The 2018 NBA Draft class is shaping up to be one of the deepest in recent memory and the NCAA Tournament will provide one final look at the top prospects who will be entering the league in June.
Among the top players in college hoops this year are a plethora of star freshman, ranging from 6'0 point guards to 7'1 centers, all of whom are in contention for the #1 overall pick. Of course, there's also a 6'7 19-year old guard from Slovenia named Luka Doncic, but he's not playing in the NCAA Tournament.
If you're an NBA fan of one of the many teams that are tanking this season, this list of players will give you a better idea of who you should keep your eyes on throughout the course of the tourney.
Scroll down to check out 10 of the best NBA prospects that will be lacing 'em up in the NCAA Tournament.
Mohamed Bamba
Team: Texas Longhorns
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Mo Bamba, a 7'0 center with an 8-foot wingspan, averaged a double-double this season with the Longhorns, posting 12.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, en route to All-Big 12 honors. Additionally, the 19-year old Harlem native was second in the nation in blocks with 3.7 per game.
The #10 Longhorns will take on 7-seed Nevada on Friday at 4:30pm and there will be plenty of scouts in the building to watch Bamba, who has all the potential to anchor an NBA defense for years to come.
Mo Bamba vs Trae Young. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/QoL9p7Vw3G
Michael Porter Jr.
Team: Missouri Tigers
Position: Small Forward
Class: Freshman
Michael Porter Jr. was one of the most talked about players heading into this season but he suffered a back injury just minutes into his collegiate career and it kept him on the sidelines for almost the entire year. The 6'10 forward returned for the SEC Tournament on a minutes restriction and some questioned why he risked coming back at all, given the fact that he could further injure himself.
But now that he is officially back, he'll be lacing 'em up when #8 Missouri takes on #9 Florida State on Friday at 9:50pm ET. Whether the Tigers advance or are knocked out, Porter Jr will be a top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and he'll be one of the most interesting players to watch should Missouri make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
RT if Michael Porter Jr makes Missouri a FINAL FOUR team 😱 pic.twitter.com/2jB14XrdKM
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Team: Michigan State Spartans
Position: Power Forward
Class: Freshman
Jaren Jackson Jr. is an athletic 6'11 forward who has the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. The 18-year old big man averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks for the Spartans this season and the latest ESPN mock draft has him going #3 overall in the NBA Draft.
“The youngest prospect in the draft, Jackson may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this class in terms of his ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor,” writes ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “It's easy to see Jackson manning the center position for Atlanta or pairing with exciting rookie big man John Collins in an athletic frontcourt.”
The Spartans will take on Bucknell in the first found of the tournament on Friday at 7:10pm ET. Jaren Jackson will be one player to watch for in that game but he isn't the only Michigan State forward who will garner attention.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is absolutely ridiculous 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cnG3D5lH6c
Miles Bridges
Team: Michigan State Spartans
Position: Small Forward/Power Forward
Class: Sophomore
In addition to Jaren Jackson, #22 in green and white is another top NBA prospect who could be selected in the Top-10 after his sophomore season comes to an end. Miles Bridges is the leader of this Michigan State team and he does a little bit of everything, averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. As a result, he was a unanimous All-Big 10 First-Team selection and earned second-team All-American honors.
The one knock against Bridges is that he's an undersized "tweener" who isn't really a true small forward, but at 6'7, isn't tall enough to be a power forward in the NBA either. What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in hustle and effort on both sides of the ball and he is someone to keep an eye on when watching the Spartans during the NCAA Tournament.
The Madness begins this week. And we have you covered.
With our college video content now branded as "TKW U," here are the first-round prospects you should keep a close eye on during the tournament, beginning with Miles Bridges.
FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/YeV7fdkQwN pic.twitter.com/ntOpAuQBl9
Marvin Bagley III
Team: Duke Blue Devils
Position: Power Forward
Class: Freshman
Marvin Bagley III is arguably the most "NBA ready" prospect in college hoops and if you haven't seen him play yet you'll want to tune into CBS at 2:45pm ET today. Averaging 21.1 points and a 11.5 rebounds in his freshman season, Bagley looks poised to make an immediate impact on whatever team drafts him, which might end up being whoever lands the #1 overall pick.
Marvin Bagley's game might look familiar to NBA fans (via B/R's @NBADraftWass)
But find out why he's more than just a hooper @jcpenney: https://t.co/WzMXODiBwI pic.twitter.com/fBZckCKke8
DeAndre Ayton
Team: Arizona Wildcats
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Another player who is in the conversation of being the #1 pick in the NBA Draft is Arizona's 7'1, 250-pound center DeAndre Ayton. The 19-year old freshman led the Wildcats to a Pac-12 Championship with a 32-point, 18-rebound performance against UCLA and it wouldn't surprise anyone if he puts up a similar stat line at some point during the NCAA Tournament.
For the season, Ayton averaged 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game for the #4 seed Wildcats who will take on the Buffalo Bulls tonight at 9:40pm ET.
DeAndre Ayton is my surefire No. 1 Pick. Who are you taking at No. 1?
Reply or Quote pic.twitter.com/V7mfCb1Orx
Collin Sexton
Team: Alabama Crimson Tide
Position: Point Guard
Class: Freshman
The Crimson Tide wouldn't even be in the NCAA Tournament if it wasn't for freshman point guard Collin Sexton. The 6'2 guard, who averaged 19 points per game, is one of the most dynamic players in the country and, as we saw in the SEC Tournament, he's capable of taking over a game by himself.
His stock is on the rise and if #9 Alabama makes a run into the Sweet 16 you can bet that it'll be because of Sexton. 'Bama will take on Virginia Tech in a 8 v 9 matchup tonight at approximately 9:20pm ET.
COLLIN. SEXTON. #ThisIsMarch pic.twitter.com/UTcNACrmMa
Mikal Bridges
Team: Villanova Wildcats
Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Class: Junior
In a crowd of phenomenal freshman ballers, Villanova's Mikal Bridges is the elder statesman. The 6'7 junior has eclipsed 1,000 points in his collegiate career and is averaging 18 points (42% from three) and 5.4 rebounds a night for the #1 seed Wildcats.
Bridges may not have the star power when compared to the aforementioned teenagers, but he has established himself as a two-way player who will surely be taken in the lottery and could be the steal of the draft.
Nova will take on #16 Radford tonight at 6:50pm ET. Assuming they're victorious, Bridges and co. will be looking at a matchup against either Alabama or Virginia Tech.
MIKAL BRIDGES: ONIONS pic.twitter.com/t8lAgHhj0w
Kevin Knox
Team: Kentucky Wildcats
Position: Small Forward
Class: Freshman
Knox, the Wildcats' leading scorer this year, averaged 15.6 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds in what will certainly be his one and only season at Kentucky. The 6'9 forward led the Wildcats to their fourth straight SEC title and earned First Team All-SEC honors.
Regardless of how John Calipari's squad fares in the NCAA Tournament, he'll be a lottery pick come June. Kentucky enters the tournament as a #5 seed and will take on Davidson tonight at 7:10pm ET.
Kevin Knox is the eighth freshman in nine seasons under @UKCoachCalipari to win SEC Freshman of the Year.
🔵 Co-SEC Freshman of the Year
🔵 First Team All-SEC
🔵 All-SEC Freshman Team pic.twitter.com/APYj2haSKR
Trae Young
Team: Oklahoma Sooners
Position: Point Guard
Class: Freshman
OU's Trae Young is one of the most exciting players in the country, averaging 27.4 points per game as well as 8.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds. Although the Sooners struggled late in the season, Young is looking forward to taking on #7 Rhode Island today at 12:15pm ET to kick off the NCAA Tournament.
"I count the regular season as last season," Young said during the Sooners' news conference Wednesday, per ESPN. "We're not worried about it. Everybody is 0-0 now. Everybody in this field is capable of winning games. So we have got to come in with the mindset of we're going to compete hard on both ends for 40 minutes and hopefully get back to the way we were to start the season, and if we do that, we'll be OK."
If Oklahoma advances, the 6'2 point guard will have his hands full with the Duke Blue Devils but nobody would be surprised if he channels his inner Steph Curry and carries the Sooners into the Sweet 16.
Putting up numbers the conference has never seen before.@TheTraeYoung has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/KIxmzkTAzo