U.S. — Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Duke forward Cameron Boozer will make their NCAA Tournament debuts as projected top selections in the 2026 NBA draft. Duke earned the first seed in the East region, Kansas earned the fourth seed in the East region, and BYU earned the sixth seed in the West region.

Duke forward Cameron Boozer's first tournament game is scheduled for 2:50 p.m. ET on Thursday against Siena. BYU forward AJ Dybantsa's first tournament game is scheduled for 7:25 p.m. ET on Thursday against the winner of Texas and N.C. State. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson's first tournament game is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET on Friday against California Baptist.

Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer have been in contention for the top position on NBA draft boards during the 2025–2026 college basketball season. Jeremy Woo still has Darryn Peterson going first overall in his latest mock draft.

Peterson averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during the season before the NCAA tournament, playing in 22 games and averaging 28.4 minutes per game. Peterson had a persistent cramping issue that limited his availability. "This season hasn't gone the way that he probably wanted. It hasn't really gone the way that NBA teams probably thought it was going to go," NBA draft analyst Jeremy Woo said in an interview. "When he's at his best, there's no better scorer in college. His shooting, his ability to get to his shot off the dribble, he's good at everything when he has it going. He's also an underrated defender at this point."

AJ Dybantsa was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the high school class of 2025 and committed to Brigham Young University, becoming the highest-ranked recruit to commit to the school. Dybantsa averaged 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for BYU during the season before the NCAA tournament and converted 34% of his three-point attempts. Dybantsa scored over 20 points in only two of his first eight games of the season but scored less than 20 points in only one of his last 16 games of the season, recording multiple games with over 40 points in his last 16 appearances.

Cameron Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for Duke during the season before the NCAA tournament. Duke had a regular-season record of 32–2, the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "His biggest strength is between the ears. He makes amazing decisions and is unflappable under pressure," Woo said. "He's not a dynamic mover, and that's hard for people to wrap their head around. Defensively, that's my biggest question. How will he do when teams target him?"