Nate Ament, Henri Veesaar Top NBA Draft Performances from Thursday’s Games

Conference tournaments are officially underway, with the Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and plenty more whittling down to a few elite teams.

Thursday featured plenty of action, with all of the above facing off one another, showing off plenty of 2026 NBA Draft prospects in the process.

This is the exact right time to get hot, with NBA decision-makers littering the stands of various conference tournaments.

Here were some of the top performances from Thursday’s slate of games:

Brayden Burries, Arizona

Burries saw a slow-ish start to his collegiate career, and has essentially been dominant since, carrying that over to Arizona’s conference blowout against UCF.

He scored 21 points on efficient 7-for-13 shooting, notably hitting three of his seven 3-pointers and all his free throws. He stayed true to his do-it-all ways in adding three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Arizona freshman Brayden Burries in his Big 12 debut:

21 PTS | 7-13 FG | 3-7 3PT | 2 STL pic.twitter.com/dvwhYYUtAz
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 12, 2026

The second-ranked Wildcats are set to make waves in the NCAA Tournament, and a true freshman in Burries leading the charge could turn heads.

Henri Veesaar, North Carolina

UNC received not-so-great news this week in the untimely ending of Caleb Wilson’s North Carolina career, and it was made even worse with a loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal.

Center Henri Veesaar did his best to pick up Wilson’s slack, however, going for 28 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in the one-point loss.

Veesaar shot 10-for-16 overall and an elite 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, showcasing a unique skillset at 7-foot. Scouts and decision-makers will certainly like his offensive versatility, with the potential to take up space on defense.

Nate Ament, Tennessee

Forward Nate Ament has seen a topsy-turvy season for the Volunteers, but is peaking at just the right time to pique interest in top-five stock again.

In a 10-point win over Auburn, Ament poured on 27 points on 7-for-15 shooting, hitting a blistering four of his six attempted triples, all at 6-foot-10. He also added eight rebounds, four assists to one turnover, three blocks and a steal in looking more like the No. 4 pick he was billed as earlier in the season.

Nate Ament in his SEC tournament debut:

27 PTS | 7-15 FG | 4-6 3PT | 8 REB | 4 AST | 3 BLK | 32 MINS

The freshman led The Volunteers in scoring, rebounds, assists, and blocks as they beat Auburn 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ughzIQ1Zcy
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 12, 2026

If Ament can see strong performances in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, he could certainly recoup some of the stock lost in the lesser outings of the regular season.

Honorable mentions:

Cameron Boozer, Duke — 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, five turnovers, one steal

Isaiah Evans, Duke — 32 points, seven threes

Kingston Flemings, Houston — 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals

Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State — 20 points, four assists, one steal

Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s — 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks

Darryn Peterson, Kansas — 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists steals

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State — 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, one steal