NBA Draft 2012: 12 Elite 8 Ballers Whose Stocks Are Soaring

March Madness provides college basketball players with the biggest stage possible to showcase their skills, and these 12 future NBA players took advantage of Elite 8 games to show why they deserve to be drafted. 

It's always dangerous to evaluate players based on a small sample size like the brief NCAA tournament, but the recency effect dictates that we remember more recent performances better than any others. 

These 12 guys are thanking their lucky stars for that. 

Read on to find out who they are. 

Quincy Acy

School: Baylor

Position: Power Forward

Year: Senior

Vitals: 6'7", 235 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists

Quincy Acy did wonders for his draft stock by proving that he was more than just a dunking machine. Throughout his final two games of March Madness, the man with the best beard in college basketball knocked down jumpers, free throws and, of course, dunks to the tune of 21 points per game. 

On top of his show-stopping throw-downs, the senior forward has showcased his efficiency time and time again, hitting 15 of his last 22 shots, including a 7-of-11 performance in a loss to Kentucky. 

Bradley Beal

School: Florida

Position: Shooting Guard

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'3", 207 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists

With his performance in the Sweet 16, Bradley Beal made Florida's 68-58 victory over Marquette into his own personal coming-out party, capping it off with a tremendous dunk to seal the win. 

The young shooting guard followed that 21-point, six-rebound, four-assist, two-block, two-steal performance with another great game—this time in the Elite 8 against Louisville—even if it wasn't enough to get a victory. 

Against the Cardinals, Beal shot 50 percent from the field on 12 shots, making it the fifth straight game that he's broken that barrier, dating back all the way to the SEC Championship Game against Kentucky. 

Anthony Davis

School: Kentucky

Position: Power Forward-Center

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'10", 220 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists

I know Anthony Davis is projected to go No. 1 in the upcoming draft, and almost nothing can change that. 

But still, he's been so good during the tournament that he deserves to be on this list just for validating his future selection on the biggest stage college basketball has to offer.

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 1

Terrence Jones

School: Kentucky

Position: Small Forward-Power Forward

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'9", 252 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists

Terrence Jones has drawn a lot of comparisons to great NBA players, most notably Lamar Odom (and I'm talking about the pre-Dallas Mavericks version of the versatile forward), and he's done a lot to justify them in this tournament. 

The 6'9" sophomore has taken on a leadership role during March Madness, and the Kentucky Wildcats have really gone as he goes. Lately, that's been a great thing. 

Jones overcame a hard foul from Quincy Acy, scoring 12 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists in addition to his three blocks and two steals. How's that for a well-rounded performance?

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 2

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

School: Kentucky

Position: Small Forward-Power Forward

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'7", 232 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists

If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gets the ball in the open court, the defensive players might as well start running back to the offensive end and just concede the two points. Seriously though, I don't think I've ever seen MKG fail to score when he decides that he's going to get to the basket. 

The freshman forward struggled at the beginning of the tournament, but he's picked it up over the last two games. After dropping 24 points and 10 rebounds against the Indiana Hoosiers, MKG put up 19 points and five rebounds on a sensational 7-of-10 shooting performance from the field. 

I still can't help but see a little Scottie Pippen in him. 

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 3

Doron Lamb

School: Kentucky

Position: Shooting Guard

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'4", 210 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 13.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

Doron Lamb was one of the Kentucky Wildcats' most consistent scoring threats during the regular season, but he's been overshadowed lately by almost everyone else in the Kentucky rotation. 

But as the points start piling up this tournament, it's harder and harder for Lamb to be overlooked. He's now averaging 16.8 points per game after his tournament-low 14 points against Baylor. Deshaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger, both members of the Ohio State Buckeyes, are the only players left in the tournament who have scored more points than Lamb. 

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 4

Kendall Marshall

School: North Carolina

Position: Point Guard

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'4", 195 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 7.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 9.7 assists

Just by sitting out with a fractured right wrist, Kendall Marshall has proved quite valuable to the North Carolina Tar Heels. It's a bit like the MVP argument for Peyton Manning during this past NFL season, when the Indianapolis Colts went from Super Bowl contenders to No. 1-draft-pick recipients thanks to his injury. 

Marshall is what makes this offense go, as John Henson and Harrison Barnes are quite dependent on his terrific passes to generate offense. He proved that more by sitting out than he could have by playing. 

Darius Miller

School: Kentucky

Position: Shooting Guard-Small Forward

Year: Senior

Vitals: 6'8", 225 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists

The senior leader for the Kentucky Wildcats may not have gaudy numbers, but it's virtually impossible to watch him play and not think to yourself that he could easily be among the nation's scoring leaders if he were playing on a team without five other potential first-round draft picks. 

Darius Miller played efficient basketball once again in the Elite 8 victory over the Baylor Bears, even though he scored 11 points less than he did in each of his past two games. 

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 5

Marquis Teague

School: Kentucky

Position: Point Guard

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'2", 189 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists

At the beginning of March Madness, it appeared as if Marquis Teague could be the tournament's biggest breakout star. After all, he put up 24 points and seven assists against Iowa State during the Round of 32. 

Even if he's put up lower numbers since then, Teague is still playing quite well and reminding everyone why he was once deemed to be a future Top 10 pick.

Head coach John Calipari had the following to say about the freshman point guard after an eight-point, three-assist performance to help the Wildcats advance to the Final Four:

"

I want everybody in the country to say, 'I cannot believe how far he's come.' That kid is a true point guard that runs the team.

"

Kentucky Wildcat Count: 6

For those keeping up with my Kentucky Wildcat count, yes, I'm including each and every member of the Wildcats who has averaged 15 or more minutes per game. They've been that dominant. 

Tyshawn Taylor

School: Kansas

Position: Point Guard

Year: Senior

Vitals: 6'3", 185 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists

It's amazing how far Tyshawn Taylor has come in his senior season alone for the Kansas Jayhawks. Just a few months ago, he was possibly the most disliked player on the team thanks to his knack for inopportune turnovers.

I don't think you'll hear any Kansas fans complaining about Taylor right now.

Although he hasn't yet made a three-pointer in the tournament despite 17 attempts and went just 2-of-14 from the field against NC State in the Sweet 16, Taylor had a sensational effort to help beat the North Carolina Tar Heels. He scored 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting and added six rebounds, five assists and five steals to the cause.  

Jeff Withey

School: Kansas

Position: Center

Year: Junior

Vitals: 7', 235 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists

When you're a true seven-footer and you swat away 10 shots during a single game of the NCAA tournament, yeah, people take notice. 

Tyler Zeller

School: North Carolina

Position: Power Forward-Center

Year: Senior

Vitals: 7', 250 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists

Tyler Zeller's draft stock is going to soar after his 20-point, 22-rebound masterpiece against Ohio in the Sweet 16, but I'm not so sure it should be. 

The senior forward has scored a lot, but his offensive contributions have actually been just about average compared to the rest of the tournament field as a whole. That's mostly due to his massive turnover totals, undoubtedly aided by six of them in that same game against the upset-minded Bobcats.

Zeller is a great player and well deserving of a lottery pick, but if this tournament pushes him into the top-five or -six players, I'll have no choice but to call him overrated.