The 2026 NCAA Tournament will be a huge NBA draft show.
The upcoming draft is considered very deep and full of college basketball talent. However, not every top draft prospect will participate in March Madness. Here are five players who could be drafted in the first round this summer who won’t take the field during the NCAA Tournament.
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North Carolina F Caleb Wilson
The possible top-five pick unfortunately suffered an injury while recovering from injury.
Wilson has been sidelined for much of February after fracturing his left hand in the Tar Heels’ Feb. 10 loss to Miami. On March 5, while recovering from a hand injury, Wilson broke his right thumb while dunking during a non-contact drill.
Wilson was expected to return to the NCAA tournament and possibly all ACC tournaments. Instead, the Tar Heels spent the entire playoffs without their best player.
Before his first injury, Wilson was averaging nearly 20 points and more than nine rebounds per game while shooting nearly 58 percent from the field. He has also become a star since donning a Tar Heels uniform. The top prospect scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting against Central Arkansas and then scored 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a 13-point win over Kansas.
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But his offensive prowess isn’t the only reason he was selected high in the draft. Wilson also has the potential to be an elite defender at the next level.
On February 17, Texas Tech star forward JT Toppin tore his ACL against Arizona State. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
(John E. Moore III, Getty Images)
Texas Tech F JT Toppin
Toppin might be the type of player who doesn’t translate perfectly to the NBA level. But he’s still a possible first-round pick, and his torn ACL is a huge detriment to a Texas Tech team that’s very capable of making the Final Four with him on the floor.
Toppin has taken on a larger offensive workload this season after becoming a consensus All-American and the 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year. Prior to the Feb. 17 game against Arizona State, Toppin was averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting just under 55% from the field. A year ago, Toppin shot just over 55% but took 3.6 fewer shots per game.
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He has scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season and had 31 points and 13 rebounds in the Red Raiders’ overtime victory over Arizona State on Feb. 14.
Without Toppin on the field, linebacker Christian Anderson becomes even more important for Texas Tech. But he slipped and appeared to hurt his groin during Thursday’s loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. Anderson suffered a muscle strain but said after the game he was “feeling good.” Tech needs him to be at 100 percent heading into Week 2 of the tournament.
USC G Aliyah Arenas
The 18-year-old son of Gilbert Arenas has appeared in 14 games for the Trojans this season after tearing his meniscus in July. Three months ago, he was trapped in a Tesla Cybertruck in a car accident, falling into a coma and injuring his knee.
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Being able to play this season is already an impressive accomplishment for Arenas, considering his tumultuous 2025. Even though his season – much like USC – was uneven at best, he showed why he could be a top-10 recruit.
Arenas shot just 34% from the field this season and failed to make multiple three-point attempts in six games. He shot just 13 of 61 from beyond the arc and shot 50% in only two games.
But Arenas still has huge potential and is a top-30 prospect in the 2025 high school class. It wouldn’t be surprising if he declares for the 2026 draft and becomes a lottery pick in June.
Hannes Steinbach averages a double-double in 2025-26. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(“Icon Sportswire” via Getty Images)
Washington F. Hannes Steinbach
The freshman big man has been a double-double machine for the Huskies. Steinbach is averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season. He never scored less than 10 points in a single game and only had 7 games with less than 10 rebounds.
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He was particularly impressive on March 4 against USC. Steinbach scored 22 points and grabbed 24 rebounds to help the Huskies win 91-72. Twelve of those rebounds were also on the offensive end, and he shot 9-for-12 from the field.
Steinbeck didn’t take many shots from beyond the arc — just 53 attempts — but shot a respectable 34 percent and could show enough potential to force NBA teams to not leave him alone at the next level. The German may not be a lottery pick, but he could be a top-20 pick for a team looking for interior help.
Baylor G. Cameron Carr
After playing just 18 games in two seasons at Tennessee, Carr has been Baylor’s best player this season.
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The junior averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the field and nearly 40% from beyond the arc. He’s scored 20 or more points in four of Baylor’s past five games, falling by 27 points against St. John’s in November.
Carr did have two games in the Big 12, however, and he appeared in just one of 11 games. He missed 10 shots and made 1 in a January loss to Cincinnati; he did the same on February 14 when he went 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in a 71-82 loss to Louisville.