March Madness festivities bring more people than ever to the college game. It’s an excellent time for players to shine under the national spotlight and possibly improve their NBA draft stock. Let’s discuss five underrated 2025 NBA Draft prospects who could boost their chances with a strong tournament performance.
Nique Clifford, Colorado
Colorado State has been on a war path lately, dominating their opponents en route to an NCAA tournament berth. Their engine, senior wing Nique Clifford, deserves consideration in the top-20 draft already. He’s a consummate initiator for the Rams, knocking down threes, creating off of drives and playmaking for his teammates.
Most great NBA role players were stars at the college level and Clifford is no different. He likely won’t ever carry a 28% usage rate in the pros, but his on-ball skills will help him scale down on an NBA team. Teams needing complementary pieces should be all over Clifford, who should thrive as an on-ball defender, secondary playmaker and off-ball shooter.
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Auburn’s older players — Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly, etc — garner much of the limelight for their incredible seasons. Their most promising NBA prospect might be freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who’s only started one game for the Tigers this season. He’s been one of their most valuable players, though, especially on offense.
Pettiford is a nuclear shooter (37.6% on 13.1 3-point attempts per 100 possessions), comfortable pulling up from long range. He’s one of the most skilled players in college, scoring and passing with his weak hand frequently. Pettiford’s size at around six feet will limit him in the NBA, but he has the athletic tools and touch to compensate. A few high-scoring tournament games could lead Pettiford to enter the NBA this season.
Anthony Robinson, Missouri
Missouri drew a challenging opponent in round one in the Drake Bulldogs, if they beat Drake and make a deep run, sophomore guard Anthony Robinson will have his prints all over it. He’s Mizzou’s best defensive player (5% steal rate), thriving as a playmaker and on-ball disruptor.
Robinson is a monster foul drawer, logging a free-throw rate near 80%. He’s an excellent pick-and-roll playmaker with the touch to project him to shoot threes from volume at the NBA level. Despite not receiving much mainstream draft buzz, Robinson has too many high-level traits to ignore. He’s a first-round talent who could earn more respect with a favorable tournament run.
Alex Condon, Florida
The Florida Gators are one of the most popular title picks and for good reason. They’re loaded with high-end talent, none of which sports more NBA potential than center Alex Condon. He’s broken out this season as one of the best bigs in the country, excelling on defense (5.9% block rate) with great mobility and physicality.
Condon is one of the higher-feel players in the draft, passing all over the floor from the short roll, perimeter or the post. Centers that can pass and dribble like Condon and have some shooting upside are highly valuable in the modern NBA. He’s not a dynamic scorer, but Condon projects as an ideal role-player center worthy of a top-25 pick to the right team.
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
There might not be a prospect as underrated in the tournament as Joshua Jefferson. The St. Mary’s transfer had a phenomenal season for the cyclones as one of the better defenders in the country. He’s strong and skilled with a high feel for the game, all traits that make him an intriguing NBA prospect.
Jefferson acts as glue for the Cyclones, but he’s capable of high-scoring games like his 30-point performance against UCF back in January. He’ll need to step up in the absence of Keshon Gilbert and carry a bit more scoring responsibility. Even without scoring, his all-around games make him worthy of strong draft consideration.
