College Slam Dunk Contest 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Participants

This year, we saw Zach LaVine reinvigorate the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest. On Thursday, April 2, we'll see the college kids rise up to throw down in the College Slam Dunk Championship. The event takes place on the campus of the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

You can also catch the live stream on the Watch ESPN app.

Per the official site, the contest will be judged by a panel that consists of local professional athletes, a WNBA player, a college basketball great and fans on Twitter. Here's a look at the judges:

• Reggie Wayne, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts
• T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts
• Katie Douglas of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and Purdue Boilermakers
• Jay Williams, formerly of the Duke Blue Devils and Chicago Bulls

Here's a look at the participants, per the event's official site.

• Anjtuan Ball / Davene Carter – Darkhorse Dunker
• Shaquielle McKissic – ASU
• JD Weatherspoon – Toledo
• Keifer Sykes – Wisconsin-Green Bay
• Jon Octeus – Purdue
• Tekele Cotton – Wichita State
• Jamee Crockett – DePaul
• LaQuavius Cotton – Delta State

Dunkers to Watch

Keifer Sykes, Wisconsin-Green Bay

Boasting a 45" vertical leap—according to the title of the video above—the 6'0" Keifer Sykes was one of the most dynamic players in college basketball over the last four years. One look at the video below from MaxExposureWI Green Bay, and it's clear Sykes has next-level hops.

Dare I say, he may have even more lift than former three-time NBA Slam Dunk champion and fellow diminutive dunker Nate Robinson.

Sykes is listed about three inches taller than Robinson, but his explosion and ability to hang in the air have to make him a favorite on Thursday. Sykes might be feeling the pressure a bit. Per Ted Miller of WBAY.com, Sykes says he has no shortage of expectations or suggestions from friends and family:

"

My friends and family are more creative than me right now. I’m getting hit with videos and all these crazy ideas, and I’m like I don’t even know if I can do that. People are telling me to jump over all types of things, like throw the ball off the wall and jump over people. They don’t understand the difficulty of the timing, approach and all of that, with the 30 seconds that you get. I just need to get dunks down that I can make sure I can put down.

"

As long as Sykes can consistently put down the slams he did in the video above, he should OK. Little men always get more love in a dunk contest.

Tekele Cotton, Wichita State

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

As game dunkers go, I'm not sure the college or pro game has a player more impressive than the Wichita State Shockers' Tekele Cotton. This kid has no fear and he explodes off the floor.

Who remembers this treacherous slam against the Illinois State Redbirds back in 2014? It made SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.

There's no questioning Cotton's ability to soar, but does he have the creativity and showmanship to impress the judges and fans? If so, he might be Sykes' biggest threat.

LaQuavius Cotton, Delta State

Who knew Cotton had so much bounce? The Delta State Statesmen have their own high-flying cotton in LaQuavius Cotton. He'll be one of the lesser-known participants, but he's earned the right to compete.

The dunking exhibition above is from the YouTube channel of the Statesmen's assistant coach Jimmy Boone. We'll see on Thursday if Boone has what it takes to run...or fly with the big dogs.

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