College’s top prospects still dancing at March Madness

With the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in the books and the homestretch of March Madness under way, we take a look at some of the top NBA prospects who have helped lead their teams to the Sweet 16. Next game: Friday vs No. 2 Kentucky Rundown: Ball entered the tournament with a chance to show scouts that he’s worthy of the No. 1 overall pick come June – a luxury not given to Washington’s Markelle Fultz, whose Huskies went just 9-22. Through the first two rounds, Ball has basked in the national spotlight, showing the nation the hype is justified and not just because his dad says it is.

He scored 15 points on 6-of7 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three assists in UCLA’s first-round rout of Kent State. In the second round against Cincinnati, Ball recorded 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, nine assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. He caught fire in the second half, where he scored 11 of his points – including back-to-back, NBA-range three-pointers – and dished out all nine of his assists. Thursday vs No. 4 Purdue

Rundown: Projected to go in the top five on draft day, Jackson has all the physical tools to be a star at the next level – a notion he confirmed in the first two rounds. He scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in the Jayhawks’ first-round win over UC Davis and scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in Kansas’ 20-point second-round win over Michigan State, highlighted by a five-minute sequence in the second half where Kansas coach Bill Self said he “showed everything. Beating you off the bounce, making threes off the catch, making threes off the bounce, finishing through contact.” Next game: Friday vs No. 3 UCLA Rundown: At this point, it’s not a question about whether or not Fox — a lightning-quick point guard with great size, leaping ability and defensive tools – will be drafted in the lottery. The question is: How high will he go? He was quiet for most of Kentucky’s second-round win over Wichita State, but he stepped up late in the second half, making big plays on both ends of the floor to help push the Wildcats to victory. After Ball and Fultz, Fox – weak jump shot and all – makes a case as the third best point guard in the draft. Next game: Friday vs No. 3 UCLA Rundown: Monk – an explosive athlete who can put the ball in the hole as well as any 19-year-old in the country – made just three of his 10 shot attempts against Wichita State, scoring 14 points, after going just 3-for-11 for 12 points in the first round against Northern Kentucky. But don’t expect a stretch of streaky shooting to turn scouts away. Just like Fox, Monk made plays on both ends of the floor when it mattered most against the Shockers. He hit a THE NCAA TOURNAMENT has always been the premier showcase for future NBA talent, and this year a number of highly touted prospects have live up to the hype through the first two rounds of March Madness, including (clockwise from top left) UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, South Carolina guard Sindarius Thornwell, Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox and Florida forward Devin Robinson. contested three-pointer with 2:08 to go to give Kentucky a 61-56 lead and swatted away a potential game-winner with 14 seconds left, followed by two clutch free throws on the next possession. Next game: Friday vs No. 3 UCLA Rundown: Monk and Fox weren’t the only two Wildcats who came up big at the end of Kentucky’s win over Wichita State. Adebayo – who finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds – followed up Monk’s block with a block of his own, sending away a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

In Kentucky’s first-round win? He tallied 15 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. His offensive skill set isn’t all that polished, but he’s a great athlete who can guard multiple positions, which could make him the X-Factor as the Wildcats look to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time under coach John Calipari. Next game: Friday vs No. 4 Butler Rundown: Jackson, who withdrew from the draft last summer, has been one of the most improved players in the country, and it’s shown in both of North Carolina’s tournament wins. After making just 63 three-pointers at a 29.7% clip over his first two years, Jackson has knocked down 98 this year at 38.7%. He’s also hit eight of his 14 three-point attempts so far in the tournament – numbers that should help overshadow his shortcomings as an athlete.

In the first round against Texas Southern, he had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the first time in his three tournament appearances. In the Tar Heels’ second-round win over Arkansas, he had 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. Next game: Friday vs No. 3 Baylor Rundown: No player has had a tournament quite like Thornwell – a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who has improved immensely in his fourth collegiate season.

In South Carolina’s first-round rout of No. 10 Marquette, Thornwell poured in 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and tallied two blocks and three steals.

Then came a 24-point, six-rebound, five-assist outing in a stunning upset of No. 2 Duke, which led Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski to dub Thornwell “the best, unheralded, great player in the United States.”

The fact that he’s already 22 and waited until his senior year to break out may turn some scouts away, but if he can put together another strong showing against Baylor and keep the Gamecocks alive, those same scouts will have a hard time looking the other way. Friday vs No. 7 South

Next game: Carolina

Rundown: Motley is a monster, a walking double-double who has taken significant steps forward during his third year with the Bears. That steady improvement has carried over into the tournament, where he’s averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and shooting 61.5% from the field. But will it carry over into the NBA? He can beat defenders with a plethora of post moves, get out and run in transition and rebound with the best of them, but Motley lacks a perimeter game – a skill NBA teams covet from the power forward position. Friday vs No. 8 Wisconsin

Next game:

Rundown: Robinson – a long, athletic, versatile wing – has loads of potential, as well as the physical tools to succeed at the next level.

While much of that potential remains untapped, he was the best player on the floor for Florida in their first two tournament wins. In the first round against Eastern Tennessee State, Robinson matched a career-high 24 points (on 10-of17 shooting) and added seven rebounds and two blocks. In Florida’s 65-39 rout of UVA, he had 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds. Friday vs No. 2 Kentucky

Next game:

Rundown: Though he’s overshadowed by star point guard Lonzo Ball, the Bruins wouldn’t be anywhere near the team that they are without Leaf, who leads UCLA in scoring and both field goal and three-point percentage.

The 6-10 freshman has a complete offensive skill set: He’s efficient, can score from anywhere on the floor, and has shown the ability to find his teammates with passes from the post. In UCLA’s first two tournament games, he averaged 17 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 59% from the field. (USA Today/TNS)