Syracuse regional stocked with lottery prospects
chad

It's March Madness, baby! It's the big stage for some of college basketball's best players to show off their games. NBA scouts and general managers will be out in force over the next few weeks scouting everyone in the Big Dance.

A great March can really help a player's stock. Last year, UConn's Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, Duke's Luol Deng, Stanford's Josh Childress, Arizona's Andre Iguodala and BYU's Rafael Araujo all rode strong performances into the lottery. In 2003, Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony, Marquette's Dwyane Wade, Kansas' Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison, and Central Michigan's Chris Kaman used the tournament to catapult themselves into the lottery.

In previous years, Maryland's Chris Wilcox, Arizona's Richard Jefferson, Florida's Mike Miller, Miami-Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak and Connecticut's Richard Hamilton helped their draft position significantly in March.

This year, with such an open draft field, a number of players could take advantage of the national stage to supercharge their draft stock.

Who will it be this year? ESPN Insider talked to multiple NBA scouts and GMs to give you a look at the top five NBA prospects they'll be watching in each NCAA region.

Today, Insider will take a look at the East's Syracuse Regional bracket, which might be the most-loaded NBA prospect bracket in the history of the tournament. There could be as many as seven lottery picks in this regional. Tuesday, we'll tackle the South's Austin Regional bracket.

For the inside scoop on every team in the tournament, check out Insider's in-depth Tournament Guide.

East: Syracuse Region NBA Prospects

1. North Carolina's Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants
The Skinny: Williams: 11.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg | Felton: 12.7 ppg, 6.9 apg | McCants: 15.8 ppg, 3 rpg

The Good: You'd expect a No. 1 seed to have one or two top-flight NBA prospects. The Tar Heels have three legit lottery prospects and several other players who could go later in the draft. Start with freshman Williams, who has everything scouts want in an NBA forward. He's a great athlete, has good size, is versatile, can play inside and out and is a grounded kid. Felton, a junior, might be the best pure point guard in the draft. He doesn't look for his shot often, but he's an outstanding playmaker who loves to push the ball up the floor. McCants, another junior, is one of the most efficient scorers in the country. All three are blessed with above-average athleticism.

The Bad: The only knock on Williams is experience. He's coming off the bench this year for North Carolina and, in a perfect world, would spend an extra year in North Carolina as a team leader. In the past, scouts have complained about Felton's shooting, but considering he's shooting 44 percent on 3-pointers this year, it's tough to make that criticism stick. Size and attitude problems have hurt McCants' stock a bit. He's done a good job of cleaning up his image this year, however.

The Upside: Williams is a top-three pick in the draft this year if he declares. He has a real shot at getting the overall No. 1 pick. Williams keeps claiming that he's leaning toward returning to school for his sophomore season, but given his draft stock at the moment, it's probably in his best interest to declare. Felton also should find his way into the lottery. He's currently ranked by Insider as the third-best point guard in the draft behind Wake Forest's Chris Paul and Illinois' Deron Williams. McCants is on the lottery bubble. If he has a huge tournament, he's got a shot at the lottery, but he might be better off returning to school for one more year to solidify a place in the lottery.

2. UConn's Rudy Gay, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, Charlie Villanueva
The Skinny: Gay: 11.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg | Boone: 12.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg | Williams: 9.2 ppg, 8.1 apg | Villanueva: 13.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg

The Good: North Carolina might have three lottery picks, but UConn has four solid first-rounders, all of whom could be potential lottery picks. Freshman Gay is the best of the bunch, a prototypical small forward who can score inside and outside, rebound and defend. He's been picking up steam the last few weeks of the season. Sophomore Boone is a bouncy, athletic big man with great rebounding and shot-blocking skills. He's got a great motor, which is rare in big guys with this much talent. Sophomore Williams has been turning heads the past few months. The 6-foot-3 lefty is an excellent passer and penetrator with a very solid outside jumper. Sophomore Villanueva is a talented combo forward who can dominate when he puts his mind to it. He can score inside and out, and he's a good rebounder and shot blocker. He also has a very good handle for a guy his size.

The Bad: Gay lacks experience but little else. He could add a few more pounds of muscle on his frame. Boone looked like a mid-to-high lottery pick early in the season but has struggled the second half, especially on the offensive end. He still needs a lot of polish in the paint. Williams is a bit turnover prone. Villanueva's rep still is taking a beating after a disastrous NBA workout two years ago. Questions about his work ethic and effort continue to dog him.

The Upside: Gay is a likely top-five pick in the draft if he declares. Coach Jim Calhoun says that he wants Gay to play at least one more year. Clearly it would help Gay's game, but it probably wouldn't affect his draft stock much. Boone is on the Okafor three-year graduation plan. Unless he blows up in the tournament, he's probably better off waiting one more year. With a consistent junior year, he'd be a lock for the lottery. Right now, his status is shakier. Most scouts believe that Williams needs another year of college, but when he does come out he has the potential to be a lottery pick. Villanueva has the talent for the lottery, but questions about his head and his heart probably will keep him in the mid-to-late first round.

3. Danny Granger, SF, New Mexico
The Skinny: 6-foot-8, 230 lbs, Senior: 19 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 53 percent shooting from the field

The Good: Granger is a versatile big man with long arms and a sweet shooting stroke. He's shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and grabbing nearly nine rebounds per game. That isn't easy to do. Granger is also known as a superb defender who can guard both forwards and guards. He has a real fiery streak that scouts love. "He reminds me a little of Joe Johnson," one scout told Insider. "He can guard four positions and play four positions on offense. I think he'll primarily be a three, but he can also play two and even a little one."

The Bad: There isn't much there. The biggest knock on him is that he's stuck in New Mexico. Says one scout, "If he were at Duke, he'd be a top-five pick right now."

The Upside: Granger is among the most underrated prospects in the country. He's all over draft boards right now, with a few scouts having him ranked as high as the late lottery. If he has a big tournament, he might be able to climb that high on everyone's board. If he's just so-so, he's still taken in the top 20 picks.

4. Wayne Simien, PF, Kansas
The Skinny: 6-foot-9, 260 lbs, Senior: 20.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 55 percent shooting from the field

The Good: Simien is one of the most dominant big men in college basketball. He's a blue-collar bruiser with a solid NBA body and plenty of strength and toughness. Simien is an outstanding rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. He has developed a nice baseline jumper, shows soft hands and is quicker than his bulky frame would suggest. He also has impressive leaping ability for a player his size. He's a very good free-throw shooter for a big man. He has a real motor and great toughness.

The Bad: But is he big enough to play the four? Scouts feel he's closer to 6-foot-7, which will raise a lot of concerns. He doesn't have long arms either, which can be a problem. He has great touch from 10 feet out, but no touch around the basket. He's not a good shot blocker, which is a surprise considering his leaping ability. Some scouts also claim he has bad hands. Durability is also an issue – he has missed a lot of games the past few years with injuries.

The Upside: Simien is one guy who can really help himself with a great tournament for Kansas. He's not going to grow, but with the success of players like Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson in the league right now, he might be able to convince a team that he can bring the same type of glass cleaning and intensity to a team. Right now he's on the first-round bubble, but he has the potential to improve his stock into the high 20s.

5. David Lee, F/C, Florida
The Skinny: 6-foot-9, 240 lbs, Senior: 13.4 ppg, 9 rpg, 52 percent shooting from the field

The Good: Lee is another college senior on the NBA's "Most Underrated" list. A big man who can run the floor, Lee plays both inside and on the perimeter, shoots a high percentage and grabs rebounds. He's a big leaper and can score and handle with both his left and his right. One of the better passing big men in college hoops.

The Bad: Lee has played out of position for most of his college days and hasn't performed to the level many scouts expected when he came out of high school. His defense also needs a lot of work.

The Upside: Scouts have to project what Lee might look like playing power forward on an up-tempo team in the pros. "He's never been used the right way [at] Florida," one NBA scout said. "He doesn't get enough touches on the offensive end and he's always been asked to guard people he has no business guarding." A big tournament could do a lot to help bring his stock into the first round.

Sleeper: Curtis Stinson, G, Iowa State
The Skinny: 6-foot-3, 215 lbs, Sophomore: 17.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, 44 percent shooting from the field

The Good: Stinson hasn't gotten the pub of the other guys on the list, but scouts who have seen him play all believe he has what it takes to succeed in the NBA. Stinson is a scoring point guard with great size who likes to take the ball to the basket. He's got a great basketball IQ and is an excellent passer and defender. He's very strong and likes to take smaller guards down in the paint. When he gets to the rim, he's a great finisher.

The Bad: The only thing holding him back is his jump shot. While his mid-range jumper is solid, he's not much of a threat from 3-point land.

The Upside: Scouts believe there's a good chance Stinson will declare for the draft this year. He turned 23 in February. He's at least two to three years older than most college sophomores and knows the clock is ticking. If he came out right now, he'd probably be a late first-round or early second-round pick . If the jumper ever improved, the rest of his game is pure lottery. A big tournament could really juice his stock.

Others to watch: Julius Hodge, G/F, NC State; Eddie Basden, G/F, Charlotte; Sean May, F/C, North Carolina; Matt Walsh, G/F, Florida; Anthony Roberson, G, Florida; J.R. Giddens, SG, Kansas; Aaron Miles, PG, Kansas; Curtis Withers, F, Charlotte; Vincent Grier, Minnesota; Leon Williams, Ohio

That's a good report on Granger and that's a decent comparison: Joe Johnson. The other knock on him would be injury history, which is a concern. But otherwise he doesn't have many weaknesses to his game. He might not be a superstar, but I think he can be a top level starter and would be an excellent pick in the mid first round.