Sean Deveney

The maxim about the NCAA tournament and draft prospects is that, over the course of the Big Dance, a player can only help himself.

Only in the rarest of occasions does a player see his stock sink as a result of some sickly tourney performance.

Thus, someone like Arizona State shooting guard James Harden, a sure top 10 pick who struggled through one of the rougher weekends of any player in the tournament -- Harden shot a miserable 3-for-18 from the floor, 1-for-8 from the 3-point line -- hasn't lost out by way of draft status. He'll need to reinforce his shooting ability, speed, strength and toughness in workouts, but he would have needed to do that even if he'd played like a star this weekend.

"He couldn't get open against that Syracuse zone," one general manager said. "They weren't able to get him the ball in good spots, and he just tried to force things. But he's not going to see that style of defense in the NBA. So, if you liked him before the tournament, you can shrug those two games off and keep him high up in your rankings."

Unless there are key head-to-head matchups, the tournament is not likely to have much impact on the stock of players who already seem to be ticketed for the top of the draft, like Harden, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet and Arizona's Jordan Hill. Heading into the Sweet 16, though, some players lower down on the draft board definitely helped their NBA causes -- and stand to help them more in the coming days.

1. Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina.
Projected pick range: 12-22

Lawson hadn't played since March 8 because of a toe injury, but he returned against LSU with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, plus six assists. It was an impressive performance, showing toughness and leadership.

In a draft class short on point guards, Lawson has a chance to move himself from the mid-20s into the back end of the lottery.

2. Terrence Williams, SG, Louisville.
Projected pick range: 18-28

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Williams is a senior with a reputation among scouts as more of an athlete than a basketball player, but the deeper he carries his team into the tournament, the more personnel-types will become interested in his athleticism. His 24-point, 15-rebound performance against Siena was one of the best of any player in the tournament, and he's shot 7-for-13 on 3s.

3. A.J. Price, PG, Connecticut.
Projected pick range: 25-35

Price has quite a few draft obstacles, having missed what would have been his freshman year after a brain hemorrhage and being suspended after an arrest for selling stolen laptops as a sophomore. He'll be 23 in October, which is a bit old for a draftee, and his past isn't going to help his stock.

But scouts like his size and pure talent, and a good tournament could give him some momentum and help him into the draft's first round. In the first two games of the tourney, he's averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, shooting 9-for-18 on 3-pointers.

4. Chase Budinger, SG, Arizona.
Projected pick range: 8-18

Budinger played 79 of the Wildcats' 80 minutes in the first two games, and scored 20 points with eight rebounds and six assists in the upset over Utah. Arizona barely made the tournament, and Budinger is benefitting from the extended exposure. His game is built on versatility, and he's put that on display.

A big outing against Louisville (especially from the 3-point line) could cinch his status as a lottery pick.