This year’s draft order saw Brian picking first, just like last year, and Dan picking last, just like last year:
Brian
James
Gavin
Stu
Jake
Bob
Shawn
Luke
Chris
Dan
“I’M SEEING DOUBLE - FOUR KRUSTYS”
Since I was last in the draft order, I thought I would need to think outside the bun for a winning scheme. My idea was to draft both top Virginia scorers with picks 10 and 11 - go all-in with the best but least offense-oriented team. Then, as I was logging into the draft, my television displayed the news about their 6th man, De’Andre Hunter, missing the tourney with a broken wrist. Did I think, “Oh, the same thing happened to Oregon last year, and they reached the Final Four,” or, “Well, that just means that my two Virginia players will get even more playing time.”? No, I panicked and redesigned my strategy on the fly.
Anyway, I do not have two Virginia players. No one does. But here is who selected two players from the same team:
JAMES - 2 from Butler, 2 from Arizona State (Both 1.5x bonus teams! Look for James to jump out to the early lead!)
JAKE - 2 from Michigan State, 2 from Creighton
DAN - 2 from North Carolina, 2 from Gonzaga (I considered getting 3 from Gonzaga, because my mind was failing throughout the evening!) (These teams are in the same region, because see previous comment.)
CHRIS - 2 from Kansas
BOB - 2 from Villanova
Whoa, 5 owners selected teammates! Only one (me) did that last year!
“I’VE TRAVELED FIVE HUNDRED MILES TO GIVE YOU MY SEED”
No 6 or 7 seed players were selected. Number of players chosen by seed:
1 16
2 15
3 13
4 9
5 6
6 0
7 0
8 5
9 1
10 5
11 4
12 3
13 0
14 2
15 0
16 1
Gavin and Stu each have three 1 seed players. Brian and Jake did not draft anyone from a 1 seed.
“TEAM. GET ON TOP” -- PRINCE (R.I.P.)
Most players drafted per team:
1 Kansas 5
1 Villanova 5
2 North Carolina 5
3 Michigan St 5
1 Virginia 4
2 Duke 4
2 Purdue 4
3 Michigan 3
3 Texas Tech 3
4 Arizona 3
4 Gonzaga 3
“I BELIEVE IT’S TIME TO MULTIPLYYYYYYY” -- REO SPEEDWAGON
21 of the 80 players selected were from seeds 8 and above and earn the 1.5x multiplier. Dan and Stu lack any 1.5x bonus players. James has the most bonus players, with 5, including his Texas Southern play-in game guy. Chris has 4.
“LET’S GET REGIONAL” -- OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Players drafted per region:
Midwest 24
East 20
West 19
South 17
Everyone has at least one player per region except Dan, who has no one from the East. Dan drafted 5 West region players, and Chris drafted 5 Midwest region players.
“BALANCE” -- MR. MIYAGI AT SOME POINT, PROBABLY
Will their players knock each other out of the tourney? From least balanced to best balanced, I guess, it’s kind of arguable:
Brian has 2 players that play against each other in the round of 64, and 2 players that could meet in the Sweet 16.
Dan has 3 players that could meet in the round of 32.
Gav has 2 players that could meet in the round of 32, and 4 that could meet in the Sweet 16.
Luke has 2 players that could meet in the round of 32.
Jake has 5 players that could meet in the Sweet 16.
Chris has 4 players that could meet in the Sweet 16.
Bob, Shawn, and Stu have 2 players that could meet in the Sweet 16.
James’ players cannot face each other until the Elite 8.
“DON’T PUT ME IN THIS POSITION” -- SOMEONE EXPERIENCING AN INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT
Only 5 players are classified as centers, and Bob drafted 3 of them. 24 forwards were picked, and the remainder is 51 guards. Gav has all guards but for 1 center, and Stu and James drafted 7 guards and one forward.
AND NOW, HERE ARE EVERYONE'S PICKS:
Brian needs 1 seeds to lose, and Cinci and Michigan to have strong showings.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Brian | MW | 2 | Duke | Marvin Bagley III | F |
| 2 | 20 | Brian | S | 2 | Cincinnati | Gary Clark | F |
| 3 | 21 | Brian | W | 3 | Michigan | Moritz Wagner | F |
| 4 | 40 | Brian | MW | 8 | Seton Hall | Desi Rodriguez | F |
| 5 | 41 | Brian | W | 2 | UNC | Kenny Williams | G |
| 6 | 60 | Brian | E | 12 | Murray State | Jonathan Stark | G |
| 7 | 61 | Brian | W | 14 | Montana | Ahmaad Rorie | G |
| 8 | 80 | Brian | E | 3 | Texas Tech | Jarrett Culver | G |
James’s hopes are dim unless both Butler and Arizona State each win a game.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 2 | James | MW | 1 | Kansas | Devonte' Graham | G |
| 2 | 19 | James | E | 10 | Butler | Kelan Martin | F |
| 3 | 22 | James | E | 5 | West Virginia | Jevon Carter | G |
| 4 | 39 | James | MW | 11 | Arizona State | Tra Holder | G |
| 5 | 42 | James | E | 10 | Butler | Kamar Baldwin | G |
| 6 | 59 | James | MW | 11 | Arizona State | Shannon Evans II | G |
| 7 | 62 | James | S | 1 | UVA | Ty Jerome | G |
| 8 | 79 | James | W | 16 | Texas Southern | Demontrae Jefferson | G |
Gav is a 1 seed supporter: Villanova, Virginia, and especially Xavier.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 3 | Gavin | E | 1 | Villanova | Mikal Bridges | G |
| 2 | 18 | Gavin | W | 1 | Xavier | Trevon Bluiett | G |
| 3 | 23 | Gavin | S | 1 | UVA | Devon Hall | G |
| 4 | 38 | Gavin | MW | 11 | Syracuse | Tyus Battle | G |
| 5 | 43 | Gavin | E | 9 | Alabama | Collin Sexton | G |
| 6 | 58 | Gavin | E | 4 | Wichita State | Shaquille Morris | C |
| 7 | 63 | Gavin | MW | 2 | Duke | Trevon Duval | G |
| 8 | 78 | Gavin | W | 10 | Providence | Alpha Diallo | G |
Stu is balanced with 1 seed players, but would benefit most from Kentucky and Texas Tech wins.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 4 | Stu | E | 1 | Villanova | Jalen Brunson | G |
| 2 | 17 | Stu | MW | 1 | Kansas | Malik Newman | G |
| 3 | 24 | Stu | W | 2 | UNC | Theo Pinson | F |
| 4 | 37 | Stu | E | 3 | Texas Tech | Keenan Evans | G |
| 5 | 44 | Stu | MW | 3 | Michigan State | Cassius Winston | G |
| 6 | 57 | Stu | E | 5 | West Virginia | Daxter Miles Jr. | G |
| 7 | 64 | Stu | W | 1 | Xavier | J.P. Macura | G |
| 8 | 77 | Stu | S | 5 | Kentucky | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | G |
Jake’s best path to victory is with Michigan State, with support from Purdue and North Carolina.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 5 | Jake | W | 2 | UNC | Luke Maye | F |
| 2 | 16 | Jake | MW | 3 | Michigan State | Miles Bridges | G |
| 3 | 25 | Jake | E | 2 | Purdue | Vincent Edwards | F |
| 4 | 36 | Jake | S | 8 | Creighton | Marcus Foster | G |
| 5 | 45 | Jake | S | 4 | Arizona | Allonzo Trier | G |
| 6 | 56 | Jake | S | 8 | Creighton | Khyri Thomas | G |
| 7 | 65 | Jake | MW | 3 | Michigan State | Nick Ward | F |
| 8 | 76 | Jake | E | 3 | Texas Tech | Zhaire Smith | G |
Bob is betting on Duke and Villanova, and would like KU to be upset early.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 6 | Bob | MW | 2 | Duke | Wendell Carter Jr | F |
| 2 | 15 | Bob | E | 1 | Villanova | Donte DiVincenzo | G |
| 3 | 26 | Bob | E | 2 | Purdue | Isaac Haas | C |
| 4 | 35 | Bob | MW | 8 | Seton Hall | Angel Delgado | C |
| 5 | 46 | Bob | MW | 5 | Clemson | Marcquise Reed | G |
| 6 | 55 | Bob | W | 3 | Michigan | Charles Matthews | G |
| 7 | 66 | Bob | E | 1 | Villanova | Phil Booth | G |
| 8 | 75 | Bob | S | 4 | Arizona | Dusan Ristic | C |
Shawn wants Duke, UNC, and KU to lose.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 7 | Shawn | W | 4 | Gonzaga | Johnathan Williams | F |
| 2 | 14 | Shawn | E | 1 | Villanova | Omari Spellman | F |
| 3 | 27 | Shawn | S | 1 | UVA | Kyle Guy | G |
| 4 | 34 | Shawn | S | 2 | Cincinnati | Jacob Evans | G |
| 5 | 47 | Shawn | E | 2 | Purdue | Dakota Mathias | G |
| 6 | 54 | Shawn | MW | 4 | Auburn | Mustapha Heron | G |
| 7 | 67 | Shawn | MW | 3 | Michigan State | Jaren Jackson Jr. | F |
| 8 | 74 | Shawn | S | 11 | Loyola | Donte Ingram | G |
Luke needs 1 seeds to lose, and would like Arizona, Missouri, and Wichita St to be the teams that beat them.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 8 | Luke | S | 4 | Arizona | Deandre Ayton | F |
| 2 | 13 | Luke | MW | 1 | Kansas | Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk | G |
| 3 | 28 | Luke | E | 4 | Wichita State | Landry Shamet | G |
| 4 | 33 | Luke | W | 3 | Michigan | Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman | G |
| 5 | 48 | Luke | S | 10 | Texas | Mohamed Bamba | F |
| 6 | 53 | Luke | W | 8 | Missouri | Michael Porter Jr. | F |
| 7 | 68 | Luke | S | 5 | Kentucky | Kevin Knox | F |
| 8 | 73 | Luke | MW | 3 | Michigan State | Matt McQuaid | G |
Chris needs KU to make a Final Four, a long enough run to make his selection of their 4-best scorer and sprained center (Udoka Azubuike is likely to sit in the round of 64) worthwhile. He needs first-round upsets to take advantage of his bonus players.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 9 | Chris | E | 2 | Purdue | Carsen Edwards | G |
| 2 | 12 | Chris | MW | 1 | Kansas | Udoka Azubuike | C |
| 3 | 29 | Chris | MW | 10 | Oklahoma | Trae Young | G |
| 4 | 32 | Chris | W | 12 | South Dakota St | Mike Daum | F |
| 5 | 49 | Chris | MW | 12 | New Mexico St | Zach Lofton | G |
| 6 | 52 | Chris | MW | 1 | Kansas | Lagerald Vick | G |
| 7 | 69 | Chris | S | 3 | Tennessee | Admiral Schofield | F |
| 8 | 72 | Chris | MW | 14 | Bucknell | Zach Thomas | F |
Dan almost certainly needs Gonzaga to meet North Carolina in the Elite Eight to stand a chance of winning. If that game went to triple overtime, all the better.
| ROUND | SELECTION | OWNER | REGION | SEED | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 10 | Dan | MW | 2 | Duke | Grayson Allen | G |
| 2 | 11 | Dan | W | 2 | UNC | Joel Berry II | G |
| 3 | 30 | Dan | W | 5 | OSU | Keita Bates-Diop | F |
| 4 | 31 | Dan | S | 3 | Tennessee | Grant Williams | F |
| 5 | 50 | Dan | W | 4 | Gonzaga | Killian Tillie | F |
| 6 | 51 | Dan | W | 4 | Gonzaga | Josh Perkins | G |
| 7 | 70 | Dan | W | 2 | UNC | Cameron Johnson | G |
| 8 | 71 | Dan | S | 1 | UVA | Isaiah Wilkins | F |
No comments:
Post a Comment