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Which NBA prospects helped their draft stock the most this NCAA tournament?

Before March Madness, we took a shot at naming the 10 best NBA prospects entering the NCAA tournament. Now that the Final Four is upon us, let’s look at the guys who have done the most these past two weeks to improve their NBA stocks, starting — alphabetically, of course — with a big guy from Eugene.

Jordan Bell, Oregon

How does a national championship hopeful make up for the loss of its defensive leader right before the tournament? Bell has made that answer look easy, as the 6-9 junior has gone for 12.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks so far — while shooting 73.3 percent from the floor.

For perspective, Bell averaged 10.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks before the tourney. The junior just might be playing himself into a fringe-first round selection.

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Trevon Bluiett, Xavier

The Musketeers were left for dead toward the end of the regular season, finishing 1-7 against teams not named DePaul. Then, as an 11th seed, they knocked off No. 6 Maryland, No. 3 Florida State and No. 2 Arizona before succumbing to No. 1 Gonzaga in the Elite 8.

Bluiett, a junior who had flirted with the draft last season, was the biggest reason for the resurgence, averaging 21.3 points in the tourney and hitting on 41.4 percent of his 3-point tries, putting an injury-ravaged Xavier team on his back in what might have been his last call.

Tyler Dorsey, Oregon

Like Bell, Dorsey has come up big for the Ducks when it has mattered most. In fact, his tear began during the Pac-12 tournament, as the 6-4 sophomore has gone for 23.6 points across his last seven games while shooting at a ridiculous 62.4 percent clip from the floor.

How improbable is that? Dorsey averaged 12.4 points off 42.5 percent shooting before the league tourney. That’s how you play your way onto NBA scouts’ radars.

De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky

Fox was already likely going to be a lottery pick before the dance, but his four-game performance was impossible to ignore this March: The point guard averaged 21.3 points off 50 percent shooting, to go with 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals in the Wildcats’ run to the Elite 8.

The freshman’s 39-point output in a Sweet 16 win over a loaded UCLA team was a tournament freshman record, and it left no doubt about Fox’s capabilities. His passionate postgame media session after losing to UNC won’t hurt with NBA execs, either.

Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin

The Badgers senior was no stranger to March, and he made his last dance memorable, averaging 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists across three games, while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor.

Those were huge increases over Hayes’ season averages of 13.5, 6.5 and 2.8 (and 45 percent shooting), and on top of that, the 6-7, 245-pounder scored the go-ahead bucket late to beat top overall seed Villanova in the second round. Hayes put Wisconsin on his back in overtime of its Sweet 16 loss to Florida with Bronson Koenig hobbled, undoubtedly helping his draft stock in his collegiate finale.

Kansas’ Frank Mason and Oregon’s Jordan Bell both likely improved their draft stocks this month. (Getty)
Kansas’ Frank Mason and Oregon’s Jordan Bell both likely improved their draft stocks this month. (Getty)

Frank Mason III, Kansas

At one point in the second half of the Jayhawks’ finale against Oregon, Mason had accounted for more than half of his team’s total points. The point guard was the only one who showed up for the top-seeded Jayhawks, and his tourney line of 22.3 points (50.8 percent shooting), 4.5 rebounds and 6 assists when the lights were brightest should help the senior get drafted this June.

Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina

Now this is how you close a collegiate career: By averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2 steals and one block per tourney game while lifting your seventh-seeded team to its first ever Final Four.

Thornwell, of course, was the SEC player of the year, so his burst hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. But the way he’s led this year’s March darlings is quite the final act for NBA execs come draft time in three months, when the 6-5 guard could hear his name called midway through the second round.

D.J. Wilson, Michigan

A strong postseason showing could have Wilson, a redshirt sophomore, leaving Ann Arbor early. The 6-9, 220-pounder emerged during the Wolverines’ memorable run to the Sweet 16, averaging 16 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 steal per game in the NCAA tournament. He shot 42.9 percent from 3, a huge improvement from his regular-season showing (36.5), and we all know how much the NBA loves the stretch-four, which suits Wilson perfectly.

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Matt Fortuna is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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