While the big names will get all the attention, a handful of lesser touted prospects are going to be showcasing their skills during the tournament. We’ll take a look at four of them playing today in the NCAA’s opening round of games.

Dean Wade, Kansas St. (Junior)

About this time last year, not even diehard Michigan fans were talking about the first round prospects of forward DJ Wilson. Yet just a few months later, there was Wilson being selected 17th by the Milwaukee Bucks. If any underclassmen in the tournament has a chance to pull off a similar feat, it’s KSU’s Wade.

The junior forward has quietly destroyed the Big XII this season. Wade had 10 games of 20 or more points during conference play including a season-high 34 against Iowa State. What makes those numbers even more impressive is that Kansas St aren’t exactly a run-and-gun squad that piles up points. The Wildcats rank 303rd in adjusted tempo and just 60th in adjusted offense per Kenpom.com. And there’s been a couple of games where Wade has accounted for damn near half KSU’s point total.

Wade is a threat to score in a variety of ways from post ups all the way to 3-point shots -- where he’s shooting 44 percent on just a shade under three attempts per game. He’s also a fluid athlete with a willingness to move the ball to open teammates, including some clever interior passes. As far as NBA comparisons go, veteran big men like Jon Leuer and Kelly Olynyk are players whose games somewhat resemble Wade’s.

So even though he’s not on NBA draft boards now, if he puts up a monster game or two in the tournament, don’t be surprised if he winds up hearing his name called by Adam Silver this June.

Theo Pinson, North Carolina (Senior)

If North Carolina makes a deep run in this tournament, don’t be surprised if their do-everything senior guard is behind the charge. Although a few players on his team have more recognizable names, Pinson is essentially the Tar Heels engine. With averages of 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists, Pinson isn’t going to blow people away, but he’s got an intriguing game that players before him -- like Stephen F. Austin legend Tom Walkup -- have seen receive a boost from a strong tournament showing.

Though Walkup and Pinson have different athletic profiles, they essentially produce the same results. Walkup was nominal a forward at SFA during their memorable run in the 2016 tournament but basically functioned as the team’s primary playmaker. While SFA’s lesser surrounding talent meant Walkup had to function as more of a scorer, his assist totals (4.5) and rebounding (6.9) are identical to Pinson’s.

Now if you’re thinking “but wait, Walkup never made it to the NBA”, you’re right. Part of Pinson’s problem making the jump is that versatile playmakers without an accurate 3-point shot don’t have much of a track record  of success -- unless they come with the label of a first round pick. Walkup received his fair share of attention from NBA teams during the predraft process, wound up going to Chicago Bulls training camp before ultimately winding up in the G-League (Walkup is now currently the best player on the second best team in Germany -- a league that sent Darius Miller and Daniel Theis over to the NBA last summer).

Pinson’s athleticism may grant him a slightly different path as can a big tournament where he spends 3-4 games knocking down shots from the perimeter. In the end, it may still take Pinson a couple years of fine tuning his game in the G-League, but don’t be surprised if at the end of that, some NBA team figures out his versatile game can be a fit for their roster.

Marcus Foster, Creighton(Senior)

Although teammate Khyri Thomas is the darling in NBA scouts’ eyes, Foster is no slouch himself. Entering today’s matchup against Kansas State, Foster is averaging 20.3 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and an impressive 42.2 percent from 3 on a high volume (7.0) of attempts. In short, Foster can get buckets.

Yet when you get into the projection aspect, Foster is what NBA teams typically dread -- an undersized shooting guard who is underwhelming defensively. But while that used to be a bigger issue years ago, the modern NBA -- where a backcourt of “combo” guards in Portland has their team third in the Western conference -- might have a place for someone like Foster.

And isn’t like there hasn’t been a track record of players with similar games to Foster that have found success in the NBA. From older players like Marcus Thornton (eight NBA seasons) to younger, less proven players like Sean Kilpatrick (5 NBA teams in three seasons), undersized scorers do, at the very least, get a chance to prove themselves.

If Foster can continue to round out his game and convince NBA teams that his issues at his first school are far behind him, there’s a good chance he can not only crack a roster, but forge a long career wearing NBA uniforms.

Kenrich Williams, TCU (Senior)

A common flaw in NBA decision-making is that “winning players” often get overlooked as teams fawn over athleticism, potential and out-of-context production. That’s why year after year, college players with modest numbers all of a sudden wind up playing for your favorite NBA team. Williams is likely to do the same.

Thanks in large part to an improved shooting stroke -- he’s shooting 40.9 percent on 3.5 attempts per game -- Williams has rounded out his game to the point that it’s hard to find reasons he can’t help an NBA team win games. From his passing (4.0 assists a game) to his rebounding (9.3 per game) to his defensive effort, Williams has the skills necessary to fit in just fine as a 4-man in today’s smaller, more versatile NBA

In a lot of ways, Williams shares similarities to the NBA version of (an in-shape) Jared Dudley. In college, Dudley was an undersized, overweight post up monster. But when he was making contributions in the NBA, Dudley was the ultimate combo forward -- combing defensive effort, floor-spacing and clever passing -- to help teams like the 2010 Suns make deep playoff runs.

Williams and Dudley are the Peter Principle hitting the NBA right in the face. The fact that Williams isn’t lighting up scoreboards by being heavily involved in TCU’s offense is irrelevant to the role he’ll play in the NBA, just as Dudley proved years ago when he came out of Boston College. Had Dudley never changed his game to play more like Williams does now, he’d never had made it in the league.

So don’t be surprised if the next season or two Williams is all of sudden helping your favorite NBA team win games just like he’s done for TCU all season.