5 first round NCAA Tournament games with NBA Draft implications

EVANSVILLE, IN - MARCH 09: Murray State Racers Guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles the ball during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 08: Miye Oni #25 of the Yale Bulldogs concentrates at the free-throw line against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 8, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 91-58. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

5. LSU vs. Yale

The second game to tip in the 2019 NCAA Tournament (12:40 p.m. EST) is one that will definitely have a lot of eyes on it. The LSU Tigers should be used to this extra attention, particularly after head coach Will Wade was caught on a wiretap discussing payment for potential recruits, as the regular season SEC champions have stockpiled talent up and down their roster.

Javonte Smart, Kavell Bigby-Williams, Naz Reid, Tremont Waters, and Skylar Mays have led the way for LSU and with their coach’s future in flux, all five could be putting their name in the crop of prospects entering the 2019 NBA Draft. Of the five, Reid is the biggest draw. He’s the definition of an inside-out big man and possesses the requisite skills to impact the game from the perimeter and interior offensively — Reid gives off some Kentucky-era DeMarcus Cousins vibes.

Waters, Smart, and Mays have taken turns operating as the primary ball handler (due to injuries and suspensions) and while Smart and Mays check off the measurable boxes for guards, Waters comes in below such standards. Listed at a friendly 5-foot-11, Waters could probably use some more fine-tuning before being able to replicate the havoc he’s caused for SEC opponents in his two-year stint in the Bayou.

Don’t forget about the Ivy Leaguers, Yale has Miye Oni on their team. The 6-foot-6 wing has played his way into the draft conversation this season thanks in part to his ability to do a little bit of everything. Oni gets to show if his Ivy League player of the year prowess can match up to the athletic standards of a Power 5 school — LSU’s Marlon Taylor is one of the more impressive athletes in all of collegiate sports.

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