Stats:	2017 Results	All-Time Records:
First Round Pick Differential	118	New record
Second Round Pick Differential	505	record: 398 (2008)
Grand Total Pick Differential	623	record: 552 (2009)
Total correct picks	10	record: 11 (2007)
Total draftees correctly selected	49	record: 54 (2008)
First round draftees missed	4	record: 2 (2012)
Most Overdrafted	Davon Reed (SG- Miami-FL, +30 picks)	record: Bruno Caboclo (+40, Brazil, 2014)
Most Underdrafted	Ike Anigbogu (PF- UCLA, -25 picks)	record: Christian Wood (-32, PF- UNLV, 2015)

Round 1

Pick #	Team	Player
1	Philadelphia	Markelle Fultz (PG- Washington)
2	LA Lakers	Lonzo Ball (PG- UCLA)
3	Boston	Josh Jackson (SF- Kansas)
4	Phoenix	Jayson Tatum (SF- Duke)
5	Sacramento	De’Aaron Fox (PG- Kentucky)
6	Orlando	Jonathan Issac (SF- Florida State)
7	Minnesota	Lauri Markkanen (PF- Arizona)
8	New York	Frank Ntilikina (PG- France)
9	Dallas	Malik Monk (SG- Kentucky)
10	Sacramento	Luke Kennard (SG- Duke)
11	Charlotte	Donovan Mitchell (SG- Louisville)
12	Detroit	Justin Jackson- (SF- North Carolina)
13	Denver	Dennis Smith (PG- NC State)
14	Miami	OG Anonuby (SF- Indiana)
15	Portland	Zach Collins (C- Gonzaga)
16	Chicago	T.J. Leaf (PF- UCLA)
17	Milwaukee	Justin Patton (C- Creighton)
18	Indiana	Terrence Ferguson (SG- Australia)
19	Atlanta	John Collins (C- Wake Forest)
20	Portland	Harry Giles (PF- Duke)
21	Oklahoma City	Semi Ojeleye (SF- SMU)
22	Brooklyn	Ike Anigbogu (PF- UCLA)
23	Toronto	Tyler Lydon (SF- Syracuse)
24	Utah	Caleb Swanigan (PF- Purdue)
25	Orlando	Derrick White (SG- Colorado)
26	Portland	Jarrett Allen (C- Texas)
27	Brooklyn	Bam Adebayo (C- Kentucky)
28	LA Lakers	Tony Bradley (C- North Carolina)
29	San Antonio	Isiah Hartenstein (PF- Germany)
30	Utah	Frank Jackson (PG/SG- Duke)

Round 2

Pick #	Team	Player
1	Atlanta	Ivan Raab (PF- California)
2	Phoenix	Jonathan Motley (PF- Oregon)
3	Orlando	Jawun Evans (PG- Oklahoma State)
4	Sacramento	Dillon Brooks (SF- Oregon)
5	Orlando	Alec Peters (PF- Valpo)
6	Philadelphia	Josh Hart (SG- Villanova)
7	Boston	Kyle Kuzma (PF- Utah)
8	Chicago	Tyler Dorsey (SG- Oregon)
9	Philadelphia	Wesley Iwundu (SF- Kansas State)
10	New Orleans	V.J. Beachem (SF- Notre Dame)
11	Charlotte	Jaron Blossomgame (SF- Clemson)
12	Utah	Dwayne Bacon (SG/SF- Florida State)
13	Houston	D.J. Wilson (PF- Michigan)
14	New York	Sindarius Thornwell (SG- South Carolina)
15	Houston	Anzejs Pasecniks (C- Latvia)
16	Philadelphia	Kobi Simmons (SG- Arizona)
17	Indiana	Jonah Bolden (PF- Australia)
18	Milwaukee	Sterling Brown (SG- SMU)
19	Denver	Devin Robinson (SF- Florida)
20	Philadelphia	Jonathan Jeanne (PF- France)
21	Denver	Jordan Bell (PF- Oregon)
22	Washington	Mathias Lessort (PF- France)
23	Boston	P.J. Dozier (PG/SG- South Carolina)
24	Phoenix	Luke Kornet (C- Vanderbilt)
25	Utah	Alpha Kaba (C- Serbia)
26	Boston	Kennedy Meeks (C- North Carolina)
27	Brooklyn	Dion Dixon (SG- Cincinnati)
28	New York	Nigel Hayes (PF- Wisconsin)
29	San Antonio	Chase Comanche (C- Arizona)
30	Atlanta	Nigel Williams-Goss (PG/SG- Atlanta)

This will be the first of my probably several March Madness rants but now that Wake Forest has become the first time in the country eliminated from the Big Dance where the players didn’t literally choke each other out during the game (see New Orleans) I feel like my alma mater needs to honestly evaluate their basketball team. Yes, Wake had a very good season this year that exceeded my expectations as well as most other fans and they continue to play great OFFENSIVE basketball, and you no what else is offensive- the defense they played. Kansas State shot 66% from the floor tonight and scored 95 points.The entire season K-State scored 90 points or more one other time. In fact, the mighty Leathernecks of Western Illinois held them to 82 points. So basically if we played defense as well as the 8th place team in the 9 team Summit League then we would be going to the Round of 64. That’s inexcusable.

You can say the Wildcats got lucky bounces, good calls, etc, but when every team you play has their best offensive game of the season against you it is time to look in the mirror to see what’s going wrong. And most frustratingly, Wake never did that this entire season. They played the same ultra basic man-to-man defense that you teach your 4-6 year olds when they’re first learning to dribble a basketball in every single game. Sure some teams can play great man-to-man defense and never have to change up their looks but when you’re defense is atrocious at least try something. A 2-3 zone, a 1-3-1, a matchup zone, some kind of gimmick, just something to give the opposing a team a different look. Something besides defense fit for an NBA All-Star game. Every team got open shots, open lanes, and open layups the entire season and we never tried to anything about it. Heck– Wake scored over 90 points in Cameron Indoor and still found a way to lose.

They defend as about as well as Obama defended our borders and as well as Trump has defended his wiretapping accusations. I thought Jeff Bzdelik was the worst defensive coach in the history of basketball but Manning might actually be worse. And keep in mind that we’re not always going to have a NBA First Round Draft pick and 5 excellent shooters scoring the basketball. Ok- I’m done with my rant but seriously, this team had the potential for so much more and until Manning figures out that he’s not coaching an NBA All Star game I don’t think we’re going to be winning any NCAA Tournament games.

If you would like to see this in bracket form, let me know and I’ll send you an excel copy of the bracket. The regional final four pairings are Region 1 vs. Region 2 and Region 3 vs. Region 4.

Region 1

(1) Illinois vs. (8) UC Irvine

(4) Utah vs. (5) BYU

(3) UT-Arlington vs. (6) Colorado

(2) Houston vs. (7) Texas A & M

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Region 2

(1) Illinois State vs. (8) Oakland

(4) Iowa vs. (5) UCF

(3) Clemson vs. (6) Charleston

(2) Georgia vs. (7) Colorado State

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Region 3

(1) Syracuse vs. (8) UNC Greensboro

(4) Ohio State vs. (5) Akron

(3) Alabama vs. (6) Georgia Tech

(2) Indiana vs. (7) Boise State

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Region 4

(1) TCU vs. (8) South Dakota

(4) Ole Miss vs. (5) Belmont

(3) Monmouth vs. (6) Tennessee

(2) California vs. (7) Cal State Bakersfield

If you would like to see this in bracket form, let me know and I’ll send you an excel copy of the bracket. My regional final four pairings are East vs. West and Midwest vs. South.

East Regional- New York, NY (March 24, 26)

(1) Villanova vs. (16) Mount St. Mary’s/North Carolina Central-Thursday March 16 (Buffalo, NY)

(8) Miami-FL vs. (9) Vanderbilt-Thursday March 16 (Buffalo, NY)

(5) SMU vs. (12) Middle Tennessee-Thursday March 16 (Buffalo, NY)

(4) West Virginia vs. (13) Vermont– Thursday March 16 (Buffalo, NY)

(6) Minnesota vs. (11) Wake Forest– Friday March 17 (Sacramento, CA)

(3) Oregon vs. (14) Northern Kentucky-Friday March 17 (Sacramento, CA)

(7) Arkansas vs. (10) Michigan State-Friday March 17 (Indianapolis, IN)

(2) Louisville vs. (15) Kent State-Friday March 17 (Indianapolis, IN)

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West Regional- San Jose, CA (March 23, 25)

(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) South Dakota State-Thursday March 16 (Salt Lake City, UT)

(8) Dayton vs. (9) Wichita State-Thursday March 16 (Salt Lake City, UT)

(5) Iowa State vs. (12) Nevada-Thursday March 16 (Milwaukee, WI)

(4) Notre Dame vs. (13) New Mexico State– Thursday March 16 (Milwaukee, WI)

(6) Michigan vs. (11) Providence/Kansas State– Thursday March 16 (Orlando, FL)

(3) Florida State vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast-Thursday March 16 (Orlando, FL)

(7) St. Mary’s vs. (10) Northwestern– Thursday March 16 (Salt Lake City, UT)

(2) Arizona vs. (15) North Dakota-Thursday March 16 (Salt Lake City, UT)

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Midwest Regional- Kansas City, MO (March 23, 25)

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Troy/UC Davis-Friday March 17 (Tulsa, OK)

(8) Xavier vs. (9) Virginia Tech-Friday March 17 (Tulsa, OK)

(5) Virginia vs. (12) UNC Wilmington-Thursday March 16 (Orlando, FL)

(4) Florida vs. (13) East Tennessee State– Thursday March 16 (Orlando, FL)

(6) Creighton vs. (11) Rhode Island– Friday March 17 (Sacramento, CA)

(3) UCLA vs. (14) Iona-Friday March 17 (Sacramento, CA)

(7) Maryland vs. (10) Marquette– Friday March 17 (Greenville, SC)

(2) Duke vs. (15) Jacksonville State-Friday March 17 (Greenville, SC)

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South Regional- Kansas City, MO (March 24, 26)

(1) North Carolina vs. (16) New Orleans-Friday March 17 (Greenville, SC)

(8) VCU vs. (9) Oklahoma State-Friday March 17 (Greenville, SC)

(5) Purdue vs. (12) Princeton-Thursday March 16 (Milwaukee, WI)

(4) Butler vs. (13) Bucknell– Thursday March 16 (Orlando, FL)

(6) Cincinnati vs. (11) Seton Hall/Southern Cal– Friday March 17 (Tulsa, OK)

(3) Baylor vs. (14) Winthrop-Friday March 17 (Tulsa, OK)

(7) Wisconsin vs. (10) South Carolina– Friday March 17 (Indianapolis, IN)

(2) Kentucky vs. (15) Texas Southern– Friday March 17 (Indianapolis, IN)

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I will send out final brackets in a few minutes, but here is the final seed list for both my NCAA and NIT Bracket Projections.  The teams below are displayed below on an S-curve, so they are ranked from left to right within each seeding line.  The italicized teams are ones predicted to win their conference tourney and gain an automatic bid to the dance.  Teams in bold have already earend automatic bids to this year’s NCAA or NIT tournament by virtue of either winning their respective conference tournaments (NCAA auto bids) or conference regular season (NIT auto bids).  Feel free to comment or debate.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina, Gonzaga

2-seeds: Kentucky, Duke, Arizona, Louisville

3-seeds: Oregon, Baylor, UCLA, Florida State

4-seeds: Florida, West Virginia, Butler, Notre Dame

5-seeds: Virginia, Iowa State, Purdue, SMU

6-seeds: Cincinnati, Minnesota,  Creighton, Michigan

7-seeds: Wisconsin, St. Mary’s, Maryland, Arkansas

8-seeds: Dayton, Miami-FL, Xavier, VCU

9-seeds: Wichita State, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech

10-seeds: South Carolina, Northwestern, Marquette, Michigan State

11-seeds: Wake Forest, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, Providence, Kansas State, Southern California

12-seeds: Middle Tennessee, Nevada, UNC Wilmington, Princeton

13-seeds: Vermont, Bucknell, East Tennessee State, New Mexico State

14-seeds: Winthrop, Florida Gulf Coast, Iona, Northern Kentucky

15-seeds: Texas Southern, Kent State, Jacksonville State, North Dakota

16-seeds: New Orleans, South Dakota State, Mount St. Mary’s, Troy, UC Davis, North Carolina Central

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds:  Illinois, Syracuse, TCU, Illinois State

2-seeds: California, Georgia, Houston, Indiana

3-seeds: Clemson, Alabama, UT-Arlington, Monmouth

4-seeds: Iowa, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Utah

5-seeds: Brigham Young, Belmont, Akron, UCF

6-seeds: Charleston, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Colorado

7-seeds: Texas A & M, Colorado State, Boise State, Cal State Bakersfield

8-seeds: Oakland, UNC Greensboro, South Dakota, UC Irvine

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders:  Richmond, San Diego State, Fresno State, Davidson

The teams below are displayed below on an S-curve, so they are ranked from left to right within each seeding line.  The italicized teams are ones predicted to win their conference tourney and gain an automatic bid to the dance, and the bolded teams are squads who have already clinched automatic bids to either the NCAA or NIT.  For the conferences who currently have NCAA tourney teams, it is assumed that one of those teams will win their conference tourney.  If not, then a stolen bid would result, and the number of at-large bids would drop.

Also, just to clarify, my bracket projection is intended to project the NCAA Tournament field if it was chosen today.  Unlike some bracketologists, I am not trying to predict how each team will finish the season and then seed the teams based on that.  There is one slight exception to this rule, however, and that is that I have always chosen to award the projected automatic bid for each conference to my projected best team in that conference, and not the team who is currently leading the conference standings.   Given how unbalanced conference schedules are, it just seems like common sense to project that the best team in a conference will win the league championship, not the squad currently in first place.

Brad-ketology columns will be published at least twice a week (typically on Mondays and Fridays).  This bracket projection has been updated on site from Las Vegas and includes all games played through Tuesday March 7th.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina, Oregon, 

2-seeds: Gonzaga, Baylor, Louisville, Arizona

3-seeds: UCLA, Kentucky, Florida State, Butler

4-seeds: Duke, West Virginia, Florida, Virginia

5-seeds: Notre Dame, SMU, Purdue, Cincinnati

6-seeds: Minnesota, Maryland, Creighton, Iowa State

7-seeds: St. Mary’s, Dayton, Oklahoma State, Arkansas

8-seeds: South Carolina, VCU, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin

9-seeds: Miami-FL, Xavier, Wake Forest, Seton Hall

10-seeds: Vanderbilt, Michigan, Northwestern, Southern California

11-seeds: Wichita State, Michigan State, Marquette, Providence, Rhode Island, Kansas State

12-seeds: Middle Tennessee, Nevada, UNC Wilmington, UT-Arlington

13-seeds: Vermont, Princeton, Akron, Bucknell

14-seeds: Winthrop, Florida Gulf Coast, Cal State Bakersfield, East Tennessee State

15-seeds: Iona, Northern Kentucky, Texas Southern UC Irvine

16-seeds: Jacksonville State, Mount St. Mary’s, North Dakota, South Dakota State, New Orleans, North Carolina Central

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds:  Illinois, Syracuse, Middle Tennessee, California

2-seeds: Iowa, Clemson, Ohio State, Illinois State

3-seeds: Georgia, Nevada, TCU, Houston

4-seeds: UT-Arlington, Ole Miss, Indiana, Vermont

5-seeds: Georgia Tech, Monmouth, Brigham Young, Boise State

6-seeds: Utah, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A & M

7-seeds: Charleston, UCF, Princeton, Akron

8-seeds: Belmont, UNC Greensboro, South Dakota, Oakland

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders: Bucknell, Richmond, Colorado State, New Mexico, Texas Tech, St. Bonaventure, Auburn, Fresno State