Prospect Watch: Arizona's Ayton gets edge over Alabama's Sexton

Arizona's meeting with Alabama on Saturday night became exactly what fans were hoping for from a game involving two high-level freshmen in Wildcats center Deandre Ayton and Crimson Tide guard Collin Sexton.

Nobody in Tucson could slow down Ayton or Sexton as both displayed their top 10 prowess. Ayton's size and strength were the biggest factor, however, leading to a Wildcats win.

Alabama at Arizona (12/9/17)

Season Stats (as of 12/10/17)

Deandre Ayton - Arizona - Freshman

It's almost unfair to have a center like Ayton. At 7-foot-1 and approximately 260 pounds, Ayton's already one of the most dominant forces in college basketball and a legitimate threat to go first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

There is no stopping him around the basket. If he catches the ball within 3 feet of the rim, it's likely he'll finish with a dunk regardless of the defense. He's got great hands and high awareness in the paint.

In this play from Saturday, he shifts away from the paint to give Allonzo Trier space for the drive before finding an opening:

He lacks the polished post game of Duke's Marvin Bagley III, but he possesses abilities that may be better utilized at the professional level. Ayton has shown a nice touch from 3-point range despite shooting just under 29 percent on the year.

Within the last two minutes of Saturday night's contest, Ayton hit two big 16-foot jumpers to put the game out of reach. His mechanics are great for a 7-footer and his solid free-throw shooting is promising.

Thanks to his positioning and sheer size, Ayton's also been a dominant rebounder, ranking fifth in the nation at 11.9 rebounds per game.

Ayton is lacking on the defensive end, specifically in terms of mobility. He tends to be a plodding big man, unlike Texas center Mohamed Bamba. If Ayton's forced to switch out onto the perimeter, there's a high chance he will get beat off the dribble.

Though he's able to protect the rim relatively well, his shot blocking isn't threatening to attackers. It's difficult to determine if he's not fully aware of his surroundings defensively or he's just lazy.

In general, things have come easily for Ayton so far. He looks worthy of a No. 1 pick, and the game against Alabama was no exception. It's hard to imagine many NBA teams would have an answer for him around the basket, let alone anybody in the college ranks.

Collin Sexton - Alabama - Freshman

Sexton might be the most interesting prospect in college basketball right now - and the fastest. He's the top-ranked point guard in the class and his ridiculous speed perfectly suits the NBA's up-tempo style. He gets to the rim effortlessly despite his small frame.

Going up against somebody like Sexton is scary because if he's coming toward you, he'll either get to the free-throw line or do something like this:

Sexton's taken double-digit free throws in five of his first nine games of the season, and sank 15-of-16 from the line against Arizona.

It helps that Sexton is hitting 47 percent of his threes. He gives teams a lot to think about, as opponents have to keep in mind that he can explode off the dribble or stretch the floor. He has solid passing ability too, even if it doesn't show up on the box score.

Defensively, he has the potential to be an absolute terror in the passing lanes. He will attack an offense from all angles and force bad passes.

However, his decision-making is lacking at some points, and his performances against UCF and Rhode Island were inexcusably poor. He is certainly a competitor: Sexton scored 40 points in the infamous three-on-five game earlier this season against Minnesota.

He should be the first guard off the board in the draft, depending on how teams evaluate Oklahoma's Trae Young. If Sexton keeps this up, he should lock down a spot in the top 10.

(Stats courtesy: CBS Sports)