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Next stop: NBA? Top talents had an early exit at NCAA tournament

The best NCAA tournaments often feature the most skillful talents on the most dominant teams.

In 2015, the Final Four featured nine players who were selected in that summer's NBA draft. Karl-Anthony Towns and Kentucky and Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin authored a wild national semifinal matchup before Duke won a come-from-behind thriller over the Badgers in the title game.

Those matchups alone would have included some of college basketball's powerhouses and legacy programs. The future stars enhanced the buildup to that year's finale.

Three years later, many envisioned a similar fusion of team strength and NBA-level talent in this year's final rounds.