Since the NBA draft lottery's inception in 1985, no NCAA program has had more "lottery picks" than Duke, but the advent of the one-and-done player has changed the landscape.
Kentucky ranks second with 19 lottery picks, including three overall No. 1 picks, and will match Duke with 21 total if the latest DraftExpress.com rankings ring true. De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk both figure to go inside the top 10 in most mock draft forecasts.
Duke has had 20 lottery picks, its last coming in 2016 with No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram. Jayson Tatum's probable selection among the top 14 in this year's draft will keep them tied for the lead.
But in the John Calipari era, no team has had more lottery picks than Kentucky. The Cats have sent John Wall (No. 1 overall), DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis (No. 1 overall), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nerlens Noel, Julius Randle, Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 1 overall), Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles. Devin Booker and Jamal Murray to the NBA draft stage since 2010.
North Carolina lies close behind Duke and UK with 18 overall lottery picks and could pick up another if junior Justin Jackson cracks the top 14. DraftExpress puts him at 15th overall in its latest projection.
Kansas ranks fourth with 16 and figures to pick up another in potential top-three pick Josh Jackson. Arizona and Connecticut each have 13, with the Wildcats set to break the tie with freshman center Lauri Markkanen this year.
Louisville lags behind several other schools with five lottery picks, but will pick up another this year if sophomore Donovan Mitchell holds to his No. 12 projection.
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