The Kentucky Wildcats and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels could each have a record four players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The Kentucky Wildcats and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels could each have a record four players drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, marking the first time since the NBA switched to a two-round format in 1989 that two schools have accounted for eight players in the first round of the draft, according to NBA.com:

Kentucky “brought in a lot of guys, but what was great about the talent was the way they were able to play with each other,” said Ryan Blake, senior director of NBA scouting operations. “I think that’s what’s so valuable – not just the physical skill side, but the ability to play the roles in the team format.

“North Carolina also brought in enormous talent and they were able to work on their games for a number of years. It’s just unusual. I don’t know if it’ll be done again.”

The Wildcats’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is projected to go in the top three, shortly after his teammate Anthony Davis is selected as the consensus No. 1  overall pick. Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague are also probable first-rounders.

For the Tar Heels, Harrison Barnes will likely be a lottery pick, and John Henson and Tyler Zeller are projected to be chosen in the top 20 of the first round. Kendall Marshall is expected to be chosen in the middle of the first round as well.

Kentucky could see Darius Miller and Doron Lamb chosen in the first round, too. If the projections are correct, it would give the Wildcats six players drafted in the first round, and 10 overall between the two schools.

The last time two schools came close to doing what UK and UNC have the potential to do was in 2007 when Ohio State and Florida each had three players selected in the first round, highlighted by Greg Oden, Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

According to the report, Kentucky head coach John Calipari said that four of his six players are guaranteed to be drafted in the first round but that he’s hoping for more:

“My hope is all six, but I don’t know,” Calipari said earlier this month. “I would be surprised if four are not. I would say four are locks and the other two have to go work out.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers want to draft Florida guard Bradley Beal, but would have to trade up to do it. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Cavaliers want to trade up to the second pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft to select Florida guard Bradley Beal, but they are still deciding whether it is worth the high price of making a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats, reports ESPN.com‘s Chad Ford (via IamaGM.com).

The Washington Wizards, picking third, are also interested in Beal. If Cleveland doesn’t trade up, the Cavaliers will likely be left with a choice between North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Kentucky’s Michael-Kidd Gilchrist.

Ford reports that Cleveland prefers Barnes because of his shooting ability and all-around offensive game.

In his Mock Draft 3.0, SI.com‘s Sam Amick had Cleveland taking Barnes over Kidd-Gilchrist.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will draft Florida guard Bradley Beal if he lasts until the fourth pick of the NBA Draft, reports Hoopsworld.com‘s Alex Kennedy in a tweet.

"There's no way Beal slips out of the top four," said one league source. The Cleveland Cavaliers will draft him if he's available at four.

—
Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 19, 2012

Reports in the lead up to the draft should always be taken with a grain of salt, as teams use misdirection to conceal their true intentions. Previous reports had Cleveland targeting North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes with the fourth pick.

Beal may not last until the fourth pick, either. While Kentucky’s Anthony Davis will almost certainly go No. 1 to the New Orleans Hornets, the Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards could go numerous ways with the second and third picks. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could go to either team. Charlotte recently has been linked to Kansas forward Thomas Robinson.

Kennedy also reports on Twitter that teams interested in Beal are looking to move ahead of Cleveland to land the guard.

If the Cavaliers do land Beal, he would fit well alongside point guard Kyrie Irving, last year’s No. 1 overall pick and the league’s Rookie of the Year. The backcourt could provide the foundation for the Cavaliers for years to come.

North Carolina sophomore forward Harrison Barnes was named ACC Player of the Week after leading the Tar Heels back from a nine-point second-half deficit in a win against Miami.

Barnes Named ACC Player of the Week is.gd/ldOZvE #UNCBBall

—
UNC Hoops (@UNC_Basketball) February 21, 2012

Barnes scored 23 points (14 in the second half) against Miami as the Tar Heels came back to win 74-63. This season, Barnes is second in the ACC in scoring with 18 points per game.

University of North Carolina guard Harrison Barnes is questionable for Saturday’s game against Maryland with a sprained ankle, according to ESPN.com.

“I won’t know everything until after practice today, and I shouldn’t say ‘everything,’ because if it swells up again after practice, I won’t know that until late, after we get up to Maryland,” Tar Heel coach Roy Williams said Friday. “But I expect him to be able to go a little bit today; he said it was feeling a heck of a lot better yesterday.”

Barnes leads UNC in scoring at 17.3 points per game.