Round 1 (Midwest) - Illinois advances

D-Wade, Iggy & KG took out a solid Great Lakes squad.

With the NCAA Basketball Tournament right around the corner, I decided to create an NBA State Tournament to see which states are producing the best players.

Serious bragging rights are at stake!

Do certain states excel at producing certain positions? Which states have the most talent per capita? Most importantly, who’s going to win it all?

Help me decide by voting for each matchup, and we’ll crown an NBA State Champion right around the time of the NCAA Championship game.

NBA State Tournament Rules: - To qualify, players must have played in at least one NBA game this season (Sorry Brand & Oden) and be on a current NBA roster. - Players are affiliated with the state they graduated High School in rather than the State born in. (Information courtesy of: Basketball-Reference.com). Key differences will be noted. - There are 16 total “Teams” separated into 4 Regions. - Teams are seeded using this formula: Total population (rounded to the nearest million) x 1/2 + Total # of current players. - Smaller states are merged together until they total 16+ active players. - Rosters of 12 are chosen for each team. - Vote for which team you think would win in a 7 game series on a neutral court. - 1st Round Polls are open for 7 days ONLY before a winner is declared. - New 1st Round Matchup posted every 3 days. - After voting, please comment on which team you picked, how many games to win, and why.

#2 Seed

Midwest Region

Illinois (27 players)

Total Population = 12,852,548

PG: Dwyane Wade / Jannero Pargo

While Wade played college ball at Marquette University (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), he was born and raised in the Chicago area. As a result, he idolized Jordan growing up, and this is evident in the way he plays the game. Of course, there’s a big difference between D-Wade at 100% vs. D-Wade at 70% or whatever he’s at right now. For the purposes of this tournament, I’m going to envision Wade being one level below his ‘06 NBA Finals MVP self, but one level above his ‘07-08 self. Jannero Pargo is more of a shooting guard, but he’s capable of running a team and can get hot from outside. Years ago, he and his younger brother Jeremy (a star for Gonzaga) made a pact to stay away from drugs and alcohol, so I admire their dedication.

SG: Anthony Parker / Michael Finley / Tony Allen

Parker struggled when he first came into the league, but he went to Europe and led Maccabi Tel Aviv to five national championships while being named Euroleague MVP in ‘05 and ‘06. Since joining the Raptors, he’s been a very solid swingman and one of the top 3-point shooters in the league (7th in 3P% this season, 5th last year). Michael Finley is on the downside of an impressive career, but he’s still a nice backup. Tony Allen was playing like a badass before he blew out his knee last year. He’s still working his way back, but he’s a top notch defender and a nice option at the end of the bench.

SF: Andre Iguodala / Corey Maggette

Iguodala was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois and was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year in 2002. He’s an incredible athlete who is improving every year, and he would flourish on this team where he doesn’t have to be the #1 or #2 option on offense. Unfortunately, Iggy is going to eat up most of the minutes at small forward, so hopefully Corey Maggette is strong enough to play extended minutes at the four. He’ll give this team another explosive scorer, but is he willing to bang with bigger players in the paint?

PF: Kevin Garnett / Antoine Walker

Tim Duncan (Virgin Islands) isn’t in this tournament, so KG is the #1 power forward, hands down. He grew up in South Carolina, but transferred to Farragut Academy in Chicago for his senior year in high school. That year, he was named USA Today’s National High School Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball for Illinois. Unfortunately for South Carolina, I’m using high school graduation data, so they lost out on KG. However, Illinois lost Shawn Marion and Jason Maxiell to the same rule, so it works both ways. Surprisingly, Walker is having a decent season for Minnesota, so I’ll give him the nod over Juwan Howard and Julian Wright. Of course, employee #8 will be used sparingly.

C: Steven Hunter / Nazr Mohammad / Eddy Curry

The center position is a major hole for Illinois. He’s barely played this season, but I’m going with Steven Hunter as my starter. He’s a great shot-blocker and can run the floor well, so he’ll fit in well with the rest of the athletes on this squad. Nazr Mohammad is also a pretty mobile center. He’s bounced around the league, but he played a part in winning an NCAA Championship with Kentucky and an NBA Championship with San Antonio. I’ll throw Eddy Curry a bone (a fat one to make him happy) and give him the nod as my 12th. He’ll give this team a big body who can score in the paint, but don’t even think about playing him and Walker at the same time.

Just missed the cut: Luther Head, Julian Wright.

I’m a fan of Luther Head’s game, but his point guard skills don’t seem as polished as Pargo’s, so he missed out. Julian Wright’s recent play almost earned him a spot on this squad (he scored 20 points on 8-9 shooting, to go along with 8 boards, 2 steals, and a three in 29 minutes on Saturday), but he still has a lot to prove in the NBA. Still, the #13 pick in the 2007 draft will surpass A. Walker soon enough.

Everyone else: James Augustine, Andre Brown, Shannon Brown, Brian Cardinal, Brian Cook, Melvin Ely, Juwan Howard, Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons, Awvee Storey, Alando Tucker, Aaron Williams, Justin Williams.

Team analysis:

A top three of Wade, KG, and Iguodala is pretty freakin’ impressive. I’m sure most people still think Dwyane Wade is one of the top players in the league, but his perceived value is likely to be much lower now than it was a year or two ago. Maggette is an explosive scorer to bring off the bench, but none of those guys are great 3-point shooters. Fortunately, Parker, Pargo, and Finley can all stroke it from downtown. Parker has been an underrated piece of Toronto’s success, and I like Tony Allen as a defensive stopper off the bench. Can Maggette slide over to power forward and Garnett slide over to center for 10-20 minutes a game? Can their center trio play enough defense and be effective enough on offense for this team to go far in the tournament? How much damage can Walker and Curry do at a steak & lobster buffet?

#3 Seed

Midwest Region

Michigan (12 players) +

Wisconsin (5 players) +

Minnesota (4 players)

Combined Pop. = 20,871,083

PG: Devin Harris (WI) / Travis Diener (WI)

Harris is one of the top young point guards in the league. He needs to get stronger and more consistent shooting the ball, but he’s not far from being an elite PG. Harris was born in Milwaukee and went to college at Wisconsin, where he was named Big 10 Player of the Year in 2004. Diener also stayed in Wisconsin for college, but he went to Marquette, where he played with D. Wade and Steve Novak. This dude can shoot, but he’s a definite liability on defense. The Pacers are just 5-13 when he starts, but he can be more effective in short spurts.

SG: Jason Richardson (MI) / Charlie Bell (MI) / Morris Peterson (MI)

I’d say these Michigan St. boys know each other pretty well. J-Rich, Bell, and Mo-Pete all played together on the 2000 National Championship team that knocked off a Florida squad led by Udonis Haslem & Mike Miller. Mo-Pete led his team with 21 points and 5 assists in the championship game, but he’s 3rd on the depth chart here. Charlie Bell had a sweet line: 9 points, 8 boards, 5 dimes, and 2 steals. His defense (he’ll help out Diener) and versatility (can play 1-3) is great. Richardson was just a freshman, so he only played 15 minutes in the title game, but he still pitched in 9 points. J-Rich has improved his game every year and is now one of the top “2nd tier” shooting guards in the league. After Stevie Wonder and Sonny Stitt, J-Rich is the pride of Saginaw. Re-uniting these guys can only be a good thing.

SF: Shane Battier (MI) / Devean George (MN)

Battier went to Country Day School in Detroit, a private school that Chris Webber and Robin Williams also attended. He’s a proven winner and one of the most valuable unsung heroes in the league. This is going to be a solid defensive squad, and Battier is leading (or should I say taking) the charge. Devean George was born and raised in Minnesota, playing college ball for an NCAA Division III school (!) named Augsburg in Minneapolis. He can run the floor well with the 2nd unit, but Battier will be getting the bulk of the minutes.

PF: Al Horford (MI) / Kris Humphries (MN) / Carl Landry (WI)

Horford was born in the Dominican Republic, but he went to high school in Michigan. He’s still a rookie, but he’s already gained respect from all around the league. If the Hawks make the playoffs, he deserves to be Rookie of the Year over Durant. Kris Humphries was born in Minneapolis and attended the University of Minnesota, where he became the 1st freshman to lead the Big 10 in scoring and rebounding in the same season. The guy is athletic and beefy, and you can play him together with Horford if you want. If you don’t think Carl Landry has skills, consider this: after missing the entire ‘05-06 season due to a knee injury, he came back and began his senior season with 3 straight Big Ten Player of the Week honors, making him the 1st player in conference history to do so. He’s having a solid rookie season for Houston and he gives this squad a talented young trio of power forwards.

C: Chris Kaman (MI) / Joel Przybilla (MN)

Amazingly, Kaman was recruited by just two colleges: Hope (a Div. III school) and Central Michigan. He chose the latter, where he led the nation in double-doubles in ‘02-03 and was named MAC Player of the Year. He’s having an incredible season for the Clippers, but it’s tough to gauge how good he really is. Przybilla gives this team a legit 7-foot center off the bench. He’s not going to provide much offense, but he can still block shots.

Just missed the cut: Willie Green (MI), Chris Webber (MI) .

Willie Green is built like a bull and I like the way he takes the ball to the hole. He’s having a solid season for Philly and you could easily argue selecting him over Mo-Pete, but I’m banking on Peterson to re-kindle his Michigan St. days and play better. I also came really close to adding former Michigan star Chris Webber to give this team a boost…NOT!

Everyone else: Maurice Ager (MI), Wilson Chandler (MI), Paul Davis (MI), Coby Karl (WI), Ira Newble (MI), Steve Novak (WI), Patrick O’Bryant (MN).

Team analysis:

I really like this Great Lakes squad. They don’t have any superstars, but they have quality young talent at every position. If Devin Harris can create in the paint, he has big men who can finish strong in Horford and Kaman. J-Rich will be their go-to scorer and Battier will knock down threes if you leave him alone, but this team will really excel on the defensive end. They have solid defenders at every position and they’ll be able to control the boards against most opponents. Are Harris and Horford confident when they go up against more experienced players? Can Kaman hold his own in a 7 game series against elite centers? Can J-Rich handle the pressures of being their “go-to guy” in the 4th quarter?

NBA State Tournament

Round 1

Midwest Region: #2 vs. #3

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Poll Ends: Saturday, March 15th @ 11:59pm PST

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My pick:

in 7 games

Like I said, I really like the Great Lakes squad. I think they could take 3 games from Illinois before getting blown out in the decisive 7th game.

In the backcourt, Devin Harris will have his hands full with D. Wade. But if Charlie Bell picks Diener’s brain (remember, they played together at Marquette), he might be able to “D” Wade up pretty good off the bench. Anthony Parker & Finley vs. J-Rich is a pretty sweet matchup, especially since J-Rich plays like Finley used to play (and still does on occasion).

Shane Battier will also have his hands full with Iggy, but he can shut him down for the most part. George is kind of like a poor man’s version of Maggette, but neither will play a lot of minutes because Maggette can’t hang with the likes of Horford and Humphries. Illinois will have to play their centers, because this team has some beef up front. Horford will have trouble guarding KG 1-on-1, so he’ll definitely need some help. If I’m coaching the Great Lakes squad, I’ll send Humphries in there and tell him to use up his fouls and make KG work for it. Can Chris Kaman dominate Hunter, Nazr, and Curry?

I say Kaman, Horford, and company dominate the glass for 2 wins and J-Rich outscores Wade for a 3rd, but ultimately, the Great Lakes team is too young. In game 7, there’s no way that Wade & KG lose to this squad. Harris & Horford are going to be very good, but they’re still a few years away.

Click here for Midwest Region matchup #1: (1) Several vs. (4) Ohio/ Indiana.
Click here for West Region matchup #2: (2) Texas vs. (3) Everyone Else.
Click here for West Region matchup #1: (1) California vs. (4) Washington/ Oregon/ Alaska.
Click here for South Region matchup #2: (2) Florida vs. (3) North Carolina/ South Carolina.
Click here for South Region matchup #1: (1) Alabama/ Georgia vs. (4) Louisiana/ Mississippi.