Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember the first NBA Draft lottery.

Yup, mine’s raised, too. It was in 1985, and the Big Prize that year was Georgetown center Patrick Ewing. (He played four years of college basketball, by the way. Let that marinate.) The NBA had been sullied by the appearance that its worst teams were losing on purpose to ensure high draft picks, so the league held a lottery to determine the top order of the first round. Every team that failed to make the playoffs had an equal chance to get the top pick. The winner was the New York Knicks, who had the third-worst record.

That result launched a thousand conspiracy theories, and over the years the NBA adjusted its formula to give added weight to the teams with the worst records while still preserving the chances that any of the non-playoff teams could get the No. 1 pick. That exercise will unfurl again this evening in Chicago on the 40-year anniversary of that first lottery. This time, the Big Prize will be Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg. As our NBA Draft correspondent Krysten Peek writes, three teams have an equal shot at winning the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes, but every team in the lottery will have their shot. It’s going to be riveting television, as usual.

The lottery is also the unofficial kickoff of NBA Draft season. The NBA G League Combine is already underway in Chicago, and the NBA’s version will unfold there over the next few days. Hoops HQ has been making our plans to cover all the draft moves and shakes between now and June 25. We’re ready to get started.

Personally, I’m hoping there’s a big conspiracy to allow my hometown Wizards to get the top pick tonight, but we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I hope you have a great Monday, and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. — Seth

It’s Time for the NBA Draft Lottery: Who Will Win the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes?

By Krysten Peek

With Revenue Sharing on the Way, Is the Big East Sitting Pretty?

By Seth Davis

Once Upon A Time, the Big East Conference reigned supreme over the Land of College Basketball. Born in 1979, this brainchild of a mad genius named Dave Gavitt enjoyed a rapid rise by monopolizing major media markets from Washington, D.C., to New York City to Syracuse, N.Y. Behind great players like Patrick, Chris and Pearl, plus colorful coaching characters like Looie, Rollie, Jimmy B and Big John, the Big East won early and often, cresting in 1985 when it sent three teams to the Final Four.

By the early 1990’s, however, the Big East was confronted by a harsh reality: It didn’t have enough big-time football. Football was what really reigned supreme in college sports, so the league felt compelled to add so-called “football schools” in rapid fashion: Miami, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, West Virginia. As it mushroomed to 16 teams by 2006, basketball benefited, too. In 2011, the league sent a record 11 teams into the NCAA Tournament.

‍