College Fantasy Basketball: 2024-25 Staff Draft Results & Summary
Our annual staff college fantasy basketball draft is upon us, and we've expanded to 14 teams for 2024-25. There are many unique CBB quirks that the diehards who participate in these contests must watch out for, so we'll attempt to cover as much of them as possible, along with general draft strategy and player commentary.
First, a quick format rundown. To accommodate the lack of the Pac-12, we added some teams: Boise State, Colorado State, Dayton, FAU, Memphis, Nevada, Saint Louis and San Diego State (we avoided adding WCC teams due to their early conference tournament). Each team starts 13 players (5 G, 5 F/C and 3 FLX), along with five bench spots. The league is head-to-head points that copies DraftKings scoring.
The draft is held on Fantrax, which is one of the few sites that offers fantasy college basketball leagues and drafts, in addition to free customizable options to accommodate a variety of player pools (such as our unique one described above).
Here's a visual of our draft board after five rounds. I picked at the No. 14 turn.
Let's go ahead and jump into a round-by-round breakdown. I'll also include some commentary from draft participants who offer their perspective on the biggest steals of the draft.
Round 1
1. Hunter Dickinson, F/C, Kansas
2. Cooper Flagg, G, F/C, Duke
3. Ryan Kalkbrenner, F/C, Creighton
4. Saint Thomas, F/C, USC
5. Great Osobor, F/C, Washington
6. Norchad Omier, F/C, Baylor
7. RJ Davis, G, North Carolina
8. Mark Sears, G, Alabama
9. Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn
10. Kadary Richmond, G, F/C, St. John's
11. Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford
12. Oumar Ballo, F/C, Indiana
13. Tucker DeVries, G, F/C, West Virginia
14. Alex Karaban, F/C, Connecticut
The top overall pick comes as no surprise, as Dickinson is ranked No. 1 in our overall top-150 college basketball fantasy rankings and is the cover boy for our 2024-25 Fantasy College Basketball Draft Kit. It's not as big of a layup as last year's top pick, Zach Edey, but his scoring, rebounding and program outlook make him the consensus favorite.
There's always a bit of risk taking a freshman so early, but Flagg seems like a safe bet, plus he gives you dual-position eligibility on Fantrax. In leagues that require starting a freshman (this is not one of them), he could realistically be the top overall pick.
The first round in fantasy college basketball is typically dominated by big men. The position is far more shallow than guards, which can be freely acquired on the waiver wire all year long. The elite tier that can get a double-double every night evaporates quickly. That's why players like Kalkbrenner, Omier, Broome, Raynaud and Osobor will go in Round 1 in just about every format. Take your pick -- all are on a roughly equal tier, but make sure you get one. Broome was an absolute steal at No. 9 in this draft.
I also wanted to address the Saint Thomas and Tucker DeVries picks. The default Fantrax rankings system in the draft room is based on last year's stats, so players who beat up on mid-major competition in 2023-24 but are now transferring to a power conference get ranked far too highly. I believe Thomas and DeVries will have solid seasons, but first-round value might be a stretch. This is why it's vital to keep RotoWire college basketball rankings handy when building your queue in these draft rooms.
Round 2
15. Julian Reese, F/C, Maryland
16. Trey Townsend, F/C, Arizona
17. Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M
18. Ian Schieffelin, F/C, Clemson
19. Braden Smith, G, Purdue
20. L.J. Cryer, G, Houston
21. Deivon Smith, G, St. John's
22. Frankie Fidler, F/C, Michigan State
23. Caleb Love, G, Arizona
24. Robbie Avila, F/C, St. Louis
25. PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis
26. Kam Jones, G, Marquette
27. Jamir Watkins, G, F/C, Florida State
28. BJ Freeman, G, F/C, Arizona State
I started the round off with another solid F/C, as I'm not too worried five-star freshman Derik Queen will take away from the 13.7 ppg and 9.5 rpg Julian Reese -- brother of the WNBA's Angel Reese -- put up last season. Freshman centers often take a year or two to develop in the physical Big Ten.
This was a big round for transfers -- Townsend, Deivon Smith, Fidler, Avila, Haggerty. I'm the least worried about Deivon Smith, who has played for three power-5 schools already and recorded an astounding three triple-doubles last year at Utah. Avila already starts the year with an ankle injury, while Townsend, and Haggerty will face far stiffer competition this season than years past. These picks skirt the line a bit -- as in, I can't tell if they were conscious decisions or the result of the Fantrax draft rankings.
With the elite forwards drying up, the top tier of guards was next to come off the board. Players like Taylor, Braden Smith, Caleb Love and Kam Jones are as safe as they come. They are elite scorers and distributors, and all are returning to the same program they were at last year, which is something that can rarely be said in college hoops in 2024. Every team needs a stable anchor, and these guys fit the bill.
Round 3
29. Tyson Degenhart, F/C, Boise State
30. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State
31. Brooks Barnhizer, G, Northwestern
32. Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State
33. Payton Sandfort, G, F/C, Iowa
34. Ace Baldwin, G, Penn State
35. Jacob Crews, G, F/C, Missouri
36. Dawson Garcia, F/c, Minnesota
37. Walter Clayton, G, Florida
38. JT Toppin, F/C, Texas Tech
39. Malik Reneau, F/C, Indiana
40. Zach Freemantle, F/C, Xavier
41. Dion Brown, G, Boston College
42. Matthew Cleveland, G, Miami
The whole draft room should be kicking themselves for letting Degenhart fall this low. It's likely because Boise State was a non-power conference addition to the pool, so most traditional rankings systems don't have him. The Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, Degenhart is coming off a year in which he averaged 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, and he'll have to make up for several key Bronco losses in 2024-25.
Barnhizer, Lipsey, Baldwin, Garcia, Reneau and Freemantle were all in my queue to pick at the turn. I was especially disappointed to see Freemantle go a few spots before me to Peter Schoenke. The Xavier forward missed last season due to injury but was previously a lock to go in the top two rounds of fantasy drafts due to his consistent production on an up-tempo team.
Crews and Brown were likely auto-draft victims once again. It's a stretch to think their massive production at UT-Martin and UMBC, respectively, will transfer to a power-five school -- Brown maybe less so because Boston College simply has so little to work with on that roster.
I closed the round with Cleveland, and was actually surprised he wasn't F/C eligible. He's the starting power forward on our Miami depth chart and logged 7.4 and 6.1 rebounds in the last two seasons. I'll take forward production from a guard roster spot, though.
Round 4
43. Efton Reid, F/C, Wake Forest
44. Darlinstone Dubar, G, Tennessee
45. Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee
46. Eric Dixon, F/C, Villanova
47. Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State
48. Johnell Davis, G, Arkansas
49. Basheer Jihad, F/C, Arizona State
50. Anthony Dell'Orso, G, Arizona
51. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest
52. Markus Burton, G, Notre Dame
53. Jordan Sears, G, LSU
54. Baye Ndongo, F/C, Georgia Tech
55. Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown
56. Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers
I was torn between Reid and Dixon to start the round, but I ended up going upside over safety. My queue was accurate, however, as Dixon went just a few picks later.
The effect of the default Fantrax rankings really started to come into play here. Dubar, Jihad, Dell'Orso and Sears were all likely reaches. You can make a case that the mid-major to power transfers in the early rounds will still make an impact -- there's the occasional Dalton Knecht, after all. In this tier, however, it's far less likely that the skills will translate to leagues with far tougher competition. 21 ppg in the Ohio Valley often translate to 12 ppg in the SEC.
I'll also toss in some feedback from DFS Product Specialist and CBB projections guru Ryan Pohle (@RyanPohle), who sings praises for Steve Peralta's selection of Markus Burton:
Markus Burton towards the end of the fourth round is an excellent value. He started immediately as a true freshman in the first year of the Micah Shrewsberry era at Notre Dame and had a massive 33.4 percent usage rate. If he can improve on his 42 percent shooting, he could be a 20-point scorer, and his ability to contribute in assists and steals gives him a solid floor. Jon Rothstein pegged him as a player with star potential this season, and I'm inclined to agree.
Round 5
57. VJ Edgecombe, C, Baylor
58. Posh Alexander, G, Dayton
59. Darrion Williams, G, F/C, Texas Tech
60. Ace Bailey, G, F/C, Rutgers
61. Zeke Mayo, G, Kansas
62. Vladislav Goldin, F/C, Michigan
63. Jyare Davis, F/C, Syracuse
64. Bryce Hopkins, G, F/C, Providence
65. Coleman Hawkins, F/C, Kansas State
66. Keshon Gilbert, G, Iowa State
67. Collin Murray-Boyles, F/C, South Carolina
68. Achor Achor, F/C, Kansas State
69. Aboubacar Traore, G, F/C, Louisville
70. JP Pegues, G, Auburn
Big 12 beat writer Brian Williams took a pair of freshmen at the Round 4/5 turn. There's risk there, but we also have sure-fire starters for programs that should compete for conference championships. Both are likely one-and-done players. It's also a good illustration of freshmen tiers -- these were the first taken since Flagg at 1.2.
I also want to profile Bryce Hopkins, who could turn into the steal of the draft. Hopkins was a first-round pick in last year's draft, but he tore his ACL in early-January, 14 games into the season. He's doubtful for the Nov. 4 opener and could miss some time, which is causing his stock to slip here. However, once he's back, he's as good as it gets, as he was on track for his second consecutive year of 15.5+ ppg and 8.5+ rpg. He also has been given guard eligibility this year, which is a huge added bonus.
I'll also toss in some feedback from Assistant College Hoops Editor Ryan Andrade (@Ku_Bball_Fan), who already regrets passing on Collin Murray-Boyles:
Kicking myself for not hopping on Murray-Boyles earlier, but Henry made an excellent pick here. The 6-8 power forward reminded be a lot of former South Carolina standout GG Jackson a couple seasons ago as a freshman. Unlike Jackson, Murray-Boyles elected to return to school for his sophomore year and he is in position for major production. B.J. Mack and his 13.6 PPG are now gone from the Gamecock frontcourt and the team's new center is a more defensive-minded player in Nick Pringle from Alabama. Murray-Boyles started the final 19 games last season and averaged 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per contest. Given who else is around him going into this season, Murray-Boyles could find himself as an All-SEC First Teamer in a matter of months.
More on this round from our resident bracketologist, Adam Zdroik (@RotoZdroik), who believes Darrion Williams was a steal:
Williams seemed to be under the radar a bit playing at Texas Tech, but in his first season in the Big 12, he was plenty successful. In addition to being multi-position eligible, he can fill up almost every stat category and with 30-plus minutes almost a guarantee, he has a good chance of finishing as a top-40 fantasy player, averaging at least 30 Fantrax points per game.
Round 6
71. Steven Crowl, F/C, Wisconsin
72. Marcus Hill, G, North Carolina State
73. Dan Skillings, G, Cincinnati
74. Clifford Omoruyi, F/C, Alabama
75. Arthur Kaluma, F/C, Texas
76. Cameron Matthews, G, F/C, Mississippi State
77. Ken Evans, G, Florida Atlantic
78. Terrence Edwards, G, F/C, Louisville
79. Wooga Poplar, G, Villanova
80. Grant Nelson, F/C, Alabama
81. Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan
82. Dayvion McKnight, G, Xavier
83. Darius Johnson, G, UFC
84. Frank Mitchell, F/C, Minnesota
Why oh why was I a homer and took Wisconsin's Crowl when Cliff Omoruyi was staring right at me. A double-double machine at Rutgers, Omoruyi moves to a much faster-paced program at Alabama and should eat if he can regularly stay out of foul trouble.
Other power conference to power conference transfers in this round include Kaluma and Poplar -- both safe veterans who should have no problem translating their production to other power-five schools. Edwards, Wolf and Mitchell are also transfers who come from mid-majors, but they seem less risky than the Round 4 bunch, as they walk into roster-rebuild situations on lesser teams and should immediately slot in as starters.
Our slow draft is ongoing! We'll try to continue updating the column as the week goes on.
Other College Basketball Resources:
Our Fantasy College Basketball Draft Kit is rolling out for 2024-25, so make sure you don't miss the following top features:
- Season-long College Basketball projections for nearly 800 players and counting.
- Complete college basketball depth charts for power conference teams and more.
- Comprehensive college basketball injury report with estimated return dates.
- The most complete collection of college basketball player news on the internet.
- Early fantasy college basketball rankings for the 2024-25 season.
- Plus, player/team stats, ability to import your team via MyLeagues, and complete access to polls and box scores in-season. Don't miss it!
