply they’re not essential or needle-movers for organizations. The most effective star guards on title groups — suppose Kyrie Irving, Jamal Murray and Kyle Lowry in current reminiscence, and loads of others up to now — are comfy each on and off the ball, make good selections, shoot it and may take over when wanted. Acuff has proven he can do all these items.
Sure, Acuff must get higher on protection. That’s plain. However his offensive recreation can be plain and makes him a really particular prospect. I dislike small guards extra than simply about any evaluator that I do know. And I nonetheless can’t assist however have Acuff at No. 5 on my board. The offensive firepower is simply too overwhelming. He’s as full an offensive guard to enter the NBA as I’ve seen shortly.
Cameron Boozer has led Duke to the Candy 16. (ob Donnan / Imagn Photographs)
Boozer continues to provide; skeptics stay
I’m positive Cameron Boozer looks like there’s nothing extra he can do to assist his standing with NBA scouts. Boozer averaged 20.5 factors, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, a block and shot 52.4 % from the sector in main Duke to the Candy 16.But, the tenor of the conversations I had with scouts turned way more to how Siena and TCU appeared to hassle him, after Virginia made him uncomfortable within the ACC event last.
On some degree, I perceive the consternation. There have been moments all through these final three video games that showcased Boozer’s limitations athletically, significantly his lack of vertical explosiveness. Virginia heart Ugonna Onyenso’s size induced Boozer vital points across the basket in a 3-of-17 capturing efficiency. Each Siena and TCU discovered methods to frustrate him into 5 turnovers in every recreation with well timed double groups. I’ve heard folks examine Boozer to a youthful Nikola Jokić; the important thing distinction is that Jokić is round 6-foot-10 with out sneakers with a 7-4 wingspan, whereas Boozer is anticipated to measure round 6-8 with out sneakers with a 7-foot wingspan. That’s a large measurement distinction in NBA phrases.
Boozer is ending at a 60.4 % clip on the rim this season in half-court settings, per Synergy. That’s an excellent quantity for a young person who’s as multi-faceted in how he creates these pictures as Boozer is, however not an elite one. However greater than the offensive finish, the place I hear vital concern from NBA personnel is the place Boozer suits in on protection. It has grow to be obvious that Boozer is a four-man who must play subsequent to a legit 5 due to his lack of vertical athleticism. He struggles to guard the rim, which is why Duke’s protection is drastically higher when Patrick Ngongba is on the market. Maliq Brown is a good defender, however he’s not a main inside anchor, which frequently ends in Boozer defending fives once they’re on the court docket collectively. Within the 544 minutes that Boozer has performed with Brown when Ngongba isn’t on the court docket, Duke permits 100.4 factors per 100 possessions, with the opposition capturing 63.5 % on the rim. When Ngongba performs with Boozer with out Brown, opposing groups shoot simply 56.9 % on the rim, and the Blue Devils solely permit 89 factors per 100 possessions, per CBB Analytics.
Boozer has additionally not been significantly good defending away from the rim, both. He’s a wonderful communicator and infrequently acts as a back-line captain, however scouts have worries about his lateral footspeed and particularly his skill to go north-south and alter instructions on protection. In an more and more perimeter-oriented NBA, if he’s on the 4, he seemingly should cope with wing-type gamers who run him by way of screens off the ball and attempt to get unfastened that means. That doesn’t really feel more likely to be efficient for him.
The query for groups revolves round how they’ll subject efficient lineups on each ends with Boozer. Defensively, you desire a five-man who can defend the rim. However offensively, to maximise Boozer’s power and energy on the inside, you in all probability desire a perimeter-based 5 who can both shoot or actually go it like Ngongba and Brown do (the passing from Duke’s frontcourt this 12 months, Boozer included, has been a drastically underrated a part of their success). It’s a really comparable predicament to what groups confronted with Kevin Love within the fashionable period.
The excellent news is that Boozer is so superior and versatile offensively that he can counteract what occurs on protection by dominating video games on offense. He’s extra superior than Love was on the similar age in all the fashionable methods required to be a star NBA participant. The best way he took over for Duke to decelerate Siena’s run within the first half by taking part in in ball screens with guard screeners was distinctive. The best way he took over the second half towards TCU each on and off the ball on offense was wildly spectacular. He creates considerably extra benefits than he provides away in and can at all times enable you win the possession battle by way of his elite-level rebounding and hand-eye coordination.
A humorous dialog that repeatedly comes up amongst scouts is that they don’t need Boozer to go to among the best groups within the league. They’d be terrified if he ended up on, say, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Boston Celtics or San Antonio Spurs, as a result of they know these groups would perceive get essentially the most out of his recreation. It seems like none of these three organizations will get the prospect at him, given the way in which the LA Clippers (the Thunder personal their first-rounder) and Atlanta Hawks (the Spurs personal their first) have turned their seasons round. However that dialog says rather a lot about who Boozer is and the way helpful he might be. He’s nonetheless in my prime three in that very same group with Dybantsa and Peterson.
Ten Different Notes From The Weekend
• Earlier than the event started, I recognized 5 gamers outdoors of Dybantsa, Peterson, Acuff and Boozer who may considerably assist themselves: Connecticut’s Braylon Mullins, Tennessee’s Nate Ament, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr., Alabama’s Amari Allen and Louisville’s Brown. Of the 4 who performed (Brown missed each video games with a again damage), there have been various outcomes.
• The largest winner of the quartet was Cenac. In Houston’s first-round recreation towards Idaho, he dominated the glass with 18 rebounds and managed the inside possession battle. However then towards Texas A&M, we received to see extra of his versatility. He dropped 17 factors with 9 rebounds, hitting a couple of midrange jumpers, grabbed contested boards and persistently supplied a presence along with his size. Cenac nonetheless has his warts, they usually popped up in these two video games, too. He’s late rotationally on protection extra typically than you’d like, and he can get crushed off the bounce. Offensively, he’s not that explosive vertically and might be challenged to complete on the rim. However when he’s taking part in as he did in these two video games, you may see how a protracted, 6-11 participant with perimeter talent could be a worthwhile venture for NBA groups to spend money on.
• After Cenac, Allen stood out most. The numbers look pedestrian, however scouts took discover of his passing skill as he took over a number of the level guard duties from the suspended Aden Holloway. Allen’s playmaking out of ball screens was deadly within the first spherical towards Hofstra, and whereas he solely had 4 assists, he simply may have had double figures if his teammates had transformed some seems. Defensively, he took on the Cruz Davis matchup within the second half and did an excellent job making him work for buckets. The Texas Tech recreation was mainly over earlier than it began, and Allen didn’t shoot properly, however scouts once more famous how good he regarded on protection. I wouldn’t say it was a large needle-mover of a weekend for Allen, however he’s beginning to make his case as a Josh Hart-style, do-it-all wing who might help somebody so long as they aren’t anticipating him to attain a ton early.
• Mullins had an up-and-down weekend. He struggled a bit within the first spherical towards Furman, taking what I might say was one of many 12 worst pictures in basketball historical past to finish the half towards the Paladins. He pulled up with 11 seconds left on the sport clock with the shot clock off as an alternative of holding onto the ball, resulting in a 3 on the opposite finish. He was fairly poor within the second half after that second. Then towards UCLA, he struggled within the first half however then drilled two 3s and a midrange jumper on the finish of that stanza to get going within the final 4 minutes. Then across the halfway level of the second half, he drilled a midrange jumper, received fouled on a 3 and made a layup.
The issue for Mullins is consistency. His factors have a tendency to return in flurries when he seems unstoppable. However in different moments, he turns into invisible. Scouts are beginning to surprise if he’s only a good shooter and probably not an elite one. His inventory is polarizing proper now; some see him as a possible top-15 decide, whereas others put him extra within the mid-to-late 20s..
• Whereas Tennessee made the Candy 16, Ament didn’t assist himself this weekend. He went scoreless in 18 minutes throughout the first-round blowout of Miami (Ohio) whereas turning the ball over thrice. Then towards Virginia, he appeared to wrestle with the Cavaliers’ physicality; a minimum of he helped out with 16 factors, although he shot 36 %. He’s clearly coping with a excessive ankle sprain that he suffered late within the season and is selecting to play by way of it, so I don’t consider scouts will likely be overly harsh on him.
• Arizona’s 6-4 guard Brayden Burries has been as environment friendly and productive as anybody outdoors the top-four prospects listed. He dropped 16 factors and 9 rebounds towards Utah State, together with a fast five-point flurry to start out the second half that prolonged his group’s lead after which a deep 3-pointer with about two minutes left to basically bury the sport. A couple of scouts have Burries in the identical tier as Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Brown among the many guard class because of his skill to shoot, defend his place and rebound. He’s very a lot within the lottery dialog.
• Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz engineered the most important upset of the primary weekend with the Hawkeyes’ win over No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday. Should you simply regarded on the field rating, you would possibly come away unimpressed with Stirtz’s 5-of-16 mark from the sector or his pedestrian 13-point, five-rebound, five-assist recreation. However I believed he was the most effective participant on the court docket towards the Gators with how he dictated every little thing for the Hawkeyes’ offense whereas controlling the tempo of the sport.
Ben McCollum and firm clearly wished this recreation performed on their phrases, with lengthy possessions consuming deep into the shot clock. He additionally was very particular within the matchups he focused, typically looking for Xaivian Lee because the guard defender and Alex Condon as the large the place he may. That led to Iowa dropping 53 factors within the first 27 minutes. Florida began switching all screens after that time, and Stirtz struggled a bit to create in isolation in these matchups, which is why his capturing numbers have been as unhealthy as they have been. However Stirtz’s recreation towards Florida was a main instance of how it’s important to watch the video games as an alternative of simply box-score searching. The upset was led by Tavion Banks’ and Stirtz’s skill to seek out these mismatches and relentlessly assault them.
• Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner did every little thing over the weekend outdoors of drilling a 50-foot buzzer beater (which simply barely rimmed out) towards Nebraska. He dropped 26 factors, seven rebounds and 5 assists towards McNeese with a bevy of huge pictures. Towards Nebraska, he was the group’s solely supply of shot creation on his option to 27 factors and 4 assists as Duke Miles struggled to get going. Tanner is a polarizing prospect for NBA entrance workplaces, with analytics teams making sturdy instances for him whereas extra conventional scouts fear about his measurement (he’s listed at 6 ft, 170 kilos). His measurement popped up as an actual defensive concern in each video games this weekend. He feels just like the type of participant who ought to take a look at his inventory, see if he can get an NBA group to vow him a spot within the first spherical and return to Vanderbilt for what’s going to assuredly be a large bag of cash if he doesn’t get that assure.
• On the opposite facet of that Vanderbilt-Nebraska recreation, Cornhuskers junior wing Pryce Sandfort continued to face out as an elite-level shooter with extra to his recreation than simply that. Sure, he drilled 10 3s within the Huskers’ two wins this weekend on his option to 38 whole factors, however he additionally rebounds, passes properly and is a greater defender than he will get credit score for. He looks like one other participant tailored for the draft-testing course of to see if he can earn his means into the primary spherical. I have a tendency to listen to second-round evaluations for him, however capturing wings are at all times helpful. I believed he was among the best gamers of the weekend.
• I’ll finish with a couple of rapid-fire reactions to spectacular performances. Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr. dropped an absurd 31-point, 27-rebound recreation towards Furman whereas dominating the glass towards an undersized opponent. However the massive winner for Connecticut this weekend was Alex Karaban, who scored 22 factors towards Furman after which an enormous 27 factors to hold the Huskies previous UCLA. Michigan simply retains rolling with its nation’s-best frontcourt of Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. Mara and Lendeborg have been the large standouts this weekend; Mara had 16 factors, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks towards an undersized Saint Louis group, as Lendeborg went off for 25 factors on 13 pictures. Illinois ahead David Mirkovic laughably dominated No. 14 seed Penn for 29 factors and 17 rebounds on Thursday. He ought to in all probability head again to Champaign for one more 12 months of improvement on protection, however he has caught scouts’ eyes along with his well-rounded fashionable offensive recreation. Lastly, Henri Veesaar put in a large effort for North Carolina with 26 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 assists because the wheels got here off of the Hubert Davis period within the group’s loss to VCU. Veesaar was instrumental within the Tar Heels constructing a 19-point lead as he dominated the sport in ball screens, hit three 3-pointers from the middle place and managed the inside towards an overmatched Rams’ frontcourt. I might count on Veesaar to check his inventory in what might be a deep class of facilities; he’ll have an opportunity to be a first-round decide.
