As a born and bred New Yorker, there are few things better than a high-stakes clash at Madison Square Garden. The atmosphere is always electric, and it’s the perfect pressure cooker for NBA prospects. In a matinee thriller between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the St. John’s Red Storm, we didn’t just get a great game; we may have witnessed the emergence of a bona fide lotto pick and the arrival of a sleeper destined for draft boards.

I came away with a notebook full of real-time reactions, so here are my raw and unfiltered thoughts on the most intriguing prospects from a packed afternoon at the Garden.