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It may not have been the most critical game of the NCAA tournament to college basketball fans, but it was the most important March Madness contest for the NBA Draft. The Sweet 16 matchup between Kentucky and UCLA featured three players projected to go in the top ten of the 2017 NBA Draft. There were as many as six players that could be first round picks in June. The atmosphere was electric and all eyes were on the point guard battle between Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox. When I asked a source close to the Kentucky program about the number of NBA scouts in attendance, he smiled and gave me the quote of the night. "Not only that, this is the kind of game GM's come to," he said pointing to where Magic Johnson was sitting across the arena. The game lived up to the hype, but it was Fox that stole the show. Fox dominated Ball and ended the night with 39 points as Kentucky moved on to the Elite 8. While not Ball's finest game, he will recover and minutes after UCLA's loss to Kentucky he declared his intentions to enter the draft. While he had an off night, Ball's court vision was still on display. For Fox, the thing that sticks out about him when watching up close is his quickness. He might be the quickest player in this draft class. Not to be left out, Malik Monk can heat up in a hurry and his jump shot is the thing that is intriguing the most about the playmaker.
As March Madness ends, the NBA Draft process will become more clear as players continue declaring for the draft. The NBA Lottery on May 16 will be one of the most anticipated draft events in several years. Picks at the top of the draft are valuable now more than ever with the top prospects available. As college basketball prepares to cut down the nets and crown a champion, Heavy looks at the NBA Lottery to make predictions for the top 14 picks. While the list is full of freshman, there are players like North Carolina's Justin Jackson who have used their time in college to help their draft stock. The draft order is based on the NBA standings on April 1. Click the arrow on the right side of the above image to see Heavy's latest NBA mock draft. (Getty)