How good was the B1G last year?

[NUCat320]

Only five guys were drafted on Thursday, which seems low. That's fewer than Kentucky.

Russell was a spectacular one-and-done guy on a strangely not-great team, and Kaminsky and Dekker were of course different flavors of star (fundamentals versus athlete) on a great team. White and Dawson were second round picks as guys who know the game and have a chance to find a niche.

NBA potential /draft ability does not define college skill, but I was still surprised to see the number so low. Granted, I don't typically follow the NBA draft (my adopted team traded for Hardaway Jr - I wanted the kid from Arkansas), but was surprised when I counted 'em up.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Only five guys were drafted on Thursday, which seems low. That's fewer than Kentucky.

Russell was a spectacular one-and-done guy on a strangely not-great team, and Kaminsky and Dekker were of course different flavors of star (fundamentals versus athlete) on a great team. White and Dawson were second round picks as guys who know the game and have a chance to find a niche.

NBA potential /draft ability does not define college skill, but I was still surprised to see the number so low. Granted, I don't typically follow the NBA draft (my adopted team traded for Hardaway Jr - I wanted the kid from Arkansas), but was surprised when I counted 'em up.

Bulls got a kid from Arkansas. I hope that was him. What do you like about that kid?

 

[NUCat320]

I liked the position, athleticism, and fit with the Hawks needs (boards, athleticism, versatility). My evaluation was based on approximately three minutes of research and the recognition that Cauley-Stein wouldn't be available.

 

[pawildcat]

Only five guys were drafted on Thursday, which seems low. That's fewer than Kentucky.

Russell was a spectacular one-and-done guy on a strangely not-great team, and Kaminsky and Dekker were of course different flavors of star (fundamentals versus athlete) on a great team. White and Dawson were second round picks as guys who know the game and have a chance to find a niche.

NBA potential /draft ability does not define college skill, but I was still surprised to see the number so low. Granted, I don't typically follow the NBA draft (my adopted team traded for Hardaway Jr - I wanted the kid from Arkansas), but was surprised when I counted 'em up.

There were quite a few young players in the league who decided to give it another year. I think the number will be up the next couple of years. Speaks well for the coaching in the league with two members of the final four in a relatively down year.

 

[Ubermorgen]

U of Arkansas player the Bulls drafted is Bobby Portis

 

[Sec.112]

Here are some final conference numbers.

Rankings according to Sagarin / RPI ... # of players drafted on Thursday

1) Big 12 / 1 ... 2
2) Big East / 3 ... 2
3) ACC / 2 ... 12
4) Big 10 / 4 ... 5
5) SEC / 6 ... 10
6) Pac 12 / 5 ... 7
7) Atlantic 10 / 7 ... 1
8) WCC / 11 ... 0
9) American Athletic / 8 ... 0
10) Missouri Valley / 9 ... 0

Here's an interesting post on draft trends by conference between '98 -'13
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...mining-the-major-conferences-in-college-hoops

 

[Walker Fan]

Most mock drafts have Caris Lavert as a first rounder prior to his injury and a late first rounder if he had declared pro even after his injury. AJ Hammons was projected as a late first rounder and early second rounder. Both of these players decided to stay in school. Also, in my opinion, Indiana's Troy Williams has NBA talent and if he would have went pro, he would have gone in the second round probably higher than Iowa's Aaron White.

What that means is that due to these players staying in school, the Big 10 will, according to experts like CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, be the most talented and have the most depth of any conference in the nation next year.

As for the Big 10 last season, to have two Final Four teams and one team in the finals who beat UK means that it was a good year at the top of the conference.

 

[pawildcat]

Most mock drafts have Caris Lavert as a first rounder prior to his injury and a late first rounder if he had declared pro even after his injury. AJ Hammons was projected as a late first rounder and early second rounder. Both of these players decided to stay in school. Also, in my opinion, Indiana's Troy Williams has NBA talent and if he would have went pro, he would have gone in the second round probably higher than Iowa's Aaron White.

What that means is that due to these players staying in school, the Big 10 will, according to experts like CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, be the most talented and have the most depth of any conference in the nation next year.

As for the Big 10 last season, to have two Final Four teams and one team in the finals who beat UK means that it was a good year at the top of the conference.

Big 12 probably had the best depth last year, although they were a disaster in the tourney. The ACC actually was more skewed than the B1G last year as our victory over them in the challenge showed. While they had power at the top, the bottom half of their conference was truly horrible.

 

[pawildcat]

Here are some final conference numbers.

Rankings according to Sagarin / RPI ... # of players drafted on Thursday

1) Big 12 / 1 ... 2
2) Big East / 3 ... 2
3) ACC / 2 ... 12
4) Big 10 / 4 ... 5
5) SEC / 6 ... 10
6) Pac 12 / 5 ... 7
7) Atlantic 10 / 7 ... 1
8) WCC / 11 ... 0
9) American Athletic / 8 ... 0
10) Missouri Valley / 9 ... 0

Here's an interesting post on draft trends by conference between '98 -'13
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...mining-the-major-conferences-in-college-hoops

And yet the "dismal" B1G hasn't lost the ACC-B1G challenge for the past six years. The Big 12, probably the deepest conference last year, apparently had fewer players drafted than the B1G. The SEC over the years has offered ample proof that number of lottery picks doesn't necessarily equate to quality of conference.