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Doug McDermott. The best player in the Big East, the best player in the nation. A senior star in the year of the freshman. Also, the only future pro in his conference's 2014 draft class?
That might be the reality for the new Big East.
The conference that saw six players drafted in 2013 and eight the season prior could be all but locked out of the Barclays Center.
DraftExpress.com's most recent 2014 mock draft lists McDermott picked 8th by the Detroit Pistons... and nary another player in the conference. Gary Parrish at CBS Sports has McDermott going 9th to the Cavaliers and includes Xavier's Semaj Christon in his first round. He also predicts that Providence's Bryce Cotton will be a late second round pickup of the Indiana Pacers. Guys like Fuquan Edwin, Markell Starks, and Jakarr Sampson rank lower in his top 100.
NBADraftInsider.com also has Christon in the first round, meaning the former Musketeer may have the biggest influence on how the Big East is portrayed by the end of the night. McDermott, however, falls down to 15th.
Of course, McDermott's fate may not be sealed until we know when teams are picking at the top. If the Cavaliers win the NBA Draft Lottery again, this time on May 20th, they'll be happy to take their Andrew Wiggins party favor.
From May 14-18, Christon, McDermott, and Jakarr Sampson are (unofficially, for now) attending the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. For Sampson, its a huge opportunity to sneak into the second round. Along with Christon, he's a sophomore leaving early, but has a longer shot at the Association.