Its March. 2nd Draft to ever have 2 guests and 6 total drafters. Barstool Reags joined via zoom and Jake Marsh in studio. Two of the great college basketball minds at Barstool. I have been looking forward to a March Madness draft well before Eddie announced it last week. It is the best 4 day stretch in sports. It is the best tournament in sports. It is unpredictable, it is electric, it truly is madness. There is nothing like filling out a bracket. I still go hard copies with the green and red sharpie alongside the online brackets. The 2003 Title that Syracuse won when I was a pipsqueak 6th grader is going on 20 years ago and it still feels like yesterday. It is a reason I love sports in general, let alone just the Orange and the tournament. This was an awesome draft to listen to and reminisce about old tournament action. So deep that the extra drafter fit in flawlessly. Can’t wait to see Ed in his Mussolini suit.
Draft Order:
- Chief 2. WSD 3. Eddie 4. Carl 5. Jake 6. Reags
Categories:
1 Moment. 1 Player. 1 Villain. 1 Coach. 1 Upset.
Round 1
Pick 1: Chief, Laettner Shot, Duke vs. Kentucky, 1992 Elite Eight (Moment)
Grade: YES!
Very worthy 1.1. 5 lead changes in the final 32 seconds. The full court heaver. Laettners mom’s neck brace is absolutely hilarious. Re-watching the highlights of that OT ending will never get old. Can’t go wrong starting off your March Madness draft with the Laettner shot.
Pick 2: WSD, Illinois over Arizona Comeback (Moment)
Grade: Awkwardddd
Carl clearly upset about this one. Unless you are an Illini die hard I don’t know if this is a 1st round pick for you. It wouldn’t be mine, but I also would make a homer Syracuse pick doing this draft so if this is what WSD wanted to tip his draft off with then all the power to him. I think he needs to have a very strong finish but it is a remarkable comeback from an awesome team. Down 15 with 4:04 left on the clock. The Illini looked defeated. I love watching these highlights again.
Pick 3: Eddie, Chris Webber Timeout (Moment)
Grade: Illegal
This isn’t just a historic NCAA tournament moment, this is an all time sports blunder. Webber traveling into the corner and signaling timeout just has to be nightmare fuel for Michigan fans to relive every year. And it is literally every year. There is no year where this isn’t replayed. Moments are flying off the board.
Pick 4: Carl, Covid-19 (Villain)
Grade: Risky
I was curious if or when this would get picked. It is a high risk/high reward play to open your draft. Carl had his Illinois pick taken from him so he went with the hail mary. Covid has taken a lot from us, but the fact it took an NCAA tournament from us during the middle of championship week may have been the cruelest of them all. Don’t forget that. It is an out of the box pick. It may not play. It may win Carl the draft.
Pick 5: Jake, Christian Laettner (Villain)
Grade: I Hate Christian Laettner
Laettner was the original guy to hate at Duke. There were many to follow, but he was the pioneer. They all follow in his footsteps. A documentary to highlight the hatred that was felt towards you while you were a young college basketball player is something. He is a villain, and a first round quality one at that.
Pick 6: Reags, Chris Jenkins & Nova over UNC (Moment)
Grade: Pandemonium
Coolest live moment I have ever experienced. I was down in Houston to watch SU lose to UNC in the final four. Still went to the final and by god was it the best decision I ever made. Snuck in a half dozen nips and got the unlimited refill soda and had ourselves a night. NRG Stadium absolutely ERUPTED. 70K complimentary seat cushions flew into the air along with best timed confetti release of all time. It was incredible. Marcus Paige shot forever forgotten.
Round 1: This recap is going to take forever because I watched a youtube highlight for every pick.
Round 2
Pick 7: Reags, Coach K (Villain)
Grade: Greasy Jet Black Hair
Chief makes a great point here. Coach K didn’t start as a villain. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t always a villain, but it’s just a testament to how good a villain he is. He was hiding in plain sight the whole time, playing the role as everyone’s favorite ball coach, but it wasn’t until social media where we got to see his true colors. Great 1–2 from Reags.
Pick 8: Jake, UMBC over UVA (Upset)
Grade:16
This is THE upset of a March Madness Draft. It is the 1.1, nothing else even close to it upset. I, along with everyone else who ever watched March Madness said it would never be done. I was sure of it. No 16 would ever beat a 1. And then it happened. It dominate fashion. UMBC became legends. UVA became a part of history that no team ever wanted to be. This is the upset you watn on your board.
Pick 9: Carl, Steph Curry, Davidson (Player)
Grade: Splash
The birth of one half of the Splash Brothers. Steph was raining buckets. Davidson got picked on brackets for a decade to come just because of what Steph did for them that year. We never could have guessed he would do that basically every night of his NBA career but that tournament performance was special.
Pick 10: Eddie, Kemba Walker, UCONN (Player)
Grade: 11
I was at the garden for the Terrance Mcghee crossover. Probably one of the coolest crossovers of all time. ELEVEN STRAIGHT do or die March wins. What Kemba and UCONN did during that run is honestly not spoken of enough. 11 straight march madness to bring home a Big East Title and a Natty is LEGENDARY.
Pick 11: WSD, Wisconsin over Kentucky (Upset)
Grade: Not much of an upset
Kentucky was a world beater so this was an upset of sorts. But this was a 36 win number 1 seed Wisconsin team. This is not even close to the top of the list for NCAA tournament upsets. Dave went for his close to home pick to start the draft, following it up with this is tough. This draft is so deep that it is kind of hard to not have a great draft, but this is not a good start.
Pick 12: Chief, [15]Florida Gulf Coast over [2]Georgetown 2013 (Upset)
Grade: Alley Oop
This pick plays better if the category was Cinderella, which may have been a better category. I remember the electricity of the run itself more than just one specific game, but this upset was an all timer. It is a great team to have on your board so I am not questioning the pick, I just hope it hits like it should.
Round 2: WSD really is the only of the 6 I dont think is in the mix after two. He will cry foul but really it just is not a great start, picking a 1 seed as your MARCH MADNESS upset just isnt it.
Round 3
Pick 13: Chief, Dee Brown, Illinois (Player)
Grade: Homer
Dee Brown has a memorable look on a memorable Illinois team. That SI photoshoot is bad ass. But he doesn’t have stand alone value on that team. It was a three headed monster of Williams, Brown and Head. It’s fine if Chief wanted Dee on his team, Dee is awesome, there are just better players on the board.
Pick 14: WSD, Grayson Allen, Duke (Villain)
Grade:Trippin’
People hate Grayson Allen so this is a fine pick by Dave. The only downside. Duke villains are going to be heavy on the board. If it’s not Laettner I would have tried to go away from Duke. Still a strong pick. All time hateable face.
Pick 15: Eddie, NC State over Houston, 1983 (Upset)
Grade: Don’t Give Up
It’s a little old school so hopefully Eddie gets the correct amount of love here. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament and the lore of Jim Valvano that surrounds it makes the image of it even more memorable. This upset was on my board and Eddie may be working on back to back draft wins.
Pick 16: Carl, Brad Stevens, Butler (Coach)
Grade: Too Early
What Brad Stevens did with those Butlers teams in back to back years was by far one of the most impressive coaching feats in College Basketball history although he did not win a title. However, that final point is important. Taking a coach with no title in the 3rd round with no coaches off the board is just not a great pick. I think Brad Stevens is available in the 5th and if he isn’t there are going to be coaches with multiple titles to pick from. Not a bad pick, but not a great one.
Pick 17: Jake, John Wooden, UCLA (Coach)
Grade: Low Risk
It was a different tournament when Wooden was coaching, but when you are having a March Madness draft, John Wooden is going to be picked. I don’t think he wins Jake the draft but someone was going to pick him and it’s a fine pick. Need to surround Wooden with some more flash though.
Pick 18: Reags, 2001 [11]George Mason vs. [1]UCONN (Upset)
Grade: My First Cinderella
There are first round upsets, and then there are Elite Eight upsets to continue one of the most magical final four runs in tournament history. George Mason had no business being there in the first place and had already had 3 upsets under their belt. You are always just waiting for the shoe to drop and these runs end somewhere, and no one expected George Masons to continue past UCONN. This was the first Cinderella run I really remember.
Round 3: I love Eds team. Reags is right behind him. Jake is quietly building a strong team. Carl and Chiefs are having fine drafts but just not one that will garner a huge vote. WSD lost me in round 2.
Round 4
Pick 19: Reags, Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse (Player)
Grade: Finally
Took them long enough. Melo is a graphic winner. Need to use his postgame newspaper picture. 6 players being picked, Melo HAD to be one. The original 1 and done champion. An infectious smile. I could do a whole thesis on that 2003 Syracuse team. Melo has a special place in my heart and it will be tough to not vote Reags.
Pick 20: Jake, Adam Morrison, Gonzaga (Player)
Grade: Pencil Moustache
Extremely memorable NCAA player but I think he just gets dominated on the board by the other players already drafted. I would bet Jake was hoping to get Melo here. His face is going to play on the graphic but he’s an inferior pick.
Pick 21: Carl, MJs Game Winner over Georgetown (Moment)
Grade: Georgetown Sucks
MJ getting a NCAA title before becoming the best basketball player of all time is an underrated feather in his cap. Its insane he was playing college basketball before there was a 3 point line. MJ got Dean Smith his first title with this shot. Almost forgotten in this game is the fact the Georgetown just handed the ball to James Worthy and didnt even get an attempt off after Jordans jumper gave UNC a lead.
Pick 22: Eddie, Tom Izzo, Michigan St. (Coach)
Grade: January, February, Izzo, April
It’s shocking Izzo has only one title, I would absolutely guess more but when you make 8 Final Fours I suppose people may think you have more than one championship. It is so hard to not pencil MSU moving through your bracket every year. You almost write in Izzo instead of MSU. There are a lot of coaches who have won one, he is the best of the bunch.
Pick 23: WSD, Kevin Pittsnogel, WVU (Player)
Grade: White Trash
WSD’s white trash pick of the week. This is a fun pick. Pittsnogel’s name will always be remembered by early 2000s Big East fans but there is probably a large number of people, especially on social media, who do not know who he is. I remember him from Big East tournaments more so than NCAA. He had a great tournament run in ’04 but he is not a stand out player. He was a cool player on those teams for sure, but this pick isn’t winning Dave anything.
Pick 24: Chief, Michigan’s Fab 5 (Villain)
Grade: Fabulous
This is an out of the box villain pick. They were not what came to mind when thinking villains, but when you do think about it, they were a hated bunch. They were pre-social media, now they’d be beloved, but back then they were flashy and loud and people outside of Michigan, even Michigan boosters, didn’t like it. They would be the ultimate villain if they were able to secure the title, but they are a solid 4th round villain in a light category.
Round 4: I will be honest and say it again, it is going to be hard to vote against Reags. I love Melo, simple as that… With that being said, Eddie is having a great draft, Carl is putting a GREAT team around Covid and Jake is a silent assassin.
Round 5
Pick 25: Chief, Bobby Knight, Army/Indiana/Texas Tech (Coach)
Grade: Chair Throw
I would love to see Bobby Knight’s reaction to someone ordering a Buratta salad. Indiana is a blue blood and Bobby is the reason. He brought them 3 titles and Indiana has only seen one championship game since his departure. You get Knight’s resume and his off the wall antics. Great 5th round pick.
Pick 26: WSD, Roy Williams, Kansas/UNC (Coach)
Grade: Talked himself out of Coach K
Reags took K as a VILLAIN. This is some phenomenal 5th round value, but WSD should have been able to take coach K. . 3 titles and 9 final fours is an absolutely ridiculous resume. Unless you are taking John Wooden, a more recent coach is definitely the play, so Roy over Dean Smith is absolutely the move. One of Deans came in a smaller tournament format. It is the Dean Dome, but Roy filled his shoes justttt fine.
Pick 27: Eddie, JJ Reddick, Duke (Villain)
Grade: Laettner-esque
I would say if Laettner is the most hated Dukie, JJ is a close second. Laettners stamp on the tournament is much greater than JJ’s so that is why he is a round 1 pick and JJ is a round 5 pick. But he is still an all time villain.
Pick 28: Carl, [8]Villanova vs. [1]Georgetown 1985 Championship (Upset)
Grade: Georgetown Sucks
Carl closed out the draft with authority. He will most definitely not be getting any Georgetown fan votes but the MJ shot followed by what is considered one of the biggest upsets in the tournament is a strong 4–5 from Carl and he is back in the mix.
Pick 29: Jake, Mario Chalmers 2008 vs Memphis (Moment)
Grade:
Jake started off with two great picks but then lacked excitement throughout the rest of his draft. It is a strong board, there is nothing wrong with any of his picks. I just don’t think it wins him this draft. An old school coach, a player who didn’t win and shot that didn’t win the game. It just a second tier list compared to the others.
Pick 30 Mr. Irrelevant: Reags, John Calipari UMASS/Memphis/Kentucky (Coach)
Grade: Shameless
Some love him. Some hate him. Cal is a hell of a final pick as a string of very strong Mr. Irrelevants come in draft after draft. Final Fours with 3 different schools is quite a feat as a coach. Getting that one title is all you need to be in that grouping of the greats for CBB coaches and Cal is in that group. Reags get Coach K and Cal on his graphic, could be huge.
Did Reags pull a fast one and monopolize Coach K? How no one drafted the guy with 5 titles as a Coach is confusing to me, unless being taken as a Villain removed him from coach contention. Either way, another incredible draft. Non-stop bracket coverage, tinkering of your own bracket, and examining of the schedules for Thursday and Friday just isn’t enough, needed the March Madness draft. I think Ed and Reags drafted the two best teams. Carl and Jake were a tick below them. Chief had another solid draft I just do not think its a winner. Wisco and Pittsnogel take Dave out of contention this week. I don’t know what the voting format would be but I would do two separate 3 person polls and the top two vote getters from each poll move on to a “Final 4” person poll. I think this vote is going to be very close and everyone should get a fair shake.
