2025 NBA draft: Top 50 prospects to watch in March Madness

March Madness is finally here as college basketball‘s top players enter the NCAA tournament spotlight, giving NBA scouts the platform to get one last look at the many 2025 draft prospects competing before spring combines.

The top of the class has been occupied all season by Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who is the projected No. 1 pick in June’s draft.

Along with Flagg, who are the tournament’s players whom NBA scouts have their eyes on?

ESPN NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo provide their list of the top 50 prospects to watch over the next few weeks. This list only includes players participating in the NCAA tournament, not to be confused with ESPN’s Top 100 rankings. Players such as Rutgers freshmen Dylan Harper (No. 2 in the Top 100) and Ace Bailey (No. 3) were omitted because of their team not qualifying for the field of 68.

Notes: All times are ET. True shooting percentage (TS%) is a formula that blends field goal percentage with free throw shooting and 3-point shooting into one catch-all ratio.

NBA draft coverage:
Scouting Rutgers’ Harper, Bailey | 15 questions
2025 mock draft | Top 100 rankings
Debut of 2026 mock | More draft news

50. Augustas Marciulionis, PG, Saint Mary’s

Height: 6-4 | Senior | TS%: 55.5%
First game: No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt, Friday, 3:15 p.m. (truTV)

Augustas, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis, has carved out his own niche, winning West Coast Conference Player of the Year back-to-back. The 6-foot-4 point guard is a skilled ball handler who plays with pace and feel. He controls tempo while using and rejecting ball screens and finding teammates, unselfishly whipping the ball all over the court.

Marciulionis is a competitive defender with high-level intensity and smarts, playing a key role in Saint Mary’s top-10 ranked defense. Not blessed with elite explosiveness or scoring prowess, his streaky perimeter shooting and finishing ability will be tested against Vanderbilt. — Givony

49. Tomislav Ivisic, C, Illinois

Height: 7-1 | Sophomore | TS%: 60.1%
First game: No. 6 Illinois vs. TBD, Friday, 9:45 p.m. (CBS)

Ivisic became one of the most underrated big men in college basketball this season after following his twin brother, Zvonimir (who plays for Arkansas), to the United States. He made the jump to Illinois from the Adriatic League, supplying plus-passing ability operating in the middle of the floor and playing a reliable brand of basketball.

While not a clear-cut case for this year’s draft — another year in college would prove beneficial to sharpen his game and better showcase his offense — there are NBA teams already drawn to his size and skill level at the center position. If Illinois can string tournament wins together, Ivisic should benefit from more exposure. — Woo

48. Jalon Moore, SF/PF, Oklahoma

Height: 6-7 | Senior | TS%: 60.4%
First game: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 UConn, Friday, 9:25 p.m. (TNT)

Moore broke out in a major way during his final season in college, putting his tremendous physical tools to use while scoring from all over the floor for the Sooners. He is powerful running the floor, attacking in a straight line and drawing fouls with his ripped frame; he converted a strong 39% of his 3-pointers, albeit on a small sample of makes (43 in 33 games).

Moore isn’t as impactful a defender or rebounder as one might hope despite his length and explosiveness. He’s a step slow with his awareness, which also manifests with his lack of passing ability. He’s undersized for a power forward and will need to buy into that end of the floor more consistently as a pro. — Givony