This was our second Tier 1 mock draft, so it was interesting to examine the difference in drafting style and value from the first mock draft a month prior. Granted, some of the participants were different and we each bring our biases to the table. In the first draft, we had ten teams and went six rounds. For this draft, all seven people showed up and we went ten rounds. Each team had to draft two guards, two forwards, a center, and at least one freshman. The statistical categories of note were points, rebounds, and assists. Let's see how things changed in a month.
Round 1
1. Big Chief: Jared Sullinger Ohio State F-C SO
2. big5guy: Jordan Taylor Wisconsin G SR
3. gabemeier: Draymond Green Michigan State F SR
4. mbrox1973: Terrence Jones Kentucky F SO
5. UAWildcat: Reeves Nelson UCLA F JR
6. asatyss: Perry Jones Baylor F-C SO
7. lines open: Mike Scott Virginia F SR
The first two picks were exactly the same. Sullinger is the best center-eligible player and an easy pick at number one. He has also gone first in all of our Big Chief drafts. Taylor is the most solid guard and the only backcourt player taken in both first rounds. He doesn't have much room for improvement, but if he equals his junior season, he will be excellent. I approve of Gabe's pick of Green, who may see more scoring opportunities without the ball-hogging Sparty backcourt. He went ninth last month. It's hard to argue with the pick of Terrence Jones, even if he isn't my favorite Wildcat. Jones brings a strong track record of points and rebounds. My guess is that his points may increase slightly while his boardwork decreases with the Kentucky freshmen helping out. Nelson fell to 19 in draft 1.0, but he may also be a centerpiece player with more shots. Perry Jones is the second best center-eligible player. He is suspended for the first five games of the season, but Asa can pick up a center for those games without much issue. Jones' value was completely consistent. Scott has the injury cloud hanging over him. If he proves healthy, he may be a top five pick.
Round 2
1. lines open: Dee Bost Mississippi State G SR
2. asatyss: Anthony Davis Kentucky F FR
3. UAWildcat: Harrison Barnes North Carolina F SO
4. mbrox1973: John Shurna Northwestern F SR
5. gabemeier: Andre Drummond Connecticut C FR
6. big5guy: Tyler Zeller North Carolina F-C SR
7. Big Chief: Kendall Marshall North Carolina G SO
Lines complements his big with a top guard. I like that strategy. Bost also went with the first pick of the second round of the draft 1.0. Asa breaks the freshman suit with my favorite Wildcat. Team Asa now has my favorite freshman and my favorite player name. I still like my team better. I am neither here nor there about Barnes. He should be an impact scorer, but I am not sure how much he'll rebound with Tar Heels' bigs. He went seventh a month ago, so he makes for a nice value at ten. It's hard to argue with what Shurna did in the early part of his junior season when he hit more than 50% of his threes. That type of play never lasts, but Shurna and Terrence Jones make for a potentially great frontcourt. Gabe filled the two hardest slots to satisfy with one pick. Drummond could be a steal at 12. Gabe's team should have rebounds covered with his two bigs. Harry finishes the frontcourt run with another excellent center-eligible player. Zeller is very consistent and it looks like Team Big5guy wants steady performers in the early rounds. That's a smart strategy. For the second straight draft, I selected Marshall, the third Tar Heel of the round. He fell to 30 in the draft 1.0, but Chris Bennett's hype machine is apparently working.
Round 3
1. Big Chief: Trevor Mbakwe Minnesota F SR
2. big5guy: JaMychal Green Alabama F SR
3. gabemeier: John Henson North Carolina F JR
4. mbrox1973: Jorge Gutierrez California G SR
5. UAWildcat: Reggie Johnson Miami F-C JR
6. asatyss: Scoop Jardine Syracuse G SR
7. lines open: John Jenkins Vanderbilt G JR
Forwards continued to come off the board to open Round 3. I have a center and a guard, so I need a forward. Mbakwe is a tremendous rebounder. The worry about the Golden Gophers is their guard play, but the 6-foot-8 senior should be able to rebound missed shots as well. Harry shows his love for JaMychal Green by selecting him again. I think Green may be slightly overvalued because there are a lot of players that can provide 15 points and seven rebounds (see Green's teammate Tony Mitchell who went in the fifth round and Kevin Jones who wasn't selected). I like Henson better. The Tar Heel frontcourt is crowded, but Henson is a dominant rebounder who finished strong as a sophomore as his role became more defined. Henson went 40 in the earlier draft. Gutierrez was the second Pac-12 player drafted. While Johnson is center-eligible, he won't be back until January. This was the first questionable pick of the draft. Asa started his backcourt with Jardine, who averaged 6.0 assists. Lines drafted for rebounds in the first, assists in the second, so he went for points in the third. Jenkins averaged 19.5 points as a sophomore.
Round 4
1. lines open: Renardo Sidney Mississippi State F-C JR
2. asatyss: Tim Abromaitis Notre Dame F SR
3. UAWildcat: Jeremy Lamb Connecticut G SO
4. mbrox1973: Marcus Denmon Missouri G SR
5. gabemeier: Aaron Craft Ohio State G SO
6. big5guy: Maalik Wayns Villanova G JR
7. Big Chief: Josiah Turner Arizona G FR
Lines needed a center. Now he has one. Sidney might not be anybody's favorite player, but he is center-eligible. If he can drop some weight before the season, he will be an impact player. Asa is going to have some replacing to do in the early season. Abromaitis, like Perry Jones, will be on suspension to open the season. He still is nice value at this point and people shouldn't overrate these early suspensions. UAWildcat starts his backcourt with Lamb, who should lead the Huskies in points. Mbrox got his shooting guard in Denmon, who will adjust to a new coach. Denmon went 44 in the previous draft. I really like Gabe's pick of Craft. I think he'll lead the Big 10 in assists. Gabe is putting together a strong, balanced team. More assists come off the board with Wayns, as a Philly guy takes a Philly guy. I took my freshman in Turner who should get plenty of playing time at Arizona.
Round 5
1. Big Chief: Marquis Teague Kentucky G FR
2. big5guy: Austin Rivers Duke G FR
3. gabemeier: Thomas Robinson Kansas F JR
4. mbrox1973: Tony Mitchell Alabama F JR
5. UAWildcat: Bradley Beal Florida G FR
6. asatyss: LeBryan Nash Oklahoma State F FR
7. lines open: James McAdoo North Carolina F FR
I doubled my freshman point guard fun with Teague. Unlike his brother, he is supposedly a pass-first guard. I can go with a three-point guard lineup. Rivers took the hardest hit in value over the last month. He fell from 21 to 30. Rivers should score plenty of points and is a solid value at this point that should be a good freshman for Harry. Gabe takes another solid player with Robinson, who sadly went undrafted in the previous draft. I like Mitchell too and Mbrox has a solid frontcourt. I am not crazy about Florida and I wonder how much playing time Beal will get. The team is loaded with shooting guards. Asa takes a solid freshman in Nash who fell from 24 to 34 over the last month. Nash may lead the Cowboys in scoring. Another time-limited freshman finished the round as Lines filled his freshman spot.
Round 6
1. lines open: Khris Middleton Texas A&M F JR
2. asatyss: Jeffery Taylor Vanderbilt G-F SR
3. UAWildcat: Joshua Smith UCLA C SO
4. mbrox1973: Alex Oriakhi Connecticut F-C JR
5. gabemeier: William Buford Ohio State G SR
6. big5guy: Royce White Iowa State F SO
7. Big Chief: Travis McKie Wake Forest F SO
Lines continued to bolster his frontcourt with Middleton, a solid if unexciting option. Asa took Taylor in the second round of the previous draft, so Asa was excited to get him again at 37. He is a nice do-it-all type player, albeit being a master of none. UAWildcat took his center for now with Smith, who could be a great pick if he can stay on the court. Mbrox took his center in Oriakhi, who could be good for a low double-double. Buford is another nice pick by Gabe and fits a nice backcourt role with his teammate Craft. Harry made me cry by taking White, the multi-faceted sophomore could be the be-all, end-all for the Cyclones. I rebounded with McKie who will get plenty of opportunities at Wake.
Round 7
1. Big Chief: Arnett Moultrie Mississippi State F JR
2. big5guy: Hollis Thompson Georgetown G-F JR
3. gabemeier: Vincent Council Providence G JR
4. mbrox1973: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Kentucky F FR
5. UAWildcat: Darius Johnson-Odom Marquette G SR
6. asatyss: Myck Kabongo Texas G FR
7. lines open: Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh G SR
I was quite upset when Moultrie wasn't selected in our SEC mock draft. I made it up to the UTEP transfer who should be the leading rebounder for the Bulldogs this season. Thompson wasn't drafted in the earlier draft either and makes a nice pick here for Harry. Council may not be as great as he was a sophomore, but he makes for an excellent backup point guard. Mbrox finally takes his freshman in Kidd-Gilchrist, who I think will add stats from a sixth man position. Johnson-Odom fell 20 slots from a month ago. DJO and Lamb make for a nice backcourt. A person I know said he saw Kabongo a few weeks ago and that the Canadian point guard was the fastest player with the ball he had ever seen. Faster even than T.J. Ford. He may be a super steal at this point. Gibbs is another solid player for Lines who will make a good sub for Jenkins.
Round 8
1. lines open: Michael Carter-Williams Syracuse G FR
2. asatyss: Doron Lamb Kentucky G SO
3. UAWildcat: Allen Crabbe California G SO
4. mbrox1973: Kris Joseph Syracuse F SR
5. gabemeier: Tony Wroten Washington G FR
6. big5guy: Andre Roberson Colorado G-F SO
7. Big Chief: Festus Ezeli Vanderbilt C SR
Carter-Williams is a talented freshman who will have to fight for minutes on the Orange. Lamb is a nice pick for guard depth. He will have some good games when opponents concentrate on the Wildcat frontcourt. Crabbe is an excellent value at this point. He is the third Pac-12 guy to make his way to UAWildcat. I am not crazy about Joseph, but he averaged 14.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. I really like Wroten, so Gabe continues to impress. Roberson is a very strong rebounder for a guard and could explode as the Buffaloes move to the Pac-12. I took a backup center in Ezeli who will miss the first six games of the season. Hopefully, Sullinger doesn't have any one-game weeks early in the season.
Round 9
1. Big Chief: Cleveland Melvin DePaul F SO
2. big5guy: Olexiy Len Maryland C FR
3. gabemeier: Augustus Gilchrist South Florida F-C SR
4. mbrox1973: Glen Rice, Jr. Georgia Tech G JR
5. UAWildcat: Terrence Ross Washington G-F SO
6. asatyss: Melvin Ejim Iowa State F SO
7. lines open: Erving Walker Florida G SR
We were filling out our benches in Round 9. Melvin improved during his freshman year and may be an impact scorer. Len is a sneaky good pick if he is eligible. He may fall into the Enes Kanter trap, which would stink for Maryland. A center that will play is Gilchrist. He went 16 in our earlier draft and was a fantastic pick at this point. I like Glen Rice Jr. as well. With Brian Gregory in Georgia Tech, Rice might blossom. Ross is another player ready to blossom. He went undrafted in our earlier draft, but has some buzz. Ejim will have to find a role on Transfer U. He averaged 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Cyclones last year. Walker may get more assists if he can remember how to play point guard with the Gators.
Round 10
1. lines open: Quincy Acy Baylor F SR
2. asatyss: Ricardo Ratliffe Missouri F SR
3. UAWildcat: Harper Kamp California F SR
4. mbrox1973: Rakeem Christmas Syracuse F FR
5. gabemeier: Herb Pope Seton Hall F SR
6. big5guy: Bryce Cartwright Iowa G SR
7. Big Chief: Terrell Stoglin Maryland G SO
The final round opened with Acy, who should get plenty of dunks for the Bears. Ratliffe was picked since he will get minutes Laurence Bowers out. Not a bad risk by Asa. Kamp is another solid pick by our west coast guy. Christmas could be the next Rick Jackson or he could be the next Fab Melo. He'll need to get playing time to produce. Gabe impresses me again with Pope, who has been cleared medically and should grab plenty of boards for the Hall. Harry completed his backcourt with Cartwright. I finished the draft off with one of my favorite players. Stoglin showed a nice shooting touch toward the end of his freshman season.