Prospect Watch: Trae Young, Mikal Bridges lead their teams to victory

Oklahoma was in action Friday night, which means the best show in college basketball, Trae Young, took the floor to continue his near-flawless freshman season. Young's 17th-ranked Sooners beat Northwestern 104-78 to improve to 10-1 on the season.

Mikal Bridges led Villanova in scoring Friday, helping the team stay undefeated while moving to 12-0. Bridges has been Villanova's best player this year, and is one of the main reasons the well-rounded Wildcats are currently ranked first in the nation.

Young vs. Northwestern, Bridges vs. Hofstra (12/22/17)

Season Stats (as of 12/22/17)

Trae Young - Oklahoma - Freshman

Wow. Talk about unreal production for a 19-year-old freshman.

If you haven't had the opportunity to watch Young, he's currently putting together one of the best seasons in college basketball history. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Young doesn't possess the size that many of the other top prospects are equipped with. What he does have is one of the highest basketball IQ's in the country, as well as limitless range as a shooter. Young is currently leading the nation in both points and assists. No team has figured out how to slow him down yet.

With his small stature, Young has found ways to be dominant. His ability to pull up off the dribble from anywhere is eerily similar to Stephen Curry. He doesn't hesitate, shooting 10 feet beyond the arc, with 25 seconds left on the shot clock:

He's a masterful scorer, showing an ability to finish around the basket and consistently hit floaters from anywhere in the paint. He's also shown patience when teams focus on him and begin to double-team:

Friday night, Young finished the first half with 25 points and 10 assists. He finished Tuesday night's contest against Northwestern State with 26 points and an NCAA record-tying 22 assists.

He's ball-dominant, but brilliant. He controls the offense and sees the floor at a high level. His range forces teams to defend him away from the basket and, despite his average athleticism, his crafty handles give him a good first step to create chaos for defenses.

What he's been able to accomplish this season places him in the conversation for the top five in the NBA Draft. If he continues to walk through the challenges of college basketball the way he has, it's hard to dispute his worth going into the NBA.

Mikal Bridges - Villanova - Junior

No, the numbers don't pop the same as the aforementioned Young. They don't need to for Bridges' explosive, aggressive, two-way style of play.

Bridges projects to be a small forward, but suits the positionless concept in the modern NBA. As his body continues to fill out, he will give teams the ability to defend at least three positions, and has proven his worth with high-level reaction time. He reads passing lanes like a veteran and forces teams to look the other way. He's also able to time his blocks when he's helping on drives.

Coming into the league, Bridges can eventually become one of the better 3-and-D players. He's an intelligent athlete that doesn't go above his skill level, and still manages to fill the stat sheet in every category.

He isn't a dominant player by any means, but what he will become is a safe pick that is ready to help a team immediately. He's already won a National Championship and has become the proven leader for the nations top team.

He's a safe pick, yes, but safe isn't necessarily a bad thing. Bridges gives a strong off-ball presence and will force defenses to close out on the perimeter. That's an invaluable skill in today's game.