Can Duke basketball up its NBA draft stock?

While the NCAA’s top talents duke it out on the court in March, scouts break down the action in anticipation of June’s NBA Draft, where the league will invite 60 college players to join the professional ranks. The Big Dance is often considered a training ground for the rigors of NBA basketball, and a strong showing in March can drive a player’s draft stock through the roof or destroy his chance of playing at the next level.

Duke’s three seniors will have one last opportunity beginning Friday to make an impression and convince scouts they deserve top consideration to play at the next level.

Mason Plumlee is the Blue Devils’ lone surefire NBA prospect. Widely regarded to be a potential late lottery pick in June’s draft, Plumlee is projected to be the No. 11 overall pick in the draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder according to the latest mock draft by guru Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. ESPN’s Chad Ford wrote that most people anticipate Plumlee will go between picks 10 and 15, but Plumlee is ranked on most draft boards behind Indiana’s Cody Zeller, whose game is more refined on both ends of the floor, and Maryland’s Alex Len, who draft analysts believe has more long-term upside.

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Duke’s other two seniors appear to be fighting to just get onto most teams’ draft boards. Ryan Kelly is one of the college basketball’s most effective weapons because of his 6-foot-11 frame and ability to stretch the floor, but he is not a force in the post like many other forwards. But Kelly is an elite shooter, making 48.6 percent of his 3-pointers, so most mock drafts have him wavering between the last 10 picks and a highly-sought after undrafted free agent. Givony’s latest mock draft has Kelly going at No. 55 overall to the Phoenix Suns, though Ford wrote last week that he sees the Blue Devil forward as a late first- or early second-round pick.

Seth Curry has taken his game to new heights this season, but of Duke’s three seniors he appears to be the least likely draft selection. Standing 6-foot-2, he lacks the size of most NBA shooting guards and is not a good enough ball handler or distributor to play point guard. Unlike his older brother Stephen, Seth is also not as quick or athletic as most guards his size. His athletic limitations notwithstanding, Curry has one of the purest shooting strokes in this year’s draft class, which is something no NBA team can ignore. Curry doesn’t appear on most mock draft boards, but Ford wrote that he still expects Curry to be a second-round selection. A deep tournament run by Duke sparked by Curry’s superior shooting could very easily elevate his draft stock.