March Madness 2011: 5 NBA Draft Prospects That Can Make or Break Stock Today

The NCAA tournament kicks off today, and many future NBA players will be showing off their skills in front of a national audience.

For some of these players, today is make or break, as their teams are not expected to make it very far in the tournament.

This slideshow features five players who with big games today will really help their draft stock but with bad games will leave a bad taste in scouts' mouths.

Feel free to add your own players in the comments section below.

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State

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DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles drives to the hoop against the Louisville Cardinals during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Day

According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, Faried is a potential top 20 pick, even though he is coming out of one of the smaller schools in the tournament.

Unfortunately, Faried and his Morehead State team are taking on a Louisville team that made it to the Big East finals and should dismiss its weaker opponent.

This makes today's game even more important for Faried, as it will most likely be his last action before the draft.

Faried has been a freak at Morehead, averaging a double-double each of the last three seasons. This season he is averaging 17.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

Jon Leuer, Wisconsin

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Jon Leuer #30 of the Wisconsin Badgers posts up against David Jackson #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 11, 2011 in Ind

Prior to the Big Ten Tournament, most would have thought that Jon Leuer and Wisconsin would have had a few tournament games to show what they offer.

That mindset changed a lot after their embarrassing loss to Penn State in which they only scored 33 points the entire game.

Now Leuer and Wisconsin take on a Belmont team that many bracketologists are picking to pull off the upset.

Leuer needs to remind scouts why he is a projected first-round pick with a big game against Belmont today.

He needs to put up at least the 18 points he is averaging per game, and going over 25 would really help restore confidence in him.

Justin Harper, Richmond

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PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 18: Justin Harper #32 of the Richmond Spiders walks off the court after they lost to the Saint Mary's Gaels during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 18, 2010 at the Dunkin Donuts Arena in Provide

Justin Harper may be one of the bigger players in next year's draft, but at times he can shoot like a guard and would love to show that off during today's game.

Richmond is in the classic 5-12 matchup and will look to pull the upset against Vanderbilt.

If Richmond can win, it will be in large part thanks to Harper, who will need to have a big game.

A dominant game by Harper will have scouts impressed, and an upset will help his draft stock even more and potentially move him into the first round.

Harper is averaging just a sliver under 18 points per game for the Spiders.

Malcolm Lee, UCLA

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LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 02: Malcolm Lee #3 of the UCLA Bruins in action during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on December 2, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Malcolm Lee needs to help his draft status, and a big game and win against Michigan State tonight would go a long way toward making that happen.

The best part of the matchup against Michigan State for Lee is that he can go toe to toe with Kalin Lucas, which could either really help or hurt his status depending on how he does.

UCLA is having a down year, and Lee is the player with the highest draft potential for the Bruins.

Michigan State may have just barely made it into the tournament, but it could very realistically knock out UCLA in the first round and send Lee home packing.

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 10: Jacob Pullen #0 of the Kansas State Wildcats looks to move the ball against the Colorado Buffaloes during their quarterfinal game in the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 10, 2011 in

While Pullen plays for a No. 5 seed in Kansas State, it is matched up against a very tough Utah State team and could be upset early.

Pullen is projected to be a late second-round pick right now and is averaging almost 20 points per game.

I think what a lot of scouts will be looking for during the K-State game tonight is how well he passes the ball, as he only averages less than four assists a game as a six-foot guard.

If Pullen can lead his Wildcats team to victory, he will really help his status, but if it loses, a lot of the blame may fall on him.