The NCAA Tournament is always excellent viewing as a spectacle of one-and-done basketball with a fair amount of the approximately 1,000 college players experiencing the pinnacle (or end) of their athletic careers. We always see iconic moments unfold in real time and a great diversity of basketball style and a wide array of skill level.

A small percentage of those players will eventually play NBA basketball, and here is a primer for those interested in watching the Tournament from that perspective. One player from each of the 68 teams is highlighted in order of seeding, even if the odds of those players from the 14-16 seed teams is as long as it is for them to reach the Final Four.

1. Ohio State: Jared Sullinger

My first NBA mock draft for 2011 will appear on RealGM on Tuesday and Sullinger will be listed lower than many might expect. He is undoubtedly a great college player with excellent fundamentals and a high basketball intelligence, but he lacks the upside potential to be considered a top-three pick in my estimation. Ohio State has an excellent blend of talent to make this tournament belong to Sullinger and even though he will be a ten-year contributor type, his transition into the NBA will be much more difficult than it was from high school to college.

We rarely see big men as pure and skilled as Sullinger in college basketball anymore, regardless of the class and he has exceeded every expectation.

David Lighty and William Buford are also worth watching on the Buckeyes, while Jon Diebler has some fringe potential since he does one thing extremely well and has even been putting the ball on the deck a little bit more this season.

2. Kansas: Marcus Morris 

I really like Kansas to win it all this year, as they did when the Final Four was last held in Texas. Marcus Morris is a prototypical tweener, but I see him being an inside-outside small forward that can guard a few power forwards. He plays with a fearlessness and strength that allows him to be one of the best scorers in the country. If Bill Self wins his second title, Marcus Morris will surely be the Tournament MOP.

Marcus’ brother Markieff is also a very intriguing prospect for me and I have him in the first round should he declare. Josh Selby, Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor are also NBA prospects that merit attention.

3. Pittsburgh: Brad Wanamaker

Pitt is the only No. 1 seed that lacks a first round talent, which is a testament to the continual outstanding coaching of Jamie Dixon.

Gilbert Brown is another senior that will get some second round consideration, but this stage is more suitable for a playmaker off the dribble like Wanamaker.

We’ll have one more collegiate season to see if Ashton Gibbs can shoot his way onto an NBA roster.

4. Duke: Nolan Smith 

Duke has several pro prospects, even if their best one(Kyrie Irving) more than likely won’t step on the floor. Smith deserves this slot anyways though, as he has been nothing short of remarkable this season especially since he had a bigger role than expected without Irving. The vast majority of his offense comes off the dribble, whether in Duke’s pick and roll, or in isolation opportunities. I don’t see him becoming an NBA starter, but he will certainly find minutes on the next level because of his heady play and ability to play both backcourt positions.

5. North Carolina: Harrison Barnes 

Barnes has come on incredibly strong over the past few weeks after preseason expectations were found to be unfair and unrealistic. His natural talent is always immediately apparent, but my criticism of him this season has been that he hasn’t imposed his will enough. North Carolina underachieved and now they have probably overachieved, so it will be interesting to see how far they advance as a No. 2 seed.

John Henson’s defensive ability is also worth paying attention, as is the point guard play of Kendall Marshall who should be a first rounder in 2012 or 2013.

6. San Diego State: Kawhi Leonard 

While extremely raw offensively, Leonard doesn’t completely lack talent on that side of the floor since he can lose people off the dribble so easily, but his future as an NBA prospect is as high as it is because of his rebounding and athleticism. He is a man amongst boys athletically and the Aztecs will need him to score efficiently to live up to their No. 2 seed billing. Leonard was well above his season average in the two BYU losses, but needed volume to get there. He’s at least scoring much better recently than he did during that rough patch following the first BYU loss.

7. Florida: Patric Young 

Out of all of the freshmen with legitimate first round potential, Patric Young stands out as the player that should unquestionably stay in school. He has an exceptional athletic profile, but he needs reps against lesser talent to refine his basic basketball fundamentals. Based on everything I’ve seen of Young this season, a successful tournament where his stock artificially climbs would be the worst thing for him long-term in that it would offer unwarranted delusions of grandeur.

More interestingly for the 2011 NBA Draft is Chandler Parsons, who was the SEC Player of the Year but lacks the elite athleticism or go-to skill to be more than a fringe pro player. I could see him having a really nice career in Europe though.

8. Notre Dame: Ben Hansbrough 

For the second consecutive season, the Big East Player of the Year was a transfer. Following in the footsteps of Wesley Johnson, Notre Dame was led to a No. 2 seed by the play of Hansbrough. He isn’t a likely NBA player, but he is one of the best halfcourt scorers in the country.

9. Syracuse: Kris Joseph 

Joseph will have a bigger role in the tournament, though I see Rick Jackson as the more likely pro prospect.

Jackson doesn’t have a very good post game and is far from explosive as an athlete, but he is a big bodied rebounder and shotblocker with a very definitive NBA niche.

Syracuse’s freshman trio of Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and C.J. Fair has more latent upside even if they all have a long ways to go.

10. Purdue: JaJuan Johnson 

Johnson is one of those players who has seemingly been around forever since he’s been on NBA radars for so long. Now that he’s a senior, we’ll see him in June whether we like it or not. One thing Purdue can do as well as any team in the country is score in the interior and that is due to Johnson and even fellow prospect E’Twaun Moore to a lesser extent. Johnson has more of an NBA future than Moore, but both will almost certainly be drafted and the latter fits the profile of the type of player that can create some second looks because of a strong tournament.

11. Connecticut: Kemba Walker 

After a very frustrating 09-10 season, I still saw enough of Kemba Walker to put him 17^th overall for the 2010 NBA Draft this time last year before the declarations were sorted out. The way he has rebounded has exceeded everyone’s expectations, but where he is now is where he was projected after his freshman season. The shotmaking is excellent and those five Big East nights will live in infamy, even if it is a mild deodorant for his relative struggles during the middle part of the season.

He can score and rebound at remarkable rates and the way he has reduced his turnovers despite the massive spike in usage is very encouraging for his point guard abilities on the next level. The Kings can only get so many high usage players, but I would love to see him as their point guard hybrid to pair with Tyreke Evans.

12. Brigham Young: Jimmer Fredette 

College basketball deserves at least one more vintage Jimmer game in a tight one before he graduates onto a draft process that will scrutinize him to no end.

I’m always dubious of anyone labeling a player as a sure thing, but Fredette’s future as instant scoring off an NBA bench is set in stone for me. This is the kind of role he will have, no more and no less. His range extends to 30-feet and he seems to shoot better with a hand in his face. Most importantly, Fredette can create his own jumpers off the dribble even if he should get a fair amount of those within the framework of an NBA offense that has other primary scorers.

His defense is as bad as advertised, but he is strong and athletic enough to improve.

13. Kentucky: Brandon Knight 

I admit to having a type and it has been John Calipari point guard for four years running now with Knight being his latest freshman at the position.

He is very smart with the dribble and shifts around with bursts of quickness laterally similar to an NFL running back. Knight has been outstanding in his ability to beat his man off the dribble and his still-improving jumper is where you can most easily knock him.

Knight doesn’t have that insane once in a generation passing ability like John Wall, but he is a much better prospect at this stage than Eric Bledsoe (who has played meaningful NBA minutes for the Clippers since November) was last season, even though his defense isn’t as good.

Like Duke, the best prospect on Kentucky is on the bench, as Enes Kanter has been ineligible. Between Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb, there is plenty on the floor to scout beyond just Knight.

14. Louisville:  Peyton Siva

Siva is realistically a longshot to become an NBA player and has two more seasons under Rick Pitino left, but his speed with the dribble is extraordinary. He wouldn’t have a chance in the NBA 20 years ago, but the new rules that have created millions for guys like Tony Parker could also benefit Siva.

15. Wisconsin: Jon Leuer 

Setting aside the pain of the Penn State game, 36-33 is a result I still can’t get over, the Badgers have the right pieces to go on an extended run. Leuer has been on a dreadful late season shooting slump from distance, with an 0-for-6 against Penn State and another a few weeks ago against Michigan. Wisconsin plays low possession basketball and needs Leuer to be that inside/outside player he has been throughout the season. He’s a pick-and-pop stretch-4, who can also put the ball on the deck a little bit.

16. Texas: Tristan Thompson 

Thompson is a physically undersized power forward, especially since he needs to be near the bucket to score, but I like his overall foundation to improve significantly from where is at now. I believe he has top-five upside potential, but the risk of that development will keep him out of the top-10.

Jordan Hamilton is worth looking at for the 2011 NBA Draft and Cory Joseph for 2012 and beyond.

17. West Virginia:  Kevin Jones

This has been a transition season for West Virginia and the team doesn’t have an NBA-ready prospect. Jones probably has the most promise even if scouts aren’t going to be swayed by the aberration of his perimeter shooting against Marquette in the tournament.

18. Vanderbilt: Jeff Taylor 

John Jenkins leads Vanderbilt in scoring and is absolutely a pure shooter, but Taylor’s skill at his size makes him the more capable prospect. Taylor can score in a lot of different ways and is just a smooth ballplayer.

Look for Jenkins to be a Jimmer candidate next season though since he already made a huge jump this season.

19. Kansas State: Jacob Pullen

There isn’t a ton to grab onto for K-State in terms of pro prospects anymore and I think that’s at least part of the reason why they underachieved from that top-10 ranking. They played above their heads last season and didn’t have the talent to back it up, especially with everything that went on with Wally Judge’s departure. Pullen at least has big game experience that he can hope returns him to relevancy, considering his 34 points against Fredette’s Cougars in last year’s second round.

20. Arizona: Derrick Williams 

Down here we get a player who can go number one overall in Williams, who has an outstanding inside/outside game. Simply speaking, he’s a crafty scorer and I’m buying the efficiency of his jumper because there’s a purity to it. His main competition for that number one slot (Irving and Kanter) are two players that were injured for most of the year, or ineligible. Additionally, Perry Jones' collegiate career is over, which leaves the stage wide open for Williams, who has been overlooked outside of NBA and Pac-10 circles.

21. Xavier:  Tu Holloway

Holloway carries a huge load offensively, scoring 20.2 points per game along with 5.5 assists. I sincerely doubt there is another player in the country that runs the pick-and-roll more than Holloway and he does it extremely well, but I believe he’s too small and one-dimensional to be a prospect teams can take seriously.

22. Georgetown: Austin Freeman 

It is always tough for wings of Freeman’s size and athletic profile to get anything more than a courtesy look from scouts, which is an unfortunate reality for this type of player. He is a good individual scorer on the collegiate level, but a player with his physicality can accomplish far more in the Big East than anything beyond the D-League or in Europe.

23. St. John's: Dwight Hardy 

Very similar to the Hoyas’ Chris Wright, it is terribly unfortunate that D.J. Kennedy went down. That leaves Hardy, who led the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game.

24. Cincinnati: Yancy Gates 

Gates gives Cincinnati a legitimate low post presence, but when his length is negated against pro competition, his rudimentary moves won’t translate. I’m not sure I have seen a player dribble with as much frequency in the post as Gates.

25. Washington: Justin Holiday 

Holiday has to hope he follows the Quincy Pondexter model of a season ago where he was on the first round bubble and a strong tournament run helped that. Washington is again peaking at the right time, but Holiday has been going the opposite direction after an encouraging early run.

26. Texas A&M: Khris Middleton 

Middleton has been trending down during the second half of his sophomore season, but he is capable of being the best player on the floor on any given night; he’s an ineffective volume scorer on the other nights unfortunately.

27. UCLA: Tyler Honeycutt 

Honeycutt has probably been better in bigger games against quality opponents, at least in that Kansas game but that was a long time ago. His stock has fallen for me because he just hasn’t been able to score with anything resembling efficiency.

28. Temple: Lavoy Allen 

Allen has had a productive career at Temple, but he really failed to develop his game and arguably took a step backwards this season.

29. George Mason: Cam Long 

Long averages 15.3 points per game and has improved this season, but is not a senior we can expect to be drafted.

30. UNLV:  Tre’Von Willis

The senior, who transferred after one season at Memphis, was an All-Conference Tournament selection and has been playing well of late.

31. Michigan: Darius Morris

The Wolverines get a large percentage of their scoring off the dribble and Morris is the archetype of that. He can score in a ton of different ways, but he needs to address positional issues in the long-term since he is such a tweener.

Seeing a Tim Hardaway wearing No. 10 is also an intriguing storyline, even if he is extremely one-dimensional at this pont.

32. Butler: Matt Howard 

Not a player we can expect on the NBA circuit, but Howard has averaged 16.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

33. Villanova: Mouphatou Yarou 

Yarou has an exceedingly long ways to go to become the type of player you can put on an NBA floor, but his physicality and work ethic makes him a player teams want to gamble upon. He hasn’t played very well at all during Villanova’s six-game losing streak to end the season.

34. Illinois: Jereme Richmond 

Demetri McCamey is about as known of a commodity as we get to see in college basketball these days, but Richmond is of course the guy who has the chance to become more than just a rotation player. Richmond’s freshman season has been littered with uneven outings, but the way he played in both Ohio State games, along with occasional explosive bursts, makes you want to believe.

35. Old Dominion:  Frank Hassell

Hassell leads the team in points and rebounds, while shooting 56.1% from the floor.

36. Tennessee: Tobias Harris 

Harris has finished his freshman season strong and his decision will be interesting. If he stays in school and commits fully to getting into better shape, which I think he ultimately will on both fronts, Harris could have one of those huge freshman to sophomore jumps.

37. Penn State: Talor Battle 

Battle is what a four-year college star should be, getting incrementally better each season, even if he is getting to the end of the road.

38. Michigan State: Kalin Lucas

Lucas upped his points per game average, but he’s dropped in efficiency and also in terms of assists. Barring something dramatic, he has Europe written all over him. 

39. Florida State: Chris Singleton 

We’re not sure yet if Singleton will be able to play because of that fractured foot, but either way he is a first round stretch-4 who can also play excellent defense.

40. Georgia: Travis Leslie 

Without question, Trey Thompkins is also worth looking at for as long as the Bulldogs remain in the tourney, but Leslie is the more noteworthy prospect. He is a showstopper of an athlete and uses that in everything he does offensively. Leslie’s shot is far from consistent and that is what will determine whether or not he makes it, but I see enough promise to believe in him if he goes to the right system.

41. Missouri: Marcus Denmon 

Denmon averages 17.1 points per game, one of five players avearing double-digits for the Tigers.

42. Marquette: Jimmy Butler 

Butler wasn’t able to improve from his junior season and has struggled against some of the better teams, but he will get a Summer League invit.

43. USC: Nikola Vucevic 

I doubt we have had two Nikola’s go in the same draft and we will have the chance should they both declare (Real Madrid’s Nikola Mirotic being the other). Vucevic is an encouraging post player, who really began to put it together as the season progressed. He also projects as a valuable pick and pop player as his jumper becomes more consistent. It is very easy to see Vucevic being a rotation player at either big position in the NBA.

44. VCU: Jamie Skeen 

Skeen averages 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for VCU, both numbers lead the team.

45. Gonzaga: Elias Harris 

I liked Harris as a top-15 pick this time last year, but it has been a rough year for the sophomore. His inconsistency is perplexing, but he tends to only put up passable numbers against bad teams, with horrible outings against SDSU, Kansas State and Baylor. He has a few solid games against quality opponents scattered, but he doesn’t have anyone’s trust right now and it doesn’t help his cause that he brings so little on defense. I was expecting far more from Harris offensively, but he has been really strong in the post.

If Harris didn’t come out last season, he surely won’t this season and that will give him a chance to improve his fitness and make the complete turnaround he is capable of showing, not unlike Kemba Walker even if he has further to go and is an older prospect already.

46. Richmond: Justin Harper 

Harper took a monster step forward from his junior to senior season to be a player worthy of a pick in the twenties this June. He plays the game like a guard with a wide array of moves off the dribble despite his excellent length. Harper also has a nice post game and will attack the rim with strong athleticism. 

47. Utah State: Tai Wesley

Utah State has been one of the most difficult teams in the country to prognosticate on a national level this season. Wesley is one of the best low post scorers in the country, but is not a player NBA teams are considering.

48. Memphis: Will Barton

I don’t think the Tigers will be long for the tournament, but Will Barton is easily their best pro prospect for me. I don’t take Wesley Witherspoon’s chances seriously at all and I have no idea what to think of Joe Jackson’s outburst on his way to Conference-USA Tournament MVP. That was a complete shock considering what we’ve seen from him this season.

49. UAB: Cameron Moore

Moore has fought back from his broken hand and he looked excellent at times during non-conference play, particularly the Arizona State and Kent State games.

50. Clemson: Jerai Grant 

Grant, like fellow senior Demontez Stitt, is not a serious NBA candidate yet they are easily Clemson’s both players.

51. Belmont: Mick Hedgepeth

Hedgepth is second in scoring and averages a team-best 6.2 boards per game.

52. Oakland: Keith Benson  

Though not nearly as talented as the player in the slot after next, Benson averages 18.0 points, 10.1 boards and 3.6 blocks per game. Benson is a pro prospect because of that excellent length, but has a long ways to go still to be physically ready to be a passable interior defender, let alone make the kind of impact as a shotblocker as he has shown in The Summit League.

Offensively, he is gets the majority of his offense out of the post and he has to his credit improved considerably from where he was a few seasons ago. Benson is aggressive and smooth in the post and makes full use out of his length and is even hitting a little short-range jumper on occasion out of it. He is the epitome of project center.

53. Princeton: Douglas Davis

Davis hit the outstanding game-winner to get the Princeton into the tournament and is not the type of team I would want to face if I’m Calipari.

54. Morehead State: Kenneth Faried 

Like Benson, Faried is a rare player on a low seed and unlike Benson, there is absolutely no doubt he will get drafted. Quite famously, Faried is an absolute rebounding beast and it will be interesting to see him against major conference talent one last time before he moves onto the workouts. He scores with great efficiency and is an accomplished post player to go with that great motor and athleticism. Faried’s defensive ability is also remarkable considering how infrequently he was challenged, a byproduct of reputation and Morehead State’s zone.

55. Indiana State:  Jake Odum

Odum was an All-Defensive Selection as a redshirt freshman and has played well of late.

56. Saint Peter's College: Ryan Bacon

As is often the case with these kind of small program, senior-dominated teams, Saint Peter’s gets balanced scoring with four players who average double-digits. I’ll go with Bacon here, since I’m a vegetarian and he is also quite easily the most economical scorer and also contributes 7.5 boards and 2.1 blocks per game.

57. Bucknell: Mike Muscala

Muscala is Bucknell’s best player despite being just a sophomore, avaring 14.9 points per game on 52.0% shooting, along with 7.4 boards and 2.0 blocks.

58. Wofford: Noah Dahlman

Dahlman averages 20.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was named Southern Conference Tournament MVP. He shoots an outstanding 61.2% from the floor. 

59. UC Santa Barbara: Orlando Johnson

Johnson, who came from Loyola Marymount, averages 21.1 points on not quite 15 shots and 6.1 rebounds per game.

60. Long Island: Julian Boyd

Long Island has four players who average better than nine points per game, but Boyd does so at 52.1%.

61. Akron: Nikola Cvetinovic

A fairly balanced team without any NBA talent, Cvetinovic leads in both points (12.0) and rebounds (7.0) per game.

62. Northern Colorado: Devon Beitzel

Beitzel averages 20.6 points and averaged 26 in the two Big Sky Tournament games.

63. Boston University: John Holland  

By a fairly wide margin Holland is Boston U’s best player, averaging 19.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

64. Hampton: Kwame Morgan II

Morgan II and Darrion Pellum score at similar rates and similar levels of inefficiency, but the former does a little more overall.

65. North Carolina-Asheville: Matt Dickey

Dickey was the Big South Tournament MVP so he gets the nod in this space.

66. Arkansas Little-Rock: Solomon Bozeman

Bozeman represents a huge percentage of his team’s offense and is one of their many good shooters.

67. Texas-San Antonio: Devin Gibson

The senior is averaging 17, 5.4 boards, 5.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

68. Alabama State: Tramaine Butler

The Hornets have Tramayne and Tramaine, and they are their best players, though Butler is a much more economical scorer than Moorer.