NCAA Tournament Prospect Watch: Okafor holds serve, Kaminsky dominates on Day 2

The NCAA tournament feels even more loaded with potential NBA prospects this year than it did in 2014, with one of the most heralded draft classes of all time. Maybe it's the battle to be No. 1 pick, or the constant shuffling of those in the lottery, or the fact that 33 of ESPN's top 40 prospects are all on teams that made the field. Maybe we just love this time of year regardless of prospect quality.

In any case, there are 74 prospects in the tournament ranked in the top 100 by either ESPN, DraftExpress or both. Each day of the tournament, we'll check in and see how said prospects performed, and at the end of each weekend we'll provide a Stock Watch, letting you know who's been trending in what direction.

Pre-Tourney Previews: EAST | WEST | SOUTH | MIDWEST | Kentucky
Day One review: Russell, Towns shine

Jahlil Okafor answers Karl-Anthony Towns' challenge

Thursday may have been highlighted by an excellent outing from D'Angelo Russell, but Karl-Anthony Towns continued to impress in short minutes for Kentucky, too. Towns scored a career high 21 points with 11 rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes. In other words, he continued to make the case he should be the No. 1 pick.

But Jahlil Okafor answered the call Friday in a blowout victory of Duke's own, save for a little trouble with his reverse dunk game:

Other than that slight misplay, Okafor played a pretty flawless game. He shot 9-of-11 from the floor, good for 21 points. That's the 12th time this year he's reached 21 points, which you'll notice is Towns' career high. That's kind of the crux of the argument between the two, with Okafor's offensive game more ready for the NBA than any freshman big in quite some time.

Okafor only pulled in three rebounds and went 3-of-6 from the free-throw line, where he's been inconsistent at best this year. Those are minor warts, and his defense - which is decent but not in Towns' stratosphere - wasn't tested against Robert Morris. There's not much Okafor can do about that, playing only the competition put in front of him.

The battle between centers is going to come down to three things: A team's individual preference, how they do in pre-draft workouts and, if we're all lucky, who wins a head-to-head battle in the national championship game.

Frank Kaminsky continues his tour of domination

Wisconsin's 7-footer may very well be the best player in college basketball right now. Not only has he performed well enough to put himself in the Player of the Year discussion and​ the discussion for an NBA lottery pick, but he probably had the premier performance of the Round of 64.

Frank Kaminsky finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot, and even against No. 16 Coastal Carolina, such a performance warrants appreciation. He facilitated from the elbow and block, scored inside (10-of-14 overall), flashed his 3-point stroke (3-of-5) and more or less dominated from bell to bell.

The real test for Kaminsky and his draft stock will be what happens when the competition level picks up and he runs into NBA-caliber bigs, though that may not happen until a Final Four date with Kentucky.

Kris Dunn has fans

Kris Dunn's stock has shot up so rapidly as the year's wore on, it's easy to see him becoming this year's Elfrid Payton, where somewhat of an early-season afterthought ultimately finds himself in the lottery. He's presently believed to be a first-round pick, but there's growing belief the Providence point guard could push that higher with a strong tournament and a good showing in the lead up to the draft.

He wasn't lower on boards because of talent or size, after all. He gets a ton of steals and dishes plenty of assists, has a 6-foot-8 wingspan, but he missed almost his entire freshman campaign with injuries.

Friday wasn't the best way to push his stock forward, as Dunn struggled in an upset loss to Dayton. He shot 4-of-13 from the floor, committed seven turnovers and fouled out with 47 seconds left to play. He scored 11 points and dished four assists, but it wasn't an end to the discussion as to whether he should enter the draft (he should) or return for a junior year ( he shouldn't).

Still, the performance earned him the hearts of Basketball Twitter.

Top Performances

• Kelly Oubre Jr. didn't stand out a ton for Kansas, but none of their prospects really did in the depth-heavy, energy-preserving blowout. Oubre hit 2-of-3 from outside en route to eight points and three rebounds in 22 minutes, which is more or less what teams would have been hoping to see from the likely lottery pick.
  • Brannen Greene hit 2-of-4 from outside, finishing with eight points and two assists in 19 minutes. Wayne Selden Jr. shot 3-of-6 for six points in 20 minutes. Both are on the second-round radar but likely to return for junior years.
• Fred VanVleet, aka Fred VanFleek, was a man on fire for Wichita State in their narrow victory over Indiana. VanVleet scored 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, dished four assists and carved to the rim at will against an admittedly flawed defense. Size is the primary concern for the potential second-rounder, and it's possible he opts for a senior year.
  • Ron Baker didn't shoot as well as VanVleet, hitting 3-of-13, but finished with 15 points, five rebounds and, most impressively, five steals. Baker could sniff the end of the first round, but he really just wanted to watch VanVleet go to work.

(Photo Courtesy: The Wichita Eagle)

• Justise Winslow picked up Okafor's rebounding slack, pulling in 11 boards to go along with seven assists and six points. It's that kind of contribution - along with the wing defense he didn't really get to display Friday - that could land Winslow in the top-10 in June.
  • Tyus Jones dished seven dimes, too, to go along with 10 points. His quiet, unassuming and hyper-efficient game could see him taken in the first round, should he forgo a sophomore season.
• Potential second-round pick and awesome name-haver Melo Trimble had 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals for Maryland in exactly the kind of game you'd hope to see from a bubble player, even though he's probably heading back to school.
  • Jake Layman was far less impressive, shooting 0-of-1 for four points with five rebounds. It's tough to imagine that pushed him to the right side of the first-round bubble. Fringe second-rounder Dez Wells had 14-3-3 with a 5-of-9 shooting mark.
• The real Justin Anderson is back! After two scoreless games in the ACC on the comeback trail from a broken finger and appendectomy, Anderson settled in with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five rebounds on Friday. If he's healthy, Virginia's dangerous.

• Aaron White might get considered at the very end of the second round. He might not. In any case, the Iowa senior did his best to make a statement while he still can, scoring 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbing six boards in a blowout victory.
• Kaminsky's teammate Sam Dekker made a strong case for inclusion in the first round, hitting 4-of-8 from long range for 20 points. Nigel Hayes had a second really strong outing in a row, too, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds and three assists.

See You Next Year ... or on Draft Night

• Indiana may not come out on the right end of a thriller against Wichita State, but their three potential second-round picks acquitted themselves well. If all three return, Indiana could be really, really good in 2015-16.
  • Troy Williams, the most likely of the three to be a second-round pick in June, shot an unsightly 2-of-10 but finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
  • James Blackmon Jr. is probably going back to school for a sophomore campaign, but if he opts against it, his 14-point, five-rebound showing - albeit with five turnovers - was a strong way to go out.
  • Yogi Ferrell was unbelievable, scoring 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, hitting 4-of-6 from outside and dishing three dimes. He seems headed for a senior season but this may be the performance to change his mind.

Other Notes

• Branden Dawson, Michigan State - 6-of-9, 14pts, 6rbs, 2blk
• Juwan Staten, West Virginia - 5-of-9, 15pts, 3rbs, 7ast
• Mike Tobey, Virginia - 1-of-2, 2pts, 2rbs
• Montrezl Harrell, Louisville - 3-of-8, 8pts, 4rbs
• Terry Rozier, Louisville - 5-of-10, 12pts, 3rbs, 5 ast
• Buddy Hield, Oklahoma - 6-of-16, 15pts, 4rbs
• Malik Pope, San Diego State - 2-of-4, 6pts, 7rbs
• Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga - 3-of-4, 7pts, 11rbs