8th – Eric Guilleminault
Denzel Valentine*, Michigan State – 13 points
Dillon Brooks, Oregon – 36
Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma – 31
Isaiah Taylor*, Texas – 22
Luke Kennard, Duke – 18
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga – 40
Alonzo Trier*, Arizona – 10
Jordan McLaughlin*, USC – 15
Total: 185 (4 Players Remaining)
The toughest of breaks for Guilleminault, whose first overall pick, Denzel Valentine, lost in the first round in one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA Tournament history. All but one of the participants in the pool had Michigan State in their Final Four, so any one of us would have been happy to have Denzel. Additionally, Guilleminault lost three more players in the first round due to upsets, so the chips haven’t fallen in his favor in this year’s addition. The Sabonis pick has been a good one, as he is averaging 20 PPG in this tournament, but otherwise, Guilleminault is relying on a single leading scorer on a balanced team in Brooks, a pair of supporting characters in Cousins and Kennard, and a guy on an 11th-seeded team (which, to be fair, is playing well above their seed). It’ll be an uphill battle for Guilleminault.
T6th – Aran Smith
Jamal Murray*, Kentucky – 35
Frank Mason, Kansas – 17
Joel Berry, North Carolina – 29
Chris Boucher, Oregon – 22
Jakob Poeltl*, Utah – 21
Ben Bentil*, Providence – 40
Isaiah Whitehead*, Seton Hall – 10
Edmond Sumner*, Xavier – 13
Total: 187 (3 Players Remaining)
Our defending champ and site president is in poor shape for a repeat following the demise of his top pick, Jamal Murray. He gambled on a couple high-scoring guys on lower seeds in Bentil and Whitehead, and also saw a few other picks of his get upset early. Now he’s down to three guys, none of which are the leading scorer on their respective teams. A Kansas-UNC-Oregon final four would put him in decent shape, but it may be too late for the champ.
T6th – Jacob Stallard
Wayne Selden, Kansas – 36
Bryn Forbes*, Michigan State – 14
Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma -32
Devin Williams*, West Virginia – 12
A.J. Hammons*, Purdue – 16
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana – 38
Gabe York*, Arizona – 10
Elgin Cook, Oregon – 29
Total: 187 (4 Players Remaining)
My team got off to a poor start, losing 4 players in the first round. But it recovered with the remaining four each surviving to the Sweet Sixteen. The upset of Michigan State was unfortunate for me as it took out my second round pick. All four of my players fell victim to a team seeded at least 5 seeds lower than theirs. A surprise deep run by Indiana and Yogi Ferrell might give my team a chance; otherwise, I may be out of it.
5th – Evan Tomes
Tyler Ulis*, Kentucky – 37
Brandon Ingram, Duke – 45
Trevon Bluiett*, Xavier – 17
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova – 30
Diamond Stone, Maryland – 18
Eron Harris*, Michigan State – 9
Daniel Hamilton*, Connecticut – 28
Deyonta Davis*, Michigan State – 10
Total: 194 (3 Players Remaining)
Tomes gambled on some players from lower-seeded teams, taking zero players on #1 seeds and starting things off with the point guard for #4 seed Kentucky, who has since lost. He is now down to relying on three guys, two of which will have to lead their teams to an upset of a #1 seed in their Sweet Sixteen matchup. A win by Tomes is looking unlikely at this point barring surprise runs by Duke and Maryland.
4th – Michael Visenberg
Brice Johnson, North Carolina – 39
Devonte Graham, Kansas – 13
Josh Hart, Villanova – 28
Marcus Paige, North Carolina – 22
Tyler Dorsey, Oregon – 23
Georges Niang, Iowa St. – 56
Jaysean Paige*, West Virginia – 9
Troy Williams, Indiana – 25
Total: 215 (7 Players Remaining)
Visenberg hasn’t had a lot of guys blow up in the first two rounds (though Niang was a great value pick). But he’s sitting with 7 players still remaining, most of anyone left in the pool, and his first pick, Brice Johnson, is looking stellar, with a very realistic path to the Final Four. It’s likely Mikey V will send at least 2 or 3 players to the Final Four, which could put him in great shape to overtake the leaders and win.
3rd – Clayton Crowe
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma – 63
Anthony Gill, Virginia – 38
Justin Jackson, North Carolina – 27
London Perrantes, Virginia – 20
Ryan Anderson*, Arizona – 8
Alex Poythress*, Kentucky – 18
Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame – 29
Isaiah Briscoe*, Kentucky – 20
Total: 223 (5 Players Remaining)
It was a solid start to the draft for Crowe, who is the only participant who’s top 4 picks still remaining. The loss of Kentucky cost him a couple players, but he’s in good shape. His team has largely been carried by Buddy Hield, who has more than doubled the scoring of all but one of Crowe’s other players and has been the best scorer in the tournament so far by a big margin. Demetrius Jackson was also a good value pick in the seventh round, especially if the Irish can overcome Wisconsin. With two Virginia players on the roster, a Cavalier championship run could put Crowe on top.
2nd – Jon Wasserman
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia – 33
Grayson Allen, Duke – 52
Sheldon McClellan, Miami – 38
Melo Trimble, Maryland – 43
Tyrone Wallace*, California (out for tournament) – 0
Jaylen Brown*, California – 4
Jarrod Uthoff*, Iowa – 39
Kris Jenkins, Villanova – 27
Total: 236 (5 Players Remaining)
Despite the flop of Wasserman’s Cal picks, His team has been carried by a quintet of strong performances from Brogdon, McClellan, Uthoff, Trimble, and Grayson Allen, the second-leading scorer in the pool. Four of those five remain in the dance, in addition to Kris Jenkins, who’s Villanova team could also have some longevity left in them. Wasserman may have suffered a few hits in the early going, but his team has plenty of star power and may be enough to overtake our leader.
1st – Dave Ray
Perry Ellis, Kansas – 42
Danuel House, Texas A&M – 33
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M – 36
Taurean Prince*, Baylor – 28
Matt Costello*, Michigan St. – 22
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga – 30
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin – 18
Angel Rodriguez, Miami – 52
Total: 261 (6 Players Remaining)
Dave’s team was helped dramatically by the miracle comeback by Texas A&M against Northern Iowa, as it saved his second and third selections. He now enters the second weekend with the most points (by a comfortable margin) and the second-most players. Angel Rodriguez has been phenomenal for him, averaging 26 PPG in the tournament thus far. However, of his six remaining players, only Perry Ellis plays for the higher seed in his Sweet Sixteen matchup. If a few of his guys, particularly Ellis, can survive another round, Ray is in fantastic shape to come away with this.
Best Pick: Buddy Hield, Team Crowe
Honorable Mention: Grayson Allen, Team Wasserman
Best Value Pick: Angel Rodriguez, Team Ray
Honorable Mention: Georges Niang, Team Visenberg
Best Chance of Winning: Team Ray
Honorable Mention: Team Visenberg
