The Ultimate Basketball Challenge League (UBC) is probably one of the oldest around as far as expert hoops leagues go. I played in this league with Matthew Berry, John Hollinger and Eric Karabell back in the day and there are still plenty of fantasy industry guys in the league. It’s a head-to-head points league with a rather complex scoring system and is tough to win. It’s also deep, with 12 starters, 17 rounds and 204 players. I’ve had some very good teams over the last few years, but my team can never seal the deal in the playoffs. Probably because I don’t spend enough time studying the Schedule Breakdown I write for the Rotoworld NBA Draft Guide.

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Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $200,000 Fantasy Basketball league for October 29th’s games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $20,000. Starts at 7pm ET on October 29th. Here’s the FanDuel link.

Here’s the scoring system:

3PTM = .08 points

AST = .17 points

BLK = .25 points

FGM = .25 points

FGA = -.08 points

FTM = .25 points

FTA = -.17 points

PTS = .08 points

ST = .17 points

TO = -.17 points

TRB = .10 points

That’s one of my favorite scoring systems and the final score after a week’s worth of action ends up very similar to an actual NBA score. And in points leagues, you’re not looking to fill categories, but we do play two centers in this league, so they’re a valuable commodity. Here’s how it went down.

Round 1

1. LeBron James F CLE, Dan Dobish

2. Kevin Durant F OKC, Hector Castro

3. Stephen Curry PG GSW, Brian Flood

4. Anthony Davis PF NOP, Keith Wayland

5. Blake Griffin PF LAC, Kyle McKeown

6. Carmelo Anthony F NYK, Tom Carpenter

7. James Harden SG HOU, Chris Towers

8. Russell Westbrook PG OKC, Andrew Feingold

9. DeMarcus Cousins C SAC, Steve Alexander

10. Kevin Love PF CLE, Tim Trout

11. Al Jefferson C CHA, David Klyce

12. John Wall PG WAS, Dave Gawron

In case you’re wondering, Kevin Durant is going anywhere from No. 6 to No. 15 in the drafts I’ve seen since his injury. I get the sense he might miss closer to three months than two, and I’m having trouble spending a first-round pick on him. But it could pay off, especially in playoff leagues where owners just have to get there and then set Durant loose in February, March and April.

My Pick: I love Boogie Cousins this year and he should be a beast. He’s one of my favorite players to own, on nights when he doesn’t get thrown out of his game.

Best Pick: Anthony Davis at No. 4 is as late as you’ll see him taken this year. Of course, this draft happened before the Kevin Durant news broke, but it appears that Davis still would have gone at No. 3, and he’ll serve Wayland well. But I also love Flood’s Curry pick at No. 3 and I think I would take Curry over Davis at this point personally, just because I was burned by Davis’ missed games in a few leagues last year. Oh, and Dobish’s pick of LeBron turned out to be an absolute genius move, as Durant was still healthy when this went down.

Round 2

13. Chris Paul PG LAC

14. LaMarcus Aldridge PF POR

15. Damian Lillard PG POR

16. Kyle Lowry PG TOR

17. Kyrie Irving PG CLE

18. Chris Bosh C MIA

19. Andre Drummond C DET

20. Serge Ibaka PF OKC

21. Dwight Howard C HOU

22. Derrick Rose PG CHI

23. DeAndre Jordan C LAC

24. Thaddeus Young F MIN

My Pick: I went with Kyle Lowry here, as I expect him to have a monster season as long as he can stay healthy.

Best Pick: Andre Drummond at 19 in a point league (minimal free throw damage) is a steal. And Carpenter loves him some Pistons.

Round 3

25. DeMar DeRozan SG TOR

26. Joakim Noah C CHI

27. Eric Bledsoe G PHO

28. Dirk Nowitzki PF DAL

29. Michael Carter-Williams PHI

30. Al Horford C ATL

31. Marc Gasol C MEM

32. Paul Millsap PF ATL

33. Derrick Favors C UTA

34. Monta Ellis SG DAL

35. Mike Conley PG MEM

36. Rudy Gay SF SAC

My Pick: I went with my first center, Derrick Favors. I’m hoping he breaks out and it does feel like it will happen. He will get and take good shots and see a defined role this year, unlike last season. You can probably get him later in your draft, but I don’t mind getting him this early. 

Best Pick: Paul Millsap is going to do it all for Atlanta and Al Horford has a long way to go before he’s at full strength. Feingold and I are on the same wavelength.

Round 4

37. Marcin Gortat C Was

38. Ty Lawson PG DEN

39. Kobe Bryant SG LAL

40. Victor Oladipo SG ORL

41. Brook Lopez C BRK

42. Chandler Parsons SF HOU

43. Goran Dragic SG PHO

44. Kemba Walker PG CHA

45. Gordon Hayward SG UTA

46. Greg Monroe PF DET

47. Kawhi Leonard SF SAN

48. Bradley Beal SG WAS

My Pick: Victor Oladipo wasn’t injured when I took him. I was happy with it at the time, but he’s going to miss some time so the pick is a little disheartening in hindsight. He will play at SG full time this season and once he’s healthy, I’m expecting a much more consistent player than we saw last year. 

Best Pick: It’s hard to pick one here, but I’m going with Castro’s Kawhi Leonard. I’m not sure he’ll score enough to be worth the fourth round, but it will at least be close. I’m pretty sure that everyone at Rotoworld is praying for Gregg Popovich to set him free this season.

The Ultimate Basketball Challenge League (UBC) is probably one of the oldest around as far as expert hoops leagues go. I played in this league with Matthew Berry, John Hollinger and Eric Karabell back in the day and there are still plenty of fantasy industry guys in the league. It’s a head-to-head points league with a rather complex scoring system and is tough to win. It’s also deep, with 12 starters, 17 rounds and 204 players. I’ve had some very good teams over the last few years, but my team can never seal the deal in the playoffs. Probably because I don’t spend enough time studying the Schedule Breakdown I write for the Rotoworld NBA Draft Guide.

Follow me on Twitter, won’t you? Click here.

Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $200,000 Fantasy Basketball league for October 29th’s games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $20,000. Starts at 7pm ET on October 29th. Here’s the FanDuel link.

Here’s the scoring system:

3PTM = .08 points

AST = .17 points

BLK = .25 points

FGM = .25 points

FGA = -.08 points

FTM = .25 points

FTA = -.17 points

PTS = .08 points

ST = .17 points

TO = -.17 points

TRB = .10 points

That’s one of my favorite scoring systems and the final score after a week’s worth of action ends up very similar to an actual NBA score. And in points leagues, you’re not looking to fill categories, but we do play two centers in this league, so they’re a valuable commodity. Here’s how it went down.

Round 1

1. LeBron James F CLE, Dan Dobish

2. Kevin Durant F OKC, Hector Castro

3. Stephen Curry PG GSW, Brian Flood

4. Anthony Davis PF NOP, Keith Wayland

5. Blake Griffin PF LAC, Kyle McKeown

6. Carmelo Anthony F NYK, Tom Carpenter

7. James Harden SG HOU, Chris Towers

8. Russell Westbrook PG OKC, Andrew Feingold

9. DeMarcus Cousins C SAC, Steve Alexander

10. Kevin Love PF CLE, Tim Trout

11. Al Jefferson C CHA, David Klyce

12. John Wall PG WAS, Dave Gawron

In case you’re wondering, Kevin Durant is going anywhere from No. 6 to No. 15 in the drafts I’ve seen since his injury. I get the sense he might miss closer to three months than two, and I’m having trouble spending a first-round pick on him. But it could pay off, especially in playoff leagues where owners just have to get there and then set Durant loose in February, March and April.

My Pick: I love Boogie Cousins this year and he should be a beast. He’s one of my favorite players to own, on nights when he doesn’t get thrown out of his game.

Best Pick: Anthony Davis at No. 4 is as late as you’ll see him taken this year. Of course, this draft happened before the Kevin Durant news broke, but it appears that Davis still would have gone at No. 3, and he’ll serve Wayland well. But I also love Flood’s Curry pick at No. 3 and I think I would take Curry over Davis at this point personally, just because I was burned by Davis’ missed games in a few leagues last year. Oh, and Dobish’s pick of LeBron turned out to be an absolute genius move, as Durant was still healthy when this went down.

Round 2

13. Chris Paul PG LAC

14. LaMarcus Aldridge PF POR

15. Damian Lillard PG POR

16. Kyle Lowry PG TOR

17. Kyrie Irving PG CLE

18. Chris Bosh C MIA

19. Andre Drummond C DET

20. Serge Ibaka PF OKC

21. Dwight Howard C HOU

22. Derrick Rose PG CHI

23. DeAndre Jordan C LAC

24. Thaddeus Young F MIN

My Pick: I went with Kyle Lowry here, as I expect him to have a monster season as long as he can stay healthy.

Best Pick: Andre Drummond at 19 in a point league (minimal free throw damage) is a steal. And Carpenter loves him some Pistons.

Round 3

25. DeMar DeRozan SG TOR

26. Joakim Noah C CHI

27. Eric Bledsoe G PHO

28. Dirk Nowitzki PF DAL

29. Michael Carter-Williams PHI

30. Al Horford C ATL

31. Marc Gasol C MEM

32. Paul Millsap PF ATL

33. Derrick Favors C UTA

34. Monta Ellis SG DAL

35. Mike Conley PG MEM

36. Rudy Gay SF SAC

My Pick: I went with my first center, Derrick Favors. I’m hoping he breaks out and it does feel like it will happen. He will get and take good shots and see a defined role this year, unlike last season. You can probably get him later in your draft, but I don’t mind getting him this early. 

Best Pick: Paul Millsap is going to do it all for Atlanta and Al Horford has a long way to go before he’s at full strength. Feingold and I are on the same wavelength.

Round 4

37. Marcin Gortat C Was

38. Ty Lawson PG DEN

39. Kobe Bryant SG LAL

40. Victor Oladipo SG ORL

41. Brook Lopez C BRK

42. Chandler Parsons SF HOU

43. Goran Dragic SG PHO

44. Kemba Walker PG CHA

45. Gordon Hayward SG UTA

46. Greg Monroe PF DET

47. Kawhi Leonard SF SAN

48. Bradley Beal SG WAS

My Pick: Victor Oladipo wasn’t injured when I took him. I was happy with it at the time, but he’s going to miss some time so the pick is a little disheartening in hindsight. He will play at SG full time this season and once he’s healthy, I’m expecting a much more consistent player than we saw last year. 

Best Pick: It’s hard to pick one here, but I’m going with Castro’s Kawhi Leonard. I’m not sure he’ll score enough to be worth the fourth round, but it will at least be close. I’m pretty sure that everyone at Rotoworld is praying for Gregg Popovich to set him free this season.

Round 5

49. Nicolas Batum SF POR

50. Dwyane Wade SG MIA

51. Josh Smith SF DET

52. Tim Duncan PF SAN

53. Jrue Holiday PG NOP

54. Rajon Rondo PG BOS

55. Deron Williams PG BRK

56. Klay Thompson SG GSW

57. Kenneth Faried PF DEN

58. Jabari Parker F MIL

59. Pau Gasol PF CHI

60. Nikola Vucevic C ORL

My Pick: Kenneth Faried doesn’t hit threes like Paul Millsap does, but their games are compatible. And he had a huge summer with Team USA and will not get off to the slow start he did last year. I’m all in on Faried this season.

Best Pick: If not Faried, it’s Klay Thompson (Feingold) or Pau Gasol (Klyce). Both players look great this season and it looks like Gasol is going to block a ton of shots in Chicago as long as he’s healthy.

Round 6

61. Robin Lopez C POR

62. Ricky Rubio PG MIN

63. Roy Hibbert C IND

64. Markieff Morris PF PHO

65. Jonas Valanciunas C TOR

66. David West PF IND

67. Nerlens Noel C PHI

68. Jeff Teague PG ATL

69. Lance Stephenson SG CHA

70. Brandon Jennings G MIL

71. David Lee PF GSW

72. Nikola Pekovic C MIN

My Pick: Yes, I took another power forward in the form of Markieff Morris and a full breakout season should be coming, as long as he starts. I’ve heard some rumblings about Anthony Tolliver starting over Morris in Phoenix, but come on. Really? I love big men who hit threes and Morris is one of those.

Best Pick: I don’t really love any of these picks too much, so I’m going to go with Carpenter’s rookie Nerlens Noel. He should rule the paint in Philly, play a ton of minutes and be a fun center to own.

Round 7

73. Zach Randolph PF MEM

74. Tony Parker PG SAN

75. Larry Sanders C MIL

76. Ryan Anderson PF NOP

77. Enes Kanter C UTA

78. Luol Deng SF MIA

79. Terrence Jones PF HOU

80. Trevor Ariza SF HOU

81. Joe Johnson G/F BRK

82. Andrew Wiggins SG MIN

83. Jared Sullinger C BOS

84. Jeremy Lin PG LAL

My Pick: I went with Joe Johnson, who actually played like an All-Star after the All-Star break last season. He’s not the superstar he once was, but he was quite reliable and efficient over the second half last season, and he generally stays healthy.

Best Pick: I’m going with another rookie – Tim Trout’s Andrew Wiggins. He should get all the touches he can handle in Minnesota. I’m also a huge fan of the next two picks; Jared Sullinger and Jeremy Lin. Sullinger is a big man who hits threes, and is having a nice preseason, while Steve Nash may not play in a single game this year, leaving the point guard duties solely in the hands of Lin.

Round 8

85. Wesley Matthews SG POR

86. Jordan Hill F/C LAL

87. Omer Asik C NOP

88. Jeff Green F BOS

89. Brandon Knight G MIL

90. Tyreke Evans G/F NOP

91. Elfrid Payton PG ORL

92. Trey Burke PG UTA

93. Darren Collison PG SAC

94. J.R. Smith G/F NYK

95. Kelly Olynyk C BOS

96. Jamal Crawford SG LAC

My Pick: Jeff Green is my least favorite pick thus far. He’s off to a slow start due to a calf injury, but he could bounce back to lead the Celtics in scoring this season. It could easily work out for me.

Best Pick: Kelly Olynyk is going to start for the Celtics and will hit 3-pointers for Castro. He doesn’t have a lot of competition for his job and in a two-center league, he seems like a nice get right here.

Round 9

97. Dion Waiters SG CLE

98. Kevin Martin SG MIN

99. Danilo Gallinari SF DEN

100. Reggie Jackson G OKC

101. George Hill PG IND

102. Jimmy Butler SG CHI

103. Rodney Stuckey G IND

104. Arron Afflalo SG DEN

105. Tobias Harris F ORL

106. Taj Gibson PF CHI

107. Tristan Thompson PF CLE

108. Paul Pierce SF WAS

My Pick: Tobias Harris is going to get a ton of minutes for the Magic and I’m thinking that the breakout season we’ve been waiting for over the last two seasons is finally coming. And taking him at 105 alleviates any of the risk.

Best Pick: George Hill is primed for a bounce-back season for McKeown and the Pacers need him to play at a high level. He looks good in the preseason and is a solid late-round point guard option.

Round 10

109. Julius Randle PF LAL

110. Isaiah Thomas G PHO

111. Carlos Boozer PF LAL

112. Patrick Beverley PG HOU

113. Gorgui Dieng C MIN

114. Spencer Hawes C LAL

115. Jose Calderon PG NYK

116. Timofey Mozgov C DEN

117. Alec Burks SG UTA

118. Marcus Smart PG BOS

119. Dante Exum PG UTA

120. Giannis Antetokounmpo SG MIL

My Pick: I felt like I needed another point guard and went with Beverley. I think he’s going to be more aggressive offensively this season while playing stellar defense. And he doesn’t have any other point guards looking over his shoulder in Houston.

Best Pick: Isaiah Thomas is going to get a lot of run and while I’m not a fan of the three-headed monster in Phoenix (Thomas, Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe), Thomas has a chance to be special. But he’ll have to really get off to a hot start and catch fire early off the bench, potentially all season. It’s not surprising I picked several of Klyce’s picks as ‘best,’ as he and I seem to always go after the same guys. And if I had it to do over again, I’d go with Thomas over Beverley.

Round 11

121. Tony Wroten G PHI

122. Terrence Ross SF TOR

123. Andrea Bargnani PF NYK

124. Draymond Green SF GSW

125. Kevin Garnett F/C BKN

126. Mason Plumlee C BKN

127. Mario Chalmers PG MIA

128. Andrew Bogut C GSW

129. Matt Barnes SF LAC

130. Tyson Chandler C DAL

131. John Henson C MIL

132. Josh McRoberts PF MIA

My Pick: I target Matt Barnes late in every draft right now. He should start and does it all, including boards, blocks and 3-pointers. If he can find a way to score in that loaded lineup, look out.

Best Pick: Mike Gallagher is super high on Draymond Green in Golden State and he’s pretty much convinced he’s going to be one of the best sleepers of the year. Wayland is probably feeling the same way.

Round 12

133. Amir Johnson PF TOR

134. Henry Sims C PHI

135. Nene PF WAS

136. Samuel Dalembert C NYK

137. Eric Gordon SG NOP

138. Andre Iguodala SF GSW

139. J.J. Redick SG LAC

140. Ersan Ilyasova PF MIL

141. Amare Stoudemire PF NYK

142. Aaron Gordon PF ORL

143. K.J. McDaniels SF PHI

144. Miles Plumlee C PHO

My Pick: I needed another center and rolled with good ol’ Sammy D. He’s going to start for the Knicks and block a lot of shots. But his scoring, obviously, will not be great. This late, I’m just looking for guys who are going to play and produce.

Best Pick: If Eric Gordon stays healthy, Feingold is going to love this pick. I’m a little surprised at how late Gordon is going in every draft I see, but then again, he’s been an injury nightmare for most of his career. But not last season.

Round 13

145. Kyle Korver SG ATL

146. Manu Ginobili SG SAS

147. JaVale McGee C DEN

148. Anderson Varejao C CLE

149. DeMarre Carroll SF ATL

150. Nik Stauskas SG SAC

151. Channing Frye PF ORL

152. Evan Turner SF BOS

153. Gerald Green SG PHO

154. Jameer Nelson PG DAL

155. Avery Bradley SG BOS

156. Nick Young SF LAL

My Pick: No, I’m not expecting big things from Gerald Green this year. But I also know what he’s capable of. Eric Bledsoe has had trouble staying healthy, and if he goes down, or the Suns roll with Green at SF, I win. But those are pretty big ‘ifs.’

Best Pick: JaVale McGee. Just kidding. Avery Bradley and Kyle Korver were sneaky picks here for Klyce and Dobish. Both are going to start, play heavy minutes and put up solid numbers.

Round 14

157. Marvin Williams PF CHA

158. Kendall Marshall PG MIL

159. O.J. Mayo SG MIL

160. Boris Diaw C SAS

161. Tim Hardaway SG NYK

162. Greivis Vasquez PG TOR

163. Danny Green SG SAS

164. Steven Adams C OKC

165. Devin Harris PG DAL

166. Doug McDermott SF CHI

167. Mike Dunleavy SF CHI

168. Jarrett Jack SG BKN

My Pick: Believe it or not, Boris Diaw is a C only in CBS leagues, and you can never have too many of them in this league.

Best Pick: McKeown took Steven Adams here and it looks like he’s going to start over Kendrick Perkins. And after watching Adams break out in the preseason recently, Adams should be a deep-league target everywhere.

Round 15

169. P.J. Tucker SF PHO

170. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG DET

171. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SF CHA

172. Tiago Splitter C SAS

173. Harrison Barnes SF GSW

174. J.J. Hickson PF DEN

175. Hollis Thompson SF PHI

176. Marcus Morris PF PHO

177. Chris Kaman C POR

178. Shawn Marion SF CLE

179. C.J. Miles SF IND

180. Vince Carter SG MEM

My Pick: Chris Kaman was an autopick for me and I felt like I needed yet another center. The thing is if you go into this thing and only have two or three centers, there are none to be found on the waiver wire, which is tough to overcome. I doubt I’m starting him often, but I’m fine with him at 177.

Best Pick: Castro got KCP at 170, which looks like a pure steal now that Jodie Meeks’ season is in jeopardy. And even without Meeks’ injury, I liked KCP here. I also like Klyce’s C.J. Miles pick here quite a bit, as well as Gawron’s pick of old man Vince Carter. He’s going to play a lot of minutes for Memphis.

Round 16

181. Gerald Henderson SG CHA

182. Randy Foye SG DEN

183. Brandan Wright C DAL

184. Marcus Thornton SG BOS

185. Anthony Morrow SG OKC

186. Jeremy Lamb SG OKC

187. Perry Jones SF OKC

188. Solomon Hill SF IND

189. Steve Nash PG LAL

190. Shabazz Napier PG MIA

191. Rudy Gobert C UTA

192. Khris Middleton SF MIL

My Pick: Marcus Thornton has scored between 12 and 19 points in all five of his preseason games, has the green light from Brad Stevens, and has hit 13 threes. Steal.

Best Pick: With Durant going down, hindsight says that Towers and Carpenter knew what they were doing when they took Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, They both got a huge boost when Durant broke his foot.

Round 17

193. Jodie Meeks SG DET

194. Rodney Hood SG UTA

195. Ed Davis PF LAL

196. Mirza Teletovic PF BKN

197. Ben McLemore SG SAC

198. Bojan Bogdanovic SF BKN

199. D.J. Augustin PG DET

200. Ramon Sessions PG SAC

201. James Ennis SF MIA

202. Courtney Lee, SG MEM

203. Wilson Chandler SF DEN

204. Mo Williams PG MIN

My Pick: James Ennis has had a terrific preseason for Miami and while he could fade away at any time, I like taking him late in my deeper drafts. If he fails, I’ll hit the waiver wire, but so far, so good with Ennis. Check out his game log. 

Best Pick: Wayland may have scored with Mirza Teletovic. I like him quite a bit and he blew up for 22 points and six treys on Wednesday. He was a blast to own down the stretch last season and I think he should be drafted in more formats…not just the ones that go 204 players deep.