Barstool Chicago March Madness Draft Grades

The Chicago boys are back drafting March Madness related things. They are joined by college basketball experts Reags and Jake Marsh. This was a pretty good draft and I think the voting will be rather close.

 Round 1 Pick 1: Christian Laettner Shot (1992), Chief

Most likely the most famous moment in March Madness history. The moment has its own 30 for 30, so I think that speaks volumes. Good number one overall pick for Chief.

Grade: A+

 Round 1 Pick 2: Illinois Comeback vs Arizona (2005), Dave

Kind of an asshole pick from Dave here. Obviously, Carl would want this. With that being said, I really don't think this is deserving of the second overall pick. Like it's definitely a great moment, but it could be a bit of Chicago Bias.

Grade: B+

 Round 1 Pick 3: Webber Timeout (1993), Ed

I think this is a much more memorable moment than the Illinois comeback. The timeout is infamous, the team was probably the best team of all time, I think it is definitely more memorable.

Grade: A

 Round 1 Pick 4: COVID, Carl

I think this is a shitty pick. Obviously, COVID is a "villain" in the sense that it took out March Madness. But I would argue this is the biggest pander anyone has ever done in any draft ever. Of course, people are going to think COVID is a villain, and when you see it on the graphic you will be drawn to it. I don't like the pick because I think it will backfire.

Grade: C

 Round 1 Pick 5: Christian Laettner, Jake

On the contrary, I think was a great pick from Jake. Laettner has his own 30 for 30 about how much people hate him, so he is clearly the biggest villain. Is it chalk? yeah. Is it a good pick? Absolutely.

Grade: A+

 Round 1 Pick 6: Kris Jenkins shot (2016), Reags

This was a great moment because it was back-to-back "game winners". The Marcus Paige shot was absolutely incredible and then that shot was overshadowed by another buzzer-beater. Great moment, great pick.

Grade: A+

 Round 2 Pick 1: Coach K, Reags

I don't really think Coach K is a villain, but his players are. Like I understand how he is kind of a villain, but he isn't really infamous. In my opinion, people make fun of him more than they hate him.

Grade: B

 Round 2 Pick 2: UMBC over Virginia (2018), Jake

This is the best upset of all time. No questions asked. Not only to UMBC beat Virginia, they beat them badly. The game wasn't even close. An absolute ass-whooping. We honestly might not see anything like this ever again.

Grade: A+

 Round 2 Pick 3: Steph Curry, Carl

So we all know Steph was an awesome college player, but I have to take some points off because he didn't win the title. He had a nice little run, but he only made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Good, but not a great pick.

Grade: B+

 Round 2 Pick 4: Kemba Walker, Ed

Kemba is an awesome pick, not only did Uconn win the Big East tournament, but they carried that momentum to a national championship. Kemba was an absolute stud and I think he was a great pick at the end of the second round.

Grade: A

 Round 2 Pick 5: Wisconsin over Kentucky (2015), Dave

I mean this pick sucks. Like I get it is kind of an upset, but it was a one seed beating a one seed. Dave does this every draft. He has just one absolutely awful pick, then complains about not being on the graphic. 

Grade: F

 Round 2 Pick 6: FGCU over Georgetown (2013), Chief

Now, this is an upset. FGCU was absolutely stellar in their Sweet Sixteen run and it all started with their first-round against Georgetown. They also have the best nickname with "Dunk City".

Grade: A+

 Round 3 Pick 1: Dee Brown, Chief

Again, I think this is a bit of a pander. But, I still think the pick has legs. The Illini, unfortunately, lost in the finals with Dee Brown. But he was still electric. Good pick from Chief.

Grade: B+

 Round 3 Pick 2: Grayson Allen, Dave

Yes, Grayson Allen was a villain, but was he really a March Madness villain? I'm not so sure. Like he was an asshole, but I don't really remember anything he did during March. Maybe I'm just being forgetful.

Grade: C+

 Round 3 Pick 3: NC State over Houston (1983), Eddie

Very Iconic upset. The only problem is that most people voting probably hasn't seen the game so they don't relate with it on a personal level. Still a great pick.

Grade: A-

 Round 3 Pick 4: Brad Stevens, Carl

It's a tough look to pick a coach that's never won a national championship. I understand that Brad is a good pick for his back-to-back finals, but he never won. Good pick, but not a great one.

Grade: B

 Round 3 Pick 5: John Wooden, Jake

A bit chalky, but I think that's ok. Wooden has the most nationals championships. Even though there were fewer teams, he still has ten of them. It's very impressive and Wooden is a great pick, especially in the third round.

Grade: A+

 Round 3 Pick 6: George Mason over Uconn (2006), Reags

George Mason was an awesome run. It was sorta the start of an upset era. I feel like there have been more major upsets since George Mason made that big run. 

Grade: A+

 Round 4 Pick 1: Carmelo Anthony, Reags

I wasn't old enough to remember Melo, but I've seen the highlights. The guy was a machine. He was also like the first major one-and-done player. Great pick.

Grade: A

 Round 4 Pick 2: Adam Morrison, Jake

I would say this is Jake's weakest pick. He was a good March Madness player, but he was an NBA bust. I think in a way this tarnishes his legacy, especially since he didn't win a national title. Gonzaga has also had good teams since then, so he doesn't stand alone. It's a decent pick.

Grade: B

 Round 4 Pick 3: Michael Jordan game-winner against Georgetown (1982), Carl

It feels like Michael Jordan was not only the best NBA player of all time but also a great college player. The shot against Georgetown is an all-time moment, but it just gets overshadowed by his NBA career.

Grade: A-

 Round 4 Pick 4: Tom Izzo, Eddie

Great value pick. Izzo has the damn month named after him. I hate Michigan State, but I have to tip my cap to him. His biggest knock is that he doesn't win a lot of championships.

Grade: A

 Round 4 Pick 5: Kevin Pittsnogle, Dave

Again I am young so it's hard to grade this pick because frankly, I've never even heard of the guy. I won't grade him too harshly but it also says something that he isn't completely well known.

Grade: C+

 Round 4 Pick 6: Fab Five, Chief

Wonderful villain pick. They won the championship and it got taken away because they cheated. That's an all-time villain move. Great pick from Chief. I also feel like they have come back into the news since Juwan Howard is coaching at Michigan which certainly helps Chief.

Grade: A

 Round 5 Pick 1: Bob Knight, Chief

I don't know a hell of a lot about Bob Knight, but I know he was an awesome coach. Great pick from Chief and great value in the final round.

Grade: A

 Round 5 Pick 2: Roy Williams, Dave

So the main problem is he isn't the most iconic coach of his school. I know Roy has more championships at Carolina, but he wins them at The Dean Dome. So I think it's a good pick, but it could have been better.

Grade: B+

 Round 5 Pick 3: JJ Reddick, Eddie

JJ Reddick was a good villain, but I think that his legacy has been healed over time. He was hated in college but he is now a beloved NBA player. So the pick was good but has lost value over time.

Grade: B+

 Round 5 Pick 4: Villanova over Georgetown (1985), Carl

I don't know a whole lot about this game, but I do know that this was when Ewing played for Georgetown. With that being said I know Ewing was an absolute monster in college, so this seems like a pretty good upset. I'll try to give Carl the benefit of the doubt with this pick.

Grade: A-

 Round 5 Pick 5: Mario Chalmers (2008), Jake

I think is the pick that lost Jake the draft. This moment didn’t win the game so it’s a little less special. While it was a great moment, I think he could've done better.

Grade: B+

 Round 5 Pick 6: John Calipari, Reags

This could just be some bias, but I actually don't think Calipari is a great coach in March Madness. He's had so much talent throughout the years and only one national championship. He seems to do less with more while great coaches do more with less.

Grade: C+

I think overall this was a pretty even draft but I think Chief runs away with it in the last two rounds. His biggest competition was Jake Marsh who fumbled at the finish line. Dave clearly has the worst draft and honestly might be one of the worst drafts to date.

Predicted Winner: Chief

Predicted Loser: Dave