College Hoops 2k8: 2009 Edition

[Radii]

2016 Awards

North Carolina is the national champion, wow, roster strength of 98. Two starters rated 90 OVR, their worst starter was rated 87. Their entire roster is rated above 80 OVR. Their top backups at each position were rated 85+. Powerhouse. They went 39-3.

Villanova's Erwin Hardaway wins the player of the year award. He's a center, 25.1 ppg/5.7 rpg.

Pepperdine's Naim Paul is the mid-major player of the year. A SG averaging 24.0 ppg/6.0 rpg/3.4 apg.

Roy Williams is the coach of the year. Keep on going roy. He's 66 years old.

1st Team All Americans

PG Nik Mombollet - SR - Kentucky - 89 OVR - 16.6 ppg/5.2 apg
SG Naim Paul - SR - Pepperdine - 85 OVR - 24.0 ppg/6.0 rpg
SF Josip Loucks - SR - Kentucky - 88 OVR - 17.3 ppg/6.1 rpg
PF Iman Wilcox - SR - Boston College- 85 OVR - 20 ppg/5.6 rpg
C Erwin Hardaway - SR - Villanova - 88 OVR - 25.1 ppg/5.7 rpg


Two Wildcats, wow. D'Jamal Adkins of Texas Tech is on the 2nd team.


MAC Awards

I am the coach of the year in the MAC for the 2nd straight year! I'm 41 years old now, 164-111 career record.


PF Errick Floyd of Northern Illinois is the player of the year. Rated 82 OVR, Floyd scored 19.1 ppg/8.4 rpg this year. I simmed my game(s) against NIU this year, but I remember Floyd from years past, a very good post player.

C Jair Watkins from Bowling Green is freshman of the year, rated 74 OVR, Watkins had 6.2 ppg/6.1 rpg per game. Santiago got jobbed.


1st Team All-MAC

PG Toby Warner - JR - Akron - 78 OVR - 11.6 ppg/5.0 apg
SG Gary Edelin - SR - Ball State - 85 OVR - 14.3 ppg
SF Tim Krymski - SR - Toledo - 79 OVR - 12.2 ppg/6.9 rpg
PF Errick Floyd - SR - N. Illinois - 82 OVR - 19.1 ppg/8.4 rpg
C Roburt Maye - JR - Kent State -71 OVR - 13.6 ppg/6.5 rpg


Second Team All-MAC

PG Zam Surov - SR - Bowling Green - 74 OVR - 10.1 ppg/5.8 apg
SG Jean Goss - JR - Bowling Green - 79 OVR - 15.2 ppg/5.2 rpg
SF Kaylen Lufkin - SR - Ohio - 80 OVR - 13.3 ppg/3.4 rpg
PF Elton Falls - SR - Buffalo - 81 OVR - 16.7 ppg/4.3 rpg
C Dameon Archibong - JR - E. Michigan - 71 OVR - 12.8 ppg/4.9 rpg


Freshman All-MAC team

PG Femi Janiszewski - Ball State - 69 OVr - 7.5 ppg/3.6 apg
SG Erkan Northcutt - Ohio - 70 OVR - 1.6 ppg
SF Rodney Santiago - Ohio - 77 OVR - 9.6 ppg/1.7 rpg
PF Mading Deren - Akron - 65 OVR - 6.3 ppg/5.4 rpg
C Jair Watkins - Bowling Green - 74 OVR - 6.2 ppg/6.1 rpg

Northcutt?? Was he the only freshman SG in the league this year?

Not a huge awards season for Ohio, but coach of the year and the #2 freshman in theleague is nice.

[Radii]

I am awarded a 5 year contract extension at Ohio this season.

I have a coaching skill point but I cannot for the life of me remember what I did to earn it?

I decide to work on becomign a defensive guru and put it into defense:


Offense: C
Defense: A-
Teaching: A-
Scouting: C-
Charisma: A+
Discipline: C

[Radii]

Coaching Carousel

3 major conference jobs are open. I am not yet qualified for any of them. The big news is that one of them is Duke, as Coach K has decided to retire. The other two are Minnesota and St. John's.

No large conference jobs are open. Some WCC and WAC jobs are available but nothing real special. However, I think that might change.


Duke hires Nevada's head coach, opening up one of the top mid-major jobs in the nation. At this point though, I've built Ohio up to the point that it is within striking distance of Nevada and Gonzaga and Pepperdine, etc.

Minnesota hires Albany's head coach. St John's hires Old Dominion's head coach.


I'm actually only 3rd on the list for the Nevada job anyway. But I would have turned it down.

After that I could have any mid-major job of my choosing if I wanted it. San Francisco, Fresno State, Boise State, Old Dominion...

[Radii]

Assistant Hiring

I'm starting to see better assistant's available to me. I seem to qualify for "B-" level assistants instead of just C+ ones. However, none of them imrpove the skills that i need in a way that would make sense to fire one of my current guys.



Transfers

A 77 rated SG transfers out of Iowa and to Northwestern State. A 77 rated PG transfers from VCU to NJIT. Wow, VCU is good enough that they dump a 77 rated PG on the bench to the point that he gets pissed and leaves??


A 71 rated SF transfers from Nebraska to Central Michigan. This is the only transfer in our out involving anyone in the MAC

[Radii]

Offseason Recruiting

We've already landed our big man as 3* 7 foot C Darryl Withers will be coming to play for Ohio next year.


We have two other scholarships out there:

4* PG Jon McCully - #60 OVR. Right now only two teams are listed on his interest list. We're at 85%. Charlotte is below us. We're the only offer. The fact that i've been working on him all year and only have him at 85% probably means he's a lost cause but until someone else steals him i'm not going away.


3* SG Sidney Whitted - #192 OVR from the Bronx. His overall grades are all solidly in the B range, but none really stand out as awesome. He looks most likely to be a speedy defensive guy with an average shot. We have him at 100% and are his only offer. It seems a near certainty that we will land him.


We have a 3* SF, a JC SO(only would be with us 2 years) that is at 100% interest in us, and Georgetown. Neither have offered. I've had no success scouting him at all, I don't know much about him. No one else has offered and he's a possible target but the lack of scouting is frustrating. I don't know if its a bug or what but I requested game tape on him 3 or 4 times last year and that option was always there the next week but I never got any scouting info. I have him at 100% though.


I hae a couple other targets in the 80-90% range that I could consider if I lose McCully.


Initial Signing Day

Our 3* SG, Whitted, does indeed sign with Ohio as expected. More on him later.

McCully has not yet received an offer from anyone else.


Week 2

#1 Target John McCully has signed with OHIO!!! I should be a lot more excited about this than I am. He's a 4* PG, a top 100 recruit(#60 OVR). He looks really strong, speedy, possibly a solid shooter, solid defender, decent athlete, good PG skills with the ball... but the fact that no one else ever came calling makes me wonder if he's flawed in some terrible way.



Recruiting Class Review

4* PG John McCully - 6'2" 173 lbs - #60 OVR/#29 PG

McCully scored 12.4 points and had 5.1 assists in the ABL games. 42% from the field, 77% atthe line and 34% from 3.

Shooting: A
Skills: A-
Defense: B+
Athleticism: A-
Rebounding: B-
Intelligence: B
Potential: B+
Size: C+

Speed and Quickness both scout out at B ratings, I expect a very fast guy to come in. B- defense should also be solid. B- Close/A Med/C 3 pointer. He can shoot off the dribble(B+) and a little in traffic(C+). I'd be perfectly fine with a guy that can drive hard to the basket but can't necessarily shoot the 3. C+ hands and passing. C+ vert/str and C hustle.


3* C Darryl Withers - 7'0" 223 lbs - #397 OVR/#33 C

Just average but with size. C orb/drb. B- post offense/C- post defense. C- shot blocking. A- str/B+ hustle. Doesn't look like a scorer at all. C- close/C- in traffic.


3* SG Sidney Whitted - 6'4" 183 lbs - #192 OVR/#50 SG

top 200 is kinda exciting. 13.4 ppg in the ABL, 41% from the field, 38% from 3. 57% at the line is scary.

Shooting: B
Skills: B
Defense: B+
Athleticism: B+
Rebounding: B-
Intelligence: B+
Potential: B

Speed C+/Quickness C, Defense and Steals both C+. Shooting is just average, C+ close/C med/C 3. C+ Defensive Awareness is potentially solid too.

We'll of course see how all these guys come in, but after landing the 4* PG I've got visions of McCully and Santiago being a very strong backcourt combination for 3 years.

[Radii]

Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Florida
2. Kansas
3. UNLV
4. Arizona
5. Boston College



Ohio has the 51st rated recruiting class, far behind some other mid majors (Pepperdine and VCU are pulling in top 20 classes here) but well ahead of anyone else in the MAC. toledo is in the 90-100 range.

[Radii]

2016/17 Scheduling

The CPU tries to give me 9 November games, including games on the 4th, 5th and 6th. WTF. I make a lot of modifications to the schedule, getting more of my games in December so I can spend more time recruiting in November, i think I had 3 sunday games scheduled, if you have a sunday game you can't do any visits, so I moved all of those, etc.

I think we'll have our toughest schedule yet as well. We won't be a 5 or 6 loss team this year probably, we'll see how we do though and if I am unable to be an at large team b/c I scheduled 1 too many highly unlikely victory, I'll learn from it.

I've got Syracuse, Boston college and Nevada on the schedule, all teams sure to be rated higher than me.

Our non-conference tourney this year is pretty early, we'll play San diego in the opener and most likely North texas if we win, a Sun Belt team rated pretty well too.

[Radii]

Incoming Recruits


PG John McCully - 6'2" 173 lbs - 76 OVR

Awesome!! C+ Potential which is really exciting. He's as fast as we're likely to see at Ohio, 90 speed/91 quickness. He can defend, handle the ball, and has a great midrange shot (89/A!). He'll be an average 3 point shooter with work. I haven't looked at everything else yet but the CPU has him starting.


SG Sidney Whitted - 6'5" 187 lbs - 71 OVR

I'm not sure what to make of Whitted. Speedy, above average defense, 70 steals rating is above average. But he's really not a shooter. There's a good chance that Northcutt will be our backup SG for a year and Whitted will get redshirt. C potential.


C Darryl Withers - 7'1" 232 lbs - 68 OVR

About what I expected. Big, but raw. his raw numbers are not good. 72 orb/76 drb, 82 post offense(that actually is quite good)/71 post deefnse. 80 close/78 in traffic. The CPU wants to redshirt him too. I could do that and put Garcia(6'7") as my backup PF for a bit of size. He gets pushed around a lot though. I've got the guard depth to use Garcia that way if I want. Withers has C+ potential,giving me the hope that he could develop reasonably well. If I can get his rebounding ratings up closer to 80 I'd be a lot more interested in what i'm seeing.

[Radii]

MAC Preview

Last year we were rated 83 OVR at the season's outset, tops in the league, with Miami OH, Kent State, and Ball Freaking State all hovering around 80(81/79/79 for the 3).

The +/- in parenthesis represents the change in overall roster strenght, not in position/ranking.

1. Ohio 84 (+1)
2. Kent State 80 (+1)
3. Akron 79 (+2)
4. Miami OH 77 (-3)
5. Bowling Green 77 (0)
6. Eastern Michigan 77 (0)
7. Ball State 76 (-3)
8. Western Michigan 76 (+1)
9. Toledo 74 (-2)
10. Buffalo 73 (-3)
11. Central Michigan 70 (-4)
12. N. Illinois 69 (-6)

Northern Illinois got decimated, wow. Ball State graduated Edelin and their big men. They still have Minoff, their very talented SF, but not enough around him to make a lot of noise this year. I don't care who else I'm playing in the cycles when I face Ball Stae, the other game gets simmed. I'll play ball state and if I can get up by 50 points I will, no simming to the end. They need to suffer a little for the last couple seasons.


MAC Preseason Recognition

Best Overall Player: SF Logan Montgomery - SR Kent State - 82 OVR
Best Freshman: PG John McCully - Ohio - 76 OVR
Best Shooter: SG Stan Victor - SR - Miami OH - 82 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG Toby Warner - SR - Akron - 79 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: SF Logan Montgomery - SR Kent State - 82 OVR
Best Defender: SF Fab Minoff - SR - Ball State - 81 OVR

This is the second year in a row I've had the best freshman in the league. This is a very good thing.



I think I like what the CPU has done as far as suggesting a starting lineup, but this year there are more decisions to make than I would usually face. Lineups next.

[Radii]

2016/17 Ohio Roster


Starting Lineup


PG John McCully - FR - 6'2" 173 lbs - 76 OVR

90 speed/91 quickness. 84 defense, only 67 steals which is a C rating, won't produce a ton of turnovers. 85 hands/78 passing (C+/C+). 79 close/89 med/71 3/81 off the dribble/77 in traffic. 78 vert/64 str/67 hustle. C hustle, I'm not sure how that impacts too much though, but its only a C rating and a bit low. I haven't seen McCully in action yet but I'm hopeful he is a big time slasher and scorer inside with that speed and handling.


SG Michel Murphy - SR - 6'2" 196 lbs - 76 OVR (+3)

92 speed/85 quickness. 87 defense/74 steals. 80 hands/81 passing. 76 close/78 med/81 3/81 off the dribble. 74 vert/59 str/77 hustle. Averaged 8.1 ppg last year. Murphy isn't the type that has a good blowby move. There is an argument to play Murphy at PG and McCully at SG. I think the deciding factor there will be transition play. Murphy's weak blowby move might make him a better PG(who usually comes back to get the ball after a rebound) if McCully can score a lot in transition. On hte other hand, I might like the 81 3 point rating at SG so that McCully can set him up.

SF Rodeny Santiago - SO - 6'4" 214 lbs - 79 OVR (+3)

Doing some quick math, if Santiago can gain 3 ratings points each year, he goes into his senior season rated 85 OVR. Just sayin. :D

79 speed/82 quickness, good for a SF. 81 defense/68 steals, both good for a SF. 86 close/72 med/81 3/77 in traffic/77 off the dribble. 74 o awareness/73 d awareness are both pretty good. 86 vert/79 str/72 hustle, he's a solid athlete too. He showed towards the end of last year a strong potential to become a big time go to scorer. I hope to expand on that this year. Scored 9.6 ppg as a freshman, I'm hoping to get that over 15 ppg this year.

PF Lloyd Bright - JR - 6'8" 231 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

I don't think I've ever had a junior rated 80 before. He grew an inch last year which for a PF around this size is big. 81 orb/95 drb, averaged 7.6 rebounds/game last year as a 6'7 PF with lower ratings, I think its reasonable to expect Bright to lead the league in rebounds this year. 82 post offense/79 post defense. 70 blocks/69 steals(B-/B). 88 close/86 in traffic. I've had a hell of a time scoring with Bright in the post. 77 vert/73 str/78 hustle... 85 speed/78 quickness, those are SG/SF speed numbers, not power forward. Bright is a great athlete.


C JR Keller - SR - 6'10" 231 lbs - 76 OVR (+3)

80 orb/77 drb. 83 post offense/79 post defense. 73 blocks. 89 close/84 in traffic. This will be Kellers first and only year starting at center. I'm starting him because I think Grundy can be more effective as a backup where i have less scoring options. On the backup squad i can always just give the ball to Grundy and tell him to attack with his size. As a starter he'd not really be a scoring threat though.


Backups

So there is a minor decision with McCully and Murphy as to who to play at what position... the backups though there are some real challenges.

Mendoza or Barker at PG (Barker is the guy i redshirted last year). Garcia at SF or PF(Pf would mean I'm redshirting Withers)? Redshirt Whitted and give Northcutt some minutes? And this is going to look weird, and its subject to change.


PG Tim Barker - FR - 6'2 185 lbs - 70 OVR (+1)

85 speed/80 quickness. 84 defense/75 steals. 81 close/71 med/72 3/81 off the dribble. 86 hands/76 passing. He's got good enough PG skills and he is a solid defensive player who can force some turnovers. So he's got a spot on the team.


SG Erkan Northcutt - SO - 6'2" 198 lbs - 72 OVR(+3)

86 speed/84 quickness. 80 defense/68 steals. 86 close/75 med/72 3/77 off the dribble. His shooting stats are a bit low, he isn't intended to be a big threat. He's an... acceptable defender and he developed quite a bit last year despite C- potential. So he's got a spot too.

SF David Mendoza - SR - 6'4" 174 lbs - 74 OVR (+2)

He's a PG... kinda ridiculous to play him at SF. But out of the guards I have he's technically the tallest and best rebounder. So here he goes. 91 speed/82 quikness. 85 defefnse/82 steals. 87 hands. 77 close/70 med/77 3/74 off the dribble/76 in traffic. He isn't great at creating his own shot, though he does ok getting to the basket, and against bigger SF's he might be able to drive here better. With his defense and 3 point rating, he needs to be on the floor. I think he'll do ok here.


PF Shawn Garcia - SR - 6'7" 205 lbs - 71 OVR (+1)

natural SG. I learned last year that Garcia has a decent place on the backup squad. He has a decent blowby move and can attack the basket fairly well. Plyaing him out of position here might make him an interesting weapon if he can pull out opposing PF's and go by them. 84 speed/78 quickness. 78 defense/77 steals. He'll get killed in the post (52/58 post off/def ratings). 79 close/73 med/76 3/77 off the dribble.


C Nathan Grundy - JR - 7'1" 266 lbs - 73 OVR (+3)

74 orb/82 drb. 76 post off/71 post def. 66 blocks 9C+). 92 close/87 in traffic. Grundy does pretty well at times going strong at the basket. He's still fairly raw but coming around.


Reserves

SF Dwight Snowden - JR - 6'8" 230 lbs - 68 OVR (+1)

It might make a lot more sense for Snowden to play PF, keep Northcutt on the bench and go with Barker/Mendoza/Garcia. If Garcia gets killed too badly inside I might do that. But Snowden is just simply unskilled. He offers nothing but a few inches in height and a slightly better fit at PF.

SG Sidney Whitted - FR - 6'5" 187 lbs - 71 OVR - REDSHIRT

Whitted is decent, but there's no reason to use him right now, 85 speed/83 quickness. 81 defense/70 steals. 80 close/71 med/68 3/76 off the dribble. Mendoza and Garcia will be the main scoring options from the bench, whether I use Whitted or not. Might as well redshirt him, next year unless I recruit better there is more likely to be a space for him.


C Darryl Withers - FR - 7'1" 232 lbs - 68 OVR - REDSHIRT

I could remove the redshirt and just have a massive line with Grundy and Withers. And I have been known to overthink things at times, I might be doing that here. But Withers with his current ratings is nothing more than a warm body. I knew this might well be the case when i recruited him. But I kinda want to experiment and this seems a good time to do it.

[Radii]

Season Goals

i'm not doing anything different in an effort to reach these goals, just looking at my coaching sheet and listing out the things I think are within the realm of possibility as far as ways to earn skill improvements. I really need to earn a couple more i think to move up to a larger conference.


Assemble a top 20 recruiting class - extrodinarily unlikely, but this is a year where we have 4 scholarships and I have pulled a top 40 class before. If there are two 4* guys out there then who knows.

Coach a team into the top 25 - With the tougher schedule this year this may prove unrealistic. Or, I could pull off an upset and do it easily. But either way, this is an accomplishment I need to make at Ohio to improve to the point that I can move up.

Coach a team to the sweet 16 - Another goal I really need to reach at Ohio. Without a couple more skill points I don't know if I have a shot at a A-10 job, much less a power conference job.


Not this year, but I get another point when I reach 200 wins. I have 164 now, so I need to average 18 wins this year and next. I need to make sure I hit this milestone next season. I'll go as far as to say that if I only win 15 or 16 this year because of some screwup, I'll schedule an easy non-conference schedule just to guarentee that this happens.

[Radii]

2016/17 Recruiting Preview

We have 4 scholarships. We're losing:

C JR Keller - 76 OVR - Starter

PG Michel Murphy - 76 OVR - Starter

PG David Mendoza - 74 OVR - Backup

SG Shawn Garcia - 71 OVR - Backup


Looking ahead to next season, we graduate Bright and Grundy.


Needs/Goals

I can go ahead and pencil in 4 of the 5 slots in next years starting lineup:

PG McCully, SG ??, SF Santiago, PF Bright, C Grundy

Bright and Grundy will be seniors and I don't know who my SG will be. That pretty much dictates my needs for me. With 4 scholarships, I need 2 big men, 1 SG, and 1 other guy. SF would make the most sense but I don't have to have a SF. 2 SG's or even SG/PG would be fine if I see a PG with a good set of shooting and defensive skills.



I spend the first week sending out a bunch of feelers. Usually by now I've decided who I want based on rating alone but I think as I have a bit more success I have a little more freedom here. Two targets are immediately clear. A 4* PF from Cleveland in the top 100 rates me right up there with any of the big schools (at least for now), and a 4* SG in the top 100 from Tampa does the same.


Initial Offers

I offer 3 scholarships.

4* SG Quincy Jimenez - Tampa, FL - #92 OVR/#32 SG - I'm unsure on the likelyhood of landing Jimenez. But I *think* we'll learn before the early signing period where we stand pretty well. If Florida State or Auburn wants him, they win. But we've got him to 82% with 4 weeks to go still til signing starts, and my schedule is pretty light. He's coming in for a campus visit this week.


4* PF Bobby Bragg - 6'10" 234 lbs - Columbus, OH - #97 OVR/#15 PF

Bragg has us at 84% already and is coming in for a campus visit this week too. We've used two home visits on him already, just one for Jimenez. Bragg being local though I think helps me out, staying near home is his #2 priority(playing time is #1). Pitt and Virginia Tech would be the teams most likely to steal him away.

3* C Stefan Fitch - 6'10" 227 lbs - #143 OVR/#11 C - Anaheim, CA

we're going out west here and hoping to woo Fitch away from UNLV and USC. And again we have a fair shot, we have him at 85% early, and he's coming in for a campus visit this week.


I haven't offered my 4th scholarship yet and I don't have a strong feel for who it ought to go to. I have a couple local JC players would I could sign easily, but they don't really excite me much.

[Radii]

November 4, 2016

Ohio (0-0) vs San Diego (0-0)

We're set up with a nice challenge early on. San Diego is rated 80 OVR (79 off/81 def/82 sht/81 reb/80 coach). We are 84 OVR (84 off/82 def/87 sht/88 reb/80 coach).

This is the first of two games in our preseason tournament.

Scouting

PG Ross Callier – JR – 70 OVR - 88 speed/81 quickness. 78 defense(terrible). 84 hands/75 passing. 84 close/76 med/68 3. 82 off the dribble. Averaged 5.7 ppg/4.6 apg last year. Seems like he can score if he attacks the basket but not a big threat from outside.

SG WB Appleby – JR – 74 OVR - 87 speed/86 quickness. 81 defense, just C+ for a PG. 86 close/75 med/79 3/74 off the dribble/80 in traffic. 81 hustle, the whole team hustles apparently. Scored 7 ppg last year. Seems like a slasher but not a guy who will shoot a lot of jumpers.

SF D'Marr Minnieweather – SR – 75 OVR – 6'6”, maxxed experience, he's been starting for awhile. 84 speed/72 quickness. 81 defense. 84 close/73 med/66 3/73 off the dribble/73 in traffic. C/C+ physical skills excpet 81 hustle(B). He doesn't look like a guy that can create his own shot. He did score 11 ppg last year though.

PF Bradley Mullins – SR – 75 OVR – 6'8”, 79 orb/81 drb, C+ for both. 84 post offense/62 post defense. 89 close/87 in traffic. 81 blocked shot rating, so he'll be hard to go up against. 70 str (B) and 88 hustle(B+) are solid. Started 8 games last year and averaged about 8 ppg.

C Kordel Lewis – SO – 73 OVR – 6'11”, 80 orb/81 drb. 67 post offense/84 post defense. 78 blocked shot,quite good. 85 close/84 in traffic. 81 strength, very strong. 6.6 ppg as a freshman last year.

They have 8 guys rated 70-75 and a few more in the 65-70 range. They seem like a deep, balanced team. In theory it seems we matchup well with them, Minnieweather is their best returning scorer but Appleby and Callier don't seem the types that usually torch us.

Our team unity starts a bit low this year, 40. Theirs is 44.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> SD
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Despite the fact that I changed my rotation around when I did my roster review, the game still starts Murphy at PG and McCully at SG. I'd like to thank the game for ignoring my changes for once(usually this bugs the shit out of me). McCully is fast as hell and has a great blowby move. I need him out in transition. He and Santiago are going to be 1^st team all MAC this year, write it down now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Ok now I'm annoyed. The game also didn't save my bench lineup, which I totally changed from how the CPU wants it, so this game I have to pause and do all my subs from the pause menu, the quick in game menu will be worthless. Anyway, bacups are in. McCully has 6, Santiago 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh I dont' know how this is going to work, but for now at least we're not scoring well. San Diego has earned 3 6^th man boosts so far this game. I call a timeout after a Grundy miss and a San Diego rebound earns them the 3^rd one, and they hit a 3 to go up 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy has 2 fouls after a reach in and we have 6 for the half. We got going a little at least with these guys. Grundy 4/Northcutt 5 as the starters come back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> God our backcourt is going to be incredible. McCully is borderline unstoppable on the break. Timeout San Diego.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> We struggle a bit down the stretch. Both teams are shooting 50%. They are 4-10 from 3 and 8-11 at the line. We are 5-8 from 3 and 11-15 at the line. Our attacking the basket is generating a lot of fouls.


Their SG, Appleby has 11. Their center, Lewis has 10, and SF Minnieweather has 8. For us, Santiago has 10, Murphy 9, McCully 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> We score the first 12 points of the half and are up 10 now as San Diego calls a timeout. We've gotten a few buckets inside now, I think Bright has 5 or 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, we should be up more than this but I screwed up a couple trips with Murphy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Well its still not really smooth but our odd backup rotation is doing a lot better this half. Garcia is hidden at PF and worthless though. I'm not sure what to do there. Timeout San Diego.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups take us on a 14-5 run to put the game well out of reach. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Snowden comes in for McCully after McCully is fouled driving to the basket. No idea how bad he's hurt yet. I immediately switch Garcia in for Snowden.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully is fine.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
This team is going to be very, very good.

Ohio 91
San Diego 69

Their SG, Appleby had 22, Minnieweather 15. We shoot nearly 60%, 9-18 from 3.

Murphy: 13 points/3 steals
McCully: 14 points/5 steals
Santiago: 26 points
Bright: 7 points/15 boards
Keller: 6 points/6 boards

Northcutt: 7 points
Grundy: 6 points/4 boards

Now San Diego didn't have the best defenders out there that we'll face, but the speed that McCully has, the blowby moves that McCully and Santiago have, and Santiago and Murphy's 3 point shooting abilities... I expect to see a lot of lines like this this season.

[Radii]

Huh, the team we expected to face if we won is not there. We have 3 games between now and the early signing period. none of them are against teams rated above 70. I'll sim them so I can get to the signing period ASAP. OH! I'm in the preseason NIT. I had no idea this was how it was structured. 4 groups, winner of each group goes to new york city. I get it now :P


Nov 4, 2016

Ohio 84
Alabama A&M 73

Keller scores 17 and grabs 12 boards. Grundy has 13, McCully 10, Santiago 7.


Also, I didn't realize how this tournament worked. Winning our little group feeds us into another group the next week. We're going to be playing 80 OVR rated SMU. After that, we'll be playing either Kent State out of our own conference, or Vanderbilt out of the SEC. Vandy is rated 81 OVR/Kent State 80.

I'm definitely playing out those two games, will be a great early challenge for us.


In a recruiting update, this might turn into a disaster... the 3* Center out west, UNLV has made an offer to. We still seem like we can get him to 100% before the signing period so we'll take our shot but expect to lose out. The local 4* PF has gotten an offer from pittsburgh. He does not list a big school in any of his top 3 priorities. He wants playing time, close to home, and feeling wanted. Geographically, Pittsburgh looks closer than Athens to Cleveland, so I dunno if that is distance based or state based. But anyway, we can gethim to 100% too most likely so we're going to try.

The 4* SG we'veoffered it seems unlikely we'll get him to 100% but no one else has offered.

I also offer a scholarship to a JC SF, Brendon okosa. He's from Cincinnati and Marshall is coming after him. He seems someone who is decent and could give us some better depth than Snowden offers at the position for a couple years. And with 4 scholarships it would feel good to land someone early, even if not a top target.

If we lose out on all 3 of our top targets things will get real interesting... just getting 1 of the 3 would be worth the effort.


I want to play out the preseason NIT so no more recruiting news until later when those games are done.

[Radii]

November 10, 2016

Ohio (2-0) vs SMU (2-0)

In the semifinals of the preseason NIT in MSG, we get a similarly rated SMU team. They're 80 OVR (81 offense/79 def/82 sht/83 reb/85 coach). In their first two games to get to New York, they scored 80 vs Tennessee State and 110 vs Vermont.

Scouting

PG Don Allison – SO – 66 OVR – 85 speed/81 quickness, neither is very good. 77 defense/63 steals, both very average. 86 handling/75 passing, both average. 77 close/74 med/70 3/82 off the dribble. He can score but isn't a big threat to do so unless left unguarded. 5 ppg/2 apg so far this year. Only played 8 minutes/game as a freshman, not very experienced.

SG Shema Sanders – SR – 80 OVR – a natural SF, but rated so highly he has to get out on the floor. 84 speed/81 quickness. 81 defense. 88 close/76 med/69 3/89 in traffic. Also good athlete skills (80 vert/72 str/82 hustle). He'll be a big scoring threat but putting a SF at SG might allow McCully to run wild. 12 ppg last year and 14.5 so far this year.

SF Steveroy Adams – JR – 83 OVR – 80 speed/78 quickness, about average for a SF (he's 6'7”). 83 defense which is very good for a SF. 71 steals too. 91 close/81 med/70 3, 84 in traffic/78 off the dribble, he looks like a slasher that can attack the basket hard. 80 vert/70 str/72 hustle. 11.8 ppg last year, 12.5 so far in 2 games this year.

PF Harry Maxwell – SO – 77 OVR – Their 3^rd natural SF in the lineup – 72 orb/70 drb, not good. 67 post offense/76 post defense. 84 close/87 in traffic. He has a decent midrange shot. Only 6'5” he is more of a SF. He is not a 3 point threat though so we don't have to worry about him dragigng Bright out behind the arc. 16.5 ppg so far this year. Only averaged 5 as a freshman.

C Zach Echols – JR – 67 OVR – 6'10” and not a SF, a nice change for this roster. 80 org/76 drb. 78 post offense/70 post defense. 86 close/77 in traffic. He doesn't look like a big threat, and we ought to destroy these guys on the boards. 15 ppg so far this year. He's a JC transfer so this is his first season.

They have 8 guys rated 70-75 and a few more in the 65-70 range. They seem like a deep, balanced team. In theory it seems we matchup well with them, Minnieweather is their best returning scorer but Appleby and Callier don't seem the types that usually torch us.

They only have 5 guys rated over 70 and a few more in the mid-60s. But, we've lost to teams like this before where we seem to have a talent edge but they have one or two very good players. Echols isn't much of a defender but he has good post offense ratings, so I do expect to win but worry that Sanders/Adams/Echols could provide a lot of offense for SMU.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> SMU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get my backups in, the clock hasn't stopped for awhile. We have never trailed, and led 14-7 at one point. As often happens it seems, an unknown off the bench comes out with a big day, backup SF Taylor, rated 77 OVR with a pretty nice 3 point shot, has 8. Santiago has 8 for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We trailed once, 20-19, but otherwise have led by 2-4 for the entire time the backups have been in. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> 11-5 run to end the half for the starters and we go into the locker room up 8. Their man Taylor has 15, almost half their points. He's 4-6 from 3... Overall we're playing good defense though, they're 11-28 from the floor and 4-14 from 3.


We're shooting 50% from the floor and are 7-15 from 3. Santiago has 14 and is 4-8 from behind the arc. Murphy and Mendoza have 5 and a lots of others have one or two baskets.


Keller and bright both have 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago is a bit slow to get going in the 2^nd half, but Murphy hits 2 open 3's and we lead by 11. Bright has picked up foul #3 though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 6 straight, they're in a 2-3 zone and we've gone cold from the outside. I call a timeout. Starters still in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a couple buckets after the timeout but are still struggling for the most part against this 2-3 zone this half. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> We give up 6 straight before Mendoza hits a 3. Timeout SMU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> A 2 and a 3 and they take a 1 point lead and earn a 6^th man boost. I call a timeout. Ive got 2 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy hits a shot on our end to give us the lead back, but commits afoul on the other end. They make 1 of 2 and its tied. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They play man to man defense this trip, Santiago takes about 5 seconds to get by his man and get a layup once we get set and run a play. 6^th man bonus for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 in a row gives us a 62-57 lead before they score. We go up 64-59 and they get a 3 point play... 2 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> A steal gives them a 6^th an boost. Murphy fouls on the drive and they tie it up at the line. That was our 7^th foul as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 by Murphy gives us a 3 point lead and a 6^th man boost, the fans are into this one on both sides.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple empty trips on both sides and they have the ball down 3, 2 minutes left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright with a steal as the SF he's guarding loses control of the ball trying to drive. Santiago is left as open as anyone will ever be open from 3 and drains it! SMU timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a short one on the other end, Keller with the board. We run the clock and Murphy goes off a screen and drains a 3 at the end of the shot clock, that should do it.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss again and concede the game, we run the final 30 off the clock after scoring the final 9 points of the game.

Ohio 73
SMU 64

Their backup SF Taylor finishes with 17, just 5 in the second half. Adams with 11 and Sanders 8, their two talented players got some points but not as many as I expected.

Murphy: 17 points/4 assists (5-12 from 3)
McCully: 9 points/4 boards
Santiago: 23 points/4 boards (5-12 from 3 also)
Bright: 2 points/12 boards
Keller: 5 points/3 boards

Mendoza: 8 points

We shoot 13-32 from 3, 25-53 from the field for hte game. McCully was good in transition when we could run, but he was near useless against their 2-3 zone since I'd rather launch 3's with Murphy and Santiago or go to a post player.

[Radii]

I forgot ot mention, I upped my injury sliders at the start of the season to the same level that EF27 did recently. I had increased mine but nearly as much, and had not seen any difference at all(albeit over a small sample size).

[Radii]

November 11, 2016

Ohio (3-0) vs Kent State (4-0)

We get a conference opponent in the finals of the preseason NIT. This is my fault, not the game's, as I inserted myself into this tournament in scheduling, I wasn't automatically picked for it. I guess its the game's fault for letting me. Kent State has early wins over St John's and Vanderbilt and appears likely to be our top competition in the MAC this season.

They return 4 starters including Logan Montgomery, best player in the league according to the conference preview stuff. All four returning starters are seniors. They are a very experienced bunch.

We played them last year at the end of the season and even with Montgomery injured they spent the game in a 2-3 zone and we couldn't shoot over it and lost by 18. We did beat them 2 out of 3 times though and hope to have an edge here today.

Scouting

PG R. Parsons – SR – 73 OVR – 87 speed/81 quickness. Outstanding defender(88), not a steals guy so that's good. 79 close/76 med/73 3, not great but can't leave him open. 83 off the dribble. 14 ppg. Parsons has become a very good ball handler(89, B rating for a PG, but we don't see that often in the MAC).

SG Theodore Holland – SR – 75 OVR – A 3 point shooting specialist, rated 87 from behind the arc. He doesn't look to do much else. 82 defense. 7.8 ppg.

SF Logan Montgomery – SR – 82 OVR – 83 speed/83 quickness, good for a SF. 84 vertical/81 hustle, both exceptional. 79 defensive awareness, almost unheard of for this level. Good defense for a SF(84), 87 close/75 med/81 3, 80 off the dribble, 90 in traffic. 14 ppg so far this season.

PF Dominick Bowden – JR – 71 OVR – 6'8”. 83 orb/80 drb, not bad at all. 73 post off/78 post defense. Maye and Bowden combine to form a very formidable defensive front line. 81 close/86 in traffic. 9 ppg/7.5 rpg so far.

C Roburt Maye – SR – 72 OVR – 7'1”, a good defensive rebounder(86) but terrible on the offensive glass(72). 71 post offense/78 post d. 87 close/86 in traffic. 11.5 ppg/5.3 rpg.

They go 9 deep with players rated over 65 OVR. They have two 6'10 bench players, nota ton of talent but good size inside. Their primary scoring threat off the bench is SG Ellis Laws, he's burned us for 3's many times in the past. They do have a giant unity edge, 65-47.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> KSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully has our first 5 points, he hits his first 3 of the year(in a game I played at least). he elevates to maximum height almost immediately with a release i've never seen before. A rebound leading to a fast break dunk gets the 6^th man going for us just 1:15 into the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> We might both score 100 here today... McCully 11, Santiago 6. They have a couple 3's and Montgomery is scoring pretty well early on. Timeout #2 for Kent State
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout #3 Kent State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups in finally. 3 6^th man boosts and 3 kent state timeouts let our starters go forever. They could have stayed out another minute or two really, but a 5-0 Kent State run after we went up 12 spurred me to go ahead and sub out my guys. Santiago and McCully have either 25 or 27 of our 29 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Play is stopped as Grundy goes out with an injury.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Well it takes 3 played games with the new injury sliders before we see our first serious injury. Grundy is going to miss a month or more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are coming back in as we've let them back within 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Keller gets his 3^rd foul and they get a 3 point play that gives them the lead for the first time today.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 and a turnover/layup near the end of the half and they're all of a sudden beating us by 6 at the half. We got out on the run early and Santiago was hot from 3. But we cool off and cannot beat their 2-3 zone consistently. Montgomery leads them with 12, Laws with 10. They're shooting 55%, 19-34, 3-8 from 3 and 7-9 at the line.


They have a 18-13 rebounding edge as well. We're 15-32, 7-18 from 3. Santiago has 18 and McCully 11, huge starts for both but almost all of that was in the first 7 10 minutes. Mendoza has 6 off the bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a 3 point play from Keller but also have two turnovers and have allowed them to go up 10... timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> We work like crazy to get it back down to 6... Montgomery has 19 and is hitting key shots for them whenever they need one. We had a chance to cut the lead down to 2, McCully with a rare turnover in transition leads to a bucket for them. I call a timeout to get my backups in. I have Snowden at center in place of Grundy... wonderful.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> We hit a 3 to cut it to 3, get a turnover but their center blocks our attempt at a fast break basket(from behind, I thought my guy was clear). They score 5 straight after that, in large part thanks to the fact that they get every rebound on either end for 2 minutes straight.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah! We score on our next trip, their PG drives and takes a tough shot, misses, gets the board, kicks it out for a 3, they miss, their PF gets the board, and we steal it, going in for a layup. Next possession they throw it away and we get a dunk. So we still get no rebounds but go on a 6-0 run nonetheless, earning a 6^th man boost in the process.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Maye misses a post move inside and this time we do get the rebound(Snowden, playing center...), we catch them in man to man defense and get an easy bucket attacking the basket off the dribble. Tie game, timeout Kent State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> They score on their next trip and our starters are ready to come back in. I call a timeout to get them back immediately. I have 2 timeouts left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully with the 3 after a kickout from Keller. I'm for now reasonably comfortable taking wide open 3's with McCully. He has 2 this game which helps a lot. Our lead!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Fucking Montgomery. Seriously. He has 22 now, answers with a 3 immediately.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> They score again and go up 4(Montgomery again). I get a 3 from Murphy, his first of the game I think, he's been cold but was so open. A block inside gets the 6^th man going for us, and Bright gets a bucket on an offensive board to put us back on top. Timeout Kent State. We each have 2 left now I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> Foul McCully, its our 7^th, they're shooting, but miss the front end of the 1 and 1, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Fucking Montgomery. McCully with a layup in transition on the other end. Montgomery with a 3 pointer to tie it right back up. I call a timeout b/c the 3 triggers their 6^th man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> Both teams are in the middle of a 6^th man boost now... they get a held ball and the arrow is pointing their way. They score, I get an offensive board and bucket from Bright on my end. Tied up, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a shot, Bright with his 15^th rebound on the day. Santiago hits a 3 on our end to give us the 3 point lead. He's been ice cold, that was a huge shot though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 84
</td> <td width="68%"> Parsons beats the press by himself and just walks right up to the top of the key and strokes a 3 over Murphy... not a single pass, no play being run, he wasn't wide open, impressive. Tie game again. I call my last timeout as that of course triggers another 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:32
</td> <td width="10%"> 87
</td> <td width="7%"> 84
</td> <td width="68%"> I run the clock down until their 6^th man goes back to green(ie goes away completely). I get a shot from McCully but its not an ideal one and it misses. We get the offensive board(Bright or Keller, they have the same body type and I can't tell the difference usually). I kick it out and try to get to the hoop, but their defense is strong. In the end a drive by McCully forces them out of position, not so much that he can get a layup, but enough that it leaves Murphy wide open at the top of the key, he passes, Murphy shoots and drains it!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 84
</td> <td width="68%"> Parsons goes for the 3 and misses, bright with the rebound! They only have 4 team fouls so it takes a bit to get us to the line. McCully goes to the line for a 1 and 1... first one good, second one good!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss one more shot, we make 2 more free throws and seal the game. This is the second game in a row where we made huge plays in the final two minutes of a tie game to earn the win, I'm very very pleased with this.

Ohio 91
Kent State 84

We win the preseason NIT, beating 3 teams rated 80 or better in the process!! Montgomery had an outstanding game for them, 27 points on 10-18 shooting. If he's like this most nights he's a shoe in to win the MAC player of the year award. I wonder if we have to play these guys on the road this year.

Parsons hit a couple big shots down the stretch, and Maye was solid in the post, scoring 13/12 boards on 6-9 shooting.

Murphy: 6 points/7 assists (2-6 from 3, both in the final minutes and both hugely clutch).
McCully: 24 points
Santiago: 24 points (5-12 from 3)
Bright: 10 points/18 boards
Keller: 5 points/1 board

Mendoza: 8 points
Northcutt: 7 points

The loss of Grundy hurts us bad. After Keller's performance in the last couple games I would be benching him for Grundy at this point, Keller has been awful in the starting lineup.

[Radii]

Out of necessity now(and maybe for the best anyway in the end), I remove the redshirt on freshman big man Darryl Withers. Grundy is out for 42 days with his broken ankle.

I update my lineups and depth charts to put Withers in Grundy's old spot, no other changes. When Grundy is back he may start at center and Keller will come off the bench, or I may just put both my 7 footers out there with the backups, it mostly depends on how Keller does over this next month.


I sim my next two games to get us to the early signing period:

Nov 14

at Ohio 88
E. Tennessee State 48

Murphy 21, Keller 19, Santiago 16, Mendoza 10 as we blow out a bad team.


Next up is another terrible team.

Nov 19, 2016

at Ohio 68
Binghamton 40


Santiago 16, Keller 12, Bright 10, Murphy 11.


We're 6-0 with no games in the final week leading up to the signing period.

There are no mid majors in either top 25 poll. Here's the first mid-major poll I've bothered to look at:

1. Nevada (7-0)
2. Ohio (6-0)
3. Arkansas State (4-1)
4. Pepperdine (5-1)
5. Kent State (6-1)

Ball State is 15th, Eastern Michigan is 25th.

[Radii]

Early Signing Period

I think we're leaning more towards disaster than big rewards here, but we'll see. On the last day before this starts:


3* C Stefan Fitch - This is the only guy we have at 100%. However, UNLV has him at 100% too and we've both offered him. He'll likely sign right away, and given that he's from California UNLV seems more likely.

4* PF Bobby Bragg - Pitt offered him a scholarship and they appear to have him at 100%. We have him at 98%. I expect to lose him to Pitt.

3* JC SF Brendon Okosa - Marshall has offered him as well. We havehim at 97% and he's coming in for a campus visit tomorrow. If the campus visit is processed before signing's we will have him at 100% and have a real shot. We'll see.

4* PG Quincy Jimenez - We have him at 94%. I don't think there's anything we can do to get him to 100% before the end of next week. FSU is right up there but hasn't made him an offer.


There's a real chance we lose all four of these guys this week. I'm pretty worried.... and, lets sim to the next day and cross our fingers.



4* PF Bobby Bragg signs with Pittsburgh.

3* C Stefan Fitch signs with UNLV. That was our most likely signing, that's rough.

3* SF Brendon Okosa signs with Marshall.

Strikeout.

wooboy. That's going to make the rest of this recruiting season interesting. And to be clear, I mean trainwreck interesting, not exciting interesting.



Some good news, 4* SG Quincy Jimenez drops FSU down a bit, I assume they signed someone else at SG which would cause him to take a hit. That doesn't mean they won't offer him also and screw us. We've got him at 94%. He'll get to 100% by the end of the season, but not by the end of the week.


So lets talk backup targets:

6'10" C, a JC FR, Bernell Roberts has a scholarship offer from UNC Asheville, but he is from Columbus, OH and wants to stay close to home. We're on the same level as UNC-A without a single visit or a scholarship offer. Looks like its our turn to steal someone away. roberts isn't a stud but he is an above average rebounder. I haven't scouted him enough to see if he is a scoring threat or not, but the rebounding alone is enough to pursue. The scholarship offer jumps him from 84% to 94%, a call to 95% and we're visiting him. Seems promising.


3* PG Brad Buggs - Buggs is from Texas, he doesn't care a lot about staying close to home, but our competition here is Texas and Texas Tech. I guess the thing we most have going for us is that Buggs is the #32 PG in the nation and there's a reasonable chance that those schools will ignore him and go after higher rated targets.


3* PF Zachary Hogan - 6'11" and the #285 recruit in the nation, #45 PF. He looks pretty damn exciting actually, B- ORB/B DRB, C+ Close range shot, B Shot blocking. He has no offers yet and we would appear to be right in the mix with Evansville, Middle Tennesee State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State. He is from Nashville


4* SG Jeremie Nava - #88 OVR/#30 SG. A long shot, but only Oklahoma State has shown any interest and they haven't made him an offer yet. I offer my scholarship to him but am not going to make him a priority for visits(which is going to be an issue with 3 new targets to try to woo...), but rather I'm going to work on him slowly, visit when I have time/have used up visits on the other guys, and be there at the end if Oklahoma State never comes calling.



I don't really have a great feel for my odds with these guys. First lets get through this week and see if anything else happens at the end of the signing period.



November 28, 2016

at Ohio 86
Montana State 61

Another bad team, Bright with 16, Keller with 10, Murphy with 14, Mendoza 12.


I can't quite finish the week right away, because the day before the week ends is our best shot ever to try to punch a ticket into the media and coaches top 25.

We're 7-0 and travelling to #18 Syracuse. It'll be a tough game we expect to lose, but if we can find a way to win, we're sure to earn a ranking finally.

[Radii]

As I sim to Saturday, we visit JC Center Bernell Roberts. That jumps him up to 100% interest in us. We've fully scouted him out now and he's not the most impressive recruit in the world. C- close range shot, C- post offense, but C post defense, C+ defensive rebounding, B- str and B hustle. Seems like he's a likely candidate to sign with Ohio this week. I'd really, really like that, it would make going after our other 2 new scholarship offers and trying to maintain some kind of backup targets for them more feasible.

[Radii]

December 3, 2016

Ohio (7-0) at #18 Syracuse (7-1)

We've only played a few ranked teams before, and we've never beaten one. Syracuse's roster strength is superior in every way to ours. 89 OVR (90 off/89 def/93 sht/88 reb/90 coach). Boeheim retired awhile back so this is a new guy. Their only loss is to NC State(a final four team last year). They won a road game at Kansas State for what looks like their biggest win.

Scouting

PG Jabahri Nengsu – SR – 85 OVR – 91 speed/92 quickness. 81 defense/88 steals(B+, very very high). 89 hands/92 passing, a very high quality PG. 81 close/82 med/79 3, 82 off the dribble. 10.4 ppg so far this year.

SG Johnnie Videnov – JR – 88 OVR – Freshman all american 2 years ago, first team all big east last year. Averaging 19.1 ppg so far this year, we'll consider ourselves lucky if that's all he gets today. 93 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense. 98 close/83 med/81 3. 86 off the dribble/84 in traffic, a great dunker and leaper as well. 74 steals/82 defensive awareness, he'll be tough to play against. He has super high driving and 3 point tendencies so he's going to be shooting a lot. 98 close range is amazing, A+, and he could foul out all our big men if he decides to attack consistently.

SF Hilton Keeler – SO – 82 OVR – a natural SG, this is a guard heavy team. 87 speed/78 quicknes. 86 defense is very high, 91 steals is scary. 89 close/81 med/86 3/87 off the dribble, a sharpshooter, he hasn't developed into a major threat like Videnov yet but he'll kill us any time he's open. Just 8 ppg so far.

PF Grant Greenleaf – SO – 82 OVR – a 7 foot tall talent, scary also. 83 orb/80 drb. 85 post offense/81 post defense. 91 shot blocking(A). 89 close/87 in traffic, a good dunker. 12.1 ppg/5.8 rpg.

C Jose Diggs – FR – 71 OVR - Just 6'8”, 77 orb/81 drb. 84 post offense/79 post defense. 84 close/84 in traffic. He'll be good but he's raw now. 5.0 ppg/3.8 rpg so far this year.

Syracuse has about 6 guards on their bench who would start over anyone i've got. They're not deep inside, but they are incredibly deep at PG/SG/SF.

Seems like our best strategy here is the same we used against Duke and Texas Tech. Try to slow the game down, drive and attack when we can, and pray that we're hitting our 3's.

Really, all we have to do is beat the #18 team in the country, a team starting 4 players better than anyone on our roster, in front of 33,000 fans of their team. No problem. :)

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> SYR
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 20:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> We win the tip and I am blinded by orange. Holy shit I don't think ive seen a syracuse home game in awhile... or maybe this court isn't authentic. If it is, it is the ugliest court I've ever seen. No offense to the hordes of Syracuse fans at FOFC of course. I know you all hate the Dean Dome, despite its close resemblance to heaven. ;)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Their Freshman Center picks up two quick fouls and sits. Our last possession, trailing 4-3,we made them eat up 32 seconds off the shot clock and forced a contested 3 by Greenleaf, their 7 foot tall PF. Great defense, too bad the shot went in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> They go to a 4 guard lineup and the new guy, Stehly, is rated 82 OVR, all his shooting ratings are over 80, and he's on fire. He has 7 points. I call a timeout after his most recent 3 and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers gets stuck with the ball in the paint and I call a timeout to avoid a held ball and turnover. I'm not sure our backups can score against these guys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 5 straight and play great defense on our next defensive trip, but they drain a 3 with under 5 left on the shot clock. So demoralizing. We commit a foul after an empty trip and the starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> We're playing solid defense, they are only shooting 35% from the field. They have drawn a good number of fouls and are 9-12 at the line. Their superstar, Videnov has a quiet 10. Greenleaf has 7 points/6 boards.


On our end, Murphy is absolutely killing us. He's 0-7 from 3, and all 3 are wide open looks with no one anywhere close over their 2-3 defense. If he makes 2 or 3, we're right in the game. Santiago isn't any better, he has 10 points but its on 1-5 shooting from the arc.


We are 6-25 from the field, 2-18 from 3 and 7-9 from the line. Any efforts to drive on them when they're in their zone result in blocked shots and horrible drive animations for ridiculous reverse layups that never materialize. They are too good on defense for that it appears. If we are going to win, and we have a shot, its going to happen from the 3 point line. We'll continue to drive if the lane is there, but actively trying to draw fouls is failing horribly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Well this seems a good omen. Their PG, the one with 89 ball handling/90 passing... just, well, I dunno what. He took the inbounds pass about 5 feet on our side of half court, and the ball just went out of bounds. It looked l ike the ball just magically changed direction and went out of bounds behind everyone under our basket. I'm going to say he dribbled it off his foot, yeah, that's the ticket.


We set up a play, Murphy scoots out to the wing with the help of a screen and drains his first 3 pointer of the night.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we're shooting well, 2 baskets by Santiago and one from Murphy but they're scoring on every single trip, and we're not.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in early... Murphy just picked up foul #4 and all our starters are tired. Unless something changes fast its apparent that we just cannot score with them.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

They score the next 10 in a row against our backups and I concede.

#18 Syracuse 91
Ohio 63


Videnov ends up with 30 for them, Greenleaf 14, Keller 12. Videnov seems all american caliber.

Murphy: 7 points
McCully: 2 points
Santiago: 25 points
Bright: 8 points/6 boards
Keller: 4 points

Mendoza: 7 points
Garcia: 7 points

Santiago is the only scorer we have that can compete at this level right now. Murphy could have had us right in the game at the half and changed things competely, but he just couldn't come through.

[Radii]

End of in-season recruiting

Oklahoma State decided to offer 4* SG Jeremie Nava and he signs immediately. Glad they got that over with early.

3* JC C Bernell Roberts signs with OHIO. So that's 1 down, and its a very unexciting 1,but it is a 6'10" big man who appears to have above average talent on the boards.


That leaves us with 3 offers out there that we'll continue working on til the end of the season, the 4* SG that we've had our eye on from the start and our two new backup targets, PF Hogan and PG Buggs.



oh fuck me. Kent State is #23 in the coaches poll this week. They're 10-1, no marquee wins or anything, just 10-1.

The newest mid-major poll:

1. Nevada
2. Pepperdine
3. Ohio
4. Kent State
5. Arkansas St

Bowling Green #14, Miami OH #25.

Our other really big test comes next. At Boston College. They aren't as menacing as Syracuse but they are rated higher than us and it is on the road.

[Radii]

December 5, 2016

Ohio (7-1) at Boston College (4-3)

Al Skinner remains at BC and has 523 wins now. BC is rated 87 OVR (88 off/85 def/89 sht/92 reb/93 coach). They score less and shoot worse than Syracuse. Hopefully there's room here for us to make it a game. Their 3 losses are at #23 Michigan State, at Arkansas, and at #1 Florida(that was a 70-44 loss).

Their best win is a 4 point escape over Umass. Other wins are against teams of the caliber of 0-7 Stetson and 1-6 Wiston Salem State. They start 3 young guys with 2 or less bars of experience, but their SG Vernon Johnson is a coach on the floor and will give them a huge lift.

Scouting

PG SR Jakob Allison – SR – 84 OVR – 93 speed/86 quickness/89 vert/71 str (B for a PG), a very very athletic guy. 90 handling/93 passing, also super high quality. 89 defense, 74 steals. 84 close/76 med/73 3/88 off the dribble/76 in traffic. 8 ppg so far this year, for this lower scoring team that is 2^nd in scoring.

SG Vernon Johnson – SR – 83 OVR - Leads the team with only 9 ppg. 87 speed/89 quickness. 83 defense/85 steals, tough to play against. 93 close/77 med/77 3/85 off the dribble/85 in traffic. All those numbers are outstanding, he's 6'6” and has both awareness numbers over 80. If we play a higher scoring game he'll score a heck of a lot more than 9.

SF Rubeen Byfield – SO – 79 OVR – natural SG, 6'4”. 86 defense/78 steals, both good. 87 close/81 med/73 3. Great off the dribble and in traffic. This kid has A- potential and looks great for a sophomore. 7.9 ppg, 3^rd on the team.

PF Maynard McGrain – FR – 77 OVR – 85 orb/75 drb. 6'7 only. 81 post offense/69 post defense. 77 blocked shot rating, very high. 90 close/91 in traffic. McGrain is only a 3 star recruit, incredibly talented. He was #107 ovr last year, one of the top 3 star recruits, if not the top. 6.9 ppg. He's poor defensively but his shot blocking might make up for that.

C Erroyl Snow – SO – 77 OVR – 85 orb/80 drb, solid rebound ratings for this 6'10” center. 85 post offense/73 post d. 73 blocked shot rating and 72 steals(A- for steals for a center). 92 close/90 in traffic. A major scoring threat. 7.5 ppg/4 rpg.

Johnson is very good but not a bona fide superstar like Syracuse had. They have great balance though, 5 backups rated 70-75. 3 of their backups are decent shooting threats. This is a team that it is a bit more likely we can compete with. A win over a major conference school would really help this year.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Well its star vs star early and our star is winning. In the first 3 minutes, their SG Johnson scored 8 points on 3 straight possessions, a dunk off a steal and 2 3 pointers. They led 11-6 at that point in the game. Santiago drove past his man and drew a foul, scoring 2 from the line. And in the last 4 minutes, he's 4-4 from the 3 point line, he's got 14 points.


McCully is not going to be able to do much, they have Johnson playing loose against him(according to the scouting sheet in the team profile they play LOOSE defense in general, which seems to be helping santiago). But McCully cannot beat Johnson for anything, and is scoreless. Bright and Keller have some points in low.


One last issue, they have 4 offensive boards early. Thats with our big men in the game. Backups are in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> We start real slow, eating clock and just trying to keep the lead, but they turn it over on two straight possessions and we're able to take advantage, rolling out to a 7 point lead! I should point out that they had 4 backups on the court, their starters just came back out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 4 straight with the help of a Withers turnover(ie he touches the ball and they take it away before I can press a button). I call a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Murphy and Santiago miss open 3's, Murphy gets a good drive to the hoop but is stuffed and can't draw a foul... they score 4 more and take the lead. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Not bad, but could be better. We're allowing them to shoot 62% from the field. They're 15-24, 3-6 from 3 and 2-4 at the line. By comparison , we are 10-22 from the field, 5-12 from 3 and 7-8 from the line.


Johnson is a beast for them, he's 6-6, 2-2 from 3 for 14 points. Snow, their center, is their 2^nd leading scorer with 8. Santiago is 5-6 from 3 and 2-2 at the line for 17 points. After that, a few people have 4.


Second half change: Mendoza is in with the starters at SG. McCully can't do anything at all, might as well get a 3 point shooter out there. McCully can maybe use his speed better in the middle of the half when BC is either tired or using their bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Johnson with a wide open 3 to make it 8 after we miss a shot on our end. I call a timeout to keep it close and to quiet the crowd. Santiago is 0-2 from 3 this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> A Johnson 3 point play and he's got 20 and we're falling apart. Dammit!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Keller draws a foul and makes 1 of 2,we get a steal and Keller comes down on the break, Murphy finds him and he blows a dunk. That kinda 2^nd half it appears. Murphy does finally hit a 3. Backups are in, including McCully. Johnson up to 23 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They call a timeout, not sure why. Johnson with 26.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> I go ahead and get my starters back in, they're fresh and if we're going to coe back its going to be a big run involving Santiago. We'll start that run right after they make a FT, miss the 2^nd get the board and dunk it, however.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright is hurt driving to the basket and drawing a foul. Withers is in. This would be ok except Keller has 4 fouls and could be gone at any minute.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Hey, that run I joked about above is actually starting! We get two good stops and two fast break baskets in a row and we've cut it down to 10. They just subbed out Johnson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH!!!! We force a stop, Mendoza with a great bucket on the other end. We play 34 seconds of stellar defense and they fire a cross court pass leading to an open 3... DAMN!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> All our momentum disappeared. The random balls bouncing their way start back up, we block a shot, it falls into their center's hands, he misses a hook, their PG comes out with it and they make a jumper.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We do get it down to 9 again at one point but they have too much free throw shooting and too much offensive rebounding for us to really make a move.

Boston College 77
Ohio 64

Stat of the game: Boston College 15 offensive boards, Ohio 6. They win the rebounding battle 31-22 overall. They shoot 50% while we shoot 39%. We go 7/26 from 3. Vernon Johnson scores 28 for BC. Snow, their center, scores 14.

Murphy: 4 points (1-9 from 3, dammit)
McCully: 0 points
Santiago: 21 points (6-12 from 3)
Bright: 4 points/5 boards
Keller: 7 points/7 boards

Mendoza: 16 points

[Radii]

After the game I learn that Bright is out 28 days with a strained achilles. Grundy is still out 18 more days. We're in some trouble.

[Radii]

I sim our next game.

Dec 10, 2016

at Ohio 82
Detroit 81

Well that was close. McCully 18, Mendoza 15, Barker (backup PG) 12, that doesn't happen often.


Our next two games we expect to win as well.

Dec 17, 2016

Ohio 73
at Valparaiso 64

Keller puts up 17 today, Santiago 18 in our win.


this makes us 9-2 and takes us to the week of Dec 19. Still no mid-majors in the media top 25, but Kent State is still 23rd in the Coaches poll, they're 12-1.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Kent State (12-1)
2. Nevada (11-2)
3. Pepperdine (10-2)
4. Ohio (9-2)
5. Middle Tennessee State (9-1)

Ball State #12, Bowling Green #16

Seriously, #1 mid major?? haha I don't believe it. Kent State has the #1 RPI in the nation. They have wins over such national powers as UAB, Marshall, and Southern Illinois (seriously those are their 3 best wins... those aren't bad wins, mind you, but come on). I know the RPI resets and looks more normal in January but meh.



I sim one more easy win before getting back to tougher competition.

Dec 20, 2016

at Ohio 89
NC A&T 54

Keller 17, Withers 15, Murphy 11.



We have 3 non-conference games left. We play New Orleans, rated 81 OVR, Duqesne, rated 78 overall. We then play Northern Illinois to open our conference schedule, and then one final mid-major clash before conference play gets in full swing, as perennial top 5 mid major Nevada will come visit Ohio.

[Radii]

After the game I learn that Bright is out 28 days with a strained achilles. Grundy is still out 18 more days. We're in some trouble.


not in nearly as much trouble as it first seemed, I counted my weeks wrong, I thought grundy was missing the New Orleans and Duqesne games. He's back in time for New Orleans, which I'll play tomorrow.

[Radii]

My 360 froze last night when I was done playing, luckily I save frequently and only had to re-sim the NC A&T game. We win this time around 86-65, getting 15 from Santiago and 12 from Murphy.

[Radii]

December 24, 2016

New Orleans (4-5) at Ohio (10-2)

New Orleans has had some issues and hopefully we'll continue to make things tough on them. They're rated 81 OVR (80 off/80 def/83 sht/83 reb/80 coach).

With Grundy in our starting lineup instead of Bright, our ratings drop slightly (83 ovr/83 off/81 def/86 sht/88 reb/80 coach).

Their losses really aren't good ones, saint mary's is decent, but UCF, Denver, and Drake are all fairly bad teams. They have beaten a solid Portland team. I played New Orleans a few years ago, don't remember much about them but they had a really good freshman who is now an amazing senior.

Scouting

PG Dermie Bigelow – JR – 75 OVR – 89 speed/86 quickness, 83 defense/75 steals. 80 close/83 med/79 3/80 off the dribble. He looks like most PG's we face these days, he can hurt us with his shot as much as anything, his defense and speed are good but not overwhelming. 8 ppg/4.3 assists.

SG Smackey Davis – SR – 87 OVR – Davis was the #28 recruit in the nation 4 years ago and has developed very nicely. First team all sun-belt last year. 92 speed/84 quickness, 88 defense/77 steals. 90 close/91 med/79 3/81 off the dribble, looks deadly. He's a great athlete, exceptional vertical, hustle and strength. 17.3 ppg so far this year.

SF Raef Beeler – JR – 74 OVR – 84 speed/75 quickness, 77 defense/70 steals. 83 close/71 med/76 3. Not much stands out here other than he can hit the 3 if left open. His quickness and poor defense makes me feel good about Santiago's numbers today. 8.8 ppg.

PF Alton Bone – SR – 75 OVR – 6'10” - 84 orb/77 drb. 74 post off/72 post def. 81 close/85 in atrffic. His better ratings are ones I consider more minor... durability, fouls, consistency and the like. He's averaging 10.9 ppg and is someone we'd like to keep off the offensive glass, but doesn't seem like a big threat.

C Lavardicus Koffi – FR – 67 OVR – 7'1 – 74 orb/74 drb. 78 post offense/76 post d. 90 close/77 in traffic. That disparity between close range shooting and shooting in traffic is tough to reconcile, no clue what to expect. He's very strong(80) and a good worker (80 hustle). 6.6 ppg.

They have a backup big and a couple backup guards rated in the low 70s. Really this team looks quite good, I'm worried about Davis hanging 30 on me today.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UNO
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Davis seems off to a cold start for them, he's missed two open looks. 4 of their 7 in the post, and a 3 by Beeler(who now is sitting with 2 fouls). Murphy and Santiago each have a 3 for us and McCully has 2 fast break buckets.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> New Orleans makes their second 3 and gets a layup off a steal... backups are in for me.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Their freshman center, Koffi, leads all scoring with 10 points. We're getting enough to keep our lead though and they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters come back in. We score 4 more straight on two steals to go up 10. Mendoza leads us with 7 off the bench so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Defense is playing real strong over the last 5 or 6 minutes now, they call another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Its great to see strong defense like this again, this feels like a return to some of the strong, strong play we had 2 seasons ago with better defenders on the court. They shoot 10-24, 3-9 from 3. They have 10 turnovers, a few losing control on their own and we've been getting in the passing lanes more than usual(CPU controlled, I rarely jump out myself, when it works well it feels hokey, when it doesn't we give up lots of open shots :P)


Davis is scoreless. 0-5 in 16 minutes with 2 turnovers. On our end, we're killing them on the boards, 16-9 so far. We're shooting 11-23, 7-12 from 3, and have drawn 10 fouls, most of them shooting, leading to 16-18 from the line. Santiago has 4 3's and 14 poits. McCully has 7, Mendoza 7, and Murphy 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We score the first 6 of the half to go up 26 and hang on to that lead, they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We extend the lead to 30 with about 13:30 to go and sim to the end.

Ohio 94
New Orleans 67

Their 87 rated SG ends up shooting 3-13 on the day, 1-7 from 3, for 7 points. Outstanding result for us. Koffi, their lowest rated starter by far, a true freshman, scores 23, heh.

Murphy: 17 points/3 assists
McCully: 13 points/3 assists
Santiago: 22 points
Grundy: 6 points/9 boards
Keller: 10 points/8 boards

Mendoza: 12 points

Its hard to lose when you shoot over 50% from 3, and that's what we did today, 13-25. Santiago was 6-10.

[Radii]

For the week of the 26th, no mid-majors in the media poll. Kent State rises to #21 in the coaches poll

Mid Major Poll:

1. Kent State
2. Nevada
3. Pepperdine
4. Ohio
5. MTSU

Ball State #12, Bowling Green #20

I rarely bring up recruiting in the middle of the season, but that's because I rarely change targets mid season. The #118 recruit in the nation, PG Brad Buggs out of Texas, has received an offer from Texas Tech. At this point I lost most of the guys I was eyeing as backup targets in the early signing week, so I go and scout out 4 new PG/SG types that don't appear locked into one school yet.


I'm itching to play Nevada so I sim our next two. The first isn't really a guarenteed win but looks like one we should take.

Dec 28, 2016

at Ohio 92
Duqesne 85

high scoring. Grundy leads us with 17 points/11 boards, Keller 15, McCully 14.


And our next game technically opens up conference play, we better win this one.

Dec 31

Ohio 103
at N. Illinois 64

Good good. Keller 23, Northcutt 19, Murphy 14.

On the injury front though, Mendoza is hurt in this game and will miss about 2 weeks.


And going into the first week in january, Kent State enters the MEdia Poll at #21. They're #20 in the coaches poll.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Kent State
2. Pepperdine
3. Ohio
4. MTSU
5. Nevada

Ball State #14.


This sets up our next game. Our final non-conference game of the year, we host the #5 mid major team, consistently one of the top 3 mid majors every year, Nevada.


Mendoza is out for another 1 1/2 weeks, but Bright is back.

Starting lineup:

PG Murphy,SG McCully, SF Santiago, PF Bright, C Keller

Backups:

PG Barker, SG northcutt, SF Garcia, PF Grundy, C Withers

time to go with a 'normal' backup rotation with two big men.

[Radii]

January 4, 2017

Nevada (12-4) at Ohio (13-2)

Nevada is highly rated, similar to Boston College really. 88 OVR (87 off/87 def/92 sht/87 reb). That worries me because we do often struggle against good shooting teams.

Scouting

PG Hilton Minnifield – SR – 87 OVR – superstar all the way. 94 speed/85 quickness. 90 defense/75 steals. 93 hands/81 passing. 87 close/84 med/82 3. 87 off the dribble. O-awareness and D-awareness are both 79. 14.7 ppg/3.3 apg so far this year. Minnifield was first team all WAC as a sophomore and junior. This is actually his 5^th season, he played 2 games last year, looks like a medical redshirt.

SG Kyle Mills – SR – 84 OVR - 92 speed/93 quickness. 86 defese, only 67 steals. Great handles and passing, he's a natural PG actually. 89 close/86 med/86 3, lights out shooting. 15.5 ppg.

SF Jake Pawlak – SO – 81 OVR – 6'5”. 87 speed/89 quickness, and Pawlak is a natural SG. 83 defense/94 steals(!!!). 81 close/76 med/77 3, 87 off the dribble. 6.1 ppg, not a big scorer so far. Averaging over 2 steals/game.

PF Tyler Minnifield – JR – 73 OVR – 6'7” - 79 orb/75 drb. 77 post offense/73 post defense. 83 close/80 in traffic. Just 1.9 ppg this year, clearly their 5^th or worse option.

C Aron Odugbela – FR – 79 OVR – 6'8, a natural PF. #33 recruit in the nation last year, 79 for young big man is great. 83 orb/89 drb, better than anything we've got outside of bright. 78 post offense/80 post defense, 77 blocked shot/74 steals, both outstanding. 90 close/86 in traffic. This guy is a stud already. Just 6.1 ppg/5.8 rpg. In 3 years this guy may be a national player of the year candidate. B+ potential, he's going to be a monster.

Nevada has 2 backup point gurds that would both start for me, Petkunas and Turak. Petkunas is a big time 3 point threat off the bench. They've got a 7 foot center and another PF rated over 70 backing up the big men. This is a very good, deep team. This is my goal at Ohio. If I don't move up to the next level any time soon, this Nevada team is what I want to build for Ohio.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> NEV
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> Two notes. Pawlak has the same insta-release that Santiago has. He hits their first shot. Also, Nevada runs the same 3-2 defense that Ball State runs.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Well everything seems to be going our way. We've drawn 2 fouls, both on their highly talented SG Mills, he sits. Odugbela went down with an injury a minute or so ago, a pulled hamstring, unsure if he's returning.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Unexpected big contributions from Murphy early, he hit a 3 and has 2 3 point plays for 9 points. Santiago with 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Their backup center, the 7 footer, Kinloch, is fast and aggressive, he has 2 3 point play chances their last two possessions(only converting 1). Keller and Bright each have two fouls. The starters aren't quite ready to come out yet but I bring in the backup big men to avoid further foul trouble.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the backups in with a 12 point lead. They have 8 fouls already as we seem to be able to drive to the basket with ease, getting out consistently in transition against them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> We just have them in so much foul trouble that I need to build up a lead, god knows what will happen in the 2^nd half. Timeout Nevada.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get the starters back in for the rest of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that really could not have gone better. We commit a fair number of fouls ourselves and Nevada is 9-12 from the line, but we end up 15-18 from the line. A total of 7 of the 10 starters have 2 fouls... Santiago, Keller and Bright for us, and all of Nevada's starters except for Odugbela, who came back after a short time.


Their backup guard that I mentioned as a threat, Petkunas, leads them with 10. They are 0-6 from 3.


We are shooting well, 16-26 from the field/4-12 from 3/15-18 from the line. McCully is a real asset for us in drawing fouls, and he's a great FT shooter... 8-8 today. Murphy with a stellar half leads us with 14. McCully 10, Santiago 9.


I'm real curious to see if we can hold this lead when all their starters come back. Also, many games where we start out drawing so many 1^st half fouls end up with almost none in the 2^nd half, so the pace of the game may well change drastically.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Happy to still be up 15 here, Santiago and Murphy both start the half off cold but our defense is still getting along well. Santiago hits a 3 finally (1-3 for the half) on a good inside-out play with Keller and they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Keller with a stupid reach in and he's got 4 fouls now. McCully has picked up his 2^nd so far also, we have 3 fouls this half, I don't think Nevada has any yet. I get Withers in at center.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Santiago with a beautiful 3 point play with a fingeroll while being fouled, then Keller earns a 3 point play after a nice feed by McCully, and Murphy is fouled shooting a 3. The defense is playing outstanding and we are totally dominating the glass.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Just an outstanding stretch. At the 10 minute mark I decide to start running some clock, waiting 15-20 seconds into the shot clock to run my offense. We have a great stretch, burning 30 seconds, missing but getting the offensive board, burning 30 more seconds and missing again, they get the board but we get a steal. We burn 34 more seconds and Barker makes a 3 pointer with 1 second left on the shot clock, a stretch lasting about 2 minutes where they don't even takea shot and we extend the lead. Timeout Nevada
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:11
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> What a run, we've put this away. I bring Keller back in as Withers is exhausted, but otherwise, with the injury settings turned up, i'll just run my backups ragged.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We kill the clock and pick up a giant win.

Ohio 86
Nevada 63

There is one really big difference between Nevada and Boston College/Syracuse/Texas Tech, at least the difference in this game... someone as fast and good with the ball as McCully can drive by most anyone unless they're playing him real loose. Against Syracuse he attacks the basket and just loses the ball, throws up an ugly reverse, or simply misses a tough shot in traffic, maybe his shot is outright blocked... against nevada, he draws a foul or he scores. HUGE difference in the level of play between some of the other top teams and this Nevada team, at least today.

Who knows how the game would have gone without the fouls. PG Minnifield played 22 minutes, SG Mills played 15 due to foul trouble. That's their two top scorers playing 10 and 15 minutes less than expected. Pawlak got 16 for them, Odugbela 10 and Petkunas 10, their 3 top scorers. They shot under 50% overall, 3-15 from 3, and 17-20 from the line. We were 24-32 from the line, only 6-22 from 3, we were not shooting well from behind the arc but our aggressive play worked so well it didn't matter.

Murphy: 15 points
McCully: 12 points/4 assists
Santiago: 15 points (3-9 from 3)
Bright: 11 points/4 boards
Keller: 4 points/6 boards

Withers: 9 points/7 boards

Huge win for us. Maybe this is the win that gets us into the top 25?

[Radii]

I go ahead and sim our next game this week, I probably should play it as W. Michigan is one of the higher rated conference opponents(77 OVR) but they're 4-9 and its at home and i'm anxious to get to next week:

Jan 8, 2017

at Ohio 84
W. Michigan 79


Santiago 18,Garcia 16, McCully and Keller 10 each.


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo.


For the week of January 9th, Ohio has entered the Media poll as the #24 team in the nation!!!! Coaching skill increases are getting harder and harder to come by, this was the next hurdle on the list.

Kent State is now 15-1 and up to #19 in the nation, their only loss to us in the preseason NIT finals. We are now 15-2. Kent State is up to #18 in the coaches poll, and we are not represented there.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Kent State (15-1)
2. Ohio (15-2)
3. Pepperdine (13-3)
4. MTSU (13-2)
5. Nevada (13-5)

Ball State #13, Bowling Green #20.


We'll get into our normal rotation of playing out every other MAC game the rest of the way. My expectations at this point are unbelievably high, given our start, the fact that we've already beaten Kent State, and that many MAC teams have fallen off in their ratings a bit... We'll probably lose a couple road games that we shouldn't, but at this point 14-2 in conference play seems reasonable. And anything other than a conference tournament title would be a disappointment. that might be saying a bit much given that we haven't seen many MAC teams yet, we'll see.

[Radii]

I'm more of a “hang around with a shiteating grin on my face for the next few days” type of guy than a “go set bonfires on Franklin Street”, so expect another late night of college hoops progression.

January 11, 2017

Eastern Michigan (8-6, 2-0 MAC) at #24 Ohio (15-2, 2-0 MAC)

Eastern Michigan is rated 77 OVR (77 off/77 def/78 sht/85 reb/75 coach). Their two wins are against two of the worst teams in the league, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. We played them last year in the MAC semifinals and struggled greatly to pull out a 4 point win. We trailed with 10 minutes left and never did stretch our lead out over 5 in the last 10 minutes of the game.

I expect an easier time of things this year, McCully has totally changed our team. However, EMU returns 4 starters from that team and starts 4 seniors and a junior. They are very experienced.

Scouting

PG Jeremee Alleyne – SR – 68 OVR – 86 speed/83 quickness. 74 defense, godawful. 77 close/68 med/71 3. 79 off the dribble. 81 hands/84 passing... much better passing (C hands/B passing). 9.2 ppg/5.1 apg this year.

SG Woody Karis – SR – 75 OVR – 6'5, big for a SG for whatever its worth. 86 speed/84 quickness, 78 defense(very low). 80 close/78 med/76 3. 80 off the dribble/79 in traffic. 82 steals which his solid. 8.9 ppg so far. Karis improved almost none over last year.

SF Francis Blankenship – JR – 70 OVR – A rare situation where a team has too many big men and not enough guards/small forwards. 6'8, a natural PF. As such he is slow with awful, awful on ball defense(64). 87 close/67 med/61 3. 79 in traffic. 5.8 ppg, less than he's scored in his last two years as a backup in the post. Santiago is going to have a field day.

PF Kentrell Warner –SR – 73 OVR – 6'10”, 82 orb/79 drb, 75 post offense/74 post defense. 83 close/84 in traffic. 12.2 ppg so far this year.

C Dameon Archibong – SR – 73 OVR – 6'11” - 76 orb/78 drb, fairly poor(C), 79 post offense/76 post defense. 84 close/82 in traffic. 16.5 ppg so far, which is a lot more than i'd expect from his ratings.

They are not a deep team, only 3 backups rated 65+. I remember saying this same thing in the conference semis last year... they are a poor defensive team and don't have any great offensive talent. We ought to kill them.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> EMU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:!5
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> The offense has been pedestrian at best, and the defense is not looking good so far. We've left Karis too open too often, he has 2 3's and 8 points early on.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in to turn things around.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups start scoring pretty well for us, Northcutt and Withers with 4 each. Withers goes out hurt after a big standing 1 handed dunk though. No word on his injury yet. Keller comes in initially but I bring Snowden in to play PF and move Grundy to center instead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers has a pulled hamstring and won't be 100% for about 20 days. But he's back and ready to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 straight transition points for Barker and we take the lead. I call a timeout after a rebound to get our starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Its back and forth the rest of the half, neither team leading by more than this 4 point margin we have here. We've allowed EMU to shoot 15-27 from the field and 5-9 from 3, that has to stop in the 2^nd half. Karis with 8, backup SG Sykes with 6, lots with 5 and 4.


We're 0-5 from 3 and just 13-28 from the field. 11-15 from the line (they are 6-8, 11 fouls for them, 8 for us). Murphy has 7, Northcutt 6, no one else with more than 4. Santiago missed his first 2 3's and hasn't tried another one since.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Murphy runs off a screen and drains a 3, our first of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 straight from Karis and a turnover and missed shot on our end and we're behind 10 all of a sudden. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> I sit Bright with his 3^rd foul, Grundy in. They are succeeding in the post every time they go inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout. Keller caught a pass on the block with no one between him and the basket, I turbo towards the basket and go up, and dink the ball into the rim. WTF! Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers with a bucket inside. Grundy a block, leading to a Northcutt layup. They miss a fallaway by a post player, long outlet leading to a Northcutt layup. Then Northcutt gets a steal and is fouled going up strong on the other end. He makes both free throws. A quick 8-0 run gets us right back into it, led by stronger defensive play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy with a 2^nd block inside, an outlet to Garcia for a layup and we get a 6^th man boost as we cut it to 5 on 10 straight!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy is everywhere, 7 boards now, at least 3 in this stretch and a basket on offense, though Northcutt is the beneficiary of most of this. Timeout EMU..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> NORTHCUTT!!! Where the hell did this come from, the guy has 20 points now. They're playing man defense and Northcutt is on their 'SF' that is actually a slow PF. That plus Northcutt being first out on the break any time we get a rebound has led to a huge explosion for him. Tie game and another 6^th man boost for us!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They get one free throw on their end. Grundy gets the ball uncontested at the free throw line, attacks the hoop and gives us the lead! After a turnover Garcia is fouled and makes 1 of 2 to put us up 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Another block on defense! Withers with a little hook shot on the offensive end, another 6^th man bonus and another EMU timeout.


Normally I get my starters back in around here no matter what's been happening as they are far far more talented, but for some reason today the backup squad is vastly outperforming the starting 5. I'm keeping the backups out there until we allow a run and lose the lead, or they become fatigued. They may well finish the game if we keep getting lifted by the 6^th man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah, so much for that. Starters come back in after we turn it over twice in a row and they cut it to 1(and just missed the FT that would have tied it)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> They take a 1 point lead after a poor pass leads to a turnover and layup, Karis scores 4 straight for them and has 20. Santiago comes up huge on the other end with a 3 and we're up 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:52
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> After a stop we struggle to get a good look, almost turning it over once when McCully tries to go inside. We recover though and hit Santiago with 3 seconds left on the shot clock, he's got just a step in between him and his man but its enough, a clutch 3 and we're up 5!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it to 3 on a good drive by one of their bigs, but we get a bucket by Bright after burning some clock and go up 5. Timeout EMU.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Very similar to last year's tournament game vs EMU. We get a stop on their next trip and are solid from the line to seal the deal.

Ohio 91
Eastern Michigan 81

Like last year, its close for a half, they make a run and we are in a bit of trouble, but we pull through and make the plays we need to when it counts. Though the deficit we faced midway through the second half here was pretty scary.

Karis, their star, scores 22. Alleyne 10, and their post players all end up with 6-9 points. They shoot over 50% for the game (33-61), 6-17 from 3.

Murphy: 12 points/3 assists/2 steals
McCully: 11 points
Santiago: 12 points (2-5 from 3)
Bright: 7 points/7 boards
Keller: 5 points/4 boards

Northcutt: 20 points
Withers: 9 points
Grundy: 8 points/9 boards/3 blocks

Northcutt's perfromance really came out of nowhere, that was awesome.

[Radii]

Next up we travel to play 2 win Central Michigan.

Jan 14, 2017

Ohio 90
at C. Michigan 66

15 from Keller, 12 from Santiago and Garcia, 11 for McCully, 10 for Murphy.


heh, i hadn't followed the polls closely in the past, though I've seen the RPI reset a couple times, and this is the "real" RPI that remains consistent through the end of the year. The top 25 poll seems to totally be re-calculated as a result too. We jump from #24 to #15. Duke jumps to #2 from #10, Texas Tech falls from #4 to #24... weird stuff.

Anyway, the MAC is getting some serious love. Kent State is #14 in the nation, Ohio #15.

Kent State is #15 in the coaches poll and we are unranked there, hah.

Mid-Major Poll:

1. Kent State (16-2)
2. Ohio (17-2)
3. MTSU (14-3)
4. Manhattan (14-6)
5. Pepperdine (14-4)

Ball State is 13th.


In this new RPI we are rated 9th. 2-2 vs the top 50, 2-0 vs 51-100, and undefeated vs 100+.


Our next game is against a poor Buffalo team:

Jan 17, 2017

at Ohio 88
Buffalo 56

Murphy scores 18, Grundy 13, Northcutt 12, Keller 10.

Bad news though, Bright separates his shoulder and will miss 2 weeks of action.


Two good games coming up next. First we travel to Miami OH, a team down slightly from recent years but stlil a team that's given us trouble. After that is our only showdown this season with Ball State.

[Radii]

January 22, 2017

#15 Ohio (18-2, 5-0 MAC) at Miami OH (11-6, 5-0 MAC)

I haven't looked at the standings much this year, hoping that I'll just roll through, but Miami is 5-0, so this game has a lot of meaning. Miami gave Kent State their only conference loss so far. Miami OH is rated 78 OVR (78 off/80 def/82 sht/80 reb). That rebounding rating is extremely low and makes me optimistic.

Scouting

PG Chas Lemons – FR – 67 OVR – 89 speed/80 quickness. 80 defense/72 steals. 79 hands/76 passing(C-/C+). 79 close/69 med/68 3/78 off the dribble. He'll develop into a decent player but this is pretty weak overall for now. 6.7 ppg/3.4 rpg.

SG Stan Victor – SR – 83 OVR – 86 speed/81 quickness. 82 defense/83 steals. 87 close/83 med/88 3. 76 off the dribble/83 in traffic. 13.5 ppg so far this year, the off the dribble rating is good to see.

SF Rashad Sharp – JR – 69 OVR – 6'9”. Another PF playing SF. His skills for SF are weak, 67 defense, 83 close/63 med/49 3. 80 in traffic. Good leaper(71) and strength(66). 3.6 ppg, this is a weakness for them..

PF Jarrett McCleod – SR – 80 OVR – 6'9”, 89 orb/80 drb . 83 shot blocker, 75 post D, good vertical, good strength and great hustle. 87 post offense/90 close/86 in traffic. 12.9 ppg/7.5 rpg

C Terry Samuel – JR – 74 OVR – 7 feet tall. 80 orb/77 drb. 81 blocks(B). 75 post off/75 post def. 90 close/78 in traffic. 10.7 ppg this year, much improved from only 6 a game as a soph.

They only have 3 other players rated over 60. Their two best scorers from last year's team that beat me have graduated, Crandle, a great shooting SG, and Hess, an explosive SF that both killed me repeatedly for 4 years. Victor and McCleod are strong but I feel real good about this matchup.

This is a road test so that could present additional problems.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> MIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago scores the first 8 of the game before Miami gets on the board, and scores the first 11 for me... he's got 13 now and we're playing real well to start the game off, timeout miami.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, so far so good! Great defense and hot offense so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Victor has 10 of their 16 points. They call their 3^rd timeout of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 straight for Miami and we call a timeout, getting the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it as low as 6 and we get it up to 10 again... half ends with an 8 point difference. They shoot 12-27 from the field, 2-8 from 3, 6-9 at the line. Victor scores 12, Sharp 6, no one else more than 4.


We are 13-26 from the field, 4-10 from 3 and 10-12 at the line. We've got a small edge on the boards. Santiago has 17(4-8 from 3), McCully has 10, and no one else has more than 4. Keller has 7 boards. They withstood what could have been a game ending stretch midway through the first half and are within striking distance. We need to come out strong in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Whoa, injury to Victor. No idea on the duration yet. They can't come back without him though. Murphy has 3 fouls on our end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Much slower start to the second half. Grundy with 2 turnaround jumpers in the post and we hang on to our 10 point lead. Timeout miami.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 8 more in a row and go up 18, they finally hit a bucket and I go ahead and call a timeout, the backups were ready to come in around the 14 minute mark... Victor is back in for them, minor injury.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The backups go off, 11-2 run to take a 25 point lead around the 10 minute mark. I go ahead and sim the rest.

Ohio 98
Miami OH 60

One of the coolest things i've seen visually towards the end there... Withers tips a pass into the post, its headed out of bounds, Mendoza dives out of bounds and saves it back in right to Withers. Withers turns and hits a streaking Barker past half court, Barker goes in for a dunk. Just very pretty to watch, very smooth.

Victor only ends up with 15, we just totally shut them down in the second half. Their Center Samuel with 10, no one else in double figures.

Murphy: 7 points/4 assists/3 steals
McCully: 16 points
Santiago: 28 points (5-10 from 3)
Grundy: 8 points/6 boards
Keller:8 points/13 boards

Mendoza: 13 points

[Radii]

We drop to #20 in the media poll. mid major poll for the week:

1. Kent State
2. Ohio
3. Manhattan
4. Drexel
5. MTSU

Nevada is "down" this year, 6 losses already and only #9 in the mid major poll.

Ball State #16, Miami OH #22.


Next up, Ball State, not really as good as you'd expect the #16 mid-major team to be(not that you expect greatness... but damn, 30 point losses to Bowling Green, Kent State and Miami each).

Revenge game.

[Radii]

January 25, 2017

Ball State (13-7, 3-3 MAC) at #20 Ohio (19-2, 6-0 MAC)

This isn't the same team that has owned us over the last 2 or 3 seasons. But, its still Ball State. 77 OVR (78 off/76 def/82 sht/85 reb). They return only 1 starter from last year's team, and two backups who are good shooters and whose names I recognize even off the bench in past season(s).

Scouting

PG Brendan McCarthy – SO – 71 OVR – 86 speed/84 quickness. Poor ball handling(77/D). 78 close/70 med/85 3. Terrible off the dribble, he was better off the bench being set up from 3, we'll see how he does starting. 11.2 ppg/3.1 apg.

SG Happy Hoyer – SR – 73 OVR – 86 speed/81 quickness. 84 defense. 85 close/67 med/75 3/78 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Hoyer isn't nearly the starter that Edelin was last year, but he can get hot from 3. 14.1 ppg so far this year, leading the team.

SF Fab Minoff – SR – 82 OVR – their 1 returning starter. Minoff has hurt us badly in the past. 82 speed/85 quickness. 85 defense/71 steals. 88 close/83 med/66 3. 86 in traffic, 85 vert/79 hustle, he's good with the ball and attacks the basket hard. 11.9 ppg/7.2 rpg so far this year.

PF Max Burns – SO – 67 OVR – Natural SF. 71 orb/71 deb. 61 post offense/74 post defense. 81 close/78 in trafic. Not at all built to play PF. 6 ppg.

C Alberto Tyler – SO – 66 OVR - 6'9” PF, 76 orb/75 drb. 69 post off/60 post d. 86 close/83 in traffic. A rather terrible basketball player for this level. 5 ppg/4 rpg.

They have a backup PF rated 60 OVR, and a backup PG rated 71. That's it. They're dead.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> They've hit 3 3's. We just have 2. I call a timeout as I struggle to break their press without a held ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get the backups in. Santiago with 3 3's and a 3 point play, his 12 points is driving everything so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We slowly pull ahead, Mendoza hits 2 3 pointers and we play some good defense at times and get some fast breaks off long rebounds. Starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy has our last 4, Santiago another 3.. up 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 6 straight to cut it to 4, and it stays there the rest of the half. Each team shoots 51%. Minoff leads them with 11, McCarthy and Hoyer both with 9... They're only 3-12 from 3, 8-10 at the line.


We're 7-18 from 3, 4-7 from the line. Santiago is 5-9 from 3 and has 18 points. Grundy with 6, Mendoza with 6. We have a 17-13 edge on the boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with a 3, they fumble away the ball trying to beat our press, and Murphy rather quickly hits another 3. 10 point lead, 6^th man boost and we're off to a good start to the 2^nd half1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 53-44 and they score 6 straight to cut the lead back down. I get a timeout, their last bucket was a rather aggressive jam by Minoff, who now has 16 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully picks up fouls #3 and #4 in fairly quick succession, and comes out fo the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, we'd run the lead up to 9 but Minoff with a 3 to cut it back down. I have to call a timeout to get the backups in, the starters are a bit gassed at this point.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt goes down with an injury after driving hard to the basket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers with our last 4 points and we're up 5, timeout Ball State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are coming back in, with all the timeouts they're ready. McCully's in with 4, if he fouls out Mendoza can go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Minoff with another 3 and they lead by 2. God I hate ball state.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy ties it up and Santiago puts us back on top with a 3. 6^th man boost for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> A FT, an empty trip as Murphy misses a 3, and alayup back on their end and they score 3 straight to tie it back up. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with a jumper at the FT line, we're up 2, timeout ball state.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> They tie it up, McCully misses on a drive after we work trying to find something open and pretty much fail. McCarthy hits a 3 on their end, he's got 19 and we're down 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over and foul them(not intentionally) as they set up their offense... down 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully with a bucket on our end. McCully committs his 5^th foul to send them to the line. Mendoza comes in for him and they miss the front end of the 1 and 1, our ball, down 3.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I call a timeout because the CPU subbed in Barker when McCully fouled out, so I get a TO to set my lineup the way I want it. And... throw the inbounds pass away trying to be sneaky and get a qucik 3 point attempt by Santiago. We foul but they make their Fts and we do not make our 3's.

Ball State 90
Ohio 82

So who saw this coming? Pretty much everyone? Yeah....

McCarthy scores 23... 4-6 from 3. Hoyer scores 18. Minoff 26 including 4 3's despite a rating under 70. They're 31-57 from the field. 8-23 from 3(which means they were 23-34 from 2 point range).

McCully is wholly ineffective again today. I try to get my bigs going and Grundy does alright, shooting 5-10 inside, but Keller is 2-6. Withers is solid for the backups, 3-3 for 6 points. But we didn't use him enough. Murphy, who has been so good recently in our big wins, lays an egg today, shooting 2-11 from 3.

Murphy: 8 points
McCully: 6 points
Santiago: 29 points
Grundy: 10 points/12 boards
Keller: 4 points/11 boards

Mendoza: 8 points
Withers: 6 points

[Radii]

We sim our next one, a home game vs a 6-14 Akron team.

Jan 28, 2017

at Ohio 77
Akron 53

Santiago 15, Murphy 15, Keller 13 in the win.


We fall to #21 in the nation after the loss, not bad.

Mid Major #1 is Kent State. Mid MAjor #2 is Ohio.

Kent State and Ohio are tied for 1st in the MAC at the halfway point, both teams are 7-1.

Our next game? Kent State at Ohio. The winner of this game would be expected to win the MAC.

[Radii]

January 31, 2017

#18 Kent State (20-2, 7-1 MAC) at #21 Ohio (20-3, 7-1 MAC)

Well our starting PF and highest rated player, Bright, is out for this game... he's back in 1 more day. But we seem to have the edge in the injury department. Both Bowden and Maye, their starting PF and starting C, are out. Our backups are much higher quality inside than theirs too. As long as they have Parsons/Holland/Montgomery they are a scary team to face regardless. But, we do seem to have a slightly bigger edge from the inside game.

Scouting

PG R. Parsons – SR – 74 OVR – 87 speed/81 quickness. Outstanding defender(89), not a steals guy so that's good. 79 close/76 med/73 3, not great but can't leave him open. 83 off the dribble. 10.5 Parsons has become a very good ball handler(89, B rating for a PG, but we don't see that often in the MAC).

SG Theodore Holland – SR – 76 OVR – A 3 point shooting specialist, rated 88 from behind the arc. He doesn't look to do much else. 82 defense. 9.7 ppg.

SF Logan Montgomery – SR – 83 OVR – 83 speed/84 quickness, good for a SF. 84 vertical/81 hustle, both exceptional. 79 defensive awareness, almost unheard of for this level. Good defense for a SF(85), 88 close/75 med/81 3, 80 off the dribble, 90 in traffic. 14.5 ppg so far this season.

PF Odie Bonfim – SO – 67 OVR – 6'11” - 77 orb/80 drb, 72 post off/67 post def. 82 close/81 in traffic. 2.6 ppg

C Jonpaul Withers – FR – 67 OVR – 6'10” - 80 orb/76 drb. 74 post off/68 post def. 82 close/82 in traffic. He'll improve but for now we have an edge over him no matter who we put out there. 2.7 ppg.

We have a nice edge inside now, but they still have 4 good scorers, the other 3 starters and backup SG Laws. Montgomery scored 27 the first time we played.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> KSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Montgomery has 7, Holland 4 as they pull out ahead early. Santiago has 3 and is 1-3 from 3, Grundy with 3 also but we're not very effective so far against their 2-3 zone.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 straight from Northcutt cut the lead down to 2. Timeout Kent State
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers got the ball in seemingly good position a number of times and missed 4 shots in a row. He's hard to figure out, good post offense, but poor close/traffic ratings. Sometimes I can hit hooks and turnarounds with him well, sometimes not. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We score a 3 to make it 26-25, they score 6 straight and go up by 7, and we close it out with the last 4 of the half.. Its a close 3 point game at the half. Holland is killing us inside, he has 11 points, drives to the hoop/backdoor cuts, he's rated 88 from 3 so we have to play him tight, but he's good at using that to his advantage. Montgomery has 7. Their PF Bonfim is having a big day, 6 points/9 boards at the half already.


We've got a hard 8 from Santiago, 6 out of Northcutt and 5 from Grundy. Santiago is 3-8 from the field/2-5 from 3. They have a 21-15 edge on the boards thanks to Bonfim, that's the main difference so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Keller with fouls #3 and #4 in quick succession... Withers in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 by Murphy and a steal by Santiago trigger a 6^th man bonus, Santiago misses the tying shot though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> They throw away a pass intended for a big man inside, McCully out on the run, he fakes out Parsons, goes by him for a dunk and draws the foul! FT is good and we're up 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Our bigget lead of the game. Santiago heats up and hits 2 3's in a row, then McCully gets out on the break for 4 straight with a couple misses and steals in between and we push out to our biggest lead. Timeout Kent State. This is our 3^rd 6^th man bonus of the half so our starters are in good shape.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Defense is still playing great, and Withers with a big standing dunk to make it 7, another Kent State timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Go go defense!! Murphy with a transition 3 and McCully with another basket, yet another timeout kent state.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> This is easily the longest stretch i've ever played one squad for. The starters are finally tired and need to sit after 14:20 in the 2^nd half. Assuming we hang on to the lead the backups will close out the game for us. Keller is in at center with his 4 fouls.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They cut it down to 9 with 4 minutes left... 68-59. We score 5 straight over the next 2 minutes and then run the clock out.

Ohio 78
Kent State 61

The matchup was more favorable for us than the first meeting in the preseason NIT, but, we still had to take care of business. The MAC title is now ours to lose.


Holland with 17, Montgomery with 13 for them. Their backup PF had a great day with 10 points and 13 boards.

Murphy: 6 points
McCully: 15 points
Santiago: 18 points (4-10 from 3)
Grundy: 7 points/11 boards
Keller: 10 points/6 boards

Northcutt: 9 points

Great win!

[Radii]

Next up we travel to Toledo, expecting to win a simmed one easily.

Feb 4, 2017

Ohio 85
at Toledo 64

Santiago 18, Northcutt 14, Murphy 12, Grundy 11.


We jump to #17 in the media poll. Kent State falls out of the poll. We're the only mid-major represented now. We still are not in the coaches poll.

Mid-Major Poll:

1. Ohio
2. Kent State
3. MTSU
4. Drexel
5. Pepperdine

Ball State #12

Next up is a road trip to Bowling Green. They're only 11-10 and 4-6 in MAC play, but they are the highest rated team left on our schedule.

[Radii]

Lloyd Bright is back from his injury. I get him back into the starting lineup, but do not expect much right away. His confidence is totally shot. A pep talk gets him up to 54%.

February 7, 2017

#17 Ohio (21-3, 9-1 MAC) at Bowling Green (11-10, 4-6 MAC)

Bowling Green is rated 79 OVR (77 off/79 def/80 ht/84 reb/84 coach). They've been down lately and I haven't played out a game against them recently so I don't really know these players.

Scouting

PG Alan Mayes – FR – 67 OVR – 87 speed/82 quicknes. 81 defense, poor steals, poor handles, poor passer. 76 close/71 med/72 3/81 in traffic. Just 4.8 ppg/2.7 apg. Not someone I'm worried about.

SG Jean Goss – SR – 82 OVR – 90 speed/84 quicknes/88 vert/79 hustle. All outstanding. 83 defense/77 steals. 93 close/75 med/73 3/81 off the dribble/83 in traffic. 17.7 ppg and he'll shoot/drive from anywhere. He's currently leading the MAC in scoring, 2^nd is a full 1.6ppg behind him.

SF Lavell Pait – SR – 72 OVR – 80 speed/76 quicknes, average for a SF. 81 defense is good for a SF. 88 close/63 med/64 3. 83 in traffic. Not a threat from outside so he'll be realying on his ability to get the ball inside. 8 ppg/5.4 rpg.

PF Jair Watkins – SO – 76 OVR – dual 7 footers. 82 orb/86 drb. 82 post off/75 post def. 87 close/82 in traffic. Watkins was freshman of the year last year and has A- potential. He seems a serious threat to win MAC player of the year before he's done. Not this year... but with that size, talent so far and potential, he'll be amazing his senior year. 10.8 ppg/7.2 rpg this year so far.

C Ferdinand Whitehead – JR – 79 OVR – 7 feet tall, always scary to see this talent and 7 foot size paired together. 80 orb/75 drb. 79 post off/83 post def. 89 close/89 in traffic. Great strength(82) hustle (87), dunking, awareness ... the kid can play. 11.1 ppg/6.0 rpg. I expect him to do more against us.

Well their starting lineup is pretty damn good. Their big men are flat out better than mine, talent and size is a scary combo. But, they have no depth. They have a 6'9” backup center. That's it. Everyone else off the bench is rated below 60.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BGSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully with 9, he's carrying us so far. Santiago missed his first 4 shots before sinking a 3 finally. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Its back and forth for a few trips, Goss hits a 3 that puts them up 5 and we haven't caught up any in the last couple minutes. Starters are back in to finish off the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Very frustrating finish to the half. We get it down to 2 and they score the last 8 of the half... 2 3's by their PG, Mayes, and a post bucket from Whitehead. They are 3-14 from 3... only 5 free throws attempted, 17-38 from the field. We are worse. 1-14 from 3. 10-30 from the field. We do draw some fouls and are 10-11 from the line. Santiago is 1-8 from 3, just not his day. McCully has 13, Withers 6 off the bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> They score to open the half, Bright with a miss, they board and get a 6^th man boost going. Keller with a foul on an inide shot, 1-2 from the line for them and we trail by 13.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up 15 on a bucket by their center, Whitehead. Santiago hits a 3, McCully with a 3 point play and its back down to 9, and its been back and forth since then. Whitehead is really coming up big for them today, he has 17.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright with a bucket in low, they turn it over and Murphy draws a foul and scores on the other end. Timeout Bowling Green as we get it down to 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We've had it as low as 3, they've pushed it back as high as 7. Its 5 right now. Santiago is still not really hot but he has a couple 3's now and 13 points. I call a timeout though to get my backups in, starters were ready to come out about 13:30.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy and Withers score inside, a couple defensive stops, and Mendoza drains an open 3, giving us the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers gets his 10^th point in low, he's doing real well in the post when i've gotten him the ball. I find him again and he attacks the rim and is fouled... and hurt. Keller come in to shoot free throws for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:16
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> We're hanging on to a 3-6 point lead here. McCully and Santiago coming up big time and time again for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago beats his man but a center inside alters his shot as he drives and his layup rolls off the front rim. The rebound gives Bowling Green a 6^th man boost and they're on the run. They throw a bad pass and turn it back over though, and I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over against their press and Whitehead gets an easy basket inside, his 21^st point. And another 6^th man boost for them,and another timeout by me.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Two more possessions without a shot for us... a turnover on the inbounds after our timeout, but we play good defense and they fail to score. A drive by Murphy on our next trip results in a turnover and they go down and score and we trail by 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We run our offense and cannot get a good shot. With 5 seconds left on the shot clock, we throw it to Santiago, he puts a move on his man and takes an 18 foot jumper with 1 second left on the shot clock, GOOD. We're up 1. timeout BGSU. This is what House used to do for us, albeit in slightly different fashion, but for the first time in 2 seasons, we've got a go to scorer when we need something good to happen down the stretch.


I bring Withers in for Bright to finish off the game. Bright has had a rough game his first back from injury, and Withers is our best post player, just another option for points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Maybe I shouldn't have brought Withers in.... Goss takes a 3, there's a high bouncing rebound, Watkins(their PF) skies seemingly OVER Withers and dunks it without coming down with the ball. I've never seen anything like that. They go up 1, 6^th man boost, timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> We work the ball around the perimeter, Murphy gets his man in the air, drives and hits a little fingerroll, we're up 1, their ball.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

“Ethical” dilemma here. They throw the ball away, Keller picks up the loose ball with 39 seconds left... 4 second differential, we're up 1. they're not going to foul, I've run into this onetime before, it seems to occur with 35-40 seconds left on the clock only. Take advantage and run the clock out, or run your offense like normal? I go ahead and run my offense Murphy get a good look with 15 seconds left, he misses. They go down and shoot a 3 with 6 seconds left, no good. Keller rebound, he's fouled, sinks 2 free throws, and we come away with a win.

Ohio 82
Bowling Green 79

Their Center had one of the stronger inside performances i've seen from the CPU. 21 points/9 rebounds on 10-16 shooting. Goss was cold, only 10 points(2-8 from 3).

Murphy: 10 points/3 assists
McCully: 19 points
Santiago: 18 points
Bright: 3 points/10 boards
Keller: 8 points/7 boards

Withers: 10 points/5 boards

Santiago was 4-12 from 3. Keller was 2-7, rough day. He just seems bad in the post, but these were strong big men inside to go up against. It's the freshman, Withers, who seems to do best with his back to the basket. 5-9 for his 10 points.

[Radii]

We close the week with an easy one against Northern Illinois.

Feb 12, 2017

at Ohio 92
N. Illinois 86

Well then, an easy one that wasn't so easy. NIU rated 70 OVR, 6-18 on the season... whew. Wow. Overtime. They led 47-40 at the half, we win the 2nd half 38-31 and finish them in OT.

santiago with 19, Grundy 13, Bright 12... god I would have not been pleased to lose a simmed game to freaking northern illinois.


We move up to #15 in the media poll. The coaches poll continues to shun the mid majors.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Ohio (24-3)
2. Kent State (21-5)
3. Drexel (20-5)
4. Pepperdine 20-5)
5. UC Irvine (19-5)

Ball State is up to #9.


With just a few weeks left in the season, bracketology is out. I expect a high seed. And, at this point I appear to be in position to be rewarded with one. Ohio is projected to be a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament as of right now. Kent State would earn an at large and a 9 seed. Ball State's RPI is 50, they're on the bubble but projected to be out as of now. When they beat Ohio yet again in the MAC tournament I'm sure they'll make it in(god if that happens I will cry).



Quick recruiting update:

The 4* SG we're going hard after, Jimenez, now has an offer from Central Florida. He has for awhile actually. UCF looks to have him in the 95% range right now with 2 weeks to go. I'm assuming they've used all their visits. It will be interesting to see if they can get him to 100%. And if they do, will he immediately switch over to them and sign or will he favor us. He wants to saty near home and he's from Tampa so I figure we lose him. But our success seems to have an impact and we've had him at 100% since mid-december.

We've finally settled our backup target. I had offered a second 3* guard, but after 3 weeks of spending time with him, NC State offered him a scholarship, so I had to drop off there and go to my 3rd attempt to fill that extra guard spot I have open. We're up to 95% on a PG from Oregon in the top 150 overall. He has no other offers yet and we've still got a visit left. Utah might be interested, but they've only got 2 weeks left to offer him.

And lastly we're going after a 6'11" PF, #285 who looks to be an outstanding rebounder (B- orb/B drb, I'd expect freshman numbers in the low-mid 80s... 82/85 maybe, with lot of room to grow). because of the clusterfuck going on with our other targets we haven't been able to use all our visits with him til now. He's only at 85%, and he likes Evansville(he's from Tennessee). It seems Evansville will likely decide whether we land him or not.


I'll almost certainly go into offseason recruiting with 2 guys at 100% that I will land or lose on day 1.

[Radii]

going into our next game(against western michigan) I use 2 more pep talks. Another for Bright who is finally back in game shape after his injury, and one for Mendoza who always seems to be in a slow slide.

Barker, backup PG, has a day to day injury. My backups run close enough together though that I am going to sit him. Mendoza at PG, Northcutt SG, Garcia SF, and the two 7 footers for backups.

[Radii]

February 15, 2017

#15 Ohio (24-3, 11-1 MAC) at Western Michigan (9-15, 5-7 MAC)

This is similar to our last game... a road contest at a team we should beat, but who is not as bad as their record shows and could scare us.

WMU is rated 77 OVR (79 off/75 def/78 sht/78 reb/87 coach).

With development we have finally gained an overall ratings point on our roster strength page... 85 OVR (85 off/83 def/88 sht/89 reb/80 coach). Probably because we've had an extra scholarship.. and have had to go to multiple backup targets, we've had to use a lot more coaching visits this year, and it seems to have slightly, but noticeably, slowed player development.

Scouting

PG Shawan Whitaker – SR – 71 OVR – 91 speed/84 quickness. Awful defender, 79 def. 81 close/72 med/66 3. 82 off the dribble which is solid, buthe doesn't seem to have anything else to go with it to make him scary at all. 7.4 ppg nonetheless

SG Demetrieus Mayer – JR– 75 OVR - 85 speed/80 quickness, not that good really, C- quickness. 84 defense/79 steals, not bad at all. 89 close/74 med/84 3, 73 off the dribble/74 in traffic. 8 ppg/5.4 rpg. Great shooting but terrible at creating his own shot it would appear.

SF LJ Haigler – SO – 70 OVR – 6'7, a larger SF. 79 defese/64 steals. 87 close/73 med/68 3. terrible off the dribble, even more terrible in traffic. 58 defensive awareness... horrible. 6.9 ppg/4.4 rpg. We should own this guy.

PF Harrison Mark – JR – 67 OVR – only 6'7”. 66 orb/69 drb... those are SF or even SG numbers. 74 post offense/72 post defense. 82 close/80 in traffic. Laughable, I'm surprised he's not rated wore than 67. 4.6 ppg. He's a JC Transfer so this is his first year.

C Cornelio Bernard – SR – 72 OVR – 6'11” 78 orb/83 drb, 79 post off/76 post def. Not much of a shot blocker. Strong, 76 str (B+). 84 close/86 in traffic, which is about average. 11.7 ppg/5.8 rpg, a large increase over last season.

They have some decent depth. Backup Center Edwin Christy off the bench scores 10 ppg.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> WMU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups in. We spend 4 minutes working our way out to a 9-0 start to the game. Then they score 6 in about 15 seconds... and they're shooting very well since, keeping it close.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> They call a timeout. This is going to be a very high scoring game I think. At least for Ohio. Whether WMU can keep up remains to be seen..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> It seems unlikely they can keep up. Starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> I lead 46-30 and allow them to finish the half on a 9-2 run, pressing too hard to get it up to where I'm willingn to mercy rule game since things were flowing so well for awhile. They get 13 from SG Mayer, 8 from C Bernard, and 7 from PG Whitaker.


I have 13 from McCully, 8 from Santiago though its a rough 8 again, 1-8 from 3 in the process. Northcutt and garcia keyed our big run with the backups with 8 and 7 respectively.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright with his 4^th foul. Withers in. The offense seems to be flowing well again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> 3 by Santiago, deuce from Keller and they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We get the lead up to 25 before the 13 minute mark and I go ahead and sim this one out.

Ohio 95
Western Michigan 79

Murphy: 2 points/5 assists
McCully: 17 points
Santiago: 20 points
Bright: 4 points/9 boards
Keller: 12 points/7 boards

Garcia: 9 points

Mendoza, Northcutt and Grundy all score 8

[Radii]

Next is our simmed game against Central michigan, a terrible 6-17.

Feb 25, 2017

at Ohio 97
Central michigan 75

Keller 19 points/11 boards. Santiago 18, Murphy 11. grundy 14/Northcutt 11 off the bench.


Our next game is against 74 rated Buffalo. Final game against 76 rated E. Michigan. We'd normally sim the first, play the second. But if we win the first, or Miami OH loses their game that day, we clinch the MAC regular season title. Assuming we do that, I'm simming the last game too to get into the tournament.


Feb 28, 2017

Ohio 84
at Buffalo 62


Santiago 19, Grundy 14, Murphy 11. Easy win.



The final day of the regular season we travel to Eastern Michigan, they're not bad so a loss on the road wouldn't surprise me here.

Mar 5, 2017

Ohio 76
at E. Michigan 63

Yeah, no losses here. Keller 23 points, Bright 11, Grundy 10.


Going into conference tournament week, we are now ranked #14 in the media poll. We remain the only mid-major ranked at all. We finally break into the coaches poll as well, currently ranked #21 there.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Ohio (28-3)
2. Kent State (23-7)
3. Pepperdine (25-7)
4. Drexel (23-8)
5. UC Irvine (23-6)

Ball State #18, Miami OH finishes the season very strong and is back in at #22.


Final MAC Standings

1. Ohio 15-1
2. Miami OH 13-3
3. Kent State 10-6
4. Ball State 10-6
5. Buffalo 9-7
6. W. Michigan 8-8
7. Bowling Green 7-9
8. E. Michigan 6-10
9. Akron 6-10
10. Toledo 5-11
11. C. Michigan 5-11
12. N. Illinois 2-14


MAC First Round

9. Akron 66
8. E. Michigan 62

5. Buffalo 87
12. N. Illinois 42

11. C. Michigan 68
6. W. michigan 58

7. Bowling Green 102
10. Toledo 52

Yes, 102-52. Go Bowling Green?

MAC Quarterfinals

1. Ohio
9. Akron

4. Ball State
5. Buffalo

3. Kent State
11. C. Michigan

2. Miami OH
7. Bowling Green


Some notes:

Kent State's two big men missed a full month of play. They imploded a bit in February, their loss to us was the start of a 2-5 stretch. Losses to Ohio, Buffalo, Ball State, Bowling Green and Miami OH.

Miami OH on the other hand, lost to us and then Buffalo 2 games in a row and was 5-2 in the MAC at the time. They finished very strong, going 8-1 in their last 9, including a 13 point win over Bowling Green, a 9 point win over Kent State and a 7 point win on the road at Ball State.


Aside from Ball State, Kent State and some road games where the other teams' crowd was up for them to try to beat us, we really just mowed through the MAC. I don't want to gloss over or understate how good this team is or how strong this season has been.

We are 15-1 in MAC play. Our only loss was a close contest against our nemesis, Ball State. We are 28-3 overall. Our only non conference losses were at Syracuse, a team that is 26-4 themselves and in the top 10, a team with a very real shot at a 1 seed... and Boston College, not nearly as strong but still a respectable ACC School with a top 100 RPI.

I'll repeat that b/c it is pretty cool to type out. We are 28-3 entering the postseason.

Now, to go kill Akron and shamelessly root against Ball State. I'm fine with winning the MAC without seeing them again ;)

[Radii]

March 9, 2017 - MAC Quarterfinals

(1) Ohio (28-3, 15-1 MAC) vs (9) Akron (10-20, 6-10 MAC)

Well, Akron was rated 77 or so when I simmed a game against them earlier in the year I believe. Though it was in the same 2 game cycle where we faced Ball State so it was getting simmed anyway... but damn, they have improved, or had an injury or something.

Akron: 80 OVR (80 off/80 def/81 sht/77 reb/86 coach). 77 rebounding is always nice to see in an opponent.

Scouting

PG Toby Warner – SR – 80 OVR – 96 speed/90 quickness(wow). 88 defene/74 steals. 85 hands/88 passing(real good). 84 close/76 med/78 3/83 off the dribble. 73 clutch if it comes down to the end too. 11.5 ppg/4.5 apg.

SG Godwin Washburn – FR – 75 OVR – 87 speed/80 quickness. 85 defense/80 steals... 92 close/78 med/71 3. 84 off the dribble/76 in traffic. Well, we need to keep him away from the rim no matter what. Just 7.5 ppg this year so far. Only C- potential but still 75 as a freshman with some great skills... he's going to be good.

SF Curry Bouma – SR – 79 OVR – 6'6” - great rebounding for a SF. 83 drb. 76 post off/73 post def. 86 close/72 med/71 3/81 off the dribble/87 in traffic. 85 vertical and strong as well. 11.5 ppg/4.9 rpg.
PF Shema Day – JR – 72 OVR – 6'8” - 75 orb/71 drb, awful. 73 post off/73 post def, not very good. 90 close/82 in traffic. 79 mid range so he can step out and hit jumpers too. 7.6 ppg/4.5 rpg.

C Esmond Jolly – SO – 69 OVR – Yes, Esmond. Not Desmond. 69 orb/82 drb. Average on the defensive glass. Only 6'8”. 77 post off/79 post def. 81 close/79 in traffic. Seems very weak. 5.9 ppg/4.6 rpg.

They only have these 4 starters rated over 70, but they do go 8 deep rated 65+. Their backups don't seem that skilled though, the big men aren't any beter on the boards, and the guards aren't good shooters. Warner/Washburn/Bouma though... that's a very tough combo. They run a 2-3 defense and that has given us fits if we're not shooting well.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> AKR
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> They have 5 from Bouma, 4 from Washburn, both layups in traffic. Murphy has 2 3's for us. Santiago is cold once again today, 0-3 from 3. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Akron. It was 12-9 around the 15 minute mark, we've been cold but they're colder.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. Almost all their baskets are coming from inside the paint, either post buckets(not usually) or more often a guard cutting into the lane and hitting a layup, we're not getting in the passing lanes well today(also Warner is a great great passer).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We steal 3 passes in a row and run off 6 straight, taking a 10 point lead. Keller scores 4 of the 6 and his last bucket triggers the 6^th man for us. Timeout Akron.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Its a slow increase but we seem to be controlling things, another timeout Akron.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> They're only shooting 30% from the field, 10-31. We're awful from 3, 2-14, but our runs come from steals/blocks and missed shots, we're getting a lot of easy baskets/fouls in transition.


Murphy leads us with 8, Keller with 6, Northcutt with 6. Lots of guys with 4. Santiago is 0-6 from 3, he's really been cold lately.


Washburn leads them with 8, Bouma 5. We have a small(21-18) edge on the boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Fairly high scoring start to the 2^nd half compared to the first... its even so far though which works fine for us. Timeout Akron.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that happened fast. Santiago hit his first 3, Keller with another couple buckets, McCully in transition and most importantly we play good defense down low and stop a few of their drive and shots from dropping, allowing us to get on a big run. We've been up as much as 24. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We score 5 more in a row and in the interest of playing Ball State right now if they win I sim the rest.

Ohio 97
Akron 63

Murphy: 17 points/5 assists
McCully: 15 points
Santiago: 18 points (1-8 from 3)
Bright: 8 points/9 boards
Keller: 14 points/9 boards

Northcutt with 14 off the bench.
Grundy: 9 points/9 boards

[Radii]

MAC Quarterfinals

1. Ohio 97
9. Akron 63

4. Ball State 90
5. Buffalo 50

3. Kent State 81
11. C. Michigan 65

7. Bowling Green 81
2. Miami OH 77


MAC Semifinals

1. Ohio
4. Ball State

3. Kent State
7. Bowling Green

Bowling Green with the upset of the hot team on the other side of the bracket, Miami. Here comes Ball State again.

[Radii]

March 10, 2017 – MAC Semifinals

(1) Ohio (29-3, 15-1 MAC) vs (4) Ball State (21-10, 10-6 MAC)

With a few losses Ball State's RPI is down to 71 and they have fallen off the bubble. If they want to go dancing they need to win the tournament.

Scouting

PG Brendan McCarthy – SO – 72 OVR – 86 speed/84 quickness. Poor ball handling(77/D). 78 close/70 med/85 3. Terrible off the dribble, he was better off the bench being set up from 3, we'll see how he does starting. 11.2 ppg/3.1 apg.

SG Happy Hoyer – SR – 74 OVR – 86 speed/81 quickness. 84 defense. 85 close/67 med/75 3/78 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Hoyer isn't nearly the starter that Edelin was last year, but he can get hot from 3. 14.1 ppg so far this year, leading the team.

SF Fab Minoff – SR – 83 OVR – their 1 returning starter. Minoff has hurt us badly in the past. 82 speed/85 quickness. 85 defense/71 steals. 88 close/83 med/66 3. 86 in traffic, 85 vert/79 hustle, he's good with the ball and attacks the basket hard. 11.9 ppg/7.2 rpg so far this year.

PF Max Burns – SO – 68 OVR – Natural SF. 71 orb/71 deb. 61 post offense/74 post defense. 81 close/78 in trafic. Not at all built to play PF. 6 ppg.

C Alberto Tyler – SO – 67 OVR - 6'9” PF, 76 orb/75 drb. 69 post off/60 post d. 86 close/83 in traffic. A rather terrible basketball player for this level. 5 ppg/4 rpg.

The last time we met, we led by 10 on two different occasions, 41-31 with 4 minutes left in the half and 51-41 early in the second half. It took most of the second half but they took the lead with about 6 minutes left. We led with 2:10 left, they took the lead around the 1 minute mark, and we blew it with a turnover with 45 seconds left and let them sink free throws to beat us.

It was their backcourt again. Minoff, Hoyer and McCarthy all scored between 18 and 26 points. We have to slow down their scorers today.

Also, McCully was worthless against their 3-2 zone. He couldn't draw fouls when he got to the basket. There are holes in the middle of that 3-2 defense, if I can get McCully set up right he's got an 89 mid-range rating.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Minoff has 6. McCarthy just picked Murphy and took it all the way for a layup, 6^th man boost for Ball State. Its their second one, they got an alley-oop to Minoff to go up 5-1 about 80 seconds in for the first one. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago has a 3, Bright a deuce, Keller a free throw. That is our entire offense so far. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt gets us 5 straight after falling behind 20-6. Minoff gets them 4 straight to make it 24-11. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt scores every single point for the backups. He has 12, including an open 3 from an inside out look. Sadly the defense sucks. We just forced a terrible shot, allowed an offensive board and Garcia fouls their big man from behind as he lays it up... 3 point play. Starters are back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with our last 5 points and the defense is playing the best its played today(or they're just cold arbitrarily, which is possible). Either way, its a 7 point game and they call a timeout. They had Minoff and McCarthy on the bench during this run, they're back in, lets see what happens.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We cut it to 6 at one point, they just scored 7 straight though. Minoff has 18, he hit back to back 3's for them, McCarthy just got an easy layup to make it 13 again and I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We manage the last 4 of the half and cut it under 10. Its standard ball state fair really. Minoff 18, McCarthy 9, Hoyer 8. They shoot 50%, we shoot 35%.


Our side of things is worrisome though. Santiago has 15. Northcutt has 12. The rest of the team is 2-13 from the field. Bright has 4 points, 2 from the line. And here's the thing that kills me with this team. Minoff is rated 69 from 3. After the confidence boost that makes him an 87 rated player on the court. Yet he's 3-5 from 3. What the hell do I do about that? And he does this every time we play. Its not unusual for him, I just treat him like he's this incredible 3 point shooter because he's going to make 5 against me.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a stop to open the 2^nd half. Santiago gets out on the run and is fouled attacking the hoop. He makes 1, misses 1, Keller gets the board and putback. Down 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago fouls Minoff on the other end. He makes the shot, and the free throw. 3 point play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> We had it down to 5. They score 6 straight. Minoff has 23 now. Murphy is 0-6, all wide open 3's. Why can't I get 2 starters to have good games at the same time when I play this team? I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Minoff with 5 in arow, including another 3. I don't get it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters sit. 3 starters have 3 fouls(murphy, santiago, bright) and we have 6 fouls in the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Minoff just caught the ball on the wing, did a spin move and dunked from about 6 feet out over 3 guys including Grundy. Dear lord. 33 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Mendoza hits a 3. We're on pace for 80. We just can't keep up if we run, and can't stop them if we slow it down. Seriously I'm out of ideas. We can't play a 2-3 zone against a team with 3 3 point shooters. I've found other zones to be incredibly weak against the 3 too, even the 3-2. But if we play man they just drive/cut and get layup after dunk after laypu, with 3's mixed in. I've got nothing.


I started in tight defense on all their shooters. I backed off to auto on Minoff. I am trying something new. Loose defense on their entire backcourt. If they can make 3's they win. Or I try something else I guess. But their driving and cutting hurts us worse and more consistently.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Garcia with a layup, Mendoza with another 3, and its back to 7 again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got it down to 3. three missed jump shots, one of them from like 12 feet out by McCarthy, and we draw fouls all 3 times. Unfortunately we go 2-4 on the first two, coulda been a 1 point game. Either way... 3 point game, 7:10 left. Timeout Ball State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 in a row for them, both teams with 6^th man bonuses. The last two was awful, I took a 3 from like 25 feet out with Mendoza by accident, trying to pump fake and he went up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt with 4 in a row on our end, and another missed FT, he had a 3 point play on one of this shots but culdn't convert. 6^th man might carry the backups to the end if I want. Murphy is playing terrible... Mendoza makes sense. Northcutt has 22 and is on fire. They're both staying in. I bring Santiago and Bright in for shooting and rebounding, Withers size stays out there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They score on their end, a post play by C Tyler. Mendoza misses an open 3, and they get Hoyer down low for an easy look.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> That was probably it. Mendoza with a drive, can't hit the layup. Minoff with another god damn 3. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 86
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt falls over dribbling by his man. Santiago misses 2 open 3's in a row. Minoff with two dunks. He has 40 now.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
So remember a couple seasons ago I had an incredible game where House made everything for a full 40 minutes and scored 48? Yeah, it turns out its not fun when the guy doing that is on the other team.

Ball State 96
Ohio 78

They graduated two great players last year but it turns out they didn't matter. They were just secondary options behind this SF.

SF Minoff: 17-21 FG, 6-8 FG, 5-7 FT. 45 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 blocked shot.

I mean, I'm tired of losing to Ball State, really. I can't believe I have all this talent, might get a 3 or a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and cannot beat this team. But today... I don't think I can complain. I just had a guy hang 45 on me. I just had a guy with a 69 3 point rating AFTER confidence boost in game shoot 6-8 from 3. That's just not beatable. No way no how.

McCarthy had 12 and Hoyer 15 to supplement Minoff.

There is some good news here. Minoff is a senior. I never have to face him again.

Murphy: 0 points (0-8 shooting)
McCully: 8 points
Santiago: 19 points (4-14 from 3)
Bright: 4 points
Keller: 3 points

Mendoza: 12 points
Northcutt: 26 points

I really have no explanation as to why Northcutt put up 26 points and I could only manage 8 from McCully.

[Radii]

MAC Semifinals

4. Ball State 96
1. Ohio 78

3. Kent State 76
7. Bowling Green 70


MAC Finals

4. Ball State 74
3. Kent State 67

No surprise at all. Luckily, this year it's Kent State that gets to worry.

[Radii]

Ohio is listed as a 3 seed in the final Bracketology. Ball State is projected to be a 12 seed. Kent State(25-8) is projected in as a 10 seed. 3 teams in the tournament for this conference after being a poor 1 bid conference when I joined is an imipressive thought. Kent State is a bubble team though.

NCAA Selection

We're #14 in the final poll.

Bubble teams

Kent State is listed here. Drexel, Utah State also make the list from mid-majors. Washington State and Rutgers are listed here with 19 wins and 13 losses each.

1 seeds:

East: Texas Tech
South: Texas A&M
Midwest: Clemson
West: Syracuse

hey hey, I lost to a 1 seed this year.


EAST Region

1. Texas Tech

Mid major powerhouse Pepperdine is the 9 seed here, playing BYU.

Duke and UCLA set up to meet in round two, 3 seed/6 seed.

Kent State is in! South Florida is #7 here, Kent State #10.

West Virginia is the 2 seed here.


South Region

1. Texas A&M

mid major powerhouse Nevada is a 9 seed here, playing St Joseph's.

Bubble team Rutgers is the 11 seed here, playing Indiana.

UNC is the 2 seed here.


Midwest Region

1. Clemson - 30 wins, ACC champs.

we're not in the midwest, must be heading out West. Haven't seen ball state either. Don't you dare fuck me, selection committee, with some BS 4/12 Ohio/Ball State matchup.

Louisville is the 2 seed here.

West Region

1. Syracuse

Ball State is the 12 seed in the West. They play 19-9 Baylor.


Va TEch is the 4 seed here, did we really hang on to a 3 seed even without winning our conference tournament??

Kansas earns the 6 seed, they play 11 seed Manhattan, one of the top mid-majors this year.

OHIO!!!!!!!!!

Ohio is the 3 seed in the West Region

We play American University.


Florida is the 2 seed here.



Big east gets 9 teams into the dance.

Pac 10, A-10, big 10 and MAC earn 3 bids. Clark Kellog informs us that "we have to take our hats off to the MAC, earning 3 bids out of a smaller conference".



American University has an RPI of 147. They are 17-12 overall, stinking it up in the Patriot League to the tune of a 6-8 conference record. They were the #6 team in their league, beating 3 seed Colgate, , 7 seed navy, and then upsetting 1 seed Bucknell 74-71.


Errm. American looks good. They have a senior PG rated 81 OVR, three players rated in the mid-70s. They're dragged down by a 57 rated power forward.

Oh. Those 4 players are their entire team. No one else on the team is rated over 57. Their backup PG is rated 50 OVR. Still if we can't get them in foul trouble to keep their stars off the court, it could be a closer game than I would like.



If we do beat American, our next opponent is most likely Kansas. Kansas is rated 93 OVR, has 4 player rated over 85, both their starting guards are coach on the floor caliber players. A daunting task to reach the sweet 16.

Manhattan, out of the MAAC,actually looks a fair bit like us at a high level glance, rated 85 OVR, they have 5 players rated in the same range we do.. except they ahve a superstar PG rated 86 OVR We obviously root for them to pull the upset.

We are the classic Gonzaga style 3 seed(sorry mid-major fans). We've played only a couple truly good teams all year, but we plaed just enough competition to look like a team that could go to the final four to someone who is only halfway paying attention. But its all smoke and mirrors. I *want* a sweet 16 appearance so badly for the coaching point, and simply for the advancement of the Ohio program. But I think its a long shot.

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on your best regular season yet. Now go get win #30.

If/when you leave Ohio and move onto a bigger program I think you should schedule Ball State every year until you feel that you have exacted a sufficient amount of revenge on their crappy school.

[RealDeal]

I predict an Elite Eight matchup between Ohio and Ball State.

[rjolley]

Congrats to Ohio!

Down with Ball State!

[Radii]

If/when you leave Ohio and move onto a bigger program I think you should schedule Ball State every year until you feel that you have exacted a sufficient amount of revenge on their crappy school.

It seems I might have to carry this dynasty out for the full 40 seasons to accomplish this at the rate I am going with them :) And yes, this is definitely the plan.

[Radii]

March 16, 2017 – NCAA First Round

(3) Ohio (29-4,) vs (14) American (17-12)

We're playing at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Wake Forest's home arena.

American is rated 75 OVR (75 off/74 def/76 sht/79 reb). I am worried about the way their talent is distributed, with 4 solid players but no bench. If those 4 solid players go 30+ minutes and play well we could be in for a tough matchup.

Scouting

PG Zach Fullove – SR – 81 OVR – 90 speed/84 quickness. 85 defense/78 steals. 91 hands/80 passing, both outstanding. 86 close/77 med/87 3. Yup, 87 3 point rating. 82 off the dribble. Incredible Offensive Awareness(81). Fullove was a 3* recruit(#167 overall) with just C- potential. American landed a gem here, I assumed he'd have been a transfer. His 3 point tendency is 100% maxxed out, Drive is pretty full too. This looks like the kind of PG who will bring the ball up court and just launch it if he's not closely guarded. 14.5 ppg.

SG Kirby Little – SR – 76 OVR – 87 speed/83 quickness. 81 defense/77 steals. A- ballhandling(87). 81 close/75 med/70 3. 83 off the dribble/77 in traffic. 88 hustle is very high. 5.9 ppg only this year, not the greatest shooter unless he can drive himself it appears.

SF Troy Videnov – SO – 74 OVR – 81 speed/80 quickness. He's 6'7” and a great rebounder for a SF (80 drb). 81 defense is solid for this position. 84 close/70 med/74 3. 81 in traffic, weaker off the dribble. Another guy with very good offensive awareness(77), not so much on defense. 6.5 ppg/4.5 rpg this year.

PF Jermaine Walls – FR – 57 OVR – 6'9”. He's a raw freshman who needs a lot of work. He won't likely get it, potential F. 73 orb/71 drb. 58 post defense, an F. 86 close/74 in traffic. 4 ppg/4 rpg.

C Andrius Tchana – SR – 74 OVR – 7 feet tall. 77 orb/83 drb. 79 post offense/72 post defense. 84 close/86 in traffic, 81 defensive awareness. One of the strongest players I've ever seen, 91 str. Tchana scores more than Fullove, 19 ppg/7 rpg, and he's willing to go up with the ball whenever he touches it as well. Damn. Tchana was a 2* recruit, #487 overall.

We certainly expect to win, but I am worried about huge days from Fullove and Tchana. With Santiago, McCully and Northcutt all really good slashers I hope to get Tchana in foul trouble attacking the basket.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> AU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, Videnov has 8 points, a 3, a 3 point play and a putback on an offensive board. They're in a 3-2 defense and we're struggling against it early, a couple bad passes and such. We've got a 3 from Murphy and a layup from Santiago for our only points. We'll start scoring, but its the defense that worries me.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago and Keller each have two fouls. We're struggling badly trying to attack. Tchana and Walls have two blocks each...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Starters aren't really tired yet, but I obviously need to change something, so the backups are in. Videnov has 12 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> We go on a very quick 9-2 run as their starters tire(I assume at least). Mendoza a 3, Garcia two fast break buckets and Northcutt two free throws. And, as Northcutt goes to the line, Videnov and Tchana come out of the game for American. Lets see if we can go on a crushing run with them on the bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> We're dominating their backups inside... withers and grundy have 4 each. But they just got a 3 from Fullove and a 3 from Little on back to back trips and lead by 7. They call a timeout and sit Fullove and Little, bringing back Videnov and Tchana.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Videnov 14 now, but we're scoring quite well now, i'm convinced they cannot keep this up and we'll find a run to break things open for us soon enough. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Yeah... that's not the right run guys. We've got 9 fouls, they 6. Santiago just committed his 3^rd and is sitting. Northcutt in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Fullove is on fire now and has 12, Videnov just got his 16^th. I can't attack wherever Tchana is down low. He has 4 blocks(6 for the team for them now). Urgh! I call a timeout and they sit Tchana and Videnov again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a 3 from Murphy as time expires in the first half to make it a 12 point game.


American University is shooting 65% from the field. Videnov is 7-10. Fullove is 5-8(just 1-4 from 3). Tchana is 3-5 and has 7 points. Little has 8. So their 4 solid player have 45 of their 55 points. None of them have more than 1 foul, many have 0. They are 21-32 from the field. They've drawn more fouls and are 10-12 at the line as well.


We're not shooting bad... 16-32, 4-12 from 3. Santiago is 0-4 from 3 and has 2 points. Murphy and McCully have 6 each. Garcia leads us with 8 points off the bench, and Northcutt has 6. We obviously need to play better defense in the second half.


Similar to minoff last game, I back off Videnov, loose defense, he'll have to beat me from 3. the other two, Little and Fullove, still tight.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that's a good start. Bright catches it in the paint, attacks, draws a foul on Tchana and scores, 3 point play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Videnov answers with a 3 immediately. We come right back down and Santiago nails a 3, then there is a long rebound after a quick shot on their end, Santiago with a layup, and its down to 7. 6^th man boost Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow, Tchana with his 3^rd foul. Murphy scored 4 straight then McCully with a drive, Tchana foul #2. next possession, Keller with an offensive board and Tchana with a reach. He sits. Fullove just hit a 3 to end a 6-0 run by us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Now they're on a 7-0 run. Bright misses two shots in deep against their 57 rated backups... Videnov scores his 23^rd point and PF Walls with a turnaround. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> All of a sudden we cannot guard small forwards. Videnov just hit a 3 to give him 26 on the game. I call a timeout and get the backups in. Our offensive is playing great, just cannot stop them for anything at all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> They sit Videnov and Little. Tchana is out too so their only threat right now is Fullove. We must make a run now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> Ok that was terrible. We score 4 in a row, lead down to 5. Fullove falls over trying to get by Mendoza in the press. Mendoza picks it up and misses an uncontested layup. They rebound it and get an easy deuce on the other end. We turn it over against their press and they score again right away... we had a wide open layup to make it a 3 point game, and 15 seconds later its back up to 9. I call a timeout to stop their 6^th man, and they get their starters back in. That went well, really.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 91
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get my starters back in. Videnov and Little each hit 3's right away. Not gonna win I don't think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 91
</td> <td width="68%"> Good news and bad. We score 6 straight, thanks to two Videnov 3 point misses triggering fast breaks for us. Bad news, McCully just went down with an injury drawing a foul on our last break. Mendoza comes in for him, I might change that to Northcutt, not yet though, I'd like the 3 point option, what with Santiago disappearing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 87
</td> <td width="7%"> 93
</td> <td width="68%"> Tchana foul #4. I leave Mendoza in as he and Murphy are my two best defenders.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 97
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago drives and has a shot blocked... they score 4 straight, Mendoza hits a 2 to answer, they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 90
</td> <td width="7%"> 99
</td> <td width="68%"> Tchana fouls out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 93
</td> <td width="7%"> 99
</td> <td width="68%"> We steal a pass, feed Keller on the secondary break, he scores and is fouled! FT is good, 6 point game. I bring Northcutt in for Santiago. Santiago should be the far far better player, but he can't get anything right today.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 95
</td> <td width="7%"> 103
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 4 straight before Murphy gets a couple... ugh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 98
</td> <td width="7%"> 105
</td> <td width="68%"> We miss two opportunite to score and have to start fouling. On our 7^th foul they imss the front end but get the board. On our second they miss the front end again but we can't score.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They got 3 offensive rebounds on missed free throws in the final minute. If we were going to have a chance to come back, that ended it.

American 108
Ohio 98

I switched up our defense a couple times in the second half, putting Murphy on Videnov but it didn't seem to help. We just fell apart defensively today.

They got 34 from Videnov, 24 from Fullove and 17 from Little. Its just like playing Ball State hah. Really, just like it. Those 3 guys shot 30-46. 8-20 from 3. As a team they were 43-68 from the floor and 8-22 from 3. 43/68 from the floor, if you're curious, is 63%.

I assumed that running was the way to go today, trying to tire out their 4 good players and make them go to their bench, or lose effectiveness... just didn't work at all.

Murphy: 16 points/6 assists
McCully 10 points
Santiago: 13 points (on 2-11 from 3, 4-16 shooting overall)
bright: 11 points/10 boards
Keller 5 points/7 boards

Northcutt 11 points
Garcia: 12 points

Well, I didn't expect to make the sweet 16 but I sure expected to win a game in the tournament... disappointing.

[Radii]

NCAA Tournament

South Florida beats Kent State in the first round.

Baylor beats Ball State in the first round. Ball State did the best of any of the MAC teams, only losing by 3.


Final Four

East: 3 seed Duke beats 1 seed Texas Tech to advance
West: 2 seed Florida beats 9 seed Cal (who beat the 1 seed, Syracuse)
South: 5 seed Arizona beats 3 seed San Diego State
Midwest: 2 seed Louisville beats 4 seed Villanova


In the final four, Duke beats Florida 79-69, and Arizona beats Louisville 110-108.

Arizona beats Duke to win the national title.

[Radii]

Graduating Seniors


PG Michel Murphy - 6'2 196 lbs - 77 OVR

Murphy broke double digits scoring for the first time his senior season, averaging 10.1 ppg. He wasn't a big assists man, just 3.6 a game his senior year. One of the few players i've had to achieve a 3 point rating above 80, he was very streaky and struggled a lot his senior season, only going 33% from 3.

He started all 4 years for Ohio at PG, averaging 8.3 points and 3.7 assists per game over his career. He was a 38% FG shooter and 34% 3 point shooter.

Murphy was freshman all conference back in 2013/14, his only award with us.


C JR Keller - 6'10" 231 lbs - 77 OVR

Keller was a good post defender, and he had goot post offensive skills but struggled to realize them. An average rebounder at best, he only started one season, his senior year, averaging 10.4 ppg and 5 rebounds a game.

Over the course of his career he averaged 6.7 ppoints and 3.5 rebounds a game.


PG David Mendoza - 6'4" 174 lbs - 75 OVR

Mendoza and Murphy came in together, and were very similar looking. Murphy one the starting job and never gave it up. Mendoza was a quality 4 year backup though, averaging 6.4 ppg over the course of his career. He was a 43% shooter and 36% from 3.


SG Shawn Garcia - 6'7" 205 lbs - 72 OVR

Garcia redshirted, then rode the pine for 2 solid years before getting a chance to back up our starters at SG and SF. It turns out he had some decent skills and was able to put up about 5 points/game in each of those last two seasons. But really he was a very minor role player on the team and should be easily replacable.


2 starters, two backups graduating.

[Radii]

We're graduating our #2 and #3 scorers this year, but it doesn't seem like a big deal, as our more exciting players are still underclassmen. One of the biggest surprises was Northcutt this year, he is pretty much a one trick pony, drive to the hoop, but he does it really really well.

Santiago and Murphy's 3 point percentages fell too far this year. I think in general I relied on the 3 too much. It obviously didn't matter often, as we were 29-5. But I need to find a bigger focus on the inside game next year. Santiago and McCully will still be the offensive focus, but in the games I play out, I need more scoring inside.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="57"> <col width="28"> <col width="25"> <col width="18"> <col width="29"> <col width="28"> <col width="29"> <col width="28"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Pos
</td> <td width="22%"> Name
</td> <td width="11%"> Class
</td> <td width="10%"> Points
</td> <td width="7%"> Reb
</td> <td width="11%"> Assists
</td> <td width="11%"> FG %
</td> <td width="11%"> 3P %
</td> <td width="11%"> FT %
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SF
</td> <td width="22%"> Rodney Santiago
</td> <td width="11%"> SO
</td> <td width="10%"> 15.9
</td> <td width="7%"> 3.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 39.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 33.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 70.4
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PG
</td> <td width="22%"> Michel Murphy
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 10.8
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 3.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 42.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 32.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 73.1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> C
</td> <td width="22%"> JR Keller
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 10.4
</td> <td width="7%"> 5.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 46.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 38.7
</td> <td width="11%"> 72.4
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> John McCully
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 9.1
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 3.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 50.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 36.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 83.2
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PF
</td> <td width="22%"> Nathan Grundy
</td> <td width="11%"> JR
</td> <td width="10%"> 8.4
</td> <td width="7%"> 6.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 54.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 25.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 64.3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> Erkan Northcutt
</td> <td width="11%"> SO
</td> <td width="10%"> 7.8
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 60.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 50.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 74.6
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PF
</td> <td width="22%"> Lloyd Bright
</td> <td width="11%"> JR
</td> <td width="10%"> 7.2
</td> <td width="7%"> 6.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 50.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 33.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 78.3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PG
</td> <td width="22%"> David Mendoza
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 6.8
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 42.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 38.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 78.3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> Shawn Garcia
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 4.6
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 52.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 38.7
</td> <td width="11%"> 68.1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PG
</td> <td width="22%"> Tim Barker
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 4.5
</td> <td width="7%"> 0.7
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 42.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 34.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 70. 1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> C
</td> <td width="22%"> Darryl Withers
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 4.0
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 51.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 22.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 60.8
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SF
</td> <td width="22%"> Dwight Snowden
</td> <td width="11%"> JR
</td> <td width="10%"> 1.9
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 37.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 27.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 70.8
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
About standard I think, we're losing 38% of our scoring.

[rjolley]

Sucks about the loss.

Haven't seen a player maxed out on any rating. 100 in 3's. Must be a nice player to control.

[Radii]

2017 Awards

Arizona's 92 rated roster wins the national title.

SF Norman Archibald out of Utah earns player of the year honors. Rated 88 OVR, Archibald scored 24 points/game and had 5.9 rebounds/game.

Saint Mary's Elliah Andres is the mid-major player of the year. 23.6 points/6.8 rebounds for this senior power foward.

Mark Few, at Arizona(has been there for awhile), earns coach of the year.


First Team All-American

PG Stalin Gary - SR - Xavier - 84 OVR - 21.5 ppg/3.1 apg
SG Johnnie Videnov - JR - Syracuse 89 OVR - 20.6 ppg/6.3 rpg
SF Norman Archibald - SR - utah - 88 OVR - 24.0 ppg/6.9 rpg.
PF Elliah Andres - SR - Saint Mary's - 82 OVR - 23.6 ppg/6.0 rpg.
C Torey Mitchell - SR - Kansas State - 83 OVR - 22.2 ppg/5.7 rpg

I forgot Syracuse had a guy named Videnov too. I need to not schedule teams with Videnov's next year. I do remember commenting when I played Syracuse that he was all america caliber.


MAC Awards

I win my 3rd straight coach of the year award with Ohio.


SF Rodney Santiago is the MAC player of the year. His numbers seemed a little underwhelming to me for player of the year, this is a big surprise. 15.9 ppg/3.9 rebounds/1 steal.

PG John McCully is the Freshman of the year in the MAC. No surprise there. 9.1 ppg/3.1 apg


MAC First Team

PG R Parsons - Kent State - 74 OVR - 11.2 ppg/4.6 apg
SG Stan Victor - Miami OH - 83 OVR - 14.4 ppg/5.5 rpg/2.3 apg
SF Rodney Santiago - Ohio - 80 OVR - 15.9 ppg/3.9 rpg/0.5 apg
PF Jarrett McCleod - Miami OH - 80 OVR - 14.0 ppg/6.9 rpg
C Marin O'Sullivan - C. Michigan - 76 OVR - 16.5 ppg/5.8 rpg

Santiago is the only non-senior on the first team.


MAC 2nd Team

PG Michel Murphy - Ohio - 77 OVR - 10.8 ppg/3.6 rpg
SG Jean Goss - Bowling Green - 82 OVR - 17.2 ppg/4.3 rpg
SF Logan Montgomery - Kent State - 83 OVR - 14.4 ppg/5.9 rpg
PF Clent Foust - Toledo - 74 OVR - 16.5 ppg/6.3 rpg
C Roburt Maye - Kent State - 73 OVR - 13.8 ppg/4.5 rpg

all seniors there as well. 3 all conference seniors for Kent State, looks like they're done for awhile.


MAC All-Freshman Team

PG John McCully - Ohio - 76 OVR - 9.1 ppg/3.1 apg
SG Godwin Washburn - Akron - 75 OVR - 7.7 ppg
SF Donovan Hess - Toledo - 66 OVR - 6.9 ppg
PF Jibran Strickland - N. Illinois - 67 OVR - 7.6 ppg/6.4 rpg
C Vern Wilkerson - C. Michigan - 72 OVR - 5.9 ppg/6.9 rpg


We did great with the awards this year, which should be expected when you earn a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win 29 games with a mid-major. The best news of course is that my big award winners are returning next year.

[Radii]

Sucks about the loss.

Haven't seen a player maxed out on any rating. 100 in 3's. Must be a nice player to control.


You mean for Fullove, American's PG? The 100% thing was referring to his shooting tendencies, its completely filled in for 3 point shooting. His rating was 87, which is scary enough, but with the tendency to shoot 3's filled up, I assumed that he'd shoot any time he's got anything resembling an open shot.

[Radii]

I earn 1 attribute point for my coach this year for getting Ohio into the top 25. I mentioned last season I was hoping to become a defensive guru, and in sticking with that theme I increase defense once again.

Offense: C
Defense: A
Teaching: A-
Scouting: C-
Charisma: A+
Discipline: C

[hoopsguy]

I did not get the sense that you really enjoyed this senior class all that much. Not so much from the recap just now, but in general reading your comments on those players over the past couple of seasons. Hopefully it translates into even better things next year if you do find yourself back at the helm in Ohio.

[Radii]

Before I lay out the entire coaching carousel(I haven't looked past the first line to see if I'm up for anything, I have no idea what else is going to happen), I figure this deserves its own post. Seriously, I couldn't have planned this shit if I tried.


Roy Williams has retired from the University of North Carolina. They announce that Coach Taylor from Ball State University will be their new head coach.

[rjolley]

You mean for Fullove, American's PG? The 100% thing was referring to his shooting tendencies, its completely filled in for 3 point shooting. His rating was 87, which is scary enough, but with the tendency to shoot 3's filled up, I assumed that he'd shoot any time he's got anything resembling an open shot.
Ah, ok, misunderstood.

Yeah, I would've expected him to shoot 3's like Curry. If you have a save from back then, play them and see if he does. :)

[Radii]

I did not get the sense that you really enjoyed this senior class all that much. Not so much from the recap just now, but in general reading your comments on those players over the past couple of seasons. Hopefully it translates into even better things next year if you do find yourself back at the helm in Ohio.


This is true. There were always more exciting players. Bright at PF is a great rebounder, and I have two 7 footers. Keller was more talented than the 7 footers so I started him, but of the 4, Keller was just Meh... just there, nothing more.

Similar with Murphy. He was the guy feeding House and Cooper for 2 years, then he was the guy trying to find a way to become a consistent 3 point threat, but he never did, and ended up being the guy feeding McCully and Santiago his senior year.

The other two seniors were career backups, so yeah its hard to get excited about that.

If I stay(and I still am staring at the North Carolina vacancy, haven't looked ahead at all), I expect as good or better next year.

[Radii]

Coaching Carousel

There are a LOT of jobs open. I don't know where I'm going to stack up towards the bottom end of the major jobs, but there will be a lot filled... before anything else happens, the following jobs are open(in order):

North Carolina, Boston College, Northwestern, Nebraska, DePaul, Georgia, UMass, and Wyoming. I am not in the top 6 for the North Carolina job.


UNC hires Coach B. Taylor out of Ball State

Boston College hires MTSU's head coach.

Northwestern hires coach Kennedy out of Kent State. I'm still not in the top 6, so it appears likely taht I'm not going anywhere.

Nebraska hires away VCU's head coach.

And out of nowhere, Depaul is going to hire the head coach out of Manhattan, but I am #2 on the list. There's 1 more major conference job open, and I kinda hope I don't get offered it, because I don't know if I can take it.


Ok, I don't. There's a bit of relief here, because I think I would have *needed* to take the job at the University of Georgia were it offered to me, but those who follow college football threads know that I attended Georgia Tech and my dislike of UGA runs just as strong as my dislike for Duke. I am #4 on the list. Appearing on the list for some major conference jobs makes me very happy, but it also makes me wonder how much more I have to do before I'm going to get one of those jobs. Georgia hires the head coach out of Belmont.

And now we're out of major conference jobs:

UMass is a job I would have loved to take, the A-10 is strong. But i'm #2 there. They hire the coach out of long beach state.

Damn. The last job on the list that I woudl have taken, and I'm #3 on the list for this one. Wyoming hires away Jeff Jones out of American University. BTW, yeah, I totally forgot that Jeff jones went to American after he got fired from Virginia. No wonder they got the recruits they did and had the talent they did.



And, that leaves us with mid-major jobs. And in one final fit of total irony, the first job I'm officially offered this year, is the head coaching job at Ball State University. Its the top available mid major job and they want me. no way, of course. The #2 job is Kent State.

VCU in the CAA is hiring as well and a few years ago I might have taken that job, but I've built Ohio up to be as strong as any mid-major so there is no longer any mid-major job I would consider taking.



I'll earn another coaching point next year when I get my 200th win. I don't know how things will work after next season, because it took 8 vacancies at higher level jobs for me to even get a whiff... but with all these jobs taken will there be higher quality coaches available than me next year?


The good thing about Ball State's coach going to UNC is that I have to root for UNC to fail for awhile, so they fire their coach and I get a chance at the job at some point. Rooting for a Carolina collapse will be a lot easier now :D

[Radii]

Assistant Hiring

There is a full slate of B- OVR coaches available for me now.

My first assistant is an offensive guru, A+ offense, C+ defense, B- teaching, and nothing else to speak of. I might consider letting him go for another coach that's A in offense and a little better elsewhere, but that's going to be hard to find.

And in fact there is nothing remotely close to that, I have a very good assistant here and he's not leaving.


My second assistant, above all else, is my scout. B+ Scouting. He also is a B defensive coach and a C+ recruiter.

there are three coaches out there with a "B" in scouting that would be acceptable. The one intriguing one is C+ offense/C+ defense/B+ Teaching/B scouting.

i'd be firing C- Offense/B defense/C- Teaching/B+ scouting for that. And I think I'm going to do that. I'd really like the extra teaching, I don't need the defense as badly as I've buffed myself up in defense to an A, and better balance with offense would be nice.



Here's a profile of all three coaches to give an idea of what i've got in each category(I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on my lack of scouting/discipline and if I'm making a mistake by not balancing those things out):

Skill: Head Coach/Assistant #1/Assistant #2

Offense: C/A+/C+
Defense: A/C+/C+
Teaching: A-/B-/B+
Scouting: C-/C/B
Charisma: A+/D/C-
Discipline: C/C-/C-

[Radii]

Transfers

No one's coming to Ohio as my scholarships are all offered out.

Mississippi State loses a 78 rated SG to Grambling, AND a 76 rated SG to IUPUI.

Temple loses a 78 rated PF to Navy.

There are no noteworthy MAC transfers anywhere.

[Radii]

Offseason Recruiting

Day 1 is going to be critical. We have two recruits at 100%. The first is the #139 recruit in the nation, #42 PG, 3* Javier Santos, a kid out of Oregon. He likes Utah but Utah never offered, so I'm expecting him to sign on day 1, and a top 150 recruit would be exciting.

The other is the big one. 4* SG Quincy Jimenez, #92 OVR/#32 SG. We've had him at 100% for a long time. Central Florida jumped on him mid-season and appears to have him at 100% too. he lists me first, but, he is from Tampa and wants to stay near home. I have no idea what will happen here, Central Florida appeared to get him up to 100% in the very last week of in-season recruiting, so I'll be disappointed if I lose him, but not surprised.

My 3rd target I have at 91%, a 3* PF out of Nashville. 6'11" Zachary hogan really wants to go to Evansville. I suspect we'll land him after the first week if Evansville does not make him an offer. If they do, I'm screwed.

Time to cross my fingers and sim ahead.

Initial Signing Day

My first notification is for 4* SG Quincy Jimenez, and there's a rather audible "YES" that scares the shit out of my cat sitting nearby, as I read that Quincy Jimenez has decided to attend Ohio University!!!!

As expected, 3* PG Javier Santos also signs with Ohio!!!


After week 1 I have the PF up to 99%, and it seems that Evansville has perhaps filled all their scholarships? They drop off his list entirely and I'm a lock to land him now unless some major school comes calling.


Week 2

3* PF Zachary Hogan signs with OHIO

And we have a full, solid looking recruiting class.


After the initial signing day I filled up my recruiting board with juniors that seem to like me, a few 4*'s and mostly 3*'s, I've spent less time this year with HS underclassmen due to having 3 open scholarships during the year.


I'll end this season with 4 recruits at 80% and 3 more at 75%, 2 of them 4* guys that scout nicely early on. We'll see how they look at the start of next year though.


Ohio Recruiting Class

4* SG Quincy Jimenez - 6'2" 193 lbs - #92 OVR/#32 SG

Jimenez scored 16.5 ppg and had 7.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the ABL. 46% from the field and 46% from 3, he's a guy I'm obvoiusly extremely excited for.

Shooting: A-
Skills: B+
Defense: B+
Athleticism: B+
Rebounding: B-
Intelligence: B+
Potential: B
Size: C+

He scouts to be a pretty slow guy which I don't usually like, but he's a good ball handler, very good passer, C+ defense/B- steals, and B from 3 point range/B- off the dribble. I'm hopeful to catch another guy rated 80+ in 3's right off the bat.

3* PG Javier Santos - 6'2" 178 lbs - #139 OVR/#42 PG

9.6 ppg/4.4 rpg/5.1 apg in the ABL. Terrible shooter, 30% from the field. He also commmitted a high number of turnovers, 3.6 per game.

Shooting: B
Skills: A
Defense: B
Athleticism: A
Rebounding: C+
Intelligence: B
Potential: B-
Size: C+

I'm a bit worried in what i see in Santos' individual scouting grades. Good passing, average ball handling, but just average speed, poor(D) quickness, average defense/steals, and an average shooter at best. This was my #3 or #4 bakcup target for this scholarship, and I ended up recruiting almost purely based on his ranking, and the fact no one else went after him yet. We'll see what we get. There's some room for error though with McCully pretty well locked into the starting PG job.

3* pF Zachary Hogan - 6'11" 221 lbs - #285 OVR/#41 PF

Hogan didn't play in the ABL:

Shooting: B
Skills: C
Defense: B
Athleticism: B
Rebounding: A
Intelligence: B-
Potential: B-
Size: A

The rebounding excise me here. B- orb/B drb. I'm hoping for two numbers above 80 here with room to grow. post skills are average, but he looks like he might be a shot blocker(B). A- vert/B- str/B- hustle points to a good athlete too. I don't expect to get a great scorer here.


3* C Bernell Roberts - 6'10" 242 LBS - JC FR

Roberts will come in a soph. He was my only early signing.

Shooting: C
Skills: C+
Defense: B-
Athleticism: B-
Rebounding: B+
Intelligence: B
Potential: B
Size: A-

there's a lot of mediocrity in these scouted ratings. C+ drb is nice... C+ blocks too. but his scoring ratings are in the C- area of things, C post offense/C- post defense. I don't have high expectations here.


Overall, I'm expecting to see some very good numbers out of this class and hoping that I've pulled in a 4 year starter in Jimenez and at least 2 other solid contributors.

[Radii]

I remember to look around at the other recruiting classes before I sim ahead to next year.


Ball State snags a 3* SG rated #111 in the nation. There is definitely some potential there.

Bowling Green appears to have graduated 2 teams worth of players and not done a good job replacing them. They land 4 3* players, the higest one rated 295 OVR, and 3 more 2* players. Ugh and this sucks, EF27 has pointed it out too... they had a need for big men, and they just didn't stop. They recruit 7 power forwards and one small foward.


Eastern Michigan snags the #104 recruit in the nation, a local SG.

Akron lands 3 recruits in the 200-300 range, two guards and a forward.


That's pretty much it, we have the only 4* guy and appear to have the highest quality class once again.



Recruiting Class Rankings

1. North Carolina
2. Florida
3. UCLA
4. Boston College
5. Texas Tech


We are getting dangerously close to a top 25 recruiting class, which I believe is another skill point if/when it happens. Ohio has the 33rd ranked class in the nation.

Roy Williams left Ball State's old coach with 3 5* recruits coming in.

Miami OH has a top 50 class with 4 3* guys. Eastern michigan is around 75th or so, Buffalo 80-85th, and nothing else in the top 100 out of the MAC.

[Radii]

2017/18 Schedule

I'm getting better at backloading the schedule so that I can get as much early season recruiting in as possible, and i make sure there's no sunday games and shoot for 1 game a week until December when possible.

We're going to play 4 major conference teams this year. Glutton for punishment that I am, i'm going to travel to Chapel Hill. I'll also be going to an 85 rated Virginia squad, a 89 rated Texas Tech squad, and hosting 84 rated Missouri.

We'll get an A-10 game with UMass and a good mid-major battle with Utah State. There's a few easy wins in there too. I'm assuming that I'll be as good or better this year, and as a result want some more practice against these tougher teams, even if it means more losses.

[Radii]

Incoming Recruits

On my team screen I'm excited, but not surprised, to see Jimenez inserted into the CPU's starting lineup for me.


Quincy Jimenez - 6'3" 203 lbs - 76 OVR

Santiago, McCully, and Bright all came in 76 OVR too i think, that seems to be a good number for me. Also a good number is 84. That's the number of Jimenez's 3 point rating. He's slow, a poor defender, but a potentially great offensive player. C potential, could be better but he'll improve into the 80s.


PG Javier Santos - 6'3" 183 lbs - 71 OVR

A little disappointing. He'll be a very good passer and could develop into a good ball handler as well, but he just isn't going to be a big scorer and his 79 rated defense is lower than I'd hoped to see. He'll probably redshirt while McCully and Barker get the PG minutes.


PF Zachary Hogan - 6'11" 225 lbs - 70 OVR

I got the rebound numbers I hoped for. 83 orb/86 drb. 75 blocked shot rating is great to open up, he'll need a lot of work on his post play, and will likely be a moderate scorer at best. C- potential.


C Bernell Roberts - 6'10" 252 lbs - SO - 66 OVR

Roberts will never start, that's for sure. 80 drb and 69 blocked shots is about all I can say here. C potential so its not going to grow a ton either.


Not the best overall class in the world, but Jimenez is exciting and I've snagged a guy who could be a double double guy later in his college career in Hogan with those rebound numbers.

[Radii]

MAC Preview

We opened last year rated 84 OVR and improved to 85 during the year.

1. Ohio 85
2. Kent State 77
3. Bowling Green 77
4. Miami OH 76
5. Akron 76
6. Ball State 75
7. Eastern Michigan 74
8. Toledo 73
9. Western Michigan 73
10. Buffalo 72
11. Central Michigan 72
12. N. Illinois 68

Wow. The MAC graduted so much talent last year, 6 or 7 players rated over 80 OVR. This year I only see 3 players in the entire league rated 80 or above, and 2 of them are on my team. Bowling Green's talented Center, Whitehead is the other. In fact in the entire league outside of Ohio there are only about 4 guys rated above 75 OVR.


MAC Preseason Recognition

Best Overall Player: Lloyd Bright - Ohio - SR - 82 OVR
Best Freshman: Quincy Jimenez - Ohio - FR - 76 OVR
Best Shooter: John McCully - Ohio - SO - 77 OVR
Best Playmaker: Javier Santos - Ohio - FR - 71 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: Ferdinand Whitehead - Bowling Green - SR - 80 OVR
Best Defender: Ferdinand Whitehead - Bowling Green - SR - 80 OVR


McCully's mid-range 89 rating, in close 80 rating likely outweigh his 73 3 point shot when looking at best shooter.

Santos has an 84 passer rating which is exceptional, but not enough by itself to keep the redshirt off him.


I may sim out as much as 2/3 of my game this year. We're going to destroy this conference. We'll probably find a mystical way to lose to Ball State, and I'll play the better teams in the league, all of the better rated teams and if any lower rated teams show up with solid winning records... but I think its likely best to breeze through this season faster than normal(even for me) instead of playing out a ton of games against mediocre teams.

[Radii]

I take a look at some of the coaches that got the better jobs last year. My OVR coach rating is a B. Kermit Davis, taking over BC from Kent State, is an A-, as is Billy Taylor, taking over UNC from Ball State.


2 of the ACC's coaches are B+, and Dino Gaudio at Wake Forest is a B- coach.


Looking in the A-10, a couple coaches have B ratings but nothing below that, and most are B+/A- level coaches. Its looking like I still need a little more to go my way to have the best shot at upgrading to a bigger school.


The best news for me here is that I have 193 career wins, so another advance is a guarentee at the end of this season.

Looking at other goals:


Sign a 5 star recruit - seems highly unlikely at Ohio. miami OH brought in a 5* JC transfer one year though.

Assemble a top 20 recruiting class - Oh, I thought it was top 25. Still, we pulled in the #33 class last year. If we could swing two 4* recruits in a class we might have a shot at this.

Coach a team to the sweet 16 - We may have to accomplish this before I can leave Ohio.

[hoopsguy]

So how old is the new UNC coach?

Also, do you think it may be easier to improve at another school, given that the next improvements are around top-rated recruiting class and Sweet 16 appearance? Or do you think that you've elevated this program enough where those can/should be achieved at Ohio in the next couple of seasons? Getting a three seed last year suggests that you are close, but the talent gap + results against the big guys tell another story.

[Radii]

So how old is the new UNC coach?

ugh... 44. His Charisma is a C, though he's solid everywhere else, hopefully he'll get fired soon enough! There's always Georgia Tech if not North Carolina, eh?


Also, do you think it may be easier to improve at another school, given that the next improvements are around top-rated recruiting class and Sweet 16 appearance? Or do you think that you've elevated this program enough where those can/should be achieved at Ohio in the next couple of seasons? Getting a three seed last year suggests that you are close, but the talent gap + results against the big guys tell another story.


Its hard to say. 200th win and sweet 16 obviously can come at Ohio but everything else seems like a long shot right now. But, perhaps I've turned a corner without really realizing it. I have 3 4* recruits on my roster right now in Bright, McCully, and Jimenez. If I can continue to recruit on average 1 4* player every year, eventually I'll be looking at a roster with 3-4 guys rated 80+ and the skills that come along with that.

Or maybe getting to a sweet 16 would be the jump I need to open things up for the occasional 5* recruit.

I don't know enough about the game to really have a clue on that though.

[Radii]

2017/18 Ohio Roster

Well the lineup is real easy to come by this year, there's no questions at all about who belongs where.


PG John McCully - 6'2 178 lbs - SO - 77 OVR (+1)

Disappointing development given he started all last year. C+ potential even. 91 speed/92 quickness, he can run with anyone. 84 defense, only 68 steals so he's not a theft guy. 86 handling/78 passing, both of those are C+ numbers. 80 close/89 med/73 3/81 off the dribble/77 in traffic. Playing the point, his scoring may not go up, but it hopefully increases my ability to drive and dish to the 3 point shooters. McCully is rated 84 from the FT line as well which has a lot of value. Last year he was the first 80% free throw shooter I've had since my first year at NC A&T.

SG Quincy Jimenez - 6'3" 203 lbs - FR - 76 OVR

81 speed/81 quickness, not a lot to look at there. 79 defense/74 steals. I like the Steals rating(B-) but the defense worries me. 80 close/71 med/84 3. 80 off the dribble. 75 offensive awareness as well(B-), not so much on defense. 81 vertical/80 hustle gives him the look of an athlete.


SF Rodney Santiago - 6'4" 223 lbs - JR - 81 OVR(+2)

79 speed/83 quickness, 83 defense/69 steals(both very good for a forward, even a guard-like forward like this). 86 close/74 med/82 3. 79 off the dribble/78 in traffic. Both awareness ratings are solid - 75 off/74 def. Santiago won the MAC player of the year award last year but fell off the map towards the end of the season against Ball State and American. I intend to try to focus more on inside play and take fewer 3 pointers this season, but I tend to get frustrated by that if it doesn't work well early so we'll see.

PF Lloyd Bright - 6'8" 238 lbs - SR - 82 OVR (+2)

Bright is a bit lanky looking but he is a hell of a player on paper. 85 speed/79 quickness, on rare occasions last year he ran a fast break or two. 82 org/95 drb. That defensive rebounding rating is one of the best you'll see at any level. 83 post offense/80 post defense. 89 close/88 in traffic. A decent shot blocker(71/B-), a consistent guy(78/B) and a clutch scorer(71/B-). If I was better in the post Bright might score 15 and get 10 boards a game. And I'm going to try to get him to do just that. A post offense rating above 80 and close range/in traffic ratings towards 90... even for a 6'8" guy, Bright should be a monster player for me.

C Nathan Grundy - 7'1" 274 lbs - SR - 74 OVR(+1)

It took time but Grundy developed nicely into more than just a big dude. 75 orb/85 drb, a b- defensive rebounder. 77 post offense/73 post defense. 92 close/87 in traffic. I need Grundy to have some big games for me. He averaged 8.4 ppg for me last year off the bench, and some of those decent games were ones I played out. He's capable of a couple 20/10 performances.


Backups

PG Tim Barker - 6'2" 189 lbs - SO - 72 OVR (+2)

86 speed/82 quickness/84 defense/76 steals, a fine guy to have on the court for defensive purposes. 87 handling/76 passing(B-/C+). 82 close/71 med/73 3, 83 off hte dribble(A-, very good). Barker averaged 4.5 ppg last year, mostly in simmed games. He's got some speed and ability though and i'll take some open shots with him.


SG Erkan Northcutt - 6'2" 208 lbs - JR - 74 OVR(+2)

Northcutt has gained 5 ratings points in the last two years and has gone from a guy I thought would struggle to get any minutes at all, to an explosive scoring threat who I'd be happy to play with the starters any time Santiago or Jimenez are having an off day. 86 speed/85 quickness. 82 defense/69 steals. 87 close/76 med/73 3/79 off the dribble. He's good enough to hit the open 3 when its available, while at the same time being deadly driving to the basket. He can play a little defense too which helps. 7.8 ppg last year with a couple memorable 20+ point performances.

SF Sidney Whitted - 6'5" 187 lbs - FR - 72 OVR(+1)

85 speed/84 quickness. 81 defefnse/71 steals. 80 close/72 med/68 3. Really not a whoel lot here to like, but he'll be around 4 years and I want him playing if I can afford to have him out there. Whitted is a redshirt freshman. My other option is natural SF Snowden, who I ahve shunned at every turn for 4 years, so I'm not going to stop now. But if I need some more size and strength off the bench, I have the option.

PF Zachary Hogan - 6'11" 225 lbs - FR - 70 OVR

83 orb/86 drb, hogan could be a great rebounder for me by the time he's done. 75 shot blocking is a solid B for a power forward too. His post skills are weak, 69 off/70 def. Very weak. 86 close/80 in traffic. I don't expect him to do much thisyear other than take up space and get some rebounds, but hopefully he can develop into a bit more than that.

C Darryl Withers - 7'1" 239 lbs - SO - 70 OVR(+2)

74 orb/78 drb, just average, but ok with you're 7'1" and a backup. 72 post defense, not a shot blocker. 80 close/80 in traffic/80 standing dunk... not great for a big man either. The wildcard here is an 83 post offense rating. I had some games last year against smaller/poorer defenders where Withers seemed to be unstoppable, hitting hook shots and turnarounds. But it was inconsistent. He is a great worker(89 hustle) and exceptionally strong (84/A-).



Reserves

SF Dwight Snowden - 6'8" 230 lbs - SR - 70 OVR (+2)

Snowden has to regret coming here. He isn't a good rebounder for a SF, he's a terrible defender(75), poor int he post, 79 close/70 med/65 3, not going to score much from anywhere. He can dunk and that's really it. If Whitted is a poor fit at SF, I won't hesitate to put Snowden in the backup rotation, but I don't expect to see a lot of him.


C Bernell Roberts - 6'10" 252 lbs - SO - 66 OVR

75 orb/80 drb. 74 post off/70 def. 80 close/79 in traffic. Already a soph since he's a JC transfer. Honestly I don't want to cut him because I'm graduating two big men, but I don't want to redshirt him and delay his leaving Ohio and freeing up the scholarship either... so he' on the roster but will only play in case of injury.

PG Javier Santos - 6'3" 183 lbs - FR - 71 OVR - REDSHIRT

86 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense/68 steals, not good for either. 82 hands/84 passing. Its his passing ability that really gives him value. 80 close/71 med/66 3/80 off the dribble. Santos is redshirting, after a RS year he might compete with Barker for the backup PG job, though he'll be in the hole b/c of hsi defense. It'd be a shame to see a guy who is such a good passer go completely unused, we'll se what happens.

[Radii]

2017/18 Recruiting Preview

We're losing 4 players:

PF Lloyd Bright - 82 OVR - starter, key player

C Nathan Grundy - 74 OVR - Starter

SF Dwight Snowden - 70 OVR - reserve


We have to recriut 1 big man and would be smart to recruit 2 unless we're overwhelmed by available talent at other positions.


I think ideally we'd recruit a SF, PF, and C. and looking at what's out there this year, that's where i'm starting.


Before we advance recruiting any at all, 4 targets stand out:


3* PF Darrin Broermann - 6'10" - Akron, Oh - #102 OVR/#14 PF - We've got him at 80% after a phone call on day 1. He has interest in some high level programs as well, Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, but an Ohio kid ranked that high we are going to have to go hard after.


3* C Vakeaton Kounkorgo - 6'10" - Glendale, AZ - #217 OVR/#12 C

Might be a long shot, as he has a lot of interest in UTEP and BYU and New Mexico, if he wants to stay out west we don't have much of a shot. But he's one of the better big men and he has reasonable interest in me too so he's worth some time.


4* SF Denver Fox - 6'8" - JC SO - Cincinnati, OH

Fox seems like the type who wants to stay local and doesn't care about a big school. his list right now is Ohio, Butler, Central Michigan and Youngstown State. He'd be a 2 year guy, but i'd like to have a natural SF behind Santiago if possible, I think having a small, guard like SF starting, and a natural SG backing him up is one of the reason Ball State and American hurt me so bad last year.


4* PG Jermaine Graves - 6'3" 196 - Cincinnati, OH - #69 OVR

We're in his top 10. Graves is Mr Basketball in Ohio, so we have to pay him some attention and see if we have a shot. He looks to like bigger schools though, with a top 5 of Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, Marquette, and Clemson. We'll tag along on him and see if anyone else makes a hard play for him.


Into the 3rd week i decide to offer my scholarships to Broermann and Fox, which are obvious choices, an PG Graves. He may well end up at Kentucky but I appear to have more of a shot with him than the Center from out west.

Broermann, Fox, and Graves are all lined up for campus visits in the 3rd week, so things are going well with them. There is competition for all and I don't really know where I stand yet.

We only play 4 games total before the in season signing period, and two of them are likely pushovers, so I'm going to play two, sim two and see how recruiting goes.

[Radii]

November 3^rd, 2017

Utah State (0-0) at Ohio (0-0)

One of the better mid-majors usually, Utah State is rated 80 OVR (80 off/80 def/83 sht/81 reb/85 coach). By comparison Ohio is 85 OVR (85 off/83 def/88 sht/89 reb/81 coach).

Scouting

PG Maceo Minard – FR – 75 OVR – 89 speed/85 quickness. 86 defense/75 steals. An exceptional passer... 80 hands/87 passing(B+). 78 close/74 med/87 3. As a true freshman Minard doesn't have his tendencies fully fleshed out so he may pass up some shots. Minard was the #93 recruit last year and looks absolutely spectacular.

SG Cleve Werner – SR – 69 OVR - natural PG – 85 speed/79 quickness. 78 defense... awful. 80 close/67 med/75 3/79 off the dribble. Just 3 ppg last year, starting for the first time.

SF Milt Matheus – SR – 72 OVR – 6'7”, slow, poor defense, poor handling, terrible passer... 84 close/67 med/70 3. 87 in traffic and athletic, 81 vert/79 str/71 hustle (B-/B+/C+). 6.8 ppg last year, it looks like his strength is scoring inside.

PF Preston Ervin – JR – 72 OVR – 6'8” - 76 orb/80 drb. 73 post off/79 post def. 84 close/83 in traffic. 5.5 ppg last season. His rebound numbers simply don't seem high enough for his size, we should keep him down. His post defense is good and may make it harder for us to work on post play inside.

C Monwell Tafo – JR – 75 OVR – A true center, but only 6'9” - 84 drb is solid, and his post play is solid, 77 o/78 d. 90 close/85 in traffic, very strong (83/A -). Averaged 8.8 ppg as a soph. He looks good but our size advantage will hopefully hold him back.

Utah State has some good inside depth, they have some less talented 6'10” big men coming in behind the starters. Their guard play is pretty weak though outside of Minard. Seems like a team we should have a big edge over.

With our young backcourt we open the year with a team unity of 41. Utah State is at 38.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> USU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Jimenez with 5 but he tired quickly, just 1-2 from 3 and a layup is all. Grundy with a bucket inside, Bright never got set up in any the plays that were called for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Great defense by the backups. Or, more likely, their starters are worn out. Whitted gets 5 points and has some speed on him, Barker and Northcutt scoring as well, nothing inside. Withers does have 5 or 6 boards. Timeout Utah State
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in as Utah State calls another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it down as low as 9 hitting a couple 3's, but we push it back to 14 for halftime. I'm happy with our balance early on. Tafo, their talented center, scores 9 to lead them. 5 of them at the line, he draws some fouls. Werner with 7.


We have a massive 19-11 rebound edge which is keying us. We're off from 3, just 1-6(Jimenez 1-3, Santiago 0-2). Jimenez leads us with 9 points. McCully, Santiago, Northcutt all with 6. Withers has 8 boards already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 7 of the first 9 and cut the lead down a bit before we take back over again. Jimenez has a nice 3 point stroke but its not one i've seen in a long time, I'm going to need to do some 3 point drills with him to perfect his release. Its a very quick elevation and release, its a bit deceptive, he jumps pretty high so it seems like i'd need to hold the button for awhile but he gets up fast and lets go fast. Anyway... Bright is looking great this half, I think he's up to 11 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright picks up fouls #3 and #4 in quick succession. Backups are in a bit early, everyone but McCully and Santiago were a bit gassed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers misses 3 different post shots and it seems its just not his day. It was 55-46 and they had 3 chances to cut it closer but couldn't. Timeout USU after we get up to 60.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in a bit early but they went out way early too.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> 7 fouls for us, they're in the bonus.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We get things going and take a 20 point lead with about 4:30 to go and just practice some post moves and try out new things w/ the freshman the rest of the way.

Ohio 85
Utah State 67

Their center, Tafo, was huge today, 22 points on 8-14 shooting and 6-10 at the line. He was really their only offense though, that's 1/3 of their points. SF Matheus with 11, no one else more than 10.

McCully: 10 points
Jimenez: 12 points (2-6 from 3)
Santiago: 13 points (1-3 from 3)
Bright: 19 points/8 boards (7-10)
Grundy: 13 points/11 boards (6-8)

Whitted: 7

I love the balance on offense, its rare that I get all 5 starters into double figures even in 90+ point games. Bright and Grundy were really solid, Bright had 4 points in transition, his 80+ speed can be a real asset when he's guarding his man on the perimeter and someone else gets a board inside.

Good start to the year.

[Radii]

Denver Fox, the 4* JC SF we're going after, already has us up to 100%. He seems a lock to come to Ohio. He wants to feel wanted and play close to home. I guess we're the only ones showing him we want him and we're close to Cincinnati, so we're in. He's scouting out as a decent shooter(B med/C+ inside), average defender with high blocks/steals, and an above average athlete. He seems like he'll likely come in pretty decent, i'm not sure why others are shying away. I guess JC Soph hurts him, he'll only be around for 2 years... but i'll be happy to stick a 4* SF behind Santiago for 2 seasons.


The PF we want, Broermann, seems likely to end up at Michigan, which is unfortunate. We've got him to 95% though so we'll stickit out til the early signing period. We'll get to 100% and be in the mix.


Next up is a 75 rated Hartford team that a few seasons ago might have presented a good challenge, but this year we better crush.


Nov 11, 2017

at Ohio 62
Hartford 61

yes... just the type of dominant victory we expect. Sheesh. Bright gives us 12 points/13 boards. Santiago 10, McCully 8. Jimenez and Santiago combine for 2-12 from 3.



We will absolutely have Fox, Broermann, and Graves at 100% come early signing day. I expect to have bad news though. Broermann to Michigan and Graves will go somewhere else I bet. We're the only offer so far, but Kentucky, Va Tech, and West Virginia all have him right around 100% too. If any of them offer before the early signing period, we will almost surely lose him. He's from Cincinnati and his #2 goal is close to home, so that gives us some hope. But his #1 goal is a big program.


Speaking of big programs, we haven't been beaten enough by Ball State's annoying 3-2 defense and high flying athletic fowards over the last 3 seasons, so we I figured it was a good idea to go out of my way to follow their coach and see how his annoying 3-2 defense will work at North Carolina with even better athletes. We travel to Chapel Hill next.

[Radii]

We get some nice early development. Bright is up a point to 83 OVR, McCully to 78, Grundy to 75.

Its been in some good spots too:

Bright makes an early gain in defensive awareness(72), close range shooting(90) and mid-range(75), and post offnse984)

Santiago a 3 point gain(83)

McCully in close(81) and at the line(84).

Good stuff.

[Radii]

November 16, 2017

Ohio (2-0) at #25 North Carolina (4-1)

North Carolina is rated 89 OVR (90 off/89 def/93 sht/91 reb/87 coach). They're starting 2 freshmen from their highly rated recruiting class. They lost their last game to Saint Louis, and only beat UL Lafayette by 4. Perhaps they are vulnerable. One of their top recruits, a 81 rated JC , got hurt 7 minutes into their opening game and isn't back yet

They have a backup guard rated 88 OVR... not good enough to start at 88 OVR!

Scouting

PG Desmon Norman – SR – 89 OVR – 94 speed/93 quickness. 86 defense/86 steals. 89 close/78 med/93 3(wow). 85 off the dribble, not as good in traffic. 87 off awareness/80 def awareness.. not a coach on the floor b/c of lack of experience, only started for the first time this year. 10 ppg early on.

SG Cheick Grimes – SR – 90 OVR – 92 speed/91 quickness. 88 defense/91 steals. 92 close/77 med/74 3. 86 off the dribble/83 in traffic. Talented enough to play PG most anywhere, 88 hands/80 passing. Crazy athletic, 87 vert/84 str/83 hustle, and great awareness. He' s had low tendencies and only averages about 8 points/game, but he's listed as a potential top pick in the draft.

SF Russ Haigler – FR – 80 OVR – Natural SG, #11 recruit last year. 86 speed/85 quickness. Poor defense, 77/78 steals. 81 close/82 med/86 3. Yeah, this is a “bad” guard at Carolina. 11.8 ppg so far.

PF Torris Ford – JR – 67 OVR – 6'8” - 77 orb/77 drb, 73 post offense/74 post defense. 83 close/77 in traffic. A walkon, only stating due to injury and overall lack of big man depth.

C Marcel Konate – FR – 82 OVR - #5 recruit in the nation last year. 78 orb/84 drb. 82 post offense/86 post defense. 89 close/85 med/82 in traffic. 85 vertical... good now, will be great. Only 6'6” though, very short for a center. This is a guard led team with no size. Still, 11 ppg early on.

With their injuries and lack of size, I convince myself that we do have a shot here. More than likely their crazy athletic guards run us off the court, but we'll try to slow it down, draw some fouls, and rebound, and see how it goes. Also, this is great because Taylor and his C charisma hopefully cannot recruit anywhere near this level of talent, so the lack of size and these two great guards leaving this year... maybe UNC will take a turn for the worse.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UNC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Would you believe i'm running 15-20 seconds off the clock each possession? We are 5/9, 3/5 from 3, 5/5 at the line. They are 7/10, 4/6 from 3. Jimenez with 2 3's, Santiago with one, and Grundy with 5 inside. We have 1 foul, they have 3. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead for the first time today on two Northcutt free throws. This is a lot different than most high quality teams where if I drive inside too much I just get blocked and lose control over and over. Here I draw fouls or get open looks. We've drawn 6 fouls, committed 3 so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> A great drive and dish by Northcutt gets Withers an easy 2 and UNC calls a timeout. We had the ball 3 times up 2 with a chance to go up more but the backups struggled to score, Whitted just shouldn't be shooting against these guys, I made that mistake twice. Starters are back now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We fail to score for the last 3:30 or so after going up 28-26. They shoot 12-25 on the half, 5-11 from 3. Konate, their 'center' (6'6”) has 8. Grimes has 11(90 rated SG) and Norman 8.


We shoot 8-22, 3-9 from 3, but get to the line 9 times and go 9-9. Grundy leads us with 7. Jimenez 6. Backup PF Hogan has 4 and the rest of our players have 2 or 3 that have scored. Jimenez 2-4 from 3, Santiago 1-5.


Though its not the same team or style of play, this is about where we were against Boston College at halftime last year, and they killed us in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Norman hits 2 three's to open the half and we fall down by 10. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright goes to the hole hard for a 3 point play to end their 10-0 run. They haven't missed a shot yet. Grundy has attacked twice and missed, and Bright got doubled and had jimenez wide open for 3 but got stripped before he could kick it out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> They are 8-9 on the half, 3-3 from 3. The one miss was a block by grundy that went right to a guard for an open shot. Timeout Ohio... jesus, this must be what EF27 talks about being unable to win in Chapel Hill :)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in... so many timeouts, the starters were good still. Anything that was working in the first half, any bounces we got, all go the other way now, missing contested layups that were 3 point plays before, any marginal shot is missing, any marginal passes are turnovers, etc. go go northcutt!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers scores 4 straight and UNC calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout to get the starters back in for the stretch run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> A little late for a run but we've now scored 7 straight and have it cut to 10. Bright with 5 straight then Grundy with 2. We've fouled out Ford, their poor PF.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They get a 3 point play on their next trip. I get it back to 9 at one point with about 50 seconds left but they make free throws and I quickly give up and let the clock run.

North Carolina 79
Ohio 65

A respectable performance. Their two guards are simply in another world. Norman shoots 9-11 and has 21 points, Grimes is 4-9 from 3 and 9-16 overall for 22 points. We don't have the talent on the floor to compete with that unless they are just ice cold on their own.

McCully: 2 points/6 assists
Jimenez: 11 points (3-10 from 3)
Santiago: 11 points (3-9 from 3)
Bright: 12 points/6 boards
Grundy: 11 points/9 boards

Northcutt: 7 points
Withers: 7 points

good effort, and on a neutral floor, if we play our best, we can contend. This is a flawed North Carolina team though, not a national title contender, too young and not enough depth inside.

[Radii]

Final game before the recruiting period starts;

Nov 20, 2017

Ohio 90,
at Colgate 57


Bright 18, McCully 14, Santiago 12.


I go through my normal recruiting but since we've already got these guys at 100%, i go for the extra suspense of not seeing if anyone else has offered... it wouldn't change anything now.


I sim ahead to the signing day:

oh wow. WIN! 4* PG Jermaine Graves has signed with OHIO!! I was certain Kentucky or someone would come after him... stunned.

3* PF Darrin Broermann signs with Michigan, we miss out on him.

4* JC SF Denver Fox signs with OHIO!! Expected, but exciting.


So lets review the good news first:

4* SF (JC SO) Denver Fox - 6'8" 210 lbs - Cincinnati, OH


Shooting: B+
Skills: B
Defense: B
Athleticism: A-
Rebounding: B
Intelligence: B-
Potential: A-
Size: B+

Fox has B- speed/B- quickness/C+ str/C+ vert/B hustle, a great looking athlete. C+ close/B med/C+ off the dribble/B- in traffic. Average defense. A- potential according to this, but our guys usually come in lower than scouted there(Maybe A- is what he'd have with maxxed teaching? Or just scouting error). I'll only have him for two years, but he looks pretty exciting.


4* PG Jermaine Graves - 6'3" 196 lbs - #69 OVR/#27 PG - Cincinnati, OH

Graves is Mr Basketball in Ohio. 7.8 ppg/5.9 rpg/4.8 apg in the ABL. 2.5 steals. Awful shooter, 25% (18-71). We scout him better than that but we'll see.

Shooting: B+
Skills: A-
Defense: A-
Athleticism: A
Rebounding: C+
Intelligence: B
Potential: B+
Size: B-

B- speed/C- quickness. C+ defense/B steals. B close/C+ med/C 3/B- off the dribble. B- clutch, which can be nice. C- handling/C+ passing... for a PG I'm thinking 80/75 or so there which is fine for the MAC.




And for the bad news. The only true need we have is a big man, and that's the one thing we didn't get. The center I was looking at earlier, Vakeaton Kounkorgo, is still available. It looks like us and New Mexico. I'd been targeting him a bit and have him up to 87%.

I'll work on him, give him my last scholarship offer, and find another bakcup target or two.

So now I'm thinking... i've landed a top 70 recruit and a 4* JC player. If I do well with my 3rd scholarship, is a top 20 class a possibility? I have no idea how the JC player will grade out as far as that goes.

Two 4 star recruits in the early signing period!! Ohio is becoming more respected, clearly. Perhaps with a sweet 16 and some more coaching skill I might hold out at Ohio for a job I really like. Most likely that'd mean a job with one of the ACC teams I grew up with (ie the 8 that were in the league in the 80s), except for Duke.

But, I'm getting way ahead of myself here. Odds still favor me taking the first power conference job I'm offered, but this gives me a bit more hope that I can go a lot further at Ohio still.

[Radii]

I sim our next game as well, against a 76 rated Richmond team:

November 29, 2017

at Ohio 71
Richmond 53

Santiago with one of his bigger games, 22 points. Jimenez 12, Bright 8 points/10 boards.


So, were 4-1. Things are about to get real intesting though... I didn't mention it in the scheduling post in the preseason but we had a tourney invite, I didn't go out and insert it, if I get one i'll always accept though.

So here's the rest of our non-conference schedule:


at Virginia (85 OVR, 5-2)
at Texas Tech (90 OVR, 6-2)
vs #24 UConn (90 OVR, 4-1)
vs TBD
vs TBD
vs UMass (82 OVR, 7-1)
vs Rice (77 OVR, 3-4)
vs Missouri (85 OVR, 6-2)
at Navy (65 OVR, 1-5)


In the tournament, our 2nd game will be against Fresno State or Arkansas State, both mid 70s rated. Its an 8 team tournament so we'll get a 3rd game out of it as well. Auburn and Loyola Marymount are possible matchups, both also rated in the low 80s.


There's a chance for us to make a big name for ourselves here, or to fall all over ourselves and go into conference play being forced to win the conference tournament.

I'll play out every game vs teams rated 80+, and depending on how things go, might end up simming like 2/3 of conference play if its all a formality.

Lastly... I have 197 career wins now, so somewhere in here is a milestone victory.

[Radii]

December 6, 2017

Ohio (4-1) at Virginia (5-2)

Virginia's overall roster strength is nearly identical to mine. They are 85 OVR (86 off/84 def/87 sht/88 reb/86 coach). Ohio is 85 OVR (86 off/83 def/89 sht/89 reb/81 coach). I should point out, I am very close to being the coach that Dave Leitao is! This seems a blessing and a curse, ya konw? The good: I'm almost the same caliber as an ACC coach. The bad: uh yeah, its Dave Leitao. Ouch.

I notice Virginia hasn't been dancing since 2013 when I go to scout them. Really, UVA sounds like the perfect place for the hot mid-major coach ;) They lost to Houston and in an early ACC clash with North Carolina. Their only win anywhere close to a quality win is over 4-4 Northwestern.

Scouting

PG Tre Conley – SR – 85 OVR – 93 speed/88 quickness, 88 defense/82 steals. 93 handling/79 passing, quality all around player here. 88 close/74 med/86 3. 84 off the dribble/78 in traffic. He looks like a guy that can pretty much do everything. 16.1 ppg/5.7 rpg/3.3 apg so far this year. Conley was the national freshman of the year 3 seasons ago, and is projected a 2^nd round draft pick.

SG Jai Len Bullicer – SO – 76 OVR – 89 speed/82 quickness. 81 defense/74 steals. 82 close/69 med/75 3/81 in traffic. Seems good but not great. Conley and Norris are much greater concerns. Still, 12 ppg so far, actually more than Norris, but against us, we don't expect that.

SF Dean Norris – JR – 82 OVR - 6'7” and atheletic, this is the type of sF that has given me hell before. 84 speed/79 quickness. 84 vert/77 str/77 hustle (B/B+/B-). Not a good defender (76/C). 90 close/72 med/72 3. great in traffic and off the dribble, so he can create his own shot . 11.4 ppg/7.1 rpg. We'll be trying the same strategy we have started using against other quality SF's recently, laying off them and trying to keep them far away from the basket.

PF Denham Hopkins – FR – 70 OVR – 6'11” freshman. 76 orb/78 drb. 82 post off/73 post def. 83 close/81 in traffic. He'll be good but isn't quite there yet. 7.1 ppg/4.1 rpg.

C Lowell Malone – JR – 80 OVR – 6'9” - 89 org/83 drb, a quality rebounder. 91 blocked shot rating, elite shot blocker. 80 post offense/80 post defense. 91 close/79 in traffic. Just 8.6 ppg/4.7 rpg, but he does seem like a pretty big threat. He'll be going up against two 7 footers which will hopefully neutralize that threat quite a bit.

They've got a 7 footer off the bench, and quality guard reserves. Most of their roster runs 70 OVR or better, just the bakcup big men are a little worse. Their best players are a bit better than our best players but overall we match up pretty evenly I think.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UVA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Same score as the UNC game at the first update. Santiago with 7, Jimenez 5, the other 3 starters each have 2. We've drawn 5 fouls total, two on Malone, he's sitting. Backups are in. Norris only has 4 so far for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> A northcutt 3 is all we've got from the backups. Their SG, Len Bullicer,is killing us. He's driving by his man with ease, 3 layups in the half court set against our backups, and 11 total points. Timeout Ohio, and I put Barker, my best backup defender, on Len Bullicer(though none of my backup defenders are bad...)


heh nevermind, conley and len bullicer come out during the timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in, their backcourt resting helped a lot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Norris hits 2 threes, Santiago blows a layup(a big problem we have against more talented teams, blowing by your man doesn't mean 2 points... this one seemed super easy though, bleh). Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> We go on a 6-2 run after the break to make it 42-35. Two bad mistakes after that. I get a fast break, hit Grundy, assuming he's going to dunk but he goes straight up in the air to shoot. Instead of shooting, I pass out of it and throw it away, that was an easy deuce gone. Second, Jimenez fouls a 3 point shooter with 7 seconds left in the half, they make all 3.


They're shooting 17-32, 6-12 from 3. They have a 14-10 edge on the boards and only 2 turnovers. Norris with 12, Len Bullicer 11, backup guard Childress has 7.


For Ohio Santiago has 11, Grundy 6, Northcutt and Jimenez 5. Santiago isn't really shooting great but he beats norris with ease 1 on 1 and draws fouls, he's 6-7 at the line. I haven't gotten jimenez into the flow of the offense at all really, he's not shot a 3 yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Looks like this is going to get away from us. A turnover, jimenez and santiago miss open 3's and I don't think they've missed but once this half. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez misses two more totally wide open 3's through some inside-out play with Bright and Grundy. We get a good turnaround from Bright for our only field goal in the last 4 minutes or so. Santiago with a steal and drive, he darws a foul but comes down injured. Northcutt is in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. jimenez finally hit a 3 and Grundy with a bucket in low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> We're killing ourselves just trying to score once every 3 or 4 trips... Len Bullicer has 24 now and Norris 18 I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up 20 and we score 5 straight, all with Whitted against Norris, drawing Norris' 3^rd foul. Santiago has a sore knee, will be fine by the next game, and will come back in at the next stop.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt drives and Norris helps and fouls him, that's 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters coming back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Well I think we just lost the game right here. McCully with a drive to try to cut it to 11, its blocked, he gets the board, santiago is open for 3, its off, they drive down and score. We've got 8 fouls now, they're shooting the ret of the way too.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
That was indeed it. They shot 31-60, 10-21 from 3, 15-17 at the line. 24 from Len Bullicer, 21 from Norris and 9 from Conley, their three backcourt players. Len bullicer only took 4 3's, and the vast majority of his points were on layups as he beat anyone that guarded him 1 on 1 whenever he wanted.

Virginia 87
Ohio 73

McCully: 8 points/3 assists
Jimenez: 10 points
Santiago: 14 points
Bright: 10 points/8 boards
Grundy: 10 points/8 boards

Northcutt: 12 points

Jimenez and Santiago only took 3's that seemed wide open to me, and they went 3-13 in those shots. If we're going to beat quality teams like that I need better out of those two.

Grundy and Bright combined for 8-13 shooting inside. I didn't get bright involved as much as I would like to, something I'll actively try to focus on more. Still, no shame in losing to an equally rated team on the road, but at some point I really want to pull one of these games off :)

[Radii]

December 9, 2017

Ohio (4-2) at Texas Tech(6-2)

Well if we didn't beat Virginia we sure don't expect to win in Lubbock, but who knows how the matchups will go. Texas Tech is rated 90 OVR (90 off/90 def/93 sht/91 reb/90 coach). They appear a much better team, more talent and a better resume so far, including a road win over top 25 washington state.

They are young, but their young players are damn talented.

Scouting

PG Eduardo Scheer – JR – 86 OVR – 94 speed/88 quickness, 89 defense/92 steals. 89 hands/79 passing, both solid. 86 close/83 med/79 3, 89 off the dribble(extremely high). 17 ppg this year, their leading scorer.

SG Collins King – SR – 88 OVR – 91 speed/86 quickness, all other athletic abilities in the B or B- range. 82 defense/77 steals. 93 close/84 med/81 3/83 off the dribble/82 in traffic. Just 12.6 ppg, but a supremely talented athlete that we are quite worried about. A likely first round draft pick.

SF Neil Massey – FR – 79 OVR – natural SG, always a good thing to see for us. 6'5”. 87 speed/86 quickness. 83 defense/74 steals. 87 close/83 med/71 3. 5.9 ppg/5.0 rpg. Solid 4* freshman who just isn't a primary option yet.

PF Woody Bodden – SO – 78 OVR – 6'10” - 83 orb/78 drb, 75 blocks (B-). 86 post offense/81 post defense. 87 close/84 in traffic. Just 5 ppg, a natural center. This team is domianted by guard scoring.

C Howie Fameni – SO – 82 OVR – 6'10” - 88 orb/82 drb. 84 post off/83 post def. 89 close/85 in traffic. A potential and already rated 82 as a soph, if he stays 4 years he could be a national player of the year candidate. 9.6 ppg/7.1 rpg.

This is a very talented, very deep team. They go 10 deep with players rated 75+. they lack big man depth as many teams do, but they have a huge overabundance of talented guards.

For this game, I intend to try to get Bright more involved, but I do noticed that both their big men are tall and strong and have solid post skills, so its going to be hard to do so.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> TTU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Great start for Ohio. Despite 4 offensive boards, Texas Tech has struggled to score. Jimenez hit an open 3 on our first play, after a rebound, Jimenez is on the run but looks unlikely to take it all the way, I shoot a rare transition 3 point shot and it goes in. Jimenez 8, Bright 2. They sub out their two big men early. Timeout Texas Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout for Texas Tech, Santiago and Bright work it inside-out and Santiago drains the 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> 3 point play for Texas Tech, Bright commits foul #2. I sit him, other starters are good for a bit longer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Their most talented player, SG King, goes down with an injury. I check it right away and it looks like he'll be back but hopefully hobbled.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago hits a 2^nd three. This is what we need to contend with these teams... our 3 point shooters have to come up big. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> King is back in for them already. Withers with a bucket w/ 3 seconds left on the shot clock, Northcutt 1 of 2 at the line after fouled on the break and we're up 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit two three's on back to back trips. Withers gives us great minutes here,6 points on 3-4 shooting in the post, 2 boards and a blocked shot. Just what I need from a backup big man when i'm burning clock, being able to hold for 25 seconds, go into the post and get points is huge.


Starters back in, including Bright w/ 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 27-21 with about 4 minutes to go and struggle like hell to score anymore, getting just a couple free throws, but play solid D and take a lead into the locker room.


Best defense we've ever played. Texas Tech is shooting 8-30 from the field, 2-4 from 3, 8-8 at the line. Well under 30%. They have a 15-10 edge on the boards and have 6 offensive rebounds which is frustrating to see, its definitely helped them a lot or we'd be up almost 10 perhaps. Their freshman SF, Massey, has 10. Butthat's on 3-10 shooting(4-4 at the line). I'll take that.


Santiago leads us with 10, Jimenez with 8, Withers with 6. Grundy and Bright are a combined 1-5 for 2 points. We are 11-21 from the field, 4-6 from 3 and 3-4 at the line. Its very disappointing to see that they've taken almost 10 shots more than us and more free throws. The fact that those two things have occurred and we still lead is amazing.


Ohio only has 5 fouls, but 2 on Santiago, 2 on Bright. We've only drawn 5 fouls as well. 2 on their PG, Scheer. Now to try to stop the giant run that these quality teams so often put on us at the start of the 2^nd halves of games. Patient but aggressive for me, I want Bright inside, or drives to the hoop with the chance to draw fouls. 3's if they're open after those other things but I can't have long rebounds and fast breaks for them early in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with foul #3. Grundy w/ 1 of 2 at the line for our point so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 in a row for Ohio as Jimenez hits a 3 as the shot clock expires and McCully gets out on the break after our 2^nd steal of the half. Unfortunately, I pause to update here because Bright has his 3^rd foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. Grundy with a block inside but they pick the ball back up, Bright with a reach in, foul #4. Hogan is in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Hogan with a dunk on a secondary break and Jimenez gets his defender in the air and drives by for a layup... we're up 10 and Texas Tech with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over for the first time this half, they get an open 3 point shot out of it, its no good but they get yet another offensive board and Santiago commits a foul on the putback attempt. Santiago and Bright now both have 4 fouls. Santiago out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Defense is playing so so well. I call a timeout to get my backups in. Hogan will be tired in the next few minutes so we may be messing with the lineups a bit here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt gets his man in the air and gets a layup. Timeout Texas Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Hogan with a tip-in to put us up 12. They get an offensive board and putback as well to make it 12. But this takes 3 minutes to accomplish and its still a 10 point game with 8:10 left. Timeot Texas Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> God I love Northcutt. They score to get it down to 8 and small visions of a miss and a TTU shot making it a 6 point game and our lead evaporating form... instead, Northcutt drains an open 3 over their 2-3 zone, CLUTCH. Our starters come back in the next time the clock stops, Bright and Santiago too.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 straight for texas tech and its a 7 point game. I go ahead and get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez with a great play, we go inside to Grundy but he can't back his man in, kicks it out, Jiminez with a pump fake and drives into the middle of the lane, hits a shot over their big man and draws a foul!!! He misses the FT. On the other end we get a key blocked shot by Grundy after they miss a shot but get yet another offensive board. I hold the ball up instead of going for the fast break. We kick it into Grundy and he's doubleteamed, he is able to muscle the ball out and hit Santiago who drains a 3. 12 point game!!!!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4;15
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, Bright fouls out and gives up a 3 point play on the foul.. Withers is in for him to finish the game up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> After a Withers bucket, they score 4 straight... sadly both buckets on offensive putbacks. I don't think we've ever allowed this many offensive boards before. I call a timeout. Up 7, 2:25 left. Just don't turn it over and one more bucket might seal it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> BIG shot by Grundy, he has a smaller man on him and hits a short turnaround from the low block.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> King hits a 3 for them, McCully with a drive and draws a foul on our end, making both of his free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> They score on their end and its times like this that its nice to have an 80% free throw shooter on the team. No one but McCully touches it the rest of the way. They foul but Mccully hits both.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss on their next two trips down and we make the free throws. ROAD UPSET!! This is the first time we've ever beaten a power conference team during the regular season, and aside from the obvious win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament 2 years ago, this is up there at the top of my biggest wins ever.

Ohio 65
Texas Tech 55

They get 12 from their center Femeni, and 12 from Massey, their SF (only 2 in the 2^nd half). SG King and PG Scheer struggle a ton, scoring 9 and 6 respectively. They shoot 20-58 on the game, only 4-13 from 3, and 11-11 from the line.

They outrebound us 26-18 but its not enough to matter. Probably because of their offensive rebounds, but we have 7 blocks today. Great performance, 23-38 from the field, 7-11 from 3, and 12-15 at the line. Santiago was 3-5 and Jimenez 3-4 from 3. Northcutt hit the other one.

McCully: 10 points
Jimenez: 17 points
Santiago: 15 points
Bright: 2 points/1 board/2 blocks (19 minutes/fouled out)
Grundy: 3 points/5 boards

Withers: 8 points
Hogan: 4 points/5 boards
Northcutt: 6 points

Bright and Grundy ended up 2-7 inside only, they doubled fast and hard so we usually had to kick it out either for a 3 or for a drive. Withers had a lot more success, 4-5 on the game.

[Radii]

With Coach K and Roy retiring, Clemson appears to have taken over the reigns in the ACC, they are #1 in the nation.

Marist seems to be the favored mid-major team so far, out of the MAAC. They're 9-1 and #25 in the media poll.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Marist
2. Ohio
3. Pepperdine
4. Gonzaga
5. Manhattan

Kent Sate is #10, Ball State #17. Freaking Ball State.


It doesn't get any easier for us as the Hawaiian Island Classic starts this week. Our first matchup is against #21 UConn.

[hoopsguy]

Very nice win. Congrats.

[Radii]

December 14, 2017

Ohio (5-2) vs #21 Connecticut (5-1)

Uconn is rated 90 OVR (9- off/87 def/92 sht/87 reb/93 coach). Similar to Texas Tech though not quite as good overall. But they're ranked which probably means something too.

Their only loss is to Virginia Tech. Its also the only team they've played that belongs in Division I. The Big East was always known for its pansy scheduling ;)


As a result, they're averaging a 25 point margin of victory so far and have the 3^rd most efficient offense in the nation. That's overrated b/c of their schedule I'm sure, but this is a balanced, talented, senior lead squad. They appear completely for real.

Scouting

PG – Borislav Hughes – SR – 81 OVR – 88 speed/85 quickness. 82 defense/79 steals. 77 hands/75 passing, a natural SG actually and just average with the ball. 85 close/80 med/75 3/80 off the dribble/86 in traffic. 14.3 ppg so far this year, 2^nd on the team.

SG Romas McGuire – SR – 82 OVR – Would you believe McGuire is a freaking walkon? Yup. 92 speed/78 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. 85 close/77 med/89 3/83 off the dribble. 78 clutch, very high. 8.5 ppg so far this year. His quickness is his main weakness, though Jimenez isn't eactly a speed demon.

SF Diego Bermudez – JR – 87 OVR – 6'7” natural SF. 85 speed/87 quickness/88 vert/77 str/81 hustle. Serious, serious athletic talent. 84 defense/81 steals, plays D like a guard. 87 close/85 med/82 3. 84 off the dribble/94 in traffic. His outside shooting tendencies are very low, it looks like he prefers to drive and shoot in close. Only 7 ppg so far this year.

PF Zack Ervin – SR – 86 OVR – 6'6” natural SF. Good rebounder though, 82 off/82 def. Good enough in the post, 74 off/73 def. Bright can hopefully take advantage of the size and weaker post D. 96 close/77 med/71 3. 81 off the dribble/90 traffic. Extremely talented, but only 8.3 ppg.

C Howard Konate – SR – 83 OVR – natural PF and only 6'7”. We have a really big size advantage today. 82 orb/85 drb. 87 post offense/79 post defense. 90 close/90 in traffic, 77 str (B+). He might be small but he has very good skills. Leads the team with 18.2 ppg/5 rpg.

This is a very talented, very deep team. They go 10 deep with players rated 75+. they lack big man depth as many teams do, but they have a huge overabundance of talented guards.

Uconn has 3 6'11” big men on their bench but have chosen to go with the higher rated/more talented players. But we'll see a lot of size during their rotation. Their backup guards are rated 72 and below, no more stars out there out of the starting 5... but its a damn good starting 5.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> CON
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Uconn is 5-6, 1-2 from 3, 3-5 from the line. We are 1-8 from the field, 1-3 from 3. Trying ahrd inside, Bright and Grundy are 0-5. Guards are having a hard time driving. Backups are in early to try to change it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Ohio. They're 8/10, we're 2/12.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Ohio, starters coming back. They are now 11-13. We are 3-14.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We've scored on 4 straight trips. Need to see if we can improve the defense somehow.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Uconn shoots 65% from the field to our 37%. Balanced scoring from Uconn, 9 from Ervin, 7 from Bermudez and McGuire, 5 from a couple.


On our side Grundy Bright and McCully all have 4. Grundy is 2-7, he got the ball in great position repeatedly and got blocked a couple times and missed a bunch. Bright is 1-4 with 2 free throws. We're 1-6 from 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Well I knew Uconn was capable of big runs but I sure didn't see this coming! They miss the opening shot, Jimenez beats his man for a bucket. Grundy with a block, McCully out for a fast break deuce. They fumble it away in the back court, Santiago gets the layup, and then after a normal stop/missed shot, we feed Bright who hits a close hook shot, 8-0 run to start the half!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> They answer with 5 straight, I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that's frustrating. Jimenez misses two wide open 3's, then we let them get THREE offensive boards on the other end before finally being fouled. Bright sits, he's a bit gassed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez with a 3, McCully with a bucket after a steal, and we're back to within 11. Backups have to come in though. Go go northcutt and withers.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight 3's, dammit! Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Three straight 3's.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> I score twice in a row, but so do they, including their 4^th 3 in the last 2 ½ minutes. I call my final timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They are up 25 with about 7 minutes left and its time to call it.

Connecticut 80
Ohio 52

That start was brutal, and we made a couple great efforts to get it close again but when we got it down near 10 they pushed it right back out of reach.

McCully: 8 points
Jimenez: 10 points
Santiago:10 points
Bright: 9 points/10 boards
Grundy: 6 points/6 boards

[Radii]

I go ahead and sim our next game against a 77 rated Arkansas State. Close one.

Dec 15

Ohio 90
Arkansas State 86

Santiago 17, Bright 16, Jimenez 15, Grundy 10.


We get the worst team in the tourney in our 3rd game.


Dec 16, 2017

Ohio 87
Belmont 51

Santiago 17, Grundy 15, Jimenez 14, McCully 13.


A popup after the belmont game:

Congratuatlions, you have achieved your 200th win blah blah, coaching point. I get win #200 in my 11th season as a head coach. I now have a 200-119 overall record.

I am 159-73 at Ohio.


I'm 7-3 after that tournament, and on to a new week.

Mid Major Poll:

1. Marist (9-2)
2. Ohio (7-3)
3. Pepperdine (9-3)
4. VCU (8-4)
5. Manhattan (6-4)

Kent State is 6-3 and #17. Ball State is 6-4 and #24.


Next up is a big home game, hosting UMass out of the A-10, they're rated a bit worse than us but are 9-1 so far.

[Radii]

December 18, 2017

Umass (9-1) at Ohio (7-3)

Umass is rated 82 OVR (83 off/82 def/87 sht/86 reb/90 coach). After some development, Ohio is now rated 86 OVR. 86 off/84 def/89 sht/89 reb/81 coach.

Umass has the #1 most efficient defense in the nation. Their offense is good too, #20. They certainly don't look any better than us and that seems related to their schedule as well. Though they do have a win over one major conf. Team in Depaul, but they're not very good(4-6)

Scouting

PG – Leonard Echols – SR – 74 OVR – 91 speed/85 quickness. 84 def, ony 63 steals, not a big factor there. 86 handling/80 passing, both decent but not great. 81 close/69 med/73 3/81 off the dribble. Again fine but not a giant threat. 11.7 ppg and 5.4 apg.

SG Comerlee Grafs – JR – 71 OVR – 88 speed/86 quickness. Terrible defense, 77. steals aren't a factor. 84 close/66 med/83 3/79 ff the dribble. He's a good pure shooter but very flawed. This team isn't any better than us in the backcourt as far as defense goes, and usually that means lots of drives for us, lots of free throws and hopefully lots of easy buckets. 8.3 ppg.

SF Mario Smith – SR – 81 OVR – 6'7”, natural SF. 83 speed/81 quickness, solid for a SF. 81 defense/74 steals, also solid for a SF, but not good enough to slow Santiago's drive to the hoop. 87 close/78 med/78 3/87 in traffic. That's a pretty scary set of numbers. He's big, athletic and can score from all over. 8.9 ppg so far this year.

PF Taron Greenleaf – JR – 78 OVR – Only 6'8”. 78 orb/77 drb. 79 post offense/72 post defense. 91 close/82 in traffic. Strong(75) and a great hustler(91). 10.4 ppg. Defensive and rebounding liability though so hopefully this gives us an edge.

C Schyler Neverett – SR – 76 OVR – 6'11” - 89 orb/81 drb. 74 post off/74 post def. 90 close/87 in traffic. Strong and good hustle, clutch and good awareness. He really excels most everywhere except for those poor post ratings. He is by far their leading scorer with 19.6 ppg/5.0 rpg. I can live with him scoring if he plays poor defense.

They have decent depth and have coverage at every position, but nothing noteworthy to me. This team looks worse than their overall rating IMO. I think we have a really big edge over them.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> I go inside my first number of trips, and Grundy and Bright combine for 2-6 to start us off, we fall behind a bit. Then a Jimenez drive and a good screen inside to Grundy result in two quick fouls for Neverett, and he has to sit. I imagine that will change things up a bit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> I'm a bit annoyed at my defense, or lack thereof. They're scoring way too quickly and too easily. A few stops and we'll be fine, but I'd like to get those stops now. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> There's some defense... and we take the lead for the first time since 2-0 on a Withers turnaround.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Umass after a big Withers dunk down low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. Solid job from Withers with 6 inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> 6-0 run, all inside and we have a 6^th man boost carrying us a bit. Bright and Grundy both doing well since they've come back in without their starters out there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that was a horseshit ending to the half. Up 39-31 we have 3 shots to go up 10+ and miss on all 3, the final one Bright is stripped in the high post, the ball rolls to Jimenez who takes a shot with the shot clock expiring. He misses, they're on the break with under 5 left, and they make a shot from about 30 feet out as the half expires.


On their end, PG Echols and SG Grafs account for half of their points, 7 and 10. As a team they're 14-27 from the field, 4-6 form 3 and 2-2 at the line, solid really. We're absolutely destroying them on the boards, 17-9 edge for us. We're not shooting well, 13-29 and 1-5 from 3, but our inside game draws 8 fouls, giving us 15 Fts, where we go 12-15.


Our post game has never been better. Bright 9, Grundy 9, withers 6. Jimenez has 4, no one else has more than 3. McCully, Jimenez and Santiago are 1-8 from the field, with 7 Fts accounting for their points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago misses 2 wide open 3's, Grundy is picked in low, Jimenez just 1-2 at the line after drawing a foul, and they've scored 5 straight... I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> And they've tied it up for the first time in awhile. We have Greenleaf(PF) and Echols(PG) with 3 fouls now but still not scoring consistently.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Turnover by us, 3 point play by them. We trail.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy hits Santiago for a 3. noteworthy because its the first FG of the half for McCully/Jimenez/Santiago... they are now a combined 2/13.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 straight points for Ohio after a 55-55 tie and we get a 6^th man boost and things are going our way again it appears. Timeout Umass. They get their 3 foul guys back in, so we'll see if things change with their lineup strengthened. At the same time they sit SG Grafs who has 17.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We'd gotten two steals in a row to push the lead up to 10, they get it back to 6. I call a timeout to put the starters back in
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight 3's and its a 2 point game. I didn't know their PF was a 3 point shooter :P (he just hit 1 of the 2). Timeout Ohio. I switch up my defense to put McCully on Grafs when he comes back in. Jimenez is my weakest defender and Grafs is their hottest shooter.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Grafs with their last 4 points regardless of who guards him. Our ball up 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout miami after Jimenez hit two at the line. He and McCully are still scoreless from the field I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully overplays a bit on Grafs, Bright comes out to help and they get an easy look inside... 1 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2;10
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully with a FG now! Bright has a shot blocked, they have a chance for the lead but can't score, McCully is out on the break and throws down a nice left handed jam in transition. Timeout Umass
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Echols misses an open jumper on their end, and Santiago with the big shot, an open 3 swishes through and we're up 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Neverett with a shot inside, 4 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> We run the clock a ways, Bright with a turnaround that rolls off the rim. They rush it down court and Grafs hits a 3. 1 point game. McCully time.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
McCully is able to scramble for about 5 seconds before he's fouled. He makes both free throws. We press and all they can do is fire a pass across half court for a fully contested 3 pointer with a second left. Grafs takes it, but he isn't that clutch. It hits the back rim and bounces away. We hold on for the tough win.

Ohio 79
Massachusetts 76

Well it wasn't the easy win I thought we'd get when scouting them, but its a win.

They end up shooting extremely well... 32/55 for 58%. 9/14 from 3. We're only 45% and 3/9 from 3, but we drew a ton of fouls and went 26/34 from the line.

We also killed them on the boards with a 30-18 edge, including 10 big offensive boards.

Grafs is 9-10 for them, 4-5 from 3. Huge game for him. Echoles gets 12 and their big men get 12 and 11 respetively.

McCully: 11 points
Jimenez: 6 points
Santiago: 12 points/5 boards
Bright: 13 points/7 boards
Grundy: 11 points/7 boards

Withers: 8 points/5 boards
Northcutt: 7 points

Bright and Grundy combine for 11-21 shooting, a solid performance inside. It was noticibly different when Neverett was on the bench, and they did get 6 blocks which account for 3 or 4 of the big men misses. Jimenez and McCully go 1-9 from the field but score 15 at the line between them. Santiago with 3 3 pointers, he actually ended up with a fine day, just didn't shoot a ton.

[Radii]

Very nice win. Congrats.


Thanks :) UConn brought us back to earth fairly quickly... but its good to see we are capable of a win like that if things go well for us.

[Radii]

Next up is a 3-8 Rice squad.

Dec 21, 2017

at Ohio 106
Rice 60

Hah. Wow. That's one of the best simmed game performances I've ever seen. Santiago is 5-10 from 3, 10-20 from the field, 8-12 at the line. That's 33 points. McCully hits 4 3's and scores 20. Northcutt 16, Grundy 10. Impressive.


Clemson is still #1 at 16-0. UNC and Duke are nowhere to be seen in the top 25.

Mid major poll:

1. Marist 10-2
2. Ohio 9-3
3. VCU 9-4
4. Pepperdine 9-4
5. Gonzaga 10-2

Haven't seen Gonzaga up in the top 5 in a long time.

Kent State is #15, Ball State #24.

Another big non-conference game next, we host an evenly rated Missouri squad. After that we play one of the worst teams in the NCAA in Navy, and then conference play begins. I might not play more than 3 or 4 conference games out. With an 86 OVR rating we're rated 9 points ahead of the 2nd best team, and only 4 teams are within 10 points.

[Radii]

December 25, 2017

Missouri (8-4) at Ohio (9-3)

Missouri crushed the same Utah State team we beat earlier in the year, and has a win over an 8-3 Ole Miss squad. They've played two top 20 teams and lost both by 15+, and also have losses vs Penn State and East Carolina(who is 9-1 but no clue how good they are).

Its obvious looking at their roster that they are a step below other good power conference teams, they are just not developing their players nearly as much as most big schools seem to.

Scouting

PG – Trevoy Lufkin – SR – 83 OVR – 94 speed/83 quickness. 90 defense/81 steals, extremely good defender. 84 close/81 med/75 3. 93 off the dribble. Their best player and I'm surprised he isn't rated higher. He is not a great athlete, 59 str/67 hustle, both C's. Still, he's a guy that can hurt us a lot. 13.1 ppg/3.3 apg.

SG Donnie Humphrey – SO – 76 OVR – 92 speed/87 quickness/81 vertical, pretty athletic. 6'6, very big for a guard. 80 defense/70 steals, pedestrian... 82 close/82 med/693. 81 off the dribble/78 in traffic. 7.4 ppg. Only a 3* recruit, 165 OVR. But, A+ potential. Wonder how good he'll be when he's a senior.

SF Chrisman Chase – JR – 80 OVR – 6'7”, natural SF, with the traditional weaknesses of a SF at this level. Speed, quickness, and defense are all under 80. 84 close/82 med/74 3/81 in traffic. Good athlete, great dunker(92). Just 9.2 ppg this year, we expect he'll get more against us but if they play man defense(I think I saw that they do), Santiago will try hard to get by him.

PF Buzz Holloway – SR – 79 OVR – 6'6”, natural SF. He's a better SF than Chase. Quicker, better on ball defense, terrible post skills. 75 orb/75 drb, 60 post offense/71 post defense. 89 9close/82 med/79 3/87 in traffic. He'll be a big threat but Bright is very fast and can at least stay in front of him on the wing. With his size and awful post play we need to take advantage.

C Antwan Barro – SR – 78 OVR – 6'9”, natural PF. 81 orb/78 drb, 81 post off/77 post def. Great steals guy(77/A for a PF), very good shot blocker (75). 87 close/88 in traffic. 15.5 ppg/6 rpg. He's definitely a threat ot us, and it'll make it harder to score over Holloway since he'll be on the waek side to block shots.

Their backup PG would start for us, he's very good. They have a 7 foot backup center rated 72 OVR, a poor rebounder but solid post skills. His name is Jay Volpenhein and he'll be a threat when he comes in. They have good guard depth but Volpenhein is really their only big man depth. Already weak inside with holloway, we could hurt them inside if we can drive and draw fouls.

They seem weak defensively aside from Lufkin, who is a defensive god.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> MIZ
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> We open up with a 9-2 lead and are rolling... crazy stuff though as they run 34 seconds off the shot clock before a bullshit pass from the right corner to the left blcok through our defense and a 3 point play. Santiago throws away an inbounds pass... and here I mean McCully is going to face a full court press but he's standing 5 feet from Santiago, and Santiago throws the ball like 5 feet wide of him and straight out of bounds. Two things I've never seen before in this game back to back. They drain a 3 afterwards... 11-10, was 11-4!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago misses an open 3, they get a layup on the other end and we trail. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago gets back to basics, driving around their terribly slow SF for a layup, then Grundy with two buckets inside in a row. Grundy leads us with 8, 4-4 inside, mostly luck as to who has been in the right spot to cut to the hoop or posted up in the right place, Bright hasn't had any shots yet. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers scores 4 straight before getting fouled and missing two free throws, then missing a hook our next trip. They score 6 straight and tie us up at 21 before Northcutt puts us back into the lead. Timeout Mizzou.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in They just ended a 6-0 run for us at the FT line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> It gets as close as 32-29 but our defense takes over again and we score 6 straight. Santiago just missed a FT that would have made it a 10 point game, 9 will have to do.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez misses a 3 that would have put us up 10 at the half. Despite the score only in the 30s, its an offensive half. We shoot 65%, they shoot 52%. Both sides have been working the clock trying to find open shots. They are only 2-9 from 3. Barro, their Center is 5-5 and leads them with 11 points. No one else has more than 4. Barro picked up his 2^nd foul in the final 2 minutes.


On our end Santiago has 9, Grundy 8, Jimenez 6. We're 1-6 from 3 but 17-27 from the field. We drew 7 fouls but only made it to the line 7 times on the half... making only 3, which is annoying as hell. Good half, need to stop their guards again this half to win. Barro can have 25 points as long as their guards don't get hot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Well its been a real tough defensive start to the half, turnovers and missed shots on both sides, lots of tight D and contested shots. We're up 6-3 on the half though which means we're up 10 for the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a bucket inside, we get a 3 from Jimenez. They fall over getting the ball up court, pretty funny actually, the ball handler falls over and loses control, the SG running up ahead of him dives for the ball and saves it to Jimenez, Jimenez runs in between two mizzou players lying on the ground at our free throw line and goes up for a dunk. 13 point lead! 6^th man bonus as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in with a 12 point cushion. Barro just picked up his 3^rd foul. I don't think he's been very effective so far this half anyway.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Still 12, they call a timeout. I'm stalling with the backups, Mizzou has an edge over these guys overall. Run 20 seconds off the clock, then try to get Withers or Northcutt in a good spot is pretty much my strategy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Strategy working pretty much perfectly, 3 minutes off the clock and its still a 10 point lead, Withers has a hook inside for our only points. Timeout mizzou.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> We didnt score anymore but the defense has been playing soo strong I saw no need to rush the starters back in. After a foul and two free throws for missouri I do go ahead though, starters are in for the rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout, Jimenez misses a wide open 3 on our first trip, but they come up empty too... next trip we turn it over and they get a layup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it to 4 as we commit another stupid turnover... on a big trip with 2:30 to go through we run some clock, run our offense but have trouble finding anytying, but McCully comes up big, driving by his man and hitting a runner with a few seconds on the shot clock. Timeout mizzou.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> They go straight inside but miss a post shot with their backup center. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, I completely botch the last 10 seconds of our trip and end up getting a 3 by Jimenez blocked. They get Barro the bucket this time, he has 17 btw. And we are up four with a minute left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:32
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> I'm trying to feed the post in the final seconds of the shot clock and they tip it out of bounds. McCully ends up taking a bad shot and they get the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright fouls a shooter, he makes 1 out of 2, we board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:16
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the good news is that they only have 3 fouls so they have to commit a bunch of them. The bad news is that for the second time today Santiago just throws away an inbounds pass to an open man 10 feet away.... Mizzou ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit an open 3. This is a bit embarrassing, hah.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
OH MY GOD. I throw the ball up close to half court and call a timeout, 2.5 seconds left. I control Jimenez, Santiago is on the left sideline behind half court. Jimenez sets up about 4 or 5 feet from the top of the key, its a clean pass, Mizzou's guard gets out on him, Jiminez goes straight up with the ball, and as the ball hits the basket my screen flashes for a split second, which i've never seen before. It pops up an xbox achievement, “BUZZER BEATER” - the shot is good, there's less than 0.5 on the clock, they inbound and time runs out.

So I don't think my stalling tactics were un-sound. But in the final 4 minutes or so, shit just went wrong all over. All we needed was one basket somewhere in the final two minutes and we win, or one offensive rebound to take an extra 30 seconds off the clock. The problem is that things just started going very wrong. I even started running my offense 3 seconds sooner(18 seconds instead of 15) to give me a bit more time to create a shot, but we just turned it over WAY too often in that final stretch. We weren't even getting shots on half our trips down court in the final 3-4 minutes.

That buzzer beater was AWESOME but it is diminished slightly because we blew a 12 point lead and had only scored 4 points in 10 minutes before that shot.

Ohio 59
Missouri 56

Barro scores 17 for them, he never missed, 7-7 on the game, he just took 2 shots in the 2^nd half... fouls weren't the issue, he played 30 minutes. SG Humphrey with 10 points.

McCully: 8 points
Jimenez: 15 points/4 steals
Santiago: 12 points
Bright: 2 points/7 boards
Grundy: 8 points/7 boards/2 blocks

Withers: 6 points

Bright was 1-5 today. Grundy 4-6, we got our second half lead off turnovers and fast break points so the big men didn't get the ball as often in the 2^nd half.

[Radii]

two more games this week. We travel to a navy team rated 65 OVR:

Dec 27, 2017

at Ohio 90
Navy 82

Good job letting a terrible team hang with you, guys. Santiago is big with 23 points. Grundy 13, Jimenez 13, Bright 10.


Our first conference game is a road contest at a 69 rated E. Michigan team.

Dec 30

Ohio 89
at E. Michigan 80

Heh, if I sim a lot of this we're going to lsoe a lot of road games, aren't we?

Santiago 25, Grundy 17, Jimenez 13, Bright 10.

As we enter January, Marist loses a game and we jump to the top of the mid-major list.

1. Ohio
2. Marist
3. VCU
4. Manhattan
5. Detroit

Kent State and Ball State have fallen off this list.


I think I may play as few as 4 or 5 MAC games, I'm sure I'll drop a couple inexplicable ones in here but this is starting to border on a Memphis in CUSA type situation... we played 8 teams in the non-conference schedule that are better than anyone else we face in the MAC.

Yeah, looking things over, I'm going to play 5 games. We have Kent State and Bowling Green twice, the two best teams in the league after us. I'll play them both. And we play ball state once.


Jan 6, 2018

at Ohio 85
Miami OH 55

Santiago is turning into a monster in these simmed games. He is 7-11 from 3 and has 27 points. Northcutt with 13 and McCully 10.


Marist somehow leapfrogs us in the next mid-major poll, getting back into the top 25 as well. We're #2 still. They're rated 87 OVR and have 2 players, both juniors, that look better than anyone i've got. I'd love to play them and see exactly how good. In fact, they dnot start a single senior. They may be rated 88-89 OVR next year and be a top 15 team or so.


With that, our next game is at Kent State. I'll actually be playing 3 of our next 4, then simming 8, and then playing our final two games. I don't have crap to do for work tomorrow so I may well finish the season out.

[RPI-Fan]

What's your RPI looking like? If you can buzz through the conference season, it seems like you could be set up for maybe even a 2 seed since your non-conference RPI will be as good as anyone's.

[Radii]

What's your RPI looking like? If you can buzz through the conference season, it seems like you could be set up for maybe even a 2 seed since your non-conference RPI will be as good as anyone's.


It's 13th right now but it seems like its due to "reset" one last time probably in a week or so.. I don't really understand how that works but right now I just see an RPI, no standings vs 1-50. 51-100, etc etc. Once those show up it seems like the RPI will change sometimes drastically like its recalculating everything, and then it stays steady the rest of the season. i'll update it when I see the full breakdown, hopefully next week(after I play my next game)

[Radii]

January 11, 2018

Ohio (13-3, 2-0 MAC) at Kent State (9-4, 2-0 MAC)

Kent State and probably Bowling Green seem like the best two teams in the league, so a road win here would be big to make sure I establish dominance in the MAC. Kent State is rated 77 OVR (76 off/80 def/81 sht/83 reb/80 coach). Their last game was a win at Bowling Green, a good sign for them I'd think.

Kent State lost 4 starters last year so the level of talent they have now is really pretty impressive.

Scouting

PG Kent Sanderson – FR – 72 OVR – natural SG, 85 speed/81 quickness. 79 defense/71 steals. 83 close/86 med/69 3. Not good off the dribble or in traffic, not a great athlete. He's only average with the ball for a SG, below average handles and passing for a PG (75/63). 9.2 ppg/3.4 apg. He'll be pretty good ,and is good for a freshman in the MAC, but he's out of position, a poor defender and too inexperienced, we should eat him alive.

SG Ellis Laws – SR – 73 OVR – 85 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/70 steals. 84 close/71 med/79 3/81 off the dribble/82 in traffic. All solid but not spectacular. Laws has hurt us in big games before off the bench, he can get real hot from 3. 10.5 ppg so far this year.

SF Damond Hooper – JR – 73 OVR – 6'8” natural SF. 79 speed/73 quickness... very poor quicks. 80 defense/76 steals, not bad at all for a SF. 85 Close/71 med/63 3/83 in traffic. He's a decent defensive rebounder (79) and a decent post defender if he needs to be. 9.5 ppg/5.8 rpg this year so far.

PF Dominick Bowden – SR – 72 OVR – 6'8”. 83 orb/81 drb, not bad at all. 74 post off/78 post defense. 82 close/87 in traffic. 10.3 ppg/4.4 rpg so far this year.

C Elton Millar – FR – 67 OVR- 6'11” - 79 orb/71 drb, 74 post offense/76 post defense. 77 close/80 in traffic. They have set their lineup horribly, they have PF's better but seem to want to go with the natural center who has a bit more size... I think its a mistake.

Their backup PG would start for us, he's very good. They have a 7 foot backup center rated 72 OVR, a poor rebounder but solid post skills. His name is Jay Volpenhein and he'll be a threat when he comes in. They have good guard depth but Volpenhein is really their only big man depth. Already weak inside with holloway, we could hurt them inside if we can drive and draw fouls.

They've got 9 guys as good or better than Millar on the team(67+) so they aren't bad at all, they have reasonable depth everywhere minus the lack of a natural ball handler. They don't have any stars though, we ought ot be fine here... still, conference game on the road, anything can happen.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> KSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> We open with a 3, then they score 8 straight. Now we've scored 8 straight to get back in front, but, Bright just picked up foul #2. All 5 starters have scored, Jimenez a 3, all others 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt with his 2^nd foul and we have 7 already, they're shooting.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers with 4, Hogan with a 3 point play inside and they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in, a little earlier than usual but they're rested. Bright is in w/ 2 fouls, I'll obviously sit him if he picks up #3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Kent State, Santiago drives for a basket and Jimenez hits a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 12 then they score 7 straight... timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it down as close as 3 before we got control back. We shoot 50% and hold them to 35% from the floor for the half. They are 2-13 from 3. Backup guard Luna has 7 for them on 3-7 shooting, their top scorer.


We have 12 from Santiago and 10 from Jimenez. Santiago all inside and at the line, driving is working well for him. Jomenez is -3 from 3. Bright and Grundy are terribly inefficient today and I have tried working them hard. They have combined for 4-15 shooting, 2-8 and 2-7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We have things reasonably well in hand, they seem very unlikely to come back. Bright and Grundy I've totally given up on, each has a basket off an offensive rebound and that's all they're getting from here on our, just cna't hit shit today. Timeout kent State after we go up 11.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 and then we trade a few points back and forth. I call a timeout to get my backups in, the starters are gassed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Yeah no surprise here, after I declare that we have the game well in hand. They're hitting 3's from all over and have the lead down to 4. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in, we let them get it down to 2 before pushing back ahead a bit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They score to get it down to 3 again, then Santiago scores 5 straight including his first 3(I think his first at least), and Jimenez finishes in transition and we're up 10 all of a sudden.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with a bucket to get it back up over 10 and likely seal the win with under 2 minutes left. He's scored 11 of our last 15 points and has quietly had a very big day, that's 27.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We hold them to under 40% shooting and outrebound them 40-31 on the way to a solid double digit road win.

Ohio 83
Kent State 71

Backup guard Luna scores 14 for them, Laws with 13 on just 2-7 3 point shooting.

McCully: 6 points/4 boards/5 assists/3 steals
Jimenez: 17 points (7-11 shooting/3-5 from 3)
Santiago 30 points (12-20 shooting/2-6 from 3)
Bright: 8 points/9 boards (4-12)
Grundy: 6 points/11 boards (3-9)

Withers: 8 points

Withers is 4-6 inside... Bright and Grundy combine for 7-19 and are just ineffective... good on the boards though so its all good. With all the success we had driving, Northcutt was surprisingly ineffective as well, 1-6 from the floor for 2 points.

[Radii]

Central Michigan is 2-14 and rated 70 overall:

Jan 14, 2018

at Ohio 80
C. Michigan 62


Jimenez with 16, Grundy 14, Santiago just 9.


This must be when the RPI reset, the polls look like they did too... we just jumped from out of the polls to #20.

Kansas takes over #1 in the nation from Clemson, Clemson is 20-1 though. Still no UNC or Duke in there.

Marist jumps up to #19 in the nation, and we are #20. That's in the media poll. The coaches hate Ohio. Marist #24, we are unranked.

Mid-major poll:

1. Marist (16-3)
2. Ohio (15-3)
3. VCU (16-4)
4. Gonzaga (13-3)
5. Detroit (14-3)

No other MAC teams appear anymore.



RPI update:

The MAC is the #14 ranked conference in the nation. Last year when we got 3 bids to the dance we were #9.


We have the 15th rated RPI. That will surely go down. While we did manage 6 games vs top 100 teams(as of this point) in that non-conference schedule, we were 1-2 vs the top 50 and 2-1 vs 51-100. We're 12-0 vs 100+. But the MAC doesn't have anyone in the top 100, and more teams than usual 200+. Hell, Buffalo is #295 and Central Michigan #309, ouch!

If I had to guess right now I'd peg us for anywhere between a 4-7 seed depending on how many crappy losses we pick up in simmed contests and how far our RPI dips. I'd really like to get a 6 seed or better, to avoid having to play a 2 seed to make the sweet 16. But that's a long ways off still obviously.


next we play a Bowling Green squad rated 78 OVR with the only other guy in the league rated over 80, center Ferdinand Whitehead, he scored 20+ on me last year. After that, Ball State, then we sim a ton.

[Radii]

Whether due to the fact that we recruited better early and I am not travelling as much to see recruits, or the fact that we hired a new scout with a much better teaching rating... or some other factor, we are seeing more development this year than last.

Three players, McCully, Grundy and Barker, have already gained 2 points to their overall ratings. Everyone else on the roster has gained 1 except for Jimenez, who has only made gains in 3 or 4 categories and none that I really care about, except Durability which of course is always nice to have less injury prone guys.

Santiago is now rated 82 as a junior. Bright at 83 is my highest rated player ever. Unless Santiago has peaked out he would be expected to top 83 hopefully early next season. Santiago averaged 15.9 ppg last year and is averaging over 17 this year. If he can improve to 84 or 85 OVR and have a 20 point season next year I wonder if there is a chance he would be drafted(having a player get drafted being another coaching skill point).

McCully shows similar promise though he doesn't put up the same stats. As only a sophomore he's rated 79 OVR and will certainly start next year at 80 or 81. I wonder if he has an outside chance of getting into a position to be drafted.

[Radii]

Santiago broke a finger in one of his recent games and is day to day for the next 20 days. That seems like it might have an impact on his shooting. We might be a little quicker to have him lay off the 3's if he starts out cold until this has healed.

January 17, 2018

#20 Ohio (15-3, 4-0 MAC) at Bowling Green (9-7, 1-3 MAC)

At just 1-3 in conference play I assume Bowling Green has some flaws that will make them easily beatable, but, they're rated 78 OVR which is 2^nd highest in the MAC behind us, so I'm going to play them anyway, espicially on the road. 78 OVR (78 off/79 def/81 sht/81 reb/85 coach).

Ah, their flaw is that they start 3 underclassmen most likely. They graduated their SG and SF last year and started a freshman PG. This year their PG is a soph with some experience and they start freshmen at SG/SF. They have two 7 footers in the front court which makes them potentially dangerous no matter what else happens.

Scouting

PG Alan Mayes – SO – 70 OVR – 88 speed/83 quicknes. 84 defense, poor steals, poor handles, poor passer. 78 close/72 med/73 3/82 off the dribble. 5.4 ppg/4.3 apg. Mayes has gained 3 points in defense since we played him last, he's improving there quite a bit. Not so much elsewhere though.

SG Isaiah Wysocki – FR – 68 OVR – Natural SF and only 6'6”. 77 speed/72 quickness. 79 defense. 72 handles/60 passing, terrible for a backcourt player handling the ball a ton. Only average for a SF. 84 close/75 med/72 3.

SF Cam Yeager – FR – 71 OVR – 6'8”, natural PF, a potential death sentence trying to guard santiago. 73 speed/77 quickness, 64 defense. 87 close/63 med/59 3. 82 in traffic. Poor in the post but a good rebounder. 4.6 ppg/5.3 rpg.

PF Jair Watkins – JR – 78 OVR – dual 7 footers. 84 orb/87 drb. 83 post off/77 post def. 89 close/83 in traffic. 16.3 ppg/7.3 rpg this year, leading the team. He has A- potential and is developing quite nicely.
C Ferdinand Whitehead – SR – 82 OVR – 7 feet tall, always scary to see this talent and 7 foot size paired together. 80 orb/76 drb. 80 post off/86 post def. 91 close/89 in traffic. Great strength(84) hustle (87), dunking, awareness ... the kid can play. 14.4 ppg/5.8 rpg. I expect him to do more against us.

Their roster problems, which sadly seem to be created by a flaw in the AI... they had 7 scholarships available last year, had their only PF leaving, and ended up landing 6 PF's and a SF... anyway, their roster problems seem a critical flaw to a team that could have built nicely around watkins and whitehead. They only have 8 players rated 65+, and 6 of them are PF or C.

We have struggled at times against teams like this, though usually its the all guard teams that hurt us, not the all bigs teams.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BGSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we commit two turnovers and they hit a 3, a 2 and two free throws... but their PG Mayes comes out injured.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Bowling Green. Once we stopped throwing the ball away 2 out of 3 trips down court, we started scoring, imagine that. Jimenez has a 3, Grundy is doing very well in low and I believe has 8. Their PG, Mayes, is back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Its a two man show out there. Grundy has 13, Jimenez 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to avoid a held ball, they just hit an open 3 in transition to get it back under 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it to 2, Barker hits a rare 3 on our end, and Bowling Green calls a TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> A little run to make it 11 before the starters come back in, looking pretty good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> This is the best half of offensive basketball I have ever played at any level. Its also up there with the best individual halves I've ever had... only House in his 47 point game can top what Nathan Grundy has done in the 1^st half today.


They've got one solid contributor, PG Mayes. He has 12, 2-2 from 3 and a coupld breakaways on turnovers. No one else has more than 4. They're 14-35 from the field.


We are 21-28 from the field, 75% shooting. 3-6 from 3, 10-12 at the line.Jimenez has a solid 8 point half, but only Grundy is worth mentioning. 11-13 from the field, 3-4 at the line, 1 foul, 15 minutes played. 25 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks. Bright is getting all our defensive boards, but Grundy has 2 offensive boards/putbacks. He has a few dunks on the secondary break, he has a few buckets from their defense breaking down on switches, and a few solid post moves... just a masterful performance.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Bowling Green doesn't go quietly. They start the half on a 10-2 run and I get a TO.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
My sister got home and I finished the game pretty much on autopilot while talking to her. We quickly ended their run and took the game back over and cruised the rest of the way. I did play this all the way out despite the lead.

Ohio 95
Bowling Green 68

They get 14 from Mayes, 12 from SF Wysocki and their center, Whitehead, only scored 11 today in 29 minutes. He was 4-12 and struggled a lot.

McCully: 5 points/4 assists/2 steals
Jimenez: 13 points/4 assists
Santiago: 3 points/4 assists
Bright: 8 points/11 boards/4 assists
Grundy: 35 points/6 boards/3 blocks

Barker: 13 points
Northcutt: 10 points

Grundy goes 15-20. I shied a little away from Santiago b/c of his injury, his first two three pointers were very short and ugly, I really don't know how reliably that correlates but Jimenez was hot and Grundy didn't miss at all for so long I didn't see the need to keep trying.



Next up, the arch enemy, ball State. They are so so much weaker this year it should just be a beating to make up for old losses. With their coaching change they no longer run a 3-2 defense which we seemed to struggle with like crazy for inexplicable reasons. They're 4-1 in the MAC though so who knows what kind of mojo they'll have going...

[Radii]

January 20, 2018

Ball State (11-6, 4-1 MAC) #20 Ohio (16-3, 5-0 MAC)

As it usually does, this game appears to have a lot of meaning in the conference race. They lost the last of their superstar players last year as SF Fab Minoff graduated. He is the guy that hung 40+ on me in the conference semifinals last year. They have no superstar replacements.

Ball State is rated 76 OVR (77 off/75 def/82 sht/84 reb/85 coach). We have a massive edge in every area.

Scouting

PG Brendan McCarthy – JR – 74 OVR – 87 speed/85 quickness. Poor ball handling(78/C-). 79 close/72 med/86 3. Terrible off the dribble. Leading scorer on the team this year at 16.7 ppg.

SG Cody Clemons – FR – 72 OVR – 85 speed/79 quickness. 80 defense. 85 close/70 med/75 3. Awful off the dribble and in traffic. 85 hustle but other athletic skills are not that good. 7.6 ppg/5.4 rpg. Clemons was the #111 recruit last year and is promising but he has a ways to go.

SF Christano Whitted – JR – 70 OVR – 77 defense/70 steals. 83 speed/83 quickness. 90 close/75 med/69 3, 74 in traffic. If he can get the ball in deep he can do some damage. He's a natural SG averaging only 5 points/game.

PF Max Burns – JR – 69 OVR – Natural SF, only 6'5”. 72 orb/71 deb. 62 post offense/76 post defense. 83 close/80 in trafic. Not at all built to play PF. 6 ppg.

C Alberto Tyler – JR – 69 OVR - 6'10” PF, 77 orb/76 drb. 70 post off/61 post d. 89 close/86 in traffic. His rebounding and post play leaves a lot to be desired still. His close range shooting and in traffic game has improved a lot since the last time we met. 9.2 ppg/5.6 rpg..

They only have 7 players rated 62 and up. Heh, their coach is lucky he left when he did.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Certainly not the same start for Grundy. He picks up foul #2 very quickly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago drives to the basket and draws a foul, and comes out injured.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get my lineup fixed up. Whitted at SF, Withers at C to give Grundy a rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Their SG, Clemons, cannot miss. He has 10 of their 16 points. Jimenez can't miss for us, he has 12. I get our backups in. Santiago is ok so he'll play with the backups. Withers is tiring but still out there, he'll play to exhaustion then Grundy will get back out there and hopefully not pick up foul #3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> They're still keeping up but we're scoring at a solid clip on offense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> They are hitting all open 3's so far, we're not allowing many but every one is dropipng. I get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> 2 more threes and a free throw and they've tied the game. God I hate ball state.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Its only fitting that they hit a 3 at the end of the half to take the lead.
This is the worst defensive effort I've ever seen against anyone and I have little to no explanation for it. They are 17-23 from the field on the half. Their SG Clemons is 8-9, all jumpers, 2 3's and 18 points. So I guess for the second half our goal is to not shit the bed on defense.


Jimenez is doing a great job keeing us in the game. He has 3 3s and 15 points. Northcutt 7 off the bench. Bright and Grundy did nto get involved well at all, only 2-4 from the field, but 4 FT's combined as well.. each has 4 points. Withers is 4-7 in deep and has 8 points, he did a good job in low in the first half.


One last thing... we have 5 rebounds. 5 total rebounds in the half. They only have 11, neither team is missing a lot, but jesus, 5 rebounds?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> They score first but we've got 5 straight to take the lead back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago hits his first 3 and Grundy gets two buckets in a row, the second a big dunk that gets the 6^th man going for us. Jiimenez forces a turnover in the backcourt, Grundy cuts to the hoop, Jimenez hits him for another big dunk! 9 straight in a very short period of time. Timeout Ball State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy has heated up again, a hook shot down low and he has 14, 10 in the 2^nd half. Another Ball State timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Ball State, looks like we've got it under control finally.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 5 straight and I call a timeout and get my starters in, just playing it safe, there's no need to screw around here and let them get it under 10. Withers with a solid game in the post today.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We did ok inside in the first half but Jimenez was hitting some big shots so we spread it around, butin the 2^nd half we truly showed our dominance inside. With Santiago hurt and not shooting or driving as well as usual, it feels real good to be able to throw an inside game like this at a poor defensive team in the post.

Ohio 87
Ball State 72

Their SG Clemons scores 24. Whitted with 13. center Tyler with 9. They only went 8 deep and we had Tyler in foul trouble at times... they just got worn down and worn out.

After shooting 17-23 in the first half, they finish 28-58. 11-35 in the second half, much better.

McCully: 6 points
Jimenez: 15 points/6 assists
Santiago: 3 points
Bright: 11 points/6 boards
Grundy: 25 points/9 boards

Withers: 14 points
Northcutt: 9 points

I didn't intend to completely shut Jimenez down after a half. But the inside game was working so well I just kept going to it over and over and over. Bright scored 7 second half points, Withers 6, and Grundy 21. That's 34 of our 45 second half points.

I expected that all game, as Ball State has a SF playing PF and a center with a post defense rating of 61... .I wanted to get all 3 of them 20 points. But with Grundy's foul troulbe and their hot shooting early I got out of my rhythm and game plan a bit.

Thank god, we have beaten Ball State. They have a new coach, new system and are a shell of their former selves, but I don't really care, we have finally beaten them.

[Radii]

We're 17-3, #19 in the nation, and have a 2 game lead on the rest of the conference. Unless we start having serious problems I plan on simming out a good bit here, likely our next 8 games. id ont' expect to go undefeated.


First, a Buffalo team that is winless in MAC play:

Jan 23, 2018

at Ohio 91
Buffalo 50

well then. Santiago 40. He almost outscored Buffalo by himself. Bright 15.


Jan 27, 2018

Ohio 79
at Toledo 57

This was one I feared losing, on the road, they were 5-2 in conference play. Bright 18, Santiago 16, Jimenez 11.


We remain 19th in the polls.


I notice a pretty fucked up bug, i'd noticed it during the Ball State game but just doublechecked. Santiago had a day to day injury for 16 more days of a broken finger going into the Ball State game. He hurt himself in the 1st half and was diagnosed with a sore knee that would limit him for 2 days. That sore knee overwrote/erased the broken finger. After 2 days, no more injury.


Road game against an 8-12 W. michigan team:

Jan 31, 2018

Ohio 84
at W. Michigan 64

Santiago 25, Grundy 14, Withers 11, Bright 10. This is our 20th win.


Next we're at home vs an Akron team that is 3-4 in the league, 77 OVR so not entirely terrible. Heh, yeah there it is.

Feb 3, 2018

Akron 82
at Ohio 71

Santiago 17, fouls out near the end. Grundy 11, Bight and Jimenez 7.

backup PF Zachary Hogan goes down for 16 days with a separated shoulder. Bright and McCully both have nagging injuries but are playing through them.



The loss drops us all the way out of the rankings, still 20-4. Our RPI drops from #17 to #35.

10 games into the season we are 9-1 in conference play. We've got a 2 game lead on the field still.

[Radii]

Ok, had to fix up the lineups, any time there's an injury the CPU re-does all my lineup changes.

Two games that should be ridiculously easy this week:

Feb 7, 2018

Ohio 92
at N. Illinois 61

Santiago 28, Grundy 20, Jimenez 11.

Bad news though, as John McCully is out 18 days, also with a separated shoulder. Tim Barker gets his first chance to lead the team. The backups are rather decimated though, Snowden will play SF, Roberts PF (Roberts is the JC big man I brought in that I don't really like at all). Northcutt and Whitted move from SG/SF to PG/SG.


Luckily our next game is at Central Michigan, one of the worst teams in division 1. They are 2-22 and 1-10 in the MAC.

Feb 10

Ohio 101
at C. Michigan 68

Santiago 27, Grundy 24, Bright 15. Barker with 7 assists in his first start.



The first Bracketology is out, and we are listed as a 7 seed. This is what I feared playing in what is, for now at least, a terrible conference that is dragging my RPI down. UNC is listed as a 7 seed too. Our projected opponent right now would be Missouri which would be pretty funny.


Marist is projected a 3 seed.


Just a few more games to go.

Feb 13, 2018

at Ohio 80
E. Michigan 58

Santiago 29, Grundy 11. Lots of guys score 6 through 8. Barker with 6 assists today.


Our RPI falls to #37.


Feb 24, 2018

Ohio 70
at Miami OH 56

Bright with 19, Jimenez 13, Santiago 11, Northutt 9.



I was going to play my last two, but other than playing better than i sim(b/c a loss would probably knock me out of at large contention) there is really no reason to. We have clinched the MAC regular season title, and our two opponents, while the more highly rated of the teams we see in the MAC, are not all that great. Bowling Green is 5-9 in league play. We may well play them in the quarterfinals.

So yeha, I'm simming my last two games and getting to the conference tournament.

McCully is back for this last week, lineup is reset again.

Feb 27, 2018

at Ohio 94
Kent State 76

Santiago 17,Grundy 16, Withers 15, McCully 13, Bright 12.


March 4, 2018

at Ohio 95
Bowling Green 66

Santiago 25, Bright 14, Barker 12, McCully 10.


We get back into the top 25 going into conference tournament play.

Wow, late 80s flashback. UNLV is 30-2 and #1 in the nation now. Clemson is #5.

Marist has lost 2 games and is now 26-5. They are #18 in the nation. VCU has come on strong, they're 26-7 and #17. We are #22. That's the 3 top 25 mid-majors.

The mid-major poll is represented the same way.

1. VCU
2. Marist
3. Ohio
4. San Diego
5. Nevada

Gonzaga is #14, having fallen down to 17-11.


The winning streak has pushed us back up to the #23 RPI in the nation. we are 2-2 vs the top 50, 1-1 vs 51-100, 16-1 vs 101-200, and 7-0 vs 201+.

We currently project out to a 4 seed. This is a huge step up from when we had our loss to Akron. Anything above a 7 seed and I'll be thrilled. I just don't want to have to play a 2 in the 2nd round.

[Radii]

Final MAC Standings

1. Ohio 15-1
2. Kent State 10-6
3. Ball State 10-6
4. N. Illinois 10-6
5. Miami OH 10-6
6. Toledo 10-6
7. Akron 9-7
8. E. Michigan 8-8
9. Bowling Green 6-10
10. W. Michigan 5-11
11. C. Michigan 2-14
12. Buffalo 1-15

The teams at the bottom were so bad it allowed this giant cluster of teams to end up 10-6 heh. I would love to face N. Illinois in the semifinals. They look like a team I would have beaten in the MEAC with NC A&T. After development they're 70 OVR, with only one player on the team rated 70.


MAC First Round

9. Bowling Green 80
8. E. Michigan 55

5. Miami OH 77
12. Buffalo 76

6. Toledo 89
11. C. Michigan 70

7. Akron 75
10. W. Michigan 71


MAC Quarterfinals

1. Ohio
9. Bowling Green

4. N. Illinois
5. Miami OH

3. Ball State
6. Toledo

2. Kent State
7. Akron


Bowling Green is the second highest rated team in the MAC. But they have horrible depth and lineup issues, with something like 95 power forwards on their roster. Hopefully we beat them again as easily as we did in the regular season.

[Radii]

March 8, 2018 – MAC Quarterfinals

(1) Ohio (26-4, 15-1) vs (9) Bowling Green (15-14, 6-10)

Bowling Green is still rated 78 OVR (79 off/80 def/81 sht/82 reb/85 coach), same as they were in the game we played out against them. Despite the fact that they have the 2^nd best rated team in the MAC, they are very flawed and seemed pretty easy to beat last time we met up. We beat them by about 30 at their place. In a simmed game on the last day of the regular season we beat them by 29 at home.

Scouting

PG Alan Mayes – SO – 70 OVR – 88 speed/83 quicknes. 84 defense, poor steals, poor handles, poor passer. 78 close/72 med/73 3/82 off the dribble. 5.4 ppg/4.3 apg. Mayes has gained 3 points in defense since we played him last, he's improving there quite a bit. Not so much elsewhere though.

SG Isaiah Wysocki – FR – 68 OVR – Natural SF and only 6'6”. 77 speed/72 quickness. 79 defense. 72 handles/60 passing, terrible for a backcourt player handling the ball a ton. Only average for a SF. 84 close/75 med/72 3.

SF Cam Yeager – FR – 71 OVR – 6'8”, natural PF, a potential death sentence trying to guard santiago. 73 speed/77 quickness, 64 defense. 87 close/63 med/59 3. 82 in traffic. Poor in the post but a good rebounder. 4.6 ppg/5.3 rpg.

PF Jair Watkins – JR – 78 OVR – dual 7 footers. 84 orb/87 drb. 83 post off/77 post def. 89 close/83 in traffic. 16.3 ppg/7.3 rpg this year, leading the team. He has A- potential and is developing quite nicely.

C Ferdinand Whitehead – SR – 82 OVR – 7 feet tall, always scary to see this talent and 7 foot size paired together. 80 orb/76 drb. 80 post off/86 post def. 91 close/89 in traffic. Great strength(84) hustle (87), dunking, awareness ... the kid can play. 14.4 ppg/5.8 rpg. I expect him to do more against us.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> BGSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> We open up 6-0, then 8-2, and they've scored 7 straight. Jimenez has stumbled and lost the ball twice trying to beat Wysocki in transition... I call a timeout to cool their 6^th man that triggered after this last basket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Jimenez with 3 turnovers, Santiago is 1-4 or so, Bright and Grundy each got early buckets and we've had trouble feeding them in good spots since, not a lot going well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Just one bucket, but a blocked shot on the other end gives us our first 6^th man boost of the day.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Bowling Green timeout. Wysocki is 3-4 from three and has 9 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, Withers scored all but 2 of our backup's points, Whitted had a layup. Northcutt had a turnover too... their transition defense has been solid, we're going to start being much much more selective about when we try to fast break
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 and a 3 point play on consecutive trips by Jimenez and we go from 2 down to 4 up very quickly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> A defensive board gives us another 6^th man boost, Jimenez is fouled and this two free throws, timeout Bowling Green.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> We're on a 12-0 run. Jimenez scored the first 10 of those.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We had a couple chances to extend this more but I'll take a 10 point halftime lead. We have a 19-13 edge on the boards, shoot 50% to their 38% and , while its still close enough that anything can happen, we totally dominated the last 5 minutes or so.


Once Wysocki stopped scoring, they stopped scoring. No one else has more than 4 for them (Wysocki has 9). We have 15 from Jimenez, 5 from Santiago, Bright and Withers.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> We score first to go up 12 and they've been cutting the lead steadily down ever since. After Grundy picks up his 3^rd foul and they cut it to 5 on a 3 point play, I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it down to 4, 44-40 before we go on a 6-0 run to pick things back up, all in transition, Santiago with the last 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are coming in, and probably should have 1-2 minutes ago. Wysocki has 14 now and triggers another catchup effort for them. I call a timeout after a score to get the backups in and get the starters some rest they need badly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Key sequence here. We're struggling to hold onto a 5 point lead... shot clock running out, Northcutt hits a contested 3 pointer, then Barker forces a turnover in the backcourt and draws a foul going to the hoop. 5-0 run in about 5 seconds and we go up 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in to finish the game off.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They never get closer than 10 down the stretch..

Ohio 74
Bowling Green 60

This game is similar to the first game we played except that they shot the 3 pretty well, preventing us from completely pulling away. Wysocki ends up with 14, Whitehead 11, Watkins 10.They hit 7 3's on the game which helps offset their overall 25-61 shooting.

McCully: 2 points/3 assists
Jimenez: 22 points/2 steals (7-8 shooting/3-4 from 3)
Santiago: 9 points/7 boards
Bright: 11 points/12 boards
Grundy: 12 points/4 boards

Withers: 7 points

Santiago was 4-12 today, he was effective driving to the basket but cold from 3, just 1-6. Santiago owns in the simmed games, almost certainly b/c of more developed shooting tendencies than the freshman Jimenez, but Jimenez has long surpassed everyone else on the team as a pure shooter.

[Radii]

MAC Quarterfinals

1. Ohio 74
9. Bowling Green 60

5. Miami OH 71
4. N. Illinois 65


3. Ball State 86
6. Toledo 59

2. Kent State 46
7. Akron 63


MAC Semifinals

1. Ohio
5. Miami OH

3. Ball State
7. Akron


Interesting setup the rest of the way. Miami OH is one of the teams we've traditionally had some trouble with, though we don't expect it this year. If we advance to the finals we either get Ball State, with whom we have a giant history, or Akron, the only team to defeat us in the MAC this year.

[Julio Riddols]

If I might ask.. is this game as enjoyable as it is sounding when I read this?

I admit I could just read a review, but with someone here spending as much time with the game as you are, I figured i would get it from you if possible.

I'm strongly considering buying the game after reading this the last few days.

[Radii]

March 9, 2018 – MAC Semifinals

(1) #22 Ohio (27-4, 15-1) vs (5) Miami OH (18-14, 10-6 MAC)

Miami OH is rated 75 OVR (77 off/76 def/79 sht/79 reb/81 sht). They average 67 points/game and shooot 39% as a team... not very good.

We beat them by 30 at our place early in the year, and by 8 at theirs towards the end of the season. Both were simmed games of course.

Scouting

PG Chas Lemons – SO – 69 OVR – 90 speed/81 quickness. 81 defense/73 steals. 81 hands/78 passing. 80 close/69 med/69 3/80 off the dribble. 7.7 ppg, slightly improved from last year but not enough.

SG Clement Woolley – FR – 68 OVR – Replacing Stan Victor, Miami's 5* JC transfer they pulled a few years back, he was rated 83 OVR and was a great player. Woolley isn't a bad shot but can't defend. 84 speed/80 quickness. 77 defense/62 steals, terrible. 81 close/79 med/78 3. 72 off the dribble... terrible there too. 8.5 ppg.

SF Greg Schultz – JR – 64 OVR – 79 speed/77 quickness. 82 defense, quite good for a SF. 78 close/72 med/51 3, 83 in traffic. 4.2 ppg, just totally outclassed at this level.

PF Rashad Sharp – SR – 71 OVR – 6'9” - taking over for an 80 rated high quality PF that graduated last year. 76 orb/78 drb, 78 post offense/62 post defense(*eyes light up seeing that post defense rating*). 83 close/81 in traffic. 6.0 ppg/4.9 rpg.

C Terry Samuel – SR – 76 OVR – 7 feet tall. 81 orb/77 drb. 82 blocks(B). 76 post off/76 post def. 92 close/80 in traffic. 15.7 ppg/6.5 rpg. Leading the team by quite a bit.

Miami just lost too much and hasn't replaced it well yet. 3 guys rated over 70, 4 more 65-70... just not good enough. It seems they shouldn't even challenge us,but you know how that goes sometimes.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> MIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> We score the first 6, then they get 7 straight, and now we're on a 9-2 run. Samuel has 7 for them. Santiago has 2 3's and has 9 for us, off to a very hot start. Timeout Miami.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout miami. With 2 6^th man boosts and 2 timeouts, my starters are good for awhile. I bring Withers in for Bright though, as Bright has 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Miami.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple sloppy plays and a couple fast breaks by Miami and they get it back to 10. I call a timeout and get the backups in. Bright will play w/ the backups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> They've scored like 12 in a row or so... I call a timeout. Bright is 1-6 on the half, Northcutt has two turnovers in the last 1:30.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are coming back in for the rest of the half, they had it down to 2 before Barker finally got us some points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh unbelievable, the final 10 minutes of the half for them have mirrored the first 10 minutes for us... they have gotten 4 6^th man boosts and just took the lead on a ridiculous contested 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that was just dumb. After it was 9-9, we went on a 21-5 run and had a 30-14 lead. Then the rest of the way they outscore us 27-6. Just crazy. They are 17-31, 5-12 from 3. Their 7 foot center, Samuel, has 13 on 6-7 shooting. I can accept that, he's not bad, he's big and he's hot. However, their freshman SG, Wooley... 5-9, 3-6 from 3, also 13 points. That's kinda BS heh.


On our end Santiago has 13 but he went cold towards the end of the half. Grundy has 6, McCully 7. Bright, primarily being defended by a PF with a 62 post defense rating, is 1-7 in the post. Sure, why not!


We obviously fully expect to get out of this funk in the 2^nd half and win going away. I put McCully on Woolley, McCully is our best defender and their PG doesn't like to shoot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a 3, Bright with a layup in transition. We get a blocked shot and a 6^th man boost from that block, Bright with a dunk in transition. This is a better start.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Things slow down on both sides. After a couple more misses, Bright is officially not allowed to shoot unless its a clear dunk or there is no one guarding him. This includes offensive boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> A McCully free throw that puts us back on top triggers a 6^th man boost. The crowd is really into this one.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy saves our asses after a terrible offensive possession, getting a mid range shot to fall with 1 second on the shot clock. This triggers yet another 6^th man boost and Miami calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Our biggest lead in a long damn time, the defense is real strong right now. Starters are still in. Any time we breath on the ball we get the 6^th man going. Miami calls a timeout and subs in 4 guys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow... 6^th man stays on for like 2 ½ minutes solid. If Miami was another player he'd be throwing his xbox out the window right about now. They hit a 3 to make it 53-51, we get a deuce, then a 3 from Santiago to go up 58-51. They score on their end, and we fail to score... 58-53. Then we get 2 blocks and 3 steals, all 4 leading to dunks on our end, 1 leading to a ridiculous circus shot by Jimenez. One of the dunks was a high flying windmill dunk that I didn't even know Jimenez was capable of. We go up 68-53 and are starters are still going strong. They finally socre to cut the lead to 13, but it appears about over.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Momentum turns a bit as Jimenez misses a 3 and Woolley hits one. I immediately call a timeout and get my backups in to stall a bit and rest up the starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Whitted comes up big for us with 8 straight, two threes... he's not a scorer at all for us, or hasn't been so far this year. With his points and the defense holding strong there's no reason to risk injury to the starters.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Ohio 79
Miami (OH) 60

The end was pretty funny. Whitted is a 70 rated 3 point shooter even with a confidence boost, and he hit 3 straight 3's. The last two were desparation contested 3's as I just ran the shot clock to 5, passed to him and launched it, not really caring if they went in or not.

I don't know if the difference in the second half was switching McCully on Woolley and killing their hot shooter, or just luck as Miami couldn't stay hot all game, but we completely shut them down, outscoring them 43-19 in the 2^nd half.

McCully: 11 points/5 boards/3 assists/4 steals
Jimenez: 16 points/4 assists/3 steals
Santiago: 16 points
Bright: 11 points/13 boards
Grundy: 10 points/6 boards/4 blocks

Whitted: 11 points

[Radii]

If I might ask.. is this game as enjoyable as it is sounding when I read this?

I admit I could just read a review, but with someone here spending as much time with the game as you are, I figured i would get it from you if possible.


It definitely is to me. There are holes that i'm overlooking or minimizing for sure. Occasionally I'll mention them, and as I get better I slowly add more and more little house rules to keep things competitive.

Recruit generation is a little annoying, the top 100 is like 75 guards/25 SF, PF, and C combined. There are some gameplay holes for sure that sliders cannot address. i never, ever try to score anymore after beating the press, its too easy to do, I just beat the press and wait for the defense to set up. Turning off backcourt violations because of a small game flaw is annoying and counter-intuitive, but it serves its purpose well and I don't intentionally take advantage of it so it works fine. There are some holes like that, but the game flows so well that I don't really even notice anymore, its just part of the flow of the game for me.


EF27's dynasty is probably a much bigger endorsement for the game than mine is. I got hooked and have been pouring tons of time in a short period of time into this(I'm only working about 10-15 hours/week right now so things are pretty open-ended). But EF27's dynasty has been going on since December 2007 and he keeps coming back to the game to continue it, which seems like a really strong endorsement.

I don't follow or enjoy the NBA at all anymore, so I have no comparisons to offer to NBA 2k9, which would be the only other legit option for basketball console gaming.

[Radii]

MAC Semifinals

1. Ohio 79
5. Miami OH 60

7. Akron 79
3. Ball State 63


MAC Finals

1. Ohio
7. Akron


Wow, I would have bet good money on us running into Ball State one more time this season.

Akron beat us in a simmed game at our place earlier in the season.

Akron has more balanced talent than most teams we've played, and they have a star SG who will be a threat to us. They're severely undersized and don't have near the depth we do, and our starting lineup outclasses them.

I expect to win, and hope to win handily, but they do have the right pieces in place to beat us if they play well and we play poorly.

[Radii]

I won the MAC Tournament in my very first year with the school(not with my own recruits obviously). After 3 years of building back up and stumbling in the quarters or semis of the conference tournament, we hit our stride and have now rolled off 4 straight 20 win seasons and 4 straight conference regular season titles. Sadly, Ball State has won the last 3 conference tournaments in a row. So in my 7 seasons at Ohio, I only have 1 conference tournament championship.

And actually, I never won one in my 3 years at NC A&T either, so in 10 seasons, I have only managed to win my conference tournament one time. So it seems a formality that I've built a dominant team in the MAC and this title should be a foregone conclusion, I'm still quite nervous about it and want this win rather badly.

March 10, 2018 – MAC Finals

(1) #22 Ohio (28-4, 15-1) vs (7) Akron (16-15, 9-7 MAC)

Akron is rated 77 OVR (79 off/77 def/79 sht/78 reb/86 coach). They average 63.7 ppg, so look for them to try to slow things down against us. They beat us in a simmed game in the middle of the season. We're projected as a 5 seed, and we need this win to stay there probably. The last time we lost our RPI dropped by 20 and we went from a potential 3 seed to potential 7 seed...

Scouting

PG Raphael Cobb – SO – 70 OVR – 83 speed/82 quickness. 78 defense/71 steals. 81 close/75 med/59 3. B- hands and passing for a SG... he's a natural SG, not a PG. 7.4 ppg this year. Cobb is a weak link in their back court. Too slow and too poor a defender to hang with us.

SG Godwin Washburn – SO – 77 OVR – 87 speed/81 quickness/84 vert/83 hustle (only 55 str, not strong). Good athlete. 87 defense/81 steals, great defender. 93 close/78 med/71 3/84 off the dribble/77 in traffic. He's got a good clutch rating, 75, which fits for their go to guy down the stretch. Just 10 ppg this year though, as younger guards often have lower shooting tendencies.

SF Tamal Coulibaly – FR – 70 OVR – 6'8” - 80 speed/75 quicknes. Terrible defender, 71 def/63 steals. Decent shot blocker(71/B+). 87 close/73 med/77 3/81 in traffic. He'll develop into a great scorer and will be a threat today, he'll kill us if we leave him open. Just 6.5 ppg.

PF Shema Day – SR – 73 OVR – 6'8” natural PF – 76 orb/72 drb. 73 post off/74 post def. 90 close/83 in traffic. He has great awareness at this level (74 off/78 def). 11.5 ppg/4.9 rpg. His post numbers are a little above average for a PF, but he's a poor rebounder.

C Esmond Jolly – JR – 70 OVR – 6'8”, natural PF. 69 orb/82 drb. 77 post off/80 post def. 83 close/80 in traffic. Jolly is a much better rebounder and post defender than Day, but he doesn't look like a scorer. 7.9 ppg/5.1 rpg.

They have 3 backups rated 65+. A 67” PF and two small forwards. No guards rated above 57. There is certainly the chance that Washburn and Day have career days against us, but we really ought to have a big edge here.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> AKR
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> They run a 2-3 zone every play, which we struggle against at times. Jimenez is 2-4 from 3, Santiago 0-2. Grundy has 4 points inside, Bright struggling again. Washburn is their star for sure, he scored their first 8 and sat recently and they are having a hard time scoring without him. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> This 3 point Akron lead is the biggest that either team has had. I call a timeout to get my starters back in, except for Jimenez, who apparently tired himself out taking 3's. He'll get back in in another minute.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez back in
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> We finally pull out to a small lead in the last 2 minutes of the half. We shoot 48%, they 46%. Both of us are taking a lot of 3's wihtout huge success. 4-12 for us, 2-10 for them.


SG Washburn leads them with 10, 4-8 overall and 2-2 from 3. Their big men, Day and Jolly have 10 between them(4 and 6). They also have a 17-12 edge on the boards. That is offset by the fact that they commit 5 turnovers while we only commit 1.Jimenez leads us with 13 points. 5-7 from the floor/3-5 from 3. Santiago finally made a 3 later in the half and has 5 total. Grundy is doing ok inside with 6 points/5 boards. Bright a bit less, but i've gone to him less.


I think all I need to do in the second half is not settle for long jumpers so easily. 3's are great and we shoot the 3 well but no passing to the wing and launching until I at least try a drive or post pass.


One final note... the semifinal game with Miami each team had 4 or 5 6^th man boosts in the first half and 8-10 total by the time the game was done. There hasn't been a single one today.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> A blocked shot gets them their first 6^th man boost of the day.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it down to 3 and have a chance to tie, missing a 3. On our next trip Jimenez hits his 4^th three and we're up 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We've led by as much as 8. I get a timeout to get my backups in though, no 6^th man help for us at all yet and our starters are exhausted.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> We hold the lead at 5-7 most of this stretch with the backups, Withers gets us two good looks inside for some points. They score on two straight trips though, cutting it to 3, and I get a timeout to get the starters in. They're not fully rested but I've got 3 timeouts, and assuming the fans get excited about the game at some point we'll be fine.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> There we go, Jimenez hits two straight 3's(he's 6-9 from 3 now, 22 points). Next trip down Jimenez misses a 3 but Bright with the board and putback. We're up 9 and get our first 6^th man bonus of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago joins the party with a 3 and its time for us to run out the clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Akron with a timeout, 7 point game, their ball with 1:10 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> They score quickly, 5 point game, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> We run the clock to 15 and start our offense. Santiago misses an open 3. They get it to Washburn on their end who drains a contested 3. I call a timeout. They have only committed 3 or 4 fouls so its going to take a bit to get me to the FT line. I intend to have McCully be the guy that shoots for us.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Hah, McCully is so fast. I've never seen a guy be able to just outrun their defense before. They do get 2 fouls but needed 3 to send me to the line, McCully dribbles through the defense and runs the clock out.

Ohio 66
Akron 64

Too close for comfort, but Ohio has won the MAC Tournament!!!!

Jimenez is the obvious player of the game, scoring 22 on 6-10 3 point shooting. Washburn kept right up with 21 points. Their center, Jolly, scored 11 in support.

McCully: 6 points/5 assists
Jimenez: 22 points
Santiago: 11 points
Bright: 6 points/6 boards
Grundy: 8 points/7 boards

Withers: 7 points

We shoot 9-22 from 3 as a team. Santiago is 3-8. Time to see where we are seeded!

[Radii]

2018 NCAA Tournament Selection


UNLV ends up #1 in the final poll.

Marist is #17, Ohio #18, VCU #24.

Clemson is #4, Maryland #12.


Bubble Teams: lots of major schools. San Diego is the only mid-major. Missouri is 19-14 and on the bubble. Va Tech and Miami both out of the ACC. UAB, Rhode Island and Temple in 'large' conferences.


1 seeds:

East: Louisville
South: UNLV
Midwest: Ole Miss
West: Kansas


East Region

1 seed: Louisville

UConn comes in a 9 seed, 20-12 overall this year.


Ohio is the 4 seed in the East Region!!!!

We will play 13 seed Utah State. That's a perfect matchup for us, we destroyed them earlier in the year.

Assuming we win, we will play either 5 seed Arizona or 12 seed George Mason.

VCU gets in as the 7 seed.

kentucky is the 2 seed here.


South

Marist is the 5 seed here, they'll play Arizona State.

San Diego makes it as a 10 seed here. texas A&M is the 2 here.


Midwest

North Carolina is 22-12 and is the 8 seed here. They'll play Xavier and then Ole Miss if they win.

Clemson is the 2 seed here. Southern Illinois, one of the teams that was usually a top mid-major a few years ago, is the 15 seed at 18-12.


West

Texas Tech finishes 18-13 and is the 9 seed in the west. They'll play Vandy, and if they win, Kansas.

West Virginia is the 2 seed here.



Duke is struggling without Coach K around, and missed the tournament this year.


8 out of the big east. SEC 6, Pac 10/ACC 5.


Missouri, the only team we played this year on the bubble, missed the tournament.


Our first game will be vs Utah State. We beat them 87-65 in the first game of the season. We got 19 from Bright and 13 from Grundy, with all 5 starters getting double digit scoring. They have a talented, though small, center named Monwell Tafo who only averaged 12 ppg this season, but put up 22 points against us in the loss for Utah State.


Looking ahead, Arizona appears the type of team we usually get killed by when we play major conference teams. They're rated 93 OVR and are coached by Mark Few who by now has 500 wins and is a 99 rated coach. We'll be rooting for George Mason to pull the big upset.

Arizona's worst starter is rated 82 OVR, and 4 of their 5 starters are rated higher than anyone on our team. In fact, they have 2 bench players better than anyone on our team and 8 guys rated 80+.

But, we have to take care of business vs Utah State first. And as I mentioned, root for George Mason :) I have some errands to run and will get to this in a few hours.

[Radii]

March 17, 2018 – NCAA First Round

(4) #18 Ohio (29-4) vs (13) Utah State (18-15)

Utah State is rated 81 OVR (81 off/81 def/84 sht/82 reb/85 coach). By comparison we're at 86 OVR (87 off/84 def/89 sht/90 reb/81 coach).

We beat Utah State 87-65 at our place earlier in the season. They only made the tournament because they won the WAC. The WAC is way down this year, only earning the automatic bid for the first time in awhile... Nevada was 20-8 and the regular season champs but had a poor RPI and missed out.

Their lineup is the same that we faced earlier in the season, plus some development. Center Tafo most notably added 2 points to his overall rating.

Looks like we're playing the first two rounds this year in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scouting

PG Maceo Minard – FR – 75 OVR – 89 speed/85 quickness. 86 defense/75 steals. An exceptional passer... 80 hands/87 passing(B+). 78 close/74 med/87 3. As a true freshman Minard doesn't have his tendencies fully fleshed out so he may pass up some shots. 8.5 ppg/6.6 apg this year.

SG Cleve Werner – SR – 71 OVR - natural PG – 85 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense. 81 close/68 med/76 3/80 off the dribble. 5.7 ppg this year.

SF Milt Matheus – SR – 72 OVR – 6'7”, slow, poor defense, poor handling, terrible passer... 84 close/67 med/70 3. 87 in traffic and athletic, 81 vert/79 str/72 hustle (B-/B+/C+). 8.2 ppg.

PF Preston Ervin – JR – 73 OVR – 6'8” - 76 orb/80 drb. 73 post off/80 post def. 84 close/84 in traffic. 8.1 ppg/5.5 rpg this year.

C Monwell Tafo – JR – 77 OVR – A true center, but only 6'9” - 85 drb is solid, and his post play is solid, 78 o/79 d. 91 close/86 in traffic, very strong (84/A -). 12.5 ppg/5.4 rpg this season.

Their flaw is that they are dominated by big men. They have endless depth to back up Ervin and Tafo, but little to no quality behind Minard/Werner/Matheus. We took full advantage of this earlier in the year. In the firt meeting Tafo scored 22 and Matheus 11.

Our team is full of confidence and flying high. All our starters have confidence of 90% or higher, and when we get onto the court we see our adjusted rating for the game today puts us at 91 OVR, a massive boost over our default. Utah State only makes the leap up to 82 OVR. Bright and Santiago both show the star rating icon in game, which has become common for both

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> USU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Utah State scores the first 5 of the game and we're a little out of sync. Santiago gets us on the board with a 3 and its been even from there. Santiago has 7 and seems to be beating Matheus at will. Jimenez and Bright are both off to rough starts, Grundy has our other 4 points. Utah State just called a timeout, backups aren't in quite yet, but will be soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Stupid stupid stupid. Jimenez fouls a 3 point shooter taking a last second shot in the shot clock... the 3 goes in, its a 4 point play and now the backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a 3 point play on their next trip... that's 7 points in two possessions. We fall behind by 10 and I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> The lead is down to 7. Northcutt has some confidence issues and a pep talk before the game isn't enough to really get him going. He just missed a tough shot in transition... but one he usually makes. Barker with a 3 and a couple other buckets have allowed us to get it back under 10. Timeout Utah State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 straight and the starters are back in. Barker hits his 2^nd 3 and is really coming up big for the backup squad.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> We foul them down low but their big man misses both Fts(I didn't catch who... not Tafo heh). McCully draws a foul on our end and ties it up at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> !
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> A steal earns us a 6^th man bonus for the first time this half. We turn it right back over in transition, but they miss a jumper on their end and Jimenez hits a tough shot in traffic to give us the lead back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah, WHEW! McCully gets out on a break with about 7 seconds left and misses a tough running shot. They pass it to half court and heave up a shot that goes in, but the points don't count, I couldn't tell whether it was off in time or not until I saw the halftime score.


We finish the half on a 17-5 run and go into the locker room in good shape. Most of that run came with Tafo on the bench, and he's having a strong game again today, so they are not the same without him. Werner scored 11 for them, more than he scored in our first meeting. Tafo 8, Matheus 7. They shot 50%, 14-28, but just 2-8 from 3.


We shot better, 16-26 but turned it over 8 times which helped them out. Barker and Grundy each have 8 for us, and both came up big at key times for us. Santiago with 7. We're 3-7 from 3. Barker is 2-2, Santiago/Jimenez 1-5. Bright has somehow not taken a shot at all. Actually, not somehow. They picked a lot of our post passes that I made a little sloppily. They also picked bright twice when he caught the ball. So yeah, no shots for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> They score the first 6 of the half and get a 6^th man boost... they just seem a totally different team with Tafo out there, even when he isn't the one scoring. He does have 10 now. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Their big 3 are killing us. Werner has 18, Matheus and Tafo both in double figures too. Werner is the big one right now though, and I switch McCully to him. Jimenez will guard their sharpshooting PG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We're scoring well but they seem to keep finding ways to score on us too. Starters are fine thanks to two 6^th man boosts, unfortunately neither really triggered any runs for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> They sit Tafo and Minard, who while not a scorer has 6 assists. Two straight buckets by Grundy get us a 4 point lead and the second one is a monster dunk that gives us our 3^rd 6^th man bonus of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Well their defense goes crazy for a bit, they get 2 steals and 2 blocks on 4 straight possessions and we're very lucky to be in the lead and not trailing by 4 or 6 right now. I get a timeout and get the backups in. Tight stretch here with only a 2 point lead and our bench on the court. They sit Werner, who has 20, but bring Tafo back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They commit their 7^th foul and we are shooting the rest of the way. Barker has all 4 of our points for the backups and has 12, pushing our lead up to 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> They get 4 straight and a 6^th man boost after a steal leads to a layup. I get a timeout and get the starters in to finish things off.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy goes up strong on our end but the shot hangs on the rim forever. I mistime my jump for the rebound and Grundy picks up a basket interference call. On the other end Grundy fouls Tafo going up for a shot. His shot just rolls out and he makes just 1 of 2 at the line, our ball, still in the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez seems to really hit them when they count down the stretch. Bright with a hard move in the paint, he misses but Grundy is there for the putback. We get a good stop on the other end, and go inside out with Bright and Jimenez who hits a 3 to put us up 6. Timeout Utah State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago, not as clutch, at least this time. They cut it to 4, Santiago misses a 3. They go out on the break but take a bad 3 point shot, miss, and we break ourselves, Santiago makes up for the missed 3 with a dunk in transition. Timeout Utah State, 6 point game w/ 90 seconds left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> McCully forces a bad pass and gets the steal!!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We don't score on our end but we burn the shot clock down, Jimenez missed a contested 3(had santiago open... wrong button passes to the guy who is covered, oops). We force a missed shot and rebound, we make free throws and ice the game.

Ohio 76
Utah State 66

I've won my second NCAA Tournament game, and will have my second chance in my career at a sweet 16 appearance!!

Utah State was ready for a much stronger effort today than they were at our place early in the season. Werner finished with 20, Matheus 15, Tafo 15. The 3 of them shot a combined 22-33. They just needed a little more help and it wasn't there, the rest of the team shooting 8-27 from the field.

Bright came up HUGE on the boards today for us, and shot 3-6 in the 2^nd half, almost getting himself a double double. A meaningless rebound for Grundy in the final 10 seconds of the game did get him a double double.

McCully: 10 points
Jimenez: 9 points
Santiago: 11 points
Bright: 8 points/14 boards
Grundy: 18 points/10 boards

Barker: 12 points

great game off the bench for Barker, generally a non-scorer. Grundy was 7-11 and had a few putbacks on the offensive end. Jimenez and Santiago combined for only 1-8 from 3.

Survive and advance!! Now to see who we play.

[Radii]

No luck on the upset. Arizona crushes George Mason 93-70.


In fact there was only 1 upset of a team seeded 6th or higher... 11 seed Virginia Tech upsets 6 seed Cal in the first round.


At least based on pure OVR ratings, we are facing the best 5 seed in the tournament, a team that could be badly underseeded, maybe they had injuries, or something. They are ranked higher than us in the polls, at #15.


Also, the win over Utah State in the first round is win #30 for Ohio, my first 30 win season!

[Radii]

[Radii]

oh god why isn't this posting haha... table must be too big or something.

[Radii]

Maybe I can break it up into two posts. Preview first:

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> March 19, 2018 – NCAA Second Round

(4) #18 Ohio (30-4) vs (5) #15 Arizona (24-10)

Arizona finished 2^nd in the pac 10, behind onl Oregon. Oregon got upset in the Pac 10 Tourney and the finals was Arizona vs Arizona State, with the Sun Devils pulling the 95-84 upset. Arizona State ended up a 12 seed and lost in the first round.

They are rated 93 OVR (93 off/92 def/96 sht/95 reb/99 coach).

They have a team unity of 71, ours is 63 at this point in the year.

Scouting

PG Damany Benzel – SR – 85 OVR – 93 speed/90 quickness/80 vert/70 str/88 hustle. All outstanding numbers. 85 handling/82 passing, very good. 87 defense/86 steals. 82 close/75 med/84 3/82 off the dribble. 7.7 ppg/4.4 apg. First round draft pick who has no obvious weakness.

SG Russ Kone – JR – 84 OVR – 90 speed/88 quickness. 85 defense/70 steals. 91 close/74 med/80 3/88 off the dribble/81 in traffic. 9.3 ppg

SF WM Draughan – JR – 86 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 85 speed/80 quickness. 83 defense/77 steals. Great ball handler(82, A- for a SF). 84 close/91 med/77 3/82 off the dribble/88 in traffic. Spectacular dunker(88/B+). Breat athlete (82 vert/77 str/82 hustle, All B's). 10.7 ppg/5.2 rpg this year.

PF Torris Love – SR – 86 OVR – 7 footer who will dwarf Bright inside. Unbeleiveable speed for a big man... 84 (A-). 88 orb/87 drb, 84 post off/83 post def. 93 close/92 in traffic. 84 mid range/70 3. He can shoot from anywhere on the court. 16.9 ppg/6.8 rpg. Love is projected as a lottery pick in the NBA.

C Kenan Kellar – SO – 83 OVR – 6'9”, natural PF. 83 orb/77 drb. 83 post off/81 post def. 77 shot blocking, very good. 86 close/84 in traffic. 10.2 ppg/4.0 rpg.

Backup PG Jean Francois Munir is rated 87 from 3 and is actually the 2^nd leading scorer on the team with 14 ppg. Backup SF Ralfeal Myers is 6'7” and shoots as well as any guard, shooting from all ranges over 85.

The only weakness on the team is that Love and Kellar are their only big men. But their SF's are in the 6'7+ range so that won't hurt them a lot. We'll need to catch some of them cold and play a flawless game to win I fear.

After in game adjustments we're rated 90 OVR, 91 off/88 def. Arizona shows up 96 off/96 def/96 OVR.

[Radii]

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> AZ
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> They get the first 6^th man boost of the day as their giant PF Love blocks two shots on one possession.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Bad sign for us as Jimenez misses 2 open 3's in our first stretch and Santiago another. They have 3 or 4 blocks and a steal when we try to go inside. Both our buckets came from driving to the hoop but we're not getting by their men more often than not. Tough nut to crack so far to find points.


Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We fall behind 12-6 and are worried about a double digit deficit so early with all the trouble we're having scoring. Barker comes up huge again with a 3 pointer, and then after a blocked shot Withers gets a bucket inside for us, and we trail only by 1. They score next time down to make it 3 but we're hanging in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 more in a row for Arizona and I call a timeout. Starters are coming back in except Jimenez who is still a bit tired. Barker will play SG for a short period of time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez back in. Santiago whiffs on a wide open 3 and we disparately need those shots falling if we're going to contend here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Their center, Keller, has 2 fouls and sits. Bright is good at the line and its a 6 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> !
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, we've only drawn 4 fouls all half. 2 on Kellar their center, and 2 on their stud PG Benzel. He sits too. McCully tipped a pass, Bright picked it up at the 3 point line and took it full court and attacked... I love his speed at times. He goes up strong and Benzel with the block.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> The downside of getting their big men into foul trouble is that they just put 6'9” SF's in at center and dunk on us every time down. Our offense was great down the stretch, Jimenez hit 2 3's, we drew some good fouls and other than Jimenez missing two FT's we were flawless, had the lead down to 2, 29-27, at one point. But we were totally unable to stop them. I don't think we got a single stop their last 6 trips down. At least 4 were dunks as their athletic SF cut to the basket through/around/by Grundy or Bright. Their PF, Love, has 8. No one else with more than 5, balanced scoring. They shoot 16-27, just 1-4 from 3.


We are getting a massive % of our poitns at the line. 14-17 from the line on 8 fouls(fouled twice shooting 3's). We are 7-24 from the field, 3-12 from 3. Jimenez has 10 on 3-9 shooting only. Bright has 6, only 1-3 there. Grundy 0-2, Santiago 0-2... we need to keep attacking the basket as they foul hard and a lot, but we have to make more shots.


We also have to stop the early 2^nd half run that good teams often make.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Missed opportunities like crazy. Our offense is really clicking, but we missed two chances to cut it to two and gave them two wide open 3's due to dumb mistakes(playing a passing lane and missing, and just not getting back well after playing tight full court D). They drain both and we are totally outplaying Arizona right now but a few mental lapsses allow them to have a 6 point lead.


I had to call a timeout to avoid a held ball earlier and only have 3 left for the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Hmm. McCully drives and draws foul #3 on Keller. He sits. Unfortunatley, McCully sits with an injury. Barker hits both free throws. No word on the injury yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. Bright misses a hook... Jimenez drives but meets resistance and misses a runner inside. Great defense and two chances to get it down to 2, no luck. McCully is good to go, sore knee is all. I bring in the backups for now, McCully will likely come back in earlier than the rest of the starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> More great D, and Whitted on the break. Benzel commits his 3^rd foul and has to sit. Whitted just hits 1 of 2 at the line, lead down to 3. We have had so many chances, we should be winning and I fear this is going to bite us badly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> We just cannot get it going on offense, and now they are starting to heat up a bit with a big dunk and a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Northcutt with two turnovers in 10 seconds, 4 points for them in transition. I call a timeout, down to 2. Starters aren't ready to return yet :(
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> WOW!!!! After the timeout, they use some tight pressure in the backcourt to force a turnover, but can't convert right away. A couple misses and a couple turnovers and we get something working finally. Whitted with a basket inside, Barker with one, and Hogan on a secondary break gets a 3 point play and makes his free throw!!! As soon as they got the steal, at about 8:45, I called for my starters but we got on the break and got moving. We kept on the run and the clock never stopped so they stayed out. 5 point game, starters are in!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh man, so sad. Great steal by McCully, but he has a sore knee as reported earlier... he's SO slow. He couldn't take it all the way and will be a shell of his normal self the rest of the way if this stays the same...we set up though and Santiago drives by his man and hits a big shot, 3 point game, 6^th man for us! Timeout Arizona.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Holy crap Bright with a beautiful block on Keller down low. Santiago runs the break and takes it himself, drawing a foul. Makes both FT's, one point game. Both teams 6^th man down the stretch.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Two more misses by them. First trip Santiago misses an open 3. Second he draws a foul, misses the first free throw, makes the second and we're tied. Timeout Arizona.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> This is insane. They throw the inbounds pass away. Kinda like Santiago did in an earlier game(Uconn maybe?) where he just inexplicably couldn't hit McCully 5 feet away... they did that, only the 3^rd time I've ever seen it now, heh. We turn it over, they miss a shot. We get Santiago a good look inside and he misses. They throw it away in transition. We get a wide, wide open 3 from Jimenez... no good. They rush a shot, no good. We try to run and throw it away in transition. They try to run and throw it right back away.


I'm not calling a timeout, but I am pausing it to write this up to remind me to slow this shit down and get a good shot next time down.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> We run a screen play down low, intended to get Bright the ball, but Santiago's man falls over, Santiago with a wide open shot from the free throw line, GOOOOOD. We take the lead. Timeout Arizona.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it inside to Love and finally get a bucket. That was a 6 ½ minute scoring streak. Neither team has the 6^th man going now. Getting momentum and a bucket here is key.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, we get Bright off a little screen but he can't go up cleanly. He ends up hitting Santiago who has to take a little fadeaway from 18 feet to beat a shot clock violation, and misses.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They get Love a pretty solid look inside, I'm shocked he missed. Bright with the board, and we call a timeout. We actually had two left(I thought it was just 1). Now we have 1 left, and the TO kills their 6^th man. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Weird, weird, weird. McCully gets off a grundy screen and has an open lane. Love from the weakside challenges I guess(he went up clean with a layup animation) and the shot doesn't go. They fast break, throw an alley oop that just falls harmlessly and we pick it up... our ball again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> I want a 2 for 1 here so I get straight into my offense. Bright catches a lob near the low post, they double fast, Bright gets it out to jimenez who is money on an open 3 pointer. 60-57 Ohio lead!!!! Timeout Arizona
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Nooooooo, I go in to help inside with Jimenez and commit a foul on Love as he makes a shot. 3 point play opportunity. FT good :( Gah what did I do that for. I call my last timeout to hopefully get them out of their press. No taking any chances here, Santiago or Jimenez at the buzzer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REG
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago got a decent, but not perfect look. It rims out but it was at the buzzer at least. OVERTIME.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They score first. We get a Santiago basket on our end to tie it. They fall down against our pressure and McCully picks it up, but he doesn't have the speed to get to the basket so I pull it out. Jimenez hits a little shot from 5 feet out after running off a screen. Timeout Arizona. They had 2 starting the OT. Now we both have 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Benzel drives by McCully late in the shot clock.for a layup. I cannot stress enough how much this injury is effecting him, Benzel went by him like he wasn't there. On our end we get a wide open 3 by Santiago but its no good, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Love scores in deep for them. Keller fouls Grundy on our next trip, that's his 4^th, and their 7^th. Grundy makes the first, msises the second. Bright with the rebound!!! Love and Keller are right there and I pull it out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Jimenez isolated one on one, drives, and draws a shooting foul on Love. 1^st one no good. 2^nd swishes through. Tie game, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a stop , Bright fucks up in the high post and turns it over, but they miss a 3, Bright with the board(his 10^th), and its our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright about 10 feet from the basket, gets a screen from Santiago and goes up, its not easy at all, a little 6 footer in traffic, contested, it rolls around and IN! Their ball. I wanted to try to shoot sooner but whatever.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:06.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Their SG, Kone, burns Jimenez and goes by him. Bright comes over to help and commits a foul, its enough to force a miss. Kone to the line for 2. 1^st is good. 2^nd is... good. I get it to half court and call my timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I inbounds the ball to Jimenez. He has Kone one on one on the left wing. He drives and gets a step and goes hard to the basket. Keller fouls him with 2.5 seconds left. Keller has fouled out. Jimenez steps to the line, makes the first, makes the second!!!!

They inbound the ball, throw a pass to halfcourt and Santiago is there to tip it away!!!!!!! Time runs out and Ohio has defeated Arizona to advance to the sweet 16!!!!!!!!

Ohio 70
Arizona 68
OT

For the game Arizona shoots just under 50%, 28-60. They're 4-12 from 3 and 8-8 at the line. We shot 17 first half Fts, going 14-17. We shot 15 more the second half and OT combined, but only made 8, a potentially costly problem.

Love leads them with 15, Keller and Kone 10, Benzel 9, Draughan 8. It seemed when we were coming back that they were constantly trying to fast break and they were very sloppy, seemed like something I'd do in their situation :)

McCully: 4 points/4 steals
Jimenez: 18 points
Santiago: 19 points
Bright: 10 points/10 boards/5 assists
Grundy: 1 points/7 boards

Barker: 8 points

Santiago was 1-8 from 3, 5-15 overall, but 8-9 at the line. Jimenez was a bit better, 5-13, 3-8 from 3, 5-8 from the line.

What a win!!! That was without question the tightest, most intense game I've ever played. I cannot believe we came back after letting them go up 55-43 around the 8 ½ minute mark.

[Ironhead]

Amazing, congrats on the Sweet 16 appearance!

[Radii]

We have had way more development this year than ever before. We just got another point in team roster strength, up to 87 OVR. Also, for the first time we have players gaining 3 points in season. Grundy has gone from 74->77, but he's graduating. The better news is seeing backup PG Barker advance from 72->75 OVR during the season as a sophomore.

6 players on the team gained 2 points during the season. The most exciting here is also a soph, as John McCully is now rated 79 OVR.



taking a look ahead:

We play 1 seed Louisville next. They are #2 in the nation and have an astounding team roster strength of 97 OVR.


Some upsets in the west, as 6 seed Alabama beat 3 seed Michigan, while 7 seed Penn State upset 2 seed W. Virginia. They'll play each other, winner gets the winner of Kansas and South Florida (1 v 5).

In the South, the top mid-major this year, Marist, beat 4 seed mississippi State to advance and plays overall #1 UNLV next. More upsets here as 7 seed Purdue upset Texas A&M. They've got PAC-10 champs Oregon next.



And in the Midwest, 1 seed Ole Miss crushed North Carolina, 98-72 to advance. 5 seed St. Joes knocks out Maryland.

Clemson is the lone ACC team left as a 2 seed, they'll play 6 seed Florida after Florida upset Syracuse.



Louisville is the highest rated team left and possibly the highest rated team in the country. The other 1 seeds are rated 90-94 OVR.

[Radii]

March 23, 2018 – NCAA Sweet 16

(1) #2 Louisville (29-6) vs (4) #18 Ohio (31-4)

We are now rated 87 OVR (87 off/85 def/89 sht/90 reb/81 coach). Louisville is rated 97 OVR(96 off/98 def/97 sht/96 reb/99 coach). Pitino now has 776 wins, still at Louisville.

McCully's injury apparently was a short term one, I am not showing anyone as injured for this game. That is critical if I'm going to have a chance. It was like he was running through molasses. He has 92 speed/93 quickness, I don't' have anyone even close to that, it makes a huge difference beating the press, driving and dishing, etc.

Louisville has the #1 offense in the nation, and #41 defense. They score 84 ppg and have a 19 point average margin of victory. Fun! Hahah. I open up their roster page and their top 9 players have the superstar icon attached to them. All 9 are rated 87 OVR or better.

Scouting

PG Horace McKnight – SR – 91 OVR – 95 speed/91 quickness. 94 defense/87 stelas. 94 handles(A)/85 passing(B). 87 close/78 med/76 3/89 off the dribble/81 in traffic. Great athlete. 84 off awareness/73 defensive. McKnight is a player of the year candidate I assume, 21.8 ppg/5 rpg/3.9 apg.

SG Chris Kelly – JR – 90 OVR – 90 speed/86 quickness. 83 defense/85 steals. 93 close/80 med/84 3. 80 off the dribble/84 in traffic. 82 off awareness/85 def awareness. 12.1 ppg.

SF Taylor Collier – JR – 90 OVR – natural SG – 89 speed/90 quickness. 89 defense/96 steals(A+!). 88 close/87 med/82 3/88 off the dribble. Only 6.9 ppg this year.

PF Alvin Nystrom – SO – 81 OVR – 6'8 natural center. 83 orb/86 drb. 81 post off/78 post def. 90 close/92 in traffic. Only recently began starting... 1.2 ppg.

C Elyon Lucas – JR – 89 OVR – 6'9”, natural PF – 85 orb/87 drb. 88 post off/84 post def. 87 close/82 med/88 3... yes, natural PF. 92 in traffic. Great leaper and dunker. Offensive awareness 84 (A-), defensive awareness 88 (A). 13.4 ppg/4.5 rpg. Lottery pick.

Kelley and Lucas are both coach on the floor types. Lucas has an amazing 86 average awareness. They have like 7 guys projected to go in the draft if they went pro this year. I'm not sure why Nystrom has not been a starter, they have no big man depth... at least not at their ridculous talent standards, maybe a 4 guard rotation, but I don't know why they'd have changed it recently. They have a 7'2 backup center rated 72 OVR. Every guard and SF they put on the court will be rated 87+.

Louisville is listed with 82 unity, we are at 65

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UL
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> We have some success driving and some success in the post, but are not hitting our 3's early on. They are hitting lots from all over with everyone. I call a timeout to get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> When I can set them up our post guys are all hitting today.... we have 10 of our 15 down low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Our last couple shots were really poor ones, but, defense is playing great and they're a bit cold in general. I call a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with a fast break bucket after a long miss, and McCully draws a foul and hits two at the line and we've tied itup. We're on a 11-4 run over the last 8 minutes now. The offense is about what I expected, but I'm stunned at how well our defense is playing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> We got another stop and had a chance to take the lead but Grundy missed what turned out to be a difficult turnaround. They hit a 3, we get bright a great look inside to cut it back to 1, Louisville timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We had a chance to take the lead but Jimenez misseda 3 as the half expired. They led by 4 after another 3, Jimenez answered with our only 3 of the half to keep it a 1 point game.


They shoot 11-21, 4-5 from 3. Their PG, SG, and SF all have 5 points, a deuce and a trey. PF Nystrom leads them with 6 points on 3-4 shooting inside. We're 9-22, 1-6 from 3, but 6-8 from the line. Almost no fouls in the half, we committed 1, they committed 5. Bright leads us, he's 3-5 inside and has 6 points. Jimenez and Santiago both have 4. Withers has 3 and a few guys have 2. We have the rebound edge 11-10.


We committed 0 turnovers all half, a huge need for us. As I've started using my post men more my turnovers have gone up, I make some bad passes in traffic at times. But today no errors. They only have 2 turnovers... very clean game.


We've done what we needed for a half. We kept the score low, kept any of their big guns from getting hot, and put ourselves in a position to win the game in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They have scored on every trip so far. We drew fouls our first two possessions, hitting 3-4 from the line. Then two empty trips in a row, the last a point blank look by Grundy as his man went for the steal, ugh. I get a timeout to try to keep them from pulling out ahead any further. Their player of the year candidate, PG McKnight, had their first 4 points and has 9 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> McKnight is up to 13 for them, but our offense is flowing a little better. We just made a bad pass allowing a dunk on their end though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:31
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy gets a big 3 point play on our next possession. They get a dunk on their end. Next trip we get a wide open look for Santiago from 3, he misses but Grundy boards. Santiago is standing in the same spot and they crashed the boards, I kick it back out and the 2^nd time from the same spot he hits it. They miss an open 3, one of the few they miss like that, and Grundy boards it. We set up our offense and Grundy ends up triple teamed inside, he hits McCully in the right corner who drains an open 3!!! Tie game, our first 6^th man boost of the game..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> McKnight misses a wide open 15 footer, we work the clock on our end and Santiago gets his man in the air, drives and draws a foul. He makes the first, misses the second. We now have a lead over a 97 OVR rated opponent.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> They take the lead after two free throws. We get a play just like a few minutes ago.. Santiago misses a 3, Grundy boards, kicks it back out and Santiago drains it from the same spot. 2 point lead, another 6^th man bonus! And timeout Louisville. I'm down to 2 timeouts myself from earlier use. I have only committed 2 fouls this half so if I need the clock stopped to sub people in I can commit a foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago fouls their SF shooting a 18 foot jumper with like 3 seconds left on the shot clock... hate that. They tie it up. On our end, santiago has the ball, jimenez sets a screen, Santiago goes by, kicks it back to Jimenez who goes up straight away for an open 3, GOOD! 3 point lead, another 6^th man bonus. Another Louisville timeout. We are playing near perfect basketball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago misses a 3 and they get a fast break bucket to cut it to 1. Their defensive board triggers their 6^th man. I can't call timeouts to kill them, plus they'll be coming every time anyone does anything good. Grundy misses a hook next trip down, but they miss a contested jumper. Our ball again.


As long as we keep the crowd in it they can carry us to the end... but the starters have been playing about 20 minutes straight now back to the first half. I hope we don't end the game with them exhausted b/c I haven't rested them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. They commit a stupid reach about 25 seconds into the shot clock, letting us run more time. We get Grundy a great look inside, he could have had a 3 point play... but he does draw the foul and misses... then he misses both free throws. Can't do that!!! Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh lord. Santiago fouls a 3 point shooter.... He makes all 3 FT's.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Sometimes the ball just bounces your way. We tie it with a good move to the hoop by Santiago. They miss a 3. Jimenez has a shot blocked, but gets to the ball and attacks the hoop, drawing a foul. He makes just 1 of 2 but we're ahead again. McKnight badly misses a 3 and we board again. Jimenez misses another 3, Bright with the board, he kicks it out ot McCully, McKnight gets a hand on it, but it falls right to Grundy. That's a lot of bounces going perfect for us(including missed shots that they might usually make) to keep us in the lead with the ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy gets a good power move inside but cannot finish. They board, get a wide open 3 by Kelly, a 84 rated shooter. He misses, we board. Bright has 11 boards now. Santiago with a good blowby move and a spectacular shot in traffic for a bucket. We have a 3 point lead with 2 minutes left.


I'm jinxing myself but it really feels like we're going to pull this off.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> McKnight with a turnover in the backcourt!!!!! We burn the clock a ways, and Jimenez finds Grundy in great position down low, he lays the ball in. 5 point lead, Louisville timeout!!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Wide open 3 from Kelly, he isn't missing this one. We just held the #2 team in the nation scoreless for 4 minutes though so I feel ok.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:32
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy gets the ball in the low post and takes a left handed hook from about 7 feet out. It bounces off the back rim. They rebound.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:06
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> I only had 3 fouls on the half so far. They had a 6^th man bonus. They called a timeout when they got past half court which helped. Then I used two intentional fouls to try to get them out of rhythm. They ended up taking a long 3 from Kelly with about 8 seconds left. I don't know if it was open or not, he had a step or two separation from Santiago. Either way, NO GOOD!!! Bright with rebound #12. They foul. Bright to the line for 2.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Bright is a 73% free throw shooter. First one good... second one... GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!

They rush down court, I pray we don't do anything stupid. Kelly hits a 2 point meaningless jumper for them.

Ohio 57
Louisville 55

Absolutely everything went our way the entire second half. Every time we needed a miss we got it, every time we left someone open the shot was off, we didn't allow a single defensive rebound. The stretch I mentioned above with 3:00 left was key and a perfect example. They block a shot with about 5 seconds on the shot clock. We manage to not only recover the ball but draw a foul. Then we get an offensive board and throw a poor pass out that they get a hand on, but it falls right in the hands of one of our players...

We outrebounded them 26-23. We did not turn the ball over a single time all game. I have never had a turnover free game before. We only had 3 steals and 1 block, only made 5 3's.

McKnight ended with just 13 points, he went cold late and ended up 6-14 form the field. McCully did a great job on him too. Kelly scored 17 and was real big for them late, but he missed a couple open shots down the stretch.

McCully: 5 points
Jimenez: 10 points
Santiago: 15 points
Bright: 12 points/12 boards
Grundy: 8 points/8 boards/4 assists

Holy crap we are a game away from the final four. I have no idea where this is coming from. I'm playing exactly the same as i did vs UConn earlier in the year, etc, trying to slow the game down vs more talented players. And its worked before(see our upset over Duke a couple seaosns ago) but having this success two games in a row vs two teams as talented as Arizona and Louisville is stunning.

[Radii]

Elite Eight Matchups

East: (4) Ohio vs (2) Kentucky

Kentucky beat 3 seed Seton Hall by 6.


West: (1) Kansas vs (6) Alabama

If we were to beat Kentucky, we would face the winner of this game.

South: (1) UNLV vs (7) Purdue

UNLV beat Marist by 12. Purdue upset Oregon. They've beaten the 2 seed and the 3 seed, just the 1 seed left.

Midwest: (5) Saint Joseph's vs (6) Florida

Saint Joe's upset Ole Miss, Florida upset Clemson.



Arizona... Louisville... Kentucky, 3 of the most successful programs of the last 30 years (well... 40 years now considering its 2018).


After the last two, Kentucky seems perfectly beatable, at least looking at their ratings... just 90 OVR, with Gillespie still there and now a 97 rated coach. No 90 rated guys, a freshman point guard, only one player rated higher than our top player(Bright/84 OVR). They're the more talented team for sure, but I'll be damned if we don't have a shot going into this one.

[law90026]

wow great run!

[Radii]

March 25, 2018 – NCAA Elite 8

(2) #11 Kentucky (29-8) vs (4) #18 Ohio (32-4)

Kentucky is rated 98 OVR (88 off/90 def/90 sht/90 reb/97 coach). Not scary at all as we've risen to 87 and we just beat teams rated 93 and 97 with way more talent. But they're a 2 seed for a reason.

The SEC is the #1 rated conference this year, with 6 teams in the dance, all of them 8 seed or higher.

I didn't mention before, but we're playing in the charlotte bobcats arena in front of 20,000 people.

Scouting

PG Delvon Sweetney – FR – 77 OVR – 95 speed/83 quickness. Elite speed but I'll take McCully's 93/93 over this. 85 defense/77 steals, great for a freshman. 83 hands/79 passing, not bad at all either. 87 close/74 med/78 3/88 off the dribble. A serious threat to create his own shot. 6.6 ppg/4.5 apg. We're thankful to run into him during his freshman year.

SG Harrison Hodge – SR – 86 OVR – 92 speed/92 quickness/81 vert/76 str/95 hustle. Great hustle buddy. 91 defense/75 steals, both very good. 93 close/88 med/70 3/81 off the dribble/84 in traffic. Looks more like a slasher than a 3 point shooter. That's not good as we struggle more these days with slashers. 10.5 ppg.

SF Roburt Mouton – SO – 84 OVR – 6'5”, natural SF. 83 speed/81 quickness. 86 defense(A-, exceptional SF D). 79 steals, exceptional. 87 close/70 med/69 3. 82 off the dribble/85 defense. Great physical skills and a great athlete overall. 92 dunking is spectacular. 8.6 ppg/6.5 rpg. He has solid post and rebound ratings for a SF.

PF Hanif Graves – JR – 83 OVR – 6'9”, natural PF. 88 orb/92 drb. 93 post offense/76 post defense. 90 close/84 in traffic. Elite rebounder and post player on offense. He has an 83 rated 3 point shot too so I'll have to remember to guard him. Leads the team with 14.9 ppg/6.5 rpg this year.

C Luther Jensen – SO – 78 OVR – 6'9”, natural center. 88 orb/83 drb. 85 post offense/80 post defense. 88 close/85 in traffic. Only 6 points/game as I guess Graves takes most of the inside shots, understandably. But he has some strong skills.

They have a backup SG, Demetric Olaiya, who is a 92 rated 3 point shooter. 39% on the year/40% for his career(he's a senior). 6'9” backup SF Raymond Simon scores 10 points/game for them as well. An outstanding rebounder and shooter... both of those guys would be starting for me for sure. They're rated 83 and 82 OVR.

If it were me I'd be starting Olaiya at PG and sweetney would be deadly off the bench. But its not me.

They are weak when it comes to backups in the post, and most of their backups are... 'normal' looking to us, guys rated in the 74-78 range who aren't that great. This is a team that we could kill by getting into foul trouble.

McCully is on Mouton from the start of the game. I don't want him on the 6'9” guy but putting him on the freshman would be a waste of his defensive skills.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="7%"> UK
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Santiago with two reach in fouls in a row, I get Northcutt in for him for now at least.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the bad news is that they've scored 6 straight and are getting the ball inside or in transition very very easily against us right now. The good news is that their highest rated player just came out hurt, Hodge, their SG. Backups are in for me. I call my 2^nd timeout to try to kill their 6^th man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Hodge is back in, hopefully slowed in some way. Sweetney just picked up a 2^nd reaching foul, he's sitting.


Two issues so far. 1) they have 3 offensive boards and putbacks on all 3. 2) they run a tough pressure/doubleteaming half court trap about half the time they play man to man defense. This is making it very hard for us to slow the game down and establish control on offense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters, including Santiago are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Mouton has 7 for them, and Jensen already had 6 rebounds.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We score the final 4 points of the half and only trail by 6. After feeling like we got outplayed severely for most of the half i'm thrilled ot be this close.


Mouton leads them with 11, and Jensen has 8. Hodge is 2-6 and 0-1 from 3 so we've stopped one of their guys at least.


On our end Grundy has been getting to the line real well, 5-6, and 2-3 inside, he leads us with 9. Jomenez has 8, 2 3's and a layup. Santiago is cold and just has 2 points. Bright hasn't gotten involved in the offense but has 6 boards. We are struggling from 3, just 3-11.


We're right there, just need to keep up the defense and we can sniff a final four at Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> They start out hot and we are struggling to score, just a 3 point play by Bright on 4 trips so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple stops and we get our first 6^th man boost of the game. Still trailing 7 but hanging in if we can get things moving.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 in a row, including a 3 from Jimenez and we're only down 1 basket. Bright has 3 fouls now, Santiago has stayed clean since his 2 early ones.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> That's real funny. Santiago with a reach, foul 33.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 and I call a timeout to get my backups in. Bright and Jimenez especially are tired out and everyone could sit for a bit. We had zero offense with the backups last time through, need to make something happen here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Withers misses two solid looks and they go up 8. We get it rolling after that, Northcutt with a midrange jumper, they miss, Withers gets a great look inside and hits something finally. We force a turnover and Northcutt hits a 3!!! 7-0 run, timeout Kentucky.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss an open shot on their end, and they get out of sync defensively, Withers ends up posting up their point guard who seems about 2 feet tall in comparison. He hits a little shot in low and we take a lead on a 9-0 run by the backups!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a wide open 3 and Hogan posts up and hits a turnaround on our end. Timeout Kentucky.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Two more defensive stops and they call another timeout. My starters are ready to go and come back out. On this roll I hope that isn't a mistake or momentum killer. We're on a 13-0 run after they went up 44-36.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> I don't think we killed our momentum so much as stopped the clock, letting them sub in Graves and Sweetney who had been sitting with 3 fouls. They score 4 straight.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Grundy in the low post, he isn't able to back his man down though, and fires it cross court to McCully in the corner for an open 3, GOOD. Timeout Kentucky.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Well there is a distinct difference here and our last two wins... Kentucky is not missing shots down the stretch. They get a post look from Graves. We answer with a post shot by Grundy. Then Mouton hits a 3. We try to answer but Jimenez misses a 3. They get pretty up and under from Graves, and they are on a 7-2 run and have taken a 1 point lead. Timeout Ohio.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over trying to feed the post and Sweetney runs out for a layup. We get Bright a look inside and cut it to 1. Their ball, 1 point game, Kentucky calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> The ball is bouncing their way this time... two tipped passes on that last defensive possession but neither led to a steal. They end up getting Mouton a solid look from the corner for 3 but it bounces out. I work an inside out with McCully and Bright, I really wanted bright taking the shot but he couldn't get the right look. McCully takes an 18 footer with 45 seconds left, GOOD! I hate those mid-range shots in theory but this is where McCully's 90 mid-range rating comes in. Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They find their best big man, Graves, inside. He goes for a hook shot and bright is there with the block!!! Grundy picks it up and is fouled. We've not done a good job drawing fouls this half so they have to foul a bit to get us to the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Mccully to the line. Oh no. front end missed. Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:00.8
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh no. We play good defense, they don't get an ideal shot, they clearly wanted hodge to take it... he's forced to pass to Jensen, their center, at the free throw line. He makes a jumper from about 16 feet away. I call a timeout with 0.8 left. Santiago has a quick enough release for that I think.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Heh, SF takes it in. Luckily I have another timeout. I put McCully at SF and Santiago at PG. McCully passes to half court, Santiago does get it off, and it hits the right side of the rim and bounces out.

Their winning jumper is the game changing performance. Grundy was all over it, in his face, jumping and swiping at the ball. That was an amazing clutch shot by Jensen.

Kentucky 59
Ohio 58

Kentucky shot 3-15 from 3, and was under 50% for the game(25-53). They had their cold stretch in the 2^nd half and let us run out to a lead, but unlike Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky hit huge shots in the final 7 or 8 minutes, where they seemed to all miss for the other teams we beat, Kentucky made a 7-2 run when we had pulled ahead. Our 80% FT shooter misses the front end of a 1 and 1, and they come down and get a great shot to win it.

Their backcourt was worthless, but Mouton scored 16, Graves 13, and Jensen 12 for them in the win.

McCully: 7 points/3 assists
Jimenez: 11 points
Santiago: 2 points (1-6/0-5 from 3)
Bright: 8 points/9 boards
Grundy: 13 points/4 boards

Withers: 6 points
Northcutt: 5 points

[Radii]

What an amazing tournament. 2 point overtime win against Arizona, 2 point win against Louisville, and a 1 point loss to Kentucky. Any of those games played during the regular season would have been thrilling and up there with the best games I've ever played.

To have all 3 come back to back to back in the NCAA Tournament is just epic.

[Radii]

wow great run!

Amazing, congrats on the Sweet 16 appearance!



thanks :) Those games were incredibly fun to play.

[Radii]

Before anything else, lets finish up the tournament.

Final Four



1 seed Kansas crushes 6 seed Alabama to get to the final four.

UNLV does the same to 7 seed Purdue (both 20+ point wins)

6 seed Florida beats 5 seed St Joes 72-70.


Kanses beats Kentucky 84-73 in one semifinal, and #1 UNLV goes down to the 6 seed Florida Gators 85-82.

Florida completes the surprising run to the title by taking down their second 1 seed of the weekend, beating Kansas 88-74 to win it all.

[Radii]

Graduating Seniors

PF Lloyd Bright - 6'8" 238 lbs - 84 OVR

Only in Bright's senior year did I finally begin to focus on post play seriously. And in my in game experiences, Grundy with 5 more inches of height, seemed often more effective, despite Bright's far superior ratings.

Bright was still key to this elite 8 team with 10.1 ppg/7.8 rebounds per game. Over his career he averaged 7.7 points/7.1 rebounds a game. He was a 4 year starter, missing about 10 games due to injury his junior season, starting 122 out o122 games he played.

bright was the #94 recruit in the nation, and the #13 PF, top 100 big men are quite hard to land at a mid-major because of the recruit distribution, so this was a huge score for me at the time. And, he developed into the highest rated player I've ever coached. For his career Bright shot 46% from the field, but most notably when I had a team that was shooting in the low to mid 60% range from the free throw line, Bright was the first guy I brought in that consistently shot over 70%, 74% for his career.


PF Nathan Grundy - 7'1" 274 lbs - 77 OVR

Gundy averaged 11.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg his senior year. For his career he aveaged 8.2 ppg/5.0 rpg. He had B- potential and developed quite nicely, by his senior year he was a legitiately talented big man, not just a 7'1" giant. He shot 53% from the field for his career, but was just a 65% free throw shooter. Grundy didn't become an everyday starter until his senior year, playing 126 games and starting 45 of them.


SF Dwight Snowden - 6'8" 230 lbs - 71 OVR

Not much to say here. Snowden came in as a JC transfer and just was rated far worse than I expected. He got some time as a backup SF his senior year as I bounced between him and Whitted for the backup SF spot at times. For his career he was a 385 shooter averaging under 2 points/game.



The loss of Bright and Grundy may have a lot to do with my decision to stay or leave Ohio this year. I'm going to have backcourt strength that will certainly matchup with any mid-major program in the nation and probably many major programs as well. But Withers and Hogan as my starting front court... with unknown quantities backing them up. I would not be surprised if we were less consistent and struggled more vs similar teams next season because of these losses inside.

[Radii]

2017/18 Ohio Stats

Graduating our #2 and #4 scorers this year, losing them hurts our balance quite a bit, though Santiago and Jimenez are legit scoring threats and both could put up some huge numbers next year. Withers and Hogan will have a lot of weight on their shoulders next year.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="57"> <col width="28"> <col width="25"> <col width="18"> <col width="29"> <col width="28"> <col width="29"> <col width="28"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Pos
</td> <td width="22%"> Name
</td> <td width="11%"> Class
</td> <td width="10%"> Points
</td> <td width="7%"> Reb
</td> <td width="11%"> Assists
</td> <td width="11%"> FG %
</td> <td width="11%"> 3P %
</td> <td width="11%"> FT %
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SF
</td> <td width="22%"> Rodney Santiago
</td> <td width="11%"> JR
</td> <td width="10%"> 17.2
</td> <td width="7%"> 3.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 44.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 38.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 77.9
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PF
</td> <td width="22%"> Nathan Grundy
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 11.4
</td> <td width="7%"> 5.7
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 54.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 45.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 72.8
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> Quincy Jimenez
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 11.3
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 2.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 45.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 40.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 78.6
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PF
</td> <td width="22%"> Lloyd Bright
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 10.1
</td> <td width="7%"> 7.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 46.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 25.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 72.3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PG
</td> <td width="22%"> John McCully
</td> <td width="11%"> SO
</td> <td width="10%"> 7.3
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 3.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 45.9
</td> <td width="11%"> 36.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 84.1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> Erkan Northcutt
</td> <td width="11%"> JR
</td> <td width="10%"> 6.1
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 44.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 39.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 75.3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> C
</td> <td width="22%"> Darryl Withers
</td> <td width="11%"> SO
</td> <td width="10%"> 5.0
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 45.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 36.8
</td> <td width="11%"> 60.0
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PG
</td> <td width="22%"> Tim Barker
</td> <td width="11%"> SO
</td> <td width="10%"> 5.0
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 2.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 41.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 30.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 73.8
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SG
</td> <td width="22%"> Sidney Whitted
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 3.4
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 1.6
</td> <td width="11%"> 41.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 33.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 62.1
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> PF
</td> <td width="22%"> Zachary Hogan
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 2.5
</td> <td width="7%"> 2.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.1
</td> <td width="11%"> 60.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 20.0
</td> <td width="11%"> 77.2
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> SF
</td> <td width="22%"> Dwight Snowden
</td> <td width="11%"> SR
</td> <td width="10%"> 2.2
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 38.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 30.4
</td> <td width="11%"> 44.0
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> C
</td> <td width="22%"> Bernell Roberts
</td> <td width="11%"> FR
</td> <td width="10%"> 1.4
</td> <td width="7%"> 1.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 0.2
</td> <td width="11%"> 30.5
</td> <td width="11%"> 33.3
</td> <td width="11%"> 52.9
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
So I wasn't upset at all about missing the final four, my team really wasn't final four talent. But going through the stats it sinks in that if my 84.1% free throw shooter had not missed the front end of a 1 and 1, we are likely a final four team. That stinks.

[Radii]

2018 Awards

Florida's national title squad is rated 96 OVR, just 1 behind louisville. They started an 83 rated freshman center and an 88 rated SG soph. hll, a 92 rated SF that is only a junior.


The national player of the year this year comes from Vanderbilt. 7'1" Center Demetris Keeler scored 24.6 points and got 7.6 rebounds per game. He was only rated 79 OVR.


VCU's Senior Center Johnny Cesar, rated 83 OVR, is the mid-major player of the year. He averages 23.0 ppg/5.4 rpg.

Bill Self earns the coach of the year nationally, one of the few times I've seen it go to someone other than the coach winning the national title.


First Team All Americans

PG Horace McKnight - SR - Louisville - 94 OVR - 21.6 ppg/4.9 rpg/3.9 apg
SG Jerrad Walters - SR - Maryland - 84 OVR - 21.0 ppg/4.8 rpg/2.9 apg
SF Francis Tucker - JR - Baylor - 86 OVR - 18.0 ppg/5.6 rpg
PF Antone Diarra - SR - Duke - 87 OVR - 25.1 ppg/6.9 rpg
C Demetris Keeler - SR - Vanderbilt - 79 OVR - 24.6 ppg/7.6 rpg

I had mentioned when I scouted Louisville that McKnight seemed worthy here. Nice.


MAC Awards

We're the MAC champions obviously. Since this represents the regular season champs this is our 4th in a row.

I win the MAC coach of the year award for the 3rd straight yera I think. Maybe 4th?

SF Rodney Santiago is the MAC Player of the year. This is the 2nd year in a row he's won the award. 17.2 ppg/3.4 rpg. No reason he shouldn't win it 3 years in a row either.

SG Quincy Jimenez is the MAC Freshman of the year. No surprise here at all either. 11.3 ppg.

First Team All-MAC Awards

PG Brendan McCarthy - JR - Ball State - 75 OVR - 15.3 ppg/3.0 apg
SG Godwin Washburn - sO - Akron - 77 OVR - 10.3 ppg/4.6 rpg/3.8 apg
SF Rodney Santiago - JR - Ohio - 82 OVR - 17.2 ppg/3.4 rpg
PF Lloyd Bright - SR - Ohio - 84 OVR - 10.1 ppg/7.8 rpg
C Terry Samuel - SR - Miami OH - 76 OVR - 15.7 ppg/6.5 rpg


Second Team All-MAC

PG Femi Janiszewski - JR - Ball State -73 OVR - 10.7 ppg/4.0 rpg/3.7 apg
SG Quincy Jimenez - FR - Ohio - 77 OVR - 11.3 ppg
SF Stanley Wagner - FR - Buffalo - 73 OVR - 7.2 ppg/6.4 rpg
PF Pierre Bartlett - SO - N. Illinois - 69 OVR - 10.7 ppg/7.3 rpg
C Ferdinand Whitehead - SR - Bowling Green -82 OVR - 15.4 ppg/5.8 rpg

[Radii]

Its no surprise, but Bright does not get drafted.


looking at my coach screen, this is my 5th straight 20 win season, and 5th straight trip to a postseason.

Last 5 years:

2013/14: 23-8 - NIT
2014/15: 22-9 - NIT
2015/16: 24-8 - NCAA 2nd Round
2016/17: 29-5 - NCAA 1st Round
2017/18: 32-5 - NCAA Elite Eight

hell of a run. I'm 225-121 in my career now.


I have 2 coaching attribute points to use this year. I'm torn as always on where to use them. I could max teaching or defense, I could become a less sucky offensive coach, I could start to learn how to scout players. I still am unsure how big the timeout boosts from Discipline are, I wonder if I'm missing out there...

In the end, I cannot resist pretty numbers. Teaching grants the most overall development from what I understand.

Offense: C
Defense: A
Teaching: A+
Scouting: C-
Charisma: A+
Discipline: C

Overall: B+

That second point... the one I got from making the sweet 16, is the difference between my overall coach rating being a B or a B+. Based on the fact that I saw a lot of B+ coaches at higher levels and almost no B rated coaches, that seems important.

[Radii]

Coaching Carousel

Roy retired one year too early. Or, I made my elite 8 run one year too late. I am *the* hot coach this year.

The top job in the nation is in West Virginia. They were a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were rated 93 OVR. I assume Bob Huggins retired. They are graduating a 91 rated SG but return 4 starters from a team with a 2 seed.


Texas missed the tournament this year. They went 6-10 in the big 12 and haven't been to the big dance in three years. Texas would be a fun state to recruit in. They're rated 89 OVR this year but graduating 3 starters.

Florida State is rated 87 OVR. They finished 12-16 this year and have not made the tournament since 2013. Taking them over would bring about a very unusual situation. They started 5 juniors this year. They have 1 senior and 8 juniors on their roster. 3 sophs and 1 freshman.


St Johns is rated 82 OVR, their head coaching job was available not too long ago I think. Based on their starting 5 I think Ohio is betterthan them.


St Johns has Marist's coach listed first. The other 3 all want me. they're all offering 2 year deals.


West Virginia is a powerhouse, and they likely will be next year. Texas is... well,its in Texas. And Florida State is in Florida, but most importantly, they're in the ACC.

Anyone who knows me knows what I'm debating right now. The ACC job is obviously the one I want to take. But am I really going to turn down a national power for a school who will have 8 seniors on the roster when I walk onto campus? I'm not really building artificial suspense here either, i'm genuinely asking myself this question heh.



I'm just too big an ACC fan. And ever since the mid-80s when I was a kid in ACC Country and the Big East was getting so much attention(rightfully so of course), I've disliked the Big East. If it was one of the fake ACC schools, Miami/Va Tech/Boston College, I probably go to WVU. But Florida State is good enough for me.

Plus, 8 scholarships open gives me a great shot at a top 20 recruiting class, right?


I am the new head coach at Florida State University


West Virginia took Marist's coach. Nevada's coach(2nd generation here, Fox left awhile back) went to Texas. St John's hires Detroit's head coach.

Ohio is the top job on the board after the major jobs pass by. It goes to coach O'Brien out of Indiana State.


Huggins, Barns and Hamilton(WVU/Texas/FSU) all retired. I'm surprised FSU let their guy hang on so long with no tournament bids.

[Radii]

My assistants follow me to Florida State.

There is an 'A' rated scout available, but my 'B' rated scout is also a B+ teacher. the A scout is decent with defense and pretty good with offense... but a D teacher.

I decide to hang on to what I've got. If I see things different at FSU with a bigger budget and presumably more in state recruits that i want to scout and such,then I'll make a change next year.

[Radii]

Now that I'm at Florida State, I'm reasonably close to the pinnacle for me as far as jobs in this game. Well, I mean that in the sense that there are not many jobs I would leave FSU for. Not that Florida State is "close enough" to the UNC job so whatever, heh.

If the UNC job opened I would obviously leave it in a heartbeat no matter what the situation.

If the Georgia Tech job opened I would leave it unless I thought there was a legitimate chance that the UNC job might open the next year.

I would give very serious consideration to Wake Forest and NC State, the two other ACC schools worth a mention in my home state.

Maryland, Clemson and Virginia in my mind are upgrades over Florida State. But they are pretty marginal upgrades, and, silly as this may sound, the orange backgrounds in this game annoy the hell out of me, so I probably would consider a move to Maryland if conditions were favorable, but that's it.


So that's it, that's the list. There are only 5 jobs i would leave Florida State for by my own volition(if I can't recruit next year and get fired its a bit different obviously :D).

[Radii]

One other random thought. After 1 empty victory over Ball State, I follow their old head coach to the ACC and set up shop. And since I want the UNC job more than anything, beating North Carolina and doing whatever I can to keep them down is a very high priority for me. Kinda fitting how all that has worked out.

[Radii]

Transfers

The ACC isn't involved in any transfers. Arizona State lost 3 guys this year. 81 rated SG goes to Texas Tech, an 80 rated PG goes to Idaho State and a 72 rated PG goes to Buffalo.

[Radii]

Offseason Recruiting

FSU has already filled its scholarship. Heh, their only recruit is a 3* C ranked #316 OVR. #21 ceter. Looks average at best.


Since I was basically done with my recruiting at Ohio, I had about 10 juniors on my target list to call every week. One of them is a 4* PF from Fort Myers, Florida. He's got 89% interest in FSU. Nice to see that at least some of the work I did at Ohio may benefit me here :)


Ok, here is what FSU is losing next year:

82 rated PG, 77 rated PG
82 rated SG
80 rated SF, 80 rated SF (another one), 79 rated SF
79 rated PF

There are no underclassmen worth a damn. A soph PF rated 73 OVR. two other soph's under 70 and a freshman SG rated 67 OVR.


So basically, next year, I need to recruit an entire team, starters at all 5 positions.

I wonder if I can redshirt a senior without pissing him off and having him transfer? I could redshirt a couple guys next year. I've got 3 SF's! Might as well sit one, etc.

Oh wow, FSU has 5 juniors with 90%+ interest in them. 4 of them are 4*, all local kids. Maybe this won't be so terrible after all. I get a few of them to 100% through 5 weeks of calls and hopefully enough of them are legit 4* prospects that we'll have something to work with.


So here's my one recruit:

3* C Benjamin Slater - 6'9" 228 lbs - Pompano Beach, FL - #316 OVR/#21 C

Shooting: C+
Skills: C+
Defense: A-
Athleticism: C+
Rebounding: B+
Intelligence: B
Potential: B+
Size: A-

11.3 ppg/8.4 rpg in the ABL, 46% shooting, so that shows a bit of potential.

Its these individual skill ratings that bother me. C orb/C drb, C post off/C post def, C close/C+ in traffic. Those are the primary ratings I recruit for in a big man. He is a decent athlete, a B- dunker, B- vert/B+ str... not bad. B+ shot blocking so that could be very good. But the rebounding/post/scoring grades bug me, a lot. I'm not expecting much.

[Radii]

2018 Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Florida
2. Texas A&M
3. Kentucky
4. Kansas
5. Auburn
6. W. Virginia
7. Arizona
8. Ole Miss
9. Seton Hall
10. Nevada

13. Clemson
20. North Carolina
25. Maryland
27. Duke
**34. Ohio **
50. NC State
59. Virginia Tech
87. Wake Forest
98. Miami


We're somewhere pretty low, 150-200 range I think.

[Radii]

The CPU schedules pretty light already. I delete a tournament sadly, I like those. But it started on a Sunday in november. Can't have any sunday november games.

In fact, we only have two november games at all

[Radii]

Florida State starts the year rated 88 OVR, I'll do the roster overview later on of course. We'll be decent but I don't expect to be a tournament team. We've got 5 guys rated 80 OVR, but none rated above 83 I don't think.

The center comes in pretty crappy. More on him during the roster overview too.


Recruting is going to be fun. This may have been an accidental gold mine as far as pulling a top 20 class and hell with the volume here could push us to the #1 class maybe? Maybe not, I dunno how rankings work.

Anyway, the guys on my target list... they all know that i'm losing my whole team so they're all interested. 5 4* recruits have 85% or higher interest in us, 3 of them 95% or higher. #27 OVR SG, #36 OVR PG, the #6 and #7 PF's in the country(both top 70). #69 OVR SF.

Some of them have interest in other schools too of course but any of them in florida, and any of them that want playing time we have a huge leg up. If I wasn't so damn tired I'd want to see how this turns out right now. I think we have a serious shot at landing 5 4* recruits in the early signing period.

Two of the guys turned out 5*, one a HS All-American. they are right around 70% interest. They're national guys, not from Florida. They seem a bit unlikely but will probably get an offer anyway.

[hoopsguy]

Great run, congrats on the new job.

Let the ACC poundings (on FSU, for now) commence!

[rjolley]

Congrats on the move. Have fun pounding UNC.

[Radii]

I screwed up my scheduling, bleh. I only checked the November Calendar for 2018 to make sure I didn't have any sunday games. I have a sunday game on Dec 2nd, which is the first day of the early signing period, so I'll need to lock up as many visits as I can prior to that. I'm going to sim through at least the first day of the early signing period, which will mean simming my first 3 games.



But first, Rosters:

2018/19 Florida State Roster

This is the AI recommendations for now.

Starters

PG Joey Summers - 6'1" 173 lbs - SR - 83 OVR

Summers looks awesome. 93 speed/88 quickness. 88 defense/76 steals, very solid. 87 hands/92 passing. That passing rating is A- quality, very very high. 82 close/81 med/83 3/81 off the dribble/79 in traffic. It looks like he can score from anywhere on the floor and does a reasonable job creating his own shot. Summers averaged 9 points/game as a junior.

SG Darrell Crosswhite - 6'2" 185 lbs - SR - 83 OVR

84 speed/87 quickness. 8 defense/80 steals. 88 close/84 med/80 3/81 off the dribble/87 in traffic. He's a good athlete, a leaper with a lot of strength, quality dunker. A JC transfer last season, he averaged 10 ppg. This'll be his second and last season with Florida State.

SF Tron Watson - 6'7" 231 lbs - SR - 81 OVR

Well, first off,his name is TRON. 83 speed/84 quickness. 83 defense/74 steals, I like having SF's that are reasonable on ball defenders. 82 close/78 med/77 3. He's a pretty good all around athlete, though he might struggle a little to create his own shot compared to the guards. Watson was a leading scorer with 14.4 ppg last year.

SF Kyile Weisse - 6'6" 228 lbs - SR - 81 OVR

Natural SF, slated to play the PF position. As a SF he's outstanding. 82 speed/84 quickness/81 defense/71 steals. 85 close/76 med/79 3/84 in traffic. 95 vertical... huge leaper and a great dunker as a result. His post skills are strong... 78 post offense/74 post defense, but his rebounding is weak. 76 orb/76 drb. I'll see if there's a true big man I can play here.

PF Randy Pugh - 6'7" 242 lbs - SR - 79 OVR

Slated to play center, pugh is a slightly undersized, though very skilled, power forward. 80 orb/91 drb. 83 post offense/73 post defense. The defense isn't great but he could be a great scorer inside. 90 close/91 in traffic. 85 clutch rating(A-), and a shot blocker as well(not that those two things are related, just where my eyes are catching hold going through the screen heh). 8.7 ppg/4.1 rpg last year.


BENCH

PG Simplice Duncan - 6'2" 194 lbs - SR - 78 OVR

88 speed/86 quickness, 90 defense/81 steals(spectacular). 87 hands/80 passing. 83 close/74 med/72 3/82 off the dribble. Duncan is a pretty solid PG, I love his defense and steals and handling ability. A career backup, 3 ppg last year.


-- The CPU recommends Crosswhite as backup SG too, meaning they don't have someone to fill the slot... we'll check out our reserves in a bit


SF Henry Shiloh - 6'6" 245 lbs - SR - 80 OVR

81 speed/78 quickness. 81 orb/80 drb. 76 post offense/71 post defense... 93 close/83 med/66 3, 80 in traffic. He's only got decent strength, but he's much better in the post and on the glass than Weisse, the recommended starter at PF. I'm going to play someone out of position as a big, its going to be Shiloh here.


PF BB Locklier - 6'11" 234 lbs - JR - 74 OVR

That's right its a non-senior!! 86 orb/78 drb. 73 post offense/82 post defense. Solid strength and hustle for a PF. 83 close/87 in traffic. A JC transfer that came in as a soph, 5.4 ppg last year. Locklier isn't great and is probably severely outclassed by ACC quality big men... but starting a 74 rated 6'11 PF seems to make more sense than a 6'6 SF.

C Benjamin Slater - 6'10" 228 lbs - FR - 71 OVR

This is the recruit I was given last year. 76 orb/78 drb. 75 post offense/74 post defense. 83 close/86 in traffic. He is a great shot blocker, 85/B+. He has solid hands too, 74 steals. He's strong(78/B+) but his other athletic type ratings suffer. Not much to look at but on this team he'll obviously get minutes.


Ok, so those 9 guys are what the CPU recommends. What's left on the bench?


PG Dusan Moss - 6'3" 193 lbs - SR - 72 OVR

87 speed/81 quickness - 87 defense/73 steals. 79 close/74 med/73 3. 80 off the dribble. He's ok but he lacks the athletic skills and secondary talents that the guys rated way higher have. As a senior the plan is pretty much to let him rot.


PF Marshall Osimani - 6'7" 216 lbs - JR - 70 OVR

89 orb/69 drb, potentially useful for rebounding purposes alone. 71 post off/68 post def... 84 close/84 in traffic. Not useful otherwise.


C Oscar Delic - 7'0" 214 lbs - FR - 68 OVR

71 orb/77 drb. 71 post off/68 post def. 68 blocks. 88 close/79 in traffic. A decent rating in close, some size... since I *really* prefer a 10 man rotation, and I prefer 7 footers over non 7 footers, Delic might see some action this year.

[Radii]

Looking over everything, I think I'm going like this:

Starters:

PG Summers
SG Crosswhite
SF Watson
PF Pugh
C Locklier

Backups:

PG Duncan
SG Weisse
SF Shiloh
PF Slater
C Delic


I have enough experience by now to know that I am awful at managing subs myself outside of a 10 man rotation. If I go less than 10 I have to put AI Substitutions on, and then I just end up annoyed at how the AI is managing my lineup. So I'd prefer to have a slightly weaker overall rotation that I can manage myself until I recruit my own players.

That's right, I'm just the kind of asshole coach who is going to come in and force you to play MY system and refuse to bend to the talent I have available to me ;)

[Radii]

Alright, time to go recruit a whole new team.

Ok, 2 weeks in(November 6th), i've offered my 8 scholarships. We have 4 weeks to lure recruits. The 4th week we have a sunday game and cannot visit that week. So we have 3 weeks to cram in as many visits as possible. Here are our initial offers, in order of current interest:


4* SF Kueth Ozier - Houston, TX - #69 OVR/#13 SF - doesn't care about close to home. He wants to feel wanted and wants playing time. Trust me buddy, have you seen my roster next year? It has about 4 names on it. You're wanted. And you'll play. He is at 100%. LSU,Houston, Mississippi,and Texas are potential competitors.


4* PF Otis Sneed - 6'8" out of Mobile, AL - #64 OVR/#7 PF - We're competing primarily with Georgia Tech. Tulane and LSU are in the picture but far behind. He wants to play at a big program, but also wants playing time and to feel wanted as #2/#3. We have him at 100% already.

4* PG Damon Alloway - 5'11 out of Jacksonville, FL - #35 OVR/#19 PG - Looks like Georgia Tech is a potential frequent competitor of ours. Feeling wanted and playing time are his top two priorities. We have him at 100% already.


4* PF Brice Sanders - 6'10" - Fort Myers, FL - #63 OVR/#6 PF - Here we are likely competing with Wake Forest. He is more interested in playing time and a big program than being close to home. We have him at 100% already.


4* SG Ike Barrett - 6'3" - Miami Beach, FL - #27 OVR/#10 SG - Barret wants good coaching and a big program. We have him at 95%. South Florida, Florida and Miami are a good ways behind us.


5* PG Damien Forte - 6'1" - Toronto, CN - #21 OVR/#10 PG - Forte wants playing time, but he also wants to stay near home. We have him at 82% only so far. Villanova, West Virginia and Virginia Tech are all around the same range.

4* PG Eddie Benzel - 6'2" - Peoria, IL - #40 OVR/#22 PG - Benzel is probably a long shot and I may not spend a ton of time on him. He wants to be close to home and he is the only guy we don't lead on after offering a scholarship. Indiana, Louisville, and Kentucky are his top 3 before us.

5* PG John Mohammed - 5'10" - Brooklyn, NY - #23 OVR/#12 PG - Another long shot, we have him at 75% and Villanova is likely to sign him if they want him.



These are the 8 guys that had the most interest in us early. I'm assuming/hoping I can land say... 4 of them in the early signing period, might lose some too, and then I can round out my class based on what's left. For now these are the best 8 players that it seemed like i had at least a potential shot with.


Having this many targets and this many scholarships is just weird. I may not be able to redshirt some of my guys as freshmen next year, but I can assure you I will be pulling some shit with redshirts to even this out over the next 5 years.

[Radii]

Our first game is November 15th, vs Northeastern:

Nov 15, 2018

at Florida State 71
Northeastern 69

We're rated 88 OVR, they are 79. Good going guys. Crosswhite with 16, Weisse 10, lots of guys with 8.


With two weeks left in the early recruiting season before signing begins, we have 5 4* guys at 100%. The 5* guys there's no way to land in the early signing period. Still no clue what to expect if Georgia Tech or Wake offers late to some fo these cats.


Time to sim two games and then see where we stand.


Nov 27, 2018

at Florida State 65
Illinois 55

Locklier, backup PF, is out for 11 days, our deep bench PF Osimani will step in just fine.

December 2, 2018

at Florida State 80
William & Mary 69

Watson(SF) 13, Summers(PG) 12, Delic(C) 10. And lots of guys with 8ish points.

[Radii]

Ok, here we go...


4* SG Ike Barrett - 6'3" - Miami Beach, FL - #27 OVR/#10 SG - SIGNS WITH FLORIDA STATE


4* PG Damon Alloway - 5'11 out of Jacksonville, FL - #35 OVR/#19 PG - SIGNS WITH FLORIDA STATE


4* PF Brice Sanders - 6'10" - Fort Myers, FL - #63 OVR/#6 PF - SIGNS WITH FLORIDA STATE


4* PF Otis Sneed - 6'8" out of Mobile, AL - #64 OVR/#7 PF - SIGNS WITH FLORIDA STATE


4* SF Kueth Ozier - Houston, TX - #69 OVR/#13 SF - SIGNS WITH FLORIDA STATE


So far, not a single one of our targets signed elsewhere. I don't expect that to last of course. The 5* guys could be gone by the end of the week if someone else offers.

So basically, instead of walking into a school where my job would be on the line instantly because we were losing everyone, what i've really done is come into a school where I got a free fab 5 without even trying because my roster was essentially going to be empty next year. Feels a bit hokey. But eh, we'll play with redshirts and do what we can do even out our classes while I'm here.

I assume this will guarentee me a top 20 class and another coaching point.

As far as scouting goes, I went pretty blind here, basically deciding that all these top 100 guys are interested and I'm going to land as many as i can.

[Radii]

Its a bit much to digest all at once, so we'll throw in some recruit reviews throughout the season. First, the big men:


PF Brice Sanders - 6'10" 219 lbs - Fort Myers, FL - #63 OVR/#6 PF

16.5 ppg/12.9 rpg in the ABL. 2.6 blocks, and a 41% shooter.

Shooting: B+
Skills: C+
Defense: A-
Athleticism: B+
Rebounding: A-
Intelligence: B+
Potential: B+
Size: A-

orb/drb both are C+, that'll be good but not great. C+ post offense/B post defense. B blocks which should be awesome. B- close/A- med, C in traffic. Good strength, vertical, dunking, and good defensive awareness, not so good offensive. Overall I'm thinking we are getting a guy with good size, above average rebounding, solid post skills and inconsistent but strong scoring numbers. I like it.


4* PF Otis Sneed - 6'8" - Mobile, AL - #64 OVR/#7 PF

Sneed looks like more of an offensive talent. 12.4 ppg/9.8 rpg in the ABL. shooting 58% from the floor in his games.

Shooting: B+
Skills: B-
Defense: B+
Athleticism: A-
Rebounding: A-
Intelligence: B+
Potential: B
Size: B+

orb/drb C+, just like with Sanders. B- post off/B post def. B close/B in traffic. He might have a reasonable mid-range and even outside game as well. Looks like a very solid athlete. Again here I'm expecting some decent rebound numbers and a very skilled scorer inside. Starting at 6'8" its likely he comes in 6'9" and there's an outside chance he grows into a 6'10" frame, but 6'9" for most of his career is most likely.

[Radii]

Next up we play a horrible howard team. And we don't really beat them soundly, but that's ok.

Dec 6, 2018

at Florida State 75
Howard 64

Delic 14, Pugh 10, Weisse 13.

Next up is a random early season ACC contest. We'll play that out.

[Radii]

Oh, I never really previewed the league here, some of these overall ratings may be injury effected since i'm doing it after the season started, but eh, better late than never.

1. Clemson - 91 OVR
2. Boston College - 91 OVR
3. Georgia Tech - 90 OVR
4. North Carolina - 90 OVR
5. NC State - 89 OVR
6. Maryland - 88 OVR
7. Virginia Tech - 87 OVR
8. Duke - 87 OVR
9. Florida State - 87 OVR
10. Virginia - 84 OVR
11. Wake Forest - 84 OVR
12. Miami - 80 OVR

Looking in from the outside while I was at Ohio,since Roy and coach K retired, Clemson and NC State have been the two teams i've noticed the most near the top of the recruiting rankings, in the polls, and in the tournament.

ACC Top Players

Best Overall Player: PG BA Goode - North Carolina - JR - 89 OVR
Best Freshman: PG Alfred Ball - Duke - 86 OVR
Best Shooter: SG Mitch Len Bullicer - Clemson - SR - 88 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG Darnell Lavender - Duke - JR - 87 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: PG Lou Douglas - Georgia Tech - SR - 86 OVR
Best Defender: SG Rubeen Byfield - Boston College - SR - 87 OVR

two duke players and one UNC one. That's disappointing.

[Radii]

looks like I'll be trying to get in the BC game tomorrow. I'm going on vacation Wednesday->next monday, so the next couple days I get to actually live in the real world and get a bunch of work done and prep for my trip, much of which involves being awake during daytime hours, and then gone for a week. This real world thing is going to put a big damper on xbox addiction, eh?

[hoopsguy]

This real world thing is going to put a big damper on xbox addiction, eh?

Seems like you have had a good run away from the real world, judging by your frequent posts in this thread over the last month-plus.

Hurry back!

[Radii]

December 8, 2018

#13 Boston College (9-0) at Florida State (4-0)

Boston College is rated 91 OVR (92 off/89 def/95 sht/95 reb/90 coach). they're tied with Clemson as the highest rated team in the league.

Scouting

PG Salvatore Chambers – JR – 81 OVR – 91 speed/85 quickness. 86 def/77 steals. 88 hands/81 passing. 85 close/82 med/77 3/83 off the dribble. Just 7.2 ppg.

SG Deki Joiner – SO – 86 OVR – 89 speed/88 quickness – 87 defense/82 steals – great shooter: 84 close/83 med/82 3. He doesn't look like the type to create his own shot though. 8.8 ppg this year.

SF Rubeen Byfield – SR – 87 OVR – Byfield is listed as the best defender in the ACC. 90 defense/80 steals/76 blocks/81 defensive awareness... that looks pretty damn good. He is a natural SG. Great speed and quickness. 91 close/84 med/77 3/90 off the dribble/85 in traffic. He looks like a major scoring threat as well. Just 7.3 ppg this year so far though.

PF Maynard McGrain – JR – 82 OVR – 6'7” - 88 orb/79 drb. 82 post off/71 post def. 92 close/93 in traffic. 14 ppg/4.3 rpg so far this year, he looks like an elite level scorer but a bit lacking on the defensive end.

C Erroyl Snow – SR – 82 OVR – 6'11” quality big man. 88 orb/83 drb. 88 post off/75 post def. 95 close/93 in traffic. He leads the team with 18.8 ppg/4.2 rpg this year.

They have 3 backup guards all rated 80 and a 6'8” big man just behind that. They don't have a lot of big man depth though. Backup SG Davor Morris is an outstanding 3 point shooter. BC's team unity is 63, ours is 52.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> BC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> We're out of sync early, which is to be expected. Joiner has 9 for them and seems a lights out shooter from everywhere. Watson has a 3 for FSU and Crosswhite is on the board but we're struggling. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up 23-11 before we make any headway. Backup PG Duncan scores 7 straight.. a 3, a driving layup and a layup after a steal in the backcourt. He then feeds Shiloh(backup SF) for a layup in a half court set and we have 9 straight and its only a 3 point game. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We're allowing BC to shoot over 50% on the half and it should come as no surprise that Joiner and Byfield are their leading scorers with 10 and 9 points respectively. They're only 2-9 from 3.


We're only shooting 40% though we are 3-7 from 3, a bit better there. Duncan, backup PG, has 7. Our starting SG and SF each have 6. Watson is 2-2 from 3, while Crosswhite has been driving inside. PG Summers is 0-3, I'd like to get him going, and PF Pugh is 0-2 down inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the first 8 points of the second half and take a 2 point lead, strong defense and rebounding plus we haven't missed on our end yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups come in, great job by the starters to earn a 1 point lead. Pugh has 10 for the half/12 total, 4 at the line, he also has a putback and then two solid post plays in low. Watson went cold from 3 after a 2-2 first half...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Weisse starts to get it going for the backups and we're up 3 as Boston College calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Another BC timeout as we go up 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in for us, a bit earlier than usual but they're rested and I have timeouts to carry them the rest of the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we score pretty easily a few trips in a row but allow them to cut the lead to 1 with 1 turnover and allowing a 3 point play on the other end. Watson has 5 of our 7 as he's had a PF on him and blown by real easily.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite with a 3 to give us a 4 point lead. BC Timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> A Pugh bucket makes it 6, they cut it back to 4 and a Crosswhite bucket brings it right back up to 6. I think these are my two go to guys right here. Timeout BC
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Their go-to guy, Joiner, hits a 3, our ball, 3 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh has a little turnaround rim out, and their PF gets a mid-range jumper on their end. I call a timeout. 1 point lead/53 seconds to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> I didn't need a bucket that quickly at all really but it was right there for Crosswhite to take, so he did.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a bucket inside. Summers is our best FT shooter by far, so he'll get the ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:26
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Summers hits 2 at the line.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They hit a 2, summers hits two more free throws, and then their PG misses a 3 in the final seconds of the game.

Florida State 73
Boston College 70

When our injured PF comes back I think we have a really well rounded, strong starting 5 here. Summers(PG) and Watson(SF) look like guys who can explode for lots of points, but I think Crosswhite(SG) and Pugh(PF) are probably going to be the most consistent scorers for me, in games I play out at least.

BC had balanced scoring too for the most part, Joiner was their standout player with 19, byfield 13, snow 10, Chambers 10, and McGrain 10(that's their starting lineup).

Summers: 8 points/3 assists (1-8 shooting/0-6 from 3, 6-6 at the line, 4 of them in the final minute icing the clock).
Crosswhite: 15 points
Watson: 13 points/5 boards
Pugh: 14 points/7 boards
Delic: 2 points/6 boards

Duncan: 7 points
Weisse: 6 points

Duncan, our backup PG, got hot for one little 45 second stretch for all 7 of his points. It was a very key stretch, we were trailing by 12 midway through the first half and really struggling to find our shots. But I think in the end Weisse is far and away the best scorer we have on the backup squad.

BC came into the game ranked #13 in the nation, but they don't have any big wins yet. And this was a home game for us. I have a feeling that this FSU team can beat anyone in the country at home if we play well, and may struggle badly on the road in conference play.

[Radii]

I lose one recruit on the final day of in-season recruiting. 4* PG Eddie Benzel signs with Louisville. This was a kid from Illinois who wanted to stay near home. He liked Tallahassee but he seemed like he was really just waiting for an invite from Indiana, Louisville or Kentucky instead the entire time. No surprise here.

Thise leaves us with two 5* guards that we're looking at, and one open scholarship.

We've signed 1 PG, 1 SG, 1 SF, and 2 PF so far.

We'll obviously stay on the two 5* guards, we have shots at both. But for our last scholarship, we'll begin to balance out our classes... that final scholarship is going to go to a JC player if at all possible.



We jump into the polls with our win over boston College.

ACC Ranked Teams:

#15 Boston College
#19 Virginia Tech
#20 Florida State
#24 Clemson



A quick look at Ohio shows that they have had no letdown without me yet. They have a roster strength of 86 OVR, The center I was recruiting from Arizona when I left signed and came in rated 76 OVR They have a 30 point road win over Utah, an 8-1 team that has been very highly rated in recent years. Also 20 point wins over Cal and Michigan. Go Bobcats!

[Radii]

Most of the rest of our non-conference games are against truly terrible teams.


Dec 12, 2018

#20 Florida State 103
Western Michigan 53

We get 20 from Pugh, 17 from Weisse, 11 from Delic and Duncan in a very easy win.


That moves us up to #18 in the nation. We play a poorly rated Army team next, but they're 8-2 so I'm going to play that one out.

We're healthy again and PF BB Locklier will be our starting center. Oscar Delic had been starting at Center, Locklier is not a superstar or anything but he's a heck of a lot more talented than Delic, so this will strengthen our inside game back up.

[Radii]

December 22, 2018

Army (8-2) at #18 Florida State (6-0)

We get some early development(most starters have already gained a point to their overall ratings), and we're now rated 89 OVR (89 off/88 def/91 sht/90 reb/83 coach).

Army is rated 73 OVR (73 off/72 def/73 sht/82 reb/84 coach). I expect a blowout win but they are 8-2 and worth a look.

Scouting

Army has 3 players rated above 70 OVR. SG Kason Carroll, SF Stanislav Daley, and PF Lodrick Kennedy. Kennedy is their leading scorer at 15 a game. Daley has 10 points/8 boards per game and Carroll around 10 points also. Kennedy is a good post player but lacks rebounding ability. No one is a major 3 point threat.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> ARMY
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> They've hit 2 open 3's, as players rated -500 do when left open in this game, so the ones rated 55 shooting them here are sure to sink them too. Locklier has 6 inside, mostly from right place/right time situations. Pugh has one and I've hit a 3 I think with Crosswhite. He has a bit of a slow release, he had a 3 blocked that would have been wide open with my Ohio guys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Their man Daley is ridiculously hot and has 12 points. They're in a 2-3 zone and I'm shooting over it without trying anythign else a bit too often. Crosswhite has 2 3's but that's all we have from deep. Backups are in for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> That's better... 7-0 run, 3 point play chance, offensive board on the missed 3, 3 point play, and a dunk in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Winning easily but not yet blowing them out of the building.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Daley with 12 for them. We shoot 65% they shoot 40%.


On our end Pugh is 6-8 from the floor and 2-5 at the line for a total of 14 points. Crosswhite has 10, Locklier 6 and Watson 5. I'm struggling a lot with PG Summers, he has a very good 3 point shot but I haven't found his stroke yet, 0-3 today on some very wide open looks.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Ok, we start the half on a 17-3 run in about 4 minutes, steals, misses, everything goes our way for quick easy buckets. One entertaining thing at this level is that I see a lot more guys stay in control and finish 3 point plays that just never happened with the level of guys I had at Ohio.

I quick sim with a 64-34 lead.

Florida State 120
Army 67

Heh, the CPU doesn't let up any and we score 70 2^nd half points.

Summers: 15 points/7 assists
Crosswhite: 13 points
Watson: 14 points/5 boards
Pugh: 23 points/8 boards
Locklier: 14 points/5 boards

Weisse: 11 points
Shiloh: 11 points
Duncan: 8 points
Delic: 8 points

They had no post defense so we really were able to just feed the post and score any time we wanted to.

[Radii]

We rise to #13 in the polls after that win. Next up we get an awful UNC-Wilmington team.

Dec 28, 2018

#13 Florida State 91
UNC-Wilmington 68

Watson with 22, Crosswhite 12 in this one.


And we fall a spot to 14th.

We start January with a terrible Chicago State team:

Jan 2, 2019

#14 Florida State 84
Chicago State 74

Watson 21, Crosswhite 15, Pugh 12.


Next up is a tough road battle against an evenly rated LaSalle team. After that we'll sim a game against Holy Cross and then ACC season will start. Since the CPU schedule for non-conference games was so weak and I simmed most of those games, I will play most of my ACC games, especially as we appear to be significantly better than I expected us to be. I looked at an ACC team with no one rated higher than 82 or 83 at the start of the year and assumed with no stars that we'd get killed in ACC play. But maybe we'll be able to compete with this senior led team

[Radii]

January 5, 2019

#14 Florida State (9-0) at LaSalle (8-4)

LaSalle is on even footing with us at 89 OVR (90 off/89 def/93 sht/88 reb/87 coach). Their losses are to NCAA Tourament caliber teams in Texas Tech and Georgia Tech,a 9-2 UAB team and a poor loss to Drake. They beat North Carolina by 11.

Scouting


PG Clarence Ba – SR – 79 OVR – 91 speed/83 quickness. 88 defense/76 steals. 82 handling/88 passing, just an average ball handler but an excellent passer. 87 close/77 med/82 3/84 off the dribble. 2.9 ppg/1.8 apg. Not much of a playmaker out there, but a decent defende.r

SG Raynardo Tafo – JR – 85 OVR – 86 speed/87 quickness. 79 defense/80 steals. That defense seems quite low. 89 close/83 med/93 3. 82 off the dribble/88 in traffic. Elite 3 point shooter. 12.1 ppg/5.0 apg. He's shooting 38% this year from 3.

SF Dan Barrow – SR – 86 OVR – 6'6” natural SF. 87 speed/81 quickness, 87 defense/76 steals... outstanding skills and athleticism for a SF. 92 close/82 med/71 3/86 off the dribble/91 in traffic. 96 dunker... A+ right there. 86 defensive awareness. This guy appears to be a legit superstar. 16.3 ppg/3.3 rpg so far this year.

PF Tiras King – SR- 85 OVR – 6'7” natural SF. 80 orb/86 drb, 80 post off/69 post def. Great rebounder for a SF, and not bad in the post eihter, his post defense is weak and we can hopefully take advantage of that. 87 close/89 in traffic. 16.2 ppg/6.2 rpg, he's really not bad at all as a PF. He has an 83 3 point rating as well and will shoot it, so we can't let him hang on the perimeter by himself either.

C Myron Robinson – JR – 81 OVR – 6'8” natural PF – 82 orb/83 drb. 86 post off/73 post def. 90 shotblocking, outstanding. 91 close/87 in traffic. Just 9.3 ppg/5.8 rpg.

They look to be more talented than us overall but the lack of defense at SG by Tafo and King playing out of position could hurt them. They have decent backups in PF Graves who can rebound and has a nice 3 point shot to go with an inside game and a backup guard Thues who can shoot a bit as well.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> LAS
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, Summers just picked up his 3^rd foul. Duncan is a capable backup but ugh... We fell behind 9-3 but have since turned it on pretty well. Crosswhite with 2 3's and 7 total, Watson has 5 and Pugh 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> We're at 7 fouls, they're shooting.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> A solid 8-2 run forces a LaSalle timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get the starters back in. 3^rd string PG Moss in for now, Duncan will play the last 3 minutes of the half or so.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> They scored 4 straight to take the lead back,I score 4 straight and LaSalle with another timeout. Crosswhite has 11, this is the type of game I need out of my stars against quality opponents, outstanding.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Duncan in at PG now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh and Locklier both have 2 fouls inside now. I get them out for the rest of the half. Crosswhite and Duncan(SG/SF) are carrying us anyway on offense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Incredible half for us on the offensive end. We shoot 56% overall to their 50%. We commit 12 fouls allowing them 18 free throws, and they go 15-18 at the line, totally keeping them in it. Center Robinson has 11, PG Ba has 8, and a number of guys have 4-5.


On our end its the Darrell Crosswhite show. 7-12 shooting, 5-8 at the line, add a free throw and it comes to 20 points. Watson(starting SF) has 8. Shiloh has 6 and Weisse 5 off the bench. As a team we're shooting 9-16 from 3. We do have foul trouble and lots of it. Summers, most notably, has 3 fouls. Pugh, Locklier and Duncan all have 2. We only drew 5 total, though 2 of them were on Tafo, their star SG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We hold a 6-8 point lead pretty consistently but they roll off a few straight here and have our lead down to 3. I call a timeout, I really don't want to let them go ahead and have to play from behind at all on the road.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Chatting with my sister who just got home from work so I missed the flow of the game up through here, but basically... any time they get close, we get hot from 3. Starters are now back in to finish off the game. They just had the lead down to 2 and Weisse and Duncan each hit 3's, back up to 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> And there's another 6-0 run,a turnover in the post and a missed 3 on our end triggering 2 breaks. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a post bucket inside from Pugh, but they get 4 straight and have tied it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh with a hook shot from the right block and we go back up 2, LaSalle timeout. Crosswhite has been a lot colder this half so I'm trying to push inside slightly more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> They tie it up, Summers with his 4^th foul, they miss the FT on a 3 point play tho.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh kicks it out to Watson who hits an open 3 in the corner! Timeout LaSalle
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We get a stop on the defensive end, there's about 48 seconds left in the game. Crosswhite takes a 3 with about 18 seconds on the game clock and drains it, essentially winning the game for us. They try a 3, miss and foul and we get 2 last points.

Florida State 88
LaSalle 80

Great win over a quality team on the road. They get 17 from their center, Robinson. 16 from SF Barrow and 12 from SG Tafo.

Three point shooting is really why we won this game. We hit 15 3's on the game.

Summers: 2 points/3 assists
Crosswhite: 30 points/3 assists (6-11 from 3)
Watson: 19 points (3-7 from 3)
Pugh: 6 points/1 boards
Locklier: 2 points/10 boards

Weisse: 8 points

Lasalle is very good. I would not be surprised to see them make the tournament. I'm still skeptical of what this team can do without one of those 87+ rated superstars... but we seem to be really good here.

[Radii]

Going into the week that conference play starts, we are now 10-0 and in the top 10 for the first time. UNLV is #1 again this year so far. ACC Schools:

#9 Boston College
#10 Florida State
#15 Georgia Tech

Ohio is 12-1 and #21 in the nation.

I sim our final non-conference game:

Jan 8, 2018

#10 Florida State 106
Holy Cross 70

If there's going to be an easy ACC game, it'll be this first one that we're playing. But its a road game, we travel to Miami, rated 80 OVR, lowest in the ACC. Our second game we host Georgia Tech, the other top 15 team along with us and BC. After that, games against 4 teams in a row rated right around us... at Maryland , vs NC State, vs Clemson, at North Carolina.

Oh and lastly... we are developing at a rate I've never seen before. Summers and Crosswhite both have B potential, and both have already gained two points to their overall ratings this year. Pugh has as well with just a C+ potential rating. Another quick look at our lineup as it looks a lot more formidable now:

Summers: 85 OVR
Crosswhite: 85 OVR
Watson: 82 OVR
Pugh: 81 OVR
Locklier: 75 OVR

with 82 OVR Weisse, 81 OVR Shiloh, and 79 OVR Duncan off the bench.

[Radii]

January 12, 2019

#10 Florida State (11-0, 1-0 ACC) at Miami (9-6, 0-1 ACC)

Miami is the lowest rated team in the league. 80 OVR (79 off/81 def/80 sht/87 reb/86 coach).

Scouting

PG Nathan Douglas – SR – 77 OVR – 89 speed/84 quickness. 87 def/72 steals. 83 close/71 med/72 3. 87 off the dribble, a guy that can create his own shot. 90 hands/79 passing, a superb ball handler but just average passer. 9.8 ppg/3.5 apg this year.

SG Bruno Malaman – SR – 78 OVR – 89 speed/84 quickness/82 vert/78 hustle... good athlete. 84 defense/82 steals, both solid. 87 close/76 med/70 3. 84 off the dribble. He's a slasher who isn't as big a threat from outside, which for a SG in the ACC is probalby a weakness. He does have 12.3 ppg this year so far.

SF Bruno Clemente – SR – 75 OVR – 6'8” natural SF – 81 speed/77 quickness. 75 defense/69 steals, not great on the perimeter playing defense. 84 close/75 med/67 3. 86 in traffic is alright, but he is too weak to be a quality ACC swingman. 8.7 ppg/5.1 rpg.

PF Ralph Hogan – SO – 68 OVR – 6'9” - 77 orb/76 drb. 80 post off/70 post def. 87 close/82 in traffic. Not terribly strong for a big man. 7.1 ppg.

C Jared Bing – SO – 71 OVR – 6'10” - 79 orb/77 drb. 70 post off/78 post def. 88 close/81 in traffic. 7.5 ppg/5.5 rpg.

Most of miami's backups are in the 68-71 OVR range. They have a severe lack of rebounding it seems. Its our first road conference game in the ACC so I'm a bit worried, but we have a massive talent edge.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> MIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We're scoring well but so are they. Pugh has 6 and everyone in the lineup has scored. Pugh also has 2 fouls, only 3 on the half for the team though. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 to make it 18-17, then we run off 7 straight to take an 8 point lead. That's the lead we've got as the starters return.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Still 8, but miami with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> 6-0 run and Miami cuts it to 2 at 29-27, we've kept the lead since but call a timeout after a Miami 3 last possession.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We had a couple chances to pull away but Miami did a good job keeping it close. They've managed to take 8 more shots than us with a rebound edge and turnover edge(neither big, but just a couple turnovers and offensive boards add up). They have two guys with 5 points and 4 guys with 4, no one is standing out at all. SF Clemente and SG Malaman are 2-7 and 2-6... so they're taking all the shots but not hitting.


Crosswhite leads us with 10 on 5-9 shooting. 0-2 from 3. Pugh with 6, Watson 5. Weisse has 5 off the bench. Shore up the boards and do everything else the same.. or hit a few more 3's, whatever.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They score first to cut it to two, then we explode for 9 straight. Crosswhite with a jumper, a three, and a steal and a dunk for the last 7 straight and all of a sudden he has 17.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, this run has tired the starters slightly earlier than usual. Crosswhite 17, Watson 12.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are holding and even extending the lead out a bit. We seem to have full control of the game right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Miami and we're still up exactly 13.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get my starters back in to finish the game. Weisse was outstanding for the backups whenever I needed a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we've missed a couple good looks but they aren't scoring either, still up 11.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> We continue to struggle on offense but it doesn't matter as we've totally locked them down on their end of the floor.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We expected to win this one but still its a road conference game vs an in state rival... its good to actually go into the game and pull it out as expected.

Florida State 71
Miami 58

Bing and Clemente (their C/SF) get 12 each, Malaman 11. But they were 26-67 on the game, just didn't shoot anywhere close to good enough to beat us.

Summers: 2 points/2 assists
Crosswhite: 19 points
Watson: 14 points
Pugh: 6 points/11 boards
Locklier: 6 points/7 boards

Weisse: 13 points

[Radii]

Going into the week of Jan 14th we move up to 8th in the media poll. Boston College is 10th, Georgia Tech is 16th. Ohio is 17th. We're #10 in the coaches poll.

Our next game is a huge one. We'll host 11-3, #16 Georgia Tech. They just lost a 9 point game on the road to Boston College... road trips to Boston then Tallahassee back to back makes for a pretty tough run. Their starting 5 looks very similar to ours, just slightly more talented overall at every position.

[Radii]

I played this game before I left for my trip last week, no idea why I didn't update it.

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> January 15, 2019

#16 Georgia Tech (11-3, 1-1 ACC) at #8 Florida State (12-0, 2-0 ACC)

Tech is still coached by Paul Hewitt. They are rated 91 OVR (91 off/88 def/96 sht/94 reb/94 coach).

All 3 of their losses so far are on the road, at a 13-5 Vanderbilt team, at #15 Florida and at #10 Boston College. Like us, Ga Tech is dominated by Seniors... they have 7 seniors on the roster, and 4 juniors behind that. Just 1 freshman/1 soph.

Scouting

PG Lou Douglas – SR – 87 OVR – 96 speed/94 quickness. 89 defese/79 steals. 89 hands/82 passing. 88 close/80 med/87 3/88 off the dribble. Douglas is an elite player. 15.4 ppg/3.0 rpg/3.4 apg.

SG Eddy Halsch – SR – 86 OVR – 89 speed/91 quickness. 85 defense/92 steals. 91 close/71 med/83 3. 8 off the dribble. Great athlete (B- vert/B str/B+ hustle). 12.6 ppg/5.1 rpg.

SF Dana Morgan – JR – 81 OVR – 84 speed/87 quickness. 6'9” natural SF, an elite offensive rebounder(91/A-). decent on ball defense(78). 88 close/80 med/77 3/91 in traffic. 8.4 ppg.

PF Cody Dilligard – SR – 84 OVR – 87 orb/93 drb. 77 post off/74 post def. 94 close/91 in traffic. Good shooter all the way around, can make the 3 too. Incredible Athlete (A vert/B+ str/B+ hustle). 14.4 ppg/7.5 rpg. Post play seems a bit low compared to everything else but he looks outstanding.

C Joel Terrell – SR – 78 OVR – 7'1” - 83 orb/82 drb. 80 post off/82 post def. 90 close/91 in traffic. Just 3.1 ppg/2.9 rpg this year so far, but he doesn't at all seem like a weak link to me.

Backup PG Stanes Pandov and backup SG Grant Larson are both outstanding 3 point shooters and are both rated in the low 80s as well. Their backup SF is as talented as their starter. They appear overall to be a bit more talented, and a bit deeper than we are.

Thank goodness we're at home.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> GT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> We get out to a 9-1 lead and then trade 3's. Crosswhite is on fire, 3-3 from 3 and a layup, 11 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it to 4, then we score 4 straight. Backups are in after a Yellow Jacket timeout. Crosswhite sits with 13, he hasn't missed a shot yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> They go on a big 10-2 run against our backups and I call a timeout. Their backup PG that I'd mentioned, Pandov, has 6, including one of the most impressive one on one moves I've ever seen to get around Duncan, a spin move towards the lane neatly into a crossover back to the outside to get by Duncan for a layup, just totally owning him for 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 point play and another layup and Tech has taken the lead. I call a timeout to get my starters back out there. SG Halsch is leading them with 8 so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Our starters get us back into the lead, but I have to burn a timeout here to avoid a held ball violation.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Watson with 2 quick fouls, one allowing a 3 point play to tie it, the other a stupid reach after missing out on an offensive board, our 7^th, so they shoot and take the lead. And Watson has 3, Weisse in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> A little collapse there at the end of the half. Crosswhite and Pugh both went cold for a few trips in a row, and we gave up an annoying 5 points straight in about 15 seconds during the final minute... we foul, they make one, miss one, get the board and putback, and we turn it over against their press, allowing them another layup.


Tech is 15-29 from the field, ice cold from 3(2-10) but they've drawn 11 fouls and are 12-14 at the line. SG Halsch has 13 for them. Their center, Terrell has 8, and PF Dilligard has 7.


On our end we are 13-25, 3-7 from 3, and 8-12 at the line, having drawn 7 fouls of our own. Crosswhite has 16 points though he's only 1 for his last 3 after starting 5-5. Pugh is 4-7 inside for 8 points. Watson is scoreless and has 3 fouls in 11 minutes. Delic put up 2 nice post shots inside for our backups but the backups didn't score well at all, and Weisse hasn't done anything with the extra minutes he's gotten due to Watson's foul troubles.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Awful start, we had it down to 4 but are just playing poorly now. Locklier has 2 fouls this half and 4 total, so he sits. Watson has missed 2 easy shots inside, and an open 3, he also missed a shot inside in the 1^st half... Weisse is in for him and Watson will play w/ the reserves the rest of the game today. They've gone up 9.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 points all half... damn, this is a strong Ga Tech team. And we've done an awful job getting Crosswhite the ball in position to score. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout... things are falling apart here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are coming back in early, there is a lot of work to be done though if we're going to come back so why not.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it back down to 13, as close as we've been in awhile, as our defense tightens up a little and we try to get Crosswhite involved more. He scores 4 straight at one point, his only 4 of the half so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite gets it down to 11, we force a turnover and call a timeout to rest up some. We've only got 1 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite goes in off a screen and gets a 3 point play!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, likely done now... we turn it over twicein the back court, and allow two offensive putbacks and they're on an 8-3 run and have it back up to 13.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Yeah, we don't have it today.

Georgia Tech 87
Florida State 70

They got great scoring out of 3 guys, SG Halsch with 24, C Terrell with 17(and 10 boards) and PF Dilligard with 16. We only got such a scoring effort out of Crosswhite and even he disappeared for the first 15 mintues of the 2^nd half.

Summers: 9 points
Crosswhite: 26 points
Watson: 2 points
Pugh: 12 points/8 boards
Locklier: 7 points/10 boards

Delic: 7 points
Weisse: 5 points

[Radii]

January 19, 2019

#8 Florida State (12-1, 2-1 ACC) at Marylnd (14-6, 1-2 ACC)

Maryland is unranked but talented. They are rated very similar to us. 89 OVR (87 off/89 def/89 sht/93 reb/91 coach).

Maryland has back to back losses to Duke and North Carolina coming into their game with us. Some of their non-conference losses are a bit inexplicable, a 12 point loss at home to an 8-8 Idaho. They have one high quality win, a road win over #20 Kentucky.

Scouting

PG Galen Valsin – JR – 84 OVR – 11 ppg/5.8 apg. 93 speed/90 quicks. 93 handling/79 passing... much better with the ball but not terrible passing really. 83 close/85 med/70 3. 83 off the dribble, 79 clutch(B+). He has great awareness, very close to coach on the floor quality.

SG AC Summers – SR – 87 OVR – Summers is the star of the team, averaging 17 ppg. He's projected as a lottery pick. 90 speed/94 quickness. 85 defense/84 steals. A solid ball handler. 92 close/75 med/77 3/87 off the dribble/87 in traffic. A great clutch shooter s well. A serious athlete with some solid abilities with the ball. We can't sag too far off him but it would appear he's much bigger threat going to the basket than anything.

SF Marvin Haigler – JR – 87 OVR – 6'7” natural SF. Outstnding defender for SF. 86 def/77 stl(A-/B+). He's a solid rebounder and post player as well. 91 close/84 med/78 3, 86 in traffic. He's a great athlete. B- vert/A- str/B hustle. Haigler averages 12 points/game, 2^nd on the team, a legit threat. Also rated 87 OVR midway through his junior year he could be one of the top players in the ACC next season, someone to remember.

PF warren Cain – FR – 75 OVR – 6'9” - natural SF. 68 orb/78 drb. 65 post off/71 post def. 81 close/88 in traffic. His other stats aren't all that great either, poor shooter, not the best athlete in the world. Hopefully pugh has a huge edge here.

C Corey Hudson – FR – 75 OVR – 6'10” - natural PF. 88 orb/78 drb. 80 post off/77 post def. Terrible shot blocker. 88 close/86 in traffic. 6.8 ppg/5.7 rpg. A 3* recruit who will develop some but won't ever be a superstar, and right now is just a young kid. Good sign for us.

Backup SG Devon Tyler is rated 81 OVR and is a fairly strong player. That's their only other guy rated in the 80s. So they have 3 extremely good players but not a ton of depth and no inside game. Hopefully these holes are big enough for us to be able to take advantage and get a road win.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UMD
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Even start, Locklier(our center) has our first 8 points, consistently getting great position inside, I'm not running plays for him specifically but he is getting good deep position so I keep breaking out of my offense to feed him. Summers with steal in the backcourt and a dunk for the other 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Maryland with a timeout, only the second time the clock stopped all game(Locklier has 1 foul). Watson is really struggling near the basket, two missed shots in close, which was also a problem vs Ga Tech. Crosswhite hasn't even taken a shot, though this is primarily due to our success inside. Backups are in
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Mrylnd goes up 2, then Duncan hits a 3(our first 3 pointer of the day), we get a turnover and Weisse with a 3 point play going to the hoop. The Terps call their 2^nd timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> I notice in this stretch that Weisse is a coach on the floor today... the first time i've ever had one, even with confidence boosts. I have team unity effects turned down(but not off) so I'm not sure how much consideration this is worth. He happens to be on fire too, he's got 8 points now. Timeout #3 for Maryland as we take a 7 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> After taking a 10 point lead they score 4 straight and I get a timeout to get the starters back in. Haigler is the only Terp hurting us so far I believe. He has 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Locklier with a reach in, his 2^nd foul. We get Crosswhite on the board with a drive on our first play with the starters back in. They're running a 1-2-2 zone and we've taken a couple 3's from the wings, Summers hit one.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite is 1-4 from 3, missing 3 open 3's in the final four minutes before finally sinking one as time expired in the half. Locklier is the star of the half for us though as he has 13 points on 6-6 shooting(1-1 at the line on 3 point play). Weisse with 8 off the bench, Summers/Crosswhite with 7 each. Crosswhite has 4 assists as well.


Haigler exploded for them, scoring their final 8 points of the half, ending up with 15. Valsin and Summers have 2 each and have not plying well at all. No one else has more than 4 for them. Each team committed 5 fouls in the half, 2 on locklier for us, and 2 on their center, Hudson. There is no foul trouble anywhere else.


It feels like we're nicely in control. It would probably take Summers going off in the 2^nd half for them to get back in it... or us just going totally cold everywhere.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Maryland. Crosswhite hit 3 on our first play of the half and I thought he might go off for a lot of points to open the half, but he went cold after that. Maryland plays great transition defense, I tried to force it with Crosswhite couple times and they stopped him. No matter as the rest of the team is playing well. Except for Pugh who can't hit anything, weird since I figured he had the best matchup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Locklier has a career high with 20 points already(previous high was 18).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Maryland cuts it as low as 14, led mainly by their center Hudson who seems to be owning our backup big men. Delic with a hook shot inside to get it back to 16 and Maryland with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Buckets by Weisse and Shiloh make it 20 again, Starters are back in. I called for the starters before our 4 straight, I'll likely get the backups the final few minutes to avoid injuries.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Hah, so much for bringing the backups back in. Crosswhite got hot from 3 and he's a lot of fun to shoot with when he heats up, so yeah...

Florida State 85
Maryland 63

They get 22 from Haigler. Backup guard Tyler has 11, and Hudson puts up 9 points/11 boards for a pretty solid day. But they were just 5-18 from 3 and their backcourt stars Summers and Valsin scored 6 total points, each playing 32 minutes.

Summers: 10 points/4 assists
Crosswhite: 23 points/4 boards/5 assists
Watson: 2 points/6 boards
Pugh: 4 points/9 boards (2-6 shooting)
Locklier: 20 points/4 boards (9-10 shooting/2-2 at the line)

Weisse:14 points

We're a much better team than Maryland from top to bottom, but still, very solid road win.

[Radii]

With the loss to Georgia Tech we fall to 10th.

West Virginia and Syracuse top the media poll for the Big East. For the ACC:

Georgia Tech #7
Florida State #10
Boston College #12
Duke #20
Clemson #24

This is the week the RPI "resets" so there was some wacky movement. Ohio fell from #17 to #25 without a loss. Duke and Clemson are both new to the polls.

We're #4 in the RPI while Georgia Tech is 9th, so both of us would appear to be in the running for a 1 seed at this point.

We're 3-1 vs the RPI top 50, 1-0 vs 51-100.


Our next 6 games are against teams rated the same or better than us. Our next 7 games are against RPI top 50 teams. 3 of our next 5 are against ranked opponents, including a rematch with Boston College, this time at their place. We'll learn a lot about how good we really are during this stretch. We start with a home game vs NC State.

[Icy]

Just to say i'm following the dynasty and enjoying it.

I have also started to play CH2k8 again this week, in fact started today a new dynasty but playing it like in "player RPG mode".

I have created a recruit, a PG that is rated in the high 70's. Then i took over the worst team (just because i need to coach a team) and simed a season, to see who recruited him. He ended in Northwestern, so i selected all the games from that team schedule to be playable and i play with player lock only as that created PG. When he is out of the court, i set the controller in the middle and just watch my team mates play.

In resume, i have managed to play with one player only, like superstar or RTTS modes in Madden/MLB the show. So far it's being so fun to play only as one guy, really immersive experience. If i keep playing this until he leaves college and he is good enough, i might impot the draft class in NBA2k8 to continue his career in the pros.

Too bad i'm a lazy bastard, else i would write a dynasty about it here, but it would be just fooling myself, as everytime i start a dynasty here, i end not updating it and just playing the game.

I whish i could find the motivation to write and update dynasties as i have nice ideas, but once i start to write them, i get bored easily from writting, that is why i value a lot dynasties like this one 14 pages long and still going. Keep up the good job!

[Radii]

January 27, 2019

NC State(11-5, 2-1 ACC) at #10 Florida State (13-1, 3-1 ACC)

NC State is rated 90 OVR (90 off/90 def/92 sht/89 reb/91 coach). Sidney Lowe is still coaching there and is up over 200 career wins now. NC State has been a consistent tournament team the past few seasons and have a very strong looking team.

NCSU has a quality road win over Texas, as well as a win over 13-5 minnesota and #24 Clemson. Their ACC loss is a road loss at an above average Virginia Tech team. Non-conference losses all appear to be to quality opposition, a 4 point loss to #16 Wisconsin, a bad loss (by 22) to a good UCLA team, and road losses at good Georgetown and St Joes teams.

NC State is #48 in the RPI and 2-3 vs top 50 opponents so far.

Scouting

PG Clayton Conklin – JR – 85 OVR – Conklin is slated as a 2^nd round pick this year, I assume that means he'll be back next year. He is the #2 scorer on the team with 11.8 ppg, also 4.8 assists. He's got solid awareness(83 o/76 D), just 1 point off from coach on the floor status. He's an outstanding defender(93 defense), good padder, and good all around scorer(87 close/81 med/78 3). Great off the dribble(88) and a good clutch shooter.

SG Nathaniel Munns – JR – 82 OVR – Natural PG. 87 defense/82 steals. Great ball handler(92). 79 close/80 med/77 3/83 off the dribble. All good but nothing spectacular. He's got good speed(91) but poor quickness (80/D) compared to most people at this level. He has one of the best hustle ratings you'll ever see(96/A+). I'm not sure what to make of Munns, a solid defensive compliment to Conklin and an average scorer I guess? 7.9 ppg.

SF Leonard Monserez – FR – 78 OVR – With A potential Monserez will be a stud, but he's not there yet. 74 defense... 87 close/79 med/64 3. 86 in traffic. He's not fast, doesn't have great awareness, and isn't a good rebounder. He's a good, but not great athlete. 6.6 ppg/4.2 rpg.

PF Geoffrey Merritt – JR – 84 OVR – 7 feet tall, natural PF – 80 orb/85 drb. 77 post off/77 post def. 86 close/87 in traffic. He's also a great athlete(A- speed/A- quickness/A- vert/A- str/B+ hustle...) His post ratings aren't that great but with a 7 footer he'll be a big threat anyway. 9.4 ppg/5.1 rpg so far this year.

C Taurance Frye – JR – 83 OVR – 6'11”, this is a team with serious size. 84 orb/75 drb. 80 post off/84 post def. A shot blocking specialist(88/A- block rating). 94 close/90 in traffic. Great awareness, like Conklin he's one point off from coach on the floor status. Frye leads the ACC in scoring at 17.9 ppg, also grabbing 5 boards a game.


NC State has 1 player rated 80+ off their bench, PG Ray Eisentrout. Another outstanding defender and average scorer. He's actually the best handler/passer on the team. We have better depth, but these guys look pretty good. Also, note that they start 4 juniors... this is a national title contender next year I bet.

Another thing that stands out is that they have no lights out 3 point shooters... some guys that could hurt us and that we sure can't leave open, but hopefully we can lag back just a little to stop dribble penetration.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> NCSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow. NC State has 4 blocks already. We got one bucket inside from Pugh and a bullshit goaltending call on a shot by Summers. That's it heh. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, Weisse probably belongs in my starting lineup... amazing. He pump fakes, gets his man in the air, hits a 3. His pressure defense forces a turnover in the backcourt and he takes his man one on one, a great spin move leading to an open layup. 5 points in 30 seconds to tie it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> NC State timeout. They had both their big men sitting briefly, the timeout gets them back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> A Weisse block down low kicks off a 6^th man bonus for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, Frye with 6 straight for the Pack, dominating our backup bigs. I get a timeout and get my starters back in..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> We haven't scored in over 5 minutes now. I get another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite gets a layup in transition, his first points, he's 1-6 now. Also, the starters now have a grand total of 6 points scored in 9 minutes on the court.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Our offense picks up a little but we're still shooting 31% for the game. I guess shooting that poorly we should be pleased to only be down 8. NC State is 12-22. They have 11 from Frye, 8 from their freshman Monserez, and 7 from SG Munns.


Crosswhite has 8 for us, but really that's just from launching a ton of shots. He's 3-10, 2-6 from 3. Watson is 1-4. We shot WAY too many 3 pointers. They run a 2-3 zone most of the time and I was way too willing to just shoot over it. 4-17 from 3 in the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Quoted from my halftime coments: “We shot WAY too many 3 pointers.” I'm going to amend that to “We didn't make enough 3 pointers, just needed to shoot more!” Summers has a 3, Watson has 2, and Crosswhite drew a foul and drained 2 at the line, and we're off to a very quick 11-2 start to take the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 5 straight to go back ahead, we get a couple big turnarounds by Pugh over their backup PF, and we get a timeout to get our backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Our backups simply cannot hang with them, they seem to score at will from all 5 positions against my 2^nd string. I call a timeout to settle things and just need to get the clock down to get my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Kylie Weisse singlehandedly saves the game for us. He scores our first 11 points in this run by our backups on 3 3's and a hook shot in the post against a smaller guard. Shiloh(backup SF) gets fouled and hits two FT's to cut the lead to 2. Our starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, shades of 1983... we have a great defensive stand, get a blocked shot, Monserez recovers it with about 3 seconds left on the shot clock, he fires it out to Munns who takes a 25 foot 3 pointer, left side of the court, 1 second left on the shot clock, it goes in. Not exactly the same but yea. We get a big dunk in transition from Watson and they call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite with a layup, they get a bucket, and Watson gets an open 3 after an inside-out play, tie game, 6^th man for us, timeout NCSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> We trade 3's, tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Summers forces a turnover in the backcourt, picks it up and goes in for a layup, FSU leads!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> WOW. I'm controlling Summers and lose their PG trying to be aggressive near midcourt. I catch back up to him at the top of the key, but Pugh comes over and helps anyway, and he swats the ball away, picks it up and feeds a streaking summers for a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Our ball, up 4 with a minute left.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Watson, who was nearly about to lose his starting job with poor play and stellar backup play by Weisse, comes up huge over and over today, hitting a 3 pointer at the end of the shot clock to ice the win.

Florida State 73
NC State 64

Similar to our early season win over Boston College... I'm not sure this is a team that we beat on the road, but this was a solid performance to pull out the victory over a tough team.

They got double digit scoring from 4 of their starters. Frye didn't do a lot in the 2^nd half, finishing with 13, but Merrit(PF) scored 13, Monserez with 15, and Munns(SG) had 13. Conklin, their PG and 2^nd leading scorer, was 0-8 from the field and 0-5 from 3, he was scoreless.

Summers: 12 points/4 assists/3 steals
Crosswhite: 14 points
Watson: 19 points/5 boards
Pugh: 8 points/13 boards
Locklier: 0 points/6 boards

Weisse: 16 points

After going 4-17 from 3 in the first half, we shoot 9-16 in the 2^nd half, ending up 13-33 for the game. Watson was 5-9 and Weisse 4-9. Summers and Crosswhite each hit a couple but were a combined 4-12, a bit worse.

[Radii]

We make a huge leap in the polls this week:

Media Poll:

1. Syracuse (19-2)
2. W. Virginia (18-2)
3. Georgia Tech (14-3)
4. Florida State (14-1)
5. Oklahoma State (16-2)

Boston College 8th, Clemson 19th, Duke 24th.

Ohio falls out of the top 25 due to a weak conference schedule it appears. They're 17-1, losing their opener to Pacific before running off 17 straight so far.


Also, while we're at it, an update on goals, as things change dramatically now that i'm at a big school.

I've already got a point coming for getting hired by a power conference. Additionally, it seems a near certainty that I'll assemble a top 20 recruiting class.

Other goals that do not seem impossible:

-- Sign a 5 star recruit - I've got offers out to 3 of them, and seem to have realistic shots at them all.

-- Sign a high school All-American - one of my offers is to a HS All American

-- Assemble the top recruiting class - seems unlikely but if I can grab a 5 star or two and pull in 7 top 70 guys? Who knows.

-- Have a player chosen in the pro draft - No idea here, Crosswhite and Summers are both dark horse candidates. So its likely we're 4 years away from this.

-- Upset the #1 ranked team - We'd have to play a #1 team of course... we do play Georgia Tech in the final two weeks of the regular season, and they're #3 currently.

-- Coach a team to the #1 ranking - we're #4 so who knows.

-- Coach a team to the final four/Coach a team to the national title - Our beatdown against Georgia Tech suggests that we're probably not *quite* this good but clearly anything at all can happen.

-- Coach a team to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament - If we can get through this rough patch in our schedule with just 1 loss this seems quite realistic.

-- Be chosen NCAA coach of the year - this would probably require a tournament championship


I don't expect to get many of these this year obviously. A 5* recruit and a 1 seed seem realistic. Most importantly, anything I can load up on now to improve my coaching abilities would be huge, as it will be at least 3 years before I have a team anywhere near this caliber again it would seem.

[Radii]

I have created a recruit, a PG that is rated in the high 70's. Then i took over the worst team (just because i need to coach a team) and simed a season, to see who recruited him. He ended in Northwestern, so i selected all the games from that team schedule to be playable and i play with player lock only as that created PG. When he is out of the court, i set the controller in the middle and just watch my team mates play.

That's an awesome concept, I really like that. I'd love to read it if you did decide to write it up.


Too bad i'm a lazy bastard, else i would write a dynasty about it here, but it would be just fooling myself, as everytime i start a dynasty here, i end not updating it and just playing the game.

I definitely have my fair share of dynasties just like you describe. A select few of them though... this one, a FM dynasty I did many years ago now, the writeups enhance my own enjoyment and have more value to me than just reporting what's going on. I'm *much* more immersed in the game because of the extra time I spend scouting an opponent to write up the games here.


Thanks for the comments :)

[Radii]

January 30, 2019

#19 Clemson (17-5, 4-1 ACC) at #4 Florida State (14-1, 4-1 ACC)

Next in our line of critical ACC games, Clemson has been the most successful ACC team over the last 3-4 seasons (at least as perceived by me when I was at Ohio just keeping an eye on things). They are the highest rated team in the league, 92 OVR (92 off/91 def/94 sht/91 reb/91 coach). They have the #15 RPI in the nation currently. We're going to travel to Littlejohn for the last game of the regular season, so we'd like to win the home one now even more so there's no chance that they can sweep us.

Every loss clemson has is either vs a good team on the road, or a top 25 team at home. They lost to #1 Syracuse by 1 point at home in December. Their only conference loss is a road loss to NC State. They have home wins over #8 Boston College and over North Carolina.

Scouting

PG Dick Walcott – JR – 81 OVR – 96 speed/91 quickness. 84 defense, only 74 steals. Very good ball handler, just an average passer(76). 83 close/75 med/82 3/82 off the dribble. Good in traffic and a good clutch shooter too, but his job is clearly to set up Bullicer and Vargas. Just 4.5 ppg.

SG Mitch Len Bullicer – SR – 89 OVR – Pretty awesome development for a guy who just has C+ potential. 15.3 ppg, leading the team I believe. Good but not elite speed. 82 defense/87 steals, a great steals guy but just an average defender. 89 close/84 med/91 3/84 off the dribble. A truly elite shooter from anywhere on the court. He's 6'3 and has good rebounding skills for a guard. Was the #22 recruit and is projected as a first round draft pick.

SF JP Vargas – SR – 88 OVR – 6'5 – natural SG – elite speed(95) but no quickness(83). 84 defense/89 steals. 89 close/87 med/79 3/85 off the dribble/86 in traffic. Less of a 3 point threat than Len Bullicer, but a huge threat anyway. Coach on the floor(85 off awareness/79 defensive). 9.7 ppg/5.0 rpg this year so far.

PF WM Lalugba – FR – 79 OVR – 6'4” only, a natural SF, we've got a huge edge here I hope. 74 orb/79 drb. 79 post offense/69 post deense. 84 close/82 in traffic. He's a solid athlete but Pugh is a fair on ball defender, enough that he can come out and keep an eye on this guy.

C Ekene Pettway – SR – 80 OVR – 6'11” natural center. 74 orb/88 drb. 79 blocked shot rating, not bad at all. 85 post offense/83 post defense. 93 close/85 in traffic. He has very good, but not great skills. 8.5 ppg/4.4 rpg. A threat inside for sure but nothing compared to their guards.

They have a 3^rd natural SG on the bench, Roland Mitchell is rated 87 OVR, all his shooting ratings are above 80, his shooting off the dribble is 88, in traffic 89... looks like a huge threat off the bench. He avearages 9 a game.

A 4^th SG, Taurean Morgan is a 6'5” guard rated 83 OVR. Also a solid shooter averaging 6 ppg.

They are extremely weak when it comes to big man depth, something we hope to take advantage of. They only big on the roster besides Pettway is a 71 rated PF.

With the coach on the floor they have a 75-63 unity edge.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> CLEM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> They score the first 5 in about 45 seconds, we get the next 6, two post buckets and a drive in transition. But the big news is Len Bullicer picks up two quick fouls and sits(the only two fouls of the game so far). Their backup guards are so good that we won't win b/c of it but he is their best player...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Vargas has 7 for them and is on fire. Crosswhite seems to be getting out of the blocks very slowly every game lately, he's got 4 from the line but misses 3 wide open shots. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> A quick 5 points, including a 3 by Weisse. Clemson calls a timeout and gets Vargas back on the court.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Weisse again shows himself to be one of the best players on the team, starters included, putting up 8 points in this stretch for us. Starters are back in with a 2 point deficit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a shot at the buzzer and its a 6 point game. Clemson shoots 48%, we shoot 41%. They're in a 2-3 zone 80% of the time and we're just 2-10 from 3. Hopefully we heat up in the 2^nd half just like last game. Weisse leads us with 8, Locklier 6, Crosswhite 5, and Pugh 4. Crosswhite, Summers, and Watson are a combined 2-11/0-7 from 3.


Their SF Vargas is killing us, 12 points on 3-6 from 3 and 4-8 overall(plus a free throw). PG Walcott has 6 and lots of people have 4. Their SG Len Bullicer has 2 fouls, and for us Summers and Crosswhite both have 2.


We either need to get it inside more often, or shoot better outside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Two early turnovers, Summers with his 3^rd foul and we're down 12 real fast. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> We miss two more quick shots and Summers picks up foul #4 in transition. He sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a clemson timeout as Pugh scores our first 6 of the half, then Duncan hits a big 3 in transition, we were down 14 and at risk of getting blown out on our home court... back down to 9.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit 2 3's and are on an 8-2 run. I have to bring the bakcups in, but put Summers and his 4 fouls out there... Summers and Weisse will have to get us back in it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Two turnovers and its 19 now... timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow... Summers with a charge after getting his man up in the air and driving. He's done. Duncan is back in for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Weisse takes over the game(I seriously have to think about starting him...) and keeps us in it. He has 19. Starters are back in, with Duncan at PG. When Duncan is tired Weisse will come in and play SG, Crosswhite will run the point.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They've pushed it up to 11 and at the 4 minute mark have the ball. Crosswhite hit a 3 to get it down to 7 at one point but they're not missing much.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite misses a wide open 3, and then misses a layup in transition where I thought he was totally by his man, not sure why it wasn't automatic really... they score and we are down 13 with under 3 to go. Timeout, Crosswhite at PG, Weisse SG.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We cut it to 10 but can do no better.

Clemson 75
Florida State 62

And Clemson shows us why they're probably the best team in the league. Walcott with 18, Len Bullicer with 9 after sitting the entire first half, Vargas with 13.

Crosswhite was 3-15 today, Summers couldn't guard their PG and was fouling constantly in the 2^nd half. We have an edge inside and it showed but we couldn't get the ball in there against their zone in good positions frequently enough.

Summers: 3 points
Crosswhite: 10 points
Watson: 5 points/6 boards
Pugh: 10 points/13 boards (5-10 shooting)
Locklier: 8 points/6 boards

Weisse: 19 poitns (6-8/3-4 from 3)

Weisse may be having so much success simply because he's my most talented backup, but it doesn't feel that way on the court. It feels like he has just as much potential as Crosswhite to take over a game when he's on. And with that being the case, he needs to be seeing a lot more minutes. Watson is going to move to the backup squad, Weisse starting.

[Balldog]

Congrats on the new gig!

[law90026]

glad to see this is back.

[Radii]

glad to see this is back.

:D

Was just out of town for a week, still hooked as ever. The company I'm working for did a midnight software update tonight that I've been testing for the last few hours, but now I just get to sit up and stare at log files til noon, which seems like a good time to get a couple games in.

[Radii]

February 2, 2019

#4 Florida State (14-2, 4-2 ACC) at North Carolina (12-6, 3-3 ACC)

So this game will obviously have special significance every year for a number of reasons now. I missed potentially getting the UNC job by just one year, the job went to the coach of my arch rival in the MAC from Ball State, and of course, this is my dream job and my dream school.

This is a UNC team with some holes, and they are beatable, but winning in Chapel Hill won't be easy. They won a road game over a ranked Florida team earlier this year so they're also capable of beating most anyone. UNC is in the midst of a hellish stretch right now... this is their 5 game run from 1/23 to 2/9:

at #24 Duke (L 60-73)
at #19 Clemson (L 62-68)
vs #4 Florida State
at #3 Georgia Tech
at #2 West Virginia

holy crap!

We're hitting them in an extremely weakened state. Two starters are out, 86 OVR SF and 86 rated SG. Their backups don't compare at all. UNC is thus currently rated lower than we are at 87 OVR (87 off/86 def/90 sht/85 reb/88 coach). I played them last year in my last season at Ohio, but only one of their starters returned from that team, at least to make it into the lineup.

Scouting

PG BA Goode – JR – 89 OVR – Goode is a potential lottery pick as a junior. 8.8 ppg/2.7 apg so far this year. 99 speed... that is the first 99 rating i've ever seen anywhere(at least that i've noticed). 92 quickness, 92 vertical, 89 hustle. 92 hands/81 passing. 92 defense/81 steals. 86 close/84 med/87 3. 85 off the dribble/80 in traffic. A truly elite talent. For whatever reason... maybe b/c he's a PG and a distributor, his shot tendencies haven't fully matured or he could score 20/game.

SG Eddie Esterkamp – FR – 79 OVR – Not bad at all for a freshman backup. 86 speed/85 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. 86 close/81 med/81 3/85 in traffic. He's a 6'6” SG, but not a great rebounder despite the size. His awareness is low too, he has a lot of skills that will develop I'm sure. #64 recruit last year, 7.1 ppg this season so far.

SF Erick Starkey – JR – 78 OVR – 6'7” SF. 80 defense/74 steals, 89 close/79 med/66 3. 86 in traffic so he can drive a bit and be a threat to score that way, but he isn't a rebounder or a post player... though UNC will run a 3-2 defense so he'll be out front anyway, where he doesn't seem to have the quickness to keep up with my guards. 7.8 ppg.

PF Marcel Konate – SO – 86 OVR – 6'6” PF – 80 orb/86 drb. 84 post off/88 post def. 91 close/85 in traffic. 88 mid range shot as well, so he can step out and shoot. 87 vertical/93 hustle, 77 blocked shot rating, he's leading the team with 12.1 ppg/6.3 rebounds(leading them at least out of the guys we'll face... both injured players score more).

C Aleksander Luber – SR – 73 OVR – 7 feet tall, a walkon. This isn't b/c of injuries, they just have no depth inside. 82 orb/79 drb. 72 post off/81 post def. 85 close/85 in traffic. 3.6 ppg. His size my hurt our ability to drive, but hopefully we can get him into foul trouble.

We beat this team at home 100% of the time. I'm worried about the dean dome though. They seriously lack depth... hell, Esteramp and Starkey are their depth, and now they're starting.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UNC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 1
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> I forgot to change my lineup but Weisse is taking over the starting SF job. I move him in at the first dead ball, a foul on UNC as Crosswhite attacks the hoop.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 1
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> All my hatred for Ball State immediately comes back, this damn 3-2 defense. Pugh has gone hard inside 3 times and failed. Crosswhite 0-1 from 3 and Esterkamp is off to a really hot start. Timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Well Esterkamp has 11... neutralize him and we're fine. Backups are in. Watson at SG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Duncan with a 3 and UNC calls a timeout. They sit Esterkamp.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Another UNC timeout after another Duncan 3, but they've got the lead back up to 10 and had it 13 before that 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Esterkamp has 15 now... god its just like playing ball freaking state. Heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> We draw foul #2 on Konate and he sits. Won't help us a ton this half but if we can keep him on the bench in the 2^nd half we have a massive edge inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Good finish to the half to avoid total disaster. After falling behind 40-23 we finish on a 10-2 run and have it down to single digits. UNC is shooting 68%. That just cannot continue. Esterkamp is 6-9 for 15 points. Konate 3-4 for 6, and Goode 2-3 w/ a 3 and a couple free throws for 7. All of their starters have at least 5.


We're 10-26, just under 40%. 5-11 from 3 which has kept us in it. Crosswhite with 8, Duncan 6, Summers 5, Weisse 3, but not b/c I haven't been getting him looks, he's 1-5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 by Weisse, a post move by Pugh and a 3 point play by Crosswhite and its a 3 point game!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Konate with a reach in, his 3^rd foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite has 16 and is heating up, but they've made 3 straight 3's to extend their lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> And here's the reason to start Weisse along with Crosswhite, they have our last 13 or 15 points now between the two of them, Weisse now has 10 on the game and our last 4 straight after 5 in a row by Crosswhite. Timeout UNC after Weisse scores in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We briefly took the lead as Crosswhite ran off 5 more straight points but UNC just scored to go back up 1. Sadly I cannot keep my starters going, they're worn out. Backups are in on a FSU timeout. Crosswhite has 21, Weisse 10, Esterkamp has 20 for UNC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Inside out to Watson for an open 3 and we're back up 2, UNC timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> We'd totally be up 5 or 7 now if we could have avoided fouling. Delic scores a few inside over their weaker big men before Konate came back in. Watson hit a 2^nd three, but we allowed 2 3 point plays, an open 3 to give Esterkamp 23, and its a 1 point deficit.


Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> We trade buckets before going on a 5-0 run and leading 79-75. Now they're on a 5-0 run themselves and right back up 1 with 5 to play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite misses an open 3 but Pugh gets the board and putback. UNC timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 87
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Some great defensive play leading to fast breaks and we're out to our biggest lead with under 3 ½ to go!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 90
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> DAGGER. Another missed shot, a run out for us, they're back in transition but Crosswhite is hot, so screw it. Open 3 with no one else down, GOOD! He's got 29, we've got a 10 point lead.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They fail to score the next time down and we can burn clock the rest of the way. Good road win.

Florida State 92
North Carolina 85

We scored an incredible 62 points in the 2^nd half of this fast paced, high scoring game.

They put 6 players in double figures, Esterkamp finished with 26 and was amazing, 5-7 from 3. Goode had 12, 4 others had exactly 10.

We got one of our great games out of Crosswhite, its been a few since he's done this. Pugh was solid inside and Weisse showed what he can add to the starting lineup.

Summers: 7 points
Crosswhite: 32 points (5-11 from 3)
Weisse; 14 points
Pugh: 15 points/12 boards
Locklier: 4 points/5 boards

Watson: 8 points
Delic: 7 points
Duncan; 6 points

We shoot over 60% in the 2^nd half and finish the game 12-27 from 3.

[Radii]

We drop to #9 in the media poll with our loss last week.

Syracuse and WVU are still the top 2, UNLV is up to 3rd. Georgia Tech 4th. Boston College 7th, Florida State 9th. Clemson is up to #16.


Heh. Ohio lost their 2nd game last week... at Ball State. They're 18-2/7-1 in the MAC.


I officially move Weisse into the starting lineup as our Small Forward. Our team's overall roster strength remains the same.


Quick standings update going into a critical week:

1. Clemson: 5-1
2. Georgia Tech 5-1
3. NC State 5-2
4. Florida State 5-2
5. Boston College 5-2
6. Duke 4-3
7. North Carolina 3-4
8. Virginia Tech 3-5
9. Maryland 2-5
10. Wake Forest 2-5
11. Miami 1-7
12. Virginia 1-6

You may have noticed a lack of games against those bottom teams heh. 4 of our last 6 games will be against Va Tech, Miami, Wake Forest, and Virginia... with games at Ga Tech and Clemson mixed in of course.

This week... at Boston College, vs Duke. BC is our first rematch of an earlier ACC contest this year. We beat BC by 3 at home.

[Radii]

February 6, 2019

#9 Florida State (15-2, 5-2 ACC) at #7 Boston College (21-2, 5-2 ACC)

Boston College is currently rated 92 OVR (93 off/90 def/96 sht/96 reb/90 coach). They were at 91 OVR last time we met. Their SG Joiner put up 19, and Byfield 13 in the first meeting, no surprise there really.

BC's only two losses all season are the 3 point loss in Tallahassee and an 8 point loss at Clemson. They've beaten Georgia Tech but their other 4 ACC wins are over bottom feeders, they're starting a difficult stretch today with us, NC State, Duke and Clemson all in a row.

Something I didn't notice last time we played BC... the guy that burned us for 19, Joiner, is rated 87 OVR as a soph. He was the #1 recruit in the nation 2 years ago out of new york. If he somehow stays 4 years he'll be a monster.

Scouting

PG Salvatore Chambers – JR – 83 OVR – 91 speed/85 quickness. 86 def/77 steals. 88 hands/81 passing. 85 close/82 med/77 3/83 off the dribble. 8.0 ppg/3.1 apg

SG Deki Joiner – SO – 87 OVR – 89 speed/88 quickness – 87 defense/82 steals – great shooter: 84 close/83 med/82 3. He doesn't look like the type to create his own shot though. 8.4 ppg this year.

SF Rubeen Byfield – SR – 88 OVR – Byfield is listed as the best defender in the ACC. 90 defense/80 steals/76 blocks/81 defensive awareness... that looks pretty damn good. He is a natural SG. Great speed and quickness. 91 close/84 med/77 3/90 off the dribble/85 in traffic. He looks like a major scoring threat as well. 8.6 ppg/4.1 rpg.

PF Maynard McGrain – JR – 83 OVR – 6'7” - 88 orb/79 drb. 82 post off/71 post def. 92 close/93 in traffic. 12.4 ppg/4.2 rpg.

C Erroyl Snow – SR – 83 OVR – 6'11” quality big man. 88 orb/83 drb. 88 post off/75 post def. 95 close/93 in traffic. He leads the team with 17.3/4.7 rpg.

They seem to prefer the inside game but with the balanced playbook against us Byfield and Joiner get a lot more looks I assume.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> BC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, we go inside on our first two possessions and Weisse and Crosswhite each get a shot blocked. Then Weisse gets out on a fast break and picks up a charge. Tough start.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh this is crazy. Summers misses an open 3, Pugh with the board, kick to Crosswhite, misses an open 3. Pugh with the board, misses a putback. They work their offense and can't score and its our ball. Pugh has 6 rebounds already. They're 0-4, we're 0-5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite burns his man and dinks a layup off the front rim. Byfield scores on a 3 pointer finally for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Byfield with 6 for them. Pugh hits a turnaround jumper and we're finally on the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> So we've gotten off to better starts before... I get a timeout and get the backups in early. Starters will come back around 8 minutes instead of 7 or less like usual.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Uh... wow? Byfield has 10 for them. We are 1-14 from the field. 0-4 from 3. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Watson drives past his man for a layup. We get our second basket of the game just before the 10 minute mark.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. The goal is to get the lead down to 10 before halftime and we'll be fine. Seems like a lofty goal at this point though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> A Crosswhite 3, a Pugh turnaround and a Crosswhite drive leading to 2 free throws, and we're making some progress.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They take full control back when Byfield and Snow get back up off the bench. I call a timeout to try to keep things from getting worse.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> The best we could manage was getting it down to 17 at the half. They get 14 from Byfield and after the slow start end up shooting 17-29 on the half. They also have an 18-12 edge on the boards, though the FG % discrepancy can account for much of that.


We shoot 9-30, just 1-9 from 3, and only get to the line twice in the half. Crosswhite has over half our points, he has 11. Pugh 4 but he's 2-6 from the field. He has 8 boards too. Summers has 2, Locklier 2, Watson 2. that's all 21 of our points. We basically need to hope to start the half hotter than the sun.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the first 4 of the half but their solid center Snow scores 4 straight to offset that(he has 12). We're not getting the one thing we really need to make a run. Crosswhite and Weisse are both 0-2 for the half so far from 3. Unless we can force a lot of turnovers and get on a run that way, we have to make some 3's.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Crosswhite remains our only scoring option. He hits a 3 finally and has 18. Pugh and Weisse are just unable to do anything.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout BC to get some subs in. This is just going terribly heh. Byfield with 17, Snow 12 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Snow just did a drop step move around Delic and went up for a monster 1 handed dunk... totally embarrassing if you're the defender trying to stop that.


I get Summers, Weisse and Pugh back in. Crosswhite and Locklier aren't quite ready yet.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They get a 25 point lead and I quick sim it out, can't even manage 50!

Boston College 83
Florida State 48

Reminds me a bit of the Ohio-UConn game I played last season where I fell behind something like 25-4 and just couldn't scramble back into it. Just a terrible loss. Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Boston College seem to be the 3 best teams in the league really, and we're not too far behind but this is a demoralizing loss.

They get 20 from Byfield and 20 from Snow, both were awesome today.

Summers: 5 points
Crosswhite: 20 points
Weisse: 4 points
Pugh: 6 points/10 boards
Locklier: 4 points/6 boards

We shoot 15-54. 2-23 from 3. that isn't going to get us much.

[Radii]

February 9, 2019

Duke (13-6, 4-4 ACC) at #9 Florida State (15-3, 5-3 ACC)

5-3 through the first half of the ACC Season, with a more favorable schedule for the second half. We'll need to start it off strong here though against a fairly solid Duke team rated 88 OVR (88 off/88 def/92 sht/87 reb/87 coach).

Duke's two non-conference losses were both on the road at top 25 teams(Ole miss and Indiana). They have a home win over top 10 pitt. They won their first 4 ACC games and are on a 4 game losing streak. A loss to Miami last week at home seems inexcusable for a top team. No players appear to be out.

Scouting

PG Alfred Ball – FR – 87 OVR – Ball was the #1 recruit in the nation last year. 97 speed(A+, as a freshman!)/89 quickness/90 vertical. 93 defense!!/83 steals. 88 close/92 med/80 3/83 off the dribble. Already a quality scorer, 11.8 ppg/3.6 apg. Surely he'll go pro early, hopefully after next year if not sooner.

SG Darnell Lavender – JR – 88 OVR – A legit star, speed, quickness, defense(87 def/88 steals), he's actually a natural PG and it shows, 90 hands/93 passing. 88 close/81 med/84 3/84 off the dribble. An elite talent, 13.2 ppg/4.4 rpg/4.5 apg.

SF Julio George – JR – 79 OVR – A 6'5” SG. 90 speed but only 80 quickness. 84 defense/88 steals. 82 close/78 med/71 3/80 off the dribble. Poor defensive awareness. 9 ppg.

PF Pedro Gastel – SO – 82 OVR – 6'6” natural SF, but they have a lack of inside talent. 73 orb/80 drb. 77 post off/74 post def. 91 close/84 in traffic. Great dunker(91/A-). Not a great on ball defender. He is a good outside shooter. 15.3 ppg/5.4 rpg leads the team.

C Vitor Stefanov – JR – 72 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 79 orb/77 drb. 74 post off/69 post def. 94 close/83 in traffic. 5.4 ppg.

They have big men on the roster, they just all suck, rated 65-70 or so. We should have a big edge inside, and SF george isn't really that strong a spot either for them. Their guards are elite but these are the only 3 guys rated 80 on the team(bell/lavender/gastel) so their bench isn't going to hurt us I would suspect.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> Duke
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Crosswhite with 8, Locklier and Pugh each with a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We've scored 7 straight to go up 10, Duncan has 2 3's, Watson and Delic have a couple.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 straight by Duke and I go ahead and call a timeout to get my starters back in. This is going to be one of those “wow I'm shooting too many 3's” halves.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, poor shooting and poor defense and we've allowed Duke to go on an 11-1 run to tie the game up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> We get back out to a 2 possession lead with 4 straight from Pugh, but it had looked like we had a chance to pull away here and we haven't, disappointing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We're not really shooting well, 13-30 and we're 4-13 from 3. Duke is 11-28, 3-10 from 3, they've also hit 3 more free throws than us. We've got a huge edge on the boards, 20-12, but we've got a few turnovers and they have some blocked shots while we don't to even things up a bit.


Their weak SF George has 7, as do two backups... guards Colter and Wiley. Lavender has 6, their most talented player.


Pugh has 11 for us, he's 4-7 and 3-4 at the line. Crosswhite has 9. Summers and Weisse are both a bit off. Duncan has 6 off the bench. We need to go inside a lot more in the 2^nd half, we have such a big edge down low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Weisse with 2 fouls and he has 4 now. Watson is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, we're gassed. Trying to go inside but without the success I had hoped for.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 7 straight after Duke takes a 46-43 lead, a 3 by Watson, and layups by Watson and Shiloh and we get a nice 6^th man boost for our effots from the home crowd.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> 13-0 run for FSU. Duke is missing everything, open shots, getting offensive boards and blowing putbacks... they're falling apart basically, and we're doing enough to take advantage. We just can't let them back in now that we're up 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> They finally end our run at 19 straight points. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Duke just couldn't score in the second half. I mean countless possessions where they miss an open jumper, get an offensive board and just throw it up off the rim and we snag it and are on the run. Duke makes 7 field goals all half, 1 three pointer. We win the 2^nd half 45-18 heh.

Florida State 79
Duke 50

They don't get anyone in double figures. Their 72 rated center, Stefanov goes 1-12 from the field, PF Gastel 3-13, George 3-13... etc etc.

Summers: 5 points/3 assists
Crosswhite: 19 points
Weisse: 2 points/6 boards
Pugh; 17 points/16 boards
Locklier: 4 points/8 boards

Watson: 12 points/5 boards
Duncan: 8 points

Domination, woohoo. Pugh is putting up some really strong numbers lately, especially on the boards.

[Radii]

We fall to #10 in the nation in the next poll. Good news, Georgia Tech is #1. If they can remain there for the next two weeks we'll get a shot at the #1 team in the nation. Boston College is 4th, Clemson is 17th.

Next up is a road challenge in Raleigh. NC State played us tough at home, tied with 2 minutes left and just a 4 point game in the final minute that we hung on to win. After that we have 3 games against weaker competition by comparison(Va Tech/miami/Wake.

Our next game at NC State has some tournament importance as well. Ga Tech/BC/clemson are 1/2/3 in the league and all 1 or 2 games better than FSU. We're 4th, NC State is just 1 game back at 5th. The top 4 seeds get a bye in the conference tournament, so pushing to a 2 game lead over the Wolfpack would really help us out there.

[Radii]

February 13, 2019

#10 Florida State (16-3, 6-3 ACC) at NC State (14-8, 5-4 ACC)

The Wolfpack are the #5 team in the league, we're currently #4, so beating them would be big as far as an ACC Tournament Bye.

They're rated 90 OVR (90 off/90 def/92 sht/89 reb/91 coach). This is unchanged since our last meeting just a couple weeks ago.

Scouting

PG Clayton Conklin – JR – 85 OVR – Conklin is slated as a 2^nd round pick this year, I assume that means he'll be back next year. He is the #2 scorer on the team with 11.8 ppg, also 4.8 assists. He's got solid awareness(83 o/76 D), just 1 point off from coach on the floor status. He's an outstanding defender(93 defense), good padder, and good all around scorer(87 close/81 med/78 3). Great off the dribble(88) and a good clutch shooter.

SG Nathaniel Munns – JR – 82 OVR – Natural PG. 87 defense/82 steals. Great ball handler(92). 79 close/80 med/77 3/83 off the dribble. All good but nothing spectacular. He's got good speed(91) but poor quickness (80/D) compared to most people at this level. He has one of the best hustle ratings you'll ever see(96/A+). I'm not sure what to make of Munns, a solid defensive compliment to Conklin and an average scorer I guess? 7.9 ppg.

SF Leonard Monserez – FR – 78 OVR – With A potential Monserez will be a stud, but he's not there yet. 74 defense... 87 close/79 med/64 3. 86 in traffic. He's not fast, doesn't have great awareness, and isn't a good rebounder. He's a good, but not great athlete. 6.6 ppg/4.2 rpg.

PF Geoffrey Merritt – JR – 84 OVR – 7 feet tall, natural PF – 80 orb/85 drb. 77 post off/77 post def. 86 close/87 in traffic. He's also a great athlete(A- speed/A- quickness/A- vert/A- str/B+ hustle...) His post ratings aren't that great but with a 7 footer he'll be a big threat anyway. 9.4 ppg/5.1 rpg so far this year.

C Taurance Frye – JR – 83 OVR – 6'11”, this is a team with serious size. 84 orb/75 drb. 80 post off/84 post def. A shot blocking specialist(88/A- block rating). 94 close/90 in traffic. Great awareness, like Conklin he's one point off from coach on the floor status. Frye leads the ACC in scoring at 17.9 ppg, also grabbing 5 boards a game.

NC State has 1 player rated 80+ off their bench, PG Ray Eisentrout. Another outstanding defender and average scorer. He's actually the best handler/passer on the team.

In the first meeting, Frye scored 11 in the first half and 4 of their starters(all but Conklin) ended up in double figures in a 73-64 home win that was closer than that most of the way.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> NCSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Neither team has led by more than 2 so far. Summers has 2 3's and 8 points for us. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 point play and a bucket inside give NCSU a 6^th man boost. Their 7 footer, PF Merrit is killing us... he has 13 of their 19 points so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> We call a timeout to get our starters back in. Duncan and Watson each hit 3's which helped the backups keep things close.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> They led by as much as 9 and we have it at 7 at the half. Merrit scores 15 for them, a huge half. NC State shoots 16/29 despite 0/8 from 3... 16/21 when they go up inside the 3 point line heh. They have an 18-9 edge on the boards, Merrit and Frye each have 5 and they have 6 offensive boards as a team.


We are 10-28, 4-10 from 3. Summers has 8, Crosswhite 6, Watson 5, Duncan 4. Pugh and Locklier are getting owned inside on both ends of the court.Weisse is 1-4 and has been ineffective.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We had the lead down to 4 before allowing Conklin two straight wide open 3's. Back and forth from there before a Crosswhite 3 point play and Weisse 3 point play chance(though he blew his free throw) get the lead from 9 to 4 again. Merrit just picked up foul #3 and sits for NC State also.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> A Crosswhite 3 cuts the lead to 1! NC State timeout. Our guys are exhausted and I sub them out. Crosswhite has 16 now I believe, Weisse 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh we've had like 5 chances to take the lead. Timeout NC State as they get some starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 point deficit, our backups just cannot score. I call a timeout and the starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We hit a 3 but in their 2-3 zone we're struggling to do anything but launch 3's. We've also now committed 7 fouls, FT shooting for them the rest of the way
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we still can't do anything but shoot 3's, but Crosswhite has another one and Summers has another one... and its a 5 point game. I call a timeout just for some rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They go man to man two plays in a row and we capitalize, lead down to 1!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a bucket on their and, and we get a 3 from Weisse to tie it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Locklier with a steal, outlet to Weisse for a dunk, we lead! Timeout Wolfpack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Each team fails to score once, then we miss a 3 with summers but Weisse snags a rare offensive board(seriously we might have 3 now?). I kick it out and call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh kicks it out from the post to an open Crosswhite who misses a 3. Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside to Frye, a solid inside scorer, but he can't come through here, Pugh with his 9^th board and they have to foul! They only have 5 fouls so it takes a couple to get us to the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite hits both. Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:21
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a 3 but get another offensive board. Frye is fouled and shoots 2. both are good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:19
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite is our best FT shooter so he's getting the ball on every inbounds. He is fouled and hits both.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss a 3, get another offensive board but miss the putback, Pugh with the board and its over.

Florida State 72
NC State 66

Two close contests with NC State, but we find a way to prevail in both. Good road win.

They get 17 from Merritt, 12 from Frye, and 10 from Conklin. Monserez, their freshman SF, is a bit of a ball hog, putting up way too many shots. He did this in the first game but made a lot more. He shoots 1-13 today for 2 points.

Summers: 13 points/4 assists
Crosswhite: 25 points/4 assists
Weisse: 17 points
Pugh: 6 points/10 boards
Locklier: 2 points/9 boards

Watson: 5 points

Though we normally get more from Pugh and less from Summers, this is the type of outing I'm hoping for by moving Weisse into the lineup. Crosswhite put up solid numbers today, but without the 17 from Weisse as well we're in a lot of trouble. Great performance.

They ended up with 11 offensive boards to our 3. That was a bit frustrating, especially as good as Pugh usually is on the defensive glass.

[Radii]

Our next three games are our stretch vs weaker ACC competition, which i'll sim:


Feb 16:

#10 Florida State 85
Virginia Tech 80

Crosswhite 22, Weisse 12, Summer 14 in a close game against a team that is now 4-7 in ACC play and 16-11 overall.


Wow. Georgia Tech loses two straight, to NC State and at Maryland, so much for playing the #1 team... although, still a possibility heh.

#1 Boston College
#2 UNLV, #3 WVU, #4 Syracuse, #5 Florida
#8 Georgia Tech
#9 Florida State
#22 Clemson

Bracketology is out as well, BC is projected a 1 seed, Tech a 2, and we are a 3 seed. Ohio is 21-3 and projected a 10 seed.



Two week opponents next week as well:

Feb 20

#9 Florida State 83
Miami 74

Weisse 17, Crosswhite 16, Watson 13, Pugh 12. Miami is 3-9 in conference play.


Feb 23

at Wake Forest 73
#9 Florida State 61

Figures, road loss to an awful team. Wake is 13-11 after that win. 4-8 in the league.


And... boston college is cursed by the #1 ranking as well, managing a 20 point loss to Virginia Tech at their house.

UNLV is the new #1. BC 3, Florida State #10, Ga Tech #12, Clemson #24. Tech has no injuries, just a small freefall.

ACC Standings with 2 weeks to go in the season:


1. Boston College 9-3 (25-3)
2. Florida State 9-4 (19-4)
3. Georgia Tech 8-4 (18-6)
4. Clemson 8-5 (21-9)
5. Maryland 8-5 (21-9)
6. NC State 7-5 (16-10)
7. North Carolina 6-6 (16-9)
8. Virginia Tech 6-7 (18-11)
9. Duke 5-8 (14-10)
10. Wake Forest 4-8 (13-11)
11. Miami 4-9 (13-14)
12. Virginia 1-11 (9-15)

Our final 3 games:

at Georgia Tech
vs Virginia
at Clemson

Tech and Clemson both beat us rather handily at our place, so I'm worried quite a bit about those two.

[Radii]

February 28, 2019

#10 Florida State (19-4, 9-4 ACC) at #12 Georgia Tech (18-6, 8-4 ACC)

Tech's overall rating went up from 91->92 since we played them last. They are rated 92 OVR (92 off/89 def/96 sht/94 reb/94 coach).

The wheels have come off a bit in Atlanta with 3 straight losses... at Va Tech, vs NC State, at Maryland. They haven't had any injuries(all 5 of their starters have 24 games/24 games started). In our first meeting their talented SG Eddy Halsch burned us for 24 points, and their two big men put up 17 and 16. They won that game 87-70, leading the entire second half.

I totally assume they're going to be up for us at their place to try to stop their slide.

Scouting

PG Lou Douglas – SR – 88 OVR – 96 speed/94 quickness. 89 defese/79 steals. 89 hands/82 passing. 88 close/80 med/87 3/88 off the dribble. Douglas is an elite player. 15.4 ppg/3.0 rpg/3.4 apg.

SG Eddy Halsch – SR – 86 OVR – 89 speed/91 quickness. 85 defense/92 steals. 91 close/71 med/83 3. 8 off the dribble. Great athlete (B- vert/B str/B+ hustle). 12.6 ppg/5.1 rpg.

SF Dana Morgan – JR – 82 OVR – 84 speed/87 quickness. 6'9” natural SF, an elite offensive rebounder(91/A-). decent on ball defense(78). 88 close/80 med/77 3/91 in traffic. 8.4 ppg.

PF Cody Dilligard – SR – 84 OVR – 87 orb/93 drb. 77 post off/74 post def. 94 close/91 in traffic. Good shooter all the way around, can make the 3 too. Incredible Athlete (A vert/B+ str/B+ hustle). 14.4 ppg/7.5 rpg. Post play seems a bit low compared to everything else but he looks outstanding.

C Joel Terrell – SR – 79 OVR – 7'1” - 83 orb/82 drb. 80 post off/82 post def. 90 close/91 in traffic. Just 3.1 ppg/2.9 rpg this year so far, but he doesn't at all seem like a weak link to me.

Backup PG Stanes Pandov and backup SG Grant Larson are both outstanding 3 point shooters and are both rated in the low 80s as well. Their backup SF is as talented as their starter.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> GT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, not the start we wanted. A 3 from Summers at the end of the shot clock... everything else contested like crazy, a turnover against their press.... Timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> We do what we need to keep this from becoming an early blowout. Crosswhite creates a jumper for himself, Pugh with 4 inside and Weisse with a great 3 point play and we're down 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Three straight trips down the court we get a drive to the basket and all 3 times its moderately contested but we whiff... they score every time and all of a sudden we're down 12, that seemed like it should have been a great stretch for us heh. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Dear god. We just committed our 6^th foul and they're on a 14-2 run in 4 minutes. Ouch.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. I have a feeling I won't be playing this entire game. Just gross.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> We just ended a 9-0 run. If it gets to 30 I'm done heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite with our last 8 straight, he has 12 of our 25 and has been getting out on the break as they've started to miss a few shots.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Weisse and Pugh both pick up their 3^rd fouls and both sit. Their backup SG is in and Crosswhite is way quicker which I think accounts for his scoring run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> The problem here is that they run a fast paced offense and press hard, and they are not missing. 20-32 from the field, 5-8 from 3, 9-13 at the line. We committed 12 fouls in the half, they only 6. They outrebound us 19-11, and again we struggle heavily on the glass despite very good rebounders inside. Halsch and Morgan, their starting SG/SF have 11 each. Backup guard Pandov has 8.


We have Crosswhite... he's 7-10 from the field, 16 points. The rest of the team is 6-21 with 18 points. Summers has 2 3's and 6 points. Weisse is 1-5, Pugh 2-6, and both have 3 fouls.


I'll start the second half and see if we can't manage a run but this is 99% lost cause.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Well that was the opposite of a run. They score on their first 3 possessions, we don't, and its 61-34 when I give up.

Georgia Tech 99
Florida State 68

So I've played two games on the road vs the elite teams in the ACC, and gotten blown out in horrible fashion both times.

Halsh scores 26, Morgan 17, and 3 others in double figures.

Summers: 6 points
Crosswhite: 19 points
Weisse: 10 points
Pugh: 6 points/7 boards
Locklier: 3 points

Shiloh: 10 points

[Radii]

I sim our final home game, senior day for something like 17 guys on my team ;)

March 3

#10 Florida State 87
Virginia 67


Going into the final week of the season, Boston College is #3 in the Media Poll, Georgia Tech is #10, and Florida State is #10. Clemson has fallen out of the rankings.

We're projected as a 4 seed with just a tough road contest with Clemson left.

Our last game is on the final day of the regular season. Its a game straight up for 3rd place in the ACC.

Boston College 12-4
Georgia Tech 12-4
Clemson 10-5
Florida State 10-5
NC State 9-7
Maryland 9-7

Win and we're the 3 seed. Lose and we're the 4 seed. Either way, we're going to be heavily favored in an ACC Quarterfinal matchup, and then will almost certainly get to play georgia Tech or Boston College. 3rd would be better I suppose, marginally.

[Radii]

March 10th, 2019

#10 Florida State (20-5, 10-5 ACC) at Clemson (23-9, 10-5 ACC)

Clemson beat us with relative ease at our place. Close first half, they led by 6 at halftime, pushed it to 10 very early in the second half, and led by double digits pretty much the entire second half, winning by 13. Their PG, Walcott scored 18, their SG, Len Bullicer scored 9 in about 15 minutes w/ foul trouble.

They have a weakness inside and we tried to exploit that, getting 10 from Pugh and 8 from Locklier... we didn't exploit it nearly enough.

Overall Clemson still has a 92 roster strength (93 off/91 def/95 sht/91 reb/91 coach).

Scouting

PG Dick Walcott – JR – 81 OVR – 96 speed/91 quickness. 84 defense, only 74 steals. Very good ball handler, just an average passer(76). 83 close/75 med/82 3/82 off the dribble. Good in traffic and a good clutch shooter too, but his job is clearly to set up Bullicer and Vargas. Just 4.5 ppg.

SG Mitch Len Bullicer – SR – 89 OVR – Pretty awesome development for a guy who just has C+ potential. 15.3 ppg, leading the team I believe. Good but not elite speed. 82 defense/87 steals, a great steals guy but just an average defender. 89 close/84 med/91 3/84 off the dribble. A truly elite shooter from anywhere on the court. He's 6'3 and has good rebounding skills for a guard. Was the #22 recruit and is projected as a first round draft pick.

SF JP Vargas – SR – 88 OVR – 6'5 – natural SG – elite speed(95) but no quickness(83). 84 defense/89 steals. 89 close/87 med/79 3/85 off the dribble/86 in traffic. Less of a 3 point threat than Len Bullicer, but a huge threat anyway. Coach on the floor(85 off awareness/79 defensive). 9.7 ppg/5.0 rpg this year so far.

PF WM Lalugba – FR – 79 OVR – 6'4” only, a natural SF, we've got a huge edge here I hope. 74 orb/79 drb. 79 post offense/69 post deense. 84 close/82 in traffic. He's a solid athlete but Pugh is a fair on ball defender, enough that he can come out and keep an eye on this guy.

C Ekene Pettway – SR – 80 OVR – 6'11” natural center. 74 orb/88 drb. 79 blocked shot rating, not bad at all. 85 post offense/83 post defense. 93 close/85 in traffic. He has very good, but not great skills. 8.5 ppg/4.4 rpg. A threat inside for sure but nothing compared to their guards.

They have a 3^rd natural SG on the bench, Roland Mitchell is rated 87 OVR, all his shooting ratings are above 80, his shooting off the dribble is 88, in traffic 89... looks like a huge threat off the bench. He avearages 9 a game.

A 4^th SG, Taurean Morgan is a 6'5” guard rated 83 OVR. Also a solid shooter averaging 6 ppg.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> CLEM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Sigh. Timeout FSU. Len Bullicer has 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> They sit Len Bullicer. He has 11, 3-3 from 3, shooting over Crosswhite, our best on ball defender. Lets see how things go with him on the bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> That's about how I expected things to go with their big scorer sitting heh. Timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> 9-0 FSU run while Len Bullicer sits. Pugh has 4 and 3 assists, all kickouts for 3's. Clemson timeout, they get their star back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> They've tied it up and my starters are ready to come out now... timeout FSU, backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Clemson, unsure why but thanks for helping my starters rest! Duncan has a 91 on ball defense rating, highest on the team today so he's on Len Bullicer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> There we go! Watson comes alive for 7 points, the starters were ready around the 7 minute mark but we had everything going our way so I wasn't going to stop the clock. Starters are back in now after a foul by us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> A Weisse breakaway with 5 seconds left gives us an 8 point lead. Great first half. Crosswhite 10, Watson 7, Weisse 8. Pugh has 4 points/5 boards, he should be more involved but i'm not complaning. We're 15-30. Crosswhite is only 3-10 and 3-8 from 3, early on he was launching a bit much desparately trying to keep us in it against what was a 2-3 zone exclusively.


They have 13 from Len Bullicer, a great result given that he scored 11 of their first 13 points. The problem for Clemson is that no one has stepped up. Walcott(PG) has 5, no one else has more than 2 in their starting 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> We get out to our first 10 point lead of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, 7-0 run for them, right back down to 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. We've burned two timeouts to avoid held ball situations and are down to just 2 remaining for the game, which let us get a bit more out of the starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Watson with a couple more big shots, Duncan a 3 and Clemson takes a timeout. Watson just sunk a giant 3 to put us up 8. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> 8 point lead with 5 left, we just grabbed a big offensive board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We're not scoring but time's running off fast. They miss a shot on one possession, then Crosswhite intercepts an outlet pass on another.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Vargas with a 3 for them and its a 5 point game, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh with a hook shot in low, 7 point lead, timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They score again, but we burn clock and Pugh hits a beautiful turnaround from about 13-15 feet out on the right wing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> They take awhile but do hit a 3 to cut the lead down to 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:26
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite at the line, hits both. Clutch!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss their next time down, we get the rebound and ice the game at the line.

Florida State 77
Clemson 69

Clemson clearly isn't quite the same caliber of Boston College and Georgia Tech, though they are rated as good as anyone in the league. Regardless, this was a big, big road win for us, as it gives us the knowledge that we can go into a hostile environment against a team as good or better and pull of a win, something we needed to see after embarrassing losses to BC and Ga Tech.

They get 4 guys in double figures, Len Bullicer cools way off and finishes with only 17. Vargas 14, C Pettway 11.

Summers: 8 points/3 boards
Crosswhite: 17 points
Weisse: 16 points/4 boards
Pugh: 14 points/10 boards
Locklier: 2 points/5 boards

Watson: 13 points

Watson was huge off the bench today.

[Radii]

Final Regular Season Poll:

1. UNLV
2. Oklahoma State
3. West Virginia
4. Syracuse
5. Georgia Tech
6. Boston College
...
11 Florida State


Final ACC Standings

1. Boston College 12-4
2. Georgia Tech 12-4
3. Florida State 11-5
4. Clemson 10-6
5. Maryland 9-7
6. NC State 9-7
7. Virginia Tech 8-8
8. North Carolina 8-8
9. Wake Forest 6-10
10. Duke 5-11
11. Miami 4-12
12. Virginia 2-14


Bracketology heading into conference tournament week:

1 seed: Boston College
2 seed: Georgia Tech
4 seed: Florida State
7 seed: Clemson
8 seed: ** Ohio
9 seed: Maryland
10 seed: North Carolina, Virginia Tech
11 seed: NC State

The ACC is the #1 rated conference in the nation this year. BC, FSU, Ga Tech all have top 10 RPI's. The other 4 teams getting NCAA mention are all between 23 and 41.


Bubble Watch going into conference tournament week:

North Carolina, NC State

[Radii]

ACC Tournament First Round

8. North Carolina 72
9. Wake Forest 64

5. Maryland 68
12. Virginia 67

6. NC State 71
11. Miami 64

10. Duke 81
7. Virginia Tech 64


ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

1. Boston College
8. North Carolina

4. Clemson
5. Maryland

3. Florida State
6. NC State

2. Georgia Tech
10. Duke


Though the bracketology update doesn't seem to have changed, the bubble watch has. After the quarterfinals North Carolina is no longer listed as a bubble team. NC State still is, and Virginia Tech is now.

We beat NC State by 9 at home and 6 on the road. At home we had a 4 point lead with a minute to go. At their place we had a 2 point lead with 30 seconds left and they had a chance to tie the game up but failed. We should win but clearly don't expect a blowout or anything.

[Radii]

March 15th, 2019 – ACC Quarterfinals

(3) Florida State (21-5, 11-5 ACC) vs (6) NC State (19-12, 9-7 ACC)

NC State is up to a 91 OVR rating now (90 off/91 def/92 sht/89 reb/91 coach). As we've improved to 90 OVR, our new numbers for comparison: 90 OVR (91 off/89 def/93 sht/91 reb/83 coach).

As I've mentioned before, we played two very close games with NC State. Its always hard to beat someone 3 times in a season. State also has a 1 point loss to Maryland and a 1 point loss at Virginia Tech, so they were very close to a much better record here.

The last time we played Merrit, their 7 foot PF really hurt us inside. Frye is their leading scorer with 17 ppg, Merrit 12 and Conklin 11.

The ACC Tournament is held in the Bobcats arena in Charlotte, one of its more common locations.

Scouting

PG Clayton Conklin – JR – 86 OVR – Conklin is slated as a 2^nd round pick this year, I assume that means he'll be back next year. He is the #2 scorer on the team with 11.8 ppg, also 4.8 assists. He's got solid awareness(83 o/76 D), just 1 point off from coach on the floor status. He's an outstanding defender(93 defense), good padder, and good all around scorer(87 close/81 med/78 3). Great off the dribble(88) and a good clutch shooter.

SG Nathaniel Munns – JR – 83 OVR – Natural PG. 87 defense/82 steals. Great ball handler(92). 79 close/80 med/77 3/83 off the dribble. All good but nothing spectacular. He's got good speed(91) but poor quickness (80/D) compared to most people at this level. He has one of the best hustle ratings you'll ever see(96/A+). I'm not sure what to make of Munns, a solid defensive compliment to Conklin and an average scorer I guess? 7.9 ppg.

SF Leonard Monserez – FR – 79 OVR – With A potential Monserez will be a stud, but he's not there yet. 74 defense... 87 close/79 med/64 3. 86 in traffic. He's not fast, doesn't have great awareness, and isn't a good rebounder. He's a good, but not great athlete. 6.6 ppg/4.2 rpg.

PF Geoffrey Merritt – JR – 85 OVR – 7 feet tall, natural PF – 80 orb/85 drb. 77 post off/77 post def. 86 close/87 in traffic. He's also a great athlete(A- speed/A- quickness/A- vert/A- str/B+ hustle...) His post ratings aren't that great but with a 7 footer he'll be a big threat anyway. 9.4 ppg/5.1 rpg so far this year.

C Taurance Frye – JR – 84 OVR – 6'11”, this is a team with serious size. 84 orb/75 drb. 80 post off/84 post def. A shot blocking specialist(88/A- block rating). 94 close/90 in traffic. Great awareness, like Conklin he's one point off from coach on the floor status. Frye leads the ACC in scoring at 17.9 ppg, also grabbing 5 boards a game.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> NCSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Continuing our streak of horrible starts... I call a timeout after they score the first 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Er yeah. We score. Pugh with a hook shot. We're 1/10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Watson has 7 and seems to be our only scorer. Duncan just did an awesome job fouling a 3 point shooter, allowing 3 free throws to keep it a 12 point game. But at least we're scoring.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow, I haven't had someone get this hot in awhile. Watson has 12 now, just hitting his 2^nd 3 and cutting the lead to 7. Timeout Wolfpack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Ridiculous. Watson with 2 more 3's. He still has every point for the backups now and has 18!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Duncan comes out hurt, Summers is back in. Starters coming back in soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Watson misses 2 3's in a row and I decide that's when I should bring the starters back in. I've not seen a run like that in a long time. Watson just scored 21 straight Florida State points over a 6 ½ minute period.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Still a 5 point game, they had it up at 9 but we're on a 4-0 stretch.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> NC State scores 6 straight before a Crosswhite 3, they call at timeout to set up their final possession of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> They score and we miss a 3 at the buzzer. 57% shooting for NC State, 42% for us. This is a “wow we shoot too many 3's” game. They're in a 2-3 zone so no surprise. But 6-19 3 pointers? Hell the % is ok but we're just shooting too many without going inside.


They get 11 from Conklin and 8 from Munns. C Frye with 8 and a number of offensive boards.


Watson scores 21... 8-11 shooting, 4-6 from 3. Crosswhite has 8 but he's 2-9, 1-7 from 3. Gotta drive or something dude. No one else has more than 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. We trade baskets for awhile, but finally get it under 10, in fact getting it down to 6, 55-49. They hit a 3 on their next possession, we turn it over and they get a 3 point play. 6 straight and back up 12.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout NC State to get some backups in. Watson isn't on fire this half like the last heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in a bit early, but we're falling too far behind and the backups are giving us nothing this time through.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Still 14... I call a timeout to rest up. We have 8 team fouls this half already, they're in the bonus.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> Pugh with 4, Crosswhite 2 and we've got it down to 10. We've easily got the offense to do this, Crosswhite and Pugh are both scoring well, but we need some stops. Their SG, Munns, has 17 and is really hurting us lately.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Scoring... but not stopping. And our last basket took a hell of a lot of work to earn. 4 minutes to go down 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a shot inside but get the board and putback. I call a timeout, mainly to rest my guys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 86
</td> <td width="68%"> Now we're not scoring, and they still are.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Heh well I did say beating a team 3 times in a season is hard. What a crappy 1^st ACC Tournament. Nowhere to go but up!

NC State 94
Florida State 76

Their SG Munns just tore us up, 23 points. The two bigs put up 14 and 12(Frye and Merritt). Two others in double figures.

Summers: 7 points
Crosswhite: 19 points
Weisse: 6 points
Pugh: 16 points/6 boards
Locklier: 4 points/16 boards

Watson: 21 points

8-31 from 3 as a team. Crosswhite 1-9. Summers 1-7. Weisse 2-7. Watson with the rest(4-8).

[Radii]

ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

8. North Carolina 96
1. Boston College 84

5. Maryland 83
4. Clemson 58


6. NC State 94
3. Florida State 76

2. Georgia Tech 90
10. Duke 60


ACC Semifinals

8. North Carolina 72
5. maryland 68

2. Georgia Tech 80
6. NC State 72


ACC Finals

2. Georgia Tech 99
8. North Carolina 81

[Radii]

Virginia Tech is the only bubble team from the ACC heading into selection sunday. Looks like the ACC is a lock for 7, with the 8th in question.

Ohio won the MAC Tournament and locks up an automatic bid.

NCAA Selection


1 seeds:

East: Oklahoma State
South: UNLV
Midwest: Georgia Tech
West: West Virginia


East Region

1. Oklahoma State

Florida State is the 4 seed in the EAST

We'll play #13 Northeastern.

If we win we'll play the winner of BYU and Illinois Chicago.

Clark comments on our experience making us a big threat to advance a long way.

Boston College is the 2 seed in the East.


South Region

1. UNLV

Mid major power Nevada is a 4 seed here.

Virginia Tech is in the tournament as a 10 seed, they'll play 7 seed Vanderbilt.


Midwest Region

1. Georgia Tech

Ohio earns a 7 seed in the midwest! They'll play 10 seed Temple.

2 seed here is Syracuse.


West Region

1. West Virginia

heh... way to go seeding.

8. Maryland
9. North Carolina

7. Clemson
10. NC State


The ACC gets 8 teams this year. Big east with 6, a couple with 5.

[Radii]

Northeastern is rated 76 OVR. They went 19-13 this year, 12-6 in the CAA. They average 66 points/game and shoot 42% from the field. They likely had to win their conference tournament to get in.

We actually played them in a simmed game earlier this season and only won by 2 points at home.

Northeastern has a PF rated 81 OVR who leads them with 13 points/game. Their next highest rated player is 74 OVR, and they start two sophs and a freshman. We ought to crush them.


If we do beat Northeastern, we are looking at either 12 seed Illinois Chicago, a team rated 81 OVR out of the horizon league(23-7), or 5 seed BYU(27-6) out of the Mountain West. BYU is rated 89 OVR and appears to have one of the highest rated rebounding teams in the country. BYU has a very strong starting 5 with an 86 rated PG and two other starters rated over 80. BYU has the #15 RPI and looks solid. Clearly, we root for Illinois Chicago.

[Radii]

March 22th, 2019 – NCAA First Round

(4) Florida State (21-6) vs (13) Northeastern (19-13)

Northeastern is rated 76 OVR (77 off/76 def/79 sht/83 reb/80 coach). We should totally outclass them at 90 OVR (91 off/89 def/93 sht/91 reb/83 coach) but we've seen underdogs play big in these situations and ratings not matter much.

Full scouting shouldn't be needed here, Northeastern is led by SR PF LF Grady, a 6'10” big man who is a quality rebounder(92 off/80 def), and a good offensive player(80 post off/93 close/86 in traffic). He is a bit lacking on defense(68 post defense). He leads the team with 13.4 ppg.

After that we're looking at a lot of guys rated in the low 70s or worse. SG Bruthelleus, PG Figueroa are rated 74 and 71 OVR, neither can shoot the 3 and neither are big scorers. Stop Grady and we should win. Or really just don't suck it up on offense and we should win.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> NU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, great start. We have 4 fouls, and Weisse picked up #2 and #3 before I could get him out, so Watson is in early.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, we've committed 6 fouls now and drawn 1. Crosswhite has all 7 of our points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> That's better, good consistent scoring from all over and we're in the lead. Timeout Northeastern.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout for Northeastern after a thunderous dunk by Watson, but they're still winning.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. Shiloh/Watson will split time at SF with Weisse in foul trouble.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah, hate this game sometimes. Watson just threw two inbounds passes away in a row, Grady is going crazy for them and we're down 10 all of a sudden to a hugely inferior team. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Fouls is the biggest story. We commit 9, allowing them to shoot 15/16. They commit 4, and we are 4/4 at the line, an 11 point difference. Summers has 2 fouls, Weisse has 3.


Grady is the other story. He is 7-9 from the field, he is just making Pugh look terrible. 16 points/3 boards/2 assists/4 steals... Their PG, figueroa, has 7, 4 of those at the line though.


Crosswhite gives us 14, he has all our free throws. Pugh is keeping up pretty good on offense, 8 points/6 boards. Grady is a poor defender and it shows. However, Summers/Weisse/Locklier... all are scoreless. Summers and Weisse have to get involved this half. Also, Locklier is a better post defender than Pugh, so I put Locklier on Grady.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Defense? Come on defense! I call a timeout and get my backups in. We can't seem to cut the lead down below 5, and actually let them get up 10 at one point. Summers and Weisse both have 3 fouls and our big men are tired inside.. backups coming in early and the starters will go the final 8 or 9 minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We draw two quick fouls on Grady and he sits with 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in... man, what the hell. We just cannot stop them consistently and sure as hell aren't scoring consistently.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Seriously play some damn defense. We get 4 easy baskets... all layups, 3 by Crosswhite and one by Weisse... yet we let them score to match us every time. Northeastern just called a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite trying to will us to victory, hitting a circus shot and drawing a foul in transition... he's got 9 of our last 11, 25 total.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Crosswhite with another bucket in transition, it took a couple defensive stops before we finally got the basket we needed. Timeout northeastern, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Each team scores once, they call another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> They score a way too easy bucket on their end, but Crosswhite strokes a 3 from the right baseline on our end, and we get it down to 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Grady scores his 23^rd on their end, Crossswhite his 32^nd on our end, then Summers gets a steal and break, he's fouled but hits both his free throws. We're only down 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Grady with an interior feed to their guard, Figueroa for a bucket. Summers gets an open look at a 3 on our end and misses it, and we're fouling them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:34
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss the front end, Summers attacks the rim and draws a foul. He makes both.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss the front end again! Crosswhite attacks and draws a foul... both of these fouls were on Grady, that's #4 and #5, he's gone. Crosswhite makes both, time to play defense.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Our defense is good and they get a terrible shot, contested from 20 feet out, and its no good. We win a game that we trailed almost the entire way in.

(4) Florida State 80
(13) Northeastern 79

I'm not really sure why we couldn't do it in the first half... towards the end of the game Crosswhite just took over and saved our asses. We need a better team effort regardless of our next opponent.

They got 23 points from PF Grady and 16 from 74 rated PG Figueroa.

Summers: 9 points/2 assists/2 steals
Crosswhite: 34 points
Weisse: 4 points
Pugh: 10 points/13 boards
Locklier: 4 points/6 boards

Delic: 8 points
Shiloh: 7 points

[Radii]

Notable First Round games

BYU handles Illinois-Chicago easily, 73-58. We'll play the 5 seed, BYU next.

All 1 seeds won.


2 seed Boston College beat Holy Cross by 19. They'll get 10 seed UCLA next.


8 seed Maryland beat 9 seed North Carolina 82-77, they'll get 1 seed W. Virginia next.


10 seed NC State beat 7 seed Clemson 88-76. They get 2 seed Seton Hall next.


10 seed Virginia Tech lost in their opener, by 4 to Vanderbilt.

1 seed Georgia Tech beat Stephen F Austin 108-78 and will get 8 seed Indiana.

7 seed Ohio lost by 10 to Temple.


The ACC went 5-3 in the first round. Of course, 2-2 was guarenteed since two matchups involved two ACC teams.

[Radii]

March 24th, 2019 – NCAA Second Round

(4) Florida State (22-6) vs (5) BYU (28-6)

Tough matchup here as I try to make my second straight(and second ever) Sweet 16. BYU is rated 89 OVR (88 off/89 def/90 sht/96 reb/88 coach). They finished in a 3 way tie for first in the Mountain West with 6 seed San Diego State and 1 seed UNLV.

Their losses this year were on the road at 2 seed Syracuse, at a 22-9 Utah squad, 3 losses to UNLV(including in the Mountain West finals) and one vs San Diego State.

Scouting

PG Damien Lang – SR – 86 OVR – Lange has elite speed(95) but isn't nearly as quick(86/C+). He's a great defender, 89 def/86 steals. A solid PG with B handles/B- passing. 80 close/76 med/79 3, he can hurt you by scoring but it doesn't seem to be his main asset. 85 off the dribble/81 in traffic/80 clutch may add enough to his raw shooting though to make him a big threat. He does lead the team in scoring, barely, with 13 points/game. 3.3 assists/2.2 steals.

SG Jamual Rost – SR – 83 OVR – 90 speed/92 quickness. 82 defense/77 steals(seems a small weakness here). 88 close/76 med/68 3/82 off the dribble/82 in traffic. He's a coach on the floor with above 80 awareness on both ends. Just 6.9 ppg and the coach on the floor/awareness really seems the only reason he's in the lineup.

SF Rudy Nash – JR – 83 OVR – 6'7” SF, a good offensive rebounder but not so much on the other end. 89 close/82 med/80 3/80 off the dribble/88 in traffic. A good but not elite scorer. Average defense, average speed, average to below average ball handler... 6.9 ppg.

PF Jose Fray – SO – 77 OVR – 6'10” natural PF – 11.4 ppg/6.6 rpg. He's solid on the boards, 86 orb/85 drb. Solid in the post on offense(80), a bit weak on defense(72). 83 close/85 in traffic. He doesn't look like a big scoring threat really.

C Koki Gennie – FR – 76 OVR – 6'11” natural center. 87 orb/87 drb, will be an elite rebounder by the time he's done. 75 post off/73 post def. 81 close/87 in traffic. Seems like he's just a rebounder. 5.0 ppg/4.6 rpg.

Their second best player is Stanley Horton, rated 85 OVR, backup PG. A 94 rated defender, and a much better slasher with the ball(90 close/89 off the dribble). His awareness and some other physical ratings like str/hustle seem to be where Lang is better... but Horton is great off the bench, 8.5 ppg/3.1 apg.

They have a SG , RJ Murry, who looks better than Rost everywhere except for the awareness/coach on the floor abilities. Better shooter, better defender.

They have no big man depth. Getting inside seems to be the way to go here. If they go man to man Rost may be a bit exploitable as well. Locklier will guard Fray.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> BYU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> We have not missed a shot yet. BYU has missed 2, but has an extra 3 pointer and we have a turnover...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout b/c my starters are exhausted. Play has not slowed much. They are 8-11, 3-5 from 3. We are 9-11, 2-2 from 3, 2-2 from the line. Crosswhite 9/Pugh 6 early. Backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, 3 straight turnovers allows an 8-0 BYU run. I guess this is how their PG gets all his points... he has 11, 8 of them on layups now I believe.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Outside of Watson I felt like the backups were pretty much outclassed when BYU got most of their starters on the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> After 3 BYU 6^th man boosts(including one when they went up 37-30) we get 5 points in a row and a 3 by Weisse gets us our first 6^th man bonus.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Another BYU timeout, we're on a 9-0 run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Well neither team really ever started playing defense, it was either a turnover or a bucket. They are 19-30, 5-9 from 3. We are 17-24, 4-6 from 3. We've got 4 more free throws (5-6 vs 1-1).


Their backcourt is playing great, 13 from Lang, 13 from Rost. They're 11-13/3-5 from 3. Fray has 7 inside.


We have a strong 3 man scoring punch as well, Pugh leads us with 12 on 6-7 shooting inside. Any time I've been able to hit him in decent position he's put it in. Crosswhite has 11, Weisse 8.


Whoever plays 5 minutes of defense first wins.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Well BYU came out to play early... Pugh misses 2 shots in a row down low and they score two easy buckets and a 3 point play... I go ahead and get a quick timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout as we just can't find our scorers. Pugh is ice cold, Crosswhite has a couple but has missed two good looks too. And of course, no defense. They're on a 16-4 run to start the half, I've used another timeout. Our biggest problem, btw, is rebounding. They now have 4 offensive boards on the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. another wide open 3 missed by Crosswhite and I just get my backups in for a change of pace, starters could have gone another minute but why?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> We force a miss, they get two rebounds before putting it in. Seriously with all the great shooting the rebound margin was like 9-7 at the half. It's 23-11 now in BYU's favor and BYU has 9 offensive boards. They have almost as many offensive boards as we have total rebounds. I call an unneeded timeout after that out of sheer frustration.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh my god REBOUND. 26-12 total rebound margin now. 11-2 offensive boards. They call a timeout after we score. I get my starters back in. We've got the talent to come back if we could clean the defensive glass.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> They score on 3 straight possessions, only one of them on a putback so that's good news right? Crosswhite with a drive by his man but he's just abused inside by their PF Fray and cannot finish.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up by 21 and then we go on a quick little 7-2 run. Its almost certainly too late but its something.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Yeah they get it right back up over 20 and we just can't do anything about it.

(5) BYU 93
(4) Florida State 70

After a 1 point game at the half, BYU outscores us 49-27 in the 2^nd to blow the game open. Rebounding is the entire story. I'm almst certain the rebound margin was 9-7 after a half, I noticed the totals as being low b/c we were both shooting so well. They had that 9-7 edge. Well, the margin at the end of the game? 38-19. They took 14 more field goal attempts AND 9 more free throws. They get 21 from Lang and Rost, 18 from PF Fray.

Summers: 2 points
Crosswhite: 13 points
Weisse: 13 points
Pugh: 16 points/2 boards
Locklier: 8 points/7 boards

Shiloh: 8 points

[Radii]

Well, after thinking that we had a shot at a 1 seed midway through the ACC season, we bomb out on our tough games in the 2nd half of the conference season, and both the ACC and NCAA Tournament are a disappointment. I was able to build up my job security a good deal this year which should offset the expected down year I'm going to have next year.


NCAA Tournament


Final Four

EAST: 1 seed Oklahoma State beats 3 seed Texas A&M to make it
WEST: 3 seed Arizona upsets 1 seed West Virginia
SOUTH: 3 seed Pitt upsets 1 seed UNLV
MIDWEST: 5 seed Ohio State takes out 10 seed Temple


Oklahoma State crushes Arizona 103-73. Pitt beats Ohio State in a squeaker 75-74.

Oklahoma State 74
Pittsburgh 66

The cowboys out of the big 12 win the national title.

ACC Review:

(1) Georgia Tech: 2nd round loss to (8) Indiana
(2) Boston College: 2nd round loss to (10) UCLA
(4) FSU: 2nd round loss to (5) BYU
(7) Clemson: 1st round loss to (10) NC State
(8) Maryland: 2nd round loss to (1) WVU
(9) UNC: 1st round loss to (8) Maryland
(10) NC State: 2nd round loss to (2) Seton Hall
(10) Virginia Tech: 1st round loss to (7) Vanderbilt


holy crap choke city. 8 teams in the tournament, including a 1, 2 and 4 seed... and not a single team in the sweet 16.

[Radii]

2019 Graduating Seniors

These aren't my players and its the entire team, so i'm not going to spend as much time here as I usually would.


SG Darrall Crosswhite - 86 OVR

17.3 ppg, star of the team.


PG Joey Summers - 85 OVR

6.9 ppg/3.6 apg, starting PG but as you've seen on earlier teams when I have a quality scorer at SG/SF I struggle to get my PG points.

SF Kyile Weisse - 83 OVR

10.9 ppg, started the final third of the season.

SF Tron Watson - 82 OVR

10.3 ppg, started the first two thirds of the season.

SF Henry Shiloh - 82 OVR

4.7 ppg

PF Randy Pugh - 81 OVR

11.1 ppg/7.6 rpg

PG Simplice Duncan - 80 OVR

4.8 ppg/1.9 apg

PG Dusan Moss - 74 OVR

who?


Center BB Locklier will be returning next season, and I have a few walkons that I didn't cut, backup center Ben Slater(73 OVR) is back too, so two guys that saw consistent minutes out of my top 10 return, 8 gone.

[Radii]

2019 Awards


SF Francis Tucker out of Baylor, rated 89 OVR, is player of the year. 22.7 ppg/5.9 rpg.


OSU's Sean Sutton is the coach of the year.

Duke's PG Alfred Ball, rated 87 OVR, 11.8 ppg/3.8 apg, is national freshman of the year.


First Team All-American

PG Brendon Melvin - 90 OVR - WVU - 20.6 ppg
SG Taylor Jimenez - 89 OVR - Illinois - 21.6 ppg/6.8 rpg
SF Francis Tucker - 89 OVR - Baylor - 22.7 ppg/5.9 rpg
PF Grant Greenleaf - 88 OVR - Syracuse - 19.4 ppg/6.1 rpg
C John David Boylan - 82 OVR - Fordham - 24.9 ppg/7.0 rpg

All are seniors. No ACC players in the second team.

ACC Awards

Kermit Davis of Boston College is the ACC Coach of the year.

C Taurence Frye of NC State scores 17.6 ppg/5.7 rpg for ACC Player of the year honors.

Duke's PG Alfred Ball, national freshman of the year, is also the ACC Freshman of the year.


First Team All-ACC

PG Lou Douglas - 88 OVR - Ga Tech - 14.6 ppg/3.8 apg
SG Darrall Crosswhite - 86 OVR - FSU - 17.3 ppg/2.4 rpg/2.8 apg
SF Marquel Maclies - 87 OVR - UNC - 14.4 ppg/5.6 rpg
PF Cody Dilligard - 85 OVR - Ga Tech - 13.3 ppg/6.9 rpg
C Taurance Frye - 84 OVR - NC State - 17.6 ppg/5.7 rpg

Frye is a junior, all others are seniors.


Pugh makes 2nd team all ACC.

[Radii]

None of my players are drafted it appears. I've never had one drafted so I'm not sure where it would show, but all of them "graduated", not "entered draft"

UNC PG BA Goode, rated 90 OVR, leaves early as a junior.

Duke PG Darnell Lavender, rated 88 OVR, leaves after his junior year for the draft.

A few others in the ACC are drafted but those are the only underclassmen.

[Radii]

I've only got one attribute. I still expect a top 20 recruiting class and probably a 5* recruit but those will be things I earn after next year since they occur in the offseason.

I rather randomly decide to go for discipline with my point this year.

Offense: C
Defense: A
Teaching: A+
Scouting: C-
Charisma: A+
Discipline: C+

[Radii]

I'm not eligible for offers this year, and there is one I might have loosely considered(probably not with this recruiting class coming in, but one of the teams I might have jumped to...).

Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and DePaul are all available this year.

Maryland hires Illinois-Chicago's head coach. He's the hot commodity this year, top on everyone's list.

Michigan hires Bradley's coach.

Nebraska goes down into the small conference ranks and pulls Winthrop's coach.

Depaul grabs... CP's coach. Cal Poly?

UNLV hires Army's coach, and Wyoming hires Akron's coach, two Mountain West openings.

Maryland, Michigan(Beilein) and UNLV(kruger) all had retirements. Nebrasa and DePaul were firings.

[Radii]

I bring in two new assistants, firing my A+ offensive coach for a much more well rounded assistant, and firing my B scouting director for a better scout with better side stats.


Ousmane Killingsworth:

Offense: B+
Defense: B-
Teaching: D
Scouting: A
Charisma: C-
Discipline: C

Ian Atkinson:

Offense: A
Defense: A-
Teaching: B
Scouting: C
Charisma: D
Discipline: D

This gives me much better balance across offense/defense/teaching while giving me the best scout I've ever had at the same time. Hopefully an overall improvement.

[Radii]

The ACC is not involved in any transfers.

[Tellistto]

Really enjoying the read, Radii. Looking forward to this recruiting class, and seeing how it grows.

Tell

[Radii]

Offseason Recruiting

So if you remember we're already filled a full normal class that is practically fab 5 level. 5 four star players, the worst rated #69 in the nation. A PG, SG, SF, and two PF's. #27 overall SG, #35 OVR PG, and 3 guys in the 60s.

But we're not done, we have 3 more scholarships. We have two returning players that saw legit time on the floor, they are both big men. So we will be focusing on our backcourt.


We have 3 offers out currently:

5* JC SO - SG - JS Moye - I'm liking the idea of a JC player or three to give us some balance so we don't just bring in 8 more freshmen and continue this horrid cycle. Moye is at 100% and will likely sign with us over Arizona State and BYU. He's from Vegas.

5* PG John Mohammad - #23 OVR/#12 PG - HS All American - Syracuse has an offer out and appears to be at 100%. We're only at 98%. So we expect to lose out.

5* PG Damien Forte - #21 OVR/#10 PG - West Virginia or Syracuse can still swoop in but they have their eyes elsewhere. We've only got him at 92%, but if no one else steals him we can probably land him in the first week.


I have one legit backup target:

4* JC SO - SG - Dominick Hart - We have him at 96%. Va Tech and Xavier are also in the mix. He has no offers yet though so if I want I can probably go get him in the first week as well.

I have a number of other 3* targets that I may or may not try to get.


Initial Signing Day

5* JC SG J.S. Moye signs with FLORIDA STATE.

5* PG John Mohammed signs with Syracuse.

I've earned a coaching skill point for landing my first 5* recruit.


So we stil have a 5* PG that we have an offer out to and a reasonable expectation to land.

I *probably* should go after another JC player for my last scholarship but the top 3* guys rated in the early 100's often turn out really well... I make an offer to #115 OVR PG Pearson McClurkin out of Jacksonville, FL. We had him at 97% and should land him easily.

Week 1

5* PG Damien Forte signs with FLORIDA STATE

3* PG Pearson McClurkin signs with FLORIDA STATE



So there you have it. We have an incoming recruiting class with 2 5* players, 5 4* players and one of the top tier 3* players in the nation.


5* SG JS Moye - JC SO - Las Vegas

There's just so many players to cover I'll go over the main highlights... A- speed, B- def/B+ steals. B+ close/C+ med/B- 3/B- off the dribble. B+ potential.


5* PG Damien Forte - #21 OVR/#10 PG - Toronto

C handling/B+ passing. C+ def/B steals. B+ close/C+ med/C 3/A- off the dribble. A- potential.


4* SG Ike Barrett - #27 OVR/#10 SG - Miami Beach, FL

B speed/B- quickness, B+ def/B- steals. B close/C+ med/C- 3. B- o awareness/B- D awareness.


4* PG Damion Alloway - #35 OVR/#19 PG - Jacksonville, FL

B+ speed. C+ Def/C+ steals. C+ hands/B passing. B+ close/C- med/C+ 3/A- off the dribble.


4* PF Brice Sanders - #63 OVR/#6 PF - Fort Myers, FL - 6'10"

C+ orb/C+ dbr. C blocks. C+ post off/B post def. B- close/A- Med/C in traffic. B+ dunk/A- vert.

4* PF Otis Sneed - #64 OVR/#7 PF - Mobile, AL - 6'8"

C+ orb/C+ drb. C+ blk. B- post off/B post def. B close/B+ med/B 3/B in traffic. A-vert/Bstr/B- hustle.

4* SF Kueth Ozier - #69 OVR/#13 SF - Houston, TX

B speed/C- quickness. C close/B+ med/C 3. B+ str. Good awareness, good inside play for a SF(B's for post offense/defense/defensive rebounding). Not sure what to expect here.


3* PG Pearson McClurkin - #115 OVR/#50 PG - Jacksonville, FL

We didn't scout him fully... B close/C+ med/C 3/B+ off the dribble. No idea on his defense.


So we get one JC player, and McClurkin can hopefully be redshirted just to balance out things a bit. That would get us down to 6 players in the class that come in as freshman. Maybe we cut someone along the way or maybe we have one more insane recruiting season in 4 years and that fixes everything.


Whew...

[Radii]

Really enjoying the read, Radii. Looking forward to this recruiting class, and seeing how it grows.

Thanks :) This many seniors/This many recruits is a bit overwhelming heh. But it'll be fun to take the same group for 4 years and see how we can do too.

[Radii]

Around the ACC

Boston College: 1 top 100.
Clemson: 1 5*. 4 top 100 recruits.
Duke: 1 recruit only, 4* SF, #52 OVR.
Georgia Tech: 1 5*, 3 top 100 recruits. 5* is a HS AA.
Maryland: 1 5*, 2 top 100.
UNC: #1 overall. #5 overall.
NC State: #92 overall.
Va Tech: 4 top 50 recruits (all 4* from 39-45)


Va Tech has a very nice haul, as does Ga Tech. UNC though... 2 scholarships, #1 and #5 overall recruits.

[Radii]

Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Florida State
2. Syracuse
3. Virginia Tech
4. California
5. West Virginia
6. Colorado
7. Washington State
8. Louisville
9. Ole Miss
10. Clemson

11. North Carolina
13. Georgia Tech
25. Boston College
38. Maryland

Well, I'm happy to get the coaching attribute for having the #1 class. It only popped up once but presumably I got 2 points.. top 20 class, and #1 class. But at the same time getting the #1 class this way feels a bit cheesy. I mean I wasn't going to not recruit these guys, but it isn't the most rewarding accomplishment i've ever had either :)

[Radii]

I don't make any scheduling changes this year. I think I have one scholarship at most so I'm not trying as hard to schedule around the early recruiting period.

[Radii]

Yeah, I'm doing this on purpose too, I like a little suspense before I go look at my top rated recruiting class. I do see my overall rating, and it makes me quite excited.

ACC Preview

1. NC State 92 OVR
2. North Carolina 90 OVR
3. Boston College 90 OVR
4. Clemson 89 OVR
5. Maryland 89 OVR
6. Georgia Tech 87 OVR
7. Va Tech 87 OVR
8. Duke 87 OVR
9. Wake Forest 86 OVR
10. Florida State 85 OVR
11. Virginia 81 OVR
12. Miami 78 OVR


Miami and Virginia are in freefall basically. Both had big recruiting classes last year with zero 4* recruits between them. They're doormats at this point.

ACC Accolades

Best Overall Player: SG Deki Joiner - JR - Boston College - 89 OVR
Best Freshman: SG Phil Atangana - North Carolina - 83 OVR
Best Shooter: PG Alfred Ball - SO - Duke - 89 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG JB Matsui - JR - Va Tech - 84 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: PG Alfred Ball - SO - Duke - 89 OVR
Best Defender: PF Marcel Konate - JR - North Carolina - 88 OVR


All those underclassmen... the best freshman is rated 83 OVR.

So I'm pretty stoked to see that we're rated 85 OVR with just one returning starter. Time to see what we've got.

[Tellistto]

It's almost like Christmas!

[Radii]

Alright writing up the new roster will take awhile and there's like 4 ppl reading right now, so in a very short nutshell:


My 3* PG came in rated 70 OVR, near certain redshirt.

4* PG Alloway 73 OVR

5* PG Forte 76 OVR, I was hoping higher but he has B potential.

My two 4* PF's are rated 78 OVR and 77 OVR. Both grew an inch in the offseason and come in 6'11" and 6'9" which seems quite a bit better than 6'10" and 6'8".

My 4* SF comes in also rated 78 OVR. My 4* SG is also 78 OVR but it shows as +1 so maybe he was originally 77 and improved during the ABL?


And the star of the class is the 5* JC player, he comes in a junior so he won't be around nearly as long, but he starts out rated 81 OVR, and will be the only guy on the roster rated higher than 80.


Some of the lower guys have some exciting potentials... there's an A-, a B+, and a couple B's in the mix, so we should get to see some development out of these guys unlike what I was used to at Ohio.


more after I sift through everyone and decide what my likely opening day lineups will be.

[Radii]

Well I don't think I'm going to be redshirting anyone after all. And after initially getting excited about my 85 OVR team roster strength, well that is 3rd worst in the ACC :) It's going to be a looooong season.


Starting Lineup

PG Damien Forte - FR - 6'1" 183 lbs - 76 OVR

B Potential out of the #21 recruit in the land last year. 86 speed/82 quickness. 80 defense/83 steals. 81 hands/88 passing. 83 close/73 med/72 3/84 off the dribble. His passing and defense is really exciting. He can drive to the hoop a bit now but will not be a serious scoring threat for a season or two I imagine. With this potential though I'm hoping he turns into a defensive wizard.


SG JS Moye - JR - 6'4" 188 lbs - 81 OVR

90 speed/86 quickness. 82 defense/83 steals. 86 close/76 med/80 3/81 off the dribble. 95 hustle which is abnormally high. C+ potential, and just two years on the team as a JC player. He's the only thing close to a 3 point threat on the team I believe.


SF Kueth Ozier - FR - 6'5" 237 lbs - 78 OVR

Ozier might end up being the best player out of this class. B+ potential, he'll hit 80 OVR this year. 83 speed/82 quickness. 77 defense. All ok numbers for a SF. 78 close/80 med/65 3. Not an outside threat but should be a stud inside. 90 in traffic. 74 vert/75 str/84 hustle(C+/B+/B). He has very good rebound and post numbers for a SF. He's a bit small compared to a lot of SF's but he can score in the post against weaker forwards.

PF Otis Sneed - FR - 6'9" 220 lbs - 78 OVR

C potential. 80 orb/82 drb. 81 post off/81 post def. 91 close/91 in traffic. 72 vert/71 str/79 hustle. 75 mid range jumper so he can step out too. His rebound and post numbers for a freshman are quite good, and he looks to have the potential of an elite scorer.


C BB Locklier - SR - 6'11" 241 lbs - 76 OVR

Not my most talented center, but he's out there for a few reasons... he started last year, so he's going to be pissed all year if I bench him. He is my only good offensive rebounder and best post defender. 87 orb/80 drb. 73 post off/83 post def. 83 close/87 in traffic.


2nd String

PG Pearson McClurkin - FR - 5'10" 170 lbs - 70 OVR

My initial thought here was to redshirt him but if I do I'm playing a walkon rated worse than 70 at SF... might as well let him develop with some on court time. B+ potential. There isn't much now to be excited about. 78 defense, poor speed. 80 hands/79 passing. 80 close/71 med/73 3. 82 off the dribble, which is quite good. Really he'll likely get tossed aside if I recruit another backcourt player at any point. But B+ potential... I'll learn a bit more about development with him at this level.


PG Damion Alloway - FR - 6'0" 185 lbs - 73 OVR

Alloway has a lot to be excited about, big difference over McClurkin. A- potential first of all. 92 speed, though just 84 quickness. 80 defense is a much better starting point. 85 hands/84 passing. 83 close/67 med/77 3/84 off the dribble. An ok 3 point shooter who will develop into a good one hopefully.

SG Ike Barrett - FR - 6'4" 199 lbs - 78 OVR

There's a lot to be excited about with Barret too. 88 speed/87 quickness. 87 def/76 steals. 84 close/78 med/64 3. just 79 in traffic. C+ potential and the highest awareness of anyone on the roster... 75 off/74 def. I prefer 3 point shooters at SG, but Barrett hopefully will be a major threat to drive and looks like a speedster and defensive stud.

PF Brice Sanders - FR - 6'11" 228 lbs - 77 OVR

C+ potential. 80 orb/80 drb. 75 post off/82 post def. 76 blocks. 91 close/78 med/83 in traffic. Sanders will almost certainly start after Locklier graduates, and I hope to get decent production from him off the bench this year.

C Benjamin Slater - SO - 6'10" 230 lbs - 74 OVR

79 orb/79 drb. 87 blocks(A-, very very good). 76 post off/76 post def. 84 close/87 in traffic. Slater was my backup PF last year but was not used much at all. I don't expect I'll go to him a lot this year either.



The only guy that saw any time last year that is getting pushed aside now is walkon center Oscar Delic. He was a better scorer than Slater... he's 7 feet tall but his skills are terrible. If Slater is totally worthless I'll consider Delic.

[Radii]

I'll obviously learn a lot more once I get on the court with these guys, but the way I expect it to go is that Moye, Ozier, and Sneed end up as guys who all look to score any time they get the ball. Ozier trying to drive to the hoop, Moye a little of everything, and Sneed my primary post option. Moye, like Crosswhite last year, will be defaulted to more than the others simply because he is the best pure shooter so if I'm stuck late in the shot clock I'll find him. My PG and Locklier likely end up distributor/rebounder/defenders who don't shoot first. Locklier had a couple big games last year but that wasn't the norm for him.

I really have visions of Sneed as an elite post scorer, something I've never had before.

[Radii]

Recruiting Preview

So i'm graduating two guys. Starting Center Locklier, and a reserve PF Marshall Osimani who only sees the court by accident.

Even after those two guys leave I'll have four big men on the roster.. though Delic and Slater are not really good.

I also have one junior on the roster, my JC transfer Moye.


I haven't looked at all at the recruiting board yet,but I'm thinking I probably want to shoot for one big man and then just go best available with my other scholarship. I have two PG's that I will likely be happy with for 4 years, so SG/SF is probably where that 2nd scholarship is more likely to end up.


I end up with 6 targets initially that seem to be worthy of serious attention.

Only one 5* in the bunch, a 6'9" PF out of Texas named Francis Sparrow. #24 Overall/HS All-American(the one recruiting goal I still have left to accomplish). We're right in the mix with some midwest schools for him.

Another big man, a 7 footer in the top 100, Florentino McCants out of Hosuton, #94 OVR, #4 Center(go go recruit distribution).

We're also looking at 3 SG/SF types that have 80%+ interest in us right away, most notably the #83 overall recruit/#9 SF, Jamon Hodge out of Atlanta. He loves Florida State, 88% for us. He likes Tennessee and Kentucky too but if we go after him right away we're likely to land him.

And the only reason not to go hard after hodge right away would be to land a higher rated recruit... #43 OVR/#15 SG, Stevin Samuels out of Minneapolis also has us rated real high, 83%, in the mix with 4 other power conference schools.

I spend the first week primarily scouting.


... hmmm what did I do? cut someone? Maybe my roster was full with a couple walkons I'd kept... wel, I don't know what I did but I have 3 scholarships, not 2. Which is good b/c i was about to throw a curveball here with one of my scholarships, mentioned below:

Initial Offers

5* PG Francis Sparrow - 6'9" 222 lbs - Brownsville, TX - #24 OVR/#2 PF

Looks like a defensive stud, moderate offensive abilities, only an average rebounder which worries me a bit. If he wasn't rated so highly I honestly dunnio if I'd go for him. Seems a bit of a long shot early though, but I'll work on him.

4* C Florentino McCants - 7'0" 215 lbs - Houston, TX - #94 OVR/#4 C

Looks like he might have some strong skills in addition to his size. Rebounding and Post numbers all B-. He's a damn stick. 215 lbs at 7 feet tall? Big Program and Coaching are #1/#2, so hopefully staying near home doesn't trump us out of a shot at him. Texas Tech and Texas are high on his list but we've got him at 90%.


4* SG Prosper Day - 6'3" 204 LBS - Conway, AR - #91 OVR/#31 SG

I didn't mention Day at all, like I said, a bit of a curveball. A- close. B 3 point shooting. I'd really, really like a sharpshooter on the roster. I don't have anything close to that right now. Day doesn't look deficient on defense or anything, so he gets my last scholarship.


I am working on the other two guys I'd mentioned above... a top 100 SF and a top 50 SG. I dont' expect to get both big men, I'm hoping to get one of them, the SG, Day, and then will drop off to another target.

[Radii]

After two weeks I drop off the HS All-American. He is from Texas, wants to stay near home, and gets offers from Oklahoma State and Baylor. I have no shot.

I shift my offer over to SF Jamon Hodge. I'll easily get him to 100%. He has an offer from Kentucky too so that will be a good battle.


Because I can't resist early season recruiting, I sim my first game:


Heh. November 14, 2019

at Florida State 58
William & Mary 57

Its going to be a long season. Ozier 12, Moye 6. Locklier 10. Locklier came off the bench, meaning the CPU totally fucked up my situational lineups. They get reset at random sometimes. UGh.



Ok, all three of my scholarship offer guys are going to be at 100% when the early signing period starts. They're going to all have multiple teams at 100%.

C McCants has Texas and Texas Tech at 100%. I've got the only offer so far. LSU could get to 100% with an offer too.

SF Hodge has offers from me and from Kentucky. UAB and Georgia Tech would get to 100% with an offer too.

SG Day only has an offer from me. Mississippi State would get to 100% with an offer.


I'm playing in the "Deoderant Classic" this week... two weeks before signing day. Its an 8 team tournament. I'll play at least two of the games most likely. The first is against a Fairfield team from the MAAC that is rated 82 OVR... not much below us.

After that we'll either get Michigan State or Tennessee. A couple preseason top 25 teams are in the bottom half as well.

[Radii]

November 21, 2019 – Deoderant Classic

Florida State (1-0) vs Fairfield (0-1)

I'm not going to try to scout Fairfield as closely as I normally would as I'm a bit overwhelmed just with my own guys for now. They have an 80 rated SG, Sylverster McCaleb, an 82 rated SF, Bridgewater, and two decent big men. They are led by a 69 rated freshman PG though. SG McCaleb is a highly rated 3 point shooter, we'll stick to him harder than the others.

Fairfield is rated 82 OVR (81 off/82 def/83 sht/90 reb/83 coach). We are 85 OVR (84 off/84 def/87 sht/87 reb/84 coach).

I expect rebounding to be a season long problem. Our best defensive rebounder has an 82 rating. This is a huge problem. Also a problem... team unity. Fairfield 43, Florida State 24.

Huh-huh. Fairfield University abbreviates to FU (yea not in game I'm sure, so sue me and my 13 year old sense of humor).
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> FU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 for Moye(SG), 2 for Sneed(PF). That's despite Sneed taking 5 shots and Moye 2. Also something I hadn't mentioned in my roster writeup. Moye is a 73 rated FT shooter. I hate bad free throw shooting from my guards. Bleh! 1-2 so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Fairfield.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Moye with 10, Sneed 4. I didn't have much success trying to get Ozier involved.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh... Alloway, he's a PG but I'm playing him at SG with the backups for now, 77 rated 3 point shooter. He has the slowest release I've ever seen. Its a set shot, no elevation, but he like has to set both his feet, test the wind direction, find just the right handle on the ball, then he goes up to shoot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Backup PF Sanders hits his first shot, timeout Fairfield.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the starters back in. Couple buckets inside and an Alloway 3 get us out to a 3 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Locklier with 3 fouls, Sanders gets to play center for awhile.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> They pull ahead and we struggle to score, but our mediocre rebounding really kills us here as we allow a 5 point possession thanks to two separate trips to the free throw line and 3 offensive boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> When Moye went cold, we struggled like crazy. We shoot 33% on the half. They shoot around 45%.


They've got two 80 rated players, Bridgewater scores 13, McCalebb scores 9.


We get 13 from Moye but he cools off later in the half, missing his last 3 shots after starting 4-6. Sneed is 1-5 inside, they double him real fast. Ozier is 0-2 and I'm having a hard time getting him anything really, he isn't a 3 point shooter and isn't getting by his man easily.


Fairfield also plays a 2-3 zone which I struggle with in general but even more with this team right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> McCalebb picked up his 2^nd foul with about 40 seconds left in the first half, and picks up his 3^rd about 40 seconds into this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Its going to be a fun season. Timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a little going here, and we've only drawn 3 fouls this half, but we got the 3^rd foul on McCalebb and the 2^nd and 3^rd on Bridgewater. So we've got a pretty big edge there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timout to get the backups in, starters are gassed. Sneed scored our last 4 and has hit 3 of 4 this half, an improvement for sure. Moye misses a couple open 3's, and Ozier still struggles to get anything resembling a good shot. Locklier is in w/ the backups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Well there's a run! Mostly luck. Barrett... rated 65 from 3, drains a 3 as time expires on the shot clock. Then we get steals on 3 straight possessions, twice going hard to the rim in traffic, clearly should have pulled it out. The last time Barrett goes up and has an edge on his man, drawing a foul and making his shot. He hits the FT, 6-0 run though it was a bit ugly. Timeout Fairfield.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, they get their stars back in and immediately go back up 10. I call a timeout and rush my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier is on the board! We get a steal and he gets the ball in transition and hits a nice little running 1 handed shot in the lane.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed and Locklier miss inside, allowing them to go up 10. Ozier draws a foul in transition to get it back to 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> We cut it to 5 with a 3 by Moye, they get a long 3 by McCalebb to make it 8 again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the lead down to 6 and try fouling...
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They hit their free throws and we do something horrible on offense that wasn't getting Moye the ball immediately. There's no real way to describe it but it ended in a poor crosscourt pass and a turnover. That basically did it

Fairfield 74
Florida State 65

Moye ended up with a huge game kinda by default. Though I think I have his 3 point stroke a bit off, I'll need to practice it. Fairfield gets 22 from Bridgewater, 17 from McCalebb and their other starters get into double digits as well.

Forte: 0 points - he can't shoot the 3 and I didn't find a lot of good spots to try to drive.
Moye: 29 points (9-17, 4-10 from 3, 7-8 FT)
Ozier: 4 points/6 boards (1-5)
Sneed: 12 points/6 boards (5-11)
Locklier: 0 poitns/4 boards

Barrett: 8 points
Alloway: 5 points
Sanders: 5 points/7 boards

We only shot 40.7% on the game, I usually shoot in the 48% range for a season with my good teams, so that'll have to improve. They outrebounded us but only 34-29, and the offensive boards ended up beign pretty much even.

Some interesting things that I'll need to adjust to. Sneed is my first left handed big man. Turnarounds that were really smooth looking with Pugh last year are awkward turning the wrong way left handed awful looking with Sneed. I actually have no idea if that impacts the success of the shot.

Ozier doesn't have an explosive driving move, nor does he have a 3 point shot. That makes it hard for me to get him a lot of baskets. He has a good, but not great, mid range jumper, and I really dont like taking midrange jumpers.

Except for Barrett off the bench, I don't have any excellent defenders. Lots of guys with an on ball defense rating in the 78-82 range. That's going to really hurt me against better players. Just like the fact that I've got a bunch of guys with rebound ratings in the 80 range but no outstanding rebounders is going to hurt.

[Radii]

I did the 3 point drill with Moye, I think I was releasing the shot button slightly late with him. He's going to be really streaky regardless I think. But I can at least perfect his release.

[Radii]

Next up is a 92 rated top 10 Michigan State team... yeah I'll just sim that.

Michigan State 79
Florida State 63

11 from Forte and Moye each, 9 from locklier/8 sneed/7 ozier.


We close the tournament against the host school, Central Florida. I'll play that and get to recruits signing tomorrow.

[Radii]

November 23, 2019 – Deoderant Classic

Florida State (1-2) vs Central Florida (1-2)

Central Florida is rated 80 OVR (78 off/80 def/82 sht/87 reb/86 coach). Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was 2005... its been a rough road for the knights. They have had a tough road in this little tournament, getting two top 20 teams, losing badly to both Syracuse and Missouri.

Scouting

PG Will Gale – JR – 78 OVR – Gale looks a lot like my freshmen... ok speed, ok defense, a good steals guy(82/B). Also a very good passer(89/B+). 88 close/77 med/72 3/79 off the dribble. He looks like a guy that could be good with a lot more development but who isn't just yet.

SG Vytas Stepp – JR – 74 OVR – Poor shooter. 84 close/69 med/66 3. 82 defense/80 steals, good speed/quickness, butnot great (87/85). The fact that he can really only score efficiently inside kills his usefulness.

SF Trey DeLeon – SR – 68 OVR – natural SF, 6'6”. poor defense, poor shooting, poor scorer... this guy is terrible. 4 points/game so far.

PF Predrag Sowers – JR – 73 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 82 orb/87 drb. 78 post off/74 post def. 80 close/83 in traffic. These guys are better rebounders but suffer elsewhere. 12.3 ppg so far.

C Diego Viegas – JR – 76 OVR – 7'1” counts for a lot, 249 lbs, strong(83/a-). 82 orb/83 drb. 87 post off/78 post def. 92 close/85 in traffic. He rebounds as well as our guys and he's a lot bigger, and he looks like a very strong inside scorer. 16 ppg through 3 games so far, i'm worried about him putting up monster numbers.

UCF has one backup rated over 70, a freshman PF who is a decent scorer. Looks like we just need to slow them down inside. Other than rebounding we should have a huge edge everywhere.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UCF
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Decent offense for us but we really can't stop anyone. I get a timeout to get the backups in. Sneed, Ozier and Moye all with 4-5 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Solid stretch for Barrett and Alloway, they have all 10 of these points I believe. UCF is going inside every possession and is cold right now. Timeout UCF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Close back and forth game... Locklier just picked up foul #3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Fun back and forth half. If this were against North Carolina it'd be awesome. Unfortunately, Central Florida is the level of competition that generates fun back and forth games right now :D


Sneed has 12 for us, 5-7 inside, great half. We also have 7 from Moye and Ozier.


UCF has 13 from SG Stepp, who has managed 2 3's despite terrible 3 point shooting(this is why I never run zone, 65 rated 3 point shooters are enough to kill a zone). Viegas has 10 for them, their big center I was worried would have a huge day. But he's 4-10 from the field with a couple free throws, I can accept that.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Terrible start to the 2^nd half. Sneed can't make anything and we have a couple turnovers. Stepp has 6 for them already and 19 total. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout to get my backups in. I was ready to sub them in around 14:50... locklier playing with the backups since he had foul trouble. Viegas has 15 and Stepp 19 now, we can't stop either.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout UCF after we put up 4 straight. Alloway is showing signs of what he will be able to do in the future, he can streak to the basket if he gets a step on his man... really nice double cluch shot in traffic to get it down to 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> The backups lead us on a big run, 12-0 at this point, and we've taken the lead back. Starters are coming back in as UCF calls another timeout. Alloway and Barrett both put up double figure games and are huge today.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They end our run at 16-0.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier with a great move to burn his man and UCF with another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Our ball, just a 6 point lead now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We run an awful play and Forte ends up trying a poor 3. They end up trying a quick and just awful 3 with Viegas that makes no sense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed, after missing his first 4 shots of the half has made his last two, this one a huge one to put us back up 8.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Another stop and an Ozier bucket make it a 10 point game with a minute left, and that's where it ends.

Florida State 78
Central Florida 68

Central Florida had two players and got the most they could out of them. Stepp put up 21 and Viegas 19 and 9 boards. But as I mentioned in the first half, if Viegas was going to shoot 4-10 he's welcome to ... and he ends up 8-20/3-6 at the line.

Forte: 2 poitns/2 assists/2 steals
Moye: 13 points
Ozier: 13 points/5 boards
Sneed: 16 points/4 boards
Locklier: 4 points/5 boards

Barrett: 13 points
Alloway: 11 points

Barrett and Alloway were huge off the bench. Moye was 1-5 from 3 but was productive driving to the basket.

This gives us 7th place in our preseason tourney.

[Radii]

I resist the impulse to sim our last game before the early signing period starts, and I assure you this is a tough impulse to resist... but we'll be simming our next few games after this and its actually a good road matchup for us so I want to play this one.

November 27, 2019

Florida State (2-2) at Ohio State (3-1)

Ohio State is down quite a bit, rated 81 OVR (79 off/83 def/81 sht/84 reb/95 coach). Thad Matta just picked up his 400^th win but seems to have a weak team this year.

Speaking of total wins, I am 249-130 right now, so if I could pull this off it'd be win #250.

Scouting

PG Raymond Koundjia – SR – 75 OVR – good defense (86), average handler/passer. Above average speed but poor quickness. 82 close/72 med/62 3. 8 ppg this year so far.

SG Berry Chapman – JR – 73 OVR – 88 speed/86 quickness, their fastest player for sure. 85 close/79 med/68 3. 79 defense is terrible, 79 steals is pretty good though. 7 ppg so far this year.

SF Spencer Brady – JR – 73 OVR – 6'7” natural SF. He's... meh. B rated speed, defense, steals, C ratings all over the place for shooting. Not a great athlete. 7.8 ppg, he has some size and that's about all I can say for him as a SF.

PF Reyshawn White – FR – 75 OVR – 6'10” natural PF. 78 orb/77 drb. 79 post off/74 post def. 91 close/84 in traffic. Definitely an offensive minded player, 9 points/6 boards early this year so far.

C Len Taylor – SO – 70 OVR – 6'8” P. 78 orb/81 drb. 70 post off/72 post def. 80 close/87 in traffic. He has good potential and will turn into one of their better players but he's not there. 2.3 ppg so far.

Ohio State has 9 players rated between 70 and 75. I'm surprised how much a highly rated coach like Thad Matta is struggling here.

They have a backup guard, Ellis Wilson, who is rated 79 from 3 and is their best overall shooter. They don't have another 3 point threat and look really weak overall. If we were at home I'd assume we'd blow them out but on the road... who knows.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> OSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Defense... not playing it. Their SF Brady, 69 rated 3 point shooter after confidence boosts, is 2-2 from 3 and has 8 points. Backups are in for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Still not playing defense. Starters are back in, trying to get a few stops here and there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> We hit a 3 but it was just after time expired in the half... going in trailing by 5. They get 12 from SF Brady and 6 from their PF and C, White and Taylor. White isn't a surprise, Taylor is though. They're shooting just way too well.. 16-28, even with 3-10 from 3. 13-18 inside the arc.


We are just 11-27 but have drawn 9 fouls and are 14-15 from the line. Moye leads us with 9 points, Forte and Sneed each have 6. Sneed had a rough half, 2-7 from the field. Forte I was able to get a couple drives to the hoop, which he's not bad at if I can catch him just right.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to rest my starters a bit so I don't have to pull them right now, and to try to get some momentum shifting. Ohio State isn't playing well we just aren't able to take advantage of anything...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Have I mentioned that its going to be a long season? I get a timeout, my 3^rd of the half(had to call one to avoid a held ball earlier) and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Heh this is the first time I quick sim a game and it almost ends up the other way. At the 9 minute mark we fall behind by 22 and I'm just not getting anything to work, it feels totally hopeless, so I say screw it and sim ahead... and we lose by 4 in OT. Whoops!

Ohio State 88
Florida State 84

Forte: 10 points
Moye: 18 points
Ozier: 3 points
Sneed: 12 points/5 boards
Locklier: 6 points

McClurkin: 10 points
Alloway: 8 points
Sanders: 8 points

I don't see how we possibly came back... it was a slow nasty stretch where we were struggling to get a shot off, they might take all 30 seconds to score, or we'd go a couple possessions with no one scoring then they'd run off 4 straight... but the big theme was we were not scoring at all. It was 69-47 when I simmed it out. Owell!

[Radii]

Our next 2 or 3 games are against presumed cupcakes so its recruiting time.

Early Signing Period

I've got 3 scholarship offers out. I sim up to the last day before the signing period starts.


4* C Florentino McCants - 7 feet tall, looks to be a decent rebounder and post player. We've still got the only offer out on him, Texas and Texas Tech look to be asleep at the wheel. #94 OVR/#4 C out of Houston. I'm hoping this means he's mine.

4* SF Jamon Hodge - 6'5" SF, #83 OVR/#9 SF out of Atlanta. Looks to be a decent athelete and well rounded SF. He doesn't look like a superstar anywhere but I still have a real hard time judging SF types. We have him at 100% and have for a long time... so does Kentucky. He'll sign with one of us on day 1 I presume.

4* SG Prosper Day - 6'3" SG, #91 OVR/#31 SG. I likely had a shot at better ranked players, but Day has a 'B' 3 point rating as a SG. For comparison Moye is a B- with an 80 rating. So Day looks like a decent defender and all around SG, who will hopefully come in as a freshman as a 82 or better rated 3 point shooter and develop from there. That's the dream, at least. Day is deciding between Florida State and Mississippi State.


I expect all 3 of these guys to sign immediately.


Signing Day


SF Jamon Hodge signs with Kentucky - 0 for 1.

SG Prosper Day signs with FLORIDA STATE - 1 for 2!

C Florentino McCants signs with FLORIDA STATE - 2 for 3!

First lets see what we've got:

4* C Florentino McCants - 7'0" 215 lbs - #94 OVR/#4 C - Houston, TX

Shooting: C
Skills: B-
Defense: A-
Athleticism: B-
Rebounding: A
Intelligence: A
Potential; B+
Size: A

10.8 ppg/10.5 rpg in the ABL, a 42% shooter. He had 21 blocks, 2.6 per game as well.

B- orb/B- drb. B Blocks. B- post off/B- post def. C+ close/C in traffic. B awareness on both ends, B+ strength. I'm expecting rebound numbers in the low-mid 80s, post numbers in the low 80s/high 70s, and a blocked shot rating in the 70s. He probably won't have great offensive skills but I'm really, really excited about him nonetheless.


4* SG Prosper Day - 6'3" 204 lbs - #91 OVR/#31 SG - Conway, AR

Didn't play in the ABL.

Shooting: A-
Skills: B+
Defense: A-
Athleticism: A-
Rebounding: C+
Intelligence: B-
Potential: B+
Size: B-

C+ speed/C- quickness. C+ defense/B steals. A- close/C med/B 3/B off the dribble. B strength/B+ hustle. his awareness is a bit lacking, C/C-, so probably numbers in the mid-high 60s or low 70s there.


So that leaves me with 1 more scholarship, and I have no targets. I had 3 backups but all signed elsewhere already. I get 3 4* SF's who have had some interest but no one working real hard on them yet and make one offer and set the other two up for some visits as well. nothing else will happen this week but we'll see.


I make my scholarship offer to a kid out of Cincinnati, #85 OVR/#10 SF Cory Taft, a 6'6" guy who looks likely to be an offensive specialist. B- close/B med/B- 3/A- off the dribble/B- in traffic. his defense and awareness hasn't scouted out yet.



Dec 7, 2019

at Rice 66
Florida State 44

heh. rice was rated 78 overall. Sneed with 10, Forte 10. We get outscored 34-11 in the 2nd half.


Well, so much for my scholarship offer. Cory Taft signs with Louisville at the end of the early signing week. One of my other SF targets does as well.

I've only got 1 junior on the roster, meaning I'd have just one scholarship available next year. I'll poke around and see what I can see, but its very possible that I spend the rest of this year prepping some HS juniors for next year and leave this last scholarship open as a way to start balancing the classes a bit more. I'm not real excited about anything else out there.

[Radii]

dear lord... next up we host a Bethune Cookman team rated in the 60s.

Dec 14, 2019

Bethune-Cookman 82
at Florida State 76

McClurkin with 13, Sneed 11... we had 4 starters foul out, Moye only played 14 minutes, the other 3 look to be fouls late in the game I guess.


Next up we get a Citadel team rated 61 OVR.

Dec 20, 2019

at Florida State 81
The Citadel 51

Forte with 16, Moye 13, Alloway 10. Forte, Ozier and Locklier 4 fouls each... we seem to be in foul trouble every game, big time.


This makes us 3-5 with 3 non-conference games remaining. I'm going to play our next one, vs Notre Dame, then sim the last two, at DePaul and vs Furman.

I think most likely what I'll do for ACC play is play all my games vs Miami and UVA(the cellar teams) and then play most of my home games. I do want to get a feel for how this team develops and improves but I don't see any reason to struggle though what is at best looking like a 6-10 ACC season.


We have just started to develop a little... PG Forte has gained a point and is now rated 77 OVR. Locklier is also up to 77. My two backup PG's, Alloway and McClurkin, have also each gained a point overall to raise to 74 and 71.

None of the higher rated guys on the roster have gained overall ratings yet. I'm hoping this will step up a bit as I'm essentially done with recruiting except for phone calls the rest of the way and will have my training time maxxed out.

[Radii]

December 22th, 2019

Notre Dame (7-3) at Florida State (3-5)

So this is a game we expect to get slaughtered in. The ratings are fairly close but they have some superstars and more experience overall. Notre Dame is rated 88 OVR (86 off/89 def/88 sht/85 reb/xx coach).

Scouting

PG Deji Maxiell – SR – 90 OVR – An elite talent. 98 speed/96 quickness(A+/A). 84 defense/86 steals. 84 close/79 med/80 3. 94 handling/88 passing... a spectacular point guard who can score a bit too. 93 off the dribble. He's a coach on the floor as well, 83 off/85 def awareness. 16 ppg/5.4 apg, he also pulls in 4 rebounds/game, a potential all america candidate. He's getting buzz as a potential #1 pick in the NBA Draft.

SG Jerod Ballinger – SR – 88 OVR – 96 speed/91 quickness. 94 defense/93 steals, an elite college defender. 85 close/91 med/82 3/84 off the dribble/85 in traffic. 13 ppg. We have no one that can deal with a player like Ballinger on either end.

SF Rodney Causwell – FR – 77 OVR – 6'6” natural SF – 82 defense/71 steals, a solid defender for a SF. Average at best speed. 84 close/80 med/68 3/79 in traffic... pretty good athlete. Just 4.3 ppg, but he is a true freshman.

PF Hubert Alexander – JR – 82 OVR - 6'9” - natural SF – 72 orb/79 drb. 73 post off/77 post def. 87 close/83 med/78 3/83 in traffic. 7.6 ppg so far.

C Ray Marsh – FR – 71 OVR – 6'10” center – 76 orb/78 drb. 84 post off/77 post def. 83 close/84 in traffic. 6.3 ppg so far. Clearly a weak spot.

Notre Dame has a backup SF, Acie Marsh who is a 3 point specialist, and a couple legit backup big men but they're choosing to go with the 6'9” SF in the starting lineup.

Top to bottom we matchup ok but Maxiell and Ballinger are talents we cannot contend with. Its our plan to slow the game down, a strategy I expect to be using a lot in the ACC, which is why I'm playing this game out, to practice a bit and figure out how I want to try to attack the stronger ACC teams. Here we're facing a team with some holes in their lineup, and a team that we might have a rebounding edge over. We don't expect to see that often.

Notre Dame, with the coach on the floor, has a massive 64-28 team unity edge.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> ND
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Great start. Locklier with 6, Sneed with 2, Moye with 2, most importantly though we're holding them down as well. Lets see if the backups can keep it going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We're really taking advantage of them inside. Sanders(backup PF) with 2 straight buckets and we take our first lead. Timeout Notre Dame.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a couple steals and fast break buckets but aren't able to score out of our half court set at all in this little run. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 point lead! They are committing a huge number of turnovers, going inside and getting owned by Locklier repeatedly... too many Irish possessions without shots in general. Timeout Notre Dame.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Great half for us. Each team is shooting right around 50%, we're actually at 52%. We are definitely dominating them inside. Their stars have done nothing. PF Alexander(actually a SF playing the 4 spot) is hurting us badly, he has 11 points. And their freshman SF has 8, but Ballinger and Maxiell are 1-7 for 2 points.


We've got 3 blocks and 5 steals and it seems like more blocks(they don't seem to always count right). We've only turned it over twice ourselves. Locklier leads us with 8, Sneed came on though late in the half and has 7, and Moye has 7. Forte and Ozier aren't doing much but we're trying hard to focus on the inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Rare enough to mention.. Moye with a 4 point play! He comes off a screen and strokes a 3, the defender comes into him as he's shooting and the foul is called, swish!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Still doing ok at the 15 minute mark.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Just a couple blocks/steals is all we need to keep the score low and keep things favorable. Blocks on two straight possessions allows us to run 3 minutes off the clock... we missed two shots that could have allowed us to go up further, but it prevents their big guns from getting going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> A little spurt for Notre Dame, a 6-0 run after an Alloway 3, and I get a timeout. I don't want the backups in any longer than needed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout FSU, starters back in. The backups just don't have any reliable way to score here, and worse speed/defense, I need them off the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Great defense and we tie it up, a layup by Moye, a putback by locklier, and 1-2 at the line from Moye for our 5 poins over a 3 minute span.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Notre Dame.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight buckets for Notre Dame and I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Poor entry pass into the post on our part leads to a break for them, then Sneed misses a hook inside... their ball up 6, and its getting away from us a little at the end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow this is just a total collapse at the end. All that work to get a tie game with 3 minutes left and we just gave the game away with 3 straight turnovers.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Moye pumps up his point total a bit and we get it down to 5, 60-55 with 25 seconds left but they make their free throws and its done.

Notre Dame 63
Florida State 55

Against many of the better teams in the ACC this is what we'll be looking to do. Good effort today, I'm disappointed at the ending though. We did a spectacular job with their stars... Maxiell scores 5 on just 1-3 shooting. Ballinger 6 on 3-13 shooting, 0-5 from 3. But their 82 rated PF goes off for 22, and their freshman SF for 15.

Forte: 0 points
Moye: 24 points
Ozier: 0 points
Sneed: 10 points/6 boards
Locklier: 10 points/3 boards

Moye scored 8 of those 24 in the final minute, two 3's and a layup in traffic.

[Radii]

As mentioned above, I'm simming our last two non-conference games

Dec 26, 2019

at DePaul 80
Florida State 67

Sneed with 14, Locklier 11, Moye 9.


December 28, 2019

at Florida State 73
Furman 62

Moye 13, Sneed 12, McClurkin 11.


We have the week of new years off before ACC play starts.

We are the only team with a losing record entering ACC play at 4-7. Virginia is 6-6.

Boston College is #4 in the latest media poll. NC State is #8, and Clemson is #16. Geogia Tech is 12-3, North Carolina is 13-2.


And, as mentioned, I'm planning on playing my home games, simming my road games(except for UVA/miami) and we'll see how things start off and decide how to progress after maybe 6 or 7 games.

We start off with one of the toughest contests we could get.

January 11, 2020

at #8 NC State 74
Florida State 62

Locklier with 11, Moye with 10, our only double digit scorers.

Jan 14, 2020

at Duke 76
Florida State 40

Our leading scorer is Alloway off the bench with 7. A few others have 5...


After that fun start to the conference season we get 3 in a row that I'll play out. A game that we really need to win at home vs Virginia, then a home contest vs Virginia Tech, and then we travel to Miami.


Out of curiosity I check and my job security meter is still about 3/4 full. I hope that the 22-7 record we put together last year is good enough to carry me through this season.

[Radii]

January 18, 2020

Virginia (6-8, 0-2 ACC) at Florida State (4-9, 0-2 ACC)

Battle for last place! We have a stronger roster than Virginia, and they are way down. Dave Leitao currently has a career record of 300-300. I can't imagine he'll be around long at UVA. Their last recruiting class was all 3* guys, and not top level ones either.

They're rated 81 OVR (82 off/80 def/84 sht/86 reb/86 coach). We have a stronger roster in every category.

Scouting

PG Hesse Harris – SR – 70 OVR – not really good at anything, not a power conference caliber guard. 80 defense, 76 close/71 med/76 3. We ought to shut him down easily.

SG Jai Len Bullicer – SR – 81 OVR – By far the most talented player on the team. 92 speed/84 quickness. 82 defense/76 steals. 86 close/71 med/79 3/85 off the dribble. 12.6 ppg/5.1 apg so far this year.

SF Vernon Pritchard – FR – 75 OVR – 6'7” natural SF, the #148 recruit last year, by far their best. Terrible defense(73). 80 close/71 med/68 3, he might develop into an ok scorer but not yet. 5.7 ppg/4.2 rpg.

PF Denham Hopkins – JR – 73 OVR – big dude, 7 foot PF. 77 orb/79 drb. 83 post off/75 post def. 85 close/82 in traffic. 11ppg/4rpg. Not great skills but imposing size.

C Spencer Doyle – JR – 72 OVR – 7'1” - 77 orb/74 drb. 77 post off/77 post def. 88 close/84 in traffic. 12.3 ppg/4.3 rpg. Similar to hopkins... holy crap look at that size.

They have a backup SG, Bret Ramos, actually their second highest rated player at 76 OVR. Most notweworthy is that he is an 86 rated 3 point shooter.

We expect a pretty big edge here overall.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UVA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> They've hit 2 3's. Locklier just committed his 2^nd foul and sits for a bit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed comes up huge against their giant 7 foot PF. He's 4-5 and has a couple free throws for an early 10 points. Backups are in, and we've got 6 straight(all from Sneed) with this last bucket, getting us a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 7 straight before we get on the board. After another bucket UVA with a timeout to get some starters back in. I get my starters back in too, including Locklier with 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Huge run led by Moye and Forte with some help from Sneed, I think this is 8 straight for us, timeout UVA.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Solid finish to the half, though we had a couple chances to go up 7 and failed, still strong. We shoot great in the half, 16-28. We only try 1 three, and miss it. 3-5 at the line. UVA is 12-28, 3-9 from 3, 3-4 at the line. They have 8 from SG Len Bullicer, 7 from SF Pritchard.


We have a 6-10 half out of Sneed for 14 points, 6 boards too. Forte gets to the hoop a few times and has 7, Moye 6. Terrible show by the backups, 2 from Sanders, 2 from Barret, the end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Great start to the half, Sneed hits his 2^nd bucket(he's got 18) and we take a double digit lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> No surprise here, a 7-0 run from UVA to keep us from running away with it. I go ahead and get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Sneed is up to 22, a career high. We went back out ahead by 9 again, they have it back to 2 now. I need more out of my backups than the 4 points I got in the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> UVA timeout, we take advantage of a couple turnovers to extend the lead out a bit. Another minute or so for the starters to be rested for the stretch run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss and actually after the timeout the starters are ready, so I get a TO myself to get them in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> A bucket from Moye, then a turnover and a layup by Ozier and its a 10 point game again, timeout UVA.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Looks like we ought to wrap this up.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We miss a couple front ends of 1 and 1s in the final minute but its too late to matter.

Florida State 68
Virginia 61

They end up with 18 out of their SF, Pritchard, and 14 out of Len Bullicer, the SG. The 7 foot PF Hopkins scores 11 and has 7 boards, but they get little support past that.

Forte: 12 points/3 assists/4 steals
Moye: 10 points/3 assists
Ozier: 8 points
Sneed: 22 points/8 boards
Locklier: 4 points/9 boards

Sneed goes 10-17, missing a few towards the end, but I'm hoping to see this kind of dominance out of him a lot more often as he develops.

[Radii]

January 22, 2020

Virginia Tech (10-6, 2-2 ACC) at Florida State (5-9, 1-2 ACC)

I'm curious to see if we can beat a team who isn't UVA or Miami. The Hokies are rated better than us in every category but haven't been that great on the court. They're 89 OVR (88 off/89 def/90 sht/88 reb/92 coach). They lost a game to Miami which has to be embarrassing, but they beat UNC by 13 last week.

Scouting

PG JB Matsui – JR – 85 OVR – 92 speed/90 quickness. 89 defense/73 steals. 93 hands/87 passing(A-/B+, extremely good). 91 close/64 med/80 3/89 off the dribble/81 in traffic. 77 o awareness/84 d awareness, good for coach on the floor status. A very strong all around player, 15.1 ppg/4.9 apg so far this year.

SG Jarred Warzynski – SO – 80 OVR – 91 speed/82 quickness. 79 D/78 steals, the steals can be scary but he is very bad on ball. 83 close/71 med/74 3. 80 off the dribble. Great hustle(92/A-). Good rebounder for a guard to(79 drb/B+). Just 5.8 ppg, seems overshadowed, and hopefully Moye can take advantage.

SF Quin Moreno – SR – 83 OVR – 6'9” SF, 86 speed/84 quickness... very fast for a big SF. 79 D is about average for a SF. 88 close/75 med/69 3/85 in traffic. Strong athlete... B+ vert/B+ str/C+ hustle. 13.2 ppg/5.3 rpg.

PF Etienne Harmon – JR – 83 OVR – 6'7” natural PF. 85 orb/83 drb. 93 post off/83 post def. 89 close/90 in traffic. His other ratings may suffer a bit... though I don't see where. Hell why is this guy only rated 83 OVR? He's a monster. 71 o aware/69 d aware.. not a great dunker. 13.7 ppg/4.9 apg. 83 shot blocker. This guy has great skills in all the right places, that post offense is A level, all his physical abilities are B level or better(A vert/B str/B hustle). Harmon looks like the best player on the team honestly.

C Bamba Wilmont – JR – 76 OVR – 78 orb/83 drb. 79 post off/81 post def. 91 close/84 in traffic. Only 6'8”. We've got a big size advantage here. Just 4.9 ppg.

Matsui is a coach on the floor. They have two backup guards... Manning and Bright that have 3 point ratings of 82 and 84.

Virgina Tech signed the #3 recruit class in the nation last year and they have 4 freshmen on the roster rated 75+, 3 guards and a PF.

Haha wow. Va Tech has a team unity of 78. Ours is 32.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> VT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> We try to force sneed early, and they get 2 blocked shots, Sneed is 0/5 and Ozier and Moye are 0-1 each. Time to look elsewhere for now at least for scoring. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Two steals for Va Tech, and we're now 0-10 from the floor. I go ahead and get the backups in because why not, the starters haven't scored yet!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway gets out on the break and blows by his man for a layup, and we are on the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Ok the offense has gotten off its ass and gotten moving. Despite my fears about Harmon from looking at his ratings, they do prefer their guards pretty heavily. Warzynski has 8 early on for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway can be incredibly explosive... if he develops at the rate an A- potential suggests he could end up a superstar for me. Sanders gets a bucket inside and then Alloway scores 8 straight. I've complained about his slow release and that is a problem, but he is very explosive and very good going to the basket. He's got 12 of our 19 and has saved the day.


That said... starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Hokies. We had it 22-21 and had 2 chances to take the lead and came up empty both times. They get back out 24-21 and Sneed gets his first bucket to make it a 1 point game again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 7 straight to go up 31-23. We get a bucket then 4 more by Va Tech and we're down 10... I get another timeout and hope to end the half strong.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Tough half. We withstand a huge early run and get the lead down to 1, only to allow a late run and go into the locker room down 9.


Neither team shoots well, 38% for Va Tech, 34% for us. They are 3-8 from 3/8-9 at the line. We're 1-5 from 3/7-11 at the line. Matsui, Warzynski, and Wilmont(their center) all score 8 in the half. Matsui is a horrid 3-11 in coming up with those 8 points though.


On our end, its all Alloway. He has 12. Sneed has 4, no one else has more than 3. Moye is scoreless. I don't think we can win games where Moye is scoreless, he's too important to our offense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> We take 3 ½ minutes to get our first points and they're on fire. We did have it 44-34 but they just hit 3's on back to back possessions. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3'd straight 3 and I get a timeout and get the backups in. down 19...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> We can't get it back below 18. Its 20 now and I get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Just a miserable performance except for one hot streak in the first half where Alloway went crazy. I quick sim at the 5 minute mark, still down 20.

Virginia Tech 79
Florida State 64

Virginia Tech was 3-8 in the first half from 3. When I simmed it out they were 8-17(5-9 in the 2^nd half). All 5 of their starters hit double figures, SF Moreno ends up leading them with 15, Warzynski 14.

Forte: 3 points
Moye: 9 points (2-9 shooting)
Ozier: 3 points
Sneed: 13 points/6 boards (6-15 shooting)
Locklier: 2 points/8 boards

Alloway: 17 points

Disappointing loss really, as I think there are at least 4 teams in the ACC that are better than Virginia Tech, maybe more. Although... even with team unity effects turned way down(but not off)... a 78-32 difference is a bit insane.

[Radii]

January 25, 2020

Florida State (5-10, 1-3 ACC) at Miami (12-9, 1-4 ACC)

Miami is the worst team in the league. Even on the road, I feel like we really need to win this game. I really don't know if its possible to lose my job this season or not, but taking down Miami and UVA is key if there is going to be any risk.

Miami is rated 79 OVR (78 off/80 def/81 sht/81 reb/86 coach). We have a solid edge everywhere except for coaching. Miami has a couple decent wins, an OT win over a top 25 Indiana team, and a road win at Virginia Tech. They've gotten crushed (by 15 or more) in their other 4 conference games. Seriously, Miami looks like a middle of the road MAC team, no one on their roster anywhere close to an 80 OVR rating, and a SG rated 66 in the starting lineup.

Scouting

PG Quincy Oneil – SO – 70 OVR – 91 speed but only 79 quickness. 82 defense/72 steals. 83 hands/77 passing(C/C+). 76 close/83 med/72 3/81 off the dribble... fairly average all over except the midrange jumper. 3.1 ppg.

SG Truman Culc – FR – 66 OVR – 74 defense, C speed. 79 close/66 med/63 3. This guy is terrible. I haven't coached a team in 5 or 6 seasons that Culc could play for, maybe more than that.

SF Corbin Nevill – JR – 75 OVR – average speed, average defense for a SF, he's a 6'8” natural SF btw. 83 close/73 med/64 3. No other ratings over 80 that will have a thing to do with offense or scoring. 5.5 ppg. He is a fairly highly rated rebounder.

PF Rubin Mombollet – JR – 71 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 77 orb/74 drb. 89 close/81 in traffic. 70 post off/75 post def. 7.6 ppg, average strength(65), above average shot blocking(72).

C Rex Newman – FR – 76 OVR – Newman was Miami's top recruit last year, #197 OVR. And he's their highest rated player. 88 orb/80 drb. 76 post off/78 post def. 86 close/87 in traffic, he's 6'8” 8.7 ppg/5.4 rpg as a freshman is pretty solid.

They have solid big man depth but obviously no depth at guard. Just a horrible team. But its at their place, so I'm still worried... we really need to secure this win.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> MIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is having a real hard time getting going, missing an open 3, and a couple shots going hard to the rim that weren't
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Sneed and Moye both are slow to start, though Moye does have 6 now after hitting a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 6 straight and go up by 4, McClurkin(bakcup PG, I don't call him out much) scores 4 straight driving to the hoop and then getting a backcourt turnover after their PG falls over trying to drive through our press. Miami TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, looking good so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Locklier gets a bucket and Miami calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Another Miami timeout, they must feel like its getting away from them. We're not running away with it but we're slowly extending things out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Still up 7 at the half. We shoot 35%, but hold Miami to 33%. Its a very rough half for the two guys I'm asking to carry our offense. Moye scores 10, but its on 4-11 shooting. Sneed is scoreless and 0-5 from the floor. Forte/Ozier/Locklier aren't really helping. Ozier is a big mystery to me. His numbers are decent but I have a hell of a time getting him shots that seem good.


Miami has 7 from their freshman center, Newman and 5 from a couple other starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Miami with the first 4 to cut it to 3 but we get it back and are right back up 7. Locklier answers the call for someone to step up and start scoring, picking up our first 6 of the half, he has 10 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, 5 very quick points and we trail by 1, I go ahead and get my backups in a bit early, Moye and Sneed are still terrible, and Locklier misses his next couple shots. Alloway to the rescue... hopefully.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> We pulled back ahead and they've scored 4 straight to trigger a 6^th man bonus and tie the game. I get a timeout to cool things off.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Quick run by us mainly thanks to Alloway and we lead by 6. I get the starters back in for the stretch run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with another bucket as he was out there with the starters thanks to a missed free throw during the substitutions. Alloway is now leading us with 16 points and i'm seriously considering bringing him in at PG or SF after a few minutes rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed is on the board, his first two points of the game with under 5 to play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with his 4^th points of the game and Miami calls a timeout. I bring Alloway in for Ozier, Ozier has just been unable to get good shots lately, Alloway gives me another major threat to drive to the basket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with an assist to Moye, and then with a 3 and we're up to a 10 point lead and look to have things wrapped up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Of course I say its probably wrapped up and they knock down 5 in a row.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> We go inside to Sneed to get it back up to 7.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We seal the deal at the line and get a much needed win over a team we should beat.

Florida State 74
Miami 64

This must have been miserable for the fans... but I guess that is the norm for Miami fans by now anyway. We shoot 41% for the game, Miami 38%.

They get 14 from their SF Nevill, and 13 from C Newman, their two highest rated players. Their 66 rated SG scores 7, on 3-13 shooting.

Forte: 5 points
Moye: 16 points
Ozier: 3 points/5 boards
Sneed: 7 points/6 boards
Locklier: 12 points/11 boards

Alloway: 19 points
Sanders: 6 points/6 boards

[Radii]

Two games in a row now Damion Alloway has led the team in scoring. And I have a distinct feel from the last few games that Alloway is better driving to the hoop than anyone on the team, both at getting around his man and at finishing inside. Moye gets his shots blocked a LOT when he drives. If he gets a clear lane to the basket, great, but if he has to contend with a defender, he's screwed. Alloway seems to score more often than not. Moye is rated higher in every single relevant category (close/layup/off the dribble/in traffic/clutch/vert/hustle/offensive awareness) *except* for one (strength). Alloway is significantly stronger, which might be hurting Moye inside.

Its also just been two games where I've *really* noticed it so it might be an anomaly.

Right now there is simply no room in the starting lineup for Alloway. Forte is effective driving when I try to do it at PG(and is a better passer and a good steals guy), Moye is too good an all around scorer, and Ozier is my only true SF.


Anyways... all I'm going to change for now is that I plan to be a lot more willing to bring Alloway in as a true 6th man if my offense is struggling to try to give them a lift. This would be a break from the full team subs that I usually do and manage the best.

[Radii]

Wake Forest is the 9th rated team in the league i believe, but we can't hang with them on the road:

Jan 30, 2010

at Wake Forest 80
Florida State 66

They have a junior power forward, Radziejewski, who puts up 26 points on us today. We get 11 from Moye, 9 from Locklier, 8 from Forte and Ozier.

Next up are two very tough home games against two teams rated 91 OVR, Maryland and #18 North Carolina.


Four ACC teams are in the top 25, Boston College just made the jump to #1 in the nation this week. They're 21-1 and 6-0 in ACC play. NC State (20-3/5-1) is #4. UNC is #18 and Clemson #20.

Maryland and UNC are both likely to be slowdown games.

[Izulde]

Just to say i'm following the dynasty and enjoying it.

I have also started to play CH2k8 again this week, in fact started today a new dynasty but playing it like in "player RPG mode".

I have created a recruit, a PG that is rated in the high 70's. Then i took over the worst team (just because i need to coach a team) and simed a season, to see who recruited him. He ended in Northwestern, so i selected all the games from that team schedule to be playable and i play with player lock only as that created PG. When he is out of the court, i set the controller in the middle and just watch my team mates play.

In resume, i have managed to play with one player only, like superstar or RTTS modes in Madden/MLB the show. So far it's being so fun to play only as one guy, really immersive experience. If i keep playing this until he leaves college and he is good enough, i might impot the draft class in NBA2k8 to continue his career in the pros.

Too bad i'm a lazy bastard, else i would write a dynasty about it here, but it would be just fooling myself, as everytime i start a dynasty here, i end not updating it and just playing the game.

I whish i could find the motivation to write and update dynasties as i have nice ideas, but once i start to write them, i get bored easily from writting, that is why i value a lot dynasties like this one 14 pages long and still going. Keep up the good job!

I'm so going to have to try this.

[Radii]

February 2, 2020

Maryland (12-6, 4-2 ACC) at Florida State (6-11, 2-4 ACC)

Maryland is unranked but has a nice RPI and 4-2 early in ACC play is solid. They're rated 91 OVR (90 off/88 def/92 sht/93 reb/91 coach). Their only conference losses are road losses at Boston College and Clemson. They have a 20 point home win over UNC.

We played them last year and they were very solid with just one senior on the roster. They look much more dangerous this year.

Scouting

PG Galen Valsin – SR – 88 OVR – 12.4 ppg/3.3 apg. 95 speed/92 quicks. 95 handling/81 passing... much better with the ball but not terrible passing really. 86 close/87 med/73 3. 85 off the dribble, 81 clutch(B+). He has great awareness and is a coach on the floor now. Lottery pick in the draft.

SG Devon Tyler – JR – 85 OVR – 91 speed/92 quickness. 85 defense/80 steals. 90 close/83 med/78 3/84 off the dribble. Great awareness, 80 off/85 def, 91 vertical and a good athlete. 7.3 ppg, he was playing behind a great SR SG last year so this is his first year starting.

SF Marvin Haigler – SR – 89 OVR – 6'7” natural SF. Outstnding defender for SF. 86 def/78 stl(A-/A-). He's a solid rebounder and post player as well. 92 close/85 med/79 3, 87 in traffic. He's a great athlete. B- vert/A- str/B hustle. Haigler averages 13.3 ppg/7.9 rpg. Projected first round draft pick.

PF Erick Waller – JR – 80 OVR – only 6'6” and a natural SF. 78 orb/77 drb. 69 post off/65 post def. 89 close/81 med/72 3/85 in traffic. 5.6 ppg this year, out of position and a particularly bad post player to be forced into the PF role.

C Corey Hudson – SO – 78 OVR – 6'10” - natural PF. 89 orb/80 drb. 82 post off/78 post def. Terrible shot blocker. 90 close/87 in traffic. 11.1 ppg/4.9 rpg.

Valsin is pretty amazing. I played him last year around this time and he was rated 84 OVR. He's had some pretty incredible development to turn into a lottery pick.

Maryland only has these 4 players rated 80+ on the team, but most of their bench is in the 77-79 range. I expect to get slaughtered. And with the coach on the floor we see a team unity disparity of 79-34.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UMD
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> We've only managed 3 shots... turning it over the rest of our trips. They have 6 points off layups from our turnovers. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte goes down injured, no word on the severity yet. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, Alloway scores 9, including a 3 to force a timeout from Maryland. Forte is able to return but has a sore knee... if he's slowed noticibly I'll probably use that as an excuse to make Alloway my starting PG in the 2^nd half. Starters are back in for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We take a 1 point lead after a stop and a bucket from Sneed inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We are on a pretty big run here and go up 4. I did notice that Maryland just brought Haigler and Valsin back in off the bench, so we were going up against their bench, which isn't that much better than us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> They collapse in on Sneed in the post, he hits Moye and Moye drains a 3, 7 point lead, timeout Maryland!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> We use what I believe is our 3^rd timeout to avoid a turnover via a held ball... they play a half court press every 3^rd trip down or so and its killing us, they have very good defenders.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Well they do come back, no surprise there, but we've still got a lead going into the locker room. We're shooting 47%, they're shooting 41%. Maryland is 1-9 from 3 which is a huge stat.


Maryland has 7 from Haigler and 7 from Tyler, just 4 from Valsin, both early easy buckets. We have 9 from Alloway, 7 from Sneed and 4 from Moye. Forte is noticibly slowed which I just can't deal with when they go into their half court press so Alloway will start the 2^nd half at PG. Forte will play SG for the backups, McClurkin is fast too which helps w/ the press so he'll stay PG for the backups.


With all the timeouts in the first half Mayrland only has 3 the rest of the way, and we only have two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 ½ minutes into the half we haven't scored. Maryland just hit a 3 and is on a 7-0 run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier draws a foul in transition and hits 1of 2, we're on the board. Sneed is 0-3 this half, 3 good looking post shots all whiffing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> They use their half court press two plays in a row and get two steals and two dunks out of it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. This feels like its over. Another 1-2 at the line and we now have 2 2^nd half points, no field goals yet though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with an offensive board and dunk and we have our first field goal of the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> God this is so so bad. Timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> This may be the worst half i've ever played! Starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye with a layup in transition and we get our second field goal in the last 14 minutes.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We get the lead down to 15 with 2 minutes to go and to 10 in the final minute but yeah just no chance.

Maryland 67
Florida State 57

They end up doing a good bit of their damage inside... 16 from Hudson/11 from Waller. Valsin 9/Haigler 8.

Forte: 2 points
Moye: 8 points
Ozier: 4 points
Sneed: 7 points/6 boards
Locklier: 4 points/7 boards

Alloway: 15 points

Ozier has the distinction of being the only person on the team who took at least 1 shot to shoot .500. He was ½. A few guys went 2/5. Sneed was 3-9, Moye 2-7.

Nasty, nasty second half for us.

[Radii]

I'm so going to have to try this.

No kidding, its a brilliant idea.

[Radii]

ACC teams in the top 25 after last week:

1. Boston College
4. NC State
20. North Carolina
24. Maryland
25. Virginia Tech

Ohio is 17-2 and #23 as well.


Forte is showing healthy again by the time we go play our next game against North Carolina. I'm expecting this to be pretty bad too, though UNC is struggling so far in ACC play, 3-5 halfway through the season.

[Radii]

February 4, 2020

#20 North Carolina(16-6, 3-5 ACC) at Florida State (6-12, 2-5 ACC)

North Carolina is rated 91 OVR (91 off/92 def/96 sht/91 reb/89 coach). After a rough 4 game stretch(including losses at Boston College and Va Tech, both top 25 teams) the get a 25 point win over Ga Tech to finish off last week.

UNC had an 89 rated PG leave for the NBA early last year and they replace him with the #1 recruit in the nation. They've also got the #5 recruit in the nation starting at SF for them...

Scouting

PG Craig Hoskin – FR – 84 OVR – 9.1 ppg/2.6 apg. 93 speed/84 quickness. 89 defense/90 steals. 87 hands/80 passing. 88 close/80 med/89 3/81 off the dribble... 89 3 point shot as a true freshman, holy shit. A+ potential. I don't know how well this game handles 1 and done but the draft buzz around Hoskin is that he is a lottery pick this year.

SG Russ Haigler – JR – 88 OVR – 15.2 ppg. 89 speed/89 quickness. 82 defense/82 steals. PG level ball handler and passer (91/83 A/A- for a SG). 84 close/86 med/90 3. only 78 off the dribble, surprisingly low given eerything else.

SF Phil Atangana – FR – 84 OVR – 90 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/88 steals. 87 close/75 med/72 3/84 off the dribble. Atangana is actually a natural SF, but he's 6'6”. 7.2 ppg.

PF Marcel Konate – JR – 90 OVR – 6'6” PF – 16.4 ppg/6.0 rpg. 82 orb/88 drb. 86 post off/90 post def. 94 close/87 in traffic. Additionally he has the speed of a SF and the mid range and 3 point shot of a guard. Coach on the floor this year too... If he leaves early he'll be a first round pick. I dream of a big man this talented one day. I assure you he'll score more than 16 per game.

C Quinton Diame - JR – 71 OVR – holy crap, 7'3”!! not skilled at all. No ratings over 80 except his close rnage shot which is 87. But holy crap, 7'3!

Their starting SF last year had to take a seat behind Atangana... SF Erick Starkey is rated 82 overall, and backup SG Eddie Esterkamp is rated 83.
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UNC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Well if Moye is going to hit 3's we have a chance. He's 3-4 so far against their 3-2 zone(remember... ball state head coach... this is the same annoying 3-2 defense I faced while at Ohio for years).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is 5-7 from 3. Sneed adds a bucket inside. Backups are in. We have no turnovers, are forcing a couple and shooting great.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin, a 75 rated 3 point shooter after his confidence boost in game, is 2-2 from 3. UNC takes a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> They start scoring seemingly at will, we turn it over twice which doesn't lead to dunks but doens't help. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye went cold from 3, the rest of our points(all 6 of them) come inside, 4 from Sneed/4 from locklier. We're 12-23 overall, 7-14 from 3. Moye is 5-11.


They get 8 from Konate, their stud PF. No one else has more than 4. UNC is 12-21, 1-3 from 3.


We need to keep hitting 3's, maybe not at a 5-7 rate, but at 1-3 or better, if we want to win this game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> It takes a bit but Moye heats back up again, he's hit our last 8 points including 2 3's, and UNC takes a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, mainly to leave my starters out for another minute or two before I have to sub.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Ok, enough delay, the backups come in. Moye is going to end up with a career high in a game where we may not even score 60.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with a 3, 11 point game again! The defense has been incredible... or UNC is just having the most off night ever.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> All starters but Moye back in, Moye needs another minute or so. Alloway with all 7 points in that stretch to keep us going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> After a turnover in the backcourt allows a quick 5-0 run from UNC, I get a timeout and get Moye back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Still up 7 with 2 ½ to go. Moye has a career high now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They get two free throws, we get a jumper by Sneed, they get a quick look inside... our ball up 5, we can take it to a minute or so.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They tip it out of Moye's hands, he recovers but shoots a bad 3 as the shot clock expires. Its no good, but we get the board!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:21
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> We run it down again and get another offensive board after a miss! They obviously foul now. Forte hits 1 of 2, 6 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
After they hit a 3, they foul forte on the inbounds. He misses the front end of a 1 and 1. I decide to foul instead of letting them take a 3. They make the first, miss the second, Konate gets the offensive board and putback for a tie game. There's 2.6 seconds left on the clock. I inbounds it to midcourt and call a timeout.

I get the ball into Forte, immediately hit Moye, he takes a 3 and its GOOD as time expires!!!!!

Florida State 63
North Carolina 60

I cannot tell you how many times I tried to do this against Ball State with Ohio. Just have my best 3 point shooters launch threes, there's so many holes in that damn 3-2 zone. But it never, ever worked, until now.

They get 16 from Atangana nad 10 from Hoskin, their two top 5 recruits. Haigler, Konate, Diame, and backup SF Starkey all score 8. They end up 25-49, 5-11 from 3, 5-6 from the line.

Forte: 1 point/3 boards/7 assists
Moye: 35 points
Ozier: 0 points/6 boards
Sneed: 10 points/5 boards
Locklier: 2 points

Alloway: 7 points
McClurkin: 6 points

Moye is 9-20 from 3. Alloway 2-3, McClurkin 2-2. We shoot 13-27 from 3 and beat UNC! This is my second true buzzer beater win. The last one was after I gave up a lead in the final 5 seconds too if I remember correctly.

[Radii]

Our next two games I do not have similar upset hopes:

Feb 8, 2020

at Clemson 78
Florida State 57

Forte leads us with 9. Sneed an Ozier score 7.


Feb 13, 2020

at #3 Boston College 101
Florida State 61

They have 3 guys score 20. Forte gets 16, Ozier 8, Locklier 8.



10 games into the conference schedule and here's what we're looking at:

1. Boston College 9-1
2. NC State 8-2
3. Virginia Tech 7-2
4. Maryland 7-3
5. Clemson 6-4
6. Duke 6-4
7. Wake Forest 5-5
8. North Carolina 4-6
9. Miami 3-7
10. Florida State 3-7
11. Georgia Tech 1-9
12. Virginia 0-9


We've got 6 games left in the season. I'll be playing 3 of them... vs Duke, vs Miami, vs Wake Forest. Simming NC State, at Ga Tech, at Maryland. Duke's up next.

[hoopsguy]

I think the game owed you a win like this against Ball State ... er, UNC. Nice job.

[Radii]

I think the game owed you a win like this against Ball State ... er, UNC. Nice job.

We are 2-0 against UNC now (since I've been at FSU) so maybe the tables have turned and we'll have the edge here and UNC won't be able to beat us under any circumstances. :D

[Radii]

February 15, 2020

Duke (13-9, 6-4 ACC) at Florida State (7-14, 3-7 ACC)

Knocking Duke down to 6-5 in ACC play would severely hurt their chances at a top 4 ACC finish, and there aren't many things I'd rather do than hurt Duke. They're rated 88 OVR (89 off/89 def/92 sht/86 reb/88 coach). Duke was rated 88 OVR last year and didn't start a single senior. They did lose an 88 rated Junior guard to the NBA. They are led by a stud PG who was the #1 recruit in the nation 2 seasons ago, hopefully he'll be leaving this year.

Duke's ACC losses are all to the better teams in the league... NC State, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Maryland. They pulled off a big win in Raleigh last week, and they have a non conference win over #7 Villanova. Their RPI is high but I don't know how a 13-9 record will play for them if they don't finish strong.

On the injury front, their star PG Ball has a pulled quad muscle,hopefully he'll be slowed. After our last couple simmed games, PG Forte and PF Sneed both have day to day injuries... a bruised heel for Forte and a pulled hammy for Sneed.

Scouting

PG Alfred Ball – SO – 90 OVR – 98 speed/90 quickness. 93 defense/85 steals. 86 hands/89 passing. 88 close/92 med/83 3/84 off the dribble. A- vertical/B dunking ability. A truly elite player. 14.1 ppg/4.0 apg. National freshman of the year last year. He's projected to go in the lottery this year and hopefully he'll jump on the chance.

SG Julio George – SR – 82 OVR – 91 speed/81 quickness. 85 defense/88 steals. 84 close/79 med/73 3. 83 off the dribble/81 in traffic. 8.5 ppg. A solid compliment to Ball and Gastel, though not a star himself.

SF Pedro Gastel – JR – 84 OVR – Gastel played PF this year, he's better off in his natural SF role. 6'6 – 76 defense/69 steals is a bit weak. Not a speedy guy either. 92 close/85 med/81 3/86 in traffic. 93 dunker(A), B- vert/B- str/C+ hustle. He's a coach on the floor as well. 13.0 ppg/5.2 rpg.

PF Reid Luiz – FR – 77 OVR – Natural SF way out of position. 6'5”, 76 orb/81 drb, not bad but we've got similar and more size. 68 post off/66 post defense. Hopefully Sneed can own him in the post. 81 close/81 in traffic. 6.2 ppg/4.6 rpg.

C Vitor Stefanov – SR – 75 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 80 orb/78 drb. 75 post offense/70 post defense. 95 close/84 in traffic. Just 6.2 ppg/4.0 rpg.

They have a couple backup guards rated right around 80 OVR who are 3 point shooting specialists. Ball and Forte both being injured will be interesting. Anything to slow down Ball though is good for me. With Gastel a coach on the floor we are at a 75-37 team unity disadvantage.

Sneed being banged up worries me a lot, if his inside shot is off as a result we rely way too much on Moye for offense. They have such weak post play too, we could really capitalize.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> DUKE
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> We get off to a fast 7-0 start, a Locklier basket then 5 points from Moye(3 point play and a foul inside). George hits 2 buckets for Duke to get them going, but we're off to a solid start. I'm running where I can when they miss but slowing down the half court set.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Ball picks up foul #2 and sits. They've committed 5 already, lots of silly reach ins.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Duke with a timeout after Moye drains another bucket. Moye with 9 now. Sneed and Locklier 2 each.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with his 4^th points and Forte a 3 as we keep our lead despite Duke scoring on a couple plays in a row. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway hits a 3 and we get a couple buckets inside to take a solid lead, Duke calls a timeout. They had Gastel on the bench in addition to Ball being out with Foul trouble. Gastel's back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> They score the last 5 of the half and its a 6 point game. Duke is shooting 12-30, 3-10 from 3. We're 12-21, the FG discrepency due to free throws mostly, Duke commits 8 fouls and we shoot 10 Fts, they only shoot 2.


Duke gets 7 from Luz and Gastel, as well as backup guard Colter, one of their good shooters off the bench. We're led by 9 from Moye, though he's 0-3 from 3 today. Sneed, Locklier and Alloway all have 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Duke cuts it to 3, 36-33, before we go on a tear to get it up to 11. Moye with a 3, Sneed has 2 buckets and Locklier 1 inside, and Ozier just drove by/through Ball in transition, getting a 3 point play and Ball's 3^rd foul in the process. Duke with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Without Ball on the floor for Duke it feels like we're pretty much as good as they are, with the advantage of a legitimate post game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> We are just dominating Duke. Backups are in. We're entering “might not need to score again at all” territory.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Duke timeout. Go go FSU!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I am a bit conservative about quick simming the rest of the game, I usually do that with a big lead and a talent edge. But when its a 26 point game with 4:30 to go I figure its a safe bet.

Florida State 77
Duke 57

We shoot an awesome 59% for the game and hold duke to 38%. After only having a 12-9 rebounding edge in the first half we dominate the second half and end up with a 30-17 edge on the boards. Of course us shooting so well has a big impact there.

Their star PG, Ball, being injured and a bit slow(though I couldn't clearly tell in game I am making the assumption), and only playing 17 minutes due to foul troubles made a huge difference today. They get 12 from PF Luz and 12 from backup guard Colter.

Forte: 8 points
Moye: 20 points/5 boards
Ozier: 5 points/4 boards
Sneed: 11 points/4 boards
Locklier: 10 points/7 boards

Alloway: 13 points

Alloway with another solid, consistent game off the bench, he shoots 4-7/2-5 from 3 and hits a few free throws. Sneed and Locklier combine to shoot 9-16 and score 21 points, a solid performance inside.

[Radii]

I mentioned last year when I played NC State that I thought they'd likely be one of the most talented teams in the nation this year. They started 5 very good underclassmen, and all came back. They have a roster strength of 94 OVR right now, #4 in the nation and are 24-4. Boston College is really good as well but I think the Wolfpack are likely the most talented team in the nation.

Speaking of ratings, Ohio now carries an overall roster strength of 89. They had a great recruiting class last year and are starting a 77 rated freshman at PF. McCully and Jimenez, the two star guards i had recruited before I left, are both better than anyone on my team. McCully is 85 OVR/Jimenenz 84 OVR. They're 20-3, 11-1 in the MAC, and ranked #25 in the media poll, hopefully a lock for the NCAA Tournament.


Anyway... before the Ohio sidestep, the reason I was mentioning NC State is that I have no intention of playing them, even at home, this season with this team:

Feb 19, 2020

NC State 75
at Florida State 58

Locklier 15, Moye 13.


Next up a road contest that we sim:

Feb 23, 2020

at Georgia Tech 82
Florida State 76

Moye with 19, Locklier 12, Sneed 11.



After these two games I notice that we finally have gained a point in overall roster strength, and are rated 86 OVR. Development has been slow in coming this year. No one on the roster has gained 2 points to their overall ratings, and Sneed(78/C potential) and Barrett(78/C+ potential) have still yet to gain a point to their overall rating.

Ozier just improved to 79 OVR this week.


One final note that I'd been meaning to bring up in the UNC and Duke games but kept forgetting... I had basically ignored/forgotten that Sneed, my PF, can shoot the mid-range jump shot. I havent had a big man capable of stepping out at all before. Sneed is rated 76 (A-) from mid-range, and with boosts in game is usually at 79. In the last few games i have taken a number of open 15 foot jumpers with him, shots I normally pass up for a big man. I've tried a couple a little further out, 18-20 feet probably and he hasn't hit from there yet, but from 10-18 feet he has a nice little stroke, and it has definitely helped him get into double figures a bit more reliably lately.

[Radii]

FSU has 3 games left. We'll be playing the next two, vs Miami and vs Wake Forest. We'll sim our final game at Maryland.

A quick look at the standings going into the final two weeks of the year:

1. Boston College 11-1
2. NC State 11-2
3. Virginia Tech 9-3
4. Clemson 9-4
5. Maryland 8-4
6. Duke 7-5
7. Wake Forest 5-7
8. North Carolina 4-9
9. Florida State 4-9
10. Georgia Tech 3-10
11. Miami 3-10
12. Virginia 1-11

We could mathematically still finish anywhere from 7th to 12th. With our awful 8-16 overall record we'll lose tiebreakers to anyone in the league. If we can beat Miami in our next game we'll have basically accomplished my goals for the year... sweep miami and UVA and steal a couple other home games in conference play.

I can't wait to see this team develop over the offseason and trot out a bunch of players with a full year under their belt next year. I don't think we're going to win the ACC next year but this season has just been hopeless... next year we should be back in NCAA Tournament contention.


And one final quick note, this is the last week for in season recruiting. I'm not offering my last scholarship this year, I'll hold onto it and be able to land two guys next season. I have 8 junior targets that I've been working on. I'm not going to have any guarantees going into next season but with any luck I'll be in contention for a couple 5* recruits. There are a few quality SF targets I'm looking at, and a few guards who could potentially be defensive stoppers.

[Radii]

February 26, 2020

Miami (14-15, 3-10 ACC) at Florida State (8-16, 4-9 ACC)

We beat Miami by 10 at their place and expect to win here. A win would go a long way towards keeping us out of the bottom couple spots of the ACC this year(we're very unlikely to finish 12^th really but I'd like to finish 8^th or 9^th if possible).

Miami has improved to 80 OVR since we played last. 79 off/80 def/81 sht/82 reb/86 coach. By comparison we have now improved to 86 OVR. 85 off/85 def/87 sht/88 reb/84 coach.

Scouting

PG Quincy Oneil – SO – 70 OVR – 91 speed but only 79 quickness. 82 defense/72 steals. 83 hands/77 passing(C/C+). 76 close/83 med/72 3/81 off the dribble... fairly average all over except the midrange jumper. 3.7 ppg/1.7 apg

SG Truman Culc – FR – 67 OVR – 74 defense, C speed. 79 close/66 med/63 3. This guy is terrible. I haven't coached a team in 5 or 6 seasons that Culc could play for, maybe more than that. He's managing 7.7 ppg nontheless.

SF Corbin Nevill – JR – 75 OVR – average speed, average defense for a SF, he's a 6'8” natural SF btw. 83 close/73 med/64 3. No other ratings over 80 that will have a thing to do with offense or scoring. 6.1 ppg/3.6 rpg

PF Rubin Mombollet – JR – 72 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 77 orb/74 drb. 89 close/81 in traffic. 70 post off/75 post def. 7.6 ppg, average strength(65), above average shot blocking(72). 7.3 ppg/3.0 rpg

C Rex Newman – FR – 76 OVR – Newman was Miami's top recruit last year, #197 OVR. And he's their highest rated player. 88 orb/80 drb. 76 post off/78 post def. 86 close/87 in traffic, he's 6'8” 8.9 ppg/5.2 rpg
<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> MIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Slow start, we're 1-4 inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Ozier is a real liability here, he's getting out one on one in transition consistently but just cannot get by Nevill, their SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We're not getting a lot out of Alloway(2 points 1-4 shooting) but we get a couple buckets elsewhere and extend the lead a bit, Miami timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with a dunk in traffic, and he draws a foul. And he comes out injured. Moye comes in to take the free throw for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> And I get a timeout to get Moye out until he's fully rested. 3^rd string guard Jose Gunn comes in. He's averaging 1.4 ppg in simmed games this year. 69 OVR, not good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Miami scores 4 in the final minute of the half to make it a 3 point game. We shoot 48%, Miami 44%, both teams have 1 3, we in 4 attempts, they in 6 attempts.


SF Nevill has 7 for Miami, and PG Oneil has 6. A few others with 4. Forte leads us with 9, he's got our only 3 and has been able to drive with some good success. Moye has 7, and a few others have 4. Locklier is 0-4 and has not scored, he's struggled a good deal inside, though he does have 6 boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. We get ahead 6, they cut it down, etc. Forte and Moye both have 11 but we're really not playing great to start off the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> After miami ties it we get 4 straight, the second on a steal and race to the hoop for a nice reverse dunk by Barrett... he beat a Miami big man down the court to get the open lane. We get a 6^th man boost and Miami takes a TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 straight by the starters to get back out ahead by 9. Forte has 15 and did a great job creating 2 shots for himself, then finding Ozier for a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3... their big man, mombollet, hits a 3, and its a 6 point game with 3 ½ to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Still a 6 point game, miami timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a steal and burn the clock but cannot score. We miss a bad jumper by Ozier that lets them get out on the break for a layup... our ball up 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:26
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> I start my offense with 20 left on the shot clock... just 2 possessions isn't enough to intentionally stall all the way. But I don't get a good look right away and end up feeding the post. Sneed hits a hook shot with 2 seconds left on the shot clock to put us up 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:19
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a quick 3 to make it a 1 possession game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> They foul twice before they hit their 7^th, sending Moye to the line. He misses the front end but Locklier gets the clutch offensive board! He hits his first, misses the second but we're up 2 possessions now.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss a 3 and Locklier gets a board to seal the victory.

Florida State 71
Miami 65

Miami ends up with 12 from PG Oneil and 11 from backing forward Sanders, they get balanced scoring all over really but just shoot way too poorly to win.

Forte: 15 points (7-11 FG)
Moye: 15 points
Ozier: 8 points
Sneed: 8 points/7 boards
Locklier: 3 points/11 boards

Alloway: 8 points

Locklier was huge on the boards, but shot 0-7 inside. Sneed was just 3-7. Forte really had a lot of success driving to the basket today. Moye was 0-3 from 3, all his points came from attacking the rim as well.

[Radii]

At the top of the league, BC and NC State are now both 11-2 with 3 games to go. They play each other in their next game. NC State has the edge after that, their final two games are against Miami and Wake Forest. BC still has to play top 25 Va Tech.

In our neck of the woods, ie mediocrity land, Wake is 5-8, UNc 5-9, FSU 5-9. Ga Tech is 3-10, Miami 3-11 and UVA is just awful, 1-12. We still have a shot to finish 7th in the league, and 8th/9th seems like a good possibility.

Next up for us is Wake Forest. Excactly where we finish doesn't really matter but the possibility of finishing 7th would feel like a big overachievement for this team. Though really that is more due to UNC sucking it up in conference play than us playing really well ;)

[Radii]

February 29, 2020

Wake Forest (14-13, 5-8 ACC) at Florida State (9-16, 5-9 ACC)

So in part sure I want to win this game and have a shot at a noticibly higher finish than this team may have deserved, but more than anything I want it to be next season with a team with a year's worth of experience ready to challenge for a tournament bid. Last regular season game to play, woohoo!

Wake is rated 87 OVR (86 off/87 def/89 sht/92 reb/77 coach). Damn, 77 coach... dino gaudio has a long way to go.

Scouting

PG Emmett Tangara – SR - 77 OVR – 91 speed/87 quickness. 85 defense/75 steals. Average hands/pasing. 83 close/74 med/77 3/82 off the dribble. 11.8 ppg.

SG Prosper Bland – SO – 80 OVR - 92 speed/85 quickness. Great vert and hustle(92 hustle/A-). 81 defense/76 steals. 85 close/76 med/85 3/81 off the dribble. Just 6.7 ppg this year, as a sophomore he gives the ball up to their SF's more often it seems.

SF Myron Domercant – SR – 83 OVR – 6'7 natural SF – a good rebounder and post player, and a stud of a 3 point shooter(86/B+). 88 close/79 med/86 3. 86 def/77 steals.85 in traffic. He's a good athlete, good vertical and great strength for a SF (77/B+). A quality guy who looks like he can play inside or outside as needed. 11.1 ppg/5.5 rpg.

PF Roosevelt Radziejewski – JR – 83 OVR – 6'6” natural SF – 81 orb/76 drb. 78 post off/66 post def. 87 close/85 in traffic. I always love seeing these undersized small forwards that can't play post defense. He's a solid threat to score inside though and leads the team with 15.0 ppg.

C Bryan Bland – SR – 75 OVR – 6'10” natural PF. 77 orb/81 drb. 78 post offense/80 post defense. 90 close/89 in traffic. B+ vert/B str/B- hustle, a pretty good athlete. Just 5.1 ppg.

Radziejewski is a coach on the floor. He burned us for 26 in a simmed game at their place earlier in the year. Hopefully he doesn't do that this time because I'd really rather not have to type out his name very often.

Wake is just loaded with small forwards, they have a backup SF, Collucci who scores 9.4 ppg. Wake has 3 starters rated higher than anyone on our team but not by a lot really. We can match up pretty well with them I think. The coach on the floor always hurts us bad though... 80 vs 33 team unity. Oh, the game magically decided that Slater should start at center over Locklier since our last game. Our unity is actually closer to 40 once I get the real starting 5 in.

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> WF
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow. These guys can shoot. 8/10, 3/3 from 3 and a couple free throws for wake. We're a normal 4/9 with a trey and down by double digits. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, we score 4 straight after Wake goes up 13. Wake timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake cools back to normal levels and we get the lead down to 7. I get a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Locklier is having a huge half, he's 6-8 with a free throw for 13 points and has led us back to a tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> After the hot start Wake got out to, I'll take the tie happily. They're 16-29, 4-8 from 3. We're 15-29/3-9 from 3. They have 13 assists, getting one on nearly all of their buckets. PG Tangara has 9 points/6 assists, Domercant has 8, Bland 7, their backcourt is doing real well today.


I've got 15 out of Locklier, 8 out of Moye, no one else has more than 5. Just a really solid half inside for locklier. Hopefully that can continue.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye heating up, he's got 13 now. I call a timeout to sit Locklier. He's exhausted from all the activity.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Its raining 3's. They hit a deuce to go up by 1. I get Moye a 3. They hit a trey and go back up by 1. Forte gets a 3. They turn it over and we're on a roll so Moye goes for the 3 in transition and buries it. A quick 9 points and a 5 point lead, 6^th man bonus for us to boot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in after another Wake timeout. Playing well and up 7, Moye with 19, Locklier 17. Locklier will be back in soon, he's almost fully rested.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with 4 and then McClurkin with a 3, we're on a huge roll. Timeout Wake. Locklier is back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight Wake 3's and its a 10 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Ergh, down to 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> And down to 5 and I get a timeout. Domercant, their SF, is scoring a ton for them lately, he's up to 19, 11 in the half, I think 7 in the last 6 or 7 minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with a good look inside, no good, they come down and score quickly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow... Moye misses a wide open 3, they get a transition bucket. I get another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye finds Sneed inside for an easy deuce.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Domercant drives and is fouled. Ozier fouls out on the foul, Barrett is in. Only 1 of 2 at the line and we get the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:24
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> They foul Moye, first FT is good.2^nd is off but Barrett gets the board! He's fouled, 1^st good. And the second.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Bland with a 3 for Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is fouled, just 9 for them, 1 and 1 still. First is good. Second is good. Clutch.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They struggle against our press and get up court for a bad shot with just 5 seconds left. No good, game over.

Florida State 82
Wake Forest 78

They end up with 20 from Doercant, 13 from Bland, 12 and 10 assists from Tangara. They stay over 50% for the game but just barely, 32-60. A solid 8-19 from 3. Wow, they killed us on the boards, 35-24 edge for Wake.

Forte: 7 points/4 assists
Moye: 22 points
Ozier: 2 points
Sneed: 10 points/3 boards
Locklier: 20 points/4 boards

Alloway: 9 points

[Radii]

We've got one game left, at Maryland. That's a sim game.

March 7, 2020

at Maryland 78
Florida State 57

Locklier 16, Alloway 8, Sanders 7.

Bad news here for the tournament... Forte breaks an arm and is out for 32 days.


Final ACC Standings

1. Boston College 13-3
2. NC State 13-3
3. Virginia Tech 12-4
4. Clemson 10-6
5. Maryland 10-6
6. Duke 9-7
7. North Carolina 6-10
8. Georgia Tech 6-10
9. Wake Forest 6-10
10. Florida State 6-10
11. Miami 3-13
12. Virginia 2-14


Boston College gets the 1 seed in the ACC by virtue of playing one less game basically. BC is 28-4 overall, NC State is 28-5. Since overall winning % decides tiebreakers in conference play, it goes to the Eagles.


Going into the ACC Tournament, NC State is #2 in the nation, Boston College #3, Va Tech #19, and Clemson #21 in the media poll.

BC and NCSU are both projected 1 seeds. Virginia Tech and Clemson both 5's. Maryland is projected as a 10, and UNC an 11 despite their 6-10 conference record.

Ohio is 23-4 and projected a 9 seed currently.

North Carolina and Duke are both on the bubble, but Duke is only 16-12 with a lower RPI. The Tar Heels, despite the 6-10 ACC record, are 19-11.

We get a chance to hurt UNC's tournament hopes by a lot in the first round.

[Radii]

Oh i see why the CPU updated my lineups... Slater gained a 2nd point of development and the AI thinks he ought to start now. I'm not about to change that.

And we've got new development all over the place. I guess the freshmen start out with a lot of ratings at like 55.0 and they all hit 56 at once or something. McClurkin has all of a sudden jumped THREE total points to be rated 73 OVR. Alloway, Slater, and Ozier have all gained 2 total points now.

Barrett and Sneed, amusingly enough(or not really, come on guys, improve!) still haven't gained a single point to their overall rating.


With Forte out for the tournament, Alloway is my starting PG. Little used 3rd string SG Jose Gunn will play SG for the backups(McClurkin has always been the PG/Alloway at SG).

[Radii]

March 12, 2020

(7) North Carolina (19-11, 6-10 ACC) vs (10) Florida State (10-17, 6-10 ACC)

Forte played last time we played UNC, but we primarily won because Moye scored a career high 35 points, an insane total given that we only scored 63 as a team.

We'll try to shoot 3's, and we'll try to get into the middle of the 3-2 zone if that doesn't work(Sneed's nice mid-range jumper might help here), but I don't have high hopes of repeating our earlier result.

Scouting

PG Craig Hoskin – FR – 85 OVR – 9.1 ppg/2.6 apg. 93 speed/84 quickness. 89 defense/90 steals. 87 hands/80 passing. 88 close/80 med/89 3/81 off the dribble... 89 3 point shot as a true freshman, holy shit. A+ potential. I don't know how well this game handles 1 and done but the draft buzz around Hoskin is that he is a lottery pick this year.

SG Russ Haigler – JR – 89 OVR – 15.2 ppg. 89 speed/89 quickness. 82 defense/82 steals. PG level ball handler and passer (91/83 A/A- for a SG). 84 close/86 med/90 3. only 78 off the dribble, surprisingly low given eerything else.

SF Phil Atangana – FR – 85 OVR – 90 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/88 steals. 87 close/75 med/72 3/84 off the dribble. Atangana is actually a natural SF, but he's 6'6”. 7.2 ppg.

PF Marcel Konate – JR – 90 OVR – 6'6” PF – 16.4 ppg/6.0 rpg. 82 orb/88 drb. 86 post off/90 post def. 94 close/87 in traffic. Additionally he has the speed of a SF and the mid range and 3 point shot of a guard. Coach on the floor this year too... If he leaves early he'll be a first round pick. I dream of a big man this talented one day. I assure you he'll score more than 16 per game.

C Quinton Diame - JR – 71 OVR – holy crap, 7'3”!! not skilled at all. No ratings over 80 except his close rnage shot which is 87. But holy crap, 7'3!

<table width="100%" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="15"> <col width="22"> <col width="26"> <col width="19"> <col width="174"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> Half
</td> <td width="9%"> Time
</td> <td width="10%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UNC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> They're not missing, we're not making anything.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits a 3 for us finally, and the backups are on their way in. We're 2/9, Sneed and Moye each with a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Haigler has 11 for them, 3 3's I think. The loss of Forte, moving Alloway to the starting lineup and this worthless reserve in Gunn to the backup squad... seems to be having a big impact. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh heh I remember... Hoskin was hurt and slowed in our last meeting. Wow he just put some moves on McClurkin. Ended up kicking it out for another 3. I get another timeout and get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits 2 threes in a row and has 11 now. We just aren't really stopping them...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that was fun. UNC is 5/8 from 3, shooting 68% overall. We are shooting 17%. They've got 13 from Haigler, 10 from Atangana.


We have 11 from Moye, 2 from Sneed. We're 5-28 from the field.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, we're so far down that UNC starts its reserves in the 2^nd half. Sadly two of their backups are rated higher than anyone on my squad. At this point I'm basically trying to go off on a big run early in the half, if I can't, we're done.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Heh. It doesn't take long. I'm down 47-17 when I give up.

North Carolina 73
Florida State 50

They end up with 19 from Haigler, 14 from Atangana and a good mix from everyone else.

Alloway: 0 points
Moye: 13 points
Ozier: 0 points
Sneed: 11 points/6 boards
Locklier: 8 points/5 boards

Barrett: 12 points

[Radii]

I really would have liked to have won a tournament game, *especially* against UNC with them on the bubble, but at the same time... i'm glad this season is over with. Its been a slog, though there were some rewarding wins towards the end of the regular season.

ACC Tournament First Round

8. Georgia Tech 76
9. Wake Forest 68

12. Virginia 74
5. Maryland 66

6. Duke 60
11. Miami 41

7. North Carolina 73
10. Florida State 50


ACC Quarterfinals

1. Boston College 95
8. Georgia Tech 89

4. Clemson 96
12. Virginia 71

3. Virginia Tech 72
6. Duke 63

7. North Carolina 73
2. NC State 60


ACC Semifinals

4. Clemson 70
1. Boston College 67

3. Virginia Tech 77
7. North Carolina 65


ACC Finals

3. Virginia Tech 91
4. Clemson 80


This is Virginia Tech's first ever ACC tournament title. I assume NC State lost a 1 seed by getting upset by UNC.

[Radii]

NCAA Selection

1 seeds:

Boston College (East), Pittsburgh (South), Texas A&M (Midwest), NC State (West)

NC State hangs on to their 1 seed! Two ACC Teams earn top seeds.


Maryland: 10 seed, east. 1st round opponent Rhode Island.
Ohio: 8 seed, West. 1st Round opponent UGA (2nd round opponent NC State)
Virginia Tech: 3 seed, West. Lamar in the first round
North Carolina: 11 seed, South. LSU first round.
Clemson: 7 seed, South. Rutgers 1st round.

duke is out, hah!


Tournament Results


FINAL FOUR:

EAST: 3 seed Kansas (beat 5 seed Southern Miss)
WEST: 2 seed Arizona (beat 1 seed NCSU... 105-71)
SOUTH: 7 seed Clemson (beat 1 seed Pitt)
MIDWEST: 2 seed Villanova (beat 5 seed Kentucky)

So it wasn't the ACC team we figured could get to the final four, but its nice to see an ACC team there no matter who.


Arizona beats Kansas 91-85
Villanova beats Clemson 77-67

Villanova crushes Arizona 94-55 to win the national title.



ACC Team Results

1. NC State - Elite Eight (lost to 2 seed Arizona)
1. Boston College - Sweet 16 (lost to 5 seed Southern Miss)
3. Virginia Tech - 2nd Round (lost to 6 seed Florida)
7. Clemson - Final four (lost to Villanova)
10. Maryland - 2nd Round (lost to 2 seed UCLA)
11. North Carolina - Sweet 16 (upset 6 LSU/3 Utah, lost to 7 Clemson)

muuuch better than last year.


Sadly, Ohio lost in the first round to Georgia.

[Radii]

2020 Graduating Seniors

PF BB Locklier - 6'11" 241 lbs - 77 OVR

Locklier came in as a JC transfer it appears. He played 3 years. His senior season he averaged 7.7 ppg/5.8 rpg and was a valuable starter, our only starter with any experience whatsoever. I didn't recruit him though so he'll never be someone i really remember.


PF Marshall Osimani - 6'7" 225 lbs - 73 OVR

who?

2.4 ppg/1.7 rpg his senior year. I had good big man depth when I first took over FSU, and I had good freshmen coming in this year, so Osimani was relegated deep on the bench.

[Radii]

2020 Team Stats


Scoring Leaders

1. SG Moye - 12.9 ppg
2. PF Sneed - 9.3 ppg
3. PF Locklier - 7.7 ppg
4. PG Forte - 6.7 ppg
5. PG Alloway - 6.5 ppg

Ozier is the only starter not to make the top 5, he scored 4.8 ppg. We had to slow the game down a lot this year and only averaged 65 points/game. So these numbers are all down. I hope to get back up closer to the 80 point games I prefer to play next year, bringing everyone's numbers up.

Rebound Leaders

1. PF Locklier - 5.8
2. SF Ozier - 4.6
3. PF Sneed - 4.6
4. SG Moye - 3.2
5. PF Sanders - 3.0

Sneed ought to be embarrassed to get outrebounded by a 6'5" SF. I did general training with everyone this year but i may have to start to focus on rebounding for big men and defense for backcourt players next year to accellerate those areas.


Assists

1. PG Forte - 3.1
2. PG Alloway - 1.6
3. SG Moye - 1.3
4. PG McClurkin - 1.0

We just don't get a lot of assists, and the PG never gets big assist games, a lot of my assists come in the middle of plays when i just happen to see someone open so anyone can get them.



3 point shooting

1. PG McClurkin - 38.0%
2. SG Moye - 37.3%
3. PG Forte - 32.7%
4. PG Alloway - 30.8%

Moye took 126 3'd while McClurkin only took 50, and most of those were likely in simmed games. Forte and Alloway should both improve greatly next year here. I expect all 4 of these guys to be able to shoot 35% if I don't take bad 3's too often.


FT %

1. PF Sanders - 78.5%
2. SG Barrett - 78.4%
3. PG McClurkin - 77.0%
4. PG Forte - 75.0%
5. PF Sneed - 75.0%

Surprisingly good %'s really, I felt like i had a lot of poor/risky free throw shooters. Forte at 75% is a big shock to me. He's rated 69 from the line, pretty terrible.

[law90026]

here's hoping you don't lose your job!

[Radii]

2020 Awards

Villanova has a roster strength of 94 for their title winning team. Their worst starter was rated 85 OVR.

The national player of the year is a surprise from a mid-major, as PF Jackson wilmont from Southern Illinois wins the award. He's rated 85 OVR and scored a huge 27.4 ppg this year, with 8.6 rebounds to go with it.

The coach of the year is actually not from Nova. Mark Few out of Arizona, the national runner up, wins coach of the year.


First Team All American

PG Jean Francois Munir - SR - Arizona - 90 OVR - 17.7 ppg/5.0 apg
SG Shane Terrell - SR - Tennessee - 86 OVR - 19.2 ppg/7.1 rpg/3.7 apg
SF Todor Didlake - SR - Duquesne - 82 OVR - 21.1 ppg/8.2 rpg
PF Jackson Wilmont - SR - S. Illinois - 85 OVR - 27.4 ppg/8.6 rpg
C RJ Kent - SR - Temple - 86 OVR - 23.2 ppg/4.8 rpg

Only two guys from power conferences.

Boston College PF Maynard McGrain is a 2nd team all american with 20.1 ppg/6.2 rpg.

North Carolina PG Craig Hoskin is a freshman all american with 8.4 ppg.

Miami Center Rex Newman is a freshman all american. He's at 8.9 ppg/5.2 rpg this year. We were unable to land anyone on the team.


ACC Awards

NC State's Sidney Lowe wins the ACC Coach of the Year award.

Boston College PF Maynard McGrain is the ACC Player of the year, referenced above as a 2nd team all american.

Georgia Tech PF Aly Richards is freshman of the year, 7.1 ppg/6.1 rpg. Sneed would have been all over these awards if he could rebound.

1st Team All-ACC

PG Dick Walcott - Clemson - 86 OVR - 14.7 ppg/3.7 apg
SG Grant Larson - Ga Tech - 85 OVR - 18.8 ppg/4.2 rpg/3.0 apg
SF Marvin Haigler - Maryland - 90 OVR - 13.2 ppg/7.2 rpg
PF Maynard McGrain - Boston College - 86 OVR - 20.1 ppg/6.2 rpg
C Taurence Frye - NC State - 86 OVR 17.7 ppg/3.8 rpg

All are seniors.

2nd Team All-ACC

PG Alfred Ball - Duke - 90 OVR - 14.4 ppg/4.3 apg
SG Russ Haigler - UNC - 89 OVR - 14.5 ppg
SF Roosevelt Radziejewski - Wake Forest - 83 OVR - 14.5 ppg/6.1 rpg
PF Marcel Konate - UNC - 90 OVR - 15.6 ppg/6.0 rpg
C Rex NEwman - Miami - 78 OVR - 8.9 ppg/5.2 rpg

Ball is a soph, Newman a freshman. The rest are juniors.


Freshman All-ACC

PG Craig Hoskin - UNC - 85 OVR - 8.4 ppg/2.9 apg
SG Phil Atangana - UNC - 85 OVR - 7.0 ppg/4.2 rpg
SF Reid Luz - Duke - 78 OVR - 5.6 ppg/4.8 rpg
PF Aly Richards - Ga Tech - 80 OVR - 7.1 ppg/6.1 rpg
C Rex Newman - Miami - 78 OVR - 8.9 ppg/5.2 rpg

We've got 7 freshmen (and 1 JC Junior) on the roster and can't sniff a single award.