It's almost assumed these days that the top overall pick in the NBA draft will come out of the Kansas program, whether it's Andrew Wiggins or freshman teammate Joel Embiid.
However, in an ESPN poll of 30 NBA executives, it was Duke's Jabari Parker who racked up more votes than both Wiggins and Embiid.
Wiggins entered the season as the consensus favorite to be the first to shake new commissioner Adam Silver's hand on June 26 at the NBA draft.
Early on I cautioned those who already had anointed Wiggins, the ultra-athletic Canadian, as the top overall pick. It didn't take long for people to realize that Parker, the Blue Devils' skilled forward, also was in the equation for the top spot. Then a third freshman, the 7-foot Embiid, thrust himself into the mix.
Embiid, a native of Cameroon, moved his way into the forefront of the conversation early in league play, a skilled big man who possessed the key words for NBA scouts: size and upside. But then came his back issues, the ones that kept him out of the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments -- and most people seemed to naturally revert back to where it all began: Wiggins.
However, after polling 30 NBA executives shortly after all three players had officially declared for the draft -- from numerous GMs to player personnel guys and NBA scouts -- you might be surprised at the results of who they would choose No. 1 overall: