March Madness 2015: Best Highlights from Top NBA Draft Prospects

The Duke Blue Devils are officially the 2015 national champions in college basketball. An arduous road through the NCAA tournament led to a massive showdown with Wisconsin, ending with the Blue Devils cutting down the nets.

Some were watching for the simple love of college basketball. Others were rooting for their team or the respective conferences.

Then there were the scouts. Oh, were there plenty of scouts scattered throughout Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Joined by coaches and executives, myriad NBA teams were represented to watch the showcase between multiple future NBA stars.

Despite the loss, one of the biggest players to step up in Indy was Frank Kaminsky. Facing Jahlil Okafor for a second time this season, Kaminsky regularly went straight after the big man in the paint. In a senior vs. freshman matchup, Kaminsky made it apparent who had more experience, via gifdsports:

The 7'0" forward had his way inside for much of the first half, pulling down seven rebounds along with seven points. Kaminsky registered 21 points and 12 rebounds overall for his second straight double-double and third of the tournament.

But he wasn't just shining offensively. Kaminsky also disrupted Duke on the defensive end, which was evident when he snatched the ball away from Okafor, via SB Nation:

While Kaminsky shined, he was unable to shut down Okafor all game long. In fact, it was Okafor's production down the stretch that helped Duke pull away from Wisconsin.

Finishing with just a meager 10 points and three rebounds, Okafor still made a huge dent down the stretch. His first possession back on the floor after getting into foul trouble was one of his best moves against Kaminsky, as Sports Illustrated passes along:

It wasn't a great night overall for Okafor, but he still showed what he can do with a game on the line. He got somewhat exposed by Kaminsky, making the debate over Okafor vs. Karl-Anthony Towns all the more fun to watch leading up to the 2015 NBA draft.

One player who thrived the most on the massive stage was Tyus Jones. But that's nothing new for Duke fans who have watched him all season. Laura Keeley of The News & Observer has been saying the same message about Jones all year and passed it along again on Monday night:

When the lights shine the brightest, so does Jones. The freshman drained big shot after big shot in the national championship game, earning him a new moniker from College Basketball on Scout:

Both Kaminsky and Okafor were already viewed as top-10 prospects in mock drafts on sites like DraftExpress.com. Jones, on the other hand, has been viewed outside of lottery-pick status for much of the year. Even in the tournament he was outdone by fellow frosh Justise Winslow.

However, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player was the true star on Monday night, as Chad Ford of ESPN points out:

Jones was the leading scorer in the game with 23 points and also tallied five rebounds. Suffice to say, his stock went up dramatically before the draft process begins—if he decides to leave Duke.

Winslow finished with a great night at 11 points and nine rebounds. Sam Dekker also had 12 points and eight rebounds of his own. The future of all five prospects looks great despite the fact that Duke came away with the title. With the draft so close, both teams still have plenty to root for before football season begins.

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