SALT LAKR CITY — The NCAA Tournament is here, and if you’re like most casual sports fans, you might be tuning into college basketball for the first time, and it’s hard to blame you.

For a litany of reasons, college basketball, especially beyond watching your alma mater, has become difficult to follow. One-and-done rules, the numerous timeouts, the long shot clock, and poor officiating all make watching college basketball before March a somewhat arduous task.

If you’re like me, the best part of college basketball is watching these players show flashes of potential that will allow them to be selected in June’s NBA Draft, and then continue to develop that talent in the pros.

And there’s no better time for that than March.

With no local teams participating in the tournament, the best way to view these games through Utah colored lenses is by watching players who might end up in a Jazz uniform next season.

The Jazz have two picks in the first round of the draft, and both are likely to wind up between picks Nos. 23-30. With that in mind, here are five names to keep an eye on as the tournament begins, and where you can find them.

TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA:

When you watch UCLA in the tournament, it will be hard to take your eyes off superstar guard Lonzo Ball. He’s going to be a top-three pick in June, and for good reason. He’s going to be a star.

However, if you want to know why UCLA has a real chance of winning a championship this year, watch Leaf. He will make a dozen or so plays each game that won’t show up on the highlight reel and that's a big reason UCLA lost just four games this season. Whether it’s an offensive rebound or a hockey assist, Leaf makes winning plays every time he’s on the floor. That’s not to say Leaf won’t also open eyes in the box score as well.

The freshman power forward averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and shot an impressive 45 percent from beyond the arch in 30 minutes per game. His game will likely be forced further away from the rim in the pros because he lacks elite length and athleticism to live down low, but his 3-point shooting will give NBA front offices confidence he can succeed in that role. He’d be an ideal fit next to Rudy Gobert if he can continue to develop his long distance shot, and he would fit well with the Jazz’ pass-happy offense. Leaf’s first game in the tournament tips off on Friday, at 7:57 p.m. MT against Kent State on TruTV.

Harry Giles, PF, Duke: It’s not often the top high school prospect is available in the 20s of the NBA Draft after just his freshman season, but that happens to be the case with Giles. Giles, part of a superstar class of freshmen at Duke, was once considered a candidate for the top overall pick in the 2017 draft before requiring the third knee surgery of his career just before the beginning of his college career. He had elite athleticism as a high school player and looked poised to dominate college before his October knee procedure. Giles never found the court with regularity at Duke, logging more than 20 minutes just once in his college career. However, as the season progressed, NBA scouts saw glimpses of what made him such an elite prospect.

Since the beginning of February, Giles has converted a staggering 73 percent of his field-goal attempts and averaged over three rebounds per game in just 11 minutes. He’ll enter the NBA as a long-term project with enormous upside not usually found in the 20s. He’s mostly a rebounder and dunker at this point of his career, but there is room for that with the better floor spacing in the NBA. With two picks in the 20s, the Jazz could take a chance on Giles as an eventual replacement for Derrick Favors, knowing they won’t regularly stumble upon that level of upside as they look to be drafting late in the first round over the next several seasons. Duke faces Troy on Friday, 5:20 p.m. MT on TBS.

Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon:

Brooks doesn’t have many fans in the state of Utah. First, he regularly torched the Utes in conference matchups, seemingly single-handedly keeping Utah from reaching its potential over the past several seasons. Secondly, he might have the most egregious flop in basketball history, and it took place here in the state.

Jazz fans would be wise to forgive him because he is a stellar basketball player. At 21 years old, he won’t enter the league with as much room for growth as other players on this list, but he can likely help an NBA team today with his skill set. He shot an impressive 55 percent from the floor as a junior and 41 percent from the 3-point line on over four attempts per game. He’s a talented passer, which he’ll have to develop further because the NBA won’t be a safe-haven for the small-ball power forward role he played for the Ducks.

At 6-foot-7 with a bizarrely short 6-4 wingspan, he’ll have to make a living purely as a small forward at the next level. He has a flair for the dramatic and regularly hit huge shots to win games at Oregon. He can provide depth and scoring on the wing as the Jazz will soon face tough decisions on Joe Ingles and Rodney Hood over the next few summers. I think Brooks will stick in the NBA, and he should be available with a late first-rounder. Brooks’ Oregon team takes on Iona on Friday at noon MT on TBS.

Luke Kennard, SG, Duke:

While Grayson Allen has dominated the headlines for Duke, kicking and tripping his way to the national spotlight, Kennard was keeping the Blue Devils relevant as a title contender. The sophomore guard shot an incredible 44 percent from the 3-point line on over five attempts per game and should be a better-than-average shooter early in his NBA career. However, Kennard isn’t just a shooter. He can score off the dribble and create for others when he puts the ball on the floor.

While Jayson Tatum will be the first Duke player selected in the draft, Kennard might be the reason the Blue Devils make a run to the Final Four. He’ll likely begin his career as a threat off the ball and develop as a creator as his time in the league progresses a la Gordon Hayward. Kennard might be the player least likely on this list to be available for the Jazz in the mid-20s, but an early exit by Duke could hurt his draft stock. His Duke team plays Troy on Friday at 5:20 p.m. MT on TBS.

Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF, Florida State:

As talented as the Jazz are at the wing position, outside of Hayward, they aren’t the most athletic team on the perimeter. While Alec Burks continues to show flashes of top-tier athleticism, his inability to stay healthy and diminishing role with the team might force the Jazz to move him in the offseason. Enter Bacon. Bacon is a shifty athlete with good speed, and he has the ability to attack with the ball in his hands.

At this point, he’s an average shooter, just 35 percent from 3-point range, but the Jazz have enough shooters to mask that until he develops his shot further. He won’t enter the league as a great defender, but if he wants to stick, he’ll have to develop that skill set over time.

He’s also a major downhill threat with the ability to rebound and go, either finishing above the rim or finding a teammate in transition. He might be a reach in the first round, but the Jazz need another transition threat and supporting athleticism to Hayward on the perimeter. Ideally, Bacon could fill the role of Burks, while playing a more controlled game. Florida State takes on Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at 7:20 p.m. MT on TNT. Ben Anderson is a contributor at KSL.com, follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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