This weekend, a bunch of the staff writers and other Big Chief Challenge veterans got together for our first mock draft of the season. We stuck to Tier 1 teams and tested the new draft applet designed by Asa Tysseling (our Big 12 contributor to boot) and things went flowingly. There is still plenty of time to join the Challenge. Just click on the link above and register for the site (it's free). We have Tier 1 and 2 leagues and use points, rebounds, and assists. Each category is scored separately against a weekly opponent. If you win all three, you get a "sweep" win. Simple to understand, difficult to master. If you have questions, just shoot me an email . The mock draft was six rounds in which each team had to draft two guards, two forwards, a center, and utility player (the weekly starting lineup). One of the players had to be a freshman. So as not to call anyone out personally, I've used mascots from the Big 10 for each of the 11 teams. Being a Wisconsin resident, I was the Badgers.
Round 1
1. Fighting Illini, Howard Thompkins, Georgia, JR, F
2. Hawkeyes, Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, FR, F
3. Wolverines, Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, SR, G
4. Golden Gophers, Demetri McCamey, Illinois, SR, G
5. Hoosiers, Kyle Singler, Duke, SR, F
6. Nittany Lions, Talor Battle, Penn State, SR, G
7. Badgers, Kemba Walker, Connecticut, JR, G
8. Boilermakers, JaJuan Johnson, Purdue, SR, C
9. Buckeyes, Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, FR, F
10. Spartans, Klay Thompson, Washington State, JR, G
11. Wildcats, John Shurna, Northwestern, JR, F
Fantasy leagues are rarely won in the first round, but they can be lost. In this mock draft, there isn't a first round pick that sticks out to me as very risky. In fact, it is hard to argue with Thompkins going first overall. I prefer to take returning players with my first pick because you have an idea of what you are going to get. Thompkins provided 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 31 minutes last year. He could be a 20-10 guy. It was a little surprising that only two freshmen went in the first round. Barnes should be a solid scorer and Sullinger will make a difference on the boards. McCamey will give the Golden Gophers a leg up in assists. He is the leading returning passer in the nation at 7.1 assists. I went with Walker, who I loved last year. I don't know that the Huskies will be any good this year, but Walker should have the ball in his hands a lot. If he can get any help, he should be solid. Centers are very hard to find. Even though Johnson only averaged 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds, he was a nice value pick for the Buckeyes. With Kevin Coble out, John Shurna should be able to duplicate or improve upon his excellent sophomore season (18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds). Five Big 10 players taken in the first round indicate the strength of the conference.
Round 2
1. Wildcats, Brandon Knight, Kentucky, FR, G
2. Spartans, Tracy Smith, North Carolina State, SR, C
3. Buckeyes, LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor, SR, G
4. Boilermakers, Travis Leslie, Georgia, JR, G
5. Badgers, Reggie Jackson, Boston College, JR, G
6. Nittany Lions, Robbie Hummel, Purdue, SR, F
7. Hoosiers, Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, SR, G
8. Golden Gophers, D.J. Kennedy, St. John's, SR, G-F
9. Wolverines, Nolan Smith, Duke, SR, G
10. Hawkeyes, Perry Jones, Baylor, FR, F
11. Fighting Illini, Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, SR, G
The second round generally shows what direction a team is going in. Are they going to concentrate on guards or forwards, assists or rebounds? Or are they going for well roundedness? The Wildcats paired Knight with Shurna in what should be a solid combo. Smith is statistically the best returning center and the Spartans should have plenty of points. The Buckeyes and Boilermakers also went for balance in a pair of high scoring guards. Georgia beat Duke and Purdue to be the first team with two players selected. I was the first to go unbalanced with my second guard. Jackson and Walker should get me plenty of assists (an undervalued category) with plenty of points and rebounds (for guards, at least). Nolan Smith might see less shots with the new Blue Devils (Seth Curry, Kyrie Irving), but he should be an effective scoring guard. The Wolverines also went with two guards. Jones was just the fourth freshman to be selected and the second by the Hawkeyes. Hazell is a great scorer. The Illini shouldn't have too many problems with points.
Round 3
1. Fighting Illini, Cory Higgins, Colorado, SR, G
2. Hawkeyes, Isaiah Thomas, Washington, JR, G
3. Wolverines, Alec Burks, Colorado, SO, G
4. Golden Gophers, Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota, JR, F-C
5. Hoosiers, William Buford, Ohio State, JR, G
6. Nittany Lions, Jimmy Butler, Marquette, SR, G-F
7. Badgers, Derrick Williams, Arizona, SO, F
8. Boilermakers, Kevin Jones, West Virginia, SO, F
9. Buckeyes, Marshawn Powell, Arkansas, SO, F
10. Spartans, Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh, SR, G
11. Wildcats, JaMychal Green, Alabama, JR, F
The Illini brought in another scoring guard in the third round. Higgins averaged 18.9 points for the Buffaloes last year. Thomas is a player I like for fantasy but I don't care for his game on the court. He's a ballhog, which should be music to fantasy owners' ears. The Wolverines finished out their backcourt with the second Buffalo of the round. The Golden Gophers stayed home to pick up Sampson III, which was the first real reach of the draft. He averaged just 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds and has to share the post with Colton Iverson. I did like the next four picks. Buford and Kevin Jones should take on larger roles and were productive last year. Williams was a nice power player for Arizona (15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds) and he became my first frontcourt pick. Powell would have been a nice value pick for the Buckeyes, but he is out indefinitely with a broken foot. He could be ready for the season, but he probably won't be in basketball condition. Hard to argue with the last two picks of the round, so I won't. It was a bit surprising that no freshman and only one center taken in this round.
Round 4
1. Wildcats, Chris Warren, Mississippi, SR, G
2. Spartans, Mike Singletary, Texas Tech, SR, F
3. Buckeyes, Augustus Gilchrist, South Florida, JR, F-C
4. Boilermakers, C.J. Leslie, North Carolina State, FR, F
5. Badgers, Terrence Jones, Kentucky, FR, F
6. Nittany Lions, Mike Tisdale, Illinois, SR, C
7. Hoosiers, Jarrid Famous, South Florida, SR, F-C
8. Golden Gophers, Josh Selby, Kansas, FR, G
9. Wolverines, Marcus Morris, Kansas, JR, F
10. Hawkeyes, E'Twaun Moore, Purdue, SR, G
11. Fighting Illini, Herb Pope, Seton Hall, JR, F
The fourth round was the time to start filling holes. We saw three centers and three freshmen taken. The Wildcats continued to fill out a solid squad and now have productive pairs of guards and forwards. The Spartans hadn't taken a forward and plucked a gem out of the Big 12. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers went to South Florida for centers. Even without Dominique Jones, the Bulls will be relevant for fantasy purposes. Leslie and Jones went back-to-back and should be solid picks. I went with Jones (despite the derision from Washington fans) because he may have to play the post with Enes Kanter likely ineligible. The Golden Gophers risked their freshman pick on Selby being eligible. Selby has been cleared to take classes and told the Kansas City Star that he thinks he will be able to play. He could be a steal this late in the draft, but we should know his eligibility before the season. The Wolverines took their first forward with solid Morris. The third Boilermaker went off the board with Moore, who like Hummel and Johnson is a senior. Pope is supposed to be ready for the season after collapsing in the offseason. He is another risk, but could provide huge rebounding benefits for the Fighting Illini when paired with Thompkins.
Round 5
1. Fighting Illini, Fabricio Melo, Syracuse, FR, C
2. Hawkeyes, Vernon Macklin, Florida, SR, F-C
3. Wolverines, Josh Smith, UCLA, FR, C
4. Golden Gophers, Nikola Vucevic, USC, JR, F
5. Hoosiers, Tristan Thompson, Texas, FR, F
6. Nittany Lions, Kyrie Irving, Duke, FR, G
7. Badgers, Draymond Green, Michigan State, JR, F
8. Boilermakers, Maurice Creek, Indiana, SO, G
9. Buckeyes, Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt, JR, G-F
10. Spartans, David Lighty, Ohio State, SR, G-F
11. Wildcats, Luka Mirkovic, Northwestern, JR, F-C
Enterprising teams took Round 5 to fill both center and freshman slots in one swoop. The Illini and Wolverines selected Melo and Smith. They either hope their young bigs produce or hope to cover with their first four picks. The round saw four freshmen taken in the first six picks. A freshman run! I was all set to take Smith then Vucevic, but saw both nabbed just before my pick. I can't say I was disappointed to grab Green. I love forwards that can pass and Green averaged three assists last year. Granted, I don't feel great about not having a center and I lost my chance to take Mirkovic before the round was up. Creek is coming back from a major knee injury, but he has been given a full bill of health and could be a stealthy fifth round pick. Lighty has a nice all-around game and could be ready for bigger things in his senior year. Hard to imagine he once played with Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. Mirkovic averaged just 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, but he was just a sophomore and 25.6 minutes. He could be a 10-10 player.
Round 6
1. Wildcats, Malcolm Lee, UCLA, JR, G
2. Spartans, Cory Joseph, Texas, FR, G
3. Buckeyes, Jeremy Green, Stanford, JR, G
4. Boilermakers, Reggie Moore, Washington State, SO, G
5. Badgers, Aziz N'Diaye, Washington, SO, C
6. Nittany Lions, Jon Leuer, Wisconsin, SR, F
7. Hoosiers, Austin Freeman, Georgetown, SR, G
8. Golden Gophers, John Roberson, Texas Tech, SR, G
9. Wolverines, Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, SR, F
10. Hawkeyes, Chris Wright, Georgetown, SR, G
11. Fighting Illini, Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, SR, G
Most teams were filling the utility slot in this round by taking the best player available. The Spartans needed a freshman and took a nice one from Texas. The team is a little light in rebounds, but should be tough to beat in points and assists. I had to take a center and there wasn't much left on the draft board. I decided to take a flyer on the 7-foot-1 N'Diaye from Washington. He did not play last year and will have to share the post with Matthew Bryan-Amaning, but maybe he'll be a hound for the boards that Quincy Pondexter used to hoover up. Moore will give the Boilermakers some much needed assists. The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes selected senior guards from Georgetown. Freeman and Wright should have the run of the Hoya offense with Greg Monroe out of the picture. Roberson could give the Golden Gophers a lock on assists with McCamey and Selby. The Fighting Illini made a sweet value pick with the last pick of the draft. Lucas is coming off a ruptured Achilles' tendon, but averaged 14.8 points and four assists last year. If he get back up to speed, he will give the Illini a fine trio of guards.