The entire College Fantasy Hoops Insider staff joined a NCAA tournament league on Fantasy Postseason to put a years' worth of writing up against their peers. The league rules included rosters of ten players (two guards, two forwards, a center and five flex players) and the default scoring (one point for each point, rebound, assist, steal, and block with a -1 for each turnover).To protect the innocent, I have used the writers' screen names (and maybe you can figure out who is who) and three of the eight writers were on autopilot. As always, I was the BigChief. Here are the results.
Round 1
1. mmas322 - Evan Turner, G Ohio State
2. Pac10guru - John Wall, G Kentucky
3. BigChief - DeMarcus Cousins, F Kentucky
4. thejuice - Da'Sean Butler, F West Virginia
5. shep31 - Wesley Johnson, F Syracuse
6. albottoms - Cole Aldrich, C Kansas
7. asatyss - Jon Scheyer, G Duke
8. cbennett314 - Kyle Singler, F Duke
The debate at the top of every draft and for national Player of the Year is between Evan Turner and John Wall. Kentucky has the higher seed, but Turner is more of a one-man army. Mmas322 made the pick on autopilot and went with Turner and it is hard to argue with it. If you were to argue, you'd say that you think Kentucky is going to win the entire tournament (like me), then Wall should be the pick. He went second. Knowing my pick, it made DeMarcus Cousins an easy third pick. Even in somewhat limited minutes, he is dominant statistically. Da'Sean Butler was the first pick that didn't go with the clear chalk. He's a game-winning shot maker and provides a lot of rebounds and assists for a forward. Butler was the only player in the first round who did not come from a one seed. Wes Johnson is a bit suspect because of a hand injury but has had an All-American season. Centers were at a premium in this draft, so taking Aldrich in the first round makes a lot of sense. Any Jayhawk has value with Kansas as the number one team overall. The first round ended with a two of the Big Three from Duke. Both players were nice values, even if they turned their new owners' stomachs.
Round2
1. cbennett314 - Sherron Collins, G Kansas
2. asatyss - Patrick Patterson, F Kentucky
3. albottoms - Jacob Pullen, G Kansas State
4. shep31 - Nolan Smith, G Duke
5. thejuice - Ekpe Udoh, F Baylor
6. BigChief - Xavier Henry, G Kansas
7. Pac10guru - Greg Monroe, C Georgetown
8. mmas322 - Rick Jackson, F Syracuse
The second round started with another pair of players from one seeds. Collins is an experienced and feisty guard who isn't afraid to shoot. Patrick Patterson has had a strange junior season for a player who may be good enough to play in the NBA. He was so interested in proving that he could hit threes that he hurt his value. He has had a second half resurgence, so he was a good value. Jacob Pullen leads a two seed and makes it look like albottoms loves the Big 12. The third leg of the Blue Devil three-legged chair went to a Duke fan. Duke and Kentucky had three players chosen in the first 12 players. Although Ekpe Udoh did not qualify as a center, he is an impact player on three seed. Thejuice looks like he is not picking many one seeds into the Final Four. Not me - I boringly have Kentucky and Kansas in the finals, so I went with a second freshman in gunner Xavier Henry, who will likely be playing for NBA scouts. The second center went off the board in the multi-talented Greg Monroe who comes from another third seed. The Orange became the last one seed to get two players drafted. Rick Jackson may get more opportunities in the first weekend with Arinze Onuaku injured.
Round 3
1. mmas322 - Marcus Morris, F Kansas
2. Pac10guru - Greivis Vasquez, G Maryland
3. BigChief - Darington Hobson, G New Mexico
4. thejuice - Andy Rautins, G Syracuse
5. shep31 - Scottie Reynolds, G Villanova
6. albottoms - Kevin Jones, F West Virginia
7. asatyss - Kris Joseph, F Syracuse
8. cbennett314 - LaceDarius Dunn, G Baylor
Marcus Morris may be the hottest Jayhawk and he started the third round. He was the fourth Kansas player chosen, so people weren't afraid of the Midwest's supposedly tough bracket. Greivis Vasquez was the first player chosen from a team not seeded one, two, or three. His matchup against Houston may lead to a battle of top notch fantasy guards with Aubrey Coleman. It was time for me to start playing favorites (why else play fantasy) and I went with "Evan Turner of the West." Hobson provides a wealth of stats and I like the Lobos to make the Elite Eight. The Orange had their third player chosen in the consistently underrated Andy Rautins. He is seen as just a three-point shooter, but he provides assists and steals as well. Nice pick by thejuice. Scottie Reynolds has a nice history in the NCAA tournament and should lead the second seeded Wildcats. The Mountaineers had a second small forward from their legion of 6-foot-7 players was taken. This was indicative of how far Devin Ebanks has fallen. Kris Joseph isn't the household name of other Syracuse players, but he has made a great impact in the second half of the season. LaceDarius Dunn is one of the streakiest scorers in the top half of the draft. Dunn can score in a variety of ways, but don't expect many assists from him (although he was better than his historically selfish sophomore season).
Round 4
1. cbennett314 - Devin Ebanks, F West Virginia
2. asatyss - William Buford, G Ohio State
3. albottoms - Tweety Carter, G Baylor
4. shep31 - Denis Clemente, G Kansas State
5. thejuice - Corey Fisher, G Villanova
6. BigChief - Brian Zoubek, C Duke
7. Pac10guru - Lazar Hayward, F Marquette
8. mmas322 - David Lighty, G Ohio State
Ebanks did not fall too far and was snatched up by cbennett314. He has a diverse array of skills, but they don't always show up in fantasy production. The Buckeyes may be a one-man team in general, but if they do have a solid second option, it is scoring guard William Buford. Tweety Carter became the third Baylor Bear to be selected, so three seeds West Virginia and Baylor both have three players off the board in the first 27 picks. The other half of the Kansas State backcourt went next as Denis Clemente went to the shep31. He doesn't have the Abraham Lincoln beard, but he is a very productive player. Thejuice took another productive Wildcat player. I decided to take the third highest rated center on the board. I am not crazy about Brian Zoubek, but he has been unusually productive lately. The round ended with a pair of productive players. Marquette is a six seed, but Hayward is undoubtedly the man for them. Lighty had a nice game in the Big 10 final and they buoyed his stock into a fourth round pick.
Round 5
1. mmas322 - Antonio Pena, F Villanova
2. Pac10guru - Jordan Crawford, G Xavier
3. BigChief -E'Twaun Moore, G Purdue
4. thejuice - Jordan Eglseder, C Northern Iowa
5. shep31 - Eric Bledsoe, G Kentucky
6. albottoms - Jon Leuer, F Wisconsin
7. asatyss - Curtis Kelly, F Kansas State
8. cbennett314 - Omar Samhan, C St. Mary's
The fifth round saw the drafters start filling out their starting rotation. We saw a pair of centers from medium range seeds in Jordan Eglseder from the ninth seeded and Omar Samhan was a dominant center for St. Mary's, who is a 10 seed. Jordan Crawford was the first Musketeer and I went against my brackets by taking E'Twaun Moore, even though I think the Boilermakers will be upset by Siena. Eric Bledsoe may have been the value pick of the round. He can produce big numbers if defenders concentrate on John Wall. Albottoms showed that he will never again underestimate Wisconsin by taking Jon Leuer, who has recovered nicely from a wrist injury.
Round 6
1. cbennett314 - Kevin Anderson, G Richmond
2. asatyss - Scoop Jardine, G Syracuse
3. albottoms - Chris Wright, G Georgetown
4. shep31 - Jamar Samuels, F Kansas State
5. thejuice - Austin Freeman, G Georgetown
6. BigChief - Luke Harangody, F Notre Dame
7. Pac10guru - Jimmer Fredette, G Brigham Young
8. mmas322 - JaJuan Johnson, F Purdue
With many teams having their starting spots filled, the second half of the draft was about taking best players available and certain favorites. For example, cbennett314 hails from Richmond and went to see the A10 Player of the Year Kevin Anderson often. The six-foot guard faces cbennett314's fifth round pick, so he will be dipping into free agency one way or another after Round One. Chris Wright and Austin Freeman are impact guards for the Hoyas and went in the middle of Round Six. I went with the best player available in Luke Harangody who is still recovering from an injury. Jimmer Fredette may score the most points in the first weekend of the tournament. He had 75 points in two Mountain West Conference tournament games. JaJuan Johnson is another nice value pick if Purdue can beat Siena.
Round 7
1. mmas322 - Jon Diebler, G Ohio State
2. Pac10guru - Markieff Morris, F Kansas
3. BigChief - Jeffery Taylor, G Vanderbilt
4. thejuice - James Anderson, F Oklahoma State
5. shep31 - Trevon Hughes, G Wisconsin
6. albottoms - Roman Martinez, F New Mexico
7. asatyss - Tyshawn Taylor, G Kansas
8. cbennett314 - A.J. Ogilvy, C Vanderbilt
At this point of the draft, players generally need to choose from high scoring players on lower seeded teams and lower scoring players on teams likely to advance. The first two picks were of the latter variety. Diebler and Morris should score points throughout the tournament. I took a peak of my brackets, was surprised to see Vanderbilt in the Final Four (my one non-one seed), and selected the high-flying Taylor. Speaking of high flying, James Anderson is a nice pick in the Jimmer Fredette style. Martinez and Taylor are not first options for their teams, but both can get hot and could be sneaky picks. Ogilvy was the second Commodore to be chosen in the round and fills his team's center spot.
Round 8
1. cbennett314 - Lavoy Allen, F Temple
2. asatyss - Brad Wanamaker, G Pittsburgh
3. albottoms - Ashton Gibbs, G Pittsburgh
4. shep31 - Reggie Redding, G Villanova
5. thejuice - Donald Sloan, G Texas A&M
6. BigChief - Al-Farouq Aminu, F Wake Forest
7. Pac10guru - Damion James, G Texas
8. mmas322 - Dominique Sutton, F Kansas State
Prior to a run on Big East guards, cbennett dipped into his A10 stock and pulled out a sweet pick. Allen is a ton on the boards and Temple won the A10 crown behind him and solid guard play. Wannamaker and Gibbs are solid guards for Pitt and Reggie Redding helps Villanova with their somewhat undermanned frontcourt. Donald Sloan was the first player from the fifth seeded Aggies to be selected. I have long been an admirer of Aminu. Although Wake Forest fell apart down the stretch, they play Texas and Damion James in the first round, so one fantasy stud will move on to get a shot at Kentucky.
Round 9
1. mmas322 - Jermaine Beal, G Vanderbilt
2. Pac10guru - Trevor Booker, F Clemson
3. BigChief - Aubrey Coleman, G Houston
4. thejuice - Derrick Favors, F Georgia Tech
5. shep31 - Brandon Triche, G Syracuse
6. albottoms - Quincy Pondexter, F Washington
7. asatyss - Landon Milbourne, F Maryland
8. cbennett314 - Kawhi Leonard, F San Diego State
Although Clemson faces a tough challenge stylistically against Missouri, I think Trevor Booker was a nice pick. If the Tigers win the game, it will be because of his play. I took the nation's leading scorer in Coleman who buoyed the Cougars to the Conference USA championship. As mentioned above, his matchup against Greivis Vasquez may be the most appealing of the first round. Derrick Favors has played well down the stretch and could be a sweet value this late in the draft. I also liked the Quincy Pondexter pick. Washington has won seven straight and has a decent chance to get past Marquette and maybe even New Mexico. I also really like Kawhi Leonard, a great rebounder forward from the Aztecs. The 6-foot-6 freshman faces an athletic Volunteer team, but I went with the upset in my bracket.
Round 10
1. cbennett314 - Tre'Von Willis, G UNLV
2. asatyss - Gary McGhee , C Pittsburgh
3. albottoms, Raymar Morgan, F Michigan State
4. shep31 - Josh Lomers, C Baylor
5. thejuice -Arinze Onuaku, C Syracuse
6. BigChief, - Marqus Blakely, F Vermont
7. Pac10guru - Tim Abromaitis, F Notre Dame
8. mmas322 - Keith Benson , C Oakland
The autopilot teams were forced to take a center in the last round of the draft. McGhee and Lomers may play limited minutes for a few rounds and Benson is a low-seeded stud. I couldn't help myself from taking my own 16-seed. While I don't think the Catamounts will beat Syracuse, it's hard to argue with Marqus Blakely's production. Tre'Von Willis and Tim Abromaitis made for nice values in the last round.