On Tuesday Sep. 13, six people showed up online to take part in the Big Ten Mock Draft. Although this was my first conference mock draft to participate in, it sure seems like the Big Ten is the strongest conference in terms of fantasy players. The rules of the mock draft are simple: draft a center, two forwards, two guards, and one utility player, one of which must be a freshman. With only 36 total picks, there were plenty of good players left undrafted. On the other hand, the lack of true centers in the Big Ten became obvious during the draft. The freshman class looks promising, although it is hard to determine how much each of them will contribute until they hit the hardwood in a few months. I was also curious to see how my Big Ten top ten-player list matched up with the picks here. Sure enough, they were true to form at least at the start.
Round 1
1. Thrash13: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, SO, F/C
2. big5guy: Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin, SR, G
3. illinifan1: Draymond Green, Michigan State, SR, F
4. UAWildcat: Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota, SR, F
5. asatyss: John Shurna, Northwestern, SR, F
6. Big Chief: Melsahn Basabe, Iowa, SO, F
Thrash was lucky enough to win the Big Ten Mock Draft lottery. He chose not only the best player in the Big Ten, but also the best player in the nation with Sullinger. Sullinger averaged nearly a double-double during his freshman campaign. Taylor was drafted second, which was once again an obvious pick. Taylor averaged 18.2 points last season, but don't be surprised that number increase for the shot-happy point guard. I chose the "Dancing Bear" with the third pick. Green not only averaged 12 points and eight rebounds last season but also dished out nearly four assists, an impressive number for a forward. Double-double machine Mbakwe went next. Mbakwe averaged nearly 14 points and 11 rebounds last season in Minneapolis, and should lead the conference in rebounding again this season. Shurna was selected fifth overall, which I think could end up being a steal. Shurna averaged almost 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists in an injury-plagued junior season. Shurna will give Taylor a run for his money for the conference's scoring title. Perry was the first to draft not according to my top ten list, by selecting Basabe. Nonetheless, I think this could be a very good pick. Basabe has a big upside and will try to get Iowa basketball back on track. He did only average 0.3 assists last season.
Round 2
1. Big Chief: Aaron Craft, Ohio State, SO, G
2. asatyss: William Buford, Ohio State, SR, G
3. UAWildcat: Christian Watford, Indiana, JR, F
4. illinifan1: Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan, SO, G
5. big5guy: Cody Zeller, Indiana, FR, F
6. Thrash13: Bryce Cartwright, Iowa, SR, G
Perry had the next pick and certainly made up for Basabe's lack of assists. He chose Craft, Ohio State's floor general. After coming off the Buckeye bench last season, Craft should rarely come off the floor this year. He will likely lead the Big Ten in assists and although this doesn't help in fantasy college basketball, Craft is an excellent defender. Another Buckeye was selected to start the second round. Buford is a consistent option, who was part of my Big Ten-heavy team in the Tier 1 Mock Draft (along with Green and Shurna). Watford was finally drafted next, after being the top player on the board for the last four picks. Hardaway Jr. was my second pick of the Big Ten Mock Draft. After a solid freshman season, Hardaway Jr. could become a star this year with the loss of Darius Morris for the Wolverines. Another Hoosier, and the first freshman was drafted in Zeller. Zeller could take away from Watford's points and rebounds this season. He gives IU a post presence, something they have been lacking the past few seasons. The final pick of the second round was Cartwright, Iowa's point guard. He averaged an outstanding 5.9 assists last season, while also averaging double figures in scoring at 10.8 points. Look for Basabe and Cartwright to be on of the more underrated duos in the Big Ten this season.
Round 3
1. Thrash13: Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota, SR, F/C
2. big5guy: Drew Crawford, Northwestern, JR, G/F
3. illinifan1: Robbie Hummel, Purdue, SR, F
4. UAWildcat: Verdell Jones III, Indiana, SR, G
5. asatyss: Brian Diaz, Nebraska, JR, C
6. Big Chief: Branden Dawson, Michigan State, FR, F
The Big Ten lacks true centers, so when Thrash took his second center of the draft I was shocked. Sampson III is also the second highest rated center, but is not a bad pick. If Mbakwe has another monster season this year, it will be interesting to see how Sampson III responds. Next, big5guy selected Crawford, who is the son of NBA referee Danny Crawford. The former Big Ten Freshman of the Year needs a breakout season to help Shurna on offense. With my third pick, I made a big steal. Now who knows how healthy Hummel will be and if he'll be the same player he once was, but he will definitely be the go-to-guy for the Boilermakers. He is versatile and can contribute in all three categories. I have mixed feelings about the next pick. As a player, I really dislike Jones. But as a fantasy option, he can help your team. He averaged 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists a season ago, but the reason that I do not like him is because he turns the ball over a lot, has a poor shot selection, and struggles defensively. The first Cornhusker player was taken next in Diaz, the third center drafted. Big Chief marked the midway point of the draft by selecting the second freshman, Dawson, who could make an instant impact for the Spartans.
Round 4
1. Big Chief: Luka Mirkovic, Northwestern, SR, F/C
2. asatyss: Jordan Morgan, Michigan, SO, F
3. UAWildcat: Matt Gatens, Iowa, SR, G
4. illinifan1: Meyers Leonard, Illinois, SO, C
5. big5guy: Tim Frazier, Penn State, JR, G
6. Thrash13: Lewis Jackson, Purdue, SR, G
Mirkovic, who is Serbian, was the first pick of the fourth round. While he only averaged eight points and five rebounds during his junior season, Mirkovic led all centers in the league with over two assists per game. Morgan, the only true post player that Michigan has, was a good pick up by Asa here. After that, Gatens, a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes was selected. He led Iowa in scoring a season ago and he is nearly automatic from the foul line. I decided to take a center at this point in the draft, seeing as how they were running low. So I took a fellow Illini in Leonard. While Leonard only averaged two points and one rebound last season, he could have a breakout sophomore year. He played for the FIBA U-19 team this summer, and is the only post presence the Fighting Illini have at this point. The next pick was a real steal, with big5guy selecting Frazier. Frazier is the only returning starter for Penn State. He averaged five points, four rebounds, and five assists during his sophomore season, and those numbers should only increase this season. The second Boilermaker player was taken next in Jackson. The miniature point guard could be the quickest player in the league and will need to be Purdue's second option on offense behind Hummel.
Round 5
1. Thrash13: Shannon Scott, Ohio State, FR, G
2. big5guy: Derrick Nix, Michigan State, JR, C
3. illinifan1: Brandon Paul, Illinois, JR, G
4. UAWildcat: Zack Novak, Michigan, SR, G
5. asatyss: Keith Appling, Michigan State, SO, G
6. Big Chief: Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State, SO, F
Another Buckeye player was taken to start the fifth round, this time it was the freshman Scott. Thad Matta plays a short bench, so Scott needs to beat out any other freshman for the third guard position at OSU if he wants to contribute this season. The lack of centers in the Big Ten really came out when Nix was selected here. Nix packs a healthy 270 pounds, but has only averaged about eight minutes per game in his two years in East Lansing. I selected another Fighting Illini player this round. Paul used to be my least favorite player on the Illini squad during his freshman season, when it seemed like every time he had the ball he shot or turned it over. He played well during Big Ten play last season though and could very well be the best player on Illinois this season. The other day I saw a website list Novak as the most underrated player in the Big Ten and I might have to agree. His averages of nine points, six rebounds, and two assists are nothing spectacular, but he does a lot of things that you don't see in the scorebook. Next was one of six Michigan State Spartans selected in the draft, in Appling. Appling had an up-and-down freshman season but has big shoes to fill with the loss of point guard Kalin Lucas. Pure scorer Thomas was the final pick of the fifth round. Thomas, a highly recruited player out of high school, came of the Buckeye bench a season ago but is sure to be a bigger contributor this season. He has the ability to score inside and outside and definitely is not afraid to put a shot up from anywhere.
Round 6
1. Big Chief: Victor Oladipo, Indiana, SO, G
2. asatyss: Trey Burke, Michigan, FR, G
3. UAWildcat: Brandon Wood, Michigan State, SR, G
4. illinifan1: Tre Demps, Northwestern, FR, G
5. big5guy: Mike Bruesewitz, Wisconsin, JR, F
6. Thrash13: Delvon Roe, Michigan State, SR, F
To start the final round, Big Chief selected Oladipo. While Oladipo has a lot of potential, I'm not sure this was the right pick at this point in the draft. Two guards from Oladipo's own team, Jordan Hulls and Maurice Creek have had more fantasy impact in the past. Illinois guard D.J. Richardson also seemed like a good fit for this pick, but I hope Oladipo proves me wrong. Asa stole Burke from me next. Burke, a freshman, is the likely replacement for Darius Morris at point guard this season for the Wolverines. Valparaiso transfer Wood was the next pick. Wood transferred to Michigan State for his senior year, after a solid three seasons of playing in the Horizon League. I finally picked up my freshman with my last pick of the draft. Demps could be the starting point guard for Northwestern this year, but if not he will likely see plenty of time off their bench. Demps' father is the General Manager for the New Orleans Hornets. Only two Badger players were taken in the draft, one was the second pick and the other was the second-to-last pick. Bruesewitz is thought of by many to be the most improved player in the conference this season as he will have a much bigger role with the loss of Jon Leuer to graduation. With the final pick of the draft Thrash chose Roe, a theater major. Roe, a senior, has started ever since he came to East Lansing but injuries have slowed his career. Here's to hoping he has a healthy and successful senior season.
So let's go through everyone's teams. UA Wildcat did not select either a freshman or a center for his team, which disqualifies him from best team consideration. Thrash's team probably has the best rebounders, with Sullinger, Sampson, and Roe in the paint along with Cartwright. Big5guy has a solid team, but I think he may have taken Zeller too early. Also, Nix is not likely to contribute much for him, which will hurt in the rebounding category. Big Chief also has a nice roster, but aside from Basabe no one on his team averaged in double figure points last season. Asa has the second best team in my opinion. Shurna and Buford could be big time scorers this season, and all of his first four picks are good rebounders. The Appling-Burke backcourt is what was the difference though in my choice to pick myself as the best team. While my backcourt is not much better, with Paul and Demps, I am counting on my steal of Hummel in the third round to make the difference. Hummel was my #6 player on the top ten list, and I drafted him at 15 here. Couple that with Green, Hardaway Jr., and an improved Leonard, and that lineup can certainly score, rebound, and even pass. Now obviously I am a little biased, but being the two-time reigning champion of my own Big Ten Fantasy League warrants me to be a little confident in this area, doesn't it? Anyways, I had a lot of fun doing the mock draft and want to once again thank the other five people who helped make it possible.
Here is my All-Undrafted Team:
G Bo Spencer, Nebraska, SR, G
G D.J. Richardson, Illinois, JR, G
F D.J. Byrd, Purdue, JR, G/F
F Rodney Williams, Minnesota, JR, F
C Jared Berggren, Wisconsin, JR, F/C
Util Andre Hollins, Minnesota, FR, G