It’s back! It’s the NBADraft.net NCAA Tournament Player Pool, and, following Clayton Crowe’s victory in last year’s event, 8 of NBADraft.net’s finest have selected their 8-man squads. Six competitors return from previous years; two, Tajh Jenkins and Eric Guilleminault, are newcomers.
The rules are simple: The 8 of us conducted a snake draft to select 8 players each from this year’s NCAA Tournament pool. Whoever’s team scores the most points in this year’s tournament is the winner. Everyone is looking for the right combination of high scorers and members of teams that will be playing lots of games this March. Without further ado, here are the results of our draft*.
*Draft occurred prior to start of Round of 64 action. Points scored in play-in games (see Stefan Moody of Mississippi) WILL count.
Round 1
1. Clayton Crowe, SEC Blogger: Jahlil Okafor
2. Jacob Stallard, AAC Blogger: Frank Kaminsky
3. Michael Visenberg, Contributor: Aaron Harrison
4. Aran Smith, President: Stanley Johnson
5. Tyler Ingle, ACC Blogger: Jerian Grant
6. Dave Ray, Big 12 Blogger: Sam Dekker
7. Tajh Jenkins, Big East Blogger: Kris Dunn
8. Eric Guilleminault, Contributor: Karl-Anthony Towns
Round 2
9. Eric: Quinn Cook
10. Tajh: Willie Cauley-Stein
11. Dave: Justise Winslow
12. Tyler: Kyle Wiltjer
13. Aran: Andrew Harrison
14. Michael: Devin Booker
15. Jacob: Tyus Jones
16. Clayton: Georges Niang
Round 3
17. Clayton: Brandon Ashley
18. Jacob: Buddy Hield
19. Michael: Kevin Pangos
20. Aran: Terry Rozier
21. Tyler: Malcolm Brogdon
22. Dave: Perry Ellis
23. Tajh: D’Angelo Russell
24. Eric: Trey Lyles
Round 4
25. Eric: Darrun Hilliard
26. Tajh: Montrezl Harrell
27. Dave: Seth Tuttle
28. Tyler: Melo Trimble
29. Aran: Nigel Hayes
30. Michael: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
31. Jacob: Delon Wright
32. Clayton: Frank Mason
Round 5
33. Clayton: Marcus Paige,
34. Jacob: Nic Moore
35. Michael: Przemek Karnowski
36. Aran: Bobby Portis
37. Tyler: Pat Connaughton
38. Dave: D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera
39. Tajh: Myles Turner
40. Eric: Stefan Moody
Round 6
41. Eric: Dez Wells
42. Tajh: RJ Hunter
43. Dave: TaShawn Thomas
44. Tyler: Josh Hart
45. Aran: Joseph Young
46. Michael: Demetrius Jackson
47. Jacob: Isaiah Taylor
48. Clayton: Taurean Prince
Round 7
49. Clayton: Trevor Lacey
50. Jacob: Tyler Harvey
51. Michael: Ryan Arcidiacono
52. Aran: Kaleb Tarczewski
53. Tyler: Treveon Graham
54. Dave: Zach Auguste
55. Tajh: Ron Baker
56. Eric: TJ McConnell
Round 8
57. Eric: Brice Johnson
58. Tajh: Rysheed Jordan
59. Dave: Kelly Oubre
60. Tyler: Justin Anderson
61. Aran: Travis Trice
62. Michael: Domantas Sabonis
63. Jacob: Isaiah Cousins
64. Clayton: Tyler Ulis
Analysis:
Team Clayton
1 J. Okafor (17.7)
3 G. Niang (15.5)
2 B. Ashley (12.3)
2 F. Mason (12.3)
4 M. Paige (13.9)
3 T. Prince (13.8)
8 T. Lacey (15.8)
1 T. Ulis (5.6)
Average PPG: 13.4
Average Seed: 3
Chalk Score (Amount of points this team would score if no upsets occurred and every player scored his average in every game): 382 points
Optimal Final Four: Kansas, NC State, Duke, North Carolina
Clayton opened the festivities by picking the high scoring freshman big man from Duke, Jahlil Okafor, who could end up as the #1 NBA draft pick this summer. He points up points every night and should be around for a while in this tournament. He followed it up with a couple more big forwards in Niang and Ashley, then a couple point guards from blueblood programs in Mason and Paige. Prince and Lacey are both the leading scorers on their respective teams, and Ulis is just one of many guys in Kentucky’s rotation, but would have to exceed his scoring average in order to make much of an impact. Several players from high-seeded teams here, but can they put up enough points to win?
Team Jacob
1 F. Kaminsky (18.2)
1 T. Jones (11.6)
3 B. Hield (17.5)
5 D. Wright (14.9)
6 N. Moore (14.2)
11 I. Taylor (13.0)
13 T. Harvey (22.9)
3 I. Cousins (12.2)
Average PPG: 15.6
Average Seed: 5.4
Chalk Score: 332
Optimal Final Four: Texas, Oklahoma, Eastern Washington, Wisconsin
For my team, I definitely made some high risk-high reward picks. My average PPG was the highest, but it’s inflated by several players such as Harvey and Taylor, who are leading scorers on teams not projected to go very far. But Frank Kaminsky scores a lot of points on a very good team, and Tyus Jones of Duke is just getting better and better. The wild card for this team may be whether Oklahoma can have a run to the Final Four, as two Oklahoma players on my team, Hield and Cousins, account for a total of 29.7 PPG. They say March Madness is al about guard play, and 7 of my players are guards, so maybe a few of them will get hot a carry their team far.
Team Michael
1 Aaron Harrison (11.3)
1 D. Booker (10.5)
2 K. Pangos (11.5)
2 R. Hollis-Jefferson (10.9)
2 P. Karnowski (11)
3 D. Jackson (12.5)
1 R. Arcidiacano (10.2)
2 D. Sabonis (9.5)
Average PPG: 10.9
Average Seed: 1.8
Chalk Score: 401
Optimal Final Four: UK, Villanova, Gonzaga, Arizona
The main obstacle for Mike’s team this month will be upsets. Particularly upsets of the vs. Kentucky or vs. Gonzaga variety. Mike picked 2 players from 1 seed Kentucky and 3 from 2 seed Gonzaga. His other 3 players came from a 1 seed, a 2 seed, and a 3 seed. The complete opposite of my team, Mike picked a lot of low-risk players who don’t offer that many points per game, either. His squad has the lowest average points per game by a good margin, but most of them should at least be participating in the Sweet Sixteen. It’s a low-risk, low-reward lineup for Michael’s team.
Team Aran
2 S. Johnson (14.1)
1 Andrew Harrison (9.2)
4 T. Rozier (17.1)
1 N. Hayes (12.4)
5 B. Portis (17.5)
8 J. Young (20.2)
2 K. Tarczewski (9.1)
7 T. Trice (14.8)
Averare PPG: 14.3
Average Seed: 3.8
Chalk Score: 326
Optimal Final Four: UK, Louisville, Iowa (in the absence of any South region players on Aran’s team, Iowa is the highest-seeded South region team with no players selected for this pool), Arizona
There are no major trends to report here for our site president. He picked a pair of UA Wildcats, Johnson and Tarczewski, who combine for 23.2 per game. A Final Four run by Arizona would be nice. Aran also spent a couple of picks on supporting players on 1 seeds in Hayes and Harrison. Joseph Young is an interesting player who puts up all kinds of points, but if he manages to get his team past a solid Oklahoma State team in the round of 64, he’ll run into Wisconsin and a likely loss for his squad. Rozier and Portis are good scorers on decent, though not hugely intimidating teams. And Trice is the leading scorer on a Michigan State team that always seems to do well in March. Not a bad cast of characters for Aran’s team.
Team Tyler
3 J. Grant (16.8)
2 K. Wiltjer (16.7)
2 M. Brogdon (13.9)
4 M. Trimble (16.3)
3 P. Connaughton (12.8)
1 J. Hart (10.4)
7 T. Graham (16.3)
2 J. Anderson (12.3)
Average PPG: 14.4
Average Seed: 3
Chalk Score: 404
Optimal Final Four: Notre Dame, Virginia, Gonzaga, VCU
Tyler’s team, like Michael’s team, is a bit reliant on two teams for his scoring. He’s got Virginia’s pair of scorers, the second of which is Justin Anderson, who is just coming back from an injury that kept him out for much of conference play. It will be interesting to see if he has more of an impact than he was able to have in the ACC Tournament. Tyler also took two Notre Dame players, a risky proposition as they share a bracket with Kentucky. A big run by Notre Dame would obviously be crucial, but can they get past Kentucky, Kansas, and even Butler first? Tyler’s roster is rounded out by Gonzaga star Kyle Wiltjer, Maryland freshman sensation Melo Trimble, whose team could be vulnerable early, Josh Hart, a supporting character for Villanova, and Treveon Graham of VCU, who comes into the tournament off of an A-10 title after a shaky closeout of the regular season.
Team Dave
1 S. Dekker (13.0)
1 J. Winslow (12.3)
2 P. Ellis (13.8)
5 S. Tuttle (15.3)
4 D. Smith-Rivera (16.2)
3 T. Thomas (11.3)
3 Z. Auguste (12.4)
2 K. Oubre (9.3)
Average PPG: 13
Average Seed: 2.6
Chalk Score: 369
Optimal Final Four: Kansas, Northern Iowa, Georgetown, Wisconsin
Dave’s team is built around terrific supporting players on both Wisconsin and Duke in Dekker and Winslow, followed by Kansas, Northern Iowa, and Georgetown’s leading scorers in Ellis, Tuttle, and Smith-Rivera. Throw in a couple big men on solid 3 seeds in Auguste and Thomas, and round it out with freshman Kelly Oubre, also of Kansas, who is getting better every day, and you have an intriguing roster. If Wisconsin, Duke, and Kansas all make the Final Four, things look golden for Dave’s team. Oubre is a great pick in the eighth round as he could really take off as he continues to grow and get comfortable. I also like the Seth Tuttle pick. If Northern Iowa is playing, Tuttle is scoring because he carried his team to a 5 seed. Thomas and Auguste could be hit-or-miss. They may get a lot of touches in the post or they may get next to nothing as the larger cogs of their respective offenses handle the ball.
Team Tajh
6 K. Dunn (15.8)
1 W. Cauley-Stein (9.3)
10 D. Russell (19.3)
4 M. Harrell (15.7)
11 M. Turner (10.4)
14 RJ Hunter (19.8)
7 R. Baker (15.0)
9 R. Jordan (14.3)
Average PPG: 15
Average Seed: 7.8
Chalk Score: 228
Optimal Final Four: Wichita St., Providence, St. John’s, Georgia State
Looking at the average seed, “chalk” score, and Optimal Final Four for Tajh’s team, it’s apparent that he’ll need several small miracles to win this one. He built his team around several guys on teams not considered to be title contenders, including 4 players on teams that are the lower seed in their very first game. Cauley-Stein could very well play in 6 games this tournament, but the other 7 players are generally thought of as being on teams headed for nothing more than the Sweet Sixteen. The most redeeming quality of this team? It’s got scorers. Russell, Dunn, Hunter, and Baker can all flat-out score, but can they do enough to keep their teams in the Dance a while and earn Tajh some points?
Team Eric
1 K. Towns (9.7)
1 Q. Cook (15.7)
1 T. Lyles (8.4)
1 D. Hilliard (14.0)
11 S. Moody (16.3)
4 D. Wells (15.4)
2 TJ McConnell (9.8)
4 B. Johnson (13.2)
Average PPG: 12.8
Average Seed: 3.1
Chalk Score: 429
Optimal Final Four: UK, Villanova, Duke, Mississippi
Interesting results for Eric’s team, after his team was actually drafted by Aran after technical/logisitical difficulties prevented Eric from participating in the draft. But his team actually had the highest “chalk” score by far, as its first four picks were from 1 seeds. Towns and Lyles are great players who should stick around a while in this tournament, but neither is required to score a lot for Kentucky. Similar story with TJ McConnell of Arizona. Cook and Hilliard are key offensive weapons on other 1 seeds in the dance, and should get plenty of points. Moody already has the points from the play-in under his belt, so it remains to be seen what he ends up putting on the board in total. Finally, Dez Wells is a strong scoring guard for Maryland who could play in a few games, and Brice Johnson is a young forward for UNC who has been getting better of late.
Look for updates on the results of the pool after each weekend of games. Enjoy your March, basketball fans!
