Tonight's McDonald's All-American game allows fans of both the NCAA and THE NBA to catch a glimpse of the upcoming stars of their sport. Here are five high school seniors to keep an eye on this time around.

A smooth forward at 6-foot-10, 225-pounds, Greg Monroe has a great all-around skill set that will only improve with time in college. Monroe, a Georgetown commit, possesses excellent court awareness and moves the ball well. He has his perimeter game, but must work on his right hand. When going to his left, he is dominant. Monroe is a strong rebounder and shot blocker while utilizing his quickness to defend perimeter-oriented big men. At just seventeen years old, Monroe has tremendous "upside-potential."

Demar DeRozan, an athletic wing committed to Tim Floyd, looks like an NBA player. With his great athleticism and explosiveness, DeRozan has tremendous potential. DeRozan has answered critics who questioned his mid-range game and ability to shoot off of the dribble. He has a nice feel for the game, passing and rebounding the ball well. That being said, DeRozan must make better use of his athletic tools and size (6-foot-6, 210-pounds) on the defensive side of the ball.

Samardo Samuels, with his 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame, is able to dominant around the basket. Samuels, a Louisville commit, is a bruiser when working the boards and post. He has tremendous finishing abilities to go with his good footwork and touch inside. Passing is a strength. Still, Samuels will need to develop his mid-range game and improve as a defender.

Though in the dreaded combo guard mold, Jrue Holiday is probably the most complete guard in the 2008 class. The UCLA commit is an explosive athlete, but can bring more to the table. Holiday can shoot from behind the arc, slash to the basket, and finish in the paint with both hands. Defensively, he should fit into Ben Howland's scheme. Holiday is capable of guarding point guards and shooting guards alike. He just needs to break out of the combo guard label.

At this point, B.J. Mullens is probably more of a prospect than a player; he takes too many possessions off on both ends of that floor. That being said, he is loaded with potential at 7-foot, 255-pounds. Mullens uses his athleticism to run on the fastbreak, usually beating his man down the floor. His shooting range allows him to stretch the floor. He has the ability to offensive rebound, though his rebounding, offensively and defensively, is inconsistent. Right now, Mullens is a finesse player and must become more assertive in the post. Mullens has plenty of room to grow while playing collegiately at Ohio State.

Though these five players might not be the best players on the court tonight, they should be interesting prospects to keep an eye on as they progress through college and into the NBA.

It has become regular place for the winners of a league's season-end conference tournament to earn a place in the NCAA Tournament. The only conference that does not award their automatic big through a tournament is the Ivy League. They, correctly, send their regular season champions to participate in March Madness.

More conferences should adopt a method similar to the Ivy League's system. For small conferences, the postseason tournaments diminish the importance of the regular season schedule to a point where there is, essentially, none. They send the team that is hottest over a three day period instead of the team that has proven their ability over a long stretch.

This is even more important for the lesser conferences; only one team will usually make it into the tournament field.

If a team is unable to win the conference championship in no-name conference, what are the chances they are capable of knocking off a second or third seed? Maybe, just maybe, this could be the reason why, historically, the Ivy League has faired well in the tournament.

The only benefit for a conference to hold the postseason tournament is for the national media attention. ESPN devotes an entire week to tournament games for the small conferences. ("They are just playing for the chance to be at the tournament," they say. "Look at the passion!") What these tournaments come down to, for the people running each conference, is money.

Without the postseason coverage, who would small conferences turn to for additional revenue? It is a possibility that they look at their loyal fans. They could get earn for money for regular season games when the games have a tangible impact. Attendance might increase.

Please, small-conferences-who-nobody-knows-about, consider changing the way things are done. If only for the dramatic increase in the competitive level of the first round tournament games.

As it is now, the most dominant teams in the country are matched up against teams incapable of winning their own Podunk conference.

Remove Adam Emmenecker away from the Bulldogs this season and Drake is not celebrating Saturday's win with grins on their faces and recently-cut nets draped around their necks. There are no streamers, no fireworks, no cameras, and no trophies to hoist above their heads.

In college basketball, a team is as good as the man at its point, its coach on the floor. Without a doubt. When it comes to great, championship-contending teams, a great point guard is the lone constant.

Drake has Adam Emmenecker, a native of Michigan. His story is simply unbelievable. Imagine: no Division I basketball scholarships, no playing time for three years, injuries, four majors and a 3.97 GPA. Finally, just prior to his senior season, Emmenecker was placed on scholarship. He leads the Bulldogs to their first Missouri Valley Conference title since 1971, setting a new single-season assist record in the process.

He averaged just 4.7 points and 8.4 assists as a high school senior!

Emmenecker went from a walk-on to Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Through eighteen conference games, Emmenecker is averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 6.7 assists.

A player of the year is the catalyst. A player of the year is there when the team is down late in the game. A player of the year takes over the scoring load when the scorers go down. A player of the year is the guy who places the team on his shoulder when the jump shots stop falling.

Take Emmenecker away from Drake, and they are not here today.