Tonight, over a span of about three hours, the hopes and dreams of thousands of young men will be realized or dashed.

For most, the hopes will not be realized. But the for the lucky 58 drafted by an NBA team, it will be the culmination of lifelong dreams.

Who will be taken first is up for debate. So without further adieu, here are my predictions for the top five picks and the Arizona players.

No. 1 pick: Philadelphia. They have Jerry Stackhouse. Now they need a guy who can get him the ball. The top point guards in the draft are Georgetown sophomore Allen Iverson and Georgia Tech freshman Stephon Marbury. Look for the 76ers to go with Iv erson. The last point guard picked first left after his sophomore year too. His name? Magic Johnson.

No. 2 pick: Toronto. Last year, general manager Isaiah Thomas gambled on a short point guard named Damon Stoudamire. Then his short point guard won the rookie of the year award. There will be no questions this year when the Raptors take UMass cente r Marcus Camby.

No. 3 Pick: Vancouver. Last year, the Grizzlies took Bryant Reeves. Now they need a playmaker and young talent. They'll take a page out of the Raptor book and go with Marbury.

No. 4 Pick: Milwaukee. A team in need of a big man. The Bucks could use darkhorse Erick Dampier. But, if Toronto passes on Camby, look for the Bucks to go with Camby or vice versa.

No 5 Pick: Minnesota. Knowing the Wolves' penchant for making horrible draft picks, look for them to go with Zydrunas Ilgauskas of Lithuania. "Who?" That's what I said. If they're smart, they'll take Ray Allen.

And now for the Arizona guys. Sorry, Corey Williams; sorry, Joe McLean, but it looks like Europe for you. As for Ben Davis, Reggie Geary and Joseph Blair, their status in the draft is solid, but they are late first or early second-rounders who could go anywhere. Wait, the crystal ball is clearing.

Joseph Blair: The Arizona big man spent the last half of his senior year on academic suspension, but, apparently, is in the best shape of his life. If Seattle had a big man to bump with Chicago's Luc Longley, the series might have gone seven. Look for Blair to go to the Supersonics with the 28th pick of the first round.

Reggie Geary: Say what you will, the man can play basketball. The Boston Celtics need a point guard and could get Geary with the ninth pick of the second round.

Ben Davis: The best player in the Pacific 10 Conference last season has a bit of a dilemma. He's got post man moves in a power forward body. If a team is willing to take a chance, it'd do itself a big favor. Look for Ben to be one of the last picks of the draft - maybe to Cleveland.

Craig Degel is a journalism and history junior and a sports reporter for the Arizona Summer Wildcat.

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Wildcat Web Link: www.nba.com/draft/

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