10 NBA Draft prospects who can rise or fall in Big East Tournament

Basketball's greatest month is about to catch fire. It's conference tournament time, and the Big East will merit special attention ahead of the big dance. The reigning champs from Connecticut are hungry to repeat, but a full gauntlet of competitive teams — headlined by Marquette and Creighton — await beforehand.

The Big East has become quite the hotbed for NBA Draft prospects. From the storied history of UConn's basketball program to Joe Wright and his professional pipeline at Villanova, aspiring young players tend to gravitate to the northeast. Xavier, Georgetown, Creighton, Marquette — these are all basketball schools. We can expect great competition.

Here's the full bracket for the upcoming tournament, which starts on March 13 in Madison Square Garden.

NBA scouts are diligently following prospects all season, but there's a certain aura to the month of March that is impossible to replicate any other month. A strong performance in the conference tournament can go a long way toward boosting a prospect's stock — especially in draft class defined by uncertainty. There is no set order at the top of draft boards right now. It's all malleable, and how prospects perform under pressure will inform a lot of how teams think down the road.

Here are the prospects who most deserve your attention as the Big East Tournament gets underway.

10. Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is a shot-blocker extraordinaire

Creighton has played some excellent basketball lately, with Ryan Kalkbrenner heavily featured on both ends of the floor. This Bluejays team has the feel of a sneaky March Madness contender — however sneaky a projected top-3 seed can be. Kalkbrenner is the team's true anchor, averaging 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks on .650/.286/.705 splits.

Kalkbrenner's appeal at the next level is fairly straightforward. He's a towering 7-foot presence in the paint. He is one of college basketball's most prolific shot-blockers, and he figures to carry over those rim protection skills to the NBA. The primary questions revolve around Kalkbrenner's ability to navigate pick-and-rolls guarding in space. He's not the most fluid lateral mover, which could cause problems in the more up-tempo, spaced-out NBA.

On the other hand, he doubles as an efficient rim finisher with intriguing flashes of jump shooting on offense. The 3s aren't falling at a high clip yet, but he's averaging 1.6 attempts per game and he shoots a respectable percentage at the charity stripe. There are strong indicators of Kalkbrenner's potential to operate as a pick-and-pop big at the next level.

9. UConn's Cam Spencer is ready to announce his arrival on basketball's biggest stage

Cam Spencer's long, winding path led him to stardom on college basketball's best team. The fifth-year senior spent three seasons at Loyola and one at Rutgers before arriving in Connecticut to finish his career out. Now, he is arguably the best player on a team that won the championship a year ago. He has flourished in a featured role, averaging 14.7 points and 3.4 assists on .492/.451/.905 splits.

While Spencer has knocks against him as a prospect (23 years old, limited athlete, etc.), the raw output and contributions to winning are difficult to overlook. He's a tremendous shot-maker on the perimeter, comfortable firing off movement. He works pick-and-rolls with patience, offsetting his lack of burst with sheer craft. He won't operate as a No. 1 in the NBA, but he can connect dots with his high-feel passing and general selflessness.

Few prospects are better at the small things. Spencer screens, cuts, and moves willingly off the ball. He doesn't need to dominante touches to exert an impact offensively. The defensive question marks are real, but Spencer is set up for a potentially dominant stretch on basketball's biggest stage. If Spencer goes nuts in MSG and helps cement UConn as a No. 1 seed, NBA scouts will take notice.