With March Madness officially here, the Sixers should be locked in to the action, scouting for the 2026 NBA Draft. One of the deeper positional groups in the draft is the guards, many of whom will be on full display in the NCAA Tournament.
After acquiring a late first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jared McCain, and with Quentin Grimes heading to unrestricted free agency, the Sixers are in a position to potentially scoop up a guard
Here are some of the top guard prospects to watch during March Madness.
Meleek Thomas is an exciting off-ball freshman guard for the Arkansas Razorbacks. With a smooth offensive game, impressive shooting ability and sound defensive instincts, Thomas could quickly generate some buzz in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. This season for the Razorbacks, Thomas has appeared in 33 games, starting in 17. Averaging 30.2 minutes a night, Thomas currently holds averages of 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
Standing at 6’5” and weighing in at 185 pounds, Thomas has the prototypical build for the NBA, and at only 19 years old, the Pittsburgh native could easily continue to put on weight and fill out his frame. While Thomas isn’t generating the same buzz as fellow Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., he is second on the team in scoring and has been absolutely vital in leading Arkansas to a 26-8 record on the season.
The No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks take on the No. 13 seed Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors on Thursday, March 19.
Bennett Stirtz is an intriguing point guard prospect. Stirtz spent his first two collegiate seasons at the Division II level with Northwest Missouri State. Then, as a junior, Stirtz transferred to Drake, where he immediately proved himself, leading his conference in points (19.2), steals (2.1) and minutes per game (39.4). This season, Stirtz upgraded his competition level again, joining the Iowa Hawkeyes for his final college season, and it has paid off.
Stirtz has impressed since beginning his play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This season, he has appeared in and started all 33 games for the Hawkeyes, averaging a Big Ten-leading 37.5 minutes per night. In that time, he has averaged 20.0 points per night, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals, all of which lead his team. He has also gotten into rhythm quickly this season, shooting 49.2% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc. While he isn’t the most athletic player on the court, his maturity and feel for the game make him an interesting possibility for the 76ers in the draft.
The No. 9 seed Hawkeyes take on the No. 8 seed Clemson Tigers on Friday, March 20.
Tyler Tanner has spent two seasons in college, both with Vanderbilt. In his two seasons, Tanner has appeared in 66 games. This season, Tanner has started in all 33 games he has appeared in, leading Vanderbilt to a 26-8 record. While Tanner is undersized for most NBA guards, standing at just 6’0”, his speed, playmaking, and finishing have made him a legitimate NBA prospect this season.
The current Vanderbilt leader in both points and assists, Tanner, has taken the reins in his first season of starting for the Commodores. Averaging 19.1 points on 49.0/37.2/85.9 shooting splits is an encouraging sight from the young guard. Add in his 2.4 steals and 5.1 assists per game, and it's easy to see why an NBA team could fall in love with the young guard. While he may need to continue developing his shooting stroke as time goes on, he has proven that he can make significant strides in that regard. In his freshman year, Tanner shot 26.6% from deep on 1.9 attempts a game. This year, he has shot 37.3% from deep on 4.3 attempts a night.
The Vanderbilt Commodores, No. 5 seed, take on the No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys on Thursday, March 19.
Christian Anderson has led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to a 22-10 record this season, good enough to warrant the No. 5 seed in the Midwest region of the tournament. The sophomore guard started in all 31 appearances for the team this season and has played a conference-leading 38.4 minutes a night for the team.
An exceptional offensive talent, Anderson has been efficient with his scoring, operating comfortably at all levels. The 19-year-old Anderson has perhaps been most impressive from beyond the arc this season, shooting a whopping 42.5% on 8.0 attempts a game. Even more encouraging has been Anderson’s passing ability. He is currently averaging a Big 12-leading 7.6 assists a night for Texas Tech. While he will need ot fill out his frame at the next level, as he is currently only 165 pounds, his production from a playmaking and shooting standpoint cannot be overlooked if he’s available when the Sixers pick in this upcoming draft.
The Red Raiders take on the No. 12 seed Akron Zips on Friday, March 20.
Braden Smith is easily the most decorated player on this list. The 3-time All-Big Ten selection has spent the last four collegiate seasons racking up accolades with the Purdue Boilermakers. Since joining the team for the 2022-2023 season, Smith has appeared in and started 145 games for the team. He has led his conferences in assists per game multiple times, and this year, the undersized guard set a career high, averaging 9.1 a night. He also averaged 14.0 points per game this season on a career high 44.6% shooting from the field.
As mentioned earlier, Smith’s biggest knock is his size. At 6 feet even, the guard has elected to stay in college all four years despite his impressive accolades. While he is a willing and gritty defender, as evidenced by his team-leading 1.8 steals a night, it is possible that he will be a defensive liability at the next level purely because of his height. That being said, his playmaking, feel and experience could make him an intriguing option for the Sixers as a ‘High Floor’ type of draft pick, especially if he helps lead Purdue to multiple wins this March Madness.
Braden Smith and his No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers will start their tournament against the No. 15 seed Queens University Royals and attempt to avoid becoming the twelfth 2 seed to be upset by a 15 seed in the tournament. They play on Friday, March 20.
