NCAA Tournament Prospect Watch: Hollis-Jefferson locks up Russell on Day 3

The NCAA tournament feels even more loaded with potential NBA prospects this year than it did in 2014, with one of the most heralded draft classes of all time. Maybe it's the battle to be No. 1 pick, or the constant shuffling of those in the lottery, or the fact that 33 of ESPN's top 40 prospects are all on teams that made the field. Maybe we just love this time of year regardless of prospect quality.

In any case, there are 74 prospects in the tournament ranked in the top 100 by either ESPN, DraftExpress or both. Each day of the tournament, we'll check in and see how said prospects performed, and at the end of each weekend we'll provide a Stock Watch, letting you know who's been trending in what direction.

Pre-Tourney Previews: EAST | WEST | SOUTH | MIDWEST | Kentucky
Day One review: Russell, Towns shine
Day Two review: Okafor holds serve, Kaminsky dominates

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson helps lock down D'Angelo Russell

D'Angelo Russell's final stat line, in likely his final game with Ohio State, won't do his game justice. He shot an unsightly 3-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-7 from outside, good for nine points, just his second single-digit output of the season, and the Buckeyes were summarily dispatched by Arizona.

But chalking this up as a choke for Russell wouldn't be fair. There's perhaps no school in the country better suited to contain his singular talents than Arizona, who boast the No. 3-ranked defense in college basketball. What's more, they could offer up former A-10 All-Defensive team guard T.J. McConnell, NBA-bound wing Stanley Johnson and a plethora of help to contain him.

And, of course, there was also Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, perhaps the best wing defender entering June's draft. Hollis-Jefferson had a great showing Thursday, even if 19 of his 23 points came from cuts, transition buckets and putbacks, but Friday was even more impressive. He contained Russell off the dribble, switched into the post when Brandon Ashley got in foul trouble and was generally a menace.

He finished 3-of-12 from the floor, but he also managed 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, flashing his playmaking skills from the wing.

Hollis-Jefferson still can't really shoot and lacks offensive polish, but the defense is so strong and the playmaking appreciable enough that he's a sure-fire first-round pick.

Russell, meanwhile, managed to contribute outside of scoring, a really positive sign for his overall game at the next level. He grabbed seven rebounds, dished six assists and flashed the passing brilliance that makes him so much fun to watch.

The bad outing isn't an indictment on Russell, even if it may make Emmanuel Mudiay the de facto top point guard on some boards. It was just one game, his worst possible matchup, and he still didn't look all that bad. He's going to be a solid pro, and probably a top-five pick.

Top Performances

• It was Tony Parker and Bryce Alford, relative non-prospects, stealing headlines for UCLA on Saturday but their two potentially NBA-bound players performed well, too:
  • Kevon Looney shot 5-of-10, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals, his second strong rebounding performance in a row. That's his freshman-leading 15th double-double. The likely lottery pick has done nothing to hurt his stock and will get another chance to flash his defensive prowess and work on the glass in the Sweet Sixteen.
  • Senior Norman Powell, a fringe second-rounder, had 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four rebounds and three assists. Most importantly, he hit 2-of-3 from outside, the one stark weakness in his profile.

• Jakob Poeltl once again flashed why he's likely to get taken in the first round, even if he's still quite raw. The Utah big worked around foul trouble to shoot 5-of-6 for 12 points, grabbing one rebound and blocking one shot. That's not spectacular, but he also helped lock down Joshua Smith and Isaac Copeland. He definitely showed enough to keep his stock strong.
  • There's not much else to say about Delon Wright. He had 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and lived at the line. This is what he does. He's one of the best players in the country, is NBA-ready as a senior and could be a late first-round pick.
• Stanley Johnson was mentioned earlier, but he had a pretty poor showing Saturday. He shot 1-of-12 for four points but was able to haul in 10 rebounds and two steals to contribute. It's not a top-10 performance but it follows a great Round of 64 game.
  • Kaleb Tarczewski, a fringe second-round pick, was quiet on offense but finished with eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks for the Wildcats.
  • Brandon Ashley saw his recent hot streak come to an end - he had averaged 18.2 points over his last six games - scoring seven points and fouling out in 19 minutes. He, too, is a fringe second-rounder almost surely returning for a senior year.
• Jerian Grant hit a crazy, clutch overtime layup as Notre Dame won a thriller, two of his 16 points. He added five rebounds and five assists, showing no reason his standing as a first-round pick is unfounded.
  • Teammate Demetrius Jackson, a potential second-round pick who may opt for a junior season, had another strong showing, and he;'s now scored 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 10 assists through two tournament games.

Kentucky gets their own section

• Willie Cauley-Stein is going to be a very good NBA player. Even if his offense doesn't quite get there - right now he can finish but doesn't do a whole lot else for Kentucky - his ability to legitimately guard five positions is going to be valuable at the next level. He looked great against Cincinnati, even if his nine-point, two-rebound, two-block line doesn't suggest as much. He may be pushing himself into the top-five in June.
• Karl-Anthony Towns likewise had a muted line - eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks - but did nothing to lose ground as he chases Jahlil Okafor as the top NBA prospect in the tournament.
• Trey Lyles had his second career double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. He has an outside shot at going in the late lottery, and a big rebounding night, even with a 3-of-9 shooting mark, should help to that end.
• The team's other potential lottery pick continued to struggle, with Devin Booker going 0-of-5 from long range. He finished with six points and four rebounds but despite a 42.2 percent 3-point mark on the season, he's shot 26.8 percent since the start of February.
• Tyler Ulis - whose draft stock would probably be well-served by a sophomore season - looked great, dishing five assists and nabbing three steals to go along with nine points in a team-high 34 minutes.
• Aaron Harrison, the twin with slightly less NBA potential, out performed brother Andrew. Aaron had 13 points and hit 3-of-7 from long range while Andrew shot 2-of-7 and dished two dimes in 26 minutes.
• Dakari Johnson (three points, three rebounds) and Marcus Lee (two minutes) were non-factors.

So does North Carolina

• Marcus Paige may have shown enough in the last two games to warrant a second-round pick. He's scored 34 points with seven rebounds, six assists, six steals and a 5-of-10 mark from long range in the tournament so far.
• Justin Jackson has made a similar case, totaling 30 points on 9-of-21 shooting through two outings.
• Brice Johnson has shown why his ranking varies by outlet. He has 14 points, 20 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, but he also has nine fouls in 56 minutes and has shot 4-of-15. A senior season probably wouldn't hurt.
• Kennedy Meeks left the game hurt but was 4-of-5 for nine points before exiting. He also had four fouls and four turnovers, giving him nine of the latter in 44 tournament minutes.
• J.P. Tokoto is also all over rankings lists but his 13-point, eight-dime performance Saturday was a really strong showing for the junior.

See You Next Year ... or on Draft Night

• Along with Russell, Shannon Scott saw his season - and career - come to an end with a bit of a whimper. He scored 10 points but coughed the ball up four times. There's a chance he gets a late-second-round look, but not a great one.
• R.J. Hunter went out as he's lived his three years at Georgia State, with guns blazing. He shot 6-of-15 for 20 points and added four rebounds and five assists in the loss. Two tournament games did little to change the book on him - he's going to be able to score some at the next level, and his defense may not get any better during a fourth season with the Panthers. He'll go in the first round if he declares, but that may not be a certainty.

• Isaac Copeland struggled against Jakob Poeltl and the Utes frontline, finishing 4-of-12 with only four rebounds. But he also went 4-of-8 from long range, the exact reason he's so enticing as a forward prospect. He'd be taken in the second round if he declares but could really up his stock with as strong sophomore campaign at Georgetown.
  • Joshua Smith struggled, too, and his case for selection seems tenuous. He's huge at 6-foot-10 and 350 pounds and he finishes well, but his offensive game hasn't really popped, he doesn't block shots and he looked overmatched against raw 7-footers Saturday.
• Michael Qualls sure made a strong case for inclusion in the draft if he declares. After dropping a 20-piece Thursday, he came back with 27 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for Arkansas against UNC on Saturday. It took him 19 shots to get there and he struggled from outside at 1-of-6, but there's a lot to like.
  • His first-round-bound teammate Bobby Portis had a similar game,s hooting 5-of-15 but finishing with a ridiculous 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and five steals.
• It was one hell of a game overall, but Kellen Dunham limped out of his junior season for Butler, shooting 2-of-13 for eight points with three rebounds. He'll probably need a senior year to get on draft boards.