The Top Draft Prospects to Watch in College Basketball Tonight

The college basketball season has officially been underway for a matter of days, and we've already seen numerous high-level performances from soon-to-be NBA Draftees.

Monday's opening games were highlighted by blistering freshmen play, and returnees in Duke's Isaiah Evans, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and more have since seen stellar openers for their respective team.

There will be dozens more games Thursday evening, with multiples NBA Draft prospects attempting to build on hot starts. Here are a few of the top players to watch in college basketball tonight:

Mikel Brown, Louisville

Players such as Koa Peat, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa stole headlines on Opening Night, and Louisville’s Mikel Brown — the top guard prospect per most draft experts — fell under the radar with a good performance.

In his first-ever action, Brown scored 11 points on 67% shooting, adding six assists to three turnovers in proving his passing skill. He has premier scoring and passing skill, both of which were on display in the Cardinals blowout opener.

Tonight, Louisville will take on Jackson State at 6 p.m., and NBA decision-makers will be watching closely to see if Brown can build on his hot start.

The Florida Gators

Florida kicked off their season with a disappointing loss, falling to Peat and No. 13 Arizona by just six points. Despite that, its quad of draft prospects fared well.

While they don’t yet have a win, Florida will again be a contender in college basketball, largely due to players like Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee.

Haugh added 27 points on 54% shooting in the opener, Condon had 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Fland and Lee both saw improvable outings.

The Gators will take on North Florida at 7 p.m. CT, which should serve as an easy bounce-back game.

Hannes Steinbach, Washington

German forward Hannes Steinbach will play out a season with the Washington Huskies, and he’s already off to a blazing hot start.

In a blowout win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Steinbach showed the full array of his frontcourt skills, going for 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal while shooting 82% overall and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc.

At 6-foot-11, he has a unique skillset focused around interior scoring, passing and generally high-IQ play, and scouts will undoubtedly be tuned into Washington’s 9 p.m. bout with Denver to see if he can replicate his success.

Honorable mentions: Milan Momcilovic, Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State; Elyjah Freeman, Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn