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With the Final Four now set, it’s time to look at all the prospects who have truly opened some eyes from a scouting perspective and some of those who could probably use more seasoning. While there are still several months before the draft, in addition to several key camps and pre-draft workouts, scouts were paying particular attention to players’ performances during the pressure cooker that is March Madness.

Helped Themselves

If the draft were today, I think there is every chance that Arizona’s Derrick Williams would be the first overall pick. He’s strong, can handle the ball and proved to have the “it” factor that scouts always look for in a top pick. I recall thinking Williams could win the tournament by himself, that’s how dominating he was at one point. He closed out the game against Texas and literally kept them in the game against UCONN. The only question is the release on his jumper needs to get a little higher, but that’s nitpicking – this kid is the truth and will be a load at the next level.

Everything we said as the tournament progressed seemed to come to fruition when talking about VCU’s Jamie Skeen. He’s not the most gifted athlete, but he captured the moment during this tournament leading VCU to an improbable Final Four with his beastly performance against Kansas. He just wanted the game more. A borderline second-round pick, Skeen’s stock right now is just as high, if not higher, than coach Shaka Smart’s.

Despite losing to Kentucky, North Carolina had a very impressive tournament and were led by Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes. I knew Barnes had the takeover ability and moxy of veteran player, but it was Zeller who impressed me the most in terms of improvement. His frame is very slight and he was pushed around at times by bigger more physical players (namely Josh Harrelson), but his all-around skill set proved NBA worthy in my opinion. He came a long way in a short period of time. He may need another year of seasoning, but he’s a pro, no question.

UCONN’s Kemba Walker helps his stock every time he steps on the floor. His athleticism, ability to simply bring it every night, and the vastly improved form on his jump shot has him on top of a very impressive list of guard prospects. Kentucky’s Brandon Knight will garner serious top 5 consideration as the draft approaches based on his performance here. He’s shown scouts he can value possessions and make the key play at the right time. He’s currently 9-26 from behind the arc for the tournament, including five huge ones yesterday, which validates his near 40% for the season. His turnovers are a bit high, but he’s made up for them by getting after it on the defensive end, making the extra pass later in the shot clock, and knocking down key jump shots.

Maintained Their Place

Harrison Barnes solidified himself as a top-five pick based on his performance in the tournament. When the Heels needed a hoop Barnes seemingly always delivered. He has all the tools, but will he break Heels’ fans’ hearts by leaving after just one year?

{AUTHOR_BOX}Hard not to admit Florida’s Vernon Macklin’s performance Butler was one of the most impressive of any big man in the tournament, and it’s what scouts have been craving from him for a long time.  The center position is a bit thin this year, and Macklin is in the mix in the second round. The talent is there, but he needs to show more in terms of focus and a more adept shooting touch and only two blocked shots the entire tournament doesn’t exactly scream NBA- ready defender.

Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson did nothing to hurt his position as a late-first/early second-round pick during tournament play despite the Boilermaker’s loss to VCU.

Heading into the tournament, scouts were looking forward to seeing how Kenneth Faried would match up against the nation’s best and he more than held his own. If he can continue to prove that he can play with that energy during pre-draft camps, he’s a lock for the mid-first round. 

Kawhi Leonard wasn’t afraid to take the big shot against UCONN, and persevered despite early foul trouble and an emotional technical foul. He’s a transition specialist and supreme rebounder for his size, two commodities in the NBA.

Pass the Salt and Pepper (More Seasoning)

With Bruce Pearl out at Tennessee, it’s danger time for two of the Vols’ underclassmen. Tobias Harris is a sturdy face-up-and-post combination player with range, but he’s a project at this stage. He gets lost too often and there are no maps in the NBA. Speaking of which, Scotty Hopson was completely lost in the Vols first round game and continues to tease scouts with his athleticism and skill, only to disappear the very next game. Both players are extremely talented, but need more time to develop before making any sort of impact at the next level.

It’s been an emotional year for Kansas’ Thomas Robinson having suddenly lost his mother in January and one can sympathize and applaud his focus in dealing with such a tragedy. Tremendously gifted, Robinson needs another year under Bill Self.

As much as Zeller stepped up for North Carolina, John Henson seemed to take a step back in my opinion over these past few weeks. He’s probably a late-first/early second-round pick, but he needs to add weight to a very frail frame and work on polishing his post and counter post moves around the rim in order to be a more effective player. When I think back to Brandan Wright, a former Tar Heel,  before the draft, he was far more developed offensively than Henson but lacked the physical tools to maintain NBA minutes.