College Hoops 2k8: 2009 Edition

[Radii]

here's hoping you don't lose your job!


Oh, it was fine, I should have mentioned a few weeks ago in game :) When I was freefalling a bit early in the season my job security meter dropped pretty fast from 90% to about 70% or so... so I was worried if I totally tanked and had a 3-13 ACC season it might keep dropping steadily. But it held steady in the 70-75% range the rest of the year, probably at around the 10th game of the ACC season it became clear that I was in no danger at all of losing my job.



Speaking of... I get a 3 year extension :D

[Radii]

Early Entrants

Of course no one on Florida state leaves early, and no one is getting drafted.

ACC Seniors Drafted

PG Dick Walcott - Clemson
PG Clayton Conklin - NC State
PF Geoffrey Merrit - NC State
PG Galen Valsin - Maryland
SF Marvin Haigler - Maryland

ACC Underclassmen Leaving

PG Alfred Ball - Duke - Soph
SG Deki Joiner - Boston College - Junior
PG Craig Hoskin - North Carolina - Freshman

I'm thrilled to see all 3 leave, espicially Ball, rated 90 as a soph. Ball and Hoskin were the #1 recruits in the nation last year and the year before.

[Radii]

My 10-18 record this year ends a streak of 6 straight 20 win season, 6 straight postseason trips, 4 straight NCAA Tournament trips, and 7 straight winning seasons as a head coach, going back to the Ohio days of course.


I have 3 attribute points to spend. These were all for recruiting last year. Top recruiting class, top 20 recruiting class, and a 5 star recruit.

I spread them around, 1 to offense, one to defense to max it out, and one to discipline.

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

I'm still a B+ coach overall.


Coaching Carousel

LSU, Illinois, and USC jobs open up in major conferences. I'm not up for any of them after the year I had. I wouldn't take any of them anyway.


LSU hires VCU's head coach, that place continues to be a jumping off point for young coaches.

Illinois hires Manhattan's head coach.

USC hires Saint Peter's coach.

All the top jobs opened this year due to retirements. Bruce Weber at Illinois, Tim Floyd at USC, and notable Larry Eustachy at Southern Miss.

The game seems reluctant to fire power conference coaches. The fact that UVA and Miami haven't fired their coaches yet is horrific.

[Radii]

I'm happy with my assistant coaches and make no changes.

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

[Radii]

No ACC players are involved in transfers in any way. Even with a scholarship open no one wants to come to Florida State.

There's nothing to mention for recruiting, I've signed two players and am not looking for a 3rd. I work on the Juniors that I've been calling.


After the recruiting season is done... I have 4 5* targets and a 4* guy up around 78-79%, and two 4* SF's at 87% and 88%. Three of the 7 guys are from Florida.


ACC Signing Overview

Boston College: 5* JC, #37
Clemson: No Signings
Duke: #59
Florida State: #91, #94
Georgia Tech: #18 (5* HSAA), #40, #44
Maryland: #22 (5* HSAA), #42, #58
Miami: #110
North Carolina: #105
NC State: 2 4* JC players, #57, #79
Virginia: 4* JC
Virginia Tech: #46
Wake Forest: #68, #109, 4* JC

The league as a whole only brought in three 5* recruits this year. Last year it seemed like it was quite a bit more than that. Anyone rated below #110 I didn't mention, this is just to give an overview of the level of talent each team is bringing in.

[Radii]

Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Kansas
2. Florida
3. Pittsburgh
4. Arizona
5. Vanderbilt
6. Louisville
7. Georgia Tech
8. Indiana
9. Oklahoma State
10. Temple
...
13. Maryland
16. Boston College
24. Duke
26. Wake Forest
42. NC State
63. Virginia
...
115ish. Florida State

huh. Two 4* guys is only good for 115th or so? That's a long ways down. I don't know if the "small" class is killing me or if that means the guys I'm bringing in are busts or have a long ways to go.

[Radii]

I don't mess with my schedule any this year. We're in a preseason tourney, play Pitt and UGA, but otherwise it looks pretty easy, which is what I want this year.

[Radii]

We dont' get a huge amount of offseason development, but we do look a lot better. Moye gains another point and will be my highest rated player at 83 OVR. I'll hve 3 guys at 80 to start the year, thanks to 2 points gained by backup SG Barrett. Forte gains 2 points in the offseason and is up to 79 OVR, and Alloway, who has A- potential, gains another point and is up to 76 OVR.

I get exactly what I expected out of my two recruits. A 7 footer with some very good skills, and a 3 point specialist. I'm very pleased with my results here. More on all that when I get to the roster overview.


For now:

ACC Preview

1. North Carolina 92 OVR
2. Clemson 92 OVR
3. Virginia Tech 90 OVR
4. Maryland 89 OVR
5. Florida State 88 OVR
6. Georgia Tech 88 OVR
7. Boston College 87 OVR
8. NC State 86 OVR
9. Wake Forest 85 OVR
10. Duke 83 OVR (67 rated PG to replace their soph that left early, hah)
11. Miami 81 OVR
12. Virginia 79 OVR


We're really in a perfect spot. Clemson, UNC, and Virginia Tech are the only teams that look like they have any superstar level players. Maryland is good but couldn't replace the two players they lost to the draft. Georgia Tech looks a lot like us. North Carolina *should* be the going away favorite to win the ACC this year, but who knows how that will go.

We should be in a great position to compete for a top 4 spot in the conference and an NCAA Tournament bid.


ACC Accolades

Best Overall Player: PF Marcel Konate - UNC - SR - 91 OVR
Best Freshman: SG Marko Hancock - Maryland - 80 OVR
Best Shooter: SG Russ Haigler - UNC - SR - 90 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG JB Matsui - Virginia Tech - SR - 87 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: SG Davor Morris - Boston College - SR - 86 OVR
Best Defender: PF Marcel Konate - UNC - SR - 91 OVR

[Radii]

2020/21 Florida State Roster

The ratings changes in parenthesis are comparing the previous year's roster overview, so it includes all in season dev last year and the offseason. Exactly a calendar year basically.

Starting Lineup

PG Damien Forte - SO - 6'2" 192 lbs - 79 OVR (+3)

87 speed/84 quickness, 80 defense/84 steals. 83 hands/89 passing, a great passer. 83 close/74 med/73 3/85 off the dribble. He's improved a bit most everywhere, though he hasn't made any defensive gains. I wonder if I should work on his defense more this year or allow him to continue to improve his offense and speed and passing at a good rate.


SG JS Moye - SR - 6'4" 197 lbs - 83 OVR (+2)

91 speed/88 quickness. 84 defense/84 steals, very pleased with those numbers. 86 close/78 med/81 3/82 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Moye is great at getting by most defenders but he runs into trouble near the basket if he's heavily defended. He gets a lot of shots blocked and comes away empty a lot without an open lane to the hoop.

SF Kueth Ozier - SO - 6'5" 239 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

85 speed/84 quickness. 78 defense/71 steals. 79 close/81 med/66 3/91 in traffic. He's a solid rebounder and post player as well (79 post offense, 77 orb/80 drb). I struggled greatly getting Ozier points last year. He's got great speed for a SF but doesn't have a good blowby move. I may try to get him to post up other SF's more this year. I'd consider a 3-guard lineup with Barrett(see below) but Ozier's rebounding helps to make up for Sneed's mediocre rebounding so much. I don't want to give that up.


PF Otis Sneed - SO - 6'10" 222 lbs - 79 OVR (+1)

Just 1 point of overall dev last year. He did improve nicely as a defensive rebounder, and hopefully that shows on the court. He also grew an inch. 80 orb/84 drb. 81 post offense/82 post defense. 92 close/92 in traffic. 78 midrange jumper. Sneed had some good offensive games last year, and I expect more this year. Good post skills combined with great close range and in traffic shooting ability and I hope to see some huge games here.

C Florentino McCants - FR - 7'0" 224 lbs - 78 OVR

84 orb/86 drb. 83 post off/80 post def. 86 close/84 in traffic. Strong, 76 STR(B+). He's got great awareness numbers (76 off/77 def). He's fast for a big man and has decent hands for a big man as well. I have no reservations at all about putting McCants right into the lineup. 7 foot size with that rebounding and post ability... hell, if I can get my offense going and score more, McCants should be a legit contender for national freshman of the year if I use him well.


Backups

PG Damion Alloway - SO - 6'0" 185 lbs - 76 OVR (+3)

93 speed/85 quickness. 82 defense/72 steals. 87 hands/85 passing, both very solid. 86 close/66 med/79 3/86 off the dribble. Good leaper(80/B-), decent strength and hustle as well(B-/C+). I can't look at his ratings and figure out why, but alloway is explosive going to the hoop and I'm more comfortable sending him into traffic than I am anyone else on the team. Forte is developing great but Alloway has A- potential and is going to stay on the heels of the starters all 4 years.

SG Prosper Day - FR - 6'3" 204 lbs - 73 OVR

84 speed/80 quickness. 80 defense/78 steals. 87 close/72 med/83 3/82 off the dribble. Day is a good athlete, 78 vert/72 str/85 hustle(C+/B/B+). I'll have to see how he does driving to the basket but his combination of close and 3 point rating give me some hope that i have another dangerous slasher who can get to the rim if guarded tight and stroke the 3 if loosely guarded. Awareness is awful. 62/64 (C-/C). C+ potential.

SG Ike Barrett - SO - 6'4" 199 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

Barrett is hard to keep out of the starting lineup. He has a lot to be really excited about. 89 speed/87 quickness. 86 close/80 med/64 3/80 in traffic. 77 o awareness/76 d awareness. Both very solid. And the big, huge, glaringly good rating: 89 defense (A-)/78 steals(B). More on this later. Barrett has some seriously good skills and needs to be used to his fullest.

PF Brice Sanders - SO - 7'0" 239 lbs - 79 OVR (+2)

Sanders grew an inch and I have two 7 footers now. Here's the problem though... McCants is a much better rebounder, and Sneed is a much more polished offensive player. So Sanders will be a guy who gets a lot of action for the backups. 81 orb/80 drb. 77 post off/83 post def. 92 close/84 in traffic. Great dunker, with a 76 vert and 70 str to go with his size. Good shot blocker too (76/B)

C Benjamin Slater - JR - 6'10" 230 lbs - 76 OVR (+2)

Slater is a solid backup. 79 orb/81 drb. 78 post off/77 post def. 85 close/87 in traffic. He's my best shot blocker and it isn't even close(88/A-). He was a pretty poor freshman when I took over the team and obviously won't start ever for me but he's a serviceable backup.


Reserves

PG Pearson McClurkin - SO - 5'10" 172 lbs - 73 OVR (+3) - REDSHIRT

McClurkin almost redshirted last year but made solid gains off the bench. But with Alloway as a natural PG and Day a good SG backup, McClurkin is the odd man out. He'll redshirt this year unless I have injury issues. 86 speed/89 quickness. 79 defense. 81 hands/81 passing. 81 close/72 med/74 3/83 off the dribble. B+ potential and he's developed real well so far. But he has no shot to catch Forte or Alloway for a roster spot.



Most of these spots are totally set in stone. I guess McCants could turn out to suck and Sanders could take the starting center job, but that feels real unlikely.

the big decision is at SF. Ozier can play in the post and can rebound. In theory he can score but he didn't really do it for me last year and with Forte, Moye, Sneed and McCants out there, Ozier is almost certainly going to be my #5 option. Basically... he's in there to help rebound.

Barrett is a natural SG but he's 6'4", just an inch shorter than Ozier. And he is a lockdown defender... 89/A- defense, great speed, a good steals guy, and similar looking offensive ratings. Better awareness too.

If the addition of McCants means that I don't need Ozier's rebounding, he probably loses hsi spot. I *really* like that defense. Against teams like UNC and Clemson who have elite level guards I will probably start Barrett as well. Against teams with bigger/stronger SF's, Ozier might be better.


Our team roster strength at the start of last season was 85. Now its 88. 87 offense/88 defense/88 shooting/92 rebounding/86 coach.

That'll improve to 89 during the year of course, *maybe* 90 but its hard to say. We're losing Moye after this season but Barrett will almost certainly slide right into his starting slot. I don't think any of these guys are going to develop into 88 rated lottery picks, but the next 3 years look *really* exciting.

[Radii]

Recruiting Preview

We've got two scholarships. We're graduating SG JS Moye. I don't have to recruit a SG though, with Barrett and Day, my SG depth is fine. My biggest need slot is a SF really, as Ozier is the only natural SF on the roster.

Next year i'll be losing a backup big man and a deep reserve SG (Jose Gunn who i've mentioned a couple times but only when forced to).

I can really recruit whatever I want this year, and with some luck,and the work I did with the juniors last year, there are some exciting options.

I had been targeting 7 players last year, 4 4*, 3 5*. As luck would have it, by the time they come out as seniors, its 6 5* players, 1 4*.


The most exciting prospect:

SF Roberto Mayer - 6'7" 222 lbs - Hollywood, FL. #14 OVR/#3 SF

He wants playing time, wants to be near home and wants a big program. Virginia Tech has done a ton of work with him and has him over 90% already. but we are #2 on his list at 83%. If we can convince him to stay in state we have a legit shot at landing this guy in the early signing period. Mayer is a HS All American. I've never signed one. He looks like an incredible talent. B- defense, B close/B- med/B- 3/C+'s all over the place for the rest of his offensive abilities. A+ hustle, C+ str/vert. 17.3 ppg/7.3 rpg in the ABL. We want this guy. Badly.

In fact, we want him so badly that I go cut a 70 rated walkon that's sitting deep on my bench that i was saving just because I only have one SF on the roster. Heh, doing that raises Mayer from 82 to 84%.


Now, for my second scholarship... there's one obvious target:


PF Haminn Millar - 6'9" 218 lbs - Alhambra, CA - #19 OVR/#2 PF

Millar cares about a big program and good coaching more than being near home. But... being near home is his #3 priority. Before anything happens, we have him at 81%, running neck and neck with UCLA and Arizona. I assume if either of them offer though that I'm toast. Arizona has Mark Few, made the title game last year, and is out west.

Our other targets:

SF Kenny Bruthelieus - San Antonio - #10 OVR/#1 SF

Mr Basketball in Texas. He likes us alright, 73%. We're his #3 choice right now. Problem here is that his #1 priority is close to home, and Texas A&M is #1 on his list. Baylor is right behind us as well. Seems a long shot.


PG Darren Richard - 6'0" 165 lbs - Tamarac, FL - #5 OVR/#3 PG

We only have Richard at 73%. He's leaning towards Florida, Virginia Tech, South Florida, Clemson and UNC before us. We're loaded at PG, and he knows it. He wants good coaching #1, being near home #2, and feeling wanted #3. The fact that he doesn't care about playing time might mean that we have a shot.

Our last legit target:

SG Darren Bookout - 6'5" 204 lbs - Wilmington, NC - #8 OVR/#3 SG

Hm, a 6'5ish SG out of wilmington... sounds familier. He wants to stay near home, but he favorts Florida and Pitt over UNC. We're #5. He wants good coaching and feeling wanted #2/#3. He scouts as an A- defender...


So going after the SF from Florida is a no brainer. The second choice seems to come down to the PF who already has me over 80% but I'd haveto lure away from UCLA/Arizona, or the PG from Florida who I'd have to convince to come here despite the fact that I have 3 PG's on my roster.


We have 3 clean weeks to recruit and games start in week 4. Mayer, the SF we really covet, is up to 94% when I offer him a scholarship in week 3. He'll easily get to 100%, and by jumping on him early we're his #1 target now.

My second scholarship is tougher. i seem to make the most headway with the PF from out in california, but the godlike PG out of Florida or the stud defender from Wilmington are both within reach too... I really don't know where to go with this one.

After some deliberation I go after the SG from Wilmington. He wants close to home but UNC is falling on his list and might not even be interested?? Or they'll swoop in at the last minute. A scorer with A- defense... i just can't resist the lure there.



As we enter the 4th week, when I start playing games, its really looking like this small forward from hollywood, florida, is going to fall into my lap. He's at 97% and will hit 100% after his visit this week I think. In addition to the prospect of landing a recruit this highly rated, which i've never done before, I should point out that a 5* recruit in-season, and a high school all American, would both be additional coaching points for me if I can pull this off.

The other scholarship... we'll see. The SG is at 91%, but I'm using my last visit this week. I don't think I can get him to 100% before the in season recruiting period starts. That would give UNC all year to decide they want him.


We're up to the start of our first game though, so recruiting has to go on hold for now. I play Pitt on the opening day of the in season signing period, and I might play 1, 2, or 3 games of this preseason tournament depending on how the draw works out.

[Radii]

November 12, 2020 – Palm Tree Shootout

Florida State (0-0) vs Niagara (1-0)

We ought to win this one but we'll play it out to see how we stack up before potentially tougher games later in the tournament.

A small table isn't working in WYSWIG at all, how about this.

TEAM: FSU|NIA
OVR: 88|78
OFF: 87|80
DEF: 89|76
SHT: 88|82
REB: 92|87
COA: 86|83

Scouting

Not as in depth here for the first game against in theory a weak competition. Their highest rated player is 75 OVR, they start a 65 rated PF and we outclass them at every position by quite a bit.

They have a 7 foot center who scored 15 points in their first game, while backup PG Rasmussen is their primary 3 point threat. They don't have any sharpshooters, but have 2 or 3 guys that will hurt us if left open.

Replacing our senior starter in Locklier with a true freshman knocks our team unity back down to 28.

<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%"> NIA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> We've committed 4 fouls and allowed two offensive rebounds. Good start to the season. Sneed has foul #2, sanders in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> After a 3 by Niagara, a turnover by us and our 5^th foul/two Fts for them... McCants hits a hook shot in the lane and we're on the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We start scoring a bit better, but being a bit careless with the ball in transition has prevented what could have been a lead by now. Timeout Niagara after a blocked shot leads to a layup for Moye.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the backups in. McCants has a sweet little hook shot if I can get him positioned well, I like it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> We haven't been able to take the lead yet but we're scoring well. Barrett with 4, Delic(5^th big man on the team at this point, 7 foot walkon) has 4, getting minutes with Sneed sitting, and we got Day his first bucket of the year as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. We just gave up a 3 point play inside heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> We still haven't taken the lead back, but we did tie it at 28 briefly. Forte has 2 3's in this stretch,and McCants has two blocks.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> They score to go up 3 before we put up 5 straight to take the lead. McCants with a layin in transition to give us the lead.
</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%"> Fun half but we need to beat this team down in the second half. They hit a 3 at the buzzer to go back ahead. We're shooting great... 62% on the game, while they're just 48%. The problem is that they've taken 8 more shots than us. The rebound margin isn't big but they must have an offensive rebound edge bigger than I thought.


They get 13 from their starting PG, Hazel, one of their two 75 rated players, he's 5-7, 3-4 from 3. We'll tighten up on him. They have 9 from their center Haigler.


Forte leads us with 10, 3-3 from 3 and a free throw. Ozier and McCants have 6, Moye 5, and a few with 4. Sneed starts the 2^nd half for us, he sat the entire half basically.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> I bring in Barrett for Ozier... Barrett is going to stick to Hazel, this is why I have an 89 rated defender right? When one guy on their team is inexplicably hot... try to cool him back down.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, we're down 9. I get a timeout. McCants has missed 3 seemingly gimme looks inside now, and we've allowed 3 3's this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye with a deuce, they hit a 3... that's after a miss and an offensive board mind you. Moye drives and misses a shot inside in traffic, they get fouled, make a free throw, miss the 2^nd, get an offensive board and putback. They have 7 offensive boards and 12 second chance points. We have 2 offensive boards/0 second chance points. I call yet another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, starters aren't tired but we need a change of pace, and i'm basically infuriated at the way we're rebounding and finishing inside right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Good defense and fairly good rebounding allow us to trigger an 8-1 run and get the lead back down to 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway scores 5 straight and we get the lead down to 5
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway makes it 7 straight and were only down 3, but its time for the starters to finish it off, backups are tired.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Niagara.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Steal by Forte, we set up and McCants hits a layup inside. Tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> All of a sudden both teams go cold, they miss 4 jumpers in a row, we come up empty on 3 straight possessions before finally Forte drives to the basket and gets a bucket giving us the lead. Timeout Niagara.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with a reach in foul, Hazel hits two free throws(we're at 8 fouls). Tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a play that posts up Sneed right away and he hits a layin. Up 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a block inside, there is a little chaos, they recover but their pass back out to a guard is errant and sails out of bounds, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Big big mismatch inside, McCants ends up with a guard on him, I feed McCants and he hits a little shot in the post to put us up 4.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss, we board, and we seal it at the line.

Florida State 84
Niagara 75

No one comes up really big for us today but we get some solid efforts, defense and rebounding could use some improvement and I'm sure that will come, close wins over inferior teams early aren't exactly unusual for me by now.

Forte: 14 points/3 steals
Moye: 10 points
Ozier: 10 points
Sneed: 5 points/5 boards
McCants: 12 points/7 boards/4 blocks

Alloway: 9 points
Barrett: 8 points
Sanders: 2 points/7 boards

Solid debut for McCants. Sneed getting 2 fouls in the first 90 seconds helped that a lot of course. Moye was 3-10, just 0-2 from 3, lots of those drives where he doesn't get a clean look that I've mentioned in the past. McCants ended up 5-9 from the field. Day goes 0-4 from 3 in his debut.

The backups really took over though when I made Alloway the focus. Its so easy for me to focus on a PF or a SG, but the PG as a primary scoring option can be awkward, but I'm going to have to make sure Alloway gets his shots consistently this year when the backups are in.

[Radii]

Our guys are really starting to take off now, we get a fair amount of development in the first 3 1/2 weeks while we were recruiting.

Moye has gained a point, up to 84 OVR
Ozier has gained a point, up to 81 OVR
Sneed has gained a point, up to 80 OVR
Alloway has gained a point, up to 77 OVR

[Radii]

ugh, I forgot to save after the Niagara game, and going into my next game, against an 84 rated Tulane team, the frame rate gets screwed up, or some kind of bug where the camera seems to lag on cross court passes, etc... I've seen it a couple times before but never during a session... always when I first fire up a game, it goes away after a reset.

Anyway, I get motion sick pretty easy and 3 minutes in I have to quick sim it. I wanted to play this one too, Tulane has 3 guys rated in the 82-85 range and it looked like a solid matchup.


November 13, 2020

Florida State 63
Tulane 60

Moye scores 17, Forte 13, Sneed 8 in the win. Solid game for us.


We'll get an 82 rated Tennessee team in the finals of this tournament next.

[Radii]

November 15, 2020 – Palm Tree Shootout

Florida State (2-0) vs Tennessee (3-0)

TEAM: FSU|TEN
OVR: 88|82
OFF: 87|84
DEF: 89|81
SHT: 88|88
REB: 92|88
COA: 86|95

Bruce Pearl is now a 400 win coach, but this doesn't look to be one of his better teams. The SEC actually has 6 teams in the top 25 right now, and Tennessee isn't one of them.

Scouting

PG Dereck Nelson – SR – 77 OVR – 89 speed/83 quickness. 85 hands/88 passing. 86 defense/80 steals. A solid defender and ball handler, and that's really all Nelson is about. He isn't going to burn you with his speed, and he isn't going to kill you with his offense. 79 close/76 med/72 3. 84 off the dribble is nice though. He also has pretty poor awareness. 73 off/66 def. The defensive awareness is really low.

SG Jamal Bowers – SR – 77 OVR – 91 speed/83 quickness. 88 defense/71 steals. 81 close/78 med/83 3. Solid fundamental skills. The quickness hurts his abilities a little but he's still looking like a great on ball defender and very very good shooter. Just 7 points/game so far though and this is his first year as a starter.

SF Lawrence Borders – JR – 72 OVR – 6'9 – natural PF. Awful, awful defensive skills, 70 def/76 steals. 87 close/68 med/74 3. Not bad at all for a PF, but he's only average handling the ball even for a big man, and he's slow. Ozier is only 6'5” but has solid post skills so I'm not worried about Borders hurting us inside too much, and Ozier should have a massive edge given the poor defense and speed here.

PF Darmetreis Pierce – JR – 75 OVR – 6'11” PF – 78 orb/76 drb. 73 post off/76 post def. 88 close/87 in traffic. He's strong (75/B+) and he's a great shot blocker (85/A-). But his post play and rebounding leave a good bit to be desired. He does have 16 ppg early on so far.

C Jarrad Falkner – FR – 75 OVR – 6'10” PF – 77 orb/78 drb. 85 post off/81 post def. 73 blocks. 92 close/81 in traffic. Falkner is going to be extremely good, and he'll be a threat in the post a lot more than Pierce this game I would imagine. But he's only playing his 4^th game and has a lot to work on to become a good rebounder. Also I notice his strength is only 61 (C+ for a PF). All four of our big men, starters and backups, have 70+ str, McCants and Slater 75+, so hopefully we manhandle Falkner in the post.

Tennessee has 8 guys rated 70+, but they don't have any stars and just don't have any threats that stand out. We really ought to have a nice 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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> UT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Lots of offense early. Sneed scores our first 8 points and Forte adds 5 more. They have 5 from their SG Bowers and balance across the lineup to have this early lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Two turnovers allow Tennessee to go on a 9-2 run to break a 23-23 tie. I get a timeout and get the starters back in. We're scoring well but they're scoring every time down.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> When it says FSU At Tennessee does that really matter on a neutral floor? Sure feels like a road game. They're shooting 62% so far, 4/7 from 3 and have 8 more shots than us. 16 assists on their 18 made Fgs. This is awful. I'm down to 3 timeouts left for the game as I call yet another one.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> We shut them down in the final 2 minutes but only manage 1 more bucket. They shoot 56% in the half, we shoot 40%. Its only as close as it is because we drew 7 fouls on them and went 9-11 at the line, while they only made 1 of their 4 free throws.


Backup guard Evtimov has 9 for them, PF Pierce with 7 and SG Bowers with 7. On our end Sneed has 8, going cold after scoring our first 8 points. The rest of the starters are 2-10 from the floor. Forte and Moye have 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Still down 9 but the momentum is ours with 6 of the last 8 points, and a blcoked shot by McCants just triggered a 6^th man bonus for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it down to 6 but are still allowing them to score too easily too often. They've got 13 from PF Pierce now. On our end, McCants sucked in every missed shot Tennessee had for awhile there, he's up to 10 boards. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Dammit! They hit two straight 3's and get their 4^th 6^th man boost of the game. I call a timeout. I've got Barrett on Bowers, their main backcourt threat.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> All our starters but McCants are back in. Presumably being a finals of a tournament we've got at least one more 6^th man boost coming which should help us out. McCants was active earlier in the half and is more tired than the rest. Ozier's in now but Barrett might finish out the game for defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants is back in, this just feels completely hopeless. It really feels like a true road game, but its not anything like that.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> We just got a turnover thanks to a 3 second violation. Ozier has his man 1 on 1, burns by him... and misses a nearly uncontested layup. This is what i'm talking about here heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett is in for Ozier. We just committed foul #7. Tennessee helps us out again by missing the front end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> I get my next to last timeout, as its unlikely we are getting any more 6^th man boosts after all, I need the rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Still at 15 at the 4 minute mark.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We never get it below 12.

Tennessee 86
Florida State 68

I'm really, really surprised at this result. A close game and even a loss, we're still young, ok I can buy that. But this was just a terrible performance without any explanation whatsoever. Their PF Pierce goes 7-8 from the field, 10-11 at the line. 24 points. Center Falkner is 6-10 for 12 points. Bowers with 16.

Forte: 7 points
Moye: 19 points (just 6-13 from the field)
Ozier: 5 points/5 boards (1-6 from the field)
Sneed: 8 points/5 boards (3-11... made his first 3, missed his next 8)
McCants: 10 points/11 boards

Slater: 7 points

McCants is the only starter on the team to shoot over 50% from the field. He was 4-7. Conference play is where its at, and we're 2-1 and off to an acceptable start, but we need to get better than this.

[Radii]

Next up we host a terrible norfolk state team:

Nov 21, 2020

at Florida State 73
Norfolk State 66

Moye with 20, Sneed with 10. We have huge foul problems... Sneed and McCants both have 4 fouls at the end and only play 20 and 17 minutes respectively. But that doesn't excuse the fact that they combine for 2 rebounds total. but, its a win.


Heh, and this team is not playing up to its ratings at all early. I hope this is something that can improve.

Nov 25, 2020

Miami OH 77
at Florida State 73

Moye 24, Sneed 13... we lose an overtime contest to a 77 OVR rated Miami OH team.


we're 3-2 now, and our next game is a huge one, though with the inconsistent start we're off to I'm worried about it. We're hosting Pittsburgh, who early on is the #3 team in the nation.


We also play Pitt on the final day before the early signing period opens. It still looks like we're a lock to land our 5* SF from Hollywood, FL.

The SG from Wilmington that we're after we have at 97%. There's little chance we can get him to 100% by the end of next week, and if Clemson offers him they'll steal him away.

The PF from California that I shied away from because of potential interest from UCLA and Arizona... I've got him at 97% without making him an offer. UCLA and Arizona are up there too but also haven't offered. There's a better than average chance that if I switch targets and drop off the SG from wilmington... that I can land the star big man. The guard looks noticeably better though, I really want him if I've got any shot at all. I decide to do nothing right away, and will re-evaluate mid-week next week before the end of the signing week.

[Radii]

November 29, 2020

#3 Pittsburgh (4-0) at Florida State (3-2)

TEAM: FSU|PIT
OVR: 88|91
OFF: 87|91
DEF: 89|89
SHT: 88|92
REB: 92|87
COA: 86|98

Pitt has played 4 cupcakes so far and crushed them all, most recently an 87-37 win over Central Connecticut State. Jamie Dixon has turned into one of the best coaches in the nation and is nearing his 400^th win.

Scouting

PG Tahric Burrowes – JR – 82 OVR – 95 speed/85 quickness. 84 vertical/70 str, both very good. 86 defense, 89 hands/82 passing. Both solid but not special really. 84 close/75 med/84 3. 84 off the dribble. They have some seriously good shooters. Just 8 ppg so far.

SG Isaac Wingate – SR – 86 OVR – 89 speed/92 quickness. Also 80 vertical/83 hustle(B-/B). 90 close/86 med/89 3/82 off the dribble. 85 defense, also A- handling. 15.3 ppg so far this year, a huge threat, BUT he has a broken finger which I have felt in the past has hurt my guys' shooting abilities. So hopefully he will be limited by his day to day injury.

SF Alfred Flowers – SR – 88 OVR – 6'7” SF – great speed and elite quickness... 89 spd/95 quickness (A+). 84 defense/77 steals. 83 handling. 83 close/83 me/69 3/75 off the dribble/93 in traffic. Flowers is a big SF with true guard level skills and abilities. 78 strength... as strong as any of our big men. He has outstanding post skills and rebounding for a SF as well. 85 offensive awareness/75 defensive awareness. A truly complete player. 14 ppg/8 rpg so far. Projected lottery pick.

PF Peter Curry – SR – 79 OVR – 6'5”, natural SF – 81 orb/74 drb. 74 post off/73 post def. 87 close/96 in traffic. He has a good midrange shot as well and good speed.

C Bobby Bragg – SR – 82 OVR – A giant. 7'2, natural PF. 80 orb/81 drb. 84 post off/87 post def. 85 block shot rating. 85 close/91 in traffic. 18.3 ppg/7 rpg. Well... our inside game is in trouble.

Backup SG Lawrence Dickerson is rated 84 OVR and is an elite shooter and scorer as well, 12 points/game.

Backup PG Landon Songondo is rated 81 OVR and has 90 speed, 89 quickness and 82 3 point shooting... they have so many threats.

Curry being a 6'5” SF lining up at power forward might help us some, but that's really their only weak spot. They've got a large 68-36 unity edge too.
<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%"> PITT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte and Moye each have a 3, and each have 5 points. Our offense is running efficiently, and we're cleaning the glass when Pitt misses, good start. McCants has 2 blocks too.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in a bit earlier than normal. Forte is tired from being such a focus, Moye couldn't go much longer, and McCants has two fouls. Forte hit a 2^nd 3, he has 8, Moye 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Great play by the backups, a number of offensive rebounds highlighting our ability to hold on to the lead. Starters are back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Pitt. They had a small lineup out there, with Flowers as their center. This allowed them to run around and get some open 3's, but it let us get inside with ease. McCants with 3 good looks for 6 points. Sneed missed his only shot. They go bigger after the TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Great end to the half. We shoot 55% and hold Pitt to under 50%. They get 8 from their superstar SF Flowers, and 7 points/5 boards from their quality big man, Bragg. They're 1-8 from 3. We need them to stay cold in the 2^nd half.


Forte and Moye lead us with 11, Forte 3-3 from 3, Moye 2-2. As a team we're 5-10, as Day missed a few open 3's for the backups. McCants with 6, Barrett with 5. That adds up to 33, that's the entirity of our scoring.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants gets his 3^rd foul, I'll keep him in and just go deeper into the bench if he picks up #4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They start the half on a 6-0 run. We're missing shots that went in all first half, ugh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Well then, 8 in a row for FSU! Moye gets out on the break 4 straight possessions, all after missed jumpers by Pitt. He scores 6 and hits Ozier for 2. Pitt timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Seriously, where was this vs Tennessee! Another pitt timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with his 4^th foul. Sanders is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits a 3, he has 22 and is carrying us this half. Pitt with another timeout. Two 6^th man boosts and all these timeouts allow us to ride our starters awhile longer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> We're starting to tire and they're on a run. Seems a good time to get a timeout and get the backups in. As good as the starters were in the first half... well the backups are 2/9 from the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7;35
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Bragg, their big man, has 18 now, he has 2 3 point play chances in a row, but missed the FT last time. Slater has 3 fouls now, that's 7 fouls between the two guys assigned to guard Bragg. I get a timeout to emphasize defense, maybe my increases in discipline will make that actually matter?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit 3's on two straight possessions. I get another timeout and get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We get McCants a good look. They get Bragg his 20^th points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a couple, we turn it over once and miss a couple. Moye just had a 3 rim out on him. Their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Bragg draws a foul on Ozier and is up to 22 points as he hits two at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed finally gets one to go, a turnaround from the right block to put us back up one. Timeout Pitt.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They shoot a midrange jumper that misses, Bragg with the board and putback... 24. Guy is a monster inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is a monster too. We go into the post to Sneed who makes a good crosscourt pass to an open Moye, his 3 is good, he has 27 now I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They go where else but in to Bragg. 26 for him, what a slugfest down the stretch, this is great.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow! Moye with a tough 3 off the dribble, its no good, but McCants gets the board, he goes back up strong(I considered passing it out and holding the ball, but he was right at the rim), lays the ball in with his left hand, and is fouled by Bragg!!! The free throw is no good, but Ozier gets the board!! Here's that ethical dilemma again... run an offense or hold it til the end? I think with a 7 second difference, knowing I'm going to have to start my offense with 20-25 seconds left anyway to get a reasonable shot(or hold it til the end and end up with a poor contested one), I'll hold it a bit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:19
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed has a SF on him, I feed him inside, the SF goes for the steal, Sneed has an open layin from just a foot or two away, four point lead!!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Great defense from Forte, they struggle getting it up over half court. They end up taking a bad shot (Bragg from about 18 feet out, just a 2 from the 7 footer). It's no good, Sneed boards with about 8 seconds left. They'd only committed 4 fouls all half and I ran the clock out before they got up to 7.

Florida State 68
#3 Pittsburgh 64

What an outstanding win. Quoted from the scouting report, for once I was dead on about what I saw:

“15.3 ppg so far this year, a huge threat, BUT he has a broken finger which I have felt in the past has hurt my guys' shooting abilities. So hopefully he will be limited by his day to day injury.”

That was about their SG, Wingate, an 89 rated 3 point shooter. He went 0-6 from 3 today, at least 3 of those nearly wide open as I was controlling Moye a lot(since he scored so often) and trying to double down in the post some.

They get a massive game from their center, Bragg. He scores 26 and has 9 boards, 9-14 from the field, 8-11 at the line. But I'll note he let McCants get the offensive board that led to the game winning shot with 40 seconds left. :D their stud SF, Flowers, only scored 10. He had 5 boards and 5 assists as well in 35 minutes of play. The big stat really was that this team that had 5 guys rated 80+ from 3 shot 4-17 from 3 point range. If Wingate is fully healthy I bet we lose.

Forte: 11 points
Moye: 27 points (9-14 FG/4-7 3/5-6 FT)
Ozier: 2 points
Sneed: 6 points/4 boards/3 assists
McCants: 10 points/9 boards

Barrett: 4 points
Sanders: 4 points/6 boards

McCants was 5-6 inside, I never had him try to score over Bragg except that final shot, but I did feed him a few times with smaller people on him and he did very well. Sneed ended up 3-6 after going 0-3 on his first 3 shots and looking rather terrible.

Moye just came up so big, great game for him against a very very good team.

[Radii]

A couple more comments before I advance recruiting. We're still a young team so as frustrated as I felt playing Tennessee, it seems that we're also capable of beating anyone. And that's not surprising for a talented team that relies on a lot of underclassmen... we can beat anyone when we play well, but are capable of days where we'd lose to almost anyone as well.

And secondly... I seem to do better in games where I slow the pace. The theory is for me to have 10 quality players, use them all, and run a lot, take the first good shot, etc. I'm not playing many 100 poitn games, and I'm not forcing it too much. In fact when I slow it down, what I'm doing is just sitting on the ball until there's 15-18 seconds on the shot clock, then going to run a play. In that instance I *have* to take the first shot that appears decent, or Moye or Forte end up playing one on one and launching something as the shot clock expires. But maybe I need to slow things down like that more often even against same level/worse competition? It doesn't make sense, and maybe that's not an important factor, I really don't know.


In Season Recruiting Period

So I expect the SF to sign with us, and I'm going to keep a close watch on the other two high level targets I've got and make a decision on what to do before the week ends.


5* SF Roberto Mayer (#14 OVR/#3 SF/HS AA ) signs with FLORIDA STATE

Even though it was expected its exciting as hell to see. In addition to a top 15 recruit, that's two more valuable coaching points at the end of the year... 5* recruit in-season, and a high school all american. The only recruiting goal i have not completed is to sign the #1 overall recruit. Maybe I'll get lucky one of these seasons and we'll get a #1 recruit from Florida. It seems like i'm having major recruiting success at FSU sooner than EF27 did at Wake. The 8 man class obviously played a *huge* part but I suspect coaching a school in Florida has made a big difference as well.

Outside of signing the #1 recruit, the remainder of my goals involve national awards, having a player/underclassmen selected in the draft, and then the rest are team success type achievements. Be ranked #1, beat the #1 ranked team, and NCAA Tournament Success.

Anyway, back to recruiting:


I perform my recruiting actions, and mid-week Clemson makes an offer on SG Darren Bookout, the stud guard from Wilmington. I've got him up to 99% but that's not enough. Clemson is almost certainly going to land him.

I switch my scholarship over to PF Haminn Millar. Arizona and UCLA seem to have looked elsewhere, UCLA signing the top Center in the nation(as opposed to PF) who was rated nearly this highly, and Arizona seems to need backcourt players and may be ignoring big men completely.

And on the last day of the signing period:

5* PF Haminn Millar (#19 OVR/#2 PF/HS AA) signs with FLORIDA STATE


Wow. I was excited with what might happen with that giant 8 man recruiting class 2 seasons ago, and a couple solid players last year... well now just as those guys become upper classmen, we get to work two mcdonalds all americans into the mix. Amazing.


PF Haminn Millar - 6'9" 218 lbs - #19 OVR/#2 PF - Alhambra, CA

Shooting: B-
Skills: B
Defense: B
Athleticism: A-
Rebounding: A
Inteligence: A
Potential: A-
Size: A-

6'9 can easily become 6'10", so I'm pleased with the size. 12.9 ppg/8.5 rpg in the ABL for the Lakers(hah). 48% from the field/70% from the line.

B- orb/B- drb. B- post off/C post def. B- blocks. C- close/C+ in traffic. Great physical skills... A- vert/B+ str/B hustle. A+ durability. B offensive awareness/C+ defensive awareness. He doesn't scream polished post player, but he should be a solid rebounder with hopefully great potential to grow.


5* SF Roberto Mayer - 6'7" 222 lbs - #14 OVR/#3 SF - Hollywood, FL

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

17.3 ppg/7.3 rpg/3.4 apg in the ABL. 51% from the floor, 66% from the line, 45% from 3.

B close/B- med/B- 3/C+ off the dribble/C+ in traffic. B- defense/B+ blocks/C+ steals. Looks like he can help out in the post as well. C+ orb/C+ drb. B post off/C+ post def. Those will be scaled for SF's so don't expect like 80+ or anything, but solid. A decent athlete, C+ vertical/C+ str/A+ hustle. And he scouts out with A+ potential. That has never been reliable... but that would be amazing heh.



We did play one game during the week:

Dec 5, 2020

Florida State 59
at New Orleans 58

I'll excuse that since its on the road. Sun Belt teams aren't bad either, though New Orleans is just rated 77 OVR.


My next game is against U(sic)GA in Athens. They're rated 80 OVR and I'll be playing that one out. Then we have 4 games against teams rated 74 and below, I'll sim all 4 of those and it'll be time to start ACC play.


One last note. I have two juniors on the roster, so next year I expect to have two more scholarships. I'll do the same thing I did last season since I'm totally done recruiting. I'll load up on 4* and 5* Juniors and call them all every week and drum up as much interest as possible.

[Radii]

Development keeps coming fast. We've got 5 players on the roster rated over 80 now.

Moye 84 (+1 this year so far)
Barrett 81 (+1)
Ozier 81 (+1)
Sanders 80 (+1)
Sneed 80 (+1)

Remember that Moye was a JC transfer and is a senior this year. Those other four guys still have ~2 2/3 years with us to grow.

Additionally, my 3rd string PG, Pearson McClurkin, currently being redshirted, has gained 2 points to his overall rating and is up to 75 OVR.



Three guys i had on my target list signed with ACC opponents. 5* SG Darren Bookout, the SG I really wanted, is going to end up at Clemson. 5* PG Darren Richard, who I almost went after as he was from Florida, signs with Virginia Tech. 4* SF Reece Plummer, who I didn't mention because I had so many 5* targets, is also going to Virginia Tech.


Holy crap... i think I made a note of the fact that the ACC only landed 3 5* recruits as a conference last year between all 12 teams... well there's a HUGE talent infusion coming.

Boston College lands the #20 overall recruit, a 5* PG from New Hampshire.

Clemson loads up with the #7 recruit, PG out of Kentucky, #8 recruit, SG out of North Carolina, and #11 recruit, a PG out of Georgia.

florida State of course has two 5* guys coming in.

Georgia Tech lands #17 overall, 5* SG out of Memphis.

NC State lands the #2 overall recruit, a PG out of Chicago, and the #15 overall recruit, a SG from Florida.

And Virginia Tech lands the #5 overall recruit, a PG from Florida.

That's 10 5* recruits for the league and its only the early signing period.

[Balldog]

Nice class!

[Radii]

December 10, 2020

Florida State (5-2) at The Georgia Redneck Farming Academy (aka University of Georgia)**

**Readers who don't follow college football threads at FOFC may be unaware that I attended Georgia Tech and that my dislike of UGA is actually much stronger than my dislike of Duke ;) I only dislike Duke basketball... UGA gets my full wrath and disdain across the board

TEAM: FSU|UGA
OVR: 88|80
OFF: 87|81
DEF: 89|82
SHT: 89|84
REB: 92|85
COA: 86|85

Our shooting roster strength rating increases from 88->89 with recent development. Georgia has played 3 legit teams. A loss to mid-major power nevada, a loss to #12 Virginia Tech and a loss at Pepperdine, currently ranked 25^th. The pepperdine score was 115-62! They barely lost to Va Tech, just by 4 at home, so they're capable of giving good teams a tough run.

Through 8 games their starting center is averaging 23.5 points/game, with no one else in double figures.

Scouting

PG Frederick Stewart – FR – 69 OVR – 82 speed/78 quickness(that's an 'F' for quickness). 81 defense/85 steals. 84 hands/83 passing. 82 close/71 med/65 3/78 off the dribble. Other than being a decent passer... totally subpar. 5.4 ppg/4.3 apg.

SG Baher Ridnour – FR – 74 OVR – 83 speed/82 quickness. 81 defense/82 steals. 84 close/77 med/74 3/80 off the dribble. 82 hustle, just average elsewhere. He's a rather poor ball handler (76/C-). 8.9 ppg.

SF Shawn Bro – SR – 72 OVR – A 6'6” SF. C- speed/C- quickness. C defense(76). 82 close/68 med/71 3. 81 in traffic. Not really that good, not terrible, and a decent athlete (81 vert/74 str). 6 ppg/4.1 rpg.

PF Ije Ramsey – JR – 80 OVR – UGA's highest rated player. A 6'10” natural PF – 80 orb/79 drb. 86 post off/81 post def. 70 blocked shot rating. 92 close/87 in traffic. A- vert/B str/B+ hustle. Nope, this isn't the guy scoring 25/game. He's at 9/game, but he looks very good.

C Sidiki Waters – SR – 74 OVR – 7'2” 263 lbs – 81 orb/77 drb. 71 post off/80 post def. 77 str(b+). 91 close/84 in traffic. 23.5 ppg/8.3 rpg. I checked and he has played in all 8 games... sure he's big and good in close but his post skills on the offensive end aren't great, I'm stunned he's scoring so much. Heh great job in simmed games, he is shooting 40% but taking over 2.5x as many shots as anyone else.

They've got a 7 footer rated 71 OVR coming off the bench who can rebound and score ok. This is a lot different than Tennessee. Tennessee had some solid shooters, this is a team we ought to run out of the gym.

<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%"> UGA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Waters is 4-4, an offensive board and a steal after we got a rebound... right under their basket and straight up for a dunk. The rest of their team is 0-3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Waters has 10 for them, he came out at the 15 minute mark. He's coming back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Waters picks up foul #2 with a stupid reach in 15 feet out from the basket. He's 6-6 with 12 points, done now for the half presumably.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout UGA. Day has a 3 and Barrett two buckets driving to the hoop.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the starters back in. McCants sits for a bit longer, Sanders in his place. McCants has significantly lower stamina than the rest of the starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Damn...12-2 run and UGA is up by 10. I get McCants back in, we can't let teams that we are superior to go on runs like this!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> I hate zones... but they have 28 of their 34 points from these big men. So its 2-3 zone time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh my lord what is happening here! Moye just picked up foul #3 on a stupid reach... I get Barrett in.
</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%"> Well we score the last 4... UGA is shooting 47%, but we are shooting 32%, its offensive ineptitude that's holding us back as much as anything, but their inside game.. WOW.


PF Ramsey has 17 points/7 boards. He's 6-10 and 5-5 at the line. Waters 12 points/4 bords. 6-6 from the floor. Their other 3 starters have 2 points. The backup center in for Waters has 4 points.


We are 9-28 from the floor. Improve on that and we'll be ok I think. Forte has 8, 2-3 from 3. Moye has 5, 1-4 from 3. We needed to go inside more often once Waters was sitting. Sneed 4, McCants just 2. Shoot better and hold their big men down some w/ the zone...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Holy crap!!!! timeout....
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier beats his man and hits a layin... we're on the board in the 2^nd half!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> And thus ends the 2-3 zone experiment. They have hit 4 3's this half now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:24
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> 3 fouls on Waters. He sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout UGA after a 4-0 run gets it under 20. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Offense is clicking pretty nicely, we're running when they miss effectively and scoring alright in the half court. We just had it down to 12 but they hit a 3. They've hit 2 3's in this stretch to kill 6-0 stretches or so. We're cutting into the lead but if they keep nailling 3's every few possessions we'll run out of time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. Frustrating defensive possession, especially down 15... we play solid defense for 30 seconds and commit a reach in foul 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Their ball, fresh clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> We had it down to 11... and they get 4 points in about 15 seconds, right back up to 15.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
11 was as close as we got.

Georgia 91
Florida State 75

A higher score than normal since we pushed so hard and with such desparation in the final 10 minutes. Their big men were just incredible, and in the second half they added to it by hitting every open 3 they got. They had just 2 3's in the first half, they finish with 11...

PF Ramsey finishes with 28 points/11 boards, 11-18 and 6-6 from the line. Waters scores 16 with 8 baords, 8-10 from the field. SG Ridnour ends up with 13 and backup guard Helms with 15 as they start hitting 3's like crazy.

Forte: 11 points/3 assists
Moye: 20 points (2-8 from 3)
Ozier: 13 points
Sneed: 8 points/5 boards
McCants: 4 points/10 boards/3 blocks

Barrett: 8 points

It has to be an experience thing, a unity thing or something. We are just godawful on the road. Either that or the Pittsburgh game was a total fluke. I guess we'll find out when ACC play starts soon enough.

[Radii]

We've got 4 games left in our non-conference schedule, 3 against total cupcakes, and a 4th that we really, really ought to win.

December 14, 2020

at Florida State 77
Florida Gulf Coast 55

who? Moye with 19, Ozier 12, Sneed 12.


Dec 17, 2020

SC Upsate 69
at Florida State 45

This was a home game against a team rated 67 OVR. Ozier with 13. No foul troubles that I see. Moye shoots 3-13. Sneed 3-9. The bench contributes a total of 6 points. Oof.


Dec 26, 2020

at Florida State 68
VMI 52

Sneed 13, Ozier and Forte 11, McCants 9. Moye 2-11 for 5 points!



and this was the only game I thought we might lose:

Dec 30, 2020

at Florida State 69
Penn 60


Sneed with 19, Moye 13, Ozier 10.


So with that we enter ACC play. We're 8-4, with 1 good win and a couple crappy losses. We are lucky this year in that we get to play Virginia and Miami both twice. If we can win all four of those games, and manage in some fashion to split the rest, we're 10-6 in the ACC, and we're 18-10. And most likely if that happens, we're on the bubble. But I don't think any more than that is really realistic. We get a legit chance to fight for a tournament bid

And we get a nice way to ease our way into ACC play, our first game is at home against Miami.


Another 3 1/2 weeks pass with simming these games, and at this point only McClurkin has gained 2 points to his overall rating, but now everyone on the roster, including our freshmen, have gained 1 point. Forte gains a point to get up to 80 OVR. McCants is up to 79, Day up to 74... We now have 6 players on our roster rated 80 OVR.

Most everyone has gained a point to defensive awareness. Some key gains to close range shooting, Sneed is up 1 to 93, Forte and Moye both up 1 as well. backup SG Prosper Day is up to an 84 rated 3 point shooter now. Sneed gains a point in post offense, up to 82 there, McCants up to 84 there. Barrett is now a 90 rated defender. And nearly everyone on the team gains a point in rebounding.


Last note in what must be a huge post by now. Alloway has a confidence of 39%, I'll get him a pep talk or two. He must really feel like he deserves a starting job by now.


Oh oh one last thing. Going into conference play, here's how the ACC looks in the polls(as well as the top of the polls just to see who is hot):

1. Florida
2. Indiana
3. North Carolina
4. Seton Hall
5. Clemson
...
13. Virginia Tech
18. Ohio !
20. Maryland


Ohio is 13-2, including a win over #9 villanova. Quincy Jimenez is now an 87 OVR rated senior SG.


there's a lot of talent in the ACC, hopefully that home game vs Pitt wasn't a fluke and we can pull off wins like that against good teams at least somewhat reliably at home.

[Radii]

January 9, 2021

Miami (9-4, 0-1 ACC) at Florida State (8-4, 0-0 ACC)

McCants has a dislocated finger, day to day, just for this game. We'll see if that effects his shot much.

TEAM: FSU|MIA
OVR: 89|82
OFF: 88|82
DEF: 89|82
SHT: 89|84
REB: 93|82
COA: 86|86

Our overall roster strength shows gains in OVR rating, offense, and rebounding with our recent development. Miami has been near the bottom of the ACC since I've been here, and really the only thing I can say for them is that they aren't freefalling as badly as UVA. Miami was rated 79 OVR last season so they've improved about as much as us in theory.

They return 4 starters from last year's team and soph center Rex Newman does look like he's developing into a legitmate player.

Scouting

PG Quincy Oneil – JR – 72 OVR – 93 speed/80 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. C+ hands/C+ passing. 74 close/84 med/74 3/82 off the dribble. Just 3 ppg/3 apg. Decent on ball defense but that's all that stands out, and his quickness is very low.

SG Truman Culc – SO – 69 OVR – 76 defense. 80 close/69 med/65 3. I can't believe they haven't been able to replace this guy yet. Even more, I can't believe he's scoring 10 points/game, hah.

SF Corbin Nevill – SR – 78 OVR – 85 speed/79 quickness. 79 def/75 steals. Fairly solid for a 6'8” natural SF. 84 close/74 med/65 3. Not really good at creating his own shot or maneuvering in traffic. He's an outstanding rebounder... 86/A- for a SF. Just 4 points/game this year though.

PF Pearce Rowland – FR – 75 OVR – 6'6” PF. 80 orb/81 drb. 70 post off/69 post def. 86 close/82 in traffic. 75 blocked shots. Solid athlete, A- vert/B+ str/B- hustle. But he really seems deficient in the post. He still has 8.6 ppg/5.1 rpg. His size and defense has me hoping that Sneed can have a huge day for us.

C Rex Newman – SO – 79 OVR – 90 orb/81 drb. 77 post off/80 post def/84 blocks. 88 close/88 in traffic. Great strength (83/A-). Solid hustle (76/B-) and good hands and steals for a big man. Just 9.2 ppg/5.5 rpg so far this year, I'd expect more since he seems to be turning into their best player by a good long shot. 6'8” btw.

They have a 6'10” backup center, jared bing, rated 77 OVR who averages 12 points/game. And similar to last time we played Miami, they have good big man depth but no guard depth. Must win for us, and something's very wrong if we can't win this one at home. Our team unity is up to 40 now, theirs is 48.

<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%"> 19:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh. They win the jump ball, go inside, draw a shooting foul on McCants. They miss both free throws, get an offensive board, go up again, and MCCants with his 2^nd foul. They make both free throws, and I pull McCants after exactly 20 seconds of action.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Takes a bit longer but we get their center, Newman, down with 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Their SF Nevill has 7 and is hot early. Culc with a 3 and then a random bucket elsewhere. We have fairly balanced scoring, though I think Moye is still scoreless.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups sucking it up. We've committed 7 total fouls now so they're shooting the rest of the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> And just like that Alloway gets a mismatch with a big guy on him for a layup, and Barrett scores twice in transition and we're in the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the starters back in after they go on a 7-2 run. Their 69 rated SG culc has 9 while Nevill has 10 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> And we score 6 of the next 8 to go back ahead. I haven't looked at the numbers but I have the sense that free throws are really hurting us. Ozier just went 0-2 after drawing a foul going to the rim. I am guessing we've missed 5 or 6 free throws so far this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits a 3 on our last possession and we take a 4 point lead to the locker room. Miami is shooting a lot of 3 pointers, they're only 4/12 though.


WOW, yeah. I mentioned free throws... we've drawn 10 fouls, almost all shooting fouls. We're 8-18 at the line. Forte 4-8, Moye 1-4, Ozier 0-2... those are free throws, not 3's or anything hard, ugh! We have an edge on the boards and in the turnover battle and have taken as many FG's as them despite all the extra free throws (they're 5-9 at the line).


Miami has 12 from SF Nevill, 7 from SG Culc. We get 8 from Moye, 7 from Sanders(playing while McCants was out with foul trouble). Forte 6, Ozier/sneed 4 each. McCants will start the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Well then. Moye hits a 3, we force a turnover in the backcourt, Moye with a layup. They throw an errant pass, Forte feeds McCants for a big dunk and he's fouled. FT is good. We score 8 before Miami even sets up to run a play on their end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye has just taken over the game. He scored the final 5 points of the half for us to get to 8 points, and he has 11 of our 14 second half points... he's at 19, very explosive.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a reach and foul #3. We'll leave him in for now, Sanders and Delic can cover if he gets in bad foul trouble. Moye with 21 now. They put a SF on him last time down, easy burn and layup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Miami, we're running them out of the gym now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout by Miami.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
At the 8:30 mark we hit a 25 point lead and I sim the rest of the game.

Florida State 83
Miami 67

Good win, its nice to be able to quick sim one and run away with a game on occasion.

They end up with 17 from Nevill and 10 from Culc.

Forte: 6 points/4 assists/3 steals
Moye: 27 points
Ozier: 4 points/6 boards
Sneed: 9 points/8 boards
McCants: 5 points/3 boards

Sanders: 9 points/9 boards
Barrett: 7 points
Alloway: 6 points
Day: 6 points

1-0 in ACC play!

[Radii]

January 12, 2021

Florida State (9-4, 1-0 ACC) at Boston College (14-4, 2-0 ACC)

BC lost the best player in the league last year, a junior guard who went pro early(best player in the league according to the game's info). They've dropped a bit as far as their roster strengh but they're still quite good, they do start 3 underclassmen, one of them a bit out of place, but they have some very talented starters.

TEAM: FSU|BC
OVR: 89|87
OFF: 88|88
DEF: 89|87
SHT: 89|91
REB: 93|85
COA: 86|92

Scouting

PG Andy Garner – SO – 83 OVR – 89 speed/84 quickness. 86 defense/81 steals. Solid. 88 hands/84 passing, a good natural PG. 84 close/76 med/85 3/83 off the dribble/80 in traffic. He's just a soph so he probably doesn't have a great scoring instinct yet but he looks like a guy that can score from all over. 10.2 ppg. Oh, this is BC's 5* JC transfer they brought in last year, this is his first year.

SG Davor Morris – SR – 88 OVR – 87 speed/92 quickness. B vert/B+ str/A- hustle, a great athlete overall. Solid awareness. 84 defense/94 steals(A, very good). Great ball handler (88/A-). 91 close/79 med/87 3/82 off the dribble/85 in traffic. Somehow he just averages 9 points/game so far, he looks like an elite scorer.

SF CC Carroll – SR – 85 OVR – Natural SG, 6'4”. 94 speed but just 84 quickness. 85 defense/79 steals. 91 close/74 med/82 3. Decent in traffice but not as good at creating his own shot off the dribble. He's a fair rebounder. 10.7 ppg/4.6 rpg.

PF Dotun Obrzut – FR – 70 OVR – 6'7” PF – 68 orb/79 drb. 73 post off/75 post def. 85 close/84 in traffic. Really not good at all. 2.4 ppg so far.

C Sidiki Sarchet – SO – 78 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 85 orb/82 drb. 78 post off/74 post def. 90 close/85 in traffic. Not strong at all(64/C+). 10.3 ppg/4.9 rpg. Very undersized.

They have an ok bench. Two guards in the mid-70s and a couple backup SF's and big men in the low 70s. They are tiny though, we have a huge size advantage inside, something we can hopefully capitalize on. Aside from Morris, we are similarly talented teams, we are more talented from top to bottom but they have the two best players on the court in Morris and Carroll. Home court is likely huge in a matchup like this. And today the Eagles have it.

<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%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Even start, then a 9-2 run for BC, and we've got a couple shots to get back to within a possession. McCants comes out, he gets tired sooner than everyone else. The rest of the starters will sit in a minute or so. Morris and Carroll have 12 of their 14 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Sneed, McCants and Moye have all our points, 5 for Moye, 4 for each of the bigs. Sneed is struggling a lot more than I expected this year though, no big games and lots of 40% shooting days.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> We got down as much as 8 and had cut it to as close to 3 til they just scored on a fast break layup. I get a timeout to get the starters back in. As their roster rating suggests, they are a very good shooting team.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte and Moye hit back to back 3's and BC calls a timeout, just a 3 point game now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> BC inexplicably throws the inbounds pass away(like right out of bounds by everyone), and we get a good look for Sneed inside. They miss on their next trip and McCants is there on the secondary break for a layin, we lead by 1! BC Timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Solid first half, we're playing well on both ends. BC is 14-27 from the field, we're 14-29. 3 pointers are even, we're 6-8 from the line, they're 2-2 to account for the 4 point spread. They actually have a small edge on the boards which surprised me, but we have forced a couple more turnovers and have 1 more blocked shot.


They get 11 from SG Morris, 6 from C Sarchet. Only 4 from Carroll. Moye leads us with 13. Sneed and McCants have 6 each(both shooting 3-5) and Forte has 5. Ozier is scoreless. We just need to play good enough defense to prevent a big run in the 2^nd half and we should be in the game... on the road against talented players that is easier said than done sometimes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Outstanding start to the half... Ozier has 6 now after a scoreless first half, Moye is up to 17, and Sneed is up to 12. Sneed is all over the boards, he's pulling down everything on both ends, up to 11 boards total now. All 3 of his second half buckets have been from scooping up loose balls or grabbing offensive boards. Starters are gassed from this run though and the backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Their PG falls over trying to bring the ball up against Alloway, he misses a shot but Sanders is there for the putback. Timeout BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout by BC, I guess they feel like this game is getting away from them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. They bring Morris and their starting PG back in and I don't want them to go on a run. I've got most of my timeouts too so I should be good. Day with 8 today for the backups, a career high for him off the bench(not saying much, but nice to see him get going a bit).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Still looking very good with 4 to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed is just great today.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
BC may not be the best team in the league this year, but they still have some extremely talented players, and beating them by double figures on the road feels really good.

Florida State 73
Boston College 60

Their backcout dominates, but not quite enough. 24 from Morris, 11 from Carroll, 10 from Garner. We end up with a solid edge on the boards, 29-22, after being at a disadvantage in the first half, a big turnaround.

Forte: 5 points/2 steals
Moye: 17 points
Ozier: 6 points
Sneed: 22 points/13 boards
McCants: 8 points/7 boards

Day: 8 points

Sneed ties a career high in points and sets a career rebounding mark. McCants has a very solid day in support of Sneed inside. Moye with another solid, consistent performance.

[Radii]

I plan on playing more games in conference play now that I've got my own recruits at a power school. But this next game is one of the ones to sim.

Jan 16, 2021

at #5 Clemson 70
Florida State 59

Clemson has 5 starters rated as high or higher than Moye, our top rated player. Moye with 15, Sneed with 8 in the loss.

Looking at my schedule, I may well play out every game left in the ACC Regular season. The only other game we have left that appears impossible is a road game in Chapel Hill, but that's the very last day of the season.


After the Clemson game the new polls come out:

1. Florida
2. Clemson
3. Seton Hall
4. North Carolina
5. Indiana

15. Virginia Tech
22. Ohio
25. Maryland

Clemson is 13-1, North Carolina 19-1.


This week we play a Wake Forest team that we ought to beat, then a home game vs ranked Virginia Tech, i'm real curious to see how we hold up in that one.

[Izulde]

How can you play the teams using Icy's idea?

I select all the games for my recruited player but it only lets me watch or simulate, not take control. I tried choose side option, tried selecting at pre-game screen, but the controller wouldn't move. :(

[Radii]

January 20 2021

Wake Forest (12-9, 0-4 ACC) at Florida State (10-5, 2-1 ACC)

Well Wake is struggling against ACC competition so hopefully we have an edge over them today.

TEAM: FSU|WFU
OVR: 89|86
OFF: 88|85
DEF: 89|85
SHT: 89|89
REB: 93|92
COA: 86|77

Wake lost at Miami and then to NC State, Clemson and Virginia Tech, 3 of the top 4 teams in the league early on(in addition to North Carolina). Wake lost 3 starters from a subpar team last year. Dino Guadio just isn't a power conference level coach in this game. I don't understand why he hasn't been fired yet.

Scouting

PG Kris Bosley – JR – 76 OVR – 91 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/83 steals. 84 close/83 med/77 3/80 off the dribble. Awful awareness and not a great athlete. A poor natural PG really, 81 hands/72 passing... both C ratings. 8.1 ppg.

SG Prosper Bland – JR – 82 OVR - 92 speed/85 quickness. Great vert and hustle(92 hustle/A-). 82 defense/76 steals. 88 close/77 med/85 3/82 off the dribble. 10.2 ppg/5.2 rpg so far this year.

SF Roosevelt Radziejewski – SR – 84 OVR – 6'6” natural SF – 86 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/69 steals. 87 close/77 med/63 3/86 in traffic. Great awareness... 81 off/83 def, he was a coach on the floor as a junior, and has obviously just improved. 18.5 ppg/5.4 rpg, by far the star of the team.

PF Tomas Prancilauskas – SR – 77 OVR – A natural SF, just 6'5”, not a good rebounder or post man at all. 65 post off/65 post def. 86 close/81 in traffic. 78 orb/78 drb. He's fast and a decent midrange shooter, but just 6.5 ppg/5.2 rpg. Hopefully a good sign for our post players again today.

C Jeffrey Eldridge – SO – 76 OVR – 81 orb/88 drb. 79 post off/68 post def. 6'11” PF. 88 close/86 in traffic. Poor awareness. Good athletic skills, 76 STR/75 hustle. Just 6 ppg, but he looks like a fairly solid offensive player. He's got size but his defense is seriously lacking.

Wake has an 81 rated SG on the bench, an outstanding shooter but poor defender, SG Hall, averaging 9.5 ppg. They've got no size off the bench. Looksl ike we need to just try to negate their guards and pound it inside. My main concern is Radziejewski, and the team unity issues with him out there... 73-42 edge with their coach on the floor.

<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%"> WFU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Well so much for inside scoring, early on at least. Sneed and McCants are a combined 0-5 from the field, McCants has two free throws. Moye has 2 3 point plays but has missed a couple open 3 pointers. They play a 2-3 zone so If we can hit 3's we will do real well. They're having a lot of success driving to the hoop. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Terrible start for the backups, I get a timeout just because things look so bad early on., even though its just a little 5-0 stretch.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. We're 1-9 against their zone from 3. Day and Alloway combine for 0-5, all wide open, both are very good 3 point shooters... owell. Still only down 2 despite that.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Back in the lead, thanks to transition buckets from Moye and Ozier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier and Sneed both have 2 fouls. I sit Sneed for Sanders, Sneed is ineffective anyway. Ozier will stay in, Barrett will be fine if Ozier picks up another. Also I didn't mention it earlier, Alloway picked up two late fouls before the backups sat, in addition to an early one, and has 3 already. Needless to say, Wake is in the bonus.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake is officially on fire from 3. Ok, actually, they're not overall... 4-13 on the game. But 3 of their last 4. Bleh. Meanwhile, FSU is 1-13 from 3. Moye is 0-5, all catch and shoot wide open 3's agaisnt their zone. Frustrating!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that got ridiculous late. In the final two minutes, Radziejewski scores 7, 2 offensive boards/putbacks and a 3, and they get a 3^rd offensive board/putback from Eldridge, their center. Radziejewski has 20 points... insane half for him. 7-10, 2-4 from 3, 4-4 from the line. Barrett is going to play the 2^nd half. Radziejewski is a natural SF but plays more like a guard, those offensive boards notwithstanding.


They are 5-15 from 3, 17-34 from the floor and 12-14 from the line. We're 16-36 from the floor, 2-16 from 3, 9-13 from the line. Moye is 1-8 from 3, bringing up the question.. when you have a good shooter missing wide open shots over and over, when do you stop taking them? Moye has 13 anyway, getting most in transition. Sanders has a great half, first with the backups and then coming in for Sneed. He's 6-6 with 12 points.


They're getting a lot in transition after our long missed 3's. Moye would have a huge huge game if he could start hititng them, but the best option may be just to stop taking them as a team to prevent them from running out on the break.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> So frustrating. We have 11 offensive boards, way more than I thought. But 4 points off them, they have blocked shots like crazy when Sneed or McCants tries to go back up after a board. Wake has 7 offensive boards, 13 second chance points.


Forte has hit a couple 3's, Moye is still cold as ice. But right now its 100% rebounding that's costing us. I get Sanders in for McCants, he's getting tired. I'm down to 2 timeouts already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Coming out of the timeout Moye hits a 3. They miss one and Moye finds Sneed on the secondary break for a bucket. They miss another, and Moye gets out on the break again, draws a foul and hits 2 at the line. Despite his awful shooting he does have 18.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with 2 more in the post, Moye with 2 more in transition after a steal. Timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Another miss, we've stopped allowing the offensive boards which has totally made the difference(note all the fast break buckets after rebounds we're getting now). Barrett with a great bucket in transition and we lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Wake. Apparently with Moye the answer was “keep jacking them up” ... he just hit another 3, and while the majority of his points are coming in transition, he does have 3 scattered 3 pointers now as part of his 25 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in finally, a couple 6^th man boosts in there kept us going. Ozier is playing with the backups. Normal big men, Sanders and Slater.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> They score the first 4 and I slow it down. After a very long possession where we get two offensive boards and kick it out both times, we get a 3 from Alloway, followed by a defensive stop and Day gets out on the break and draws a foul, hitting two free throws.


McCants is back to 100%, he's back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout(just 1 left) and get the starters back in, Barrett playing SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> They've cut it down to 2, we got a 3 by Moye but a couple missed buckets inside. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a 3, Eldridge(C) with a 2 for them inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with another 3. He's got 5 of them now. Timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Their SG, Bland, with a 3. I haven't highlighted him at all but he's had a hell of a second half. He has 21 total now, at least 15 in the second half I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses an open 3, and they get out on the break, hitting a runner in the lane to cut it to 1. I call my last timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed gets a pretty good look, a turnaround from the left baseline, towards his strong hand(he's left handed) but it rolls off the rim, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:49
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> They take a quick 3, miss, and Barrett snags the rebound. Our ball up 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 90
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed isn't going to miss twice in a row. Barrett feeds it in low, and Sneed gets a good looking hook shot straight in front of the goal from about 8 feet out. Wake gets it to midcourt and calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:11
</td> <td width="10%"> 92
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> They look for the quick 2 instead of a 3, but their feed inside is a poor one, we get the steal. They foul and Barrett is money from the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04
</td> <td width="10%"> 92
</td> <td width="7%"> 90
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a big 3, Barrett goes to the line after the inbounds, up 2 with 4 seconds left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04
</td> <td width="10%"> 94
</td> <td width="7%"> 90
</td> <td width="68%"> First free throw is good. And the second!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Close one there but we get another big win, 3-1 in ACC play now.

Florida State 94
Wake Forest 90

Wake shoots 50% for the game, despite 8/27 from 3. They were jacking them up almost as much as we were. They were great inside. Once I put Barrett on Radziejewski their SG seemed to take over immediately, but he wasn't quite as effective so that was ok by me.

Radziejewski ended up with 27 points/9 boards/6 assists, a monster game. Bland, their SG, with 21. Center Eldrige has 11 points/11 boards.

Forte: 15 points/3 assists
Moye: 31 points
Ozier: 6 points
Sneed: 9 points/9 boards
McCants: 4 points/9 boards

Sanders: 12 points/6 boards
Barrett: 8 points

Forte was 5-8 from 3 after starting 0-2. moye, however... 4-15. Seriously, he's a good shooter, so I really just cannot pass up those open looks over their zone, no matter how many he misses. Maybe something to work on. He was brilliant in transition though, 6-6 from 2, and 7-7 from the line. Sneed struggled a ton as well, 9 points but on 4-12 shooting. McCants was 1-4, Sanders was the only one who was effective at all, going 6-6 in the first half but giving way to Sneed in the 2^nd half. Interesting game, fast paced, and they played a zone probably 80% of their possessions, we haven't seen that much lately.

[Radii]

How can you play the teams using Icy's idea?

I select all the games for my recruited player but it only lets me watch or simulate, not take control. I tried choose side option, tried selecting at pre-game screen, but the controller wouldn't move. :(

I dunno! I can try it tomorrow if no one else has answered. Mainly I'm quoting this so the question doesn't get lost between the last two games I posted though :)

[Balldog]

Are we talking about ABL games?

[Radii]

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.


This is what Izulde is talking about. Open legacy I assume?

[Balldog]

Ah, I think you just select play game then in the options menu you select player lock.

[Radii]

yeah, I just started up an open legacy, set myself as the coach of Hartford, and then went in and selected all of UNC's games. It lets me play as North Carolina no problem.

[Izulde]

Ah, I think you just select play game then in the options menu you select player lock.

But Play Game isn't an option.

Maybe it's because I'm in Closed Legacy as Radii suggests.

[Radii]

Closed legacy limits a lot more than just who you can coach. I think in an open legacy you can edit players and do all kinds of other things that closed doesn't allow, that's almost certainly it.

[Radii]

January 24, 2021

#15 Virginia Tech (13-4, 3-2 ACC) at Florida State (11-5, 3-1 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 89|91
OFF: 88|91
DEF: 89|89
SHT: 89|94
REB: 93|88
COA: 86|93

Virginia Tech opened ACC play with losses to North Carolina and Clemson, both teams seemingly head and shoulders above the rest of the league. They have wins over UVA, Duke and Wake, three of the bottom teams right now.

The Hokies have a superstar PG rated the “best playmaker” in the league. They return 3 starters on a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, and two seasons ago they had a top 5 recruiting class. They should be fairly loaded right now.

Scouting

PG JB Matsui – SR – 89 OVR – Elite speed: 93 spd/91 qck. Great defender (91/A-). Outstanding PG skills (94 hands/88 passing (A/B+)). 93 close/65 med/83 3. 90 off the dribble. Also 86 defensive awareness (A-) and offensive awareness of 80 makes him a coach on the floor. 16.1 ppg/4.8 apg. Matsui is a superstar, a likely lottery selection in the draft.

SG Jarred Warzynski – JR – 83 OVR – 93 speed but just 83 quickness. 80 defense/79 steals. 84 close/74 med/75 3. 81 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Great hustle(93/A) and very consistent. 82 defensive awareness... Just 8 ppg, overshadowed big time by Matsui and Harmon.

SF Denham Caskill – SR – 79 OVR – 6'5” SF – 87 speed/84 quickness. 78 defense/80 steals. 87 close/75 med/77 3/85 in traffic. Not a bad player, speedy though a little light on the defense. Completely overshadowed by the stars on the team. 4.6 ppg/4.4 rpg.

PF Etienne Harmon – SR – 86 OVR – 6'7” PF – 87 orb/85 drb. 94 post off/85 pst def. 86 blocks (A-). 80 steals... as good as a guard. 90 close/80 med/91 in traffic. 17.7 ppg/5.6 rpg.

C Tommie Graves – FR – 79 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 87 orb/77 drb. 84 post off/86 post def. 88 close/84 in traffic. Hell of a freshman... Just 5 ppg/4.4 rpg.

backup PG Melvin Bright is from that top 5 recruiting class a couple years ago. He's an 81 rated soph that is a lights out shooter (86 3) and great ball handler/passer.

Va Tech has 12 players rated 78 or better. 9 of them are 80+, they have two elite post players backing up Harmon and Graves, and some speedy guards. Matsui and Harmon are very very talented players as well, this is a solid team.

With the coach on the floor they have a 78-44 unity edge. Virginia Tech runs a 2-3 zone as their primary defense so hopefully we're 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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> VT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We slow this one down but Va Tech is scoring anyway, we had a 6-5 lead and they've run off 7 in the last 2 minutes. We just have two field goals, a look inside for Sneed and a 3 by Moye, plus a free throw. We're pretty cold here. Timeout to get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:16
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Day starts out shooting the 3 well, he's 2-3 for our next 6 points. Timeout Va Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, Va Tech back in control after that last timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Turnovers are killing us, we've got 5, va tech 0. Otherwise we'd likely be ahead. Forte just hit a 3 and Va Tech has a timeout.
</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%"> It could be a lot worse. 6 turnovers to 0. They have 11 from SF Caskill and 7 from Warzynski. Matsui has just been a distributor to this point, he isn't looking to shoot. PF Harmon is 2-5 for just 4 points inside. They're just under 50% overall, and 4-10 from 3.


Thanks to the turnovers, and a couple fouls, we've taken 12 less shots than Va Tech. We have 6 FT's, they have 0. We're 9-19 from the floor, 4-8 from 3. Moye leads us with 9 points, just 1 3 and a few drives to the hoop. Day has 6, no other starter has more than 3. Sneed is 1-4 inside, McCants just 0-1. Don't turn it over and make a few more 3's and we have a shot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Well they run 34 seconds off the shot clock before Matsui drains a contested 3, he's on the board. But we get even plus one as Moye is fouled while making a 3. A rare 4 point play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> It takes a few more minutes but we're playing some stellar defense, combined with some cold shooting from the hokies. Forte gets a big man on him and blows by him for a layup, and we get out in transition and Ozier gets a 3 point play to tie the game up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow! McCants with a blocked shot, earning us a 6^th man boost. Ozier with a great move in transition, he hits what appears to be an extremely difficult shot while being fouled by Warzynski. He misses the FT, but McCants grabs the board. Another mismatch with a big on Forte, Forte drives and is fouled, making both FT's. 13-0 run after their opening 3 pointer! Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we knew that wouldn't last. They hit a 3 out of the timeout, and then get a layup from PF Harmon to take the lead. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Va Tech gets another timeout, not sure why. McCants has the 6'7” Harmon on him, and it seems incredibly enticing to just get him the ball repeatedly, but Harmon's post skills(and stealing ability) seem to outweight the height differnence. McCants can barely take a step before the ball is stripped heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Steals on two straight possessions put us back in the lead. On the first Forte gets a layup in transition, we pull it out on the second and get Ozier a good look. The 2^nd steal generates a 6^th man boost and the starters are still hanging around.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are coming in. They'll probably play til the 5 minute mark or so and hopefully not give the game away.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Two strong defensive trips, and Alloway puts a great 1 on 1 move on their backup PG for a layup. Then we get a fast break where Day throws down a nice 1 handed jam. 5 point lead! Timeout Va Tech
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in to finish off the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a jumper, I get a hook shot by Sneed. They hit another jumper, and this time Sneed/Forte work an inside out and Forte drains an open 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, Caskill with an immediate 3 for them. He's got 21, and I get Barrett in for Ozier after calling a timeout. I need the defense I think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh bad bad stretch. Forte throws a bad pass trying to feed the post, they get a layup. Then we turn it over in the backcourt against their press... Caskill with another 3 and he has 24. I get another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed misses a hook shot, they run some clock but Matsui misses a jumper on their end. We get Forte out on the break who hits Sneed streaking down the lane... down 1 with just over a minute left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They throw it away in the backcourt against our press! McCants picks up a loose ball and we set up our offense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout. 13 seconds left on the shot clock. I had Sneed in the post but decided not to shoot and he seemed to be camping out in the lane for a LONG time. So I called a timeout b/c I would be real pissed if a bullshit 3 second call cost me the game here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett feeds Moye for an open 3, its GOOD! Their ball, two point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:06.6
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They throw it away!!! They go back and forth with Matsui and Warzynski for a bit, then Warzynski tries to kick it out to the wing for Caskill, but Barrett picks off the pass. Genius coaching move to bring Barrett in for Ozier for defense, eh? :) Actually Barrett deflects the pass, Sneed picks it up and gets fouled. First FT good. Second...GOOD.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss a 3 as time expires.

Florida State 64
#15 Virginia Tech 60

I really thought we weren't going to pull this one off once they went ahead by 3 with 2 minutes to go. It felt like we were falling apart all of a sudden with some bad turnovers and that Va Tech's talent was going to take over. But we didn't panic and got a couple bounces to go our way, Moye hits a massive clutch 3 with 30 seconds left and we pull off the win over a top 20 team!

Virginia Tech gets 11 steals and forces 13 turnovers, while only turning it over 5 times themselves. I rarely mention turnovers because there are simply too few in this game... but turnovers from bad passes very very often end up layups the other way. 13 turnovers, allowing 11 steals is huge and the fact we still won is pretty amazing to me.

We win the rebounding battle 25-18, that helps quite a bit. Their SF, Caskill, I believe I referred to him as “not bad... completely overshadowed by their better players” when I scouted them out, scores 24, the only Hokie in double figures. Matsui has 7 assists but is way off shooting, 2-9, 1-5 from 3.

Forte: 14 points/4 assists (2-2 from 3)
Moye: 16 points (3-4 from 3)
Ozier: 9 points
Sneed: 11 points/5 boards
McCants: 0 points/4 boards/2 blocks (0-4 shooting)

Day: 8 points

I don't know what's changed from when we were losing to inferior Tennessee team to now, but we are playing really really well to start out the ACC season.

[Radii]

ACC Standings:

1. #2 Clemson 5-0
2. #5 North Carolina 5-1
3. Georgia Tech 5-1
4. NC State 4-1
5. Florida State 4-1
6. Maryland 3-2
7. #16 Virginia Tech 3-3
8. Boston College 2-3
9. Miami 1-5
10. Duke 0-5
11. Wake Forest 0-5
12. Virginia 0-5


We are right there at 4-1 in conference play. Our RPI is also 48th. We're 2-2 vs the RPI top 50, 2-0 vs 51-100. So that'll need to improve if we want a shot at an at-large bid.

This week we have two games that we ought to win... but they're road games so I'm always apprehensive. We travel to Durham to face the 0-5 Blue Devils, and Virginia to face the worst team in the league, Virginia.


Additionally, the development keeps rolling in. We're going to have some true studs by the time their senior seasons roll around. Ozier, Barrett, Sneed and Alloway have all gained a 2nd point to their overall ratings now. The gains show in our roster strength, we're still rated 89 OVR, but our defensive rating has gone up from 89 to 90.

[Balldog]

Closed legacy limits a lot more than just who you can coach. I think in an open legacy you can edit players and do all kinds of other things that closed doesn't allow, that's almost certainly it.

Yeah, I'm sure it is.

[Radii]

January 26, 2021

Florida State (12-5, 4-1 ACC) at Duke (10-7, 0-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|DUKE
OVR: 89|84
OFF: 88|85
DEF: 90|84
SHT: 89|86
REB: 93|86
COA: 86|88

Well hopefully we can find a road edge over a Duke squad that hasn't won in the ACC yet. Although admittedly they haven't played a single one of the easier teams in the league... losses to UNC, Va Tech, road losses to BC and NCSU and a home loss to Ga Tech. So I'm not expecting us to blow them out, but 0-5... a good team finds a couple wins in that run.

We beat a much better than this Duke team last year, they lost 90 rated soph PG Alfred Ball to the NBA and have a 67 rated freshman in his place.

Scouting

PG Dwayne Wong – FR – 67 OVR – 82 defense... 88 speed... that's all i've got that's good to say. 75 close/69 med/72 3. C- hands/C passing. 4.3 ppg.

SG Jerry Colter – JR – 83 OVR – 91 speed/85 quickness. 85 defense/81 steals. 82 close/83 med/83 3. Not great in traffic or off the dribble, and not a particularly noteworthy athlete. A good shooter, good defender with speed. Not really very good awareness. 11.8 ppg.

SF Pedro Gastel – SR – 86 OVR – 6'6” natural SF – 81 speed/75 quickness. 78 defense/72 steals. 93 close/86 med/82 3/87 in traffic. Definitely an offensive player. He doesn't have a lot of speed of defensive abilities. Good leaper, average hustle... we'll see how it translates on the court. 16.2 ppg/6.6 rpg so far this year, seems to clearly be the #1 option. Gastel is a coach on the floor.

PF Reid Luiz – SO – 81 OVR – Natural SF – just 6'5” - 77 orb/83 drb. 69 post off/67 post def. 82 close/82 in traffic. He's a fairly solid looking SF, but just so far out of place playing the 4. 8.4 ppg/7.7 rpg nonetheless.

C Ulrich Mathis – SR – 74 OVR – 6'7” PF – 77 orb/83 drb. 85 post o ff/79 post def. 90 close/83 in traffic. 5.5 ppg.

Duke has a backup SF rated 77 OVR. No one else on the team is rated over 75... we should have a huge edge here. They do have a 68-44 unity edge thanks to the coach on the floor. And we're at Cameron.

<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%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Duke. Gastel scored 4 for them in the first 2 minutes and they've gone cold since.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Duke
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the backups in. Gastel has 10 of their 12 points. Barrett will stick him and we'll see if that works better on him. Can't complain given the score regardless.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Day explodes for 5 quick points, Duke's turn for a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout to get the starters back in, backups scored ok but played shit defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Jesus... Gastel with 19, Moye with 3 straight open 3's whiffed in a row. I call a timeout. I'm putting barrett in with the starters to try to slow Gastel.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Well they hit a 3 from 28 feet out as time expires to take the lead. Duke plays a 2-3 zone mixed with some 1-2-2 zone. And you know what that means. Moye is stubbornly jacking up 3's time after time after time. He's 1-8. No more of that.


Gastel has 19, Colter has 9 for t hem... their two clear top rated players. Barrett will play more minutes in the second half and guard Gastel.


Moye leads us with 11, Day has 8 off the bench, Sneed 6 and Forte 5. Despite the zone I remind myself we have a huge size advantage and need to go inside a lot more often.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> We take the lead back, our defense is improved obviously, they're missing a lot of jumpers all around. If we could make FT's we'd be up by a good deal more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:01
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Duke. Moye with his 2^nd 3 of the half(I know, I said I'd stop! But I can't!). And Moye with a steal and dish to Forte for a dunk and we're back up 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye has taken over, with 9 of our last 13 points and assists on the other two baskets. Backups are in for now. I let Duke back into the game in the first half by trying to have the backups run at the same pace as the starters. Not doing that this time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> So much for keeping them from coming back. Gastel with 24 now, he just hit a 3 to cut the lead to 1. Timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed and Forte are ready to come back in, they're back, other starters still sitting.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> I call my last timeout and get the rest of my starters back in. Duke still has two. I thought I had 2 left, not just 1, whoops. But regardless, starters (Barrett instead of Ozier) are in for the stretch run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> After a couple empty possessions on each end, Forte beats his man one on one for a bucket, we get a rebound and Moye hits a 3, and we're up 6 with under 4 to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Our ball up 4. They score twice straight, most recently a big dunk by Gastel. We got another jumper by Moye on our end.
</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%"> Sneed with a sweet turnaround on the left baseline. Duke 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%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Colter hits 1 of 2 at the line after empty trips on both ends. We're up 5 with just over a minute left. Gastel missed a 3 for them last possession. He was way too open heh, we got lucky.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:36
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with another turnaround and that should put it away.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
It is indeed put away.

Florida State 70
Duke 61

Gastel scores 26 for them and has a huge day. Colter scores 12, but unfortunately, those are their only two truly talented players. We outrebound them 33-22, and while I never focus heavily inside, Sneed does pull down a double double and McCants has a great day on the boards as well.

Forte: 11 points/4 assists
Moye: 27 points/3 assists
Ozier: 2 points
Sneed: 12 points/10 boards
McCants: 4 points/11 boards

Day: 8 points
Alloway: 5 points

Moye shoots 10-22, 4-13 from 3. That's 3-5 in the 2^nd half. I keep wondering out loud when I should stop shooting 3 pointers when Moye goes through a cold stretch, but he keeps winning games for me, so the answer is probably “shut up and keep shooting”

[Radii]

Virginia is just far and away the worst team in the league, so i think I can sim my games against them this year since I'm playing out most of the rest of the conference schedule.

Jan 30, 2021

Florida State 79
at Virginia 49

Moye 23, Sneed 18, Ozier 10. Forte with 6 points/7 assists.


Our RPI raises to #37 after two wins that week. Media top 25:

1. Florida
2. Clemson
3. Seton Hall
4. Indiana
5. Pittsburgh
6. North Carolina
...
16. Virginia Tech
21 Ohio



And the development just keeps coming. At the start of the last week I reported that Ozier, Barrett, Sneed and Alloway had all now gained 2 points on the season. Add to that list Moye, Forte, Sanders, and Slater.

The top of our roster as far as overall ratings now looks like this:

Moye - 85 OVR
Barrett: 82 OVR
Ozier - 82 OVR
Forte - 81 OVR
Sneed - 81 OVR
Sanders - 81 OVR


Moye is still just a dark horse to make the NBA, meaning that we're likely 2 seasons away from having someone drafted (I'm assuming that one ofthese guys.... Barrett/Forte/Ozier/Sneed... will develop enough to get drafted.

And lastly, the top of the ACC Standings, since we're right up there:

1. Clemson 7-0
2. Florida State 6-1
3. Georgia Tech 6-2
4. North Carolina 6-2
5. NC State 5-2
6. Virginia Tech 4-3
7. Maryland 4-3

Our opposition this week? North Carolina and Georgia Tech. UNC at home, Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

[Radii]

February 3, 2021

#6 North Carolina(21-3, 6-2 ACC) at Florida State (12-5, 4-1 ACC)

Clemson and North Carolina seem to be well above the rest of the league.

TEAM: FSU|UNC
OVR: 89|93
OFF: 88|94
DEF: 90|92
SHT: 89|97
REB: 93|94
COA: 86|90

North Carolina returns four of its five starters from last season, only losing their PG, a freshman who was the #1 recruit in the nation. They've replaced him with a junior PG rated about as well. UNC's 3 losses this year are to #4 Indiana, #2 Clemson, and a 1 point loss to Wake Forest. They had two starters hurt last week though, including stud SG Haigler, helping to explain away the loss to Wake.

Scouting

PG Holland Freedman – JR – 83 OVR – 89 speed/89 quickness. 88 defense/77 steals. 87 hands/83 passing, both solid B- ratings. 87 close/81 med/86 3, a great shooter. 83 off the dribble. Just 5.3 ppg but I fear he'll do a lot betterthan that against me heh.

SG Russ Haigler – SR – 91 OVR – 89 speed/90 quickness. 83 defense/83 steals. 86 close/87 med/91 3. Just 78 off the dribble. Good but not great athlete, good but not great awareness. Hell of a shooter though. 14.5 ppg/2.5 apg. Lottery pick.

SF Phil Atangana – SO – 87 OVR – 6'7” natural SG – 91 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/90 steals. 90 close/77 med/74 3/87 off the dribble. Great defensive awareness, not as much on offense. 9.5 ppg/5.6 rpg.

PF Marcel Konate – SR – 91 OVR – 6'6” PF – 83 orb/89 drb. 86 post off/90 post def. 79 blocks(B). 75 steals/A-. 95 close/91 med/74 3/88 in traffic. 95 hustle, coach on the floor... A- speed, the guy can do everything. There are 30 separate ratings that players are rated on. Konate is A- or better in 14 of them. 19.7 ppg/6.7 rpg/2.0 blocks. When we played UNC last year they underused Konate, so we'll see. Possible top pick.

C Quinton Diame - SR – 73 OVR – 7'3” which is all that you need to know. Poor rebounding ratings, poor post ratings. 88 close/83 in traffic. Also, 7'3”.

To re-iterate exactly how good Konate looks... I mentioned above that he has an A- or better rating in 14 of the 30 categories that players are rated on... by comparision, Haigler, also a 91 OVR superstar, has an A- or better rating in 7 of the 30 categories. Konate is really one of the best overall players I've ever seen.

Backup SG Eddie Esterkamp is rated 85 OVR and is a great all around shooter, another name to know. Backup SF Rene Reid is rated 83 overall and is another great shooter and potential scorer.

Barrett is starting today, with them running 3 guards and having a player like Haigler, it makes the most sense to get Barrett and his 90 rated defense out there as much as possible. With Konate a coach on the floor, the unity edge is 85-43 for UNC. All I can say is to remember that we beat them last year when we were just freshmen.

<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%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh. We beat UNC last year because we hit tons of 3's and they didn't shoot well. Today is not the same.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed makes 2 free throws to get us on the board... backups are in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Once its 24-2, I decide that UNC is probably not going to let us come back.

#6 North Carolina 86
Florida State 44

Haigler had 13 when I simmed it out. He ends up with 19, Konate with 19 points/10 boards. Haha. 50-15 first half.

Forte: 0 points
Moye: 14 points
Barrett:3 points
Sneed:7 points
McCants:0 points

Alloway: 9 points

Yeah... North Carolina is good.

[hoopsguy]

Ouch. How to explain that result? Um, you are setting them up for the rematch at the Dean Dome?

I've got nothing.

Good luck in the 2nd half of ACC play.

[Radii]

I've got nothing.

yeah me neither heh. Haigler and Konate and even Atangana are just so so much better than anyone we've got. The only open shots I could get were 3's and they just weren't falling,and UNC just scored every time down it seemed.

Good luck in the 2nd half of ACC play.

Thanks :) After the ups and downs in non-conference play i was really worried about how this year would turn out, but I'm thrilled with how we've held up so far.

[Radii]

February 6, 2021

Florida State (14-6, 6-2 ACC) at Georgia Tech (16-7, 6-3 ACC)

Georgia Tech was down last year but right back up again this season, Paul Hewitt is a damn good coach and they seem to be in the upper half of the league with some regularity.

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 89|90
OFF: 88|91
DEF: 90|88
SHT: 89|95
REB: 93|91
COA: 86|95

at first glance Tech looks a lot like us... lots of talent but no huge superstars. One junior and 4 underclassmen starting. Perhaps the Yellow Jackets will be our main competition over the next two years as we both become extremely talented, experienced teams.

Tech's 3 losses are to NC State, UNC, and Clemson. They have wins over Boston College and Maryland.

Scouting

PG Dainmon Horner – JR – 80 OVR – 94 speed but just 85 quickness. 82 defense, just C+ for a PG, 85 steals is very good. 84 hands/86 passing, both solid. 81 close/75 med/78 3/77 off the dribble. An average scorer, 7.1 ppg/3.8 apg so far this year.

SG Femi Shavies – FR – 80 OVR – 85 speed/85 quickness. 77 defense looks like quite the liability. 87 close/77 med/83 3/80 off the dribble. A good scorer and good 3 point shooter, 11.7 ppg. Hopefully we can exploit him on the defensive end though.

SF Jibran Grizzard – SO – 85 OVR – A 5* recruit two years ago, 6'7” natural SF. 85 speed/79 quickness. 82 defense/79 steals, solid for a SF. 74 blocks, a solid shot blocker as well. 91 close/82 med/76 3/89 in traffic. 91 vert, not so great strength or hustle. 7.3 ppg, a solid starter who can hurt us from all over, but who does best inside for sure.

PF Immanuel Bing – SO – 80 OVR – 6'9” PF – 84 orb/83 drb. 83 post off/76 post def. 94 close/86 in traffic. 9 ppg/5.6 rpg. Very solid post ratings.

C Aly Richards – SO – 84 OVR – 6'7” PF- 85 orb/87 drb. 84 post off/80 post def. 98 close/90 in traffic. 98?? That's A+ worthy of course. He's also got an 87 clutch rating, one of the highest i've eve seen. 8 ppg/6.5 rpg. This guy looks incredible. Solid athlete, poor offensive awareness, good defensive awareness. Richards was the best freshman in the ACC last year.

Backup SF Idong Hendricks is rated 84 OVR and looks an awful lot like Grizzard. He actually scores more, 12.6 ppg. They have solid depth and look pretty damn good overall. I'm worried about Grizzard and Richards hurting us badly. I'm also worried about Shavies shooting ability, and the fact that they have two solid post players that might negate our inside game.

(table too big, next post)

[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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> GT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Two fouls on Sneed early... he sits, Sanders in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Apparently, going back to the UNC game, I have forgotten how to score. Timeout FSU. They play a stifling press after they score, we've thrown it away twice already and they have another steal once we get our half court set going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 2
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over in the backcourt again after the timeout, wow. Barrett with a jumper on the other end (what? I thought the lineup changes made pregame were temporary, I put Barrett in last game but wanted Ozier starting here, didn't even notice).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> I take that back... Barrett was meant to start today, yeah, that's it. Barrett has all 8 of our points, going off in transition after Tech starts to miss a few shots finally. Timeout Yellow Jackets.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Tech with another timeout, no idea why, they didn't sub anyone. Moye has missed a 3, and driven to the hoop twice, having shots blocked both times.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit the first 3 of the game, we get two buckets from Moye, who is burning their SG easily but as I'd mentioned above running into resistance deeper in. This time he gets two clean layups. And McCants has 4 now as well. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout for Tech. Their 3^rd of the half. Day with a dunk in transition but they scored the first 4 after that last break and Tech really seems to have the talent edge here, espicially vs the bakcups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> An Alloway free throw makes it a 2 point game, solid defense to keep them from scoring anymore. I get a timeout to get the starters back in. Sneed is returning with his two fouls. If he picks up #3 I'll go deeper on my bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> We take our first lead of the game, McCants and Moye getting our points here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits a 3 at the end of regulation but it looks like he let it go just after time expired, doh. After a hot start for Tech, they end up shooting only 10-27 for the half. And they turn it over 5 times, offsetting our early troubles in the backcourt(which we resolved after the first few minutes).


PG Horner has 8 for Tech. Center Richards has 6, and Shavies 5. Grizzard is just 1-3 for 2 points, though he has 2 assists, 2 steals and a block as well so he's not been useless.


Almost all of our scoring comes from 3 people... Moye with 10, Barrett 8, McCants with 6. We have an edge on the boards (13-9) and are shooting better as well, 10-23. We draw 6 fouls by driving inside and go 9-10 from the line which is helping us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> 3's from Shavies and PF Bing(ugh) to open the half give Tech a 2 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with a reach in for foul #3. I'll leave him in and just go with Sanders if Sneed picks up his 4^th.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout FSU, we had a 36-35 lead and they score 6 in a row, the last coming on a steal and acrobatic looking layin to give the Yellow Jackets a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> There's sneed's 4^th, after two blocked shots that tech recovers, on their 3^rd shot the foul is assessed. Sanders is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> After recently drawing foul #2 on Richards(their solid big man), we get foul #3 this time down. McCants hits both free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Boom! Alloway with two threes in a row, one at the end of the shot clock, the other in transition after a blocked shot, tie game, timeout Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout and get the starters back in, except for McCants who will sit another minute or so. We should have taken the lead, Ozier goes up for a stupid contested running left hander that misses when he had a clear step on his man, I was sure it was a dunk. They pick up the board and get a dunk the other way, bleh! Each team has 2 timeouts left now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye with a chance to give us the lead but he goes in a bit too aggressively and puts up a bad shot when he should have pulled the ball out to run our offense. They get a block and a 6^th man boost as a result, and Moye picks up a foul going after the ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Grizzard misses an 18 footer from the baseline, Sneed with the board and Moye gets by his man this time for a dunk, we lead!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> A miss on their end and a jumper by Barrett after we work it around a bit and we're up 3. Georgia Tech calls their next to last timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> I get my next to last timeout purely to rest up a bit. McCants is going to have trouble going the distance.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> God Moye is clutch. Also, he had Shavies and his 77 defense guarding him, which has dictated my last few shot takers when not in transition. 3 pointer with 3 left on the shot clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Unfortunately Shavies is hot as hell from 3 in the 2^nd half. He hits one here and has 5 on the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye blows by Shavies and is fouled by their PF Bing. 1 of 2 at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Shavies misses a 3. McCants with the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Oops. I try to get a post look inside but they double. Kick out to Moye for a jumper but Grizzard leaps out and gets a hand on it. The ball falls to the ground and the shot clock expires. That's a 6^th man bonus for Tech, and the ball with under 30 seconds to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> They go to their PF, Bing, and he drains a 10 footer. Tied up. I get my last timeout. Not turning it over against their press is more important than an aggressive attempt to score right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REGULATION
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Yeah, we take a little bit to get it up court, Moye gets a shot off but its from way out and no good. Overtime.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with a bucket down low. But our starters are totally gassed... I commit a foul and bring in the backups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> So that was dumb, I thought I was at 4 or 5 fouls or so... nope, that was #7. Free throws for Tech. I only have one timeout and want to save it for getting the starters back in exactly when I want. Heh, their PG misses the front end of the 1 and 1. Guess that worked out ok?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Horner with a jumper on their end after Alloway misses one on our end. Tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:09
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Day goes off a screen and gets a pass going to the hoop, he hits his close range shot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Grizzard with an 18 footer from the left wing, tied back up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> I take my 1 timeout and get my starters back in. Moye is still nowhere near fully rested but he can go 2:30 just fine and there's no way in hell he sits any more than this. If Tech uses a timeout it'll be enough rest to be just fine.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye misses a tough shot on our end, they go inside to Richards but McCants and Sneed are all over him, blocking his shot and picking up the loose ball. On our end Moye gets his man in the air and sidesteps and coolly drains a 3.
Georgia Tech does indeed use one of their timeouts here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Richards with a crosscourt pass to Horner who drains a 3 for Tech. Tied up, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> I wanted to get a quick shot and a 2 for 1 so we'd be guarenteed to get the ball back, but their press is too much, I can't get it up court and get a shot that fast. Forte ends up getting his man in the air and driving to the basket for a layup, we lead, 22 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Grizzard takes a 3, no good! We get the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:03.7
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> They only had 5 fouls so it takes one inbounds to get us to the line. Forte is there... First one, GOOD. , second, no good. They get the ball upcourt quickly, Horner gets an open 3 pointer but its a good 5-7 feet behind the 3 point line. His shot is LONG, game over!!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Florida State 78
Georgia Tech 75
OT


All 5 of their starters end up in double figures. Shavies leads them with 19, Bing 13, Grizzard 12, Richards 10. Oh, Horner, their PG, 15.


Forte: 10 points
Moye: 22 points
Barrett: 14 points
Sneed: 4 points/4 boards
McCants: 10 points/6 boards


Alloway: 7 points
Day: 7 points


I made a mental note with about 4 minutes left in regulation... Moye had 13, Barrett 10, Forte 7. Moye once again comes through as the go to guy in crunch time. Between road wins over boston college and georgia tech and our home win over Virginia Tech... we are winning every game against equal level competition. Hopefully this is a noteworthy thing come tourney selection.

[Radii]

ACC Standings update:

1. Clemson 9-0
2. North Carolina 7-2
3. Florida State 7-2
4. NC State 6-3
5. Georgia Tech 6-4
6. Virginia Tech 5-4
7. Maryland 5-4
8. Wake Forest 4-5
9. Boston College 3-6
10. Miami 2-6
11. Duke 0-9
12. Virginia 0-9

Love the 0-9 for duke, hah.


Our next two are games I'll sim before playing out our final 5 games.


Feb 14, 2021

Florida State 68
at Miami 48

24 from Sneed, 13 from Moye, 7 from Barrett.


Feb 17, 2021

at Florida State 98
Virginia 59

6 guys in double figures... Sneed 17, Moye 14, Barrett/Alloway 13, Forte 12, Ozier 10. They shoot 19-51 on the game. We're 32-61, hah.


At this point there's 2 1/2 weeks left in the regular season.

Our remaining Schedule:

vs NC State
at #15 Virginia Tech
vs Maryland
vs Boston College
at #2 North Carolina


I thought when I replied earlier that I was done with UNC. Apparently not. I didn't have the game open then, was going from memory.

Updated standings at least at the top of the league:

1. North Carolina 10-2
2. Clemson 10-2
3. Florida State 9-2
4. NC State 8-4
5. Virginia Tech 7-5
6. Georgia Tech 7-5
7. Maryland 6-6

And the polls:

1. Florida
2. North Carolina
3. Clemson
4. Seton Hall
5. Pitt
...
15. Virginia Tech
21. Ohio



And lastly, bracketology is out. Intial projected seedings:

1. UNC
1. Clemson
5. Virginia Tech
6. Ohio
6. Florida State
9. Georgia Tech
10. NC State
12. Maryland

Barring a collapse, we ought to be solidly in. NCSU and Maryland are on the bubble.

[Radii]

February 20, 2021

NC State (16-6, 8-4 ACC) at Florida State (17-6, 9-2 ACC)

NC State is the team right behind us in the standings now. Last year they were the most talented team in the league but didn't go anywhere with it in the postseason. They're still good but not that imposing this year.

TEAM: FSU|NCSU
OVR: 89|88
OFF: 88|88
DEF: 90|87
SHT: 89|92
REB: 93|84
COA: 86|92

The overall rebounding rating is sometimes skewed by the rebounding level of the SF/guards but 84 is loooow. NC State swept Georgia Tech, lose to Clemson and UNC, and also lost to Maryland in league play. They split with Boston College for their 4^th loss.

Scouting

PG Garland Munns – FR – 75 OVR – 93 speed/87 quickness. 85 defense, poor steals. Decent playmaking, 85 handling/80 passing. 85 close/74 med/81 3/81 off the dribble. He's scoring 6.5 ppg/3.1 apg. Solid on ball defense and speed, I wouldn't expect a lot of offense from him though he'll hit shots if he decides to take them.

SG Ije Haywood – SR – 82 OVR – 90 speed/91 quickness. 87 defense/93 steals, extremely fast, extremely good defender. 89 close/74 med/77 3/82 off the dribble. A threat in close but not a huge sharpshooter. His defense is definitely what earns him his rating. 7 ppg.

SF Leonard Monserez – JR – 87 OVR – 6'5” natural SF – 84 speed/85 quickness. 79 defense/81 steals, all just about average for a SF. 92 close/84 med/67 3/90 in traffic. A solid rebounder (80 orb/77 drb) and a very good athlete. B vert/A- str/B- hustle. 82 str, a lot higher than you'd expect to see from a SF. That's stronger than McCants for us. 13.8 ppg/5.1 rpg. A potential first round draft pick if he leaves early.

PF Willie Webster – FR - 75 OVR – 6'7” PF – 79 orb/79 drb. 81 post off/73 post def. 90 close/82 in traffic. Good shot blocker (75), weak athletic skills. 6.1 ppg/4.8 rpg.

C Donnell Dixon – JR – 78 OVR – 6'6” natural PF – 84 orb/80 drb. 85 post off/69 post def. 87 close/84 in traffic. 77 3 point rating, we'll have to watch him outside. 75 str(B+), 91 hustle(A-), a solid hardworking athlete. 7.0 ppg/4.1 rpg. Dixon is a JC transfer, this is his first year.

They lack size and experience inside, which we can hopefully take advantage of.

They're a lot better than their lineup looks... they have two 82 rated SG's off the bench and an 80 rated SF. Their best backup is a freak of nature, a 6'10” SF with A level ball handling and an 84 rated 3 point shot... Kabir Cotton. He'll be interesting to defend.

This is the first team in ACC play that we've been even with in team unity, 46-46. I don't think we've had an edge on anyone.

<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%"> 18:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> Two fouls on their center, Dixon. Their big man depth is weak. 5 for Barrett early.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Its setting up early like we might run them out of the building. Moye hasn't scored yet I don't think, everyone else has. NCSU timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the backups in. Forte, Sneed, McCants with 6 each, Barrett with 5
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> NCSU timeout, Day drains a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> The best NC State can manage are stretches where they score along with us a couple trips down. Day and Alloway with 5 each. Timeout Wolfpack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in. Alloway 3 3's and 11 points total..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> They keep up with us the rest of the way, we never lead by more than 23 or less than 19 in the final 7 minutes. Their 6'10 SF freak really keeps this from being a 30+ point game. Cotton scores 10 points in 11 minutes, 4-6 from the field/1-2 from 3. Haywood, their SG, scores 8. They are 13-31 from the field and 3-11 from 3.


We are 21-35 from the field, 5-12 from 3, and have a 20-10 edge on the boards. Alloway leads all scorers with 11. Sneed has 10 points/8 boards, Forte 9 points, McCants 7 poitns/5 boards, and Barrett 7 points. Moye is 0-6, 0-4 from 3. Odd!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got the lead up to 25 now. Forte has hit a few shots and Sneed in low. NCSU timeout. If we can hold it at 25 for a little bit longer I'll sim to the end, but I'm not risking anything here. Plus, this is fun :D
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I go ahead and sim to the end when its 65-36 with 14 minutes to go.

Florida State 89
NC State 63

Basically NC State wasn't hitting a lot, we were doing a stellar job in transition and when they did slow our transition game our half court offense was working well, Forte was on fire and both our big men were solid options over smaller guys in low.

They end up getting 22 from Cotton, the 6'10” SF. I love that guy, would love to have someone like him in a Seminole uniform.

Forte: 19 points
Moye: 3 points (1-15 shooting/1-8 from 3)
Barrett: 11 points
Sneed: 19 points/13 boards/3 steals/1 block
McCants: 7 points//9 boards/1 block

Alloway: 16 points/3 assists

A nice blowout, we're doing a really good job securing our spot as the 3^rd best team in the league behind top 5 Clemson and UNC.

[Radii]

I noticed it before the last game but forgot during the game... Moye has a strained quad and is day to day for the next 2-3 weeks. The rest of the regular season but bcak to full strength for the ACC tournament. I'll keep a close eye to see if that effects his jump shot noticibly. It would be a good explanation for him being the only player not playing like a superstar vs NC State.

Also, I have decided to keep Barrett in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. The fact that I seem to be able to score better with him than with Ozier tips the scales in his favor.


Media poll going into the final week of recruiting:

1. Florida
2. North Carolina
3. Seton Hall
4. Indiana
5. Clemson
...
16. Virginia Tech
23. Ohio


I assume we're close to the top 25. Our RPI skyrockets up to #19. We're 5-3 vs the top 50 and 5-2 vs 51-100 now.

clemson is actually in a bit of a freefall. After starting the ACC season 10-0, they've lost 3 in a row, to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Maryland. This week they play North Carolina. They have no starters hurt at present time.


UNC is 11-2 in conference play, we are 10-2, Clemson is 10-3. NCSU is 4th at 8-5. There is a chance that our final game ofthe season, in Chapel Hill, will be for the ACC Regular season title. I have almost no hope of winning that I assume, but I'll certainly be playing it if there is anything on the line.

but first, a big week, a road contest at #16 Virginia Tech, and a home game vs Maryland, a 20 win team that has struggled to a 7-6 ACC record so far.

[Radii]

February 24, 2021

Florida State (18-6, 10-2 ACC) at #16 Virginia Tech (17-7, 7-5 ACC)

The hokies continue to struggle to get significantly over .500 in ACC play. Still, they have a strong RPI, and they're projected as a 5 seed in the big dance.

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 89|92
OFF: 88|92
DEF: 90|90
SHT: 89|94
REB: 93|88
COA: 86|93

Since they lost to us last, Va Tech is 4-2, beating Maryland and Clemson most notably. Their losses came to North Carolina and Wake Forest in Winston Salem. Wake is 19-11 and on the bubble. They start the same lineup which has shown small improvements since we played last.

Scouting

PG JB Matsui – SR – 89 OVR – Elite speed: 93 spd/91 qck. Great defender (91/A-). Outstanding PG skills (94 hands/88 passing (A/B+)). 93 close/65 med/83 3. 90 off the dribble. Also 86 defensive awareness (A-) and offensive awareness of 80 makes him a coach on the floor. 15.4 ppg/5.2 apg

SG Jarred Warzynski – JR – 84 OVR – 93 speed but just 83 quickness. 80 defense/79 steals. 84 close/74 med/75 3. 81 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Great hustle(93/A) and very consistent. 82 defensive awareness... Just 7.5 ppg, overshadowed big time by Matsui and Harmon.

SF Denham Caskill – SR – 79 OVR – 6'5” SF – 87 speed/84 quickness. 78 defense/80 steals. 87 close/75 med/77 3/85 in traffic. Not a bad player, speedy though a little light on the defense. Completely overshadowed by the stars on the team. 5.8 ppg/4.5 rpg

PF Etienne Harmon – SR – 86 OVR – 6'7” PF – 87 orb/85 drb. 94 post off/85 pst def. 86 blocks (A-). 80 steals... as good as a guard. 90 close/80 med/91 in traffic. 18.1 ppg/5.8 rpg

C Tommie Graves – FR – 80 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 87 orb/77 drb. 84 post off/86 post def. 88 close/84 in traffic. Hell of a freshman... Just 5.4 ppg/4.1 rpg.

The first meeting Caskill scored 24 points for them, with no one else in double figures. We won that one 64-60 at home. This will be different with Barrett in our starting lineup. We're slowed by Moye's quad injury and concerned how that will impact our ability to score. In our first meeting we had fairly balanced scoring from Forte/Moye/Sneed/Ozier.

The Hokies hold an 80-46 unity edge with Matsui being a coach on the floor.

<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%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Not bad, except we were up 8-4 and they've scored 8 straight. Moye seems a bit off, he did hit a midrange jumper but has had awful luck going inside. When the shot clock gets low Forte is currently my top option. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Back to back 3's by Caskill with an empty possession on our end in between. I take a timeout as the defensive rebound on my last miss triggers a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway hits a jumper to end the 11-0 Va Tech run. I thought it was a 3, Alloway was on the line though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, this one isn't feeling good,though we are managing to keep it under double digits. Alloway has all 5 of our bench points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, we had the lead down to 4 a few times, but two steals and layups by Va Tech have pushed it right back up to 8. I get a timeout, a needed one to rest my guys anyway, since I brought them back in earlier than usual. If I can force Va Tech to burn a TO that will be enough to get me through the half. I'm down to 3, cannot afford any more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> They score to go up 10 before Barrett gives us a 6-0 run by himself,right back down to 4. The first of those points was off an offensive board, Moye with a missed 3. The others were in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> And they get the final four to make it 8 again at the half. Moye is seroiusly hurting I guess. He bricked two free throws on the last trip before the half. 1-7 from the field, 0-2 from 3. The 1-7 is primarily driving to the hoop and just getting completely shut down. It's bad enough that I'm giving serious thought to starting Barrett and Ozier and relegating Moye to the 2^nd string. We'll see this half though.


They shoot 15-29, just 2-7 from 3.Caskill is once again their leader despite clear better players and options. He has 10. PF Ravello off the bench has 6, I don't think I ever mentioned him before.


We are 11-26, 0-4 from 3. Barrett leads us with 10, Alloway picked up 5 off the bench, Forte and McCants have 4. Va Tech has outstanding post defenders, so I have not set up inside too often.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. They score on their first 3 trips of the 2^nd half, all in the post. We can't get anything going at all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in a bit early, god knows something has to change, this has gotten out of hand fast. They are not missing and I cannot hit anything from anyone.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout FSU... Caskill is up to 14(just 4 in this explosion that is the 2^nd half so far). Ravello up to 10 and Graves, their center, up to 8. I think that's 10 total post points, 4 from Caskill and 2 more random buckets.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the backups heat up a bit, Alloway scores 5 more and has 10, and Day hits a 3, but its still a 19 point game and we need some defense. FSU calls a timeout, and I bring my starters back in, excpet that Alloway is staying in instead of Moye.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They get the lead up to 25 with 7:15 to go and I sim it from there.

#16 Virginia Tech 89
Florida State 56

Humbled in similar fashion as the North Carolina game... at least this was on the road. They shoot 62% to our 37%. That's about all you need to know heh. Matsui ends up leading them with 16, Caskill 14, Graves 13, Harmon and Ravello (starting PF/backup PF) 10 each. They dominated inside.

Forte: 7 points
Moye: 4 points
Barrett: 10 points
Sneed: 6 points/9 boards
McCants: 4 points/2 boards

Alloway: 10 points
Ozier: 7 points

[Radii]

Clemson's freefall continues, as they're crushed by North Carolina by 21 at home.

Relevant standings with 3 games left:

1. North Carolina 12-2
2. Florida State 10-3
3. Clemson 10-4
4. NC State 9-5
5. Virginia Tech 8-5
6. Maryland 7-6
7. Wake Forest 7-6


Next, we host Maryland. We can mathematically still lose 10 games and still easily finish 5th or lower... 4th being my goal to get a 1st round bye in the ACC Tournament.

I am really worried about Moye's injury. I'll almost certainly start Alloway or Day against Maryland.

[Radii]

February 27, 2021

Maryland (21-9, 7-6 ACC) at Florida State (18-7, 10-3 ACC)

This is a huge game for Maryland. They have an RPI of 33 and are projected as a 9 seed in the tournament. They just last week were looking like a 12 seed and on the bubble. A win over us gets them to 22 wins and might lock them in. We've fallen to a 7 seed in the projections and could use a win ourselves.

TEAM: FSU|UMD
OVR: 89|91
OFF: 87|92
DEF: 88|87
SHT: 89|94
REB: 92|89
COA: 86|91

Our lower offensive and defensive ratings reflect the fact that I have Alloway starting at SG instead of Moye. Moye will play backup PG. The second half lineup will depend on how Moye does in the first half.

Until beating Clemson last week, Maryland was losing to most of the middling teams in the league... swept by Georgia Tech, split with Boston College, losing to Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. They're 3-7 vs the RPI top 50.

Scouting

PG Bronsen Gatling – SO – 84 OVR – 96 speed but just 85 quickness. 89 defense. Great PG with 94 hands/90 passing (A/A-). 82 close/71 med/80 3/85 off the dribble. 10.9 ppg/5.5 apg.

SG Devon Tyler – SR – 88 OVR – Coach on the floor wow... 88 def awareness, 82 off. 92 speed/94 quickness. 86 defense/82 steals. 91 close/85 med/79 3. 85 off the dribble, a very solid guard. 11.6 ppg/3 apg.

SF Erick Waller – SR – 83 OVR – 6'6” SF – 85 speed/84 quickness, extremely good. 82 defense is solid too. 91 close/82 med/73 3/87 in traffic. A very good athlete, 83 vert/70 str/84 hustle (B-/B/B). 7.5 ppg, a solid option.

PF Adama Sogdazi – FR – 79 OVR – 6'7” PF – 79 orb/84 drb. 73 post off/74 post def. 89 close/86 in traffic. He can step out and shoot,79 med/74 3. Great hustle, good strength and 83 defensive awareness is extremely good. 5.2 ppg/3.9 rpg.

C Corey Hudson – JR – 81 OVR – 6'11” PF – 91 orb/82 drb. 83 post off/79 post def. 91 close/88 in traffic. Hudson leads the team with 14.2 ppg/5.5 rpg.

Maryland has solid guard depth, with 3 guys off the bench that can shoot very well. They lack big man depth inside, if we can get Hudson in foul trouble we can gain a big edge there. 78-44 team unity edge with the coach on the floor in Tyler. This is a game where I'm very glad to be playing 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%"> UMD
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit 3's on their first 3 possessions. Given that its not really that bad that they have managed 14 in the first 6:45. On our end, clearly a genius move to start Alloway. 6-7, 1-2 from 3, 1-2 at the line, 14 points. Sneed with a 3 point play, Barrett with a deuce. Alloway got Tyler in the air and drove for easy layups, then got a few in transition, then got left all alone for a 3... its a damn shame this guy is so hard to get into the starting lineup normally(and that I suck getting my PG points).


Anyway, backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Well then.. Moye misses a 3, I go inside a few times with no luck, just nothing at all. And they're scoring at will. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, starters in, Moye in at SG though, just b/c Alloway isn't fully rested yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> We finally get some points... but still down 8, that was a godafwul run my Maryland. Alloway is back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Its their PF, Hudson... he's got 11, 5-8 inside, he had none of their first 14. I change my doubleteam options to make sure I get the ball out of his hands in the paint.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Boom! They take a 41-28 lead, we get a 3 from Forte, a deuce from McCants, a 3 from Alloway and a fast break layup from Alloway, 10-0 run and down just 3! Timeout Maryland.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> No defense... 62% shooting for each team. We're 17-27, 5-8 from 3. Maryland is 17-27, 6-9 from 3. They've got 1 more 3 and 2 more free throws.


They're led by C Hudson with 13. Tyler has 7, Waller 6... their 84 rated PG, Gatling, picked up 2 fouls after 7 minutes and sat. He scored 3.


On our end... holy crap Alloway making the most of getting a starting spot. 10-11, 3-4 from 3, 1-2 at the line. He has 24 points. He's out on the break faster than Barrett, he's a more reliable scorer on the break and better at driving by his man than anyone else we have. Once he goes back to the 2^nd string.. I need to get him more shots, lots more shots. Forte is 2-3 from 3 for 6 points. Sneed/McCants 5 each, Barrett 3. The backups are 0-5 for 0 points. Which yes, means the starters are 17-22 combined.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout... we're scoring alright, but they're scoring at the same rate and hitting 3's.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Offensive burst again, Forte hits an amazing 3, fading to the left a bit as time expired on the shot clock, couldn't get anything else... Barrett then scores 6 straight and Alloway gets to the rim for 2 while getting on the boards... Hudson is a monster of an offensive rebounder and keeping him off the glass is huge for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> A steal by Sneed and a dish up to Forte for a dunk in transition, we get a 6^th man boost which will let the starters go another minute or two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh... Alloway picks up an injury driving to the basket and drawing a foul. Moye comes in for him. I go ahead and get all the backups in. Moye 1-2 at the line, we're up 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is fouled again, misses both free throws. Its got to be the injury, this is insane.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 73-69 and they run off 8 straight, 2 3's and a layup, as we turn it over 2 straight. Crap! Alloway has a high ankle sprain and appears to be OUT for 23 days. UGGGGGGGH. For now I bring my starters back in and leave Day at SG for his 3 point shooting. Moye has a high clutch rating and I may bring him back in to see if he can score in the final 5 minutes. If not, I go with Day for 3 point shooting or Ozier for driving ability.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 5 straight, all Barrett, and draw foul #4 on Gatling, their PG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 84
</td> <td width="68%"> Jesus, they get 7 straight... game of runs, more than i've ever seen before. We get good looks inside from McCants and an open 3 from Forte that don't fall. I go ahead and bring Moye in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 84
</td> <td width="68%"> 4^th foul on Hudson, Sneed hits 2 at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a FT, Moye drives and makes a layup(thank god!), Forte with a steal around midcourt, feeding McCants for a big jam, 6^th man boost for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss, Sneed boards, off to the races, Moye goes up hard and draws Hudson's 5^th foul! HUGE. He makes 1 of 2 at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 87
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> They turn it over in the backcourt, we can't get it in immediately but run our offense and Forte drives by their high pressure D for a layin, we lead! Timeout Maryland.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 89
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a bucket inside by Sneed. They get a jumper by Waller and a feed inside to a guard. My ball, tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:36
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 91
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed turns it over on the wing, they get a fast break and we foul Gatling, who makes two free throws. I take a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 91
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte gets one on one, gets to the basket, draws a foul, and misses two free throws... ergh!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:21
</td> <td width="10%"> 89
</td> <td width="7%"> 93
</td> <td width="68%"> We foul them right away, 2 Fts good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:17
</td> <td width="10%"> 91
</td> <td width="7%"> 93
</td> <td width="68%"> I go inside quickly to McCants, he's fouled on a dumb reach before he can shoot. Makes both free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 91
</td> <td width="7%"> 95
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit two more at the line.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Forte missing those two free throws with 22 seconds left was just a killer.

Maryland 99
Florida State 94

They get 19 from Tyler, 18 from Waller and 15 from Hudson. Hudson still logged 27 minutes despite fouling ot. Gatling ends up with 9. They just had too many people who could make 3's. 12-17 from 3 on the game, that's ridiculous. 33-53 Fgs and 21-24 from the line. We kill ourselves at the line... 20-32. 6-14 from 3. Frustrating, I hate missing free throws.

Forte: 18 points/4 assists
Alloway: 28 points in 23 minutes
Barrett: 15 points
Sneed: 13 points/6 boards
McCants: 9 points/7 boards

Moye with 4, 1-3 from the field/0-2 from 3, 2-6 at the line.

We made up for the loss of Alloway (and the lack of a healthy nice shooting Moye) fairly well but we could have used his explosiveness down the stretch.

[Radii]

So we've lost two straight and now will not have Alloway available to us until the sweet 16, should we make it that far. Moye's bum leg that is making him unable to hit even free throws is goign to hold him back for the rest of the regular season, but he'll be full strength for the ACC tournament.

1. North Carolina 13-2
2. Clemson 11-4
3. Florida State 10-4
4. NC State 10-5
5. Maryland 8-6
6. Virginia Tech 8-6


Wake Forest (20-12, 8-7 ACC) and Georgia Tech (18-11, 8-7 ACC) are both on the bubble.

Current projected NCAA Seeds:

1. UNC
3. Clemson
5. Virginia Tech
7. Maryland
7. Florida State
9. NC State
12. Wake Forest


Our next game is a home game vs Boston College. This is quickly approaching must win territory. We're not going to beat North Carolina in chapel hill and I'd hate to go into the postseason with 4 straight losses.


With Alloway out I will be starting Barrett at SG, Ozier at SF. little used bench guard Jose Gunn will play PG for the backups, Day at SG, Moye at SF. If we lose someone else, I have no more backcourt players behind this and will drop to a 9 man rotation.


**edit: I could also pull the redshirt on my 3rd PG, McClurkin, but I have no intention of doing that unless Forte goes down, and then might even consider calling the season a lost cause instead of pulling the redshirt just for a couple games when we aren't a serious final four contender.

[Tellistto]

Tough loss to Maryland, was a good team effort and falling short hurts. Injuries aren't treating you well right now, either. Good luck in the final two games!

Tell

[Radii]

February 27, 2021

Boston College (17-13, 5-9 ACC) at Florida State (18-8, 10-4 ACC)

A win here would clinch a first round bye in the ACC Tournament for us. We beat BC by 12 on the road and seemed to have a good handle on them.

TEAM: FSU|BC
OVR: 88|87
OFF: 87|88
DEF: 88|87
SHT: 87|92
REB: 93|86
COA: 86|92

Today's lineup with Barrett and Ozier drops us to 88 OVR and the drop in shooting to 87 highlights my main concern... Forte is the only shooter on the court. Barrett and Ozier are both good near the basket, driving, and shooting from mid-range, but Forte is the only guy that can make
the 3.

We get some good luck, as BC has an 85 rated SF that is out for this game with a broken ankle. Also, their 89 rated stud Davor Morris has a broken tailbone. I have no idea how that impacts him in game, but there you go.

Scouting

PG Andy Garner – SO – 84 OVR – 89 speed/84 quickness. 86 defense/81 steals. Solid. 88 hands/84 passing, a good natural PG. 84 close/76 med/85 3/83 off the dribble/80 in traffic. He's just a soph so he probably doesn't have a great scoring instinct yet but he looks like a guy that can score from all over. 10.2 ppg. Oh, this is BC's 5* JC transfer they brought in last year, this is his first year.

SG Davor Morris – SR – 89 OVR – 87 speed/92 quickness. B vert/B+ str/A- hustle, a great athlete overall. Solid awareness. 84 defense/94 steals(A, very good). Great ball handler (88/A-). 91 close/79 med/87 3/82 off the dribble/85 in traffic. Somehow he just averages 9 points/game so far, he looks like an elite scorer.

SF Hilton Hart – SO – 74 OVR – A 6'7” natural SF – 83 speed is alright but 74 quickness is terrible. 76 defense, 84 close/70 med/65 3/78 in traffic. Terrible post ratings if he goes inside. 1.9 ppg, he's not intended to be out their but their injury to their star SF forces it.

PF Izik Dawson – SO – 79 OVR – 76 orb/81 drb – 6'9” PF – 72 post off/73 post def. 90 close/88 in traffic, good for 8 points/game.

C Sidiki Sarchet – SO – 78 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 85 orb/82 drb. 78 post off/74 post def. 90 close/85 in traffic. Not strong at all(64/C+). 10.3 ppg/4.9 rpg. Very undersized.

We beat them the first time around by going inside. Sneed scored 22, McCants 8, 30 of our 73 points. Without a coach on the floor the team unity is about even, 51-47 in their favor

<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%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> A poor start, tied at 6 but we let BC get a 6-0 run thanks to two steals and easy buckets. We've gone inside with success so far but are giving up open shots that they're not missing right now. Just a couple misses/empty trips on our end lets BC get out to an early lead. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Two more turnovers, a couple more missed shots and this just sucks. I get a timeout to get my backups in. I don't like that starting lineup at all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Backup PF Sanders tears a hamstring going up to the basket... Sneed is in for him for now, we'll likely be seeing some minutes from our 5^th big man, Delic.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, except for McCants who needs another minute to rest. We just have no consistent scoring and for whatever reason the defense isn't playing well either. We are at present 5/16 from the floor and 2/4 from the line. Day hit a 3, 1/5 from 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Ahh some life. They go up 28-13 and we run off 7 straight. Sneed with a nice post move, Forte creates his own 3 with a pump fake, and Slater hits a short jumper inside. BC calls a timeout and we get McCants back in at center.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 and an open 2 after their starting guards come back in, their star rated guard Morris has 9 points already. We keep the pressure on though, Forte hits a 2^nd 3, Barrett and Ozier get out on the break together a couple times, and its a 4 point game with another TO from BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with a turnaround from the left block to tie the game in the final seconds of the half. And though Sneed doesn't feel as dominant as he did in our first meeting(where he had 22 points), he does lead us with 9 at the half, going 4/5 inside. McCants has 6 and is 3-4 inside. So we are sticking to the game plan of pounding it inside fairly well, Barrett has 7 but its all from fast breaks, while Forte has 6 w/ 2 3's. In the half court set, the inside game is working well for our starters.


Their star, Morris, has 11. SF Hart has 7, and two bakcups guards, Clarke and Bowden have 6 each. Everythign is fairly even right now, FG/FT shooting, fouls, turnovers, rebounds..our defense improved later in the 2^nd half and we were able to run a little bit more to catch up. Now to pull away in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> A steal and monster dunk by McCants give us a 4 point lead, our biggest at the time, and a 6^th man boost. A rebound and break by Barrett lets us go up by 6, forcing a BC timeout. Barrett leads everyone with 13 now. Sneed is off to a slow start with a couple easy misses, he's up to 11 though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 point play for Barrett and a layin for Sneed(assist Barrett) and we're up 11, another timeout BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> They finally end our big run, and our backups come in. Sanders is ok to go with his injury but will likely be slowed. As depleted and hobbled as the backups are right now the goal is to slow it down and not give up the lead. Anything we can get inside, or of Day hits another couple 3's, gravy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get my starters back in. We should have things in hand but I just feel out of sync with those backups... Gunn at PG, I really did that on purpose?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> We've let them cut the lead down under 10 but with under 2 to go I still feel pretty solid about this one. It'd be nice to get a bucket this next trip to be safe though.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Well we don't score our next time down but we do stop them from scoring their next trip which is even better.

Florida State 76
Boston College 67

A solid way to end a 3 game losing streak. BC puts 4 guys in double figures, 12 from PF Dawson, 11 from Garner, Morris and Hart, their PG/SG/Sf. We do a great job of limiting their best player, Davon Morris, to 11 points, actually scoreless in the 2^nd half, no foul trouble there.

Forte: 6 points
Barrett: 16 points/4 assists
Ozier: 2 poitns/5 assists
Sneed: 23 points/11 boards
McCants: 16 points/9 boards

Day: 8 points

Sneed quietly has a very solid day. He shoots 10-15, McCants 7-12, very little forced by either, but they did shoot most every time they were able to get 1 on 1 with a defender, since they had an edge in the post over anyone that would be guarding them. They both got some 2^nd chance points and secondary break baskets in transition as well.

Moye was 1-5 for 2 points. Cannot wait to have him back full strength. I am not really fond of this lineup at all, which is quite noteworthy as it is my most likely natural/AI suggested starting lineup next year with Moye graduating.

[Radii]

With a 3rd injury (Sanders hamstring) added to the list, I just have no desire to go play this next game in the dean dome. We've clinched a first round bye in the ACC Tournament, so i am thrilled.


March 6, 2021

at #2 North Carolina 88
Florida State 70

Heh, 25 from their stud PF Konate, 19 from stud SG Haigler. We get 13 from Sneed, 11 from Day, 10 from Moye.


And thus ends the ACC Regular season.

Final ACC Standings

1. North Carolina 14-2
2. Clemson 12-4
3. Florida State 11-5
4. Maryland 10-6
5. NC State 10-6
6. Virginia Tech 9-7
7. Wake Forest 9-7
8. Georgia Tech 9-7
9. Boston College 6-10
10. Miami 4-12
11. Duke 1-15
12. Virginia 1-15


Media Poll going into tournament week:

1. Florida
2. North Carolina
3. Seton Hall
4. Xavier
5. Arizona
...
7. Clemson
18. Virginia Tech
23. Maryland
24. Ohio

Ohio is 24-6.


Bracketology going into tournament week:

1. UNC
2. Clemson
5. Va Tech
6. Maryland
6. Ohio
9. Florida State
10. Georgia Tech
11. Wake Forest
12. NC State

Wake Forest, NC State, and Georgia Tech are all listed as bubble teams. I'm disappointed to see us as a 9 seed right now. We could really use a good tournament run.

[Radii]

ACC First Round

8. Georgia Tech 95
9. Boston college 73

5. NC State 106
12. Virginia 69

6. Virginia Tech 70
11. Duke 56

7. Wake Forest 101
10. Miami 57


All of the bubble teams win in a big way.


ACC Quarterfinals

1. North Carolina
8. Georgia Tech

4. Maryland
5. NC State

3. Florida State
6. Virginia Tech

2. Clemson
7. Wake Forest


We won a close game at home over Virginia Tech on Jan 24th, 64-60. The trip up to Blacksburgh was not kind to us, Moye was hobbled but that day it likely wouldn't have mattered, they crushed us 89-56.


Moye is back to full strength now. We'll start Forte, Moye, Barrett, Sneed and McCants. The bench is Gunn, Day, Ozier, Sanders and Slater. Its not pretty on the bench, and we'll be relying on Day and Ozier with Alloway out, Sanders hurting and Slater just not that strong a post scorer.

[Radii]

March 12, 2021 - ACC Quarterfinals

(3) Florida State (19-9, 11-5 ACC) vs (6) #17 Virginia Tech (20-9, 9-7 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 89|92
OFF: 89|92
DEF: 90|90
SHT: 89|95
REB: 93|88
COA: 86|93

We won at home, they won big at their place, now we meet up on a neutral court. Big news going into the day is that Va Tech SF Denham Caskill has a pulled hamstring and will not be full strength. He was such strong scorer in the first two meetings, if his shot is off, or he's slowed a lot with this injury it could have a big impact on the Hokies.

Scouting

PG JB Matsui – SR – 89 OVR – Elite speed: 93 spd/91 qck. Great defender (91/A-). Outstanding PG skills (94 hands/88 passing (A/B+)). 93 close/65 med/83 3. 90 off the dribble. Also 86 defensive awareness (A-) and offensive awareness of 80 makes him a coach on the floor. 15.4 ppg/5.2 apg

SG Jarred Warzynski – JR – 84 OVR – 93 speed but just 83 quickness. 80 defense/79 steals. 84 close/74 med/75 3. 81 off the dribble/80 in traffic. Great hustle(93/A) and very consistent. 82 defensive awareness... Just 7.5 ppg, overshadowed big time by Matsui and Harmon.

SF Denham Caskill – SR – 79 OVR – 6'5” SF – 87 speed/84 quickness. 78 defense/80 steals. 87 close/75 med/77 3/85 in traffic. Not a bad player, speedy though a little light on the defense. Completely overshadowed by the stars on the team. 5.8 ppg/4.5 rpg

PF Etienne Harmon – SR – 86 OVR – 6'7” PF – 87 orb/85 drb. 94 post off/85 pst def. 86 blocks (A-). 80 steals... as good as a guard. 90 close/80 med/91 in traffic. 18.1 ppg/5.8 rpg

C Tommie Graves – FR – 80 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 87 orb/77 drb. 84 post off/86 post def. 88 close/84 in traffic. Hell of a freshman... Just 5.4 ppg/4.1 rpg.

Moye and Forte led us in our win, Barrett and Alloway in our loss. We didn't have a strong post presence either game, they have two very strong post defenders. As usual, coach on the floor designation decides the unity issue. 84-48 edge Va Tech.

<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%"> 15:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Outstanding start! Forte is on fire, 2 3's and a drive to the basket, he has 8 points. McCants just got a 3 point play to put us up 9. Moye hasn't taken a shot yet. Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> We are scoring with deadly efficiency. Forte has missed 2 3's but we got the offensive board and putback on each. Barrett just got a 3 point play driving to the hoop. We're 7/11 from the field and 6/6 at the line. Timeout #2 from Va Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> We've allowed 5 in a row and are tiring, backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Two three's by Day and we're doing fine with the backup squad so far. Va Tech forced to call another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in... what an awesome run. Day ties a career high, scoring 11 of the 13 that our backups put up in this stretch.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead by 12 after a very solid first half. Virginia Tech is a bit over 50% from the field, 14-27, 3-8 from 3 but they didn't make it to the line at all. We drew 8 fouls, and are 13-14 at the line, a huge difference in the half. We're shooting a solid 13-28 from the field, 4-11 from 3.


Day scores 11 to lead us, while Forte scores 10. I got a little overzealous with him after his hot start, and he is now 2-7 from 3 after starting out 2-3. Sneed has 8, mostly garbage points, stupid reach in fouls sending him to the line and an offensive board, but he did have one solid post bucket. Barrett with 7. Moye is 0-2, both from 3, he does have two free throws though.


Warzynski leads Va Tech with 7. Caskill has only taken 2 shots, whether its luck or his injury he is totally not in the game. Backup PF Ravello has 7 as well for them. Avoding an early Hokie run is the main goal here...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> In an effort to avoid a quick Hokie run, I call a timeout as they score 5 points pretty much right away...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye is back! He's scored our last 7 in a row, stroking a 3, driving to the basket for a great looking layup in traffic, and drawing a foul and sinking two free throws. He's got 9 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with a hook in the post, he's got 10, timeout Hokies!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in to hang on to a 17 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Day with a free throw, Ozier with a free throw, that's it so far. But we're not giving up a lot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Well another 5 in a row and its a 10 point game now. I get a timeout and get the starters back in. Not quite the same effort we got out of the backups in the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> A nice 11-4 run, mostly fueled by a quick spurt around the 4 minute mark(Moye layup, Forte 3, Barrett layup in quick succession) pretty much put the game away for us.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
After that run we do easily seal the win.

Florida State 82
#17 Virginia Tech 61

Really, really strong win to open the ACC Tournament. Caskill being hurt for them changed their offense drastsically compared to our other meetings. He still scores 9 but is just 1-4 from 3. Backup PF Ravello leads them with 11, Warzynski 10, Matsui 7.

On our end... we welcome a healthy Moye back into the rotation with open arms:

Forte: 19 points
Moye: 20 points
Barrett: 15 points
Sneed: 10 points/6 boards
McCants: 3 points/15 boards

Day: 12 points

Moye had 2 at the half, so that's a strong 18 point 2nd half there.

Also, Moye's line is a bit unusual. 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers. In 30 minutes, you'd usually have a rebound fall into your hands accidentally, pick up a loose ball, something. But nope! After an 0-2 first half, Moye ends up 5-9 from the floor, 3-5 from 3, 7-9 at the line. I'm getting quite comfortable with Forte from 3 as well, pump-fake, sidestep, stroke the 3 feels real natural with him now.

[Radii]

That win over Virginia Tech was our 20th of the season and almost certainly secures us a tournament bid. wow, major break incoming here.

ACC Quarterfinals

1. North Carolina 94
8. Georgia Tech 76

5. NC State 73
4. Maryland 65

3. Florida State 82
6. Virginia Tech 61

7. Wake Forest 85
2. Clemson 82


ACC Semifinals

1. North Carolina
5. NC State

3. Florida State
7. Wake Forest


down goes Clemson! And I assure you, I am not looking for unnecessary challenges, I'm looking for titles, I'd be just as pleased to see NC State take down UNC in the other semi and allow me the chance to get an ACC Championship without facing either of the top 5 teams.

[Radii]

March 13, 2021 – ACC Semifinals

(3) Florida State (20-9, 11-5 ACC) vs (7) Wake Forest (23-12, 9-7 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|WFU
OVR: 89|86
OFF: 89|86
DEF: 90|85
SHT: 89|90
REB: 93|92
COA: 86|77

We played an exciting fast paced game against Wake in our only meeting of the season. We beat them 94-90. Moye scored 31 in that game, with Forte adding 15 more. Oh, re-reading I remember this game. They gave us open 3 time and time again in their 2-3 zone and I just launched them all game, no matter how many I missed.

They are clearly led by SF Radziejewski and SG Bland. They are real weak in the post, at least on their defensive end, so if we take the time to get it inside we should do well. This is a game where Barrett starting should help our defense a lot, as they have two great shooters and Barrett on one of them can limit them a good deal.

Scouting

PG Kris Bosley – JR – 77 OVR – 91 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/83 steals. 84 close/83 med/77 3/80 off the dribble. Awful awareness and not a great athlete. A poor natural PG really, 81 hands/72 passing... both C ratings. 8.1 ppg.

SG Prosper Bland – JR – 82 OVR - 92 speed/85 quickness. Great vert and hustle(92 hustle/A-). 82 defense/76 steals. 88 close/77 med/85 3/82 off the dribble. 10.2 ppg/5.2 rpg so far this year.

SF Roosevelt Radziejewski – SR – 85 OVR – 6'6” natural SF – 86 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/69 steals. 87 close/77 med/63 3/86 in traffic. Great awareness... 81 off/83 def, he was a coach on the floor as a junior, and has obviously just improved. 18.5 ppg/5.4 rpg, by far the star of the team.

PF Tomas Prancilauskas – SR – 78 OVR – A natural SF, just 6'5”, not a good rebounder or post man at all. 65 post off/65 post def. 86 close/81 in traffic. 78 orb/78 drb. He's fast and a decent midrange shooter, but just 6.5 ppg/5.2 rpg. Hopefully a good sign for our post players again today.

C Jeffrey Eldridge – SO – 77 OVR – 81 orb/88 drb. 79 post off/68 post def. 6'11” PF. 88 close/86 in traffic. Poor awareness. Good athletic skills, 76 STR/75 hustle. Just 6 ppg, but he looks like a fairly solid offensive player. He's got size but his defense is seriously lacking.

Our team unity is 50 for the first time! Wake's is 79 heh.

<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%"> WFU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> A slow start, it was 9-7 with about 14:00 left, and things have since exploded. Moye has hit back to back jumpers, including a 3, and has 10. Sneed has 4, Forte 3. We got a 6^th man boost after a recent board that has allowed the starters to stay in. Wake just took a timeout. Backups aren't in quite yet, but soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier with two buckets, both backing down their SF and hitting a hook in the post. Mainly we're just slowing it down though. Timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout to get the starters back in. Day hit a 3 in that last stretch and that's all we got.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake shoots real well, 13-23, 4-6 from 3 to lead at the half. They're led by two bench players, backup SG Diakite and backup PG Hall. The starters are all way more cold. Bland is 0-4, Radziejewski 2-5, they have 6 points between the two of them.


We're 14-31, 3-10 from 3. Wake has 6 turnovers to account for the number of shots taken. Moye has 12, he's 5-9 but just 1-5 from 3. Sneed, McCants and Ozier off the bench all have 4. Forte is cold today, 1-5, 1-4 from 3. One of them needs to hit some 3's over their zone in the second half. Sneed is an ugly 2-6 inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake opens the half with a 3 and after a steal has a quick 6^th man boost. We turn the tables right back though. Anyone surprised to learn that Moye has all 10 of our 2^nd half points hasn't been following this team too closely this season. He's got two 3's and two buckets in transition, hasn't missed yet. We take the lead and earn a 6^th man boost ourselves.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye has 25 now, 13 on the half already. Forte has drained a 3 as well to finish off our scoring.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> As Moye cools off and tires out, we get Barrett and McCants on the board in the 2^nd half as well, and build a 7 point lead. Wake calls a timeout, and we get our backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 5 immediately, after that its back and forth for 4 trips or so each, before they hit another 3 and take the lead. We just have no offense, Day is cold, Ozier can't get going and there's nothing else. I call a timeout, the starters will be ready in another trip for each team.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Empty trips on both ends, I get another timeout and the starters are back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> The starters immediately establish dominance again. Barrett has 4 more, Moye a trey.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> They score on two straight trips while we get an ugly miss by Sneed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake with a timeout, empty trips on both ends. Their ball down 3 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a dunk by their PF Prancilauskas. It triggers a 6^th man boost and I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:56
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye with two misses on our end(rebound/kickout). Eldridge draws a foul on theirs and makes two free throws. I get another timeout. I have 1 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye with another miss, McCants with the rebound, new shot clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:02.6
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> I struggle to get a shot I like, work an inside out with McCants and Forte, really wanting McCants to shoot but they double too fast.. Forte gets a good look from the right wing but its no good. They rebound with about 7 seconds left, and unfortunately we'd only committed 3 fouls all half. By the time we get to 7 there's just 2.6 on the clock.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They make both free throws and press. I try to make a pass up near half court to use my last timeout, its a little risky and Barret throws a pretty shitty lob that they intercept. Ball game.

Wake Forest 65
Florida State 62

I'm not surprised to play the close game, this is how our first game went just with 30 more points on each side. What surprised me was that we got Moye 3 great looks and Forte another in the final minute and none of them went in.

They get 12 from PF Prancilauskas, 11 from Radziejewski and PG Bosely, 7 from SG Bland.

Forte: 6 points/4 assists/2 steals
Moye: 28 points/2 steals
Barrett: 8 points/4 assists/3 steals
Sneed: 5 points/11 boards
McCants: 8 points/16 boards

Sneed has a horrible 2-9 day from the field. Forte was a lot colder than usual as well. It just wasn't our day.

[Radii]

ACC Semifinals

5. NC State 85
1. North Carolina 79


7. Wake Forest 65
3. Florida State 62

ACC Finals

7. Wake Forest 75
5. NC State 70

Two bubble teams making damn sure that they make it into the tournament, and Wake Forest wins 4 games to win the ACC Tournament Championship.

[Radii]

NCAA Tournament Selection

We're hoping to be higher than a 9 seed with our win over Virginia Tech.

Georgia Tech is the only ACC Team left on the bubble. They're 20-12. The bubble is almost entirely power conference schools, but I do note a 22-9 Miami OH squad from the MAC.

1 seeds

EAST: North Carolina (#1 Overall)
SOUTH: Xavier
MIDWEST: Arizona
WEST: Seton Hall

EAST REGION

1. North Carolina

HEH.

Florida State is the 8 seed in the East Region

We get the 9 seed, Saint Josephs.

Ohio is the 6 seed in the East!!! Ohhhh, nice matchup, they play Ohio State in round 1.

Clemson is the 3 seed in the East.

NC State is the 10 seed in the East.


South

1. Xavier

Georgia Tech is IN. 11 seed in the South, playing Texas Tech.

Maryland is the 7 seed in the South.

Pitt is the 2 seed here.

MIDWEST

1. Arizona

2. Florida

no ACC teams here

WEST

1. Seton Hall

8. Wake Forest! They'll play Nevada

Virginia Tech is the 5 seed here, they'll play Saint Mary's.


the ACC gets 8 teams, Big 12 7, Pac 10 5. Miami OH must have made it, as the MAC has 2 teams in.


A summary of the seeds for the ACC:

1. North Carolina
3. Clemson
5. Virginia Tech
7. Maryland
8. Wake Forest
8. Florida State
10. NC State
11. Georgia Tech



St Joes is 21-7, they went 12-4 in the A-10, losing in the A-10 semis to Richmond(a 5 seed). It looks like they only ranked team they played all year was Xavier, a 1 seed, they played them tough, losing just 71-70.


They're rated 86 OVR and it looks like they are led by their post players, with weak guard play. This should bode well for us, I hope.

[Radii]

There are no changes to our injury situation going into the NCAA Tournament. Sanders has 4 days left on his day to day injury, and Alloway is still OUT 3 more days. I'm unclear on the timing with that, he will either be available on Sunday or Monday... if its Sunday, he could play against North Carolina should we win in round 1. If its Monday, he wouldn't be available for that.

March 19, 2021 – NCAA First Round

(8) Florida State (20-10) vs (9) Saint Joseph's (21-7)

TEAM: FSU|SJU
OVR: 89|86
OFF: 89|87
DEF: 90|86
SHT: 89|90
REB: 93|88
COA: 86|95

Martelli is still at St Joes, he's got a 510-308 lifetime record now. I've got 277 lifetime wins now, FWIW. 300 maybe next season. 300 isn't worth anything but pride though.

Scouting

PG Duriel Len Bullicer – SR – 77 OVR - 91 speed/85 quickness. 88 defense/81 steals. 88 hands/80 passing, a solid all around PG. 88 close/76 med/79 3/82 off the dribble. 9.4 ppg/7.3 apg, incredibly high assist number.

SG Kennedy Kelley – JR – 73 OVR – 87 speed but a terrible 77 quickness. 81 defense/89 steals(A-!). 82 close/76 med/67 3. He has horrible awareness, poor athletic numbers, and looks like he needs to get in fairly close to score. 3.6 ppg.

SF Comerlee Stanley – SR – 82 OVR - 6'8 natural PF – 89 orb/84 drb. 83 post off/83 post def. 92 close/88 in traffic. He plays surprisingly good on ball defense as well, 77(a-), 79 Steals (A-). 66 med/59 3, so hopefully he won't be scoring much. He does have 11.7 ppg this year and is a monster rebounder.

PF Darrell Boeckmann – JR – 85 OVR – 88 orb/84 drb. 80 post off/74 post def. 92 close/92 in traffic. Great athlete, 79 vert/81 str/86 hustle (A-/A-/B+). Coach on the floor, 83 off awareness/78 defensive. A great dunker and good clutch player. 15 ppg/5.6 rpg.

C Nate Lindeman – SO – 82 OVR – 6'5” natural PF – 80 orb/88 drb. 85 post off/71 post def. 93 close/90 in traffic. A 4* recruit with A- potential who is turning into an extremely good player. 9.5 ppg/4.5 rpg.

Saint Joes has a severe lackof guard play. They have 9 players rated 70+ and outside of Boeckmann look more like a mid-major. But they are obviously 21-7... against a pretty poor schedule, I'm hopefully we walk all over these guys.

With the coach on the floor they do get a 79-51 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%"> SJU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett hits a layup inside in transition and the game is stopped, Ozier comes in, Barrett is down with an injury.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. We're definitely struggling to score inside qute a bit, and not shooting well outside. Barrett is available. He has a sore knee, hopefully not a big deal. They get 7 from Stanley, their PF playing SF. Obviously, he's 1-1 from 3 with his 59 3 point rating.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Decent job by the backups so far keeping it even. I get a timeout to get Barrett in for an exhausted Ozier. The rest of the starters sit for a bit more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Day gets hot from 3, making 2 in a row, 3 total for 9 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple misses on their end, and they come out of their zone for a little while, and all of a sudden we're up 7. Moye with our last 5 and he has 10. Sneed and McCants are a combined 0-6 inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Some bad mismatches out there for St joes, they get a timeout as we run the lead up to 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte drains a 3 as time expires and we are all of a sudden up 17. We are 7-11 from 3, after an early cold start we cannot miss it seems. 15-27 from the floor, 7-11 from 3, 9-13 at the line. They are 13-32, 1-9 from 3. SF Stanley leads them with 9, Boeckman has 4, and the rest is spread around with a shot here/shot there by their entire team.


Moye leads us with 13, 2-4 from 3. Day has 9.McCants and Forte both have 6. They went small for about 3 minutes late in the half and we took advantage bigtime, driving to the basket and finding McCants and Sneed. At the 3:30 mark I mentioned that they were 0-6 combined for 2 points. Now they're 3-9 for 10 points... McCants 6/Sneed 4. Solid ending to the half, now to put them away.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We were up as much as 21, its 17 now and they're showing no signs of coming back. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> A 6-0 run and its down to 11, I take a timeout and ask someone to please score for the backups, Day seems to have one half in him and he's done.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> We get two at the line from Day and they call a timeout. The starters are rested and back in. I don't know if they can go the distance but I don't really care, I'm not letting St Joes get any closer than this against the 2^nd string.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye fouls a backup big, koger, as he lays one in... 3 point play, 8 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a 3, they get an offensive board and a 3 point play... that's our 7^th foul of the second half, they're shooting the rest of the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> There's just no way the starters can finish this game out without 6^th man stuff going our way, and right now its not. I get my backups in, I need another two minutes or so from them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Woohoo! Starters are rested and this time through the backups managed to extend the lead. Ozier hit a midrange jumper and Day a 3, they scored on their end once. Starters in to finish it out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Bleh, down to 7, and I get a timeout after an offensive board gives them a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Misses on both ends, its our ball with 1:45 to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:52
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses an open baseline jumper, they hit a midrange jumper on their end, our ball up 5. We need to score.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed misses a shot in low, they miss a 3 but get the tipin. Offensive rebounds galore, dammit. I get a timeout to combat their 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Moye hits two free throws and they don't have enough time to score twice. They do hit a 3 to make the final a 2 point game.

Florida State 76
Saint Joseph's 74

Saint Joes had 17 offensive rebounds and 25 second chance points. Both of those may be all time highs that I've allowed. They get 16 from their best player, Boekmann, and 12 from Stanley. A couple others with 10.

Forte: 12 points
Moye: 24 points/3 assists
Barrett: 4 points
Sneed: 8 points/5 boards/4 assists
McCants: 8 points/11 boards

Day: 14 points

Another career high for Day as he hits 4 3's and a couple free throws for us today. Moye and Forte carry the offense, Sneed and McCants finish up 6-16 between the two, a very rough day inside for them, between shooting poorly and getting horribly owned on the glass.

No matter though, we have advanced!

[Radii]

NCAA First Round Notes:

ACC Results:

1. North Carolina advances
3. Clemson advances
5. Virginia Tech advances
7. Maryland advances
8. Wake Forest loses to Nevada
8. Florida State advances
10. NC State advances
11. Georgia Tech loses to Texas Tech

6. Ohio loses to Ohio State.

6-2 in the first round for the ACC.

Next up, North Carolina.

[Radii]

Barrett apparently aggravated his knee injury by continuing to play. He was listed as out for 3 days when I first looked... now he's day to day for 8 days. Alloway may have somehow re-aggravated his injury as well? He's listed as out 8 days now.

March 23, 2021 – NCAA Second Round

(8) Florida State (21-10) vs (1) North Carolina (31-4)

TEAM: FSU|UNC
OVR: 89|94
OFF: 89|94
DEF: 90|94
SHT: 89|97
REB: 93|94
COA: 86|90

I played UNC for about 7 minutes back in early February. They led 24-2 and I conceded defeat. They won by 18 in a simmed game in Chapel Hill to end the regular season. Obviously we want to get to the sweet 16, but its hard to be optimistic. We need to shoot well over their 3-2 zone and play strong inside.

Scouting

PG Holland Freedman – JR – 84 OVR – 89 speed/89 quickness. 88 defense/77 steals. 87 hands/83 passing, both solid B- ratings. 87 close/81 med/86 3, a great shooter. 83 off the dribble. Just 5.3 ppg but I fear he'll do a lot betterthan that against me heh.

SG Russ Haigler – SR – 91 OVR – 89 speed/90 quickness. 83 defense/83 steals. 86 close/87 med/91 3. Just 78 off the dribble. Good but not great athlete, good but not great awareness. Hell of a shooter though. 14.5 ppg/2.5 apg. Lottery pick.

SF Phil Atangana – SO – 88 OVR – 6'7” natural SG – 91 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/90 steals. 90 close/77 med/74 3/87 off the dribble. Great defensive awareness, not as much on offense. 9.5 ppg/5.6 rpg.

PF Marcel Konate – SR – 92 OVR – 6'6” PF – 83 orb/89 drb. 86 post off/90 post def. 79 blocks(B). 75 steals/A-. 95 close/91 med/74 3/88 in traffic. 95 hustle, coach on the floor... A- speed, the guy can do everything. There are 30 separate ratings that players are rated on. Konate is A- or better in 14 of them. 19.7 ppg/6.7 rpg/2.0 blocks. When we played UNC last year they underused Konate, so we'll see. Possible top pick.

C Quinton Diame - SR – 73 OVR – 7'3” which is all that you need to know. Poor rebounding ratings, poor post ratings. 88 close/83 in traffic. Also, 7'3”.

superstud Marcel Konate is now rated 92 OVR. Konate does have a sprained ankle which hopefully slows him a bit.

<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%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> Cold start for UNC, lots of missed jumpers. Forte has a 3 and Moye got fouled once for our points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> Diame gets a bucket inside and UNC is on the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> With the help of UNC's poor free throw shooting(1-4 so far), we get the backups in with a 4 point lead. Please let Day be hot from 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Backup SF Reid hits two jumpers for UNC and its tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to kill a 6^th man boost, not earned when they took the lead but when they got a steal on the next possession. I stopped them from scoring again, get it up court and get the TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> And I get another timeout to get the starters back in. I'm down to 3 more for the game. Also I havn't scored in 5+ minutes now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> They are starting to score consistently.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> UNC shoots 50%, we shoot 30%. We only have 3 different people score. Forte 9, Moye 7, Sneed 2. Theyr'e led by 8 from Atangana, 5 from Freedman and 4 from Haigler. They are 2-7 from 3, which will surely improve. We are 4-12.


Moye is 2-10, 1-6 from 3. Forte, on the other hand, 3-3, all from 3. Moye usually gets hot after bad shooting halves like these. If he does anything can happen. We're down less than 10, giving ourselves a shot at least. But they have the momentum and the talent. We need a lot to go our way this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Not going the way we need it to...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We're scoring a little bit now but they aren't slowing down any. Forte 4-4 from 3, Moye colder than he was in the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over against their press... 16 point game, they are 6-7 this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a few shots and Moye gets a layup and finally a 3 to make it an 11 poitn game again. But i've got to get the backups in, starters are exhausted.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a steal, throw a long outlet to Ozier, they go for the steal and whiff, leaving Ozier free for a windmill jam that gets our crowd up for the first time all game, 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with a dunk and UNC takes a timeout. If Day could hit open jumpers we could cut into the lead. But keeping it at 9 for the starters would be acceptable too heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Had it down to 8 til we threw a real stupid pass leading to a dunk by UNC. I get a timeout and get the starters back in. I've got 2 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Moye hits a 3 and its down to 7. UNC timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The sound went out around the 4 minute mark and I stopped pausing to update, fearing a read error to be incoming. We never fell behind by more than 12 but never got closer than 7. Moye and Day(I brought him in for Barrett in the final 2 minutes for 3 point shooting) hit some more 3's for us but we just could not stop them to complete a comeback.

North Carolina 61
Florida State 52

They are led by 17 from Atangana, 13 from Freedman and 10 from Haigler. Konate is scorelessin the first half and ends up with 7 points/8 boards.

Forte: 12 points/5 assists
Moye: 22 points (8-23, 4-16 from 3)
Barrett: 2 points
Sneed: 2 points/6 boards/4 assists
McCants: 2 points/4 boards

Day: 6 points

I would have loved a shot at any of the other 1 seeds, but this one is just too much for us.

[Radii]

NCAA Tournament Results

11 seed Ohio State rolls through the East, upsetting North Carolina to advance to the final four.

3 seed Villanova pulls the smaller upset, beating 1 seed Seton Hall to come out of the west.

4 seed Arizona State upsets 2 seed Pitt to come out of the South.

2 seed Florida crushes 4 seed Marquette and there will be no 1 seeds in the final four this year.

Villanova puts down the 11 seed Buckeyes 81-65 in one semifinal. Arizons State wins a close one over Florida, 84-80, in the other.

Villanova wins the national title, stomping Arizona State 80-50 in the championship game.


How did the ACC do?

1. North Carolina - Elite 8 Loss
3. Clemson - 2nd Round Loss
5. Virginia Tech - Sweet 16 Loss
7. Maryland - 2nd Round Loss
8. Florida State - 2nd Round Loss
8. Wake Forest - 1st Round Loss
10. NC State - 2nd Round Loss
11. Georgia Tech - 1st Round Loss

Virginia Tech beats 4 seed Kansas to get to the sweet 16 before falling to 1 seed Seton Hall, while Clemson is run down by the juggernaut that was Ohio State. UNC lost a round before their seed would be expected to, but the rest of the league was mired in 7-11 seeds and not expected to do that much.

[Radii]

2021 Graduating Seniors

Just one.

SG JS Moye - 6'4" 197 lbs - 85 OVR

Moye was the one JC Transfer I brought in during that giant 8 man class a couple years ago. A solid starter for two seasons, Moye averaged 12.5 ppg as a junior and 16.5 as a senior. His nagging injury towards the end of his senior season actually hurt his numbers quite a bit, he was over 17 points/game for much of the season.

One of the more explosive streak shooters I've ever had, Moye scored in bunches, big ones. He'd go 1-8 for a half and then score 10-15 points in a 5 minute period with regularity. I like consistency but Moye won many many games for me over these two years, so I cannot complain. Moye was a solid clutch shooter, with a clutch rating of 79 by the time he graduated, always higher in games, which added to his flair in the final minutes of games.

Moye is a Dark Horse for the draft. I don't know if Dark Horses every show up and actually get drafted... i dont' expect it though.


While we have a ton of talent, Moye leaves a huge hole in the roster. We'll have two 5* recruits coming in next year to add to the mix though, a PG coming off a redshirt year, and a lot of options between Barrett/Ozier/Alloway/Day to fill out the lineup.

[Radii]

2021 Team Stats

Points

SG Moye - 16.5
PF Sneed - 11.2
PG Forte - 9.0
SG Barrett - 6.3
SF Ozier - 6.2

Sneed has still yet to become a dominant scoring big man, I think the potential is there but he still comes up with awful 3-10 type games against even just above average post defenders. Forte developed as a 3 point threat this year. with Moye leaving there is a lot of slack to pick up here. McCants, at 5.8 ppg and 6th on the team, will hopefully help pick up some as well.


Rebounds

C McCants - 7.1
PF Sneed - 6.0
PF Sanders - 3.1
SF Ozier - 3.0
C Slater - 2.8

7 boards as a freshman, McCants is going to be a force on the boards as he continues to develop.


Assists

PG Forte - 3.6
SG Moye - 1.9
SG Barrett - 1.5
PG Alloway - 1.2

assists remain a category that my play style does not fill well.


3 Point Shooting

PG Forte - 43.2%
PG Alloway - 42.1%
SG Day - 35.8%
SG Moye - 34.0%

not an unusual or unexpected result really, Moye, as the go-to guy, ends up taking more than his fair share of bad 3's for me. Alloway and Forte playing PG end up taking almost entirley quality 3 point shots.


FT %

SG Barrett - 86.0%
PF Sanders - 78.1%
PF Sneed - 76.1%
C McCants - 73.3%
SG Day - 67.4%

This is a good reason to slot Barrett at SG. Too many inbounds plays involve the SF throwing the ball in, which means late in games my best free throw shooter is not taking my free throws.

[Radii]

2021 Awards

Nova wins the national title, I think their 2nd in the last few years?

Texas Center Todor Detrick is the national player of the year, 25.3ppg/16.8 rpg for the longhorns.


Jay Wright is coach of the year from Nova.

I rarely mention the award, but North Carolina PF Marcel Konate is the national defensive player of the year.


First Team All-Americans

PG Tahric Rodgers - 86 OVR - Utah - 16.8 ppg/5.2 apg
SG Neil Massey - 91 OVR - Texas Tech - 15.9 ppg/6.6 rpg/3.3 apg
SF Roosevelt Radziejewski - 85 OVR - Wake Forest - 18.7 ppg/5.8 rpg
PF Jerrod Dawn - 89 OVR - Seton Hall - 22.1 ppg/6.5 rpg
C Todor Detrick - 87 OVR - Texas - 25.3 ppg/6.8 rpg


Duke's SF Pedro Gastel is 2nd team all-american with 18.4 ppg/6.3 rpg.

North Carolina's PF Marcel Konate is 2nd team All American with 19.1 ppg/6.5 rpg.

All members of the all american teams are seniors.


I gloss over freshman awards usually, but here's a pretty big one...

Florida State C Florentino McCants is Freshman All American

The 7 boards/game is huge for him, just under 6 points/game.


ACC Awards

UNC coach Billy Taylor is coach of the year in the ACC. Bastard.

UNC PF Marcel Konate is ACC Player of the year - 19.1 ppg/6.5 rpg.

Georgia Tech SG Femi Shavies is the ACC Freshman of the year. 11.9 ppg for him this year.


First Team All-ACC

PG JB Matsui - 89 OVR - Virginia Tech - 14.8 ppg/5.4 apg
SG JS Moye - 85 OVR - Florida State - 16.5 ppg/1.9 apg
SF Roosevelt Radziejewski - 85 OVR - Wake Forest - 18.7 ppg/5.8 rpg
PF Marcel Konate - 92 OVR - North Carolina - 19.1 ppg/6.5 rpg
C Spencer Doyle - 74 OVR - Virginia - 16.1 ppg

All seniors.

Maryland PG Bronson Gatling, rated 84 OVR, is on the 2nd team. I point him out as he's the only non-senior listed.


And McCants is the Center on the ACC Freshman team.

[Radii]

ACC Seniors Drafted

PG JB Matsui - Virginia Tech - 89 OVR
SG Davor Morris - Boston College - 89 OVR
SG Devon Tyler - Maryland - 89 OVR
SG Russ Haigler - North Carolina - 91 OVR
PF Marcel Konate - North Carolina - 92 OVR
PF Etienne Harmon - Virginia Tech - 87 OVR

ACC Underclassmen Declaring

SF Leonard Monserez - NC State - 88 OVR

[Radii]

Coaching Skill

I have 2 more points to improve my coaching abilities this year. I go one in Offense, one in Discipline.

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

Overall: A-

The first point raises me up to an A- overall coach!



Coaching Carousel

5 major confeence jobs are open this year, and I am back on the list of hot coaches to go after:

California, Georgia, UConn, Virginia, and Nebraska, in that order, have vacancies.

The Virginia job is mine if I want it. And I would, in a vacuum, rather be at Virginia than Florida State. But its a marginal preference and I am attached to my current players and the hopes that I have for this group developing into a team with final four aspirations.


There are a number of large conference openings too, just listed for information of course, no serious thought to taking any. UNLV, Wyoming and TCU in the Mountain West, UMass, Duqesne, and George Washington in the A-10, and Idaho in the WAC.


At this point we are running out of familier/relevant names here. Jim Larranga retires from George Mason.

Dave Lietao was fired from Virginia. They hired Cal State Fullerton's coach to replace him. The other major jobs open were retirements.

[Radii]

As an A- rated coach I now have better overall rated Assistants available to me for the first time, but I do not see any with the overall skillsets that I have currently, and don't replace either of my assistants.

[Radii]

Maryland loses an 82 rated SF to Saint Marys, and Virginia a 70 rated PG to Cal State Fullerton(that's backwards, the new coach brings in transfers, not scares them away to his old school).

[Radii]

Since I've filled both my scholarships I just call up Juniors for 5 weeks during the recruiting season.

I've got about 9 guys up above 70% going into the new year, and a few of those over 80%.


An overview of the caliber of recruits coming into the ACC next year:


Boston College: #20, #33, #58
Clemson: #7, #8, #11, #52
Duke: #121
Florida State: #14, #19
Georgia Tech: #17
Maryland: #31, #60, #97
Miami: 4* JC
North Carolina: #39, #89, 4* JC
NC State: #2, #15, #41
Virginia: #188
Virginia Tech: #5, #16, #34, #38, #91
Wake Forest: #263


Clemson and Virginia Tech stand out as pulling in incredible classes. Wake/Miami/Virginia continue to be a huge step below everone else. Duke is on the poorer side of things as well.

[Radii]

Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Clemson
2. NC State
3. Virginia Tech
4. Arizona
5. Boston College
6. Texas A&M
7. Oregon
8. Maryland
9. North Carolina
10. UCLA
...
26. Florida State


seriously? 6 of the top 10 recruiting classes in the nation are in the ACC? Damn.

[Radii]

Just a real quick look now, more details next time I sit down to play.


The ACC is LOADED. A quick scan through the teams shows 5 teams with a roster strength of 90 or better. Ours is 90. Our suggested lineup is indeed Forte, Barrett, Ozier, Sneed and McCants. I was afraid of that.

5 ACC teams are in the preseason top 25. UNC, Clemson and Georgia Tech are top 10, Virginia Tech is #12, and we are #14.


The SG that we recruited hard last year and lost to Clemson is the top ACC Freshman. Clemson SG Darren Bookout comes in as a quality scorer, and a 90 rated defender, he's going to be great. The defense was why I was going so hard after him, decent scoring and great defense... I had dreams of Bookout and Barrett in my starting lineup together, two 90+ rated defenders...


Anyway, my two freshmen:

My 5* PF recruit, Haminn Millar, comes in rated 78 OVR. He looks to be a solid rebounder already, a good post offensive player but needs work on defense. He has an awful close range shot (80) but is good in traffic and a good dunker. I have no idea how that will shake out, but Millar and Sanders will be clear backups for Sneed and McCants. Millar is also a great athlete, good leaper, strong and good hustle. 97 durability(A+) so hopefully injury free.


Our other top recruit is 5* SF Roberto Mayer. Mayer comes in 6'7" and also rated 78 OVR. He's pretty intriguing, 88 close/76 med/78 3, 84 in traffic. He's got decent speed and defense for a SF, he lacks quickness which sucks. Great hustle (96/A+) but not a strong guy or a great leaper. He has A- potential which is quite exciting.


Given my disdain for my starting lineup, and for SF Ozier in general(despite the fact that he comes in as my highest rated player at 84 OVR), I might have some interesting decisions with Mayer. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my lineup yet.


And one thing I've been pondering all season and haven't mentioned yet... I have one last trick I can pull to get next year's graduating class down to a more reasonable number... I can redshirt Alloway. I have my 3rd PG, McClurkin, coming back from a redshirt year this year. Alloway is a potentially great scorer but he's also woefully underused and I see no way around that continuing this year.

I haven't decided yet, he's the most explosive scorer I have, at least out of my known quantities. So sitting him for a year when the ACC is so stacked seems insane. If I don't do it though, I'm looking at 6 or 7 scholarships to fill next year. A redshirt could knock that down to 5.

Anyway, it looks like this next year is going to be really exciting, with so many high quality ACC teams.

[hoopsguy]

Also, Moye's line is a bit unusual. 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers. In 30 minutes, you'd usually have a rebound fall into your hands accidentally, pick up a loose ball, something. But nope! After an 0-2 first half, Moye ends up 5-9 from the floor, 3-5 from 3, 7-9 at the line.

I call this a "Ben Gordon special" :)

[Radii]

I call this a "Ben Gordon special" :)

Actually getting this reference makes all of the NBA viewing I've had in the playoffs worthwhile, woohoo!

[Radii]

Based on initial roster strength

ACC Preview

1. Clemson 93 OVR
2. Georgia Tech 92 OVR
3. North Carolina 91 OVR
4. Maryland 90 OVR
5. Florida State 90 OVR
6. Virginia Tech 90 OVR
7. NC State 87 OVR
8. Boston College 87 OVR
9. Wake Forest 85 OVR
10. Duke 83 OVR
11. Miami 82 OVR
12. Virginia 80 OVR

We get Clemson twice, Georgia Tech twice, North Carolina in Chapel Hill only. Some luck though in that the two teams rated the same as us, Maryland and Virginia Tech... we get both of them at home only.

As for the bottom 3... ugh, brutal. Miami once, Virginia once, Duke once. We almost certainly have the toughest schedule in the ACC, on paper at least.


ACC Accolades

Best Overall Player: SG Phil Atangana - JR - UNC - 89 OVR
Best Freshman: SG Darren Bookout - Clemson - 82 OVR
Best Shooter: SG Eddie Esterkamp - SR - UNC - 87 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG Bronson Gatling - JR - Maryland - 85 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: PF Aly Richards - JR - Georgia Tech - 86 OVR
Best Defender: SF Jibran Grizzard - JR - Georgia Tech - 87 OVR

Well the good news is that I'm already familiar with all these guys. with the exception of Bookout, who I know from recruiting him, I remeber playing all these guys last year, and remember which ones hurt me the most. Esterkamp was backup to 90 rated SG Haigler for UNC last year, they're not dropping off far with their new starter.

Best Pro Prospect Aly Richards has a 99 rated Close range shot, and only 3 of the 30 ratings he has are C+ or below. C+ offensive awareness, C- fouls, F standing dunk. All other ratings are B- or better.

[Radii]

2021/22 Florida State Roster

Slightly different presentation this year, as I honestly don't know who I'm going with yet.


Point Guards

PG Damien Forte - JR - 6'2" 202 lbs - 82 OVR (+3)

90 speed/85 quickness. 82 defense/85 steals. 84 hands/91 passing. 86 close/76 med/74 3/86 off the dribble. His awareness is pretty good, 78 offense/73 defense.

ROLE: Starter - no question at all about this one - 9 ppg last year, over 40% from 3, I take open shots with him and he makes them. His defense is fine enough.


PG Damion Alloway - JR - 6'0" 185 lbs - 79 OVR (+3)

94 speed/85 quickness. 83 defense/74 steals. 88 hands/87 passing. 87 close/67 med/80 3/87 off the dribble. 72 off awareness/74 defensive. Good but not spectacular athlete, 81 vert/71 str/73 hustle(B-/B/C+)

ROLE: Unknown - Alloway is harder to fit than anyone else on the roster. There is still a chance he might start at SG. He might play backup SG, there is an off chance at backup PG. And there is a chance I will redshirt him. He's explosive as hell, can score in bunches, can get really hot from 3. His only downside is a ridiculously slow release animation. But his ability to drive and his success when he does get open 3's makes up for it.


PG Pearson McClurkin - SO (RS) - 6'0" 174 lbs - 77 OVR (+4)

87 speed/91 quickness. 81 defense/78 steals. 82 hands/82 passing. 84 close/75 med/75 3/85 off the dribble. C+ athlete in vert/str/hustle all. 72 off awareness/68 def awareness. He developed a ton last year and looks like a fine player now.

ROLE: Backup PG - almost 100% on this. The only way this wouldn't happen is if Alloway plays backup PG and McClurkin is essentially cast aside as the odd man out with all this talent.


Shooting Guards

SG Ike Barrett - JR - 6'4" 203 lbs - 83 OVR (+3)

91 speed/89 quickness. 91 defense/81 steals. 87 close/82 med/66 3/78 off the dribble/81 in traffic. B- vert/B str/C+ hustle. 79 off awareness/78 def awareness.

ROLE: Starter, SG or SF. If Barrett could shoot the 3 he would be the ideal 2 guard. But I am not going to complain too much about it. i love his defense, he is very effective driving to the basket, a great transition scorer. He has a chance to become a coach on the floor next year if his awareness develops. I might change up his training just to make sure this happens. 6.3 ppg last year, undoubtedly will be higher this year.

SG Prosper Day - SO - 6'3" 212 lbs - 76 OVR (+3)

85 speed/80 quickness. 81 defense/80 steals. 87 close/73 med/85 3/83 off the dribble. C+ vert/B str/B+ hustle, quite a good athlete. Terible awareness, 64 off/66 def.

ROLE: Backup SG, possibly odd man out. Day is a solid player, and I cannot believe I'm seriously considering relegating an 85 rated 3 point shooter outside of my 10 man rotation. Day showed the ability to score some last year. If he isn't my backup SG, he can redshirt. There is value here for sure.


SMALL FORWARDS

SF Kueth Ozier - JR - 6'6" 246 lbs - 84 OVR (+4)

86 speed/86 quickness. 80 defense/73 steals. 82 close/83 med/67 3/91 in traffic. Solid inside game, 80 orb/81 drb, both very good for a SF. 81 post off/76 post def. 81 offense in the post is B+ quality for a SF. Average/slightly above average awareness (74 off/76 def). Outstanding Athlete(79 vert/79 str/86 hustle - C+/B+/B+).

ROLE: Starting SF/Backup SF. It seems insane that this guy isn't a clear, dominant starter. He looks great, he's my highest rated player, great numbers in traffic, can play inside or handle the ball well outside. I cannot get the production out of him that the AI seems to. Poor blowby move, I don't like taking 18 foot jumpers so screw his mid-range rating. Barrett and Alloway seem more effective scoring in traffic once they get to the rack despite the ratings... I should love this kid, but he just frustrates me.


SF Roberto Mayer - FR - 6'7" 229 lbs - 78 OVR

82 speed/73 quickness. 80 defense/66 steals. 88 close/76 med/78 3/75 off the dribble/84 in traffic. Average rebounder, nowhere near as good as Ozier. 77 post off/71 post def. Average/below average awareness (68 off/70 def). C+ vert/C+ str, but A+(96) hustle. A- potential.

ROLE: Backup SF/Starting SF - Again it seems insane to consider starting Mayer over Ozier. Ozier is better in every way but the 3 point shot on paper. But if Mayer has a good blowby move, and an effective 3 point shot, he could be a beast. i'm leaning against starting a true freshman, but its an option.


POWER FORWARDS

PF Otis Sneed - JR - 6'10" 229 lbs - 82 OVR (+3)

81 orb/84 drb. 69 blocks (B-). 82 post off/83 post def. 94 close/93 in traffic. 74 vert/74 str/80 hustle (A-/B/B). Sneed also is a good ball handler for a big man (65/B) and fast(76 speed/79 quickness... B/A-).


ROLE: Starter - 100% certain here - 11.2 ppg/6.0 rpg last year. Sneed on paper is the most skilled big man I've ever had, and he's had some great games. I'd really like for him to be a 16-18 ppg scorer. Last year he struggled too much against average defenders for this to happen. He dominates bad/out of position defenders, gets totally shut down against great ones. If he could put up good numbers against average players he'd be all-ACC. But last year he couldn't.


PF Brice Sanders - JR - 7'0" 244 lbs - 82 OVR (+3)

83 orb/82 drb. 77 blocks (B). 77 post off/84 post def. 93 close/85 in traffic. A- vert/B str/C+ hustle. above average awareness (72 off/76 def).

ROLE: Backup Center - I like Sanders a lot, and in the real world he'd probalby have been super super pissed about McCants walking into the starting job last year, I never gave Sanders a shot at it. I did not focus on him enough last year when he was on the court. I need to try to get him the ball more often this year.


PF Haminn Millar - FR - 6'9" 229 lbs - 78 OVR

83 orb/84 drb. 71 blocks (B-). 81 post off/72 post def. 80 close/87 in traffic. A- vert/B+ str/B hustle. 79 off awareness/71 def awareness. B- potential.

ROLE: Backup PF. good post offense, good in traffic, shitty close range shot. Good rebounder though so he has a lot of value even if he isn't a big scorer. I'll have a couple seasons to practice with him on the backups though, there's virtually no chance he can supplant Sneed in the lineup for the next two years.


Centers

C Florentino McCants - SO - 7'0" 228 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

85 orb/88 drb. 79 blocks(B). 84 post off/81 post def. 86 close/86 in traffic. B- vert/B+ str(77)/C+ hustle. 77 o awareness/79 d awareness.

ROLE: Starting Center - Far and away my best rebounder, a good, big, strong shot blocker, and he really has great post skills. I might do a custom training schedule for McCants too, he has a legit shot at coach on the floor eventually.


C Benjamin Slater - SR - 6'10" 230 lbs - 79 OVR (+3)

81 orb/82 drb. 90 blocks(A-). 81 post off/78 post def. 85 close/89 in traffic. B vert/A- str/C hustle.

ROLE: Odd man out. will come in when I have foul trouble or injury problems. He's got some solid skills, but he's a senior, and he can't break into the starting lineup, and the its time to look to the future in Millar in the post.


Two other players exist on the roster: SG Jose Gunn, 73 OVR senior. Center Oscar Delic - 75 OVR junior.

[Radii]

Starting Lineup

PG Forte
SG ??? (barrett/alloway)
SF ??? (ozier/barrett/mayer)
PF Sneed
C McCants


Backups

PG McClurkin (small chance Alloway)
SG ??? (Alloway/Day/Mayer)
SF ??? (Mayer/Ozier)
PF Millar
C Sanders


so here are my thoughts, without having played any yet:

My gut feeling is that my most effective lineup for generating offense is the following:

PG Forte
SG Alloway
SF Barrett
PF Sneed
C McCants

My only problem with this is that my most likely backup squad now has two natural SF's which seems a little off/odd. If I go with my best players, I end up with Ozier and Mayer at SG/SF. That's an odd setup, but maybe it works, and I redshirt Prosper Day. Or I go Day/Ozier and redshirt Mayer, the freshman. I'm more than a bit concerned about how a 78 rated top 15 recruit will react to being redshirt though.


Other reasonable options:

SG Barrett/SF Ozier starting, SG Alloway/SF Mayer backups, redshirt Day (ie just do what the AI says)

SG Barrett/SF Mayer starting, SG Alloway/SF Ozier backups, redshirt Day.

SG Barrett/SF Mayer starting, SG Day/SF Ozier backups, redshirt Alloway.


Here's why I keep coming back to redshirting Alloway, despite his talent... I have 7 juniors on my roster. One is a walkon center in Delic, and I'll probably cut him soon, but still, I have 6 juniors on my roster. I don't really want to recruit monster classes like that anymore. Redshirting Alloway would allow me to only have 5 graduating seniors next year. Decisions! And yea there is no posturing at all in this writeup, I honestly have no clue.



So here's the plan:

Play the midnight madness game. I always sim this, but I'm going to use it to work a couple things out:


White Team:

PG Forte
SG Alloway
SF Mayer
PF Sneed
C McCants

Bench:

SG Gunn
PF Millar


Red Team (or whatever):

PG McClurkin
SG Barrett
SF Ozier
PF Sanders
C Slater

Bench:

SG Day
C Delic


I stress this isn't a starting lineup I am considering, its for testing purposes:

a) I want to play as Mayer
b) I want to play as Millar
c) I want to play against my best defender (Barrett)
d) I want to see how the CPU utilizes Ozier.

off to do that, then we can do some recruiting before bed.

[Radii]

White/Not White game notes (10 minute halves/7 man rosters so everyone got tired anyway):

--Barrett's defensive dominance becomes obvious when he's guarding a known quantity of mine such as Alloway. Alloway couldn't get open 3's unless on crosscourt passes, and he absolutely 100% could not drive by Barrett. Alloway has great speed and ok quickness, the perfect blowby move and at times I feel like Alloway can get to the hoop at will in games. Not a single time could he get by Barrett.

--Against anyone but Barrett, Alloway is very very good.

--Mayer is good for a freshman but not ready to start. Basically if he had a similar blowby move as Alloway, he could be a god. But he doesn't, so he isn't. He is a good 3 point shooter for a 6'7 freshman, and he will have some big games for the backups hopefully.

--Ozier's best offensive value seems to be in posting up other SFs or SGs, that's a huge mismatch for him.

--Sanders totally dominated McCants. McCants almost fouled out in 15 minutes.


The final score was 35-30 the "other" team(ie not the one I was controlling).

Alloway scored 11, Mayer 10 for us. Millar was 2-3 inside, both his baskets over backup big man Delic.

Sanders led everyone with 14 points and 5 boards. He was 4-8 and 6-6 at the line. Ozier scored 10. I don't like how the AI uses him, his shooting tendencies are too high, he took 4 3's in 16 minutes, he's a godawful 3 point shooter and went 0-4.

Starting Lineup

PG Forte
SG Alloway
SF Barrett
PF Sneed
C McCants

Backups

PG McClurkin
SG Ozier
SF Mayer
PF Millar
C Sanders


Day gets the redshirt. Delic gets cut (allows for slightly higher recruiting interest among big men, and he was my 6th big man anyway). Gunn stays on the roster as my reserve guard, available so that I can avoid pulling the redshirt on Day in case of injuries.

[Radii]

Recruiting Preview

We're losing two players this year, reserve SG Gunn, and reserve big man Slater. We've got two scholarships. But we also have a stacked rotation, and we might have problems drumming up interest when every spot on the roster for next year is already filled.

I take a couple stabs early. I'd like a guard and a big.

5* SG Herman Guiang out of Omaha, Nebraska gets my first offer. #4 in the nation, a sick looking player. A- 3 point shot, good speed, B- defense, A- steals, good ratings in all the right places. Iowa has made him an offer as well. We've got him to 95% before even using up all his visits, we'll have him at 100% along with Iowa and possbly others. "He is not concerned with being close to home" <-- That is the reason I am sticking with him. Well that and an A- 3 point rating.


5* PF Landon Arenas out of Fullerton, CA is the #19 player in the nation, #2 PF. Again, total stud. B orb/B drb/B- blocks/B- post offense/C+ post defense/A- close/C+ in traffic. Looks incredible. Only 6'7", but would grow into 6'8" or if lucky 6'9", acceptable. I've only got him at 72%, seems a long shot but worth the time to find out for sure.


Top backup targets:

4* C Maynard Black - #86 OVR/#2 C. Out of Michigan. Only 6'8", would end up slotted at PF. B+ drb, B- post off/B+ post def, B close/C in traffic. B+ strength. Black is at 87% and it seems very likely i'll drop off Arenas and go after Black before the early signing period.

5* SG Vadim Bryan - #7 OVR out of the Bronx. He prefers Pitt but if Pitt doesn't come calling there's a free for all between about 6 teams, Clemson, Va Tech and Boston College included.


I sim my opening game:

Nov 5, 2021

at #14 Florida State 98
Niagara 74

Sneed 19, Barrett 18, Alloway 17, McCants 10.


With 3 full weeks to go until the early signing period starts, the battle for SG Herman Guiang is like no other I've ever been involved in. Iowa, Kansas, Mizzou, and Florida State have all offered him a scholarship, and all of us have him at 100% already. "He is not concerned with being close to home" ... we'll see.


Game #2 is safe to sim too:

Nov 19th, 2021

at #13 Florida State 74
Delaware State 42

Sneed 21, McCants 15, Alloway 8, Ozier 7.


With one week left in recruiting before the early signing period, I have made no changes to my offers. There are one or two games I want to play this week though, so this is where we stop. There are no 5* players falling into my lap this year, it looks more likely that I'll end up filling my 2 recruiting slots with solid, workmanlike 4* targets who will have roles on the team after my giant recruiting class is gone, which is of course fine, can't always find superstars.

[Radii]

After a few of the early weeks simmed, Damion Alloway has amazingly gained 2 points to his overall rating already, he's now an 81 OVR rated player. Barret with an early gain to 84 OVR, Forte up 1 to 83 OVR.

[Radii]

November 22, 2021

#11 Florida State (2-0) at Iowa (5-1)

TEAM: FSU|IOWA
OVR: 90|83
OFF: 89|82
DEF: 89|84
SHT: 90|83
REB: 93|86
COA: 88|87

Iowa hasn't made the big dance since 2015, not one of the better big 10 programs these days. They've played no one so far, except for a loss against Mississippi State in their last game.

Scouting

PG Jeffrey Hampton – SR – 83 OVR – 96 speed/86 quickness. 89 defense/80 steals. 87 hands/80 passing. 81 close/71 med/80 3/81 off the dribble. Good awareness, great hustle(94/A). A solid PG, leading the team with 16.3 ppg so far. 5 assists/game too.

SG Demon Abbot – SR – 77 OVR – 86 speed/91 quickness. 85 def/86 steals, a solid defender. 83 close/69 med/77 3/75 off the dribble/78 in traffic. Good leaper and dunker, he's a 6'6” guard. Speed and inside game seem to be his strength, and of course he will make open 3's. 8.7 ppg so far.

SF Timmy Nardi – SR – 71 OVR – 6'7” SF – 80 speed/75 quickness. 72 defense(low even for a SF, C-). 85 close/87 in traffic. 6.3 ppg so far.

PF Moulaye Dixon – JR – 77 OVR – 6'8” natural PF – 91 orb but only 79 drb. 78 post off/73 post def. 85 close/85 in traffic. Decent strength, 70/B. Dixon is averaging 12 ppg and 5.8 boards so far this season.

C Duncan Schaen – FR – 76 OVR – 6'7” natural PF – 79 orb/77 drb. 79 post off/73 post def. 91 close/81 in traffic. 67 str, a little low for a center. Just 6 ppg/5 rpg so far.

They have a couple 72 rated backups but these are 5 of their top 7 players. Other than Hampton they really don't have anyone that should be able to play with us for 40 minutes. Abbot and Dixon are ok though and on the road we'll see, but it would seem we should be way too much for them.

Iowa with a small 53-47 unity lead. How nice is it to see our team unity up near 50 in November after the last two years.

<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%"> IOWA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Great offense so far. Everyone but Alloway has scored, Forte has 8, including 2 open 3's. They got their first 5 points from SG Abbot, then I stuck Barrett on him and they have only scored 2 total since, on a tipin. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 from Ozier, Mayer hits the first shot I ever take with him in a real game, an open 3. Timeout Iowa.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, collapse there by the backups, Mayer has the ball stripped, layup Iowa, Sanders with a bad pass, layup Iowa. McClurkin bad pass, layup iowa. Timeout Florida State!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get the starters back out. Their SG, Abbot, has 14 now, he went nuts the second he came back in. Hopefully Barrett shuts him down again. Ozier with a great run there, 8 points, 6 in transition. Mayer with the other 5, we only tried to get into the post twice and turned it over both times. Alloway has 2 fouls for the starters, BTW. Ozier will get more PT if Alloway picks up a 3^rd.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway scores 4 straight and they get a timeout. This team is going to have so many ways to score, I know this is a slightly inferior opponent but this might be the most versatile group of scorers I've ever had, with a defensive stopper too...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> They go to a high pressure half court defense and we struggle against it a bit, putting up a few bad shots and they score pretty much every time down for a stretch. Abbot has 17 now heh. I get a timeout to settle down and hopefully make sure we take the lead into the locker room.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we didn't play well at all the final 6 minutes of the half or so. Their SG Abbot has an instant release, which is just impossible to defend unless I'm controlling the guy on him, the AI defense just sags too much off the ball, so every single shot he gets is open. Barrett prevented him from driving and creating his own shot which did help a ton.


They are 16-28, 2-7 from 3, we are 13-22, 3-3 from 3. We've also taken 10 free throws(and made them all), just 3-4 from Iowa. After their 17 from Abbot there is nothing worth noting.


Forte leads our starters with 8, Ozier also put up 8 off the bench. Alloway and Sneed have 6 each. I did not go to my big men often, understandable when I'm doing well in transition, but too many half court possessions ended with alloway or forte instead of a feed into the post.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> They take advantage of a couple very impressive defensive stops and take the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it going and lead by 1 when we call a timeout to get the backups in. Forte hit a 3, Barrett and Alloway get transition baskets and Sneed twice in transition. Forte and Sneed are in double figures now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Iowa, I'm still thrilled with the offense but wish we had held on to the larger lead we had earlier. Ozier and Mayer both having great games off the bench, and Sanders has picked up 4 points in this stretch as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> They had Abbot sitting and a couple other starters, a quick 5 gives them the lead after their timeout. I've only got 2 left so I'm not calling one here, but the starters will be back in fairly soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in now, its their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Barret with a big jam in transition and we take the lead back for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We're going back and forth, Iowa with a timeout to get all their starters back in. Forte with our last 5, he has 16 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Big stretch, we get 3 straight buckets as they turn it over once and miss two shots, including an open look from Abbot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> They just missed what looked like it would be an easy bucket in transition... we've got the ball now with a fresh shot clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants kicks it out to Forte for an open jumper.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They turn it over on their next trip and its over.

#11 Florida State 81
Iowa 75

I'd prefer to have blown them out but we get a solid win in a hostile environment early in the season, I'll take that. Abbot with 24 for them, PF Dixon with 10, PG Hampton with 9, that's their 3 talented players.

Forte: 18 points
Alloway: 12 points
Barrett: 9 points
Sneed: 14 points/2 boards
McCants: 5 points/6 boards

Ozier: 10 points
Mayer: 9 points

I'm real happy with that sort of point distribution too... Alloway and Barrett were both strong attacking the basket, Sneed does well down low and Forte scores when we need him to, actually going 4-4 from 3 and 7-9 from the floor, great game for him. Mayer goes 3-5, 1-1 from 3 and 2-2 at the line. Millar, the other new guy out there, is 0-2 and put up two ugly shots, just 1 board for his stat line.

[Radii]

We've got two more games this week before we get to recruiting... and yes, that means that I have a schedule with 3 games in the final week before the early signing period starts. That's a huge fuckup on my part, I decided with only two scholarships I didn't feel like pulling out the calendar and making sure I limited my Sunday games, but I didn't think about the 3 games/week thing.

If you schedule 3 games in a week, you have 0 recruiting points available. So I can't even change my scholarship offer if I want. And I want to, heh.


Nov 25, 2021

#11 Florida State 68
at UMass 56

UMass is rated 77 OVR. Alloway 14, Forte 12, Sneed 10 in this one.


Nov 27, 2021

at #11 Florida State 89
Stetson 49

Sneed 17, Barrett 13, McCants 12, Sanders 12, Alloway 10. Stetson is rated in the 60s.


Initial Signing Day

So I've got two offers out. One is to a PF that I have no shot at. I'm ready to cut and run with him, but I can't.

The other is for the #4 player in the nation. I'm competing with Iowa, Kansas, and Mizzou. Iowa got him to 100% first. Maybe the fact that we just beat Iowa helps us(I have no idea if this is true or not). I expect him to sign on day 1, no clue with whom.

My top backup target, a 4* C, has no offers yet, so not being able to change my scholarship hopefully isn't going to hurt me too bad, and I can get the center at the end of the week.


5* SG Herman Guiang signs with IOWA.

No dice, dang.

Three other guys on our target list go elsewhere, but no one that we were pursuing hard.


So I put out two new offers:

4* C Maynard Black - #86 OVR/#2 C. I will easily have him at 100% by the end of the week(98% with a visit coming). Indiana might have a shot if they make an offer this week but I do expect to land him.

5* SG Vadim Bryan - #7 OVR - Interesting note here. He heavily favored Pitt at the start of the year. By Heavily I mean I would have guessed 90% pitt, no one else over 75% on day one. Pitt just landed the #1 recruit in the nation, also a SG, and does not show up on his list anymore. Clemson leads on him, we are second.

We have no shot at Bryan this week. But if Clemson doesn't land him this week, we'll have a good recruiting battle the rest of the way.


I have two good challenges scheduled this week, so I'll be playing them both out before we find the results of recruiting. At Mississippi State (rated 87 OVR) and at Arkansas (rated 83 OVR).

[Radii]

December 1, 2021

#11 Florida State (5-0) at Mississippi State (6-1)

TEAM: FSU|MSU
OVR: 90|87
OFF: 89|88
DEF: 89|87
SHT: 90|90
REB: 94|87
COA: 88|97

This is quite a bit different than Iowa. Much better all the way around.

Scouting

PG Kareem Cuffe – FR – 78 OVR – 88 speed/86 quickness. 82 defense/81 steals. 86 hands/83 passing. 84 close/83 med/80 3/79 off th dribble. Not a great athlete, not good awareness, but he has some great skills. 11.3 ppg/5.4 apg, incredible numbers for a true freshman guard.

SG Eric Haigler – JR – 87 OVR – 89 speed/86 quickness. 84 defense/79 steals. A PG level passer, 85 hands/80 passing. 91 close/72 med/87 3/84off the dribble/80 in traffic. Great awareness, clutch, and athletic ratings... this is a bona fide star. 14.7 ppg so far this year.

SF Donny Nabors – JR – 81 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 80 speed/79 quickness. 86 defense, outstanding for a SF. 91 close/84 med/74 3/86 in traffic. good athlete, 91 vert/69 str/78 hustle (A-/B-/B-). Just 6.9 ppg, but it looks like he could do a lot more inside than that.

PF Berry Rost – SR – 81 OVR – 6'8” natural PF – 85 orb/82 drb. 79 post off/71 post def. 98 close/88 in traffic. 71 str/87 hustle. The close range shot is at an elite level. Hopefully the poorer post defense means we can score on him, but yeah... 15.7 ppg/7.5 rpg so far.

C Kris Bozeman – FR – 73 OVR – 6'7” PF – 80 orb/78 drb. 77 post off/75 post def. 76 blocks. 84 close/79 in traffic. Ok, not a bad freshman but needs work, and is small. 7.3 ppg/5.9 rpg still.

They have 3 solid backup guards, the best being SG Issa Whitarker. Their backup big men are sub 70 rated, if we can get some foul trouble going inside we can develop a big edge. We have a 51-45 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%"> MSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Weird start. Alloway and Barrett both miss easy looks inside, Sneed 0-2, Forte misses an open 3. We have one bucket, Barrett earned a 3 point play in transition. Haigler has all 6 of their poitns, all in transition. Neither team has a single point in a half court set.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn the ball over out of bounds, and the dead ball allows our backups to come in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. Mayer has 5 of our 8 points for the backups... and on a great drive to the basket earning a 3 point play chance, he comes out injured. Ozier takes the FT and makes it. Gunn is in for Mayer for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> I get my first points with Millar on the season on a nice turnaround. Timeout Miss State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Another MSU timeout. Sanders has 6 now in the post, he's having a good run here. They had Haigler and Cuffe on the bench, both back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Haigler with their next 5 points, he has 11. I get a timeout and get our starters back in. Remember the starters only managed 5 points in the first 6 ½ minutes or so, so they have some work to do.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway scores our first 8, two open 3's and a drive for a layup. Sneed with the other bucket. Haigler has 15 for them now, a steal and drive by himself, and an offensive board and putback... MSU timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Well 38 points is pretty darn good after 5 in the first 6+ minutes. We shoot 55% for the half, they 50%. Haigler is 6-6, 1-1 from 3, 2-2 at the line for 15 points. Alloway is 5-9, 3-4 from 3 for 13 points.


They have 7 from Rost, their high scoring PF, but he's only 3-8, he's taking a lot of shots for 7 points. On our end, Sanders with 6, McCants with 4. Forte is scoreless, missing 3 open 3's.


Mayer is cleared to come back in, a sprained ankle that will limit him for 6 games. But I'm a little worried about the whole injury aggravation thing I noticed late last year. I don't even know if that's real or if the game messes up with injuries... Anyway, if I don't need him, I am not going use Mayer in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> After keeping our lead for the most part, we allow a 5-0 run by Miss State and only lead by 1. I get a timeout. Alloway and Haigler both have 18 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Haigler hits a J to get to 20, then comes out of the game at the next break. Alloway outdoes him and gets to 21 and the rest of the starters get involved a bit more. As our backups come in we're up 7. Haigler is back in for them too to go against our reserves.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we score first to go up 9 then they get 6 straight. An offensive board gets them a 6^th man bonus and Millar's 3^rd foul gives them a 3 point play try. They miss the FT though, we board and call a timeout. I'd hate to give up the lead but I want 2 more minutes from the backups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we don't lose the lead... Sanders obliges with two straight post buckets for us, then they get two threes in a row to make it 1 again. I get a timeout and get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with our next 5, 9 in a row in the post between him and Sanders(3 point play for sneed) before Alloway streaks in for a layup and his 23^rd points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Four point play for them(3 point play chance, missed FT/putback), another bucket off an offensive rebound and they've got it down to 2. The last offensive board gives them a 6^th man boost and I call a timeout. I've only got 1 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a 3, they answer with a 3 point play from Nabors. We turn it over and they miss a 3, get an offensive board, generating another 6^th man boost, and a putback from Rost, who is up to 19 or so now for them. Tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses an open 3, they come down and score an easy bucket inside to take the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> They play a 1-2-2 zone and I get Alloway an open 3 on the wing right away, its good, we're up 1. Timeout Miss State after they get the ball past half court.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Nabors with a 3 from the left corner, its no good but Rost pulls down yet another offensive board, but he misses his putbakc as well and McCants comes away with the ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:48
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte gets a screen up high from Sneed, goes by it and drains a 3!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:32
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Haigler hits a 3 on their end. They'll have to start fouling.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed takes the ball, first is good, second... GOOD. 3 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> They take a pretty bad 3 right away. Alloway boards. He's good from the line
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
And that's the ball game, another very solid road win.

#11 Florida State 85
Mississippi State 78

Their man Haigler was huge, 23 points on the day, and PF Rost had a really strong second half to finish with 19 points/12 boards. SF Nabors with 14, that is a very solid core they have.

Alloway outdoes them all though and we get a solid effort after a slow start for the win.

Forte: 9 points/5 assists/2 steals
Alloway: 28 points/2 assists
Barrett: 6 points
Sneed: 13 points/3 boards
McCants: 7 points/13 boards

Sanders: 10 points
Mayer: 5 points
Ozier: 5 points

[Radii]

December 4, 2021

#11 Florida State (6-0) at Arkansas (4-1)

TEAM: FSU|ARK
OVR: 90|83
OFF: 89|82
DEF: 89|85
SHT: 90|85
REB: 94|85
COA: 88|82

Arkansas looks similar to Iowa did, except their one good quality player is a SF and not a guard. They have a win over Purdue, a loss to UNC Greensboro and the rest of their opponents are truly awful.

Scouting

PG Henry Ellerbee – JR – 76 OVR – 89 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/75 steals. 87 hands/82 passing. 78 close/83 med/71 3/81 off the dribble. This is their second best player, a very good sign for us. Nothing wrong with him but this isn't good enough to beat us in theory. 9.2 ppg/4.6 apg.

SG Odartey Brinkley – SR – 73 OVR – 85 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense. 83 close/76 med/68 3. Not good enough anywhere at all. 8 ppg.

SF Carlos Kuhle – SR – 82 OVR – 86 speed/82 quickness. 87 defense, outstanding for a 6'9” SF, truly outstanding. 84 close/78 med/74 3/87 in traffic. C+ vert/A- str/B hustle. 93 dunker, very good if we let him dunk on us. Pretty good awareness as well. 11.4 ppg/7.0 rpg so far this year.

PF Drake Bing – FR – 75 OVR – 6'6” natural SF. 75 orb/76 drb. 71 post off/70 post def. 83 close/71 med/70 3/80 in traffic. Not even a great SF, much less a power forward. Huge edge to us here. 6.8 ppg/7.4 rpg(what? Really? Its early yet).

C Dotun Little – JR – 76 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 86 orb/76 drb. 80 post off/79 post def. 84 blocks(B+, very good). 88 close/82 in traffic. 76 str/B+ there. 16 ppg/5.6 rpg, looks like a pretty good scorer, and not a bad defender at all.

This is their 5 best players. We ought to stomp them. 53-48 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%"> ARK
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh they are playing WAY above their ratings defensively. Or we're just cold as hell I guess. We hit a 3, they scored the next 8. Then we got two buckets to make it 8-7, they scored the next 7 to make it 15-7. Backups are in. No one really stands out for us. Sneed is 1-4 inside against their crappy SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Well it was just 19-13 and we were hanging around until the starters were ready... a basket and two quick turnovers later and we're down 12 against a team I just said I ought to stomp. Isn't that always the way? I get a timeotu and get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout, I have 1 point in the last 5 minutes or so... this is insane. They don't have anyone with more than 6, just everyone is hitting everything. They are 13-22 so far. We are 5-18.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed is now 1-6 inside against their 6-6 SF with no defense. Alloway just blew by his man in transition and their big man comes up with an incredible block, leading to a 3 point play on their end. This is nuts.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses an open 3, but Sneed pulls down the board and goes back up strong. Sneed now leads the team with 4 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we score the last 6 of the half and only trail by 13, it could have been worse. The problem? We're shooting 29% for the game. Not really much else to say. Forte is 1-7, Sneed 2-7, Alloway 0-3. Sneed and Barrett lead us with 4 each. Kuhle, their talented SF, ends up with 9 on 4-6 shooting. Center Little has 6, Ellerbee 5. They shoot just under 50%. They have a 17-12 edge on the boards, though mainly that's from the shooting discrepency.


Sneed is baffling me today, he is mostly guarded by a 6'6” SF with a 70 post defense rating... and he cannot score at all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte picks up his 3^rd foul. He'll stay in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants picks up his 3^rd foul... he's staying in too.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders in for McCants, who still tires long before others. We're on an 8-0 run and have the lead under 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Down to 7 but the backups are all in now, and they had an awful run in the first half, here's hoping for better.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Arkansas. Kuhle, their 6'9” SF, just pump faked at the 3 point line, got a lane to the basket and threw down one of those dunks that is so vicious that your first thought is to wonder if anyone got hurt in the process. Two of my guys end up on the ground, one of them apparently fouled the guy. 3 point play heh. One of the more impressive sights in this game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> A dunk by Sanders and 1 for 2 at the line from Ozier and we're down 5, the closest we've been since the 15 minute mark or so of the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it back up to 8 with a 3 pointer, Sanders gets 3 different tries to score over two possessions for us, fails, and now they're up 10 again. I get a timeot and get the starters back in. All 5 starters have between 5 and 8 points, no one standing out at all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout arkansas after sneed scores a bucket. This is one of those games where it feels like we're destined to lose. Alloway just missed a layup that he makes 48 out of 50 times. Their center just made a hook shot from beyond the free throw line. Dunno how that even happened, he posted up Forte at the FT line, I was controlling McCants and go over to cover, then he's posting up McCants at the FT line and turns around and throws up a left handed hook, swish. Anyway, down 10, under 7 to go, we have the firepower to win easily but I dunno about this one.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They're in the bonus, sneed reach in for our 7^th foul. Timeout FSU down 15 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh. Ozier comes in as Forte goes down with an injury driving to the basket. Perfect.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout arkansas, still a 13 point game.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Well this was our annual “what the hell this team isn't any good why did they blow us out?” non-conference game. It happens, and as long as Forte isn't out long term(I haven't looked yet) its no big deal.

Arkansas 70
#11 Florida State 55

Their talented SF, Kuhle, scores 21 on 7-10 shooting and 6-6 at the line, 1 three. Little with 12 at center.

But this game is much more about us and our shooting.

Forte; 7 points (2-8)
Alloway: 11 points (1-12, 0-8 from 3, 9-10 at the line)
Barrett: 8 points (3-7)
Sneed: 10 points/4 boards (5-13)
McCants: 9 points/12 boards (4-8)

We make 19 field goals in a 20 minute game. Seriously? 19-57. 1-17 from 3. They outrebound us 41-27.

Just one of those games. Excruciatingly frustrating to play, at least it wasn't an ACC contest.

[Radii]

Forte is day to day with a sore knee, just 4 days. No problem.


End of In-Season Recruiting

No suspense here, none needed.


4* C Maynard Black signs with FLORIDA STATE.

Our other target, SG Vadim Bryan, does not sign. Clemson and Seton Hall have made him offers along with us, but none are at 100%. Clemson has the lead on him, and I've used up my visits, so I might actually have to drop off him, i'm only at 85%, i don't think i can max him out before the end of recruiting, and Clemson certainly will.

4* C Maynard Black - 6'8" 230 lbs - Livonia, MI - #84 OVR/#2 C

Black did not play in the ABL.

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

C+ orb/B+ drb. B- post off/B+ post def/B blocks. A steals, should be interesting to see. B+ str is real good to see in a big man. B close/C in traffic.

I'm not expecting a stud here, but he does look fairly solid. What I need is someone who will be ready to step in with some minutes his sophomore season after I've graduated everyone out of my giant recruiting class(including Sneed and Sanders). I should be able to get that out of Black.

I'll sim my next two, but need to make some recruiting decisions first, then I have an early ACC game against NC State, and 3 more interesting non-conference matchups, two ranked opponents(Providence and San Diego State) and an 88 rated BYU squad before ACC play starts in earnest.

[Radii]

I haven't changed my remaining scholarship offer yet, its still out to 5* SG Bryan. I scout a number of 4* PG/SG types though as its a near certainty that I will need to change it up.


We fall to #14 in the polls after our loss to Arkansas. Two (hopefully) easy games this week to get us back on track:

Dec 6, 2021

at #14 Florida State 79
W. Michigan 58

Sneed 19, McCants 16, Barrett 7.


Dec 12, 2021

at #14 Florida State 74
Bucknell 32

Bucknell is probably the worst team we play all year, rated 65 OVR. Forte 22, Alloway 14.


And we're back up to #11 in the polls after that week.

We're 8-1, other ACC teams in the rankings:

6. North Carolina (10-1)
11. Florida State (8-1)
22. Virginia Tech (10-3)
25. Georgia Tech (8-4)

Ohio is still rolling right along, they got a very solid coach after I left and appear to be fully established as one of the top 2 or 3 mid major programs in the nation. They have 5 starters rated 80 or better, with only one guy left on the team that I recruited, rated 89 OVR and #20 in the nation(8-1).


Big week for us this week, we host #16 Providence (9-0) early in the wee and then on Sunday we open ACC play early, as we host 6-3 NC State.

[Radii]

December 15, 2021

#16 Providence (9-0) at #11 Florida State (8-1)

TEAM: FSU|PU
OVR: 90|86
OFF: 90|86
DEF: 90|83
SHT: 91|86
REB: 94|90
COA: 88|90

All of our ratings except our overall rating(and coaching of course) have gone up 1 since our opening game... offense/defense/shooting/rebounding. Providence is a team that I have a hard time reading. They have 3 very very talented players and then a couple filler guys in the lineup that are not good at all. If we can contain their stars we win easy and if we can't we are in big trouble, I never know how these games will go.

They won in Atlanta earlier in the year, beating Georgia Tech 78-74, that definitely worries me.

Scouting

PG Bracey McKinney – SR – 87 OVR – 92 speed/87 quickness. 92 defense/80 steals, an elite defender. 87 hands/91 passing, both incredibly good. 91 close/76 med/77 3/88 off the dribble. Very strong(79/B+) and a solid overall athlete. Great awareness too (77 o/79 d). Confidence boosts in game might get him coach on the floor in the game. 13.1 ppg/4.4 apg so far this year. McKinney is a first round pick.

SG Cyril Burnstein – SR – 85 OVR – natural PG – 92 speed/91 quickness. 85 defense/77 steals. 89 hands/90 passing. 90 close/78 med/87 3/89 of the dribble. Looks like a solid defender and a very very good shooter. 10.5 ppg/5.3 apg so far.

SF Acie Robertson – JR – 74 OVR – natural SG – 84 speed/87 quickness. 76 d/65 steals. 80 close/64 med/72 3/78 off the dribble. Just 5 ppg and not good at all really.

PF Kendrick Murray – FR – 70 OVR – 6'11” - 81 orb/84 drb. 71 post off/75 pos def. 76 close/83 in traffic. Great strength, will be hard to back down in the post (80/A-). He's not terribly talented but his size/strength and rebounding will make him a presence in the post that we have to deal with.

C Lonnie Sherman – SR – 85 OVR – 6'7” PF – 90 orb/85 drb. 86 post off/77 post def/81 blocks/83 steals. 96 close/89 in traffic. Decent athlete, strong (76/B+), good awareness on both ends as well (78 off/80 def). WOW. Sherman has been a beast so far this year, 29.6 points/8.8 rebounds. His close range and drive tendencies are completely maxxed out, this guy is going to shot every time he touches the ball with any sort of opening basically.

This is their entire team... they have a backup PG rated 71 OVR, everyone else is in the 60s. So I don't know what to expect. If we can get some fouls on Sherman and one of their guards they become a pretty bad team, but if we're unable to do that, those guys are so good that it might not matter that they have no one else. Unity is basically even 55-54 in favor of the friars.

<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%"> PU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Good start, we are shooting extremely well. Sneed has 6 inside. Timeout Providence.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. McCants with 2 fouls early.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders a putback, timeout Providence.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> That was fast, one turnover from us, and a miss, 3 straight buckets for providence and we trail by 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Holy shit... timeout, starters back early. Just awful. And obviously, 74 rated Acie robertson leads them with 9 points. Their two guards have 6 each. The center scoring 30 a game has 1 point...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed has 10 and is scoring real well for us, McCants put up two ugly bricks early on though and we trail by 9 now... it was 11 heh. Timeout Providence.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> The defense picks up a little and Barrett is effective in transition(with a much worse defender on him than Alloway has) and we have a respectable halftime score.


They get 10 from SG Burnstein, 9 from SF Robertson and 6 from PG McKinney. They shoot just over 50%, 15-29. We shoot much better but have 5 turnovers, 14-26, just 2-7 from 3 though and 3-4 at the line. Hoping to draw some fouls on their stars, we end up only drawing 3 fouls total all half. We only commit 5 ourselves, 2 on McCants, the only foul issues at all.


Sneed leads us with 10, 5-5 shooting, solid half. Barrett 8, Alloway 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, McCants foul #3 5 seconds into the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with 2 3 point plays and Sneed has 2 more buckets inside, both of them are well into double figures now as we've gotten the lead down to just 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, they would have come in around the 14:45 mark but a steal and dunk for McCants got us a 6^th man boost, starters are gassed though. Barrett and Sneed have 16 each. Their big man Sherman is starting to come on strong, after only 3 in the first half he's up to 9.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a free throw but we get a good shot from Millar and a turnaround in the post from Mayer and take the lead for the first time in what seems like forever.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a jumper, Millar outlets to Mayer who hits a streaking sanders for a dunk. They throw the ball away on their next trip before getting fully setup, and Sanders is there again! 6^th man boost, timeout Providence, 5 point lead. They were sitting Sherman and Burnstein, both come back in, we'll see how that changes things.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Up by 10! Another Providence timeout. Sanders with another jam to get another 6^th man boost going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Sanders is dominant in this stretch, he's got 12 total now, either 8 or 10 in the last 6 minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Sherman is up to 15 for them but it is hopefully too late. Barrett has 22 for us, their SF is just an awful defener and Barrett burns him at every opportunity.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:21
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Still looking good but they did just get a turnover and layup in the backcourt with their press to make it a 9 point game. I get a timeout to emphasize ball handling, go go discipline, eh?
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Providence misses their next shot which pretty much seals the game.

#11 Florida State 80
#16 Providence 71

Any win over a ranked team is a very good win. Their 3 stars and their shot happy 74 rated SF did their best but we basically had too much Ike Barrett today. Burnstein and Sherman(SG/C) each score 17 for them, SF Robertson has 11. We end up winning the rebound totals, not allowing offensive boards in the second half helped a lot.

Forte: 5 points/2 assists/2 steals
Alloway: 8 points
Barrett: 24 points/3 assists
Sneed: 16 points/2 boards
McCants: 6 points/12 boards

Sanders: 12 points

Barrett 9-10/6-6 at the line. Sneed 8-14. Sanders 6-8. Very good performances from all 3. Barrett just destroyed Robertson any time he could get 1 on 1.

[Radii]

December 19, 2021

NC State (7-3) at #11 Florida State (9-1)

TEAM: FSU|NCSU
OVR: 90|88
OFF: 90|88
DEF: 90|86
SHT: 91|94
REB: 94|89
COA: 88|93

NC State had two freshmen starters last year but isn't using either of them, in fact they have one starter from last year's team starting again. They lost their best player to the draft, a junior SF. Their ratings are similar to last year but we'll see how they play. We destroyed them on the court last season, winning by 26. Again, different lineup now, so we'll see. Center Dixon is the returning starter, btw.

Scouting

PG Jairus Drabyn – JR – 78 OVR – 91 speed/88 quickness. 84 defense/72 steals. 84 hands/86 passing. 79 close/73 med/82 3/80 off the dribble. Poor awareness, a good but not great player. 7.2 ppg.

SG Danko Walls – FR – 78 OVR – 83 speed/81 quickness. 83 defense/68 steals. 84 close/81 med/82 3/79 off the dibble. Average athlete at best. He's scoring quite a bit for a freshman, 13.1 ppg. Walls was the #15 recruit in the land last year.

SF Kabir Cotton – SR – 85 OVR – Heh I remember this guy last year, he scored 22 against us off the bench and was a nightmare matchup. Cotton is a 6'10” natural SF with guard speed and ball handling... 87 speed/90 quickness. 84 handling. 83 defense/73 steals. 89 close/68 med/85 3/88 in traffic. 11.5 ppg/6.3 rpg.

PF Cassiano Hunter – SO – 77 OVR – 87 orb/77 drb. 87 post off/73 post def. 88 close/83 in traffic. Good athlete (A- vert/B str/B+ hustle). Just 4.3 ppg this year so far, good offensive rebounder which I hate to see since we don't have great rebounders. 6'10” natural PF.

C Donnell Dixon – SR – 80 OVR – 6'6” natural PF – 86 orb/81 drb. 85 post off/71 post def. 87 close/77 med/78 3/85 in traffic. 11.4 ppg/6.0 rpg. Small but can score. He's a pretty poor defender though so hopefully that works nicely for us. Good athlete, 75 vert/77 str/92 hustle (A-/B+/A-).

They have an 83 rated back up SF behind Cotton named Justino Mihailovic. Last year's starting PG, Garland Munns, is a backup this year, he's a good 3 point shooter too. They are a deep team, with 9 players rated 77 or higher. 4 of them show up as 3 point specialists. With a lot of new starters on the Wolfpack this year, we have a 56-40 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%"> NCSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> We've run off 11 straight after a 6-6 tie early. They're shooting a lot of long jumpers and missing, and we are getting good, efficient looks every time down. Alloway has 6 and seems to beat his man with east, Sneed and McCants with 4 each. Timeout Wolfpack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> They end our run at 16 straight. Timeout NCSU after alloway starts a new run with a 3. Alloway has our last 8 points and 14 total, backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> We appear to be a poor matchup for NC State. Timeout Pack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Sanders and Mayer both are solid for the backups, Sanders is a beast of a big man lately.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I don't normally sim games away in the first half but when the score was 48-21, and then the announcers/sound went out, I figured it was a good time to do so. Dumbass me left the xbox on/paused for 6 hours while I was working after the game I played earlier, hopefully that is the reason for the sound problem/having to reset to fix it and not anything else.

#11 Florida State 73
NC State 47

Looks like the backups played pretty much the rest of the game.

Forte: 12 points/3 assists/4 steals
Alloway: 17 points/4 assists (had 16 when I simmed ahead)
Barrett: 6 points/5 boards
Sneed: 6 points/4 boards
McCants: 12 points/9 boards

Sanders: 11 points
Mayers: 5 points

[Radii]

We fall a spot to 12^th despite the wins last week.

December 26, 2021

BYU (6-2) at #12 Florida State (10-1)

TEAM: FSU|BYU
OVR: 91|90
OFF: 90|89
DEF: 90|90
SHT: 91|91
REB: 94|93
COA: 88|90

Our Overall roster strength rises to 91 this week. BYU looks impressive. They beat #1 Arizona at Arizona,lost to #1 Texas A&M, and have a loss to Sacramento State, a 9-1 team but still a bit of a WTF team to be losing to.

Scouting

PG Andry Gosley – JR – 84 OVR – 90 speed/89 quickness. 89 speed/87 steals. 82 hands/76 passing. 81 close/73 med/92 3/85 off the dribble. 84 off awareness/78 defensive. He's a coach on the floor. Gosley is leading the team with 17.8 ppg so far this year, a very very talented player.

SG Trent Warner – JR – 84 OVR – 95 speed/88 quickness. 84 defense/76 steals. Better hands/passing than their PG(though Warner is a natural SG). 85 close/73 med/74 3/78 off the dribble/82 in traffic. Just 7.8 ppg, of their 3 guys rated 84 this is the least imposing, still pretty solid though, very fast and quick.

SF Levi Barron – SO – 78 OVR – 83 speed/81 quickness. 84 defense/79 steals, solid for a SF,a big 6'9” guy too. 86 close/77 med/71 3/77 in traffic. 10.1 ppg/5.5 rpg.

PF Wes Givens – JR – 82 OVR – 6'9” natural C – 83 orb/83 drb. 83 post off/84 post def. 83 blocks. 94 close/85 in traffic. 84 strength,A-. Solid B awareness on both ends (75 off/76 def). 13.4 ppg/7.4 rpg.

C Koki Gennie – SR – 84 OVR- 7'0” natural C – 91 orb/91 drb. 78 post off/76 post def. 85 close/92 in traffic. great strength, 84/A-, great hustle (87/B+),very good awareness(79 o/79 d). This guy is a beast. His post ratings a only C+, but look at those rebound numbers, damn. 12.6 ppg/7.1 rpg.

Backup PG Maury Deren scores 7 points/game and looks like a very good scoring threat as well.

This is an extremely strong team. No 89 OVR type superstars but Gosley, Warner, Givens and Gennie are all very very talented players, and Barron isn't bad heh. Barrett will try to stick to Gosley. Even with the coach on the floor for BYU, we are only at a 70-56 unity disadvantage.

<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%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> They are definitely better early on. BYU went up 6-0, we scored 4, then they went up 10-4, hopefully we're settling in a bit, but the backups are in now. Their first backup big man off the bench is only rated 70 OVR but he's 7 feet tall too so I don't know if we can exploit him too much, we'll try for sure.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Buckets from Ozier and Millar and BYU calls the first timeout of the game. They get both big men starters back in, but sit Gosley
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> SG Warner has their last 5 and 11 total, on fire. Timeout BYU though, they sit Warner, whew.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout to get the starters back in. It really feels so far like they are far far superior to us and that we are lucky to only be down 8, their offense seems that smooth right now, while we are fighting for every open shot like crazy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We're both scoring at will now but their buckets are just too damn easy. They are going off screens and getting layups, or finding open 3's pretty much every trip, nothing is contested, just way way too easy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> We have a stretch of very solid defense and score pretty much every time we touch the ball the rest of the way. Alloway goes on a tear, drawing fouls or hitting layups every time he touched the ball on the wing.


They're led by Warner with 13, SF Barron 7, PG Gosley 6, each of their big men has 4. They are shooting ridiculously well, 17-26, 3-5 from 3. They have 13 assists on their 17 Fgs.


We are all about Alloway. 3-5 but he also drew 4 of the 5 fouls BYU committed, all of them shooting fouls going to the rack. 8-8 at the line and he's got 14. Forte 5, Barrett, Sneed, and Mayer off the bench have 4. We shoot pretty well ourselves, 14-25, and 10-10 at the line. First team to play some defense wins.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett hits 1 of 2 at the line and gives us our first lead of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> We're struggling for stops but Otis Sneed has absolutely taken over the game on our end. He had 4 at the half, he has 16 now, 12 of our 15 second half points so far. 6^th man boost and timeout BYU has the starters out there just a little while longer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> I have never seen a big man have a stretch like this. I'm not even running plays anymore. I'm letting the offense set up, getting the ball to the wing on Sneed's side, and getting him the ball in the post. That's it. He now has 16 of our 19 points this half. BYU with another timeout, and 20 overall.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Still going... 24 for Sneed, another 6^th man boost and another BYU timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with our next 4, and the backups finally come in. What an awesome run.a huge turnaround from the majority of the first half where I felt like we were clawing just to not get embarrassed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups struggle to score, Mayer missing a couple open looks from 3(their secondary D is a 2-2-1 zone) and they're scoring consistently again and have it down to 7. timeout FSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Mayer finally gets a 3, they score easily on their end, and I call a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Two poor offensive trips for us, and they hit a 3 the second time around on their end and we've got a 5 point game all of a sudden.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> We just cannot get a shot to fall anymore, Sneed, Barrett and Alloway all coming up empty since the starters came back in. Luckily they've missed their last two as well, and its our ball with 1:45 left, still up two possessions, just one basket from a 3 possession lead which is hard to come back from in the final minute or so.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Leave it to Forte to find and hit the open 3 when it counts, he's our best clutch shooter and they left him wide freaking open. 8 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss another shot inside and we look to run the clock out now.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
#12 Florida State 75
BYU 68

Awesome win. At halftime I was surprised to see that we were shooting so well. The flow of the game while I was playing it made it feel like BYU was getting layups every time down and we were struggling like hell and I was really happy to only be down 8 at the time I started making that point. The second half started similar, at the 12:40 mark we led 54-50 and it felt like we were playing perfect basketball but only up 4. Something clicked there with the defense and we took over for a little while and built up a lead that they couldn't come back from.

Their 3 84-rated players, Warner, Gosley and Gennie scored 15, 14, and 10 respectively. SF Barron with 13 to go with them.

Forte: 8 points
Alloway:14 points
Barrett: 12 points
Sneed: 24 points/8 boards
McCants: 4 points/6 boards

Mayer: 7 points

Career high for Sneed. Alloway didn't score in the second half. At halftime I assumed if we were to win Alloway would need 30+, and he goes scoreless in the second half. That was a very satisfying win.

[Radii]

We bump up to 8th in the polls after that win, and we have the final week of 2021 off. And with our week off we rise one more spot.

Media Poll:

1. Texas A&M
2. Kansas
3. Florida
4. Vanderbilt
5. North Carolina
...
7. Florida State
14. Georgia Tech
15. Ohio
18. Virginia Tech
25. Clemson


During the week off, Forte becomes the second player to gain 2 points to OVR rating this year, Alloway being the first. Forte is rated 84 OVR now.


We have one last non conference game left, as 88 rated San Diego State is coming to Tallahassee. After that, its all ACC play the rest of the way. And the ACC season will be heating up immediately, as our second game of the week is in Chapel Hill, at #5 North Carolina, our only meeting with them this year. 4 of our frrst 6 ACC games are on the road, so we are about to be tested big time.

[hoopsguy]

Nice schedule this year. So far it looks like you have passed the tests with flying colors. Looking forward to seeing if FSU can keep it going in ACC play.

[Radii]

January 4, 2022

San Diego State (11-4) at #7 Florida State (11-1)

TEAM: FSU|SDSU
OVR: 91|89
OFF: 90|88
DEF: 90|88
SHT: 91|89
REB: 94|90
COA: 88|95

San Diego State has only played 1 top 25 team, losing to #22 Pepperdine in mid-December. They have some bad losses, to a 2-5 Lamar squad and at home to 6-7 Idaho. They've got some talented players though and will surely be a threat.

Scouting

PG Phil Ager – FR – 78 OVR – A solid freshman, 89 speed but 78 quickness(F, wow). 82 defense/78 steals. 85 hands/86 passing. 78 close/77 med/73 3/82 off the dribble. Raw and young, hopefully we can exploit his lack of quickness with forte at times. 6.3 ppg/4.5 apg.

SG Asten Schiffner – SR – 85 OVR – 91 speed/83 quickness. 86 defense/80 steals. 90 close/83 med/76 3/79 in traffic. A big guard, 6'5”, he looks effective inside, but if we lay off him too much he'll hit the 3. 19.3 ppg, easily the top scorer on the floor. A solid defender, and he can rebound too fwiw.

SF Samba Kowalczuk – SR – 87 OVR – a 6'7” natural SF – 89 speed/82 quickness. 86 defense/76 steals/72 blocks, all extremely good numbers for a SF. 94 close/91 med/71 3/91 in traffic. A very good athlete, B- vert/A- str/B- hustle. 82 strength is very very solid. Decent awareness, and a consistent, clutch performer. Only the #3 scoring option on the team though, 11.4 ppg/5.7 rpg.

PF Cesar Lee – SR – 85 OVR – 6'8” PF – 83 org/92 drb. 81 post off/75 post def. 93 close/89 in traffic. Great leaper and strongman, 82/A vert, 83/A- str. Solid awareness on both ends, just under coach on the floor status. Lee is a strong scorer, 14.7 ppg/7.4 rpg.

C Mikel White – JR – 72 OVR – 6'9” natural C – 79 orb/89 drb. 79 post off/78 pos def. 86 cose/84 in traffic. 79/B+ strength. Just 5.7 ppg/4.9 rpg.

They have great rebounders and great strength, Kowalczuk and Lee are both stronger than anyone we've got. We've got the size edge though which hopefully evens things out. Schiffner looks like a great scoring threat. They're not deep at the same level that we are, only 3 players rated over 80, only 6 total over 75. They have two backup SF's both rated 78 OVR. We look like the better team but they have 3 very talented players that we will have to keep in check to win. We'll put Barrett on Schiffner to start.

<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%"> SDSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Defensive start for both teams. We are 1-8 from the field, Barrett and Alloway have each drawn a foul and hit two free throws. They are playing mostly 2-3 zone with some man to man, and we're not able to score against either, 0-4 from 3, 1-4 from 2. Sneed has our only field goal. They aren't much better, 3-9, 0-2 from 3. We've turned it over 4 times, they have a lot of good steals guys and we are making some careless passes. We have 2 steals. Backups are in.


this would be an ideal time for Mayer to come out hot from 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> The backups do take off a bit for us, Sanders hits two shots in the post, quick hooks before they can double in their zone. Then Mayer gets the ball twice in transition, drawing fouls both times and going 4-4 at the line, we're up 6 as the Aztecs calla timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> We've led by as much as 10 now, 18-8. Sanders leads us with 6, another timeout San Diego State.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, they were ready a minute or more ago but I decided to keep the reserves in til they cooled off a bit, great job by Sanders and Mayer primarily.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a 3, only the second FG by the starters all day so far. Alloway and Sneed are both struggling bigtime, 1-8 combined from the field I believe for the two. I call a timeout as they cut it to 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We find a few ways to score but its not pretty. SDSU at 42% on the game, we're at 41%. We've attacked the basket hard and drawn a lot of fouls, we're 14/15 at the line.


They are led by PF Cesar Lee with 9 points, Schittner has 5, just 2-5 shooting. Kowalczuk has only 2 points. Backup SG Koger has 7 for them.


On our end Forte and Sanders both have 8, Forte hitting two late 3's and a 10 footer in the final seconds of the half. Alloway is 0-6 from the field but has 3 at the line. Sneed is 2-5 from the field for 4 points, and Barrett has 4 as well. We have a 16-11 edge on the boards and are doing a great job there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Well Sanders will sure get his chance today. McCants picks up fouls #3 and 4 in quick succession, Sanders is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders scores 4 in the paint and is really playing well this year. Timeout SDSU. Sanders has 12 now. Alloway has never had a worse game for me I don't think.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, Sanders with 14 now, though we turned it over twice and let them get it back under 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar with a putback to make it a 7 point game, they had it down to 5 and were threatening quite a bit. Timeout SDSU.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout and get the starters back in, McCants included, Sanders needs to rest badly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, down to 5 again, Sneed and McCants each get buckets but everyone is really struggling right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed becomes the first starter in double figures, he hits a hook shot from the left block and SDSU gets a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a shot, we have the chance to extend the lead more, but Barrett turns it over and they hit a 3 on their end. I get a timeout and put Sanders in for McCants, McCants is 1-5, I need the scoring option.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we got Sanders in but its Sneed that gives us the offense we need with 4 straight in the post, then Barrett with a steal and he goes all the way to the rack himself and we lead by 8 all of a sudden.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:51
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Four straight from SDSU, Sneed and Barret with misses for us. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Precicely as planned, I knew going up the court I wanted Forte taking my next shot, he's this year's Mr Clutch, and he comes through, Sneed in the post kicks it out to Forte in the corner and he hits the trey.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They hit a 3 to make it a 4 point game but we ice it at the line.

#7 Florida State 72
San Diego State 65

They are led by PF Lee who has 13, SF Kowalczuk with 11, Schiffner and Ager 7 each. We just had too much balance in the end, even with Alloway being terrible and McCants being foul prone and inconsistent.

Forte: 11 points/6 steals (3-5 from 3)
Alloway: 3 points (0-9, 0-4 from 3, 3-4 at the line)
Barrett: 12 points
Sneed: 15 points/5 boards
McCants: 2 points/8 boards

sanders: 14 points/6 boards
Mayer: 9 points

And we're 12-1 as non-conference play ends. The big showdown with North Carolina is next.

[Radii]

Another game where the writeup makes the post too long:

January 8, 2022

#7 Florida State (12-1, 1-0 ACC) at #5 North Carolina (16-1, 1-0 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|UNC
OVR: 91|93
OFF: 90|92
DEF: 90|95
SHT: 91|95
REB: 94|96
COA: 88|91

On paper, North Carolina is the best team in the ACC. This is our only chance during the regular season to show otherwise, up in Chapel Hill. Despite losing two lottery picks to the NBA, they still have 4 players rated higher than anyone on the Florida State roster and seem very imposing.

Their only loss is to a 12-2 LaSalle team. They beat #24 Baylor by 19, beat Pitt(a top 5 team last year, not as good this year), and their early ACC game was a win over Boston College.

Scouting

PG Holland Freedman – SR – 86 OVR – 90 speed/91 quickness. 89 defense/80 steals. 88 hands/85 passing. 89 close/82 med/87 3/84 offthe dribble... can score as well as anyone. 11.3 ppg/3.6 apg so far this year.

SG Phil Atangana – JR – 90 OVR – 92 speed/85 quickness. 85 defense/92 steals. 91 close/77 med/76 3/90 off the dribble/81 in traffic. 85 defensive awareness, outstanding there. B vert/A- str/B+ hustle, a crazy good athlete. 12.5 ppg/7 rpg so far this year. Atangana is 6'7 and is as good a rebounder as most post men.

SF Eddie Esterkamp – SR – 88 OVR – 90 speed/89 quickness. 89 defense/78 steals. 90 close/85 med/86 3/89 in traffic. Esterkamp has been relegated to the bench behind Atangana and Haigler the last couple seasons. Also 6'7”, also a natural SG, not SF. 18.1 ppg this year so far.

PF Rene Reid – SR – 87 OVR – 6'6” SF – 79 orb/80 drb. 70 post off/74 post def. He's an elite level SF though his post skills aren't great. 89 speed/85 quickness. 90 close/78 med/85 3/81 off the dribble/88 in traffic. 10.8 ppg, a tough challenge for Sneed today.

C Shangari Andres – FR – 77 OVR – A 6'7” nautral PF – 80 orb/83 drb. 76 post off/75 post def. 85 close/82 in traffic. 75 strength is pretty good. 7.3 ppg/4.2 apg so far this year.

Backup SG Winston Appleby is rated 84 overall and averages 7 ppg off the bench. Backup PG Dennard Cannon is rated 83 OVR and averages 6 points/game.

The only other big man on the roster is a 74 rated freshman PF. We have an edge inside, but finding a way to use it against their 3-2 zone may be tough. They collapse pretty fast IIRC, forcing a lot of kickouts.

UNC is more talented but this is not an impossible challenge like it was last year.

[Radii]

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <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%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Solid start, we are going into the post literally every single half court trip. Early on I wasn't trying to push transition at all but I'm starting to look for edges on the break now. McCants has 8, Sneed 4. We have 2 fouls on their PF(really a very talented SF), Reid. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout UNC as we score 4 straight. Sanders has 6, Millar 2, Mayer missed an open 3 earlier. They have hit two threes to keep the scoring up on their end with backup SG Appleby.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in, they get a 3, a steal and a deuce to go up 7. We are shooting 11/15 and down by 7. They've hit 4 3's and managed to go to the line 9 times already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout UNC. We've tried a couple 3's with Forte and Alloway, no luck, and we allow them to go up 11 with misses inside as well, finally a bucket on an offensive board from McCants and its 9 again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway draws a foul in transition and hits a free throw. Noteworthy as this is our first point not in the post by a big man all game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the last 4 of the half and only trail by 6, not bad though it feels like we played an excellent offensive half. We need them to miss more in the final 20 minutes, simple enough.


UNC shoots 12-23, 4-12 from 3, 9-9 from the line. We are 15-26, 0-5, and just 1-3 at the line. They get 9 from SF Esterkamp, 8 from backup SG Appleby and 5 from PG Freedman. No one seems a greater threat than anyone else for UNC, they're all capable scorers at any time.


McCants has one of his best halves ever for us, he's 6-9, 12 points and 7 boards. Sanders scores 6, Sneed 6, Millar 4. Barrett 2 and Alloway 1... Barrett had the only FG for a non-post player, a transition layup in the final 30 seconds. Forte and Alloway both missed 2 open 3's. I'll continue to pound inside obviously as long as it works this often, but we need a little more in transition or from behind the arc if we want to win.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> They score right away, McCants misses a shot inside, gets his own rebound and is fouled by Reid, making both Ft's. That's 3 on Reid, he sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> We fall behind by 10 as they hit two open 3's in a row, cut it to 6 on two transition buckets, and it is 6 now as the backups come in. McCants with 16 to lead us, he has 5 offensive boards which has helped the fact that we are still looking for our first 3 pointer to go in. They just do not miss any open shots. Atangana, their star SG, had 4 at the half, he's got 11 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Ahhh, there it is! Mayer with an open 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Mayer with a transition layup and UNC calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders hits two free throws after being fouled inside to cut it to 1. They get a putback on their end, back up 3, Mayer gets an open 3 from the left corner and drains it!!! Tie game. He has 8 for us in this stretch now, huge minutes from the Freshman. UNC with a timeout after they get it over halfcourt.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a shot in the post, we board and set up, and Millar makes a little hook shot from the center of the paint, 2 point lead!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Huge stretch coming up. McClurkin draws a foul driving on their big man, and during the dead ball UNC gets 4 starters back onto the court that were resting. We still need another 2 to 2 ½ minutes out of the backups, we need to not let them go on a run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 but we get 4 more out of Sanders, he has 12 total, and now the starters are ready to come back in. We've put ourselves in a perfect position... starters are in for the duration of the game and we are in a position to win the game. Now to see if we can finish it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight 3's by Reid, their 4 who is actually a great shooting 3. The second one we tried to force a transition outlet and they picked it off, setting up an open look, kinda disappointing there, I should have held it up. I get a timeout with the 1 point lead. I actually have 4 timeouts left, UNC just 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte and Sneed with buckets and we're up 3 with 4 minutes left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> We get turnovers on two straight plays, scoring once and lead by 5, with the ball, 2:45 to go!
</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%"> Sneed misses a hook from the right block, Reid scores fairly quickly for them, and I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> I go to Sneed again, making sure he gets a left handed shot this time(he's a lefty, his last miss was with his right... I am not sure how much this matters, if any). Anyway, he misses this one too, and Reid again with an open look on their end. Reid is making up for all the minutes on the bench with foul trouble for sure. We need a bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> I get my best Clutch shooter, Forte, an open 3, no good and they have Esterkamp unchallenged out on the break, layup, 6^th man boost for UNC, and the lead. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Arrrrgh. Turnover feeding the post. We only have 3 fouls on the half so it takes a few to get them to the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Freedman to the line, first good, second NO good! MCCants rebound.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:11
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Arrrrrrrrgh again. I was going to call a timeout but Barrett seemed in a decent spot, I outlet up to him, he burns his man but his shot attacking the basket is contested pretty well and off the front rim. No good, and we have to foul. He was in a good spot I just didn't expect the help that they got after Barrett beat his man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:09
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> They make both Fts, I get the ball to half court and call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a catch and shoot, a hole in the 3-2 defense that I admittedly exploited the heck out of (but what else do you do with 9 seconds left heh). We foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04.0
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Freedman at the line again. First good, second good. I call my last timeout after racing up to half court.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REG
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte AGAIN. This one isn't as much of an exploit as the last one(I'm on the left side of the court, their defender on this side is taller and quicker), this shot was contested a bit. CLUTCH. OT.


Quick notes at the end of regulation. Esterkamp 15, Reid 12, Freedman 11, Atangana 11 for UNC. Reid's 12 all came in the final 9 minutes of the game.


McCants leads us with 18. Sanders 12 off the bench. Sneed/Forte 10. Alloway is 0-4, all open 3's. Barrett has 6, all in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> We get the ball first, Sneed is fouled, makes both. Sanders comes in for McCants, McCants doesn't have the stamina to finish off the entire OT, he'll sit a minute or so.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with a steal, up ahead to Alloway, he burns his man and Reid comes in with a great block... wasted chance, and Alloway is just completely off.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> Atangana an open 3. 6^th man boost for them on the make.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders has a hook that rolls around the rim and falls out, Atangana another jumper on their end. I get a timeout, get McCants back in and hopefully kill off that 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> I know I said Alloway was off... but so so so wide open in the corner. Alas, he misses, Esterkamp with a 3 in transition. Another 6^th man boost for the Heels.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> A quick dish inside to Sneed who hits a runner over a smaller Reid. Timeout UNC when they get it over midcourt.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> And Alloway with his first field goal!! They make a bad pass, Sneed picks it up, Alloway is up ahead for a big jam, just down 2!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a stupid foul with 10 seconds left on the shot clock, a reach in even. We're at 10 fouls so they shoot 2. Both good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte breaks down the defense and drives straight up the middle for a layin.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> Good defense, Atangana with a tough shot in traffic inside that is off the front rim, rebound McCants!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, moron. I try to force a drive with barrett... see, I get away with this because Barrett is brilliant inside and brilliant in traffic, it works if I have half a step on my man usually. But UNC is filled with 85 rated defenders. It doesn't work here. Stupid stupid. They board his miss in traffic, we foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> They make both free throws, we rush it up the court and all of a sudden Alloway is a god, swishing a contested 3!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 86
</td> <td width="68%"> SIGGGGGGGGGH. Great rebounding all game long, their PG makes 1, misses 1 and their center gets the board over McCants. He misses the first so we'll have a shot. He misses both!!! We get the board this time, down 2, 10 seconds left.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

We are out of timeouts and cannot set up a play. I get it to Barrett on the right wing, he beats everyone else up the floor, and I am smart enough to not drive into Reid yet again, pulling up for a mid-range jumper, but its well contested and falls off the right rim. No good.

#5 North Carolina 86
#7 Florida State 84
OT

I am not sure I am capable of playing better with this team, aside from just being hot from 3. But this was a hell of an effort against a superior UNC squad in their house. It sucks not winning given the chances we had, but we can go back to Tallahassee with our heads held high, having played the best team we're going to face this year on the road and traded blows with them for 45 minutes.

Atangana and Esterkamp lead them with 18. Reid 14, Freedman 12 and 10 assists.

Forte: 12 points/3 assists/2 steals
Alloway: 6 points
Barrett: 6 points
Sneed: 14 points/4 boards/3 assists
McCants: 18 points/15 boards/2 blocks

Sanders: 12 points
Mayer: 8 points

[Radii]

Going into the next week we fall 5 spots in the polls, too far IMO given we lost to a top 5 team, but whatever.

1. Kansas
2. Vanderbilt
3. North Carolina
4. Florida
5. Texas A&M
...
10. Georgia Tech
12. Florida State
13. Ohio
19. Virginia Tech
22. Maryland



This week: at Boston College(88 OVR/8-4/0-2 ACC), vs #10 Georgia Tech (93 OVR/14-4/2-0 ACC).


Ozier is understandbly pissed about not starting. Millar seems to think because he was a top 15 prospect he deserves more PT. I give them both pep talks, and have been throughout the year, I've only got 5 left with still 8 weeks left in the regular season. Neither is at risk to transfer, just not as effect on court if they're unhappy.

[Radii]

Nice schedule this year. So far it looks like you have passed the tests with flying colors. Looking forward to seeing if FSU can keep it going in ACC play.

This was totally dumb luck on the schedule. The last two years I've said to myself "I only have two scholarships, I am not about to spend the time it takes to make sure I've got no sunday games" and just skipped scheduling entirely. The ACC is tough enough that if I'm good I'll get in the tournament.


Next year will be different for sure though, as we should be as talented a team as I've ever had by a long shot. I'll make sure I schedule difficult enough to be a clear choice for a 1 seed if we do really well(without scheduling an impossibly difficult schedule of course).

[Radii]

January 11, 2022

#12 Florida State (12-2, 1-1 ACC) at Boston College (8-4, 0-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|BC
OVR: 91|88
OFF: 90|89
DEF: 90|87
SHT: 91|92
REB: 94|85
COA: 88|92

If we want to break into the top of the ACC this type of game is a must win for us. BC is not bad, but we are better and there are enough teams at our level that we must beat teams like this, or else we will be nothing more than the 4^th or 5^th best team in the middle of the league. Their league losses are to UNC and NC State so far. They have one star level player and then 4 guys that are solid but not spectacular.

They return 3 starters from last year and start 5 juniors.

Scouting

PG Andy Garner – JR – 87 OVR – 92 speed/85 quickness. 90 defense/82 steals. 89 hands/85 passing. 85 close/78 med/87 3/85 off the dribble/81 in traffic. A great all around player, he's fast, a great defender, a very very good scorer from anywhere on the floor... a big challenge. He leads the team with 11.8 ppg.

SG Regis Clarke – JR – 81 OVR – a natural PG – 89 speed/83 quickness. 84 defense/79 steals. 88 close/74 med/77 3/79 off the dribble. A good scorer who becomes great if he can get near the rim. He's only 6'0” though so that's going to be tough hopefully. 7.9 ppg.

SF Hilton Hart – JR – 76 OVR – A 6'7” natural SF – 83 speed/75 quickness. 77 defense. 85 close/72 med/66 3/81 in traffic. With his quickness and defense, Barrett should have a pretty big edge over him if he can get one on one on the wing. 2.8 ppg, not a huge threat on either end. This means he's going to score 20 of course.

PF Izik Dawson – JR – 81 OVR – 77 orb/83 drb. 72 post off/74 post def. 91 close/89 in trafic. 72 str is good but not great. Very good awareness, 82 on defense/74 offense. Not quite coach on the floor but good. 6'9” PF – 10.9 ppg/5.8 rpg. We have an edge here against his poor post ratings. He is a good shot blocker though(75/B).

C Sidiki Sarchet – JR – 80 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 86 orb/83 drb. 79 post off/75 post def. 91 close/87 in traffic. 65 str, low for a big man. He can step out and shoot the 3, 76 3 point rating. 10.8 ppg/5.7 rpg.

Backup PG Duane Bowden is rated 79 OVR, can shoot the 3, and averages 8.8 points/game. The rest of their backups are in the 75 range. They only have one true big man on the bench. Their starting big men are good for sure, but they both lack post defense, hopefully this is something we can take advantage of.

Team Unity is even, 58-56 for 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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> BC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> From the scouting notes on SF Hart above: “2.8 ppg, not a huge threat on either end. This means he's going to score 20 of course.” I'll give the group 1 guess as to who has all 7 of BC's points so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups come in a bit early. McCants just picked up foul #2. Hart has their first 12 points. And I do get to take the blame for this, I put Barrett on their stud PG, leaving the 6 foot even Alloway guarding the 6'7” hart. Still, I always throw my arms up when a guy rated under 70 just rains 3's. But at least here there's a reason. I assume even like that he'll go cold eventually. Alloway leads us with 5. And hart will have Mayer on him now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout BC after a McClurkin 3. They get two subs in on the TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> BC with another timeout,its all we can do to stay within 5. They sub out star PG Garner, not a scoring threat so far but 5 assists.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Their ball with a 7 point lead. McCants is in with 2 fouls, we're fine going to Sanders if there is any more foul trouble.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Hart has 18 now, the last 6 with Barrett on him. I pretty much throw my hands up in the air. He's 6-7 with 2 3's. And some free throws. PF Dawson has 8 and those two guys are dominating for them. We're scoring ok though not with great efficiency. We just cannot stop the worst player on the floor, ever.


Sneed and McCants have zero points. The backcourt guys are scoring ok but I probably need to make an effort to go inside the rest of the half a bit more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We try to go inside a couple times with no luck, Alloway gets our final 8 points instead, including a 3 at the buzzer to make it an 8 point game. Just an immensely frustrating first half. They shoot 16-29, 4-8 from 3, 8-11 at the line. Hart is 6-7 and has 18 points. PF Dawson is 3-4 for 8 points. Garner just has 2 points/5 assists. A couple backups have 4 each. Barrett will stick on Hart in the 2^nd half, he has the quickest trigger which is usually a good thing for me when the other team's worst player takes more shots than anyone. Hopefully in the second half it will be.


We shoot well too, 15-28, 5-9 from 3. We dont' draw fouls though, just 2 free throw attempts, making one. Alloway leads us with 15, driving easily a couple times and making 2 three pointers. Forte has 8, also making 2 3's. Sneed is 0-4 inside, McCants just 0-1. they are dominating the boards, 17-11. 5 offensive boards for them, 1 for us.


After what felt like a terrible half we're only down 8. Could be worse.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> The second half starts no different than the first, they go up 11 after we turn it over on a bad pass. Hart has another 3 and has 21 now. I get a timeout. Alloway is 0-2 from 3 this half and we are not scoring effectively and playing zero defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout and get the backups in early. Alloway and McCants, the only two guys that have scored this half btw, are gassed and the rest of the starters don't deserve to even wear the uniform right now. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders goes to the hoop and draws a foul... and comes out with an injury. Little used Slater comes in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 6 in a row and get the deficit under 10, before allowing 5 straight. The starters are back in to try to get something sustained going. They are missing more shots now for sure.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Two Fts by McCants, a layup from Forte and a turnaround from Sneed and we've got it down to 8. Timeout BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed misses two in a row inside... they board, we get a steal and go to McCants inside who misses as well... should have had it down to 6 or 4 here. Can't waste chances like that in the final 5 minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Down to 6. Their last four are from Hart and he has 27 now. Alloway is keeping up though, rather quietly giving us a 26 point day so far. Timeout BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that's just great. Two easy buckets by BC and a bad play by us and its 10 again. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:48
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> We get two solid buckets on our end but they take approximately 5 seconds to get an open 2 footer, and then 5 more seconds for an open 18 foot jumper, both good. At least they aren't stalling I guess?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:46
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Hopeless. Forte hits a 3, they hit a 3 point play. Alloway hits a 3, Garner hits a ... well I guess a 2, foot must have been on the line, I thought it was a 3.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
No chance here.

Boston College 86
#12 Florida State 76

This is perhaps the worst defensive game I have ever played. Putting the 6 foot Alloway on the 6'7” Hart was clearly a mistake early but still the guy had to drain those 3's and he is a career 24% three point shooter(4-6 today). But even after I put Barrett back on him he still scored 13 more. If he was out-muscling Barrett out in the post then sure I can just bring in a natural SF to body up on him. But he's shooting jumpers and still going 10-13 over our best defender.

Anyway, Hart had 27. Dawson 12, Garner 13. They shot 36-60.

Forte: 13 points/4 assists
Alloway: 32 points (14-23, 3-10 from 3)
Barrett: 6 points
Sneed: 2 points/10 boards
McCants: 6 points/8 boards

Sanders: 6 points

Sneed was 1-6, McCants 2-5. I was surprised how much they struggled in the post against shorter, poorly rated post defenders. Alloway was brilliant going to the hoop, and struggled a bit from 3. Major, major letdown following the UNC game, though to be fair this was an 88 rated team on the road. They just didn't seem that great. It doesn't get any easier, as we get another top 10 team in Georgia Tech next. This one at least, is at home.


Sanders has a sore knee, he didn't come back into the game, and will be good to go in time for Georgia Tech.

[Radii]

January 16, 2022

#10 Georgia Tech (14-5, 2-1 ACC) at #12 Florida State (12-3, 1-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 91|93
OFF: 90|94
DEF: 90|91
SHT: 91|97
REB: 94|96
COA: 88|96

It may be unfair to the Yellow Jackets for me to continue to refer to UNC as the best team I'm going to play all year as if there's no question about it. Tech was a tournament team last year and returns all 5 starters, and just look at those roster ratings, 97 shooting!

Except.. they just lost to Miami by 20 at home. Maybe this is a hard team to figure out.

Scouting

PG Dainmon Horner – SR – 82 OVR – 95 speed/86 quickness. 83 defense/87 steals. 85 hands/87 passing. 82 close/76 med/80 3/78 off the dribble/83 in traffic. 9.2 ppg/4.3 apg.

SG Femi Shavies – SO – 84 OVR – Shavies has a fully matured shooting tendency chart, a surprise for a soph. 87 speed/86 quickness. 80 defense/8 steals. 89 close/78 med/84 3/81 off the dribble. He's going to shoot any time he's open. 17.6 ppg so far this year.

SF Jibran Grizzard – JR – 89 OVR – 6'7” SF – 87 speed/80 quickness – 84 defense/81 steals. 92 close/84 med/78 3/82 off the dribble/92 in traffic. A great ball handler, very good awareness. Somehow he only averages 6.3 per game this year so far.

PF Aly Richards – JR – 88 OVR – 6'8” PF, an elite big man. 88 orb/88 drb. 87 post off/82 post def. 99 close/93 in traffic. Yup, 99. A+. 10.9 ppg/4.9 rpg. Again I dunno how he scores just 11/game.

C Immanuel Bing – JR – 84 OVR – 6'10” PF – 85 orb/85 drb. 84 post off/78 post def. 95 close/89 in traffic. 81 strength, great awareness and athleticism. 9.2 ppg/5.9 rpg.

Backup guard Justin Covington is rated 83 OVR and scores 8.6 ppg. A number of other backups score 5 or so a game. The worst player on their roster is rated 77 OVR. 8 players are 80+. This is a complete team, and will give UNC a hell of a matchup. They only play once, in mid February.

Hopefully we can compete with them at a high level at home. If we're going to lose games like BC on the road, lets hold serve at home no matter who we play.

No coach on the floor before confidence boosts, but the whole “all 5 starters returning” for tech gives them a 70-59 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%"> GT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh crazy start. We open up 8-2 but their 3 point shooting keeps them in it, it seems like we're defending harder, scoring more often, and are all over the court, but they just rain 3's every so often to keep it close. They had a lead for a bit


Barrett has 7, Sneed has 6, though he's only 2-5 inside, two of those misses in transition on the secondary break where I thought he was going to dunk. Richards has him owned pretty good in the paint. They have 7 from Shavies and 5 from backup guard Covington.


Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> We slow things down as their talent clearly outclasses the backups. Sanders scores 4 and Millar scores 2. Both team's starters are back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett is having a lot of success driving by people both in half court and transition, he's our first man to 10 points. Sneed has a dunk going off a screen and has 8.
</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%"> The last 6 minutes or so are basically us going up 4, them cutting it to 2, trading baskets and misses back and forth. Tech is shooting 13-31, just 2-8 from 3. we're shooting better, 13-26, 0-3 from 3 and we have 8 free throws(just 4 for them). We have a small edge on the boards and a small turnover disadvantage.


Shavies leads them with 9, about half of his average. Richards 6, Horner 6. SF Grizzard is struggling, 1-5 for just 2 points. Barrett leads us with 14, great half for him. Sneed has 8 though its on 3-8 shooting. Sanders has 4 and a few others have 2. Alloway is only 1-2, I haven't been taking many 3's and Barrett has been the man to get to the rim today.


Forte, Mayer have two fouls each. No other foul trouble on either side.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Georgia Tech opens on an 8-0 run, we cannot get anything to fall and they are scoring inside with great efficiency.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway drives by his man and gets us on the board in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Its been a 2-4 point game in Tech's favor the last few minutes. I don't think we have stopped them on any of their last 4 or 5 possessions. But we've kept up. It looks like Richards is taking over for them, he's up to 13. Alloway has 6 for us now and started to get going a little.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Still trading buckets but Ozier got a 3 point play as he was fouled going up for a dunk. Timeout Tech. Shavies 18/Richards 13 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier drives and draws foul #3 on Richards. Potentially a key foul there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier has 7 for us in this run now and we lead by 1! Great stretch for him, a very rare thing for me to say heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3, we turn it over and commit a foul. Time for the starters to get back in there. Barrett switches over to Shavies. Grizzard is crazy talented but they seem to ignore him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh... a 3 and a transition layup and a 2 point game quickly becomes 7. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout mostly out of desparation because we are blowing this in a colossal way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with 4 straight and he is up to 22 now, lead down to 7. Barrett is 2 away from a career high.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants picks up a loose ball near the top of the key and goes the length of the floor himself for a dunk. Down to 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Ball game. Layup from Shavies, Forte misses a 3, 3 pointer from Shavies.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We cannot get it closer than 7.

#10 Georgia Tech75
#12 Florida State 66

Shavies scores 23 for them, Richards 17, Horner 11. Shavies is 10-14 on the day(3-6 from 3) and Richards 7-11.

Forte: 2 points
Alloway: 13 points
Barrett: 22 points
Sneed: 8 points/5 boards
McCants: 6 points/5 boards

Ozier: 7 points
Sanders: 6 points

This is why we needed to beat Boston College. Now we're 1-3 in conference play.

[Radii]

We fall to #18 in the polls. Just one game this week and its one of the few we'll be simming this year, against the worst 3 teams in the league:

Jan 18, 2021

#18 Florida State 83
at Duke 65

Sneed 18, Forte 12, Sanders 12.


latest poll:

1. North Carolina
2. Vanderbilt
3. Texas A&M
4. California
5. Kansas
...
13. Clemson
16. Georgia Tech
17. Florida State
25. Maryland

Our games this week? vs #25 Maryland (rated 91 OVR), at #13 Clemson(rated 94 OVR).

This conference is just brutal this year.


Current standings:

1. North Carolina 5-0
2. Clemson 4-1
3. Georgia Tech 4-2
4. Maryland 3-2
5. NC State 3-3
6. Florida State 2-3
7. Virginia Tech 2-3
8. Miami 2-3
9. Virginia 2-3
10. Duke 2-4
11. Wake Forest 2-4
12. Boston College 1-4


We have a hellish 5 game run, 4 of our next 5 are against teams rated as good or better than us. If we can survive that in tact, we get 5 "easy" games in a row, including games against Virginia and Miami, truly awful teams, and games with BC, Wake Forest and NC State, all teams we are rated better than. that's where we'll need to make our move.

[hoopsguy]

Bright side, I guess, is that UNC looks to be graduating a lot of talent next year. But Georgia Tech should still be loaded, barring early entry.

[Radii]

Bright side, I guess, is that UNC looks to be graduating a lot of talent next year. But Georgia Tech should still be loaded, barring early entry.

yeah UNC is due for a couple down years. For Tech their PF, Richards, is looking like a lottery pick and should be leaving soon enough, but they still have a lot of talent that will be back. I don't remember if the SF is likely to bolt early or not.

[Radii]

January 24, 2022

#25 Maryland (13-4, 3-2 ACC) at #17 Florida State (13-4, 2-3 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|UMD
OVR: 91|91
OFF: 90|91
DEF: 90|90
SHT: 91|94
REB: 94|92
COA: 88|92

Maryland beat us towards the end of last season in a fairly memorable game, neither team led by more than 7 the entire second half, it was 4 or closer most of the final 10 minutes, tied with 1 minute left when we turn it over and allow them to score, Forte misses two free throws that could have tied it and we gave away a game that we could have won.

Its a different Maryland team as two of their best 3 players graduated, but they are still damn good, and this could be a great matchup.Their ACC losses came to UNC and Clemson, with wins over the lesser teams in the league in Wake/UVA/Duke.

Scouting

PG Bronsen Gatling – JR – 87 OVR – 97 speed/86 quickness. 91 defense/76 steals. 95 hands/91 passing. 83 close/73 med/82 3/86 off the dribble. A fast, great ball handling PG who can defend anyone and can shoot. 11.6 ppg/4.0 apg so far. A first round pick if he leaves early.

SG Bradley Fanning – JR – 85 OVR – A backup to an 88 rated stud last year. 86 speed/88 quickness. 88 defense/77 steals. 85 close/74 med/83 3/87 off the dribble. Great defensive awareness(83/A-), just average offensive. 9.2 ppg so far this year.

SF Warren Cain – SR – 82 OVR – 6'9” SF – 84 speed/81 quickness. 79 defense/79 blocks/74 steals, pretty good all around. 86 close/79 med/57 3/93in traffic. A good scorer inside but isn't going to hit a lot of 3's. 10 ppg/6.9 rpg.

PF Adama Sogdazi – SO – 82 OVR – 6'8” PF – 80 orb/86 drb. 74 post off/77 post def. 90 close/87 in traffic. He can shoot from anywhere, 80 med/75 3 point shot. Very good athlete, 88 hustle to go with 76 strength and a solid vertical for a big man. 75 off awareness/86 def awareness. Not enough experience for coach on the floor delegation yet but he'll be there soon. Still a late option in the offense, 6.7 ppg/5.5 rpg.

C Corey Hudson – SR – 83 OVR – 6'11” PF – 92 orb/82 drb. 85 post off/80 post def. 92 close/88 in traffic. Good athlete, strong, good awareness. The top option so far this year, 19.6 ppg/5.5 rpg.

Loaded at guard, backup SG Marko Hancock is rated 84 OVR and scores 11/game off the bench.

They have other backups guards rated around 80 who all have decent skills. They have a 6'7” SF but no big men options inside. We need to hurt them inside when Hudson is on the bench. And if we can get Hudson in foul trouble and kill their inside game we could have a big 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%"> UMD
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Even start, we have two offensive putbacks ,they have 2 threes. Fanning scored their first 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We allow them to score 7 straight thanks to two very poor offensive trips. Fanning was the beneficiary as well, he's got 12 now. Backups are in. Barrett and Sneed with 4 each for us. They sit Hudson and Fanning for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier with 5 straight for us, including a 3 point play, and we've got it down to 3. They bring Hudson back in and go with 3 backup guards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders again making the case to start, he has 6 points now, with Hudson guarding him every time, 2-3 from the field and drawing Hudson's 1^st foul for 2 free throws. Timeout Maryland in a 2 point game. They get some starters in the backcourt back in but sit cain and hudson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders embarrasses Sogdazi(their starting PF) twice, dunking on him both times. They manage one bucket, and when Sanders misses his next shot, its time to recognize that he's a bit tired and we'll be better served with the starters back on the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We let them score 4 straight before getting McCants a big dunk, forcing a steal and hitting Sneed on the secondary break, earning us a 6^th man boost and tying the game back up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> 8-0 run for us now, great defense, Barrett gets a bucket in transition and Forte with a solid drive and dish gets Sneed an easy look inside. Sneed has 8 (7 boards!) and is having a fine game on his own, not to overhype Sanders here as my only post player :) Maryland timeout
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> They come out strong after that final timeout with all their starters on the floor after a bunch of odd rotations. Alloway misses a 3 as time expires that could have given us the lead at the break. They shoot 15-27, 4-9 from 3, each team even in turnovers but we have a MASSIVE edge on the boards. 17-7 rebound edge for us, thanks to Sneed mainly. We're 17-34 from the floor, taking 7 more shots from the field while being even at the line.


Fanning leads them with 14, but only 2 in the final 7 or 8 minutes. Hudson has 8. Gatling is scoreless, pass first tonight with 6 assists.


On our end Sneed is 5-9 and has 10 points/7 boards. Sanders is 4-7 with 2 at the line, also 10 points. Barrett has been our only success in transition, he has 6. Forte with 2 and Alloway 0, Alloway has been very inconsistent lately, though I guess either Alloway or Barrett seem to be on most nights, and tonight its Barrett. Alloway is 0-2 from 3, we haven't made one yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> They score first in the 2^nd half but we pull ahead by 6, Barrett our main focus. Alloway is terribly off, Fanning is effecting him greatly on the fast break, two blocks and another just bad miss. I decide to mix it up a little, the couple times Alloway has been this cold he's not ever warmed up, and I bring Ozier in to play SF, Barrett at his natural SG position. Oh yeah, timeout Maryland.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 5 straight to cut it to 1, we score 6 straight to take our biggest lead, Ozier gets a 3 point play inside after a nice interior pass from Barrett, some nice benefit there on a move I wouldn't have tried inside with Alloway. UMD with another timeout. With the timeouts and a 6^th man boost the starters are good for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> The runs continue, this one a 10-2 run for Maryland, they take the lead after Sneed loses the ball in the post and they get a fast break dunk. I get a timeout and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow... a 3 point play for Hudson, who has 17 now for them, and a steal/breakaway dunk and we seem to be falling apart a bit here. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Mayer hit a big 3, McClurkin got a 3 point play going to the rack and Alloway finally got on the board with a layup. Hudson has taken over for them, he has 22 now I believe and was making up for any problems he had vs Sanders in the first half...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> We're all the way up to 10 fouls now, two stupid reach in fouls outside the 3 point line the last two trips give them a free 4 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants misses a shot inside, we just cannot afford to lose this game, but we are not playing well at all down the stretch. We must get some stops. I call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We can't stop Hudson. We got 4 straight to cut it to 3, they get a stop though and Hudson with two post moves in a row, he has 26. I get a timeout. I make sure Sneed is on Hudson, slightly better defender than McCants, and I make sure he's always doubled down low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed misses a fairly easy look inside, they get an open jumper, then Fanning picks Barrett and goes all the way himself... ugh.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They go up 13 with 1 minute to go and we cannot do anything.

#25 Maryland 85
#17 Florida State 70

Without the transition game completely disappearing in the final 7 minutes or so, we just fell apart. We were unable to make jumpers, and any early success we had inside just completely faded. They outscore us 48-33 in the second half, totally embarassing us our on home floor. They shoot 58% for the game, our defense just doesn't seem to exist in this bad stretch we're having.

Hudson shoots 10-12 and scores 26. Fanning 18, all three other starters have 9 each.

Forte: 13 points/3 assists
Alloway: 2 points (1-9 shooting/0-3 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points
Sneed: 10 points/10 boards
McCants: 7 points/5 boards

Ozier: 10 points
Sanders: 10 points

Sanders and Sneed both go scoreless in the second half. We are now 2-4 in league play, with a road game against a 93 rated Clemson team coming up next. A road contest still remains against Georgia Tech and a return matchup with Clemson, I'm starting to wonder if we can make the NCAA Tournament if we end up 8-8, and if its possible that we're not good enough to finish better than that... we need a win, bad.

[Radii]

January 30, 2022

#17 Florida State (13-5, 2-4 ACC) at #13 Clemson (13-4, 5-1 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|CU
OVR: 91|94
OFF: 90|93
DEF: 90|92
SHT: 91|96
REB: 94|92
COA: 88|93

Oh, Clemson is rated 94 OVR,not 93. Clemson is very much for real. They have non conference wins over #12 Michigan at michigan, #18 seton hall, a 3 point loss to #8 Louisville,and wins over #25 Maryland and #16 Georgia Tech, two teams we couldn't hang with ourselves. They've struggled at times too though, beating Wake Forest by just 1 in OT, and losing at Virginia by 7. They've got some crazy talent on the floor.

Scouting

PG Lewis Gamble – SR – 86 OVR – 92 speed/89 quickness. 92 defense/73 steals. 92 hands/87 passing, a solid PG, solid defender, very fast. 89 close/79 med/81 from 3/87 off the dribble. 80 defensive awareness. 14.9 ppg, 2^nd only to lalugba in scoring.

SG Darren Bookout – FR – 83 OVR – 89 speed/85 quickness. 91 defense/83 steals, amazing for a freshman. 89 close/80 med/79 3/89 in traffic. His shooting tendencies are weak so he won't shoot unless wide open most likely. Just 5 ppg so far this year. This is the recruit Clemson beat us out for last year, bastards!

SF WM Lalugba – SR – 89 OVR – 6'5” SF – 86 speed/89 quickness. 81 defense/82 steals. 88 close/89 med/76 3/87 in traffic. Solid awareness, 80 on offense/72 defense. 96(A+) vertical, 92 rated dunker. 15.4 ppg/5.8 rpg so far this year.

PF Jim Vitelli – JR – 88 OVR – 6'9” PF – 92 orb/87 drb. 83 post off/85 post def. 82 blocks (B+), 80 steals(A-). 85 close/78 med/72 3/93 in traffic...84 off the dribble heh. Coach on the floor, 83 off/80 def awareness. 83 vert/81 str/78 hustle, a solid athlete. Just 9.6 ppg but this guy is a beast, he's going to give us a lot of trouble inside.

C Joaquim Tchuisi – SR – 82 OVR – 6'10” PF – 91 orb/85 drb. 78 post off/76 post def. 94 close/92 in traffic. Just 3.5 ppg, not much of a scorer but a big body and good rebounder.

Backup SF Vidal Dalida is 6'7” and rated 86 OVR, better than anyone on our team, and he doesn't even Start for clemson. He can score from anywhere, has the speed of a guard and scores more than 9 a game.

After Dalida they are still loaded, with 2 backup guards and a 3^rd string SF rated 82 and 83 OVR, a 4^th SF at 81 OVR... they lack big man depth but don't seem to need it. We're incredibly outclassed here on paper. They have a 76-61 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%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we couldn't have asked for a better start. Lalugba has a quick trigger and is cold early, 1-4 shooting mostly midrange jumpers. They started in a 2-3 zone and Alloway hits 2 early 3's and gets two more buckets in transition, a great start for him, 10 already. McCants with an offensive board and putback for our other bucket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Bookout misses an open 3, Alloway gets a dunk on the other end and Clemson takes a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, I was worried about runs but that was fast, I was hoping I could hold on to a big lead for awhile. Timeout, backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Once again we pull out to a lead and lose it. We get a solid look to Sanders, two good shots from Mayer and lead 22-13, defense and rebounding both looking good, etc. A quick 8-0 run and its down to 1 again. I get a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett gets on the board but Alloway is still the big time main option here, he's up to 16 now. An Alloway breakaway leads to their PG, Gamble, picking up his 2^nd foul. They miss another shot and we go to Barrett on the break and he's fouled by PF Vitelli, his 2^nd foul. We've drawn 7 total on them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> They go with a 4 guard lineup with the foul trouble and miss a few more shots, we dominate on the boards and go strong to the rim, drawing more fouls with a lot more ease with their big guys out of the game. Clemson timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Dalida hits a 3 for Clemson as time expires to get the lead under 10, a great half for us. We've had great first halves before though, its really hard on the road against good teams, but we need to find a way to carry this into the second half. Clemson shoots 35% while we shoot 50%, clearly the reason we're ahead. Clemson commits 10 fouls, just Vitelli and Gamble with two though. We have no foul trouble at all, they aren't driving really, lots and lots of jump shots.


Dalida leads them with 9, 3-5 from 3. Bookout has 5, Lalugba only 4 and Gamble 2. Alloway is the star of the game so far with 17, as they got into foul trouble late we had a lot of success with McCants and he has 7 now. Mayer 5, Sanders 3, a couple guys with 2 and that's it. We know we cannot count on Alloway to stay hot and score, we need someone else to step up in case Alloway goes cold. We need to stay aggressive as well, we drew those fouls by attacking the rim hard.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, I was afraid of this. They start out on a 6-0 run, Alloway going inside and getting blocked, Sneed missing a good look... I get a timeout quickly, they already got a 6^th man boost here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> And it takes 4 minutes 10 seconds to lose the lead. They get a monstrous block, PF coming from the weakside after Barrett beat his man. Bookout has 8 points this half, benefitting from bad defense and wide open shots, he doesn't miss those, he just doesn't shoot unless he's open.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses an open 3, Lalugba hits one on their end, and they get their 3^rd 6^th man boost of the half... ugh ugh ugh ugh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit another 3 to go up 9, we finally get another FG as Barrett hits one inside for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> 21-4 run for Clemson this half so far. They have taken over the boards, they just got their 8^th second chance point of the half. Freaking Bookout has 18 now, 13 this half, unbelievable.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> They pick sneed's pocket and Lalugba goes full court for a dunk by himself. I get a timeout and get my backups in. This is terrible, a total disaster. Big, big sinking feeling heh. Just a couple missed shots and we can get right back in it but this is totally overwhelming.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Unfreakingbelievable. We get a dunk from Sanders and a 3 from McClurkin, maybe we can do something... Bookout just hit another 3, 21 for him, his confidence must be at an all time high, he launched that one the second he touched the ball, with a defender close by, swish. He's 5-6 from 3 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Mayer hits a couple 3s and our offense settles in a bit. We had just scored a quick 5 to cut it to 7, but they answered on their end. As the starters return, we are down 9 with the ball... just a couple stops and we are right there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses a wide open 3 and McCants misses a layup in transition and that sinking feeling returns real fast. Defense!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway hits his first shot of the 2^nd half, a wide open 3. Maybe that will trigger something for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we get a block on defense but they recover the ball for an easy layup, McCants scores for us, timeout clemson to get all their startesr back in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We never get closer than 8.

#13 Clemson 83
#17 Florida State 73

I'm not surprised that Clemson won, even with the first half we played, this kind of 2^nd half is not too unusual on the road against more talented players. But the... intensity with which they dominated the first 5-7 minutes of the 2^nd half was just completely overwhelming. It felt like we were a 16 seed that had hung in there for 20 minutes and the 1 seed was laughing us off to end the game. Of course we kept it around 10 and had a few shots to try to close, but Clemson was just too much.

Bookout was just amazing. 5-7 from 3, 8-11 overall. He hit a couple open shots in the first half, was left wide open on offensive boards and in transition early in the 2^nd half and from there just started launching, and draining, everything in sight. 23 points for him. 17 from Lalugba and 14 from backup SF Dalida.

Center Tchuisi pulled down 16 boards, the other big change from first half to second. We got a few offensive boards in the first half and completely cleaned the defensive boards. Clemson got 15 second chance points, all in the second half.

Forte: 6 points
Alloway: 24 points
Barrett: 6 points
Sneed: 6 points/8 boards
McCants: 10 points/11 boards

Mayer: 11 points
Sanders: 7 points

Alloway was 6-10 in the first half... 8-22 for the game. His second half was a nightmare.

[Radii]

There's no way to sugar coat our current situation. We've lost 5 of 6 and are in big trouble.

Polls:

1. North Carolina
2. Vanderbilt
3. Texas A&M
4. Kansas
5. Louisville
...
11. Clemson
14. Georgia Tech
19. Maryland


We drop out of the polls.

ACC Standings:

1. North Carolina 7-0
2. Clemson 6-1
3. Georgia Tech 6-2
4. Maryland 5-2
5. NC State 4-4
6. Wake Forest 3-4
7. Virginia Tech 2-5
8. Florida State 2-5
9. Boston College 2-5
10. Duke 2-5
11. Miami 2-5
12. Virginia 2-5


Yep, there is a 6 way tie for dead last in the ACC.

It does get easier. We have two games at home this week.

vs Wake Forest (11-8, 3-4 ACC)
vs Virginia Tech (16-8, 2-5 ACC)

Virginia Tech is in a similar spot as us, in the top 25 for awhile, a highly rated team(91 OVR/same as us last I checked) that has had a terrible terrible start. We only have two more ranked opponents on our schedule.. at Ga Tech, vs Clemson.

The turnaround *must* start this upcoming game. We host a Wake Forest team that is just a giant, clear step behind us, two players rated above 80, nearly everyone in our 10 man rotation would start for Wake.

[Radii]

February 2, 2022

Wake Forest (11-8, 3-4 ACC) at Florida State (13-6, 2-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|WFU
OVR: 91|86
OFF: 90|86
DEF: 90|84
SHT: 91|91
REB: 94|92
COA: 88|78

Wake Forest won the ACC Tournament last year, coming out of nowhere to do so as the 7 seed. They beat us in the ACC Semis. They graduated two starters though and their returning players are really not much improved over last year.

Scouting

PG Kris Bosley – SR – 79 OVR – 92 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/85 steals. 83 hands/73 passing, both C rated, not much of a ball handler or distributor. 85 clsoe/85 med/79 3/82 off the dribble. Bosley is their leading scorer, 15.2 ppg this year.

SG Prosper Bland – SR – 84 OVR – 93 speed/86 quickness. 84 defense/77 steals. 88 close/78 med/87 3, a lights out 3 point shooter. 84 off the dribble/83 in traffic. Great leaper and hustler, terrible strength which will hopefully hurt his driving ability. 10.6 ppg this year

SF Lazare Hall – SR – 84 OVR – a 6'3” SG – 92 speed/82 quickness. 80 defense/68 steals. 82 close/87 med/79 3/87 off the dribble/83 in traffic. A good scorer from anywhere, can create his own shot and take it inside. His ball handling is weak and his defense is poor for a SG at this level. 12.1 ppg.

PF Floyd Callans – SO – 76 OVR – a 6'7” SF – 62 orb/73 drb. 71 post off/77 post def. 84 close/81 in traffic. Not much of an athlete or a shooter in general. Callans can play some defense but that seems his only ability. 6.8 ppg/2.8 rpg.

C Jeffrey Eldridge – JR – 78 OVR – 82 orb/88 drb. 80 post off/70 post def. 90 close/86 in traffic. Good athlete, 78 str to go with A- vert/B- hustle. 11.9 ppg/5.4 rpg, his post defense looks like a big weakness. He is 6'11” though.

This is Wake's 5 best players, they have 3 backup guards that can shoot, they are filled with 3 point shooters, but we should be able to run when they miss and expect to have a lot of success.
<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%"> WFU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> After a fast back and forth start we're on an 8-0 run. Not too many fouls yet but their leading scorer, PG Bosley just picked up foul #2 on the half and sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Wake. Alloway 8, Forte 2 3's early. The offense is clicking big time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> After a 6^th man boost we get our backups in. We actually led by 18, they're on a 4-0 run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Wake, Sanders gets the backups on the board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back, except Sanders still in at Center, McCants needs another minute.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants back in
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit two 3's and we cool off a little towards the end of the half,still taking a 13 point lead into the locker room. They are led by C Eldridge with 8, and a backup post guy, Boddie, who also put up 8. They shoot 16-38 from the field, 5-12 from 3. We're nicely over 50%, 20-35 from the floor.


Alloway leads us with 15, though he's just 6-12 overall, taking 7 3's over their 2-3 zone andonly hitting 2 of them. Forte has 9, McCants 8, and Sanders 8. good half, we just cannot let up and let them back into it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Yeah they hit two heavily contested 3's to open the half, Hall and Bosley each with 1, and they get a quick 10 points. I get a timeout and settle things down.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> We establish a bit of control back and Wake takes a timeout. McCants is up to 12, they're playing a 2-3 zone full time now and we're not shooting over it well, we are starting to force it inside a bit more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We go on a tear and score 7 straight, getting the lead nicely back up over 15 again. Alloway heats up, hitting two threes in a row and scoring 8 in a row for us, he's got 24. A 6^th man boost keeps the starters in the game a bit longer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 4 straight and get it down to 10, McClurkin drains a 3 from the wing to answer.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it down to 10 again. Forte, Barrett and Sneed are back in. Alloway/McCants are still tired.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are all back in now.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They get it down to 9 with 45 seconds left but its way too late

Florida State 89
Wake Forest 80

We weren't ever really able to completely put them away but after the first few minutes of the 2^nd half they never seriously threatened either. A good win to get us (hopefully) back on track.

Forte: 11 points/5 assists
Alloway: 29 points
Barrett: 4 points/8 assists
Sneed: 10 points/15 boards
McCants: 20 points/11 boards/4 assists

Sanders: 8 points/5 boards

Alloway just launched a ton of shots, McCants was really the one with the special game. 10-13 from the field and a double double. Alloway was 11-26 heh. But that is not uncommon for my 3 point shooters when a team sits in a 2-3 zone all game.

[Radii]

February 5, 2022

Virginia Tech (17-8, 3-5 ACC) at Florida State (14-6, 3-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 91|91
OFF: 90|93
DEF: 90|88
SHT: 91|95
REB: 94|89
COA: 88|93

On paper this is similar to the Maryland game last week, a home game against an evenly rated team fighting to get up there in the class with UNC, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Maryland seems to clearly be winning that battle amongst the 3 of us so far. This is a key game if for no other reason than 4-5 looks a whole hell of a lot better than 3-6 in league play. 4-5 looks like recovery from our awful start and a solid chance at a winning league record. 3-6 looks like a team that needs to overcome some obstacles just to get on the NCAA Bubble.

We played the Hokies 3 times last year, winning at home and in the ACC Tournament, losing in Blacksburg. They lost 3 starters from that team but reloaded quite nicely. Warzynski and Graves are the two returning starters below.

Scouting

PG Melvin Bright – JR – 85 OVR – 91 speed/89 quickness. 83 defense/72 steals. 86 hands/91 passing, a solid PG. 84 close/82 med/88 3/82 off the dribble, a great shooter from all over. Good awareness, decent athlete. Bright was a backup to the best rated PG in the league the last two years. Just 5.8 ppg/2.8 apg now that he's starting.

SG Jarred Warzynski – SR – 86 OVR – 93 speed/84 quickness. 82 defense/80 steals. 87 close/75 med/76 3/82 off the dribble. 94/A hustle. Good but not great for these key ratings, a fine overall player though. Coach on the floor helps him, 78 off awareness/84 defensive awareness. He is putting up 14.2 ppg this year, I probably am too quick to say “this looks good but not that great” :D

SF Cameron Aguko – FR – 77 OVR – 6'8” natural SF – 85 speed/84 quickness, incredible for a SF. 82 defense/72 steals/68 blocks, quite good. 87 close/74 med/69 3/79 in traffic. 9 ppg, looks great for a true freshman, he was the #91 recruit last year and looks like he'll be very very good.

PF Lex Beeler – JR – 84 OVR – 6'9” PF – 82 orb/77 drb. 89 post off/72 post def. 96 close/85 in traffic. Also coach on the floor level numbers, 81 off/84 def awareness. He looks like a beast on offense but his defense leaves a little to be desired. 13.1 ppg/4.1 rpg.

C Tommie Graves – SO – 80 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 89 orb/80 drb. 87 post off/89 post def. 90 close/86 in traffic. He has incredible post skills, very impressive. B+ strength(77) and good awareness. 8.4 ppg/5.2 rpg.

Va Tech's top backup, another 84 rated PF, Sam Ravello, is out with a broken ankle. He was good off the bench last year, I'm happy he's not going to be facing us this time around..

Backup PG Robin Vega is rated 83 OVR and is their best defender, worth noting as their 6^th man for sure. They have 3 more backup guards that can all shoot, and one big man with 85+ post offense... they are a deep solid team. 73-63 unity edge with their coach on the floor.

<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%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Even game so far, McCants with 6 inside, thanks in part to 3 offensive boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright picks up foul #2 for Va Tech. They have 3 other starter quality guards but still its nice to get his shooting off the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> They've got 6 fouls already. Backups are in for me. Warzynski leads them with 7, I'm going to put Barrett on him the rest of the way once the starters come back in, he is clearly their best player attacking the basket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Hokies as we take the biggest lead either team has had today. They have 8 fouls, two of their Pgs with two now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters, excpet McCants are back in. McCants was way more tired than anyone else, Sanders is still in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Their Center, Graves, has 8 now. They get a timeout though as Sneed scores 4 straight in the post for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants back in, we go up 8 on an acrobatic 3 point play by Barrett in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 6 straight as we go inside to Sneed and McCants with no success 3 straight trips. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead going into the locker room, in large part due to the fact that Va Tech committed a foul every time they breathed on us. We are currently 13-20 from the line after drawing 12 fouls. Warzynski leads them with 11, Graves 8 and Beeler 7, their two big men.


We're led by our big men as well, 8 from McCants, 7 from Sneed with 7 from Barrett as well. Alloway only has 3 while Forte has 4. Sanders struggled inside in the first half, going just 1-4 for 2 points, McClurkin led the backups with 6 though.


Assuming we don't get 20 more free throws, we'll need to play defense and shoot well in the 2^nd half, as the FT shooting carried us this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright came out to play in the second half, he has 9, they hit a couple open 3's and we turn it over two trips in a row to let them go ahead by 6. I get a timeout to cool things back down.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Things are reversed in the 2^nd half, we've committed 5 fouls to zero for them. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Great start for the backups. Sanders with 4 and McClurkin with 3 to tie the game back up for us, great defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin with 2 more and we take the lead. He has 11 to lead us, I think 8 of them are at the line. Timeout Va Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> A putback from Millar and a dunk in transition from Sanders and we get a 6^th man boost and the Hokies burn another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a timely 3 to make it a 1 point game before we explode for 7 straight. I was ready to put the starters back in but really the backups have given us the lead back and McClurkin and Sanders are playing great, so I'll leave them in a bit longer. Yet another timeout Va Tech. They have 1 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We stretch the lead out to 13 before they sink two threes in a row, down to 7. I get a timeout and get the starters back in immediately.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway picks up foul #4. 5 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 point game, our ball, at the 2 minute mark, Sneed with a 3 point play for our last 3 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 74
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses a 3 but we rebound, run the clock and Forte drains a 3 the 2^nd time around.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
9 points is too much to overcome.

Florida State 83
Virginia Tech 77

They get a big day from Warzynski, 25 points on 10-16 shooting, Beeler and Bright put up 13 but they don't quite have enough. We end up with a big 34-25 edge on the glass, with McCants pulling down 12 boards.

Forte: 9 points
Alloway: 5 points
Barrett: 9 points
Sneed: 12 points/3 boards/3 assists
McCants: 10 points/12 boards

McClurkin: 16 points
Sanders: 11 points

That's a new career high for McClurkin, averaging a whole 2.5 points/game this year.

[Radii]

The 2 wins last week bring us back into the top 25.

Media Poll:
1. North Carolina (24-1)
2. Vanderbilt
3. Texas A&M
4. Kansas
5. California
...
9. Georgia Tech
12. Clemson
19. Maryland
21. Florida State
22. Ohio

Ohio had fallen out for awhile too, they are 22-2 and back in the rankings now though.


updated ACC Standings, we start to look like a top half of the league team at least:

1. North Carolina 9-0
2. Georgia Tech 7-2
3. Clemson 7-2
4. Maryland 6-3
5. NC State 5-5
6. Florida State 4-5
7. Virginia Tech 4-6
8. Wake Forest 3-5
9. Duke 3-6
10. Miami 3-7
11. Virginia 3-7
12. Boston College


We go to Atlanta for our next game,to visit #9 Georgia Tech.

After that we hit the easy part of our schedule, miami, virginia, boston college, wake forest, nc state being our next 5 games.

[Radii]

February 10, 2022

#21 Florida State (15-6, 4-5 ACC) at #9 Georgia Tech (19-6, 7-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 91|93
OFF: 90|94
DEF: 90|92
SHT: 91|98
REB: 94|96
COA: 88|96

A big reason we needed to win our last couple so much, is that we knew we had this trip to Atlanta coming up. The first meeting we led at the half but they got off to a good second half start and took the lead for good. It was just a 2-3 point game most of the way but they got out on a small run around the 6 minute mark, going up by 9 and we couldn't come back.

We can hang with them, but I'm wary of our chances in Atlanta.

Scouting

PG Dainmon Horner – SR – 83 OVR – 95 speed/86 quickness. 83 defense/87 steals. 85 hands/87 passing. 82 close/76 med/80 3/78 off the dribble/83 in traffic. 8.8 ppg/3.8 apg.

SG Femi Shavies – SO – 85 OVR – Shavies has a fully matured shooting tendency chart, a surprise for a soph. 87 speed/86 quickness. 80 defense/8 steals. 89 close/78 med/84 3/81 off the dribble. He's going to shoot any time he's open. 17.5 ppg so far this year.

SF Jibran Grizzard – JR – 89 OVR – 6'7” SF – 87 speed/80 quickness – 84 defense/81 steals. 92 close/84 med/78 3/82 off the dribble/92 in traffic. A great ball handler, very good awareness. Somehow he only averages 6.9 per game this year so far.

PF Aly Richards – JR – 88 OVR – 6'8” PF, an elite big man. 88 orb/88 drb. 87 post off/82 post def. 99 close/93 in traffic. Yup, 99. A+. 10.5 ppg/5.0 rpg. Again I dunno how he scores just 11/game.

C Immanuel Bing – JR – 85 OVR – 6'10” PF – 85 orb/85 drb. 84 post off/78 post def. 95 close/89 in traffic. 81 strength, great awareness and athleticism. 9.1 ppg/5.6 rpg.

Shavies killed us the last time we played, scoring 23. Richards and Horner were their other big scorers. Barrett put up big numbers for us, having a ton of success attacking the rim. Our inside game was not very strong with two very good post players down low for the Yellow Jackets.

<table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <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%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with 7 early, he appears to be on his way to another solid day against the Yellow Jackets. They benefit from 3 different players getting 3 point plays in the lane. We have 4 fouls, Tech has 5, no one has 2 fouls yet I don't think on either side. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Their center, Bing, has 10, including a 3 and a sweet drive to the basket for a 3 point play. Sanders has all 6 of our backups points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. I don't think either team has used a timeout yet so some more rest than usual was required. We just drew foul #2 on their stud PF Richards, he sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> First timeout of the game goes to Tech as we get out to the biggest lead either side has seen yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Solid first half, now to not let them explode in the second half. Also, I stalled at every opportunity here so scores near 40 indicate lots of offense. Tech is shooting 56% and we are shooting 81%. Yes, 81%. We are 13-16, drawing 11 fouls and going 10-14 at the line.


Bing leads them with 10, Horner with 8. Shavies only has 3 points, I expect him to go nuts in the 2^nd half. I will put Barrett on him pre-emptively but don't expect it to matter. Richards with 3 as well thanks to his foul trouble. Those two will go nuts this half.


Barrett leads us with 13, getting to the line 8 times, making 7. Sanders has 6, a few guys have 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh... I get my first timeout. Shavies hits a 3 to open the half, Alloway drives but misses a bad acrobatic shot in traffic, and Horner scores in transition to give them the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> I get my second timeout. We throw the ball away against their press around halfcourt. They hit Richards for a layup. That's two 6^th man boosts for Tech in the last 15 seconds.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with a midrange jumper and hopefully that settles this back down into a normal game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Ooo, Shavies with his 3^rd foul, he sits. He picked up #2 late in the first half, in the final two minutes. That changes quite a bit.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett and Alloway both get to the rim with some success, drawing foul #3 on Richards as well in the process. We pull ahead by 6 and Tech calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead by 3 as the backups come in. Barrett continues his strong play and has 19 points now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They take the lead by 1 briefly but Sanders scores 4 straight to put us back ahead. I get a timeout at the 6:30 mark to get my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Just like Tech went on a little run to turn a 2 point game into a 7-10 point game at our house... Barrett scores 5 straight including a 3 point play to put us up 7 at their house. Tech calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Still up 7,barrett and alloway each with layups.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Down to 4, we miss a shot and Shavies drains a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with another bucket, he just owns Georgia Tech. Timeout Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> They are unable to score, we burn the clock and get Alloway an open look but he misses. Tech ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> They rotate it quickly to shavies and he misses a 3, our rebound!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed hits a little turnaround in the paint and we lead by 8.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> They score inside, and foul Forte on the inbounds. Forte misses the front end and they have the ball back again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh boy. Horner hits an open 3. I set Barrett as my SG, Alloway as my SF, to make sure Barrett isn't making inbounds passes. He is by far my best free throw shooter.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> WOW. Barrett misses the front end as well... their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside quickly and Richards misses a little shot off the rim. Sneed boards, is fouled and shows our guards how to put away a game.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They do hit a 2 but Barrett isn't going to be missing any more free throws, he ices it for us in the final seconds at the line.

#21 Florida State 79
#9 Georgia Tech 74

Now this is the team I expected to see in those early games when we were losing to what felt like everyone we played!! Great road win.

They end up with 14 from Bing and 14 from Horner. With the foul problems Shavies and Richards cannot get in a rhythm, both still score 9 but neither is as dominant as in our first meeting.

Forte: 5 points
Alloway: 14 points
Barrett: 30 points
Sneed: 6 points/7 boards
McCants: 6 points/6 boards

Sanders: 10 points

Barrett's first 30 point game!

[Radii]

Our next two are games that we sim out:


Feb 13, 2022

#21 Florida State 69
Miami 45

Forte with 10 assists, McCants 16, Sneed 14 in the win over our in state rival at home.

We move up to #16 after those two wins, and only play one game this week, our last simmed game:


Feb 20,2022

#16 Florida State 80
at Virginia 58

Sneed 16, Barrett 11, Forte and Mayer 10.


We recover from a stretch where we lost 5 out of 6 in league play and have now won 5 in a row.

There are now 4 games and two weeks left in the regular season.

Media Poll:

1. North Carolina
2. Texas A&M
3. Louisville
4. Nevada (!!!)
5. Kansas
...
10. Georgia Tech
15. Florida State
18. Clemson

Ohio is 24-2 now but somehow not in the poll.



ACC Standings with 4 games left:

1. North Carolina 10-2
2. Georgia Tech 9-4
3. Clemson 8-5
4. Florida State 7-5
5. Maryland 7-5
6. Wake Forest 7-5
7. Virginia Tech 6-7
8. NC State 5-8
9. Boston College 5-8
10. Duke 4-8
11. Virginia 4-9
12. Miami 3-9


So we are now in a tie for 4th! And only a half-game behind Clemson in the standings for 3rd!


Our last 4 games are all winnable:

vs Boston College
at Wake Forest
at NC State
vs #18 Clemson

I expect us to win the first 3, though road games in Winston Salem and Raleigh won't likely be runaways. The final game vs Clemson could be quite interesting.


And lastly, bracketology is out. ACC Projections:

1. North Carolina
3. Georgia Tech
4. Florida State
5. Clemson
8. Ohio
9. Wake Forest
9. Maryland
10. Virginia Tech

Our winning streak and solid win over a highly ranked Yellow Jacket squad has done wonders for us.

Virginia Tech is on the bubble(and Wake has us and UNC left, I would not be surprised to see them fall).

[hoopsguy]

Very nice win. I saw that you were only up a couple of points in first half, on the road, while shooting 80% and said, "FSU is fooked in 2nd half". But your guys took care of business, reversing the earlier trend of getting worked in the back half of games.

I'm hoping to see your guys start establishing team unity advantages, given that most of your team have been together three years now. I don't think there has been all that much fluctuation in your starting lineups over the past two years, nor with the way minutes are allocated. Do you have anyone close to "coach on the floor" yet, as it sounds like that makes a big difference?

[Radii]

I'm hoping to see your guys start establishing team unity advantages, given that most of your team have been together three years now. I don't think there has been all that much fluctuation in your starting lineups over the past two years, nor with the way minutes are allocated. Do you have anyone close to "coach on the floor" yet, as it sounds like that makes a big difference?


At this point we're only potentially disadvantaged against teams that have a ton of experience and a coach on the floor. The team unity effects are turned *way* down with these sliders, at something like 15/100, so I think there is still an effect but its a small one. When we had a team unity of like 20-40 in the last couple years, and teams with a coach on the floor were getting their unity boosted up into the 90s, it was probably hurting us a bit, but as long as its reasonably close its really hard to say it has any effect.

We actually have two guys that get coach on the floor status with the in-game increases from confidence and such about half the time... my starting PG Forte and Ozier off the bench.

Barrett and McCants probably have it now too with confidence boosts, but I think it only shows it for the most experienced player on the court. My understanding is that you need an average awareness of 80 and 4 bars of experience. McCants(only a soph) and Barrett(not a full time starter until this year) only recently reached that level of experience.

Forte: 79 off/74 def (I was real surprised the first time I saw he had it, he must get a lot to defense in games)

Ozier: 75 off/77 def

Barrett: 80 off/79 def
McCants: 78 off/80 def


PF Millar is only a freshman so he wouldn't have the experience for awhile anyway, but he has 80 off/72 def, for an average of 76 already as a freshman. By his junior year he'll likely be starting and will likely be close enough that the in game boosts give him the same status.

[Radii]

our starting SG, Damion Alloway, has now gained 3 points to his OVR rating, he's up to 82 OVR. Barrett(85), Forte (84), McCants(82), McClurkin (79), and the redshirting SG Day(78) have all gained 2 points to their OVR ratings this season now.

Everyone else on the roster except for backup PF Millar have gained one point. Millar hasn't gained anything yet.

We now have 8 guys on the roster rated 80 OVR or better. Only one of them(reserve center Slater) is graduating. Mayer(79), McClurkin(79), Millar(78) and Day (78) all have a good chance to hit 80 OVR before next season starts.

Ozier and Barrett are both rated 85 OVR. Ozier is actually listed as a potential 2nd round draft pick if he came out early, but I am sure he won't, I believe we've kept him happy enough even though he's not starting. It seems unlikely we'll be able to progress anyone to 90 OVR before graduating next season, but we're going to have a lot of guys with very very good ratings next year.

Enough looking ahead though, we're good enough to make a run at the ACC Finals and Final Four this year if we catch a break or two. :D

[Radii]

We're in the last week of in-season recruiting. I finally pull the scholarship on top 10 SG Vadim Bryan. It looks like we have lost another top 10 recruit to Clemson.

However, it looks like we could be on the verge of stealing a top 100 recruit away from Duke.

I offer our scholarship to SG Theo Porter out of Washington, DC. We've been working on him throughout the season and had him up to 97% before making the offer this week, so we're just barely getting him to 100% in time. Duke and Seton Hall have him at 100% but have not offered him yet. Hopefully they are aiming for other recruits and won't be dropping an offer on him at the last minute. He has favored both of those schools for most of the year so I assume either could have him over us.

Anyway, Porter looks like a pure offensive machine. A- close/B- med/B+ 3/C+ off the dribble. B- speed/B quickness/A vertical/B- str/C+ hustle.

His downside is C defense and C- ball handling. He's also got low stamina and might be injury prone(C durability). To compare though, Prosper Day on our roster is currently a SG. He has 88(A-) close/74(C) med/85(B) 3 point ratings. Given that, we could expect Porter to come in with a 3 point rating of at least 86, with better speed/quickness than Day. With our top 10 players all returning next year its seeming impossible to land a complete player willing to wait a year to see the court. Porter seems like a perfect option to sit out a year and then come in as a huge 3 point threat off the bench after we graduate so many players next year.

We'll know after our next two games if Duke or Seton Hall comes in with an offer. If they don't, he is a lock to come to FSU.

[Radii]

February 24, 2022

Boston College (13-10, 5-8 ACC) at #15 Florida State (18-6, 7-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|BC
OVR: 91|88
OFF: 90|88
DEF: 90|87
SHT: 91|91
REB: 94|85
COA: 88|92

It was less than a month ago that we lost on the road to Boston College, starting a bad slide that took us the rest of the month to recover from. With the big downswing and recent huge recovery, it seems like the BC game was way longer ago than that.

This is a revenge game, pure and simple. They opened the last game on a 7-0 run and led all 40 minutes, the closest we ever got it was 6. This was one of those games where I ended up annoyed that the worst player on the floor(SF hilton Hart) scored 27 points and dominated everyone all game. Hopefully we can prevent that today. Alloway put up a career high in the first meeting, 32 points, but had no help at all.

Scouting

PG Regis Clarke – JR – 81 OVR – a natural PG – 89 speed/83 quickness. 84 defense/79 steals. 88 close/74 med/77 3/79 off the dribble. A good scorer who becomes great if he can get near the rim. He's only 6'0” though so that's going to be tough hopefully. 7.4 ppg.

SG Duane Bowden – SO – 80 OVR – 93 speed/81 quickness, a natural PG. 86 defense/85 steals. 81 close/76 med/81 3/78 off the dribble. Not bad at all but not much else to go with it. Average leaping/hustle, average awareness, and he's only 5'11”. 8.8 ppg.

SF Hilton Hart – JR – 77 OVR – A 6'7” natural SF – 83 speed/75 quickness. 77 defense. 85 close/72 med/66 3/81 in traffic. With his quickness and defense, Barrett should have a pretty big edge over him if he can get one on one on the wing. 2.8 ppg, not a huge threat on either end. This means he's going to score 20 of course.

PF Izik Dawson – JR – 82 OVR – 77 orb/83 drb. 72 post off/74 post def. 91 close/89 in trafic. 72 str is good but not great. Very good awareness, 82 on defense/74 offense. Not quite coach on the floor but good. 6'9” PF – 10.8 ppg/6.0 rpg. We have an edge here against his poor post ratings. He is a good shot blocker though(75/B).

C Sidiki Sarchet – JR – 81 OVR – 6'8” natural PF. 86 orb/83 drb. 79 post off/75 post def. 91 close/87 in traffic. 65 str, low for a big man. He can step out and shoot the 3, 76 3 point rating. 9.8 ppg/5.8 rpg

Big news here is that 87 rated PG Andy Garner, by far BC's higest rated player, has a strained achilles and is OUT for the game. Clarke moves to PG and Bowden starts at SG in his place.
<table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <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%"> 17:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> We call an early timeout to avoid a held ball situation. Good start today though, no falling behind 7-0 like the first meeting. Also, Hart missed his first 3, good sign for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders in for McCants, the other starters are good for another minute or more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> A little longer than I intended to keep the starters in for, but without the clock stopping we end up having to call a timeout to get the backups in. Forte leads us with 5, balanced scoring for the most part. Sarchet has 7 for them including a 3, he's got a good 3 point shot for a big man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We've drawn 7 fouls now, shooting fTs the rest of the half. Only a backup guard has 2 for htem so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> The backups build a 7 point lead and then blow it, allowing BC to come tie it back up. Mayer and Sanders are the only backups able to score that time around. I get my 3^rd timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We're on a 7-0 run and looking pretty good. We've drawn 11 fouls on the half now and a couple of their guys are sitting with 2, Sarchet, their leading scorer being most noteworthy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 and we cannot score in the final 2 ½ minutes. Its mainly our success attacking the rim and getting fouls that is giving us our lead. Defense is good too, we're shooting only 40% from the field, BC just 35%.


They're led by SG Bowden with 9, all 3 pointers, all wide open off a screen or just with sloppy defense really. Sarchet has 7. McCants leads us with 8, Sneed 6. Sanders also has 6. In our last meeting with these guys, Sneed had 2 and McCants 6 the entire game,so its real nice to see our big men more involved.


Sarchet is their only starter with 2 fouls, two backups also have 2. Every other starter has 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed has 12 now and seems to be heating up for us. He's our only player in double figures, Alloway is 1-5 and Barrett just 1-1, we have no transition game against these guys today, they are doing an outstanding job getting back, its all half court. Sarchet 13, Bowden 11 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Sneed and McCants both have double doubles already, but we're struggling to score in the half court set often enough with our guards struggling to score.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We are struggling mightily to score, but luckily so are they We have baskets from Ozier and Sanders, but Sanders has missed a couple good looks as well, and Mayer misses a wide open 3. I'm thrilled to still have a 5 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah, seconds after unpausing after talking about how much we're struggling, McClurkin hits an open 3 from the right corner. Two trips later Mayer drains a 3 and we lead by 11. Timeout BC. Starters back in soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, sooner than I figured, the starters are back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> We each score on our first two trips, 59-50 lead, our ball, McCants misses a shot on our end, Hart hits a 3 on their end and its a 6 point game. McCants and Sneed each have a bucket, Alloway and Forte both have missed open looks and are just having godawful days.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> We're quite lucky to be up 6 still, Alloway with a turnover, they miss a wide open 3. Forte misses a 3 on our end, they miss a... mildly contested(at best) 3. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed misses a turnaround real close to the rim, they miss another 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh. Alloway misses a mid-range jumper, they rush a 3 again, and miss. If we were behind this would be really embarrassing, but since we're ahead, we're going to call it a great job running out the clock and playing defense. ;)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> There we go, Forte comes up with the shot that ices it(although a 6 point lead the way we'd been scoring it felt over already).
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They break their long scoreless streak as well but its way too late.

#15 Florida State 62
Boston College 55

They are led with 15 from Sarchet and 11 from Bowden, but its defense(and poor shooting) that rules the day. Hart, after putting up 27 on us the first game, only scores 7, going 1-9 from 3. They shoot 20-56 as a team. We aren't a whole lot better, 22-55 from the field, only getting 1 point from the line in the 2^nd half after 12 in the first.

Forte: 8 points
Alloway: 3 points
Barrett: 6 points
Sneed: 14 points/12 boards
McCants: 12 points/12 boards

Sanders: 8 points/9 boards

With all those missed shots there were lots of rebounds to be had.

[Radii]

February 26, 2022

#15 Florida State (19-6, 8-5 ACC) at Wake Forest (17-9, 8-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|WF
OVR: 91|86
OFF: 90|86
DEF: 90|85
SHT: 91|92
REB: 94|92
COA: 88|78

This game has a lot more meaning than I would have thought looking at the ratings earlier in the year. Of the top 7 teams in the ACC right now, Wake is the only one with an OVR team roster strength under 90. Their 86 rating is worse than NC State and Boston College who have turned out to be squarely in the bottom half of the league, so Wake is definitely the surprise team this year.

We could still mathematically finish anywhere from 1^st to 8^th, so beating a team that we're tied with in Wake is important. In our first meeting in early February, we got out to an early 10 point lead and led by 10-15 basically the entire way, winning 89-80.

Scouting

PG Kris Bosley – SR – 80 OVR – 92 speed/84 quickness. 84 defense/85 steals. 83 hands/73 passing, both C rated, not much of a ball handler or distributor. 85 clsoe/85 med/79 3/82 off the dribble. Bosley is their leading scorer, 14.5 ppg this year.

SG Prosper Bland – SR – 84 OVR – 93 speed/86 quickness. 84 defense/77 steals. 88 close/78 med/87 3, a lights out 3 point shooter. 84 off the dribble/83 in traffic. Great leaper and hustler, terrible strength which will hopefully hurt his driving ability. 11.4 ppg this year

SF Lazare Hall – SR – 84 OVR – a 6'3” SG – 92 speed/82 quickness. 80 defense/68 steals. 82 close/87 med/79 3/87 off the dribble/83 in traffic. A good scorer from anywhere, can create his own shot and take it inside. His ball handling is weak and his defense is poor for a SG at this level. 12.1 ppg.

PF Floyd Callans – SO – 76 OVR – a 6'7” SF – 62 orb/73 drb. 71 post off/77 post def. 84 close/81 in traffic. Not much of an athlete or a shooter in general. Callans can play some defense but that seems his only ability. 6.5 ppg/2.5 rpg.

C Jeffrey Eldridge – JR – 78 OVR – 82 orb/88 drb. 80 post off/70 post def. 90 close/86 in traffic. Good athlete, 78 str to go with A- vert/B- hustle. 13.4 ppg/5.4 rpg, his post defense looks like a big weakness. He is 6'11” though.

In the first meeting Alloway scored 29, McCants 20. Wake played a 2-3 zone all day and we launched a ton of 3's over it. Eldrige always plays well against us inside.
<table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <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%"> WFU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> The starters stay in a bit too long here, the game was flowing well and I just didn't think to call a timeout. Their PF, Callans, has 9 to lead everyone, a 3 and two dunks on stick mistakes by me helping him out. We have a few guys with 4. Backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake with a timeout, looks like another high scoring game with Wake but we're not looking to run away with this one, at least so far. Their SF, Hall, has 8 to go with 9 from Callans.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> If Mayer could hit open 3's today we'd be up 10, but he can't. Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, they've taken the lead and Sneed has 2 fouls now, but Eldridge just went down with an injury for Wake. Its just an ankle sprain so he'll likely be back, but slowed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with a shot at the buzzer and we go into the locker room with a small lead. This is a game that feels like its going to be decided in the last 2 or 3 minutes.


They get 9 from Callans and 8 from Hall, backup big man Boddie has 6(he scored a bunch in the first meeting this year). They're shooting about 55% from the floor, 3-7 from 3.


We're at 50%, and we have slight foul trouble with Barrett and Sneed 2 fouls each. Forte and Alloway both have 9, Forte 3 3's, Alloway mainly from driving to the hoop, but he does have 1 three as well. We're 5-12 from 3, Mayer is 0-4 heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with his 3^rd, he isn't doing a lot this game except play defense, we'll take our chances with him, if he gets his 4^th he'll sit til the last 5 minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Back to back 3's by Alloway and Forte and all of a sudden we turn a 1 point game into a 7 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, 3 point play Wake,and McCants picks up his 3^rd foul as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> I go ahead and sit my 3 foul guys, Mayer in for Barrett and Sanders in for McCants. Mayer instead of Ozier since Mayer can shoot the 3. Ozier is going to be totally worthless on offense against a 2-3 zone.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. They'd cut it back down to 2, we get 5 straight to push the lead back up a bit again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Wake. I think Sanders has our last 9 in a row,starting with a 3 point play, then 6 straight in the paint. He's got 13 total, 2^nd only to Alloway's 14.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Mayer with our next 5, including his 1^st three of the game(keep shooting every time you touch the ball and eventually one will fall!). Starters are ready to go and are back in to finish the game off.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, mainly to rest my guys so they'll be ok going 8+ minutes to close the game. Alloway up to 16 to lead us now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> And this timeout is to kill the 6^th man boost they got from making a 3, getting a stop and getting an offensive board(drawing a foul/making 1-2 from the line for 4 points).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a huge 3 to push the lead back up and end their little run. Timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Wake. Sneed hits 1 of 2 at the line and Forte a drive to the basket for an easy 2. They got a 3. Its only 6 but we feel like we're solidly in control here. That could obviously change but our last few offensive trips have been smooth.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> Well alloway picks up his 4^th foul which gives them 2 free points and doesn't help any.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> They commit a stupid reach in on McCants, their 7^th. We're already over 10 fouls this half, so both teams are at the line any foul the rest of the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> We force a miss, Alloway with a layup on the other end. We force another miss, Barrett is fouled going to the hoop and hits two free throws and it appears that we're about to put it away.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> They manage a basket, but we run 25 seconds or so off the clock and get a 15 footer from Sneed.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We put it away easily in the final minute.

#15 Florida State 84
Wake Forest 71

A strong second half and a very strong finish on the road gets us to 20 wins on the season and to 9-5 in ACC play, guaranteeing us a winning conference record. Though we hope not to find out, this probably clinches us a tournament bid even if we lose out the rest of the way.

They get 14 from SG Bland, 14 from SF Hall and 10 from PF Callans. No one was really hot for them at any point, they had balanced scoring and no real go to guy.

Forte: 17 points/7 assists (6-10, 5-8 from 3)
Alloway: 18 points (7-9, 2-3 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points/3 assists
Sneed: 9 points/6 boards
McCants: 4 points/8 boards

Sanders: 13 points
Mayer: 7 points (3-10, 1-8 from 3)

Mayer was horrible and McCants struggled the few times he got the ball(1-4 from the field) but the rest of our offense was very solid and efficient. We end up shooting about 57% from the field on the game, including 10-22 from 3.

[Radii]

We are the only team to offer SG Theo Porter a scholarship as the recruiting window closes until the offseason. We have him at 100%, though we're only 2nd on his list, Duke is first. Still, 100% with the only scholarship offer I think means we are a lock to land him. He is the #67 OVR recruit/#21 SG. Though he will almost certainly redshirt next year, I am excited about him nonetheless, I love sharpshooting guards.

Heading into the last week of the regular season, we jump up 2 spots in the polls:

1. North Carolina
2. Louisville
3. Kansas
4. Texas A&M
5. Vanderbilt
...
10. Georgia Tech
13. Florida State
21. Ohio
22. Maryland
23. Clemson


Clemson is struggling a lot given the amount of talent they have. Updated ACC Standings:

1. North Carolina 11-3
2. Georgia Tech 10-4
3. Florida State 9-5
4. Maryland 9-5
5. Clemson 9-6
6. Wake Forest 8-6
7. Virginia Tech 6-8
8. NC State 6-8
9. Duke 5-9
10. Boston College 5-10
11. Virginia 4-10
12. Miami 3-11

3rd is ours to lose, and we would win a tiebreaker over Tech if we both finished with the same record. We can't earn the 1 seed, even if UNC loses its last two they'll have the better overall record. And UNC probably isn't losing their last two anyway.

Wow, after losing to us, Georgia Tech went and lost to Boston college. They've recovered, beating #1 UNC 112-86, and then barely beating Clemson at Littlejohn. Solid stretch for them.


We have moved up to a 3 seed in the latest Bracketology. Georgia Tech is a 3 as well. UNC still a 1 obviously. Clemson is all the way down to a 7.


Our final two games:

at NC State - we blew them out 73-47 in Tallahassee back in December in the early conference game. But they are rated 89 OVR and have some talent. They're also 15-13 and not even on the bubble, they need a hell of a run to make the tournament.

vs #23 Clemson - We played them great for a half in littlejohn, then they destroyed us in the 2nd half. I'm looking forward to a rematch at home. With all the teams bunched up in the standings, there will almost certainly be ACC Tournament seeding on the line for both teams in this game.

[Radii]

March 1, 2022

#13 Florida State (20-6, 9-5 ACC) at NC State (15-13, 6-8 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|NCSU
OVR: 91|89
OFF: 90|89
DEF: 90|87
SHT: 91|95
REB: 94|90
COA: 88|93

We destroyed the Wolfpack in our fist meeting, winning by 27 and simming the rest of the game before halftime. They've beena higlhly talented team that has underachieved in recent years. They're rebuilding a little this year but still seem to be playing a bit below their ratings.

Scouting

PG Jairus Drabyn – JR – 79 OVR – 91 speed/88 quickness. 84 defense/72 steals. 84 hands/86 passing. 79 close/73 med/82 3/80 off the dribble. Poor awareness, a good but not great player. 7.8 ppg.

SG Danko Walls – FR – 79 OVR – 83 speed/81 quickness. 83 defense/68 steals. 84 close/81 med/82 3/79 off the dibble. Average athlete at best. He's scoring quite a bit for a freshman, 13.1 ppg. Walls was the #15 recruit in the land last year.

SF Kabir Cotton – SR – 86 OVR – Heh I remember this guy last year, he scored 22 against us off the bench and was a nightmare matchup. Cotton is a 6'10” natural SF with guard speed and ball handling... 87 speed/90 quickness. 84 handling. 83 defense/73 steals. 89 close/68 med/85 3/88 in traffic. 10.9 ppg/5.4 rpg

PF Cassiano Hunter – SO – 79 OVR – 87 orb/77 drb. 87 post off/73 post def. 88 close/83 in traffic. Good athlete (A- vert/B str/B+ hustle). 3.9 ppg for this 6'10” PF

C Donnell Dixon – SR – 82 OVR – 6'6” natural PF – 86 orb/81 drb. 85 post off/71 post def. 87 close/77 med/78 3/85 in traffic. 11.6 ppg/5.2 rpg. Small but can score. He's a pretty poor defender though so hopefully that works nicely for us. Good athlete, 75 vert/77 str/92 hustle (A-/B+/A-).

They have an 85 rated SF that comes off the bench behind Cotton, otherwise they have a bunch of guys that are all slightly worse than the level of talent we put on the floor. Hopefully we can have the same success in Raleigh that we did earlier at home. Alloway was on his way to a great game(16 first half points) when I simmed it out.

<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%"> 15:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> We go to sneed out first two trips, he's got a 6'10 defender behind him and misses his first two shots. NC State scores the first 7 of the game as a result. We have since corrected this problem. McCants has a massive edge over his 6'6” defender, hitting two shots in the post, and getting 3 rebounds and feeding barrett/alloway with outlet passes leading to fast break buckets. NC State Timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett continues to attack in transition and draws the 2^nd foul on the larger, less agile Cotton. NC State calls another timeout, we're on a 16-2 run now after the first 2 ½ minutes.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Ahh, its kryptonite. I'm so glad other teams don't actively scout and say “hey when Florida State faces a 2-3 zone, they suck” NC State switches to a 2-3 zone for a bit and we begin to suck. The backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin hits two threes for our only backup points so far. Sanders is 0-3, doing very poorly inside. NC State calls their third timeout after the latest 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. Looks like this won't be that easy after all. NC State led 25-24 before Mayer hit a 3. I get a timeout to get McCants fully rested as he returns.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed and McCants get multiple looks inside and are just totally bricking everything. I get a timeout as they take a 5 point lead.
</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 this is a much different Wolfpack team than came to Tallahassee back in December. They shoot 50% and hold us to an abysmal 35%. Backup PG Munns score 11 for them, and PG Drabyn scores 8. Cotton only plays 5 minutes w/ his two fouls and has yet to score.


McCants leads us with 8, Barrett and Alloway have 7 each, McClurkin 6. Alloway is 1-4 from 3 and 3-7 overall. Barrett is 1-3 but has taken 5 free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants picks up fouls 2 and 3, and is tiring faster than everyone, so he sits, Sanders is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Not a single starter is shooting 50% or better from the floor. Alloway at 4/10 is as close as it gets.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Two threes in a row by the wolfpack and they get a 6^th man boost, we get a timeout, trailing by double figures.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we get hot from 3, McClurkin hits 2 more and Mayer hits 1 more. In fact, that's all the backup scoring we get in both halfs. 4 3's from McClurkin, 2 from Mayer. Sanders is a terrible 0-6 from the floor. And NC State answers with 3's any time we hit one here to keep an 8 point lead. I get a timeout and get the starters back in. We need to make a run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> There's a run, Barrett and Alloway get us going quickly and our defense pulls off a few stops. NC State calls a timeout and we're just down a possession now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> We get two straight steals, Barrett can't tie it up the first time, but McCants with a layup to tie it after the second steal.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> A miss by the pack and a drive by Barrett and we take the lead!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> The Pack aren't folding, they hit two straight 3's, get a 6^th man boost and are back up 4 with just over 2 minutes left. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte goes off a screen and hits a 3 and we're just down 1!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> A miss by the pack, and Sneed with a layin coming through the lane on the secondary break. Back in front!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> And NC State goes into the post and takes the lead back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed kicks it out to Forte and he misses an open 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside to their giant SF Cotton and he hits a hook shot. I call a timeout, we trail by 3 with 25 seconds left. We have two fouls to give which comes into play if we can't tie it up, it'll take a few seconds to foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway drives to the rim, hes too well covered for a 3, he gets by his man and hits a layup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:11.6
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> We foul their rookie SG, Walls with our 7^th foul. He makes the first... misses the second! We can tie with a two, win with a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett gets the ball one on one against Cotton, drives and hits a runner over him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> OT
</td> <td width="10%"> 76
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> They throw a long pass towards the paint, we tip it and it falls to the ground, Dixon picks it up and gets off a shot that goes in, but its just after the buzzer. OVERTIME!


I get my backups in, starters are tired going into the OT. We had used all our timeouts so we just have one so we'll stall out until the 3 minute mark and get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 76
</td> <td width="68%"> We stall our first possession and Sanders is up to 0/7 from the floor. We force a miss, run the clock down again, Sanders hits a really tough turnaround from about 14 feet out for his first points of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3, we get it over half court and call our timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a putback after a Barrett miss, but we committ a foul and they make two free throws and take the lead right back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> A miss by Barrett going to the basket on our end and a jumper by PF Hunter on their end... 3 point deficit, 6^th man boost for NC State and we're out of timeouts.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses an open 3 and they go inside to go up 5 and it feels like its slipping away. Alloway gives us a chance with an open 3. Down 2, their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> We get what we need, a solid defensive possession, forcing a really tough shot and boarding the miss. We've got the ball, shot clock off, down 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, they set up in their zone so I just get Forte a good look at a 3. He misses, we foul and they make two free throws.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Forte hits a 3 but its too late.

NC State 90
#13 Florida State 86
OT

Well, definitely a different NC State team, and a tough road contest that we weren't able to stop them when it counted.

Their PG Drabyn leads them with 18 points, 5-7 from the floor and 7-8 at the line. Backup SF Mihailovic(the 85 rated guy that probably should start somewhere) with 14.

Forte: 13 points
Alloway: 18 points
Barrett: 15 points
Sneed: 6 points/8 boards
McCants: 14 points/15 boards

McClurkin: 12 points
Mayer: 6 points

McCants was good for us, 7-10 but it was in large part loose balls and putbacks. Forte went 4-14, Alloway 7-16, Barrett 3-8, Sneed 3-9. Sanders off the bench was 1-7, he's been so consistent, that was just way off for him.

[Radii]

This loss gives a lot of added meaning to our finale hosting Clemson.

1. Georgia Tech 12-4
2. North Carolina 11-4
3. Maryland 10-6
4. Florida State 9-6
5. Clemson 9-6
6. Wake Forest 8-7

We win all tiebreakers based on our overall record. If we beat Clemson, we're the 3 seed, Maryland 4, Clemson 5, Wake Forest 6 (or worse, Wake could finish 8-8 and potentially drop to 7th).

if Clemson beats us, Maryland is the 3 seed, Clemson 4, Florida State 5.


A huge game for sure. A win gets us a first round bye in the ACC Tournament and a likely quarterfinal matchup against Wake Forest or Virginia Tech, two teams we have played well this year.

A loss and we have to play in the first round, and would have to face a 94 rated Clemson team that would have swept us in the quarterfinals. Big big distinction. If we'd beaten NC State we'd have locked up the 3 seed no matter what.

[Radii]

March 5, 2022

#23 Clemson (17-9, 9-6 ACC) at #13 Florida State (20-7, 9-6 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|CU
OVR: 91|94
OFF: 90|93
DEF: 90|93
SHT: 91|97
REB: 94|92
COA: 88|93

Maybe this can be a reverse of the NC State situation. We killed NC State at home but lost at their place. Clemson embarrassed us in Littlejohn but perhaps we can get a win on our home court. Freshman Darren Bookout hurt us badly in the first meeting, going 5-7 from 3 and scoring 23. But he's not their first option and hopefully we keep him cooled off today.

Scouting

PG Lewis Gamble – SR – 86 OVR – 92 speed/89 quickness. 92 defense/73 steals. 92 hands/87 passing, a solid PG, solid defender, very fast. 89 close/79 med/81 from 3/87 off the dribble. 80 defensive awareness. 14.2 ppg/4.2 apg

SG Darren Bookout – FR – 83 OVR – 89 speed/85 quickness. 91 defense/83 steals, amazing for a freshman. 89 close/80 med/79 3/89 in traffic. His shooting tendencies are weak so he won't shoot unless wide open most likely. 5.7 ppg but killed us in the first meeting.

SF WM Lalugba – SR – 89 OVR – 6'5” SF – 86 speed/89 quickness. 81 defense/82 steals. 88 close/89 med/76 3/87 in traffic. Solid awareness, 80 on offense/72 defense. 96(A+) vertical, 92 rated dunker. 15.7 ppg/6.2 rpg

PF Jim Vitelli – JR – 89 OVR – 6'9” PF – 92 orb/87 drb. 83 post off/85 post def. 82 blocks (B+), 80 steals(A-). 85 close/78 med/72 3/93 in traffic...84 off the dribble heh. Coach on the floor, 83 off/80 def awareness. 83 vert/81 str/78 hustle, a solid athlete. 9.1 ppg/4.9 rpg

C Joaquim Tchuisi – SR – 82 OVR – 6'10” PF – 91 orb/85 drb. 78 post off/76 post def. 94 close/92 in traffic. 4.1 ppg/4.1 rpg

Backup SF Vidal Dalida is 6'7” and rated 86 OVR, better than anyone on our team, and he doesn't even Start for clemson. He can score from anywhere, has the speed of a guard and scores more than 9 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%"> CU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Its worse than it looks. We have forced two turnovers, and Barrett has a 3 point play and a layup off those two turnovers. We don't have a single point out of our half court offense yet. Alloway is 0-4 from 3, Forte 0-2, Barrett with a turnover, Sneed and McCants are having trouble setitng up and scoring inside against Clemson's 2-3 zone.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants hits two straight turnarounds in the half court set to salvage a little offense, we trail by 5 as we call a timeout to get our backups in the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier draws a foul but comes down injured. Reserve SG Gunn comes in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin and Mayer both hit 3 pointers while Gunn gets two at the line after coming in for Ozier, why aren't Alloway and Forte doing this for the starters!? Clemson with a timeout as they lose the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin has really become a strong 3 point shooter of late, he hits another and we take a 6 point lead. Clemson timeout, starters come back in, hopefully they are capable of scoring now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> We are just tearing it up at the moment, Alloway gets a layup and Sneed two good looks inside, we get a 6^th man boost going and clemson calls another timeout. We're on a 16-2 run here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> We go cold after that last timeout and Clemson slowly puts up 8 points straight to cut it to 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, Clemson ends the half on a 14-2 run and ties it right back up. We shoot 12-31 on the half, 3-14 from 3, trying to shoot over their zone with normally solid 3 point shooters, Alloway is a ridiculously bad 0-7 from 3. Forte is 0-3. McClurkin is 2-3, Mayer 1-1 off the bench.


McClurkin and McCants lead us with 6, Barrett 5, Sneed 4. We need our guards to hit shots to win. Clemson is 14-28, 0-4 from 3. Their big men, Vitelli and Tchuisi both have 6, and a number of others have 4 for them. Shoot better and we win.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Still tied up as its time to get the backups in. Neither team has led by more than 2 this half so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Neither team scores til the 8:30 mark, they get 4 straight and we get Millar out on a breakaway for a dunk. Timeout Clemson. Starters aren't quite ready yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> A defensive block and then rebound of a miss give us a 6^th man bonus. Mayer draws a foul in transition and hits one of two. We get the offensive board, kick it out and call a timeout to get the starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway hits a 3 and is up to 10 points but can't seem to catch fire here, unable to make 2 in a row. We have a 1 point lead with 4 left though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with a rare 3 and we go up 4, timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Bookout hits a 3 for Clemson, back to 1, he just has 9 today though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Each team misses once then Barrett gets out on the break for a layup. Clemson with another missed jumper and we have the ball up 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses a jumper. They go inside for a bucket in the post, 1 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. Turnover trying to feed the post, its Clemson's ball. There's a small difference in the shot clock and game clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:29
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Bookout misses a jumper, Sneed with the board! They foul, their 7^th. Sneed hits the first, and the second! Clemson ball down 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:17
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Gamble misses a 3 for them, McCants rebound! They foul, and he sinks the big first free throw. Second is good as well!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a 3 but get the board and putback. I get the ball inbounds to Sneed, my best free throw shooter who isn't Barrett. He ices the game at the line.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
BIG big big win!

#13 Florida State 62
#23 Clemson 57

They get 10 from PG Gamble and 10 from their center Tchuisi. But Bookout shoots 4-15, 1-6 from 3 and their backup guards are pretty awful from the field as well. Alloway was horrible for us too but we had stronger production inside.

Forte: 0 points
Alloway: 10 points/3 assists/2 steals
Barrett: 12 points
Sneed: 12 points/7 boards
McCants: 12 points/13 boards

McClurkin: 6 points

We weren't great by any stretch, poor shooting in many places. Sneed only hit double figures icing the game from the line, Barrett was good when he could get on the break which was rare. Such a critical game against a good team though, a great win to close out the regular season.

[Radii]

Final regular season poll:

1. North Carolina
2. Vanderbilt
3. Nevada
4. Kansas
5. California
...
8. Georgia Tech
15. Florida State
25. Maryland

Clemson falls out of the poll with a weak finish.

Final ACC Standings

1. North Carolina 12-4 (27-5)
2. Georgia Tech 12-4 (24-8)
3. Florida State 10-6 (21-7)
4. Maryland 10-6 (20-8)
5. Clemson 9-7 (17-10)
6. Virginia Tech 8-8 (22-11)
7. Wake Forest 8-8 (17-12)
8. NC State 8-8 (17-13)
9. Duke 6-10 (15-13)
10. Boston College 5-11 (13-13)
11. Virginia 5-11 (15-18)
12. Miami 3-13 (12-18)


A very solid 3rd place finish given the talent that exists in this league. There are only two teams in the league we haven't beaten this year... UNC and Maryland and we wouldn't see either of them til the ACC Finals.


Bracketology going into tournament week:

1. UNC
2. Georgia Tech
4. Florida State
6. Maryland
8. Clemson
9. Ohio
10. Virginia Tech
12. NC State


Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and NC State are on the bubble. Wake Forest had been in until the last couple games, and NC State has won their last 3 games, including wins over us, and UNC, to push their way into the tournament picture.

[Radii]

ACC First Round

9. Duke 73
8. NC State 68

5. Clemson 91
12. Miami 65

6. Virginia Tech 93
11. Virginia 71

10. Boston College 77
7. Wake Forest 57


ACC Quarterfinals

1. North Carolina
9. Duke

4. Maryland
5. Clemson

3. Florida State
6. Virginia Tech

2. Georgia Tech
10. Boston College


And Wake and NC State may have just played their way right into the NIT. The seeds don't change in bracketology for any of the teams that won, but NC State is still on the bubble but not in the tournament anymore according to the latest projection.

[Radii]

March 11, 2022 – ACC Quarterfinals

(3) #15 Florida State (21-7, 10-6 ACC) vs (6) Virginia Tech (23-11, 8-8 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 92|92
OFF: 91|93
DEF: 91|90
SHT: 92|96
REB: 94|90
COA: 88|93

We gain a point to our overall roster strength, up to 92 OVR. Va Tech is up to 92 OVR as well, a gain since we last played them. We beat the hokies at home earlier in the year 83-77 in a game that neither team ever led by double digits in, each of us had 8 point leads at one time or another.

Scouting

PG Melvin Bright – JR – 85 OVR – 91 speed/89 quickness. 83 defense/72 steals. 86 hands/91 passing, a solid PG. 84 close/82 med/88 3/82 off the dribble, a great shooter from all over. Good awareness, decent athlete. Bright was a backup to the best rated PG in the league the last two years. Just 6.3 ppg/3.1 apg.

SG Jarred Warzynski – SR – 87 OVR – 93 speed/84 quickness. 82 defense/80 steals. 87 close/75 med/76 3/82 off the dribble. 94/A hustle. Good but not great for these key ratings, a fine overall player though. Coach on the floor helps him, 78 off awareness/84 defensive awareness. He is putting up 15.3 ppg this year, I probably am too quick to say “this looks good but not that great” :D

SF Cameron Aguko – FR – 78 OVR – 6'8” natural SF – 85 speed/84 quickness, incredible for a SF. 82 defense/72 steals/68 blocks, quite good. 87 close/74 med/69 3/79 in traffic. 9.1 ppg, looks great for a true freshman, he was the #91 recruit last year and looks like he'll be very very good.

PF Lex Beeler – JR – 85 OVR – 6'9” PF – 82 orb/77 drb. 89 post off/72 post def. 96 close/85 in traffic. Also coach on the floor level numbers, 81 off/84 def awareness. He looks like a beast on offense but his defense leaves a little to be desired. 13.2 ppg/4.0 rpg

C Tommie Graves – SO – 84 OVR – 6'10” natural center. 89 orb/80 drb. 87 post off/89 post def. 90 close/86 in traffic. He has incredible post skills, very impressive. B+ strength(77) and good awareness. 8.1 ppg/5.3 rpg.

In our first meeting Warzynski put up 25 points and had a great day from all over Bright and Beeler had double figures. We had very balanced scoring all over, actually led by 16 from McClurkin, Alloway was cold in this one.
<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%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Back and forth so far, we get the backups in as the clock has rarely stopped and no one has called any timeouts yet. McCants has 5 for us, just 1-3 from the field though, 3 at the the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> They went up as much as 4, 2 is our biggest lead so far. The starters are back in. McClurkin led the backups with 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a 6^th man boost from a 3 pointer in the corner by Alloway, and Va Tech takes a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> We get out on the break a little, Barrett now leads us with 7, and we go ahead by 7, timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants and Forte both have 2 fouls now, and we've got 9 as a team, have to be careful there. Va Tech has also committed 9 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 38
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a stupid reach in for his 3^rd. Sanders gets some extra PT today.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett draws a foul and comes down hard, picking up an injury. Ozier, who is injured already, comes in for him. We'll check the injury at the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> A spectacular finish to the half, they turn the ball over, Sneed goes in for a dunk and gets fouled. He misses the 3 point play try but we get the board and Ozier draws a foul with just a few seconds left in the half, hitting two more to put us up 14!


Beeler leads them with 6, Bright and Ravello(backup PF) have 5. Warzynski is 0-6, 0-4 from 3 and is scoreless in 15 minutes of action. They shoot a horrible 10-29 from the floor, making up for it a little with 7 free throws in 12 tries there.


Alloway leads us with 10, 2-4 from 3 which is nice to see. Barrett has 9, Ozier 7 off the bench, Sneed 6, McCants 5. We're in great shape to advance.


Barrett has a knee injury, 8 days, I'm not sure its going to keep him out or just slow him down. He's not available to come back in right now though so Ozier starts the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Great start to the 2^nd half. Alloway gets out on the break after some missed 3s, he's up to 17 now and is playing great. Timeout Hokies as we run our lead up to 19!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> A forte 3 puts us up 21 and Va Tech gets another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Barrett is available now but we'll let him rest and not aggravate his injury. Gunn is in at backup SG.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We lead by 20 with 9 minutes to go and we're done here.

#15 Florida State 79
Virginia Tech 63

Forte: 9 points
Alloway: 20 points
Barrett: 11 points
Sneed: 8 points/10 boards
McCants: 7 points/10 boards

Ozier: 9 points
McClurkin: 9 points

We shoot 39 free throws today, making 32. Va Tech shoots 29 but only makes 17. Solid win in the quarters!

[Radii]

ACC Quarterfinals

1. North Carolina 79
9. Duke 69

4. Maryland 73
5. Clemson 59

3. Florida state 79
6. Virginia Tech 63

2. Georgia Tech 89
10. Boston College 71


ACC Semifinals

1. North Carolina
4. Maryland

2. Georgia Tech
3. Florida State


Georgia Tech beat us by 9 at our house and we won by 5 at their place. This should bean exciting semifinal matchup.


Barret shows up as uninjured, I have no idea how that works, the in game reports often don't match what is seen on the main injury screen elsewhere. Ozier has a pulled quad and is slowed for 8 days.

[Radii]

woohoo, milestone. I didn't notice at the time, and its not a coaching point milestone, but the ACC Quarterfinal win over Virginia Tech was the 300th win of my college career. I have a 300-164 record now.

[Radii]

March 12, 2022 – ACC Semifinals

(3) #15 Florida State (22-7, 10-6 ACC) vs (2) #8 Georgia Tech (25-8, 12-4 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 92|94
OFF: 91|94
DEF: 91|92
SHT: 92|98
REB: 94|97
COA: 88|96

I'm sure that a UNC/Georgia Tech ACC Final is the matchup most ACC fans want to see, but we played two outstanding games against Georgia Tech and this is a pretty exciting matchup in the semifinals. The latest bracketology still lists the Seminoles as a 4 seed, but we believe we can play our way up into a 3 seed if we have a good showing here.

January 16 – We play a great first half in Tallahassee, leading 34-32, Tech immediately goes ahead to start the second half, its a 1 point game around the 10 minute mark and we actually lead with 8:30 to go, but Tech pulls ahead and leads by 10 with 4 left and we cannot come back. Final 75-66 Yellow Jackets. SG Shavies with 23, PF Richards 17. We get 22 from Barrett, 13 from Alloway.

February 10^th – In Atlanta, the first half is similar, we lead 38-34 at halftime. They take the lead early in the second half but we go right back ahead, leading 56-53 at the 11:45 mark, 62-60 at the 6:30 mark and with 4 minutes to go we stretch the lead to 7. They get it down to 1 possession in the final minute but we come through in the clutch and win. 79-74 Seminoles. Their two stars, Shavies and Richards, end up in foul trouble. Barrett gives us a career high 30 and Alloway 14.

Georgia Tech has made a key lineup change since we last played. Junior PG Justin Covington has replaced Senior PG Dainmon Horner in the lineup. Horner isn't injured, Covington has A potential and appears to have simply outdeveloped Horner throughout the year to earn the job.

Scouting

PG Justin Covington – JR – 84 OVR – 94 speed/93 quickness. 88 defense/74 steals. 90 hands/83 passing, an outstanding ball handler. 87 close/80 med/79 3/84 off the dribble. 90 hustle, not a great leaper, average strength. 9.5 ppg/3.3 apg, covington recently took over the starting job.

SG Femi Shavies – SO – 85 OVR – Shavies has a fully matured shooting tendency chart, a surprise for a soph. 87 speed/86 quickness. 80 defense/8 steals. 89 close/78 med/84 3/81 off the dribble. He's going to shoot any time he's open. 17.5 ppg so far this year.

SF Jibran Grizzard – JR – 89 OVR – 6'7” SF – 87 speed/80 quickness – 84 defense/81 steals. 92 close/84 med/78 3/82 off the dribble/92 in traffic. A great ball handler, very good awareness. Somehow he only averages 6.9 per game this year so far.

PF Aly Richards – JR – 88 OVR – 6'8” PF, an elite big man. 88 orb/88 drb. 87 post off/82 post def. 99 close/93 in traffic. Yup, 99. A+. 10.5 ppg/5.0 rpg. Again I dunno how he scores just 11/game.

C Immanuel Bing – JR – 85 OVR – 6'10” PF – 85 orb/85 drb. 84 post off/78 post def. 95 close/89 in traffic. 81 strength, great awareness and athleticism. 9.1 ppg/5.6 rpg.

Tech has 11 guys rated 80+, they are good and deep. PG Horner is rated 83 OVR off the bench, as is SF Louie Costello. Also, they have a freak of nature sitting on the bench in 7'4” Dalron Axton, rated 79 OVR, he'll back up Bing at center. He doesn't score much but its pretty obvious when he's in the game as he's the only guy we ever play that just towers over the 7 foot McCants.

The big mismatch for us is Barrett against their SF Grizzard. Grizzard is fast, and his quickness is nice for a big SF, but Barrett is a natural guard and seems to be able to blow by Grizzard at will, based on his point production in our first two meetings. Look for another 20+ point game from Barrett hopefully.

<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%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed with 5, McCants with 2 on a putback. They're having success inside as well. We've thrown two bad passes leading to layups for the Yellow Jackets early.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> A little scare as Tech goes up 15-7 on an offensive putback by Richards and a 3 by Shavies. We score 4 straight though(alloway burns his man for a layup, Barrett in transition) and only trail 4. Backups are in, and Sneed just picked up his 2^nd foul inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Oof. They hit two free throws on their next possession... McClurkin loses the ball against their press, then throws a bad pass upcourt against their press, leading to a layup and a 3. I call my first timeout down 11. Shavies has 6, Richards 8 for them already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. We get 3 out of Sanders and 2 from Ozier but we are really struggling to score here. Also, turnovers are becoming too big a factor in this game. We have 6 turnovers already, they only have 2. Remember turnovers are low in general in this game, 6 turnovers is 8 or 10 free points for them and totally unacceptable.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Their 7'4 giant comes up with two big blocks and they've doubled us up... I get a timeout to kill off their 6^th man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we score on 4 straight possessions to get up to 25 points, but they match us, scoring 4 straight times as well. Then, we turn the ball over on our final 3 trips of the half, they score on two of those as well, and we trail by 20 going into the locker room. They are shooting 18-26 on the game, and 7-8 at the line. Just not missing. 10 from Shavies, 8 from Covington, Richards and Bing. 6 from Grizzard. All of their starters are involved and none of them are missing much of anything.


We have 7 from Alloway, 7 from Sneed, 4 from McCants. Barrett only has 2 points, after scoring 24 and 30 in our previous two meetings against Tech. I've been trying to feed him on the wing and he can't seem to get free often. The couple times he did a big man was right behind ready to stop him.


Turnovers are the big story. We have 10, they have 2. That is completely unacceptable. If we want to have a prayer of coming back we have to stop turning the ball over and force them to miss some shots so we can get out on the break ourselves.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> HAH. Covington hits a 3 to open the half. Richards blocks Sneed and they're on the run. They run a play, missing a 3, but getting the offensive board and drawing a foul on the putback. First free throw good, second no good. Offensive board, putback attempt is no good, offensive board, putback is good and the foul. 3 point play. WOW what a start. Georgia Tech has brought their 2^nd string in considering the game to be a blowout. We'll make an effort at a comeback against the 2^nd stringers before we give up but remember their 2^nd string is all rated 79+ too heh.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
At the 14 minute mark the lead is still 25, we can't get their reserve squad off the court, and this one is over.

#8 Georgia Tech 90
#15 Florida State 61

Georgia Tech gets revenge in a big, big way for our upset win in Atlanta. Shavies 21, Bing 17, Richards 17, Covington 16.

Forte: 4 points
Alloway: 11 points
Barrett: 7 points
Sneed: 9 points/3 boards
McCants: 10 points/4 boards

Sanders: 7 points

After playing two close games I was surprised to get blown out. It was the early turnovers that did it, giving away way too many free points and digging a big hole.

[Radii]

ACC Semifinals

4. Maryland 98
1. North Carolina 93

2. Georgia Tech 90
3. Florida State 61


ACC Finals

2. Georgia Tech 95
4. Maryland 61



Georgia Tech beats Maryland even worse than they beat us to win the ACC Tournament.

[Radii]

NCAA Selection

We know we're in, which is always comforting. Now its just about seeding, we're likely a 4 or a 5 seed, hopefully a 4. And about matchups, hopefully we get an upstart mid-major in round 2 or something instead of a team like a Clemson who is rated better than us but had a few setbacks.


Wake Forest, NC State and Virginia Tech are all on the bubble.


Vanderbilt is the new #1, UNC falls to #3. Georgia Tech is #5. We are #14.


#1 seeds

EAST: Georgia Tech (!!!) <-- #1 overall.
SOUTH: Vanderbilt
MIDWEST: North Carolina
WEST: Kansas


EAST REGION

1. Georgia Tech

9. Clemson will play 8. Northern Iowa.

The 2 seed here is Texas. Huge ACC Clash in round two potentially between Georgia Tech and Clemson.


SOUTH

1. Vanderbilt


11. Virginia Tech is IN, they'll play the 6 seed Oklahoma State.

2 seed here is Louisville.

3 ACC teams, no Ohio so far in these two regions.


MIDWEST

1. North Carolina

Florida State is the 4 seed in the MIDWEST

We get 13 seeded Memphis. If we win, we get the winner of (5) West Virginia and (12) UNLV.

Clark informs the audience that Florida State does the one thing that all NCAA Champions do, play great team defense.


7. Maryland
10. Ohio

Ohio is 29-3 and rated 90 OVR last I looked.

Cal is the 2 seed here.


WEST

1. Kansas

Nevada has one of the best mid major seasons in history, going 30-1 and earning a 2 seed.



The Big East gets 8 teams in, 6 from the ACC and Big 12. SEC 5, 4 PAC 10. The Big 10 is way down with just 3 teams.

NC State and Wake Forest, as expected, play their way out of the tournament by losing in the first round of the ACC Tournament.



There are a couple interesting storylines with Florida State's draw. West Virginia was the other top school I could have considered coaching when I decided to leave Ohio, they were a top team when Huggins retired and they wanted me. Memphis is one of the teams I find myself rooting against every year in the real world, so it's cool to be playing them. And finally, I cannot seem to distance myself from UNC. Last year we play in the 8/9 game and had to play North Carolina in round 2. If we can manage to win two games this year, we're looking at a likely Sweet 16 matchup with North Carolina.


Finally, ACC Seeding Summary:

1. UNC
1. Georgia Tech
4. Florida State
7. Maryland
9. Clemson
11. Virginia Tech

and of course Ohio is a 10 seed out of the MAC.

[Radii]

Alloway picked up a knock in the simmed part of the game against Georgia Tech. He has a sprained knee and is hobbled for this game. He just shows as hurt for 1 more day so hopefully he will be full strength for our second round game, assuming we win. Ozier is still slowed for two more days as well.

March 18, 2022 – NCAA First Round

(4) Florida State (22-8) vs (13) Memphis (20-11)

TEAM: FSU|UM
OVR: 92|83
OFF: 91|83
DEF: 91|84
SHT: 92|87
REB: 94|85
COA: 88|97

Calipari is still coaching at Memphis, but other than that we look to have a big edge here. Memphis is a team with 1 star and a number of average players. They finished 4^th in CUSA and had to win their conference tournament to get into the dance.

Memphis played a game at Virginia Tech back in november, losing 78-74, and beat a 3 seeded Texas A&M squad 75-47 in January, so they're capable of playing with good teams, we know we can't sleep on them.

Scouting

PG Fred McLeod – FR – 75 OVR – natural SG – 86 speed/79 quickness. 81 defense/84 steals. 80 hands/67 passing, very poor for a PG, just average for a SG. 88 close/72 med/79 3/80 off the dribble. 7.9 ppg/4.3 apg.

SG Osei Akingbade – SR - 78 OVR – Akingbade is a natural SF, also 6'7”. 86 speed/79 quickness. 76 defense/73 steals. 85 close/76 med/67 3/88 in traffic. He only scores 5.9 ppg. Horrible defender. This is an interesting matchup for Alloway.

SF Neill Smith – SR – 85 OVR – Smith is a 6'9” natural SF. 85 speed/83 quickness. 80 defense/71 steals. 89 close/79 med/73 3/89 in traffic. Good awareness, 76 off/83 def, and a good athlete, B vert/B str/B hustle. He's leading Memphis as expected, with 16.6 ppg, also pulling in 6.4 rebounds/game.

PF Vernon West – SR – 75 OVR – 6'8” PF – 75 orb/76 drb. 81 post off/77 post def. 91 close/88 in traffic. Just 69 str so hopefully we can push him around a little. 2^nd leading scorer with 13.1 ppg/5.0 rpg.

C Rhett Valsin – SO – 77 OVR – 6'9” PF – 87 orb/77 drb. 74 post off/71 post def. A good shot blocker, 87 blocks. 89 close/84 in traffic. 79 strength, solid. He averages 11.1 ppg/4.6 rebounds.

The only PG's on the roster are rated 58 and 57 OVR. This is a team we should handle easily. The one great equalizer could be their press. They run a very tight man to man defense after baskets. If they get on a roll we might struggle against that.
<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%"> MEM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Memphis with a ridiculously hot start. They're taking terrible shots, every shot has been from 18-20 feet out, taken by a SF or PF. They've all gone in, 5-5. This won't continue. Alloway, even slowed with his knee hurting, drives right by his man at will, he's done it twice for layups so far, and Forte has a 3 point play.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> I'm going to be annoyed this whole game, I can tell already. They have 3 offensive boards, and two steals with their press. Barrett and Alloway pretty much burn by their men at will, they have 10 of our 13 points. They are shooting 8-12 and have a 6-1 rebound edge. I get at timeout and get my backups in. I emphasize ball control to them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Their star, 85 rated SF Smith, just picked up a stupid reach in foul, his 2^nd, and he sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> After their backup SF Smalls hits an open 3 to put them up 10, I score 4 straight and Memphis calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Memphis brings in their game changer, 58 rated PG Darrall Burks. With his 77 rated defense McClurkin cannot handle the ball, just falling over against him, Burks goes in for a layup. After a couple more misses, Burks fires off 3 straight assists for open 3's by guys with 65 rated 3 point shots, and layups by SF's with close range shooting under 80 going up over Sanders.


I call a timeout as Memphis gets a 6^th man boost and remind my guys that the game has started and that we're supposed to actually be out there trying.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin drives by their PG but loses control of the ball trying to go up amongst their trees. We commit a foul and the starters return to the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Basically the game has decided we aren't winning this one. Their two big men are getting every offensive rebound over our 7 footers, their last 10 points have been layups. Barrett has 10 and Alloway 8, both scoring easily every time they isolate their defenders.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway and Forte each hit open 3's and we get the leaddown to 15. Timeout Memphis.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:58
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway picks up his 3^rd foul. I bring Mayer in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> We turn it over twice in a row to end the half and Memphis takes a 21 point lead into the locker room. Memphis is shooting 24-30. They are 2-7 from 3, so they're 22-23 from inside the 3 point line. Their 58 rated PG has 3 steals and we have 7 turnovers to their 2. Center Valsin has 10 points on 4-4 shooting. Backup SF Smalls has 9 points on 3-3 shooting, 1 3. PF West is 3-3 for 6 points. SG Akinbade is the big story though. He's 1-4 from 3 and 7-7 from 2. 8-11 for 18 points. Mayer is going to be starting the 2^nd half, maybe having a natural SF on Akinbade will make a difference.


We get 12 from Barrett and 11 from Alloway, both driving nearly at will. Alloway has 3 fouls though and I am worried that the mismatch between Alloway and Akibade is working out in their favor. We'll see if Mayer can slow him down just by being bigger.


And we'll basically hope the computer decides that Memphis only got one half to do this and we will be allowed to have a shot in the 2^nd half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Memphis scores the first four of the half and brings out their “reserve squad”. This is unbelievable.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Mayer draws a foul attacking the basket but misses both free throws.. McCants gets the offensive board and lays the ball off the front rim. they only have one STARTER good enough to play for us, and we can't even score against their reserves, fuck that.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Memphis 103
Florida State 58

I guess John Calipari is just a freaking genius, eh?

Forte 11, Alloway 11, Barrett 20. Memphis shoots 68% on the game, we shoot 41%. We end up committing 21 turnovers to their 6 after its simmed out. I had 7 at the half. They outrebound us 41-24. The only player on their roster that would play for us, 85 rated SF smith, played 20 minutes, was in foul trouble in the first half, went 2-6 from the floor and scored 7 total points.

I really don't know what else to say about this one.

[Radii]

I'll finish up the season later on tonight after dinner and after some work. Some more on that game though. We've seen the underdog team come out and play well in games like this before, it happens in the real world as 13 and 14 seeds challenge and occasionally upset higher seeds. Without a true superstar its easy to make the case that we could be a team that is vulnerable at times. There are games where the worst player on the opposition will come up huge through what seems to be just the AI deciding this player is going to play way above his ratings on this day. There is a consistency rating that seems likely to be a factor there as well.

And once it was obvious that Memphis was just ON, I didn't adjust well. The biggest thing that hurt me during play was that i couldn't slow the game down. A team that presses and plays "very tight" pressure, like Memphis did, means that they are dictating the pace of the game all the time. I got called for two 5 second closely guarded violations simply waiting for plays to start, because there was nothing I could do to generate space. So that took me out of my element offensively, but we still scored at will at times. It was just a struggle to start plays and get the offense to flow like I wanted, because with their pressure you're constantly at risk of 5 second calls, constantly having to pass to avoid them, which kills the play that you're trying to get into position for, etc.

Defense, however, I feel like I should try to do more to adjust next time something like this looks like it might happen. They had two big SF's at the 2 and the 3, we had two guards at those spots. Bringing in Ozier and Mayer and trying to force a defensive game might have helped, or at least bringing in Ozier to defend their guy that went off for 18 in the first half. I considered switching to a 2-3 zone but i hate the zone in this game. It was probably warranted here though against a team that didn't have guards.


Anyway, there was definitely some bullshit going on in that game to turn it into the stupid blowout that it became, but it wasn't an impossibility to think that we would be beaten on a neutral court by a well-coached, pressing team if they get hot.

Motivation for all these guys that are going to be seniors for next season.

[Radii]

NCAA Tournament wrapup:

EAST: 11 seeded Arizona beats 5 seed LaSalle to makethe final four
WEST: 2 seed Nevada beats 1 seed Kansas to make the final four
MIDWEST: 1 seed North Carolina beats 3 seed South Carolina to make the final four
SOUTH: 1 seed Vanderbilt beats 6 seed Oklahoma State to make the final four

Arizona beats Nevada 76-69 and we have an 11 seed in the title game.

North Carolina beats Vanderbilt 92-76.

North Carolina puts an end to the cinderella hopes of Arizona, 87-82.

North Carolina wins the national championship.


ACC Results:

1. UNC - National Champions
1. Georgia Tech - Sweet 16
4. Florida State - First round
7. Maryland - First round
9. Clemson - Second Round
11. Virginia Tech - First Round


Underachieving as a league as Georgia Tech and Florida State go out way early based on their seedings, but the ACC brings home the national title,so its a good year for the league as a whole nonetheless.

[Radii]

2022 Graduating Seniors

This is the last group of players leaving that I did not bring to Florida State myself.

C Benjamin Slater - 6'10" 230 lbs - 81 OVR

Slater started 3 games his sophomore year. He was a backup the other 3 years. He played in only 14 games this year as we had 4 big men that I brought in that I preferred.

He averaged 2.3 ppg over his career, his peak being 3.2 ppg as a soph.


SG Jose Gunn - 6'4" 222 lbs - 74 OVR

Gunn played 28 games as a freshman and never more than that. He got some time when I had injuries or foul troubles, and he seemed to always find 5 minutes in simmed games. 1.4 ppg for his career, 1.9 as a freshman was his peak.

[Radii]

2022 Team Stats


Points

SG Damion Alloway - 12.7 ppg
PF Otis Sneed - 11.6 ppg
SG Ike Barrett - 10.7 ppg
PG Damien Forte - 9.1 ppg
C Florentino McCants - 9.0

backup PF Sanders with 7.4 points. 5* freshman SF Roberto Mayer scored 4.7 points. Our other freshman this year, PF Millar, 2.3 ppg/2.5 rpg. Sanders was so good this year I forced it to him a *lot*, Millar will be fine but he was not as ready.


Rebounds

C McCants 8.1
PF Sneed 6.3
PF Sanders 3.0
PF Millar 2.5
SG Barrett 2.3

McCants with 9 points/8.1 boards this year.


Assists

PG Forte 2.9
PG Alloway 2.3
SG Barrett 1.9
PG McClurkin 1.1
PF Sneed 0.9

yea


Field Goal %

SG Barrett 57.6%
C McCants 52.2%
PF Sneed 50.0%
PF Sanders 49.7%
SF Ozier 48.4%

Millar shot 56% as well but didn't even take 2 shots per game so I excluded him. Barrett almost never took jump shots, he drove hard to the basket with great effectiveness, and when he couldn't beat his man passed.


3-point shooting %

PG Forte 36.8%
PG McClurkin 35.7%
SF Mayer 32.8%
PG Alloway 30.8%

Definitely a disappointing drop from last year. Forte and Alloway both shot over 40% from three last year, but both were asked to take a lot more 3's and to shoulder a bigger load on offense with Moye graduating.


Free Throw Shooting %

SG Barrett - 87.4%
PG McClurkin - 83.0%
PF Sanders - 81.3%
SF Ozier - 80.0%
C McCants - 76.6%

Sneed is a 74% free throw shooter, Alloway 73%, Forte 65%. I don't like that my starting PG is my worst free throw shooter, but that's how it is. In late game situations I tried to go to Barrett or Sneed.

[Radii]

I skipped over the awards by accident, I hope I can go back to that(I think I can).


We only lose our two graduating players.

ACC Seniors Drafted

SF WM Lalugba - Clemson - 89 OVR
SG Jerry Colter - Duke - 87 OVR
PG Holland Freedman - UNC - 88 OVR
PF Rene Reid - UNC - 88 OVR
SG Winston Appleby - UNC - 86 OVR
SG Jarred Warzynski - Virginia Tech - 87 OVR


ACC Underclassmen Leaving Early

JR PF Aly Richards - Georgia Tech - 88 OVR
JR SG Phil Atangana - UNC - 91 OVR


UNC loses 4 players to the NBA and 7 total, this was clearly their year.

[Radii]

Coaching Carousel

This is finally the year that Dino Gaudio is let go at Wake Forest. They offer me the job, and I'm maybe *slightly* tempted to go coach in my home state, but I can't leave this team after this result in the ACC and NCAA Tournament, and I cannot leave the chance to coach this senior class next season.

Wisconsin is also available. Those ar ethe only two major conference jobs.

huh, Ohio is available. That's disappointing, did their coach retire? They made the second round of the tournament as a mid-major so surely he didn't get fired.

hah, Dino Gaudio retired. They hire the coach from Long Island. Wisconsin picks up Valparaiso's head coach, and Ohio pulls in the head coach from Mississippi Valley State.


I make no changes to my assistant coaching staff.

[Radii]

2022 Awards

Providence PF Lonnie Sherman is the player of the year, 24.7 ppg/6.7 rpg.

North Carolina's Billy Taylor is coach of the year.

NC State Freshman Danko Walls, SG, 12.8 ppg, is the national freshman of the year.


First Team All-American

PG Aleksandar Wade - Auburn - 87 OVR - 19.9 ppg/4.1 rpg/4.1 apg
SG Demario Famutimi - Ole Miss - 88 OVR - 23.1 ppg/5.2 rg/2.0 apg
SF Bennett Corrigan - Indiana - 92 OVR - 15.2 ppg/8.9 rpg
PF Lonnie Sherman - Providence - 86 OVR - 24.7 ppg/6.7 rpg
C Johnnie Marshall - West Virginia - 90 OVR - 22.9 ppg/7.8 rpg

SG Famutimi is a junior, the rest seniors.


ACC Awards

UNC's Billy Taylor is the ACC Coach of the Year.

Maryland PF Corey Hudson is the player of the year, 20.3 ppg/6.2 rpg

NC State SG Danko Walls is of course ACC Freshman of the year

First Team All-ACC

PG Lewis Gamble - clemson - 87 OVR - 13.4 ppg/2.4 rpg/4.2 apg
SG Eddie Esterkamp - UNC - 89 OVR - 17.5 ppg/3.5 rpg/2.8 apg
SF WM Lalugba - Clemson - 89 OVR - 15.1 ppg/6.3 rpg
PF Corey Hudson - Maryland - 83 OVR - 20.3 ppg/6.2 rpg
C Rex Newman - Miami - 82 OVR - 15.7 ppg/5.2 rpg

Newman is a junior, the rest are seniors.

Second Team All-ACC

PG Holland Freeman - UNC - 88 OVR - 11.3 ppg/4.1 rpg/4.2 apg
SG Jerry Colter - Duke - 87 OVR - 16.2 ppg/6.3 rpg
SF Reid Luz - Duke - 84 OVR - 9.3 ppg/8.4 rpg
PF Jeffrey Eldridge - Wake Forest - 78 OVR - 13.4 ppg/5.7 rpg
C Florentino McCants - Florida State - 82 OVR - 9.0 ppg/8.1 rpg

Luz and Eldridge are Juniors, McCants a soph of course.

Freshman All-ACC

PG Cori Songcaucy - Duke - 72 OVR - 9.5 ppg/3.8 apg
SG Danko Walls - NC State - 80 OVR - 12.8 ppg
SF Cameron Aguko - Virginia Tech - 78 OVR - 9.2 ppg/3.6 rpg
PF Shagari Andres - UNC - 78 OVR - 7.0 ppg/3.8 rpg
C Bracey Boddie - Wake Forest - 73 OVR - 6.1 ppg/4.2 rpg


We're light on awards this year but we had a lot of scoring balance so that isn't really a surprise. More of the same is expected next year.

[DeToxRox]

Tough loss to Memphis. I fucking hate them.

How's Michigan fared in your game? I say you take them over damnit.

[Radii]

Offseason recruiting

We've already signed 4* Center Maynard Black, ranked #86 OVR/#2 Center (6'8", a bit small).

We have SG Theo Porter, 4* SG out of Washington DC, #67 OVR/#21 SG, at 100% with no other offers. That's our only other scholarship.


initial signing day

SG Theo Porter signs with FLORIDA STATE

A little anti-climatic but we are still happy to see it!

4* SG Theo Porter - 6'5" 217 lbs - Washington, DC - #67 OVR/#21 SG

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

Porter was a star in the ABL, scoring 17.4 points/game, with 4.3 boards and 4.8 assists. He shot 48% from the floor and 47% from 3 (23-49).

Noteworthy Ratings:

Close A-, Med B-, 3 pointer B+, Off the Dribble C+
Defense C, Steals C+
Speed B-, Quickness B, Vertical A-, Strength B-, Hustle C+
Off Awareness C-, Def Awareness B-

How useful Porter will be depends on how big an offensive threat he is, and whether he is a big enough offensive threat to offset average defense. I've mentioned before that I expect B+ 3 point shooting to at minimum mean 86 3 point rating. Alloway is rated 81, Forte in the mid 70s, redshirting SG Day is 85.


I spend the rest of the offseason recruiting session working on juniors, something I need to do since we're going to have a good number of scholarships open next year.

[Radii]

Tough loss to Memphis. I fucking hate them.

I hate them a lot more now than I did before today, that's for sure :D


How's Michigan fared in your game? I say you take them over damnit.

I don't ever remember seeing them in a final four or anywhere noteworthy. They were 22-11 this year and appear to have a fine team. Unless I'm missing it somewhere, long term league history is something that's sorely lacking in this game. They went 15-16 last year before having a team with 4 seniors and a junior starting carry them to a 7 seed (and first round loss) in the tournament this year.

They're currently coached by Jim Les, who in the real took Bradley to the Sweet 16 in 2006, to the NIT in 2007 and to those new "not even good enough to make the NIT lol" tournaments the last two years.

[Radii]

How's Michigan fared in your game? I say you take them over damnit.


I'll consider taking over a big ten team as soon as the big 10 proves itself worthy of my attention by beating the ACC in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. 0-10 so far, not so hot! :devil:

[Radii]

ACC Recruiting Overview

For the past few years i've been highlighting top 100 players that have been coming to ACC teams. for teams not recruiting any top 100 players I've been listing the top recruit the school was able to land.

Boston College: None (as in no recruits, all players returning)
Clemson: #7 (5* AA), #52
Duke: #122
Florida State: #67, #86
Georgia Tech: #57
Maryland: #109
Miami: #169
North Carolina: #12 (5* AA), #13 (5* AA), #50, #64
NC State: #131
Virginia: 2* JC... holy crap Virginia is dying
Virginia Tech: #20 (5* AA), #31, #56
Wake Forest: #41, #42, #95

4 5* recruits coming into the ACC next year. Duke continues to recruit way below what you'd expec the Duke name to land. Virginia and Miami seem to have no hope of recovery, Wake Forest brought in a solid class though. Maryland struggled which did surprise me.

[hoopsguy]

I'll consider taking over a big ten team as soon as the big 10 proves itself worthy of my attention by beating the ACC in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. 0-10 so far, not so hot! :devil:

Don't piss on your readers :mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Radii]

Incoming Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Arizona
2. Indiana
3. North Carolina
4. Seton Hall
5. California
6. Kansas
7. Iowa
8. Virginia Tech
9. Auburn
10. Texas A&M
...
14. Clemson
17. Wake Forest
34. NC State (with 4 3* recruits...)
40. Duke (with 5 3* recruits)
69. Miami (3* recruits)
105. Florida State

I'll take two 4* recruits over a ton of 3* guys almost any day.

[Radii]

Don't piss on your readers :mad::mad::mad::mad:

oops, was only aiming for detox! (hmmm, that doesn't sound right at all).

[hoopsguy]

In all seriousness, if you are going to take a look at other programs I wouldn't mind hearing how Illini are doing. I know they won an early title but I have not been seeing their name in the NCAA recaps much over the last decade or so.

[Radii]

I haven't focused much on scheduling over the last few years, mostly because I find it to be a fairly annoying part of the game, what with the tediousness of having to pull up the calendar and to go nuts to avoid sunday games. But we need to take the time this year to put together a strong schedule, and to make sure its recruiting friendly.

And, as the game has been known to do over the years, the auto-schedule generates like 8 November games but then nothing from Dec 1-16. In honor of my Big 10 Brothers, I schedule road games at Michigan and Illinois in November.

I hope to have the best schedule i've ever played set up here:

vs Chattanooga
at Michigan
at Illinois
vs Kansas
vs UCLA
at Ohio
vs Army
vs Campbell
vs Kentucky
vs E. Kentucky
at Arkansas
vs Richmond

There are some easy ones in there. Michigan is a little down this year having graduated 4 starters but not terrible, and Illinois, Kansas, UCLA, Ohio and Kentucky all look like very solid opposition. All winnable, I didn't go looking for a top 5 team here, but lots of teams that we will have to play well to beat.

[Radii]

In all seriousness, if you are going to take a look at other programs I wouldn't mind hearing how Illini are doing. I know they won an early title but I have not been seeing their name in the NCAA recaps much over the last decade or so.

Yeah, rjolley is a penn state fan too so there is a lot of Big 10 interest from the guys i know that follow closely.

I don't think a full history exists anywhere, I have been wanting to go back and piece together a final four history since I've written that down every year, but finding stuff on an individual team is impossible(unless someone knows of a screen i don't).

BUT, we do have the list of regular season champs/tournament champs in the conference screen. Huh, that even only seems to keep 10 years of history.


2012-13: Michigan 28-8, Regular season champ, tournament champ
2013-14: Illinois wins the tournament
2014-15: Wisconsin beats Illinois in the tournament final
2017-18: Michigan wins the regular season (28-6), does not make the tournament fina.
2020-21: Penn State loses to Indiana in the conference tournament final
2021-22: Penn State loses to Indiana in the conference tournament final.


Over the last 10 seasons:

Regular Season Titles

Indiana 4
Wisconsin 2
Michigan 2
Minnesota 1
Michigan State 1

Tournament Titles:

Indiana 3
Purdue 2
Wisconsin 2
Michigan 1
Illinois 1
Minnesota 1

[hoopsguy]

Ugh - please tell me that is not Kelvin Sampson Indiana.

[Radii]

WHOA. I haven't looked at anything else yet but when the team overview screen pops up, one number stands out like a sore thumb. Or maybe a giant burgundy foam finger.


Preseason Media Poll

1. Georgia Tech
2. Florida State
3. Louisville
4. Oregon
5. Vanderbilt
6. Virginia Tech
...
8. clemson
13. Boston College
14. Maryland
23. NC State


And to go along with that, the roster strength of the schools in the conference:

ACC Preseason Predictions

1. Georgia Tech: 94 OVR
2. Florida State: 93 OVR
3. Virginia Tech: 93 OVR
4Clemson: 92 OVR
5. Maryland: 91 OVR
6. Boston College: 91 OVR
7. North Carolina: 87 OVR
8. NC State: 88 OVR
9. Wake Forest: 85 OVR
10. Miami: 83 OVR
11. Duke: 83 OVR
12. Virginia: 82 OVR


ACC Preseason Accolades

Best Overall Player: SF Jibran Grizzard - Georgia Tech - 90 OVR
Best Freshman: SG Vadim Bryan - Clemson - 79 OVR
Best Shooter: PG Melvin Bright - Virginia Tech - 86 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG Bronson Gatling - Maryland - 89 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: PF Jim Vitelli - Clemson - 90 OVR
Best Defender: PF Jim Vitelli - Clemson - 90 OVR

Vitelli is expected to receive consderation for the top pick in the NBA Draft. For the second year in a row, the best freshman in the league is a shooting guard at Clemson. For the second year in a row, that best freshman is a guard that Clemson beat Florida State out for in a recruiting battle.

[Radii]

Ugh - please tell me that is not Kelvin Sampson Indiana.

743 career wins for sampson now, an A+ rated coach at IU, ugh heh.

Illinois is coached now by "Jermery Weisse" who does not appear in google, game generated coach on the rise, perhaps? He's 134-115, 42 years old and in his 3rd year with Illinois. 23-12 last year.

[Radii]

Incoming Freshmen

C Maynard Black - 6'9" 232 lbs - 78 OVR - B potential

Black grew an inch in the offseason, hooray! He has some serious skills. 82 orb/89 drb. 82 post off/83 post def. 81 blocks. 92 close/84 in traffic. His awareness is awful, 70 off/62 def. 78 strength is good and solid. My other 4 big men are of course better and I will strongly consider a redshirt.

SG Theo Porter - 6'5" 217 lbs - 76 OVR - C+ Potential

88 close/80 med/86 3. 78 off the dribble. 77 defense/71 steals. 86 speed/88 quickness. 91 vert/67 str/70 hustle. 62 off awareness/74 def awareness. Very exciting offensive numbers but again what the heck do I do with him in this rotation? gotta redshirt.



And here's the thing with redshirting. I'm graduating 6 seniors. That means I'm likely to recruit 5 or 6 guys this year. If I redshirt 2 guys then I'm going to have eleventy billion freshmen again next year.

But I think I have to do that, these guys *have* to redshirt. They're going to play zero minutes this year. I'll address this more in recruiting, but I think i'm going to require myself to go after two JC players this year, or perhaps one JC player and leave one scholarship open.

[Radii]

doing the roster review by position again this year

Point Guards

PG Damien Forte - SR - 6'2" 212 lbs - 85 OVR (+3)

91 speed/86 quickness. 83 defense/86 steals. 85 hands/92 passing(A-). 88 close/77 med/76 3/87 off the dribble. 82 off awareness/75 def awareness. Great stamina and Durability. We don't generate a lot of assists the way I play (we're a lot more "catch and attack",not "catch and shoot" which leads to a lot more buckets considered unassisted), but Forte is a damn good point guard, he scores when he needs to,plays some defense and gets the offense moving. He'll start every game of his career that he's healthy for.


PG Damion Alloway - SR - 6'0" 187 lbs - 83 OVR (+4)

95 speed/87 quickness. 85 defense/76 steals. 89 hands/88 passing (B/B+). 89 close/68 med/83 3/90 off the dribble. 75 off awareness/76 def awareness. Started at SG last year, led the team with 12.7 ppg. If he had a better jump shot release, he might score 20/game.


PG Pearson McClurkin - RS JR - 6'0" 181 lbs - 81 OVR (+4)

89 speed/92 quickness. 82 defense/80 steals. 84 hands/86 passing. 85 close/77 med/77 3/86 off the dribble/81 in traffic. Has improved 8 points in the last two years. If he can match that again he'll be a *great* PG next year after Forte leaves. Only 3.8 ppg last year but he took quality shots off the bench. Could potentially score more this year.


Shooting Guards

SG Ike Barrett - 6'4" 203 lbs - 86 OVR (+3)

92 speed/90 quickness. 91 defense/82 steals. 90 close/84 med/66 3/80 off the dribble/82 in traffic. 80 off awareness/79 def awareness. 84 vert/71 str. Defensive stopper, highest rated player on the team. Started at SF last year and scored 10.7 ppg.

SG Prosper Day - RS SO - 6'3" 218 LBS - 79 OVR(+3)

86 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/82 steals. 90 close/75 med/88 3(A-)/85 off the dribble. Day redshirted last year. He scored 5.6 ppg as a freshman off the bench. All 10 players from last year's 10 man rotation are back this year. The question must be asked... "am I seriously going to keep the same 10 man rotation and keep an elite 3 point shooter out of the lineup?"


SG Theo Porter - FR - 6'5" 217 lbs - 76 OVR

86 speed/88 quickness. 77 defense/71 steals. 88 close/80 med/86 3. 91 vert/67 str/70 hustle. below average awareness - 62 off/74 def. Porter is 100% redshirting this year.


Small Forwards

SF Kueth Ozier - SR - 6'6" 253 lbs - 86 OVR(+2)

87 speed/86 quickness. 81 defense/74 steals. 82 close/84 med/67 3/93 in traffic. 77 off awareness/78 def awareness. 80 vert/79 str/86 hustle. 3.4 ppg off the bench last year. Just 6.2 ppg as a starter two years ago.


SF Roberto Mayer - SO - 6'7" 229 lbs - 81 OVR(+3)

85 speed/76 quickness. 81 defense/67 steals. 90 close/77 med/79 3/77 off the dribble/86 in traffic. 96 hustle. 73 off awareness/71 def awareness. 4.7 ppg off the bench last year.


Power Forwards

PF Otis Sneed - 6'10" 238 lbs - 84 OVR (+2)

83 orb/85 drb. 84 post off/85 post def. 71 blocks(B-)/77 steals(A-). 95 close/81 med/68 3/94 in traffic. 76 vert/76 str/80 hustle. 82 off awarenes/64 def awareness. developed nicely for C potential but clearly others have caught him over the years. 11.6 ppg/6.3 rpg last year. I had projected Sneed to be an elite PF by the end of his career, but it has never materialized. He has some very good games but disappears at times.


PF Brice Sanders - SR - 7'0" 244 lbs - 84 OVR (+2)

84 orb/83 drb. 78 post off/85 post def. 79 blocks. 94 close/81 med/67 3/86 in traffic. 80 vert/73 str/70 hustle. 73 off awareness/79 def awareness. 7.4 ppg off the bench last year in just 13 minutes/game. The AI suggests I start Sanders and McCants. This is the first time the AI has ever relegated Sneed to the bench.

PF Haminn Millar - SO - 6'9" 229 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

84 orb/85 drb. 82 post off/73 post def. 72 blocks/78 steals(A-). 81 close/89 in traffic. 76 vert/79 str/82 hustle. 81 off awareness/73 def awareness. very good strength. Only averaged 2.3 ppg last year in his freshman year.

Centers

C Florentino McCants - JR - 7'1" 230 lbs - 83 OVR (+3)

87 orb/90 drb. 85 post off/82 post def. 81 blocks. 87 close/86 in traffic. 78 str (B+). 80 off awareness/81 def awareness. Officially my first coach on the floor without confidence boosts helping him out. McCants grew an inch last year. He has become a near elite rebounder, a very strong post presence, and a good close range scorer. 9.0 ppg/8.1 rpg last year, I would love to see him average a double double before he leaves. He'll have a great chance next year with all these other guys graduating of course.


C Maynard Black - FR - 6'9" 232 lbs - 78 OVR

82 orb/89 drb. 82 post off/83 post def. 92 close/84 in traffic. 78 str (B+). 70 off awareness/62 def awareness. His awareness is very poor but otherwise he looks like a great potential talent. Easy redshirt this year though.


I simply cannot let an 88 rated 3 point shooter waste away on the bench. Mayer has talent but he'll be a *lot* more useful next year than he would this year. There is the chance that we could have to lose a redshirt somewhere if we have injury problems, but for now here's what we're doing:

Starting Lineup

PG Forte
SG Alloway
SF Barrett
PF Sanders
C McCants

Backups

PG McClurkin
SG Day
SF Ozier
PF Millar
C Sneed


Redshirts

SG Porter
SF Mayer
C Black


There's a fairly monumental change to the lineup this year. Brice Sanders will start the season as my starting power forward, Otis Sneed will backup center. Defensive Awareness is basically the entire reason for this decision. Sneed has 64 defensive awareness. Sanders has 79 defensive awareness. Its hard to quantify the effects that this rating has, but its an important rating, and I want to see if Sanders/McCants becomes a bigger force inside than Sneed/McCants.


I expect to use all my pep talks this year on Ozier and Sneed.

[Radii]

Recruiting Preview

Instead of noting what we're losing, lets look at the team that's coming back next year.

likely starting 5:

PG McClurkin
SG Day
SF Mayer
PF Millar
C McCants

likely Backups:

PG ??
SG Porter
SF ??
PF ??
C Black


I feel pretty good about this really. That's 7 guys that should be solid contributors. We won't be a final four contender next year, but we'll have a very good shot to still be a tournament team.

We have 6 scholarships. Ideally I think we grab

2 PG
SG
SF
PF
C

but really we *must* land a PG/SF/Big man, the other 3 we can go best available.

I had a full target list at the end of last season. Obvious early targets:

5* PG Neil Salazar - #6 OVR - Euclid, OH - 76% interest. Competing with UNC, Virginia Tech, Clemson.

5* PG Taj Osborne - #7 OVR - Springfield, IL - 74% Interest. Competing with Clemson, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, UNC. We are #1 by probably 5-8%.

5* SG Patrick Cuffee - #9 OVR - Baltimore, MD - 67% Interest - Competing against Villanova, Virginia Tech, UNC, Seton Hall

4* PF Egeman Wofford - #45 OVR - Queens, NY - 54% Interest - Competing Against Boston College, Villanova, George Washington, UMass.

I have high hopes to land one of the two PG's. The #2 player in the nation is a PG from Charlotte. He also loves Clemson, Virginia Tech, and UNC(way more than he loves me, I'm not even trying). I hope to land one of the other top 10 guys while they all fight over the #2.


The PF is a long shot, his #1 priority is feeling wanted and I want him but he probably wants to stay near home too.


Actually there's another PF... 4* Trace Devonish - only 6'7" and not great in any ratings I care about. C+ drb, C+ post ratings, only C in traffic though a good close shot. Good strength... anyway, he's rated #61 OVR. He's from Florida and I could probably get him easily. And I probably should to limit the number of guys I still have to worry about later.



I'm doing some initial scouting on guys not on my target list:

5* JC SG Evan Walker - I'd like to recruit one or two JC players. This guy isn't leaning anywhre specific yet ,has me at 71% and could help with depth.

4* JC SF Ashton Naymick - has me at 87%. He's from rocky mount, NC and likes Duke and UNC and such, but he has me way higher htan them. Seems like he's mine if I jump on him early.


hah, also off the target list, a guy out of Florida that shot up out of nowhere:

5* PG Vandrell Anderson - #10 OVR - Miami Beach, FL. 81% interest. Georgia Tech and Clemson are in the hunt too, but we've got the in state edge presumably.

lastly a PF out west who loves me:

4* Vidal Nelke - #85 OVR/#11 PF - 82% interest - competing with - Oregon, Cal, Washington - we seem to be higher than any of them. Maybe he's friends with Millar(also from california)


More detailed information on all these guys as we go through the first few weeks, those are a lot of names to absorb for guys who half of them won't ever be heard from again when they go somewhere else.

[Radii]

I sim my first game:

Nov 7, 2022

#2 Florida State 78
Chattanooga 62

Alloway 16, Sanders 15, Forte 11, Sneed 10.


As we sim up to our next game, the first one that i'll play out, there are two weeks of recruiting left until the early signing period starts. The recruit picture makes a lot more sense now than it did in that haphazard overview:

4* PF Trace Devonish - #61 OVR/#6 PF - 6'7" - 100% interest - should be ours. He looks above average but not anything to get super excited over. But an easy 4* recruit, rebound numbers near, if not over 80, decent post play...

4* JC SF Ashton Naymick - 100% interest - Not fully scouted, again this is a 4* talent willing to decide early. He looks ok, but not great. I have such a hard time judging small fowards... C+ close/A- med/C+ 3... only C defense but can block and steal, decent rebounder... I just need a backup for Mayer and I'm getting it here.

5* PG Vandrell Anderson - #10 OVR - 98% interest - Georgia Tech has also offered him a scholarship. We will both have him at 100% and I don't know where he's going. Close to home is #1 on his priority list, big program #2, good coaching #3. Hewitt is a better coach, and Tallassee is a long way from Miami Beach, so we may be getting less of an edge there than I hoped. Tech is #1, I'm #2 right now, though we're essentially tied.

4* PF Vidal Nelke - #85 OVR/#11 PF - San Francisco, CA - 91% interest - competing with Stanford. he doesn't seem to care about staying near home. looks like a better scorer, but worse rebounder, than Devonish.


5* PG Neil Salazar - #6 OVR - Euclid, OH - 88% interest - leaning towards Virginia Tech. If i thought I could jump ship elsewhere and steal someone real fast I would. Its unlikely we have a shot.

5* JC SG Evan Walker - Austin, TX - 87% interest - If Texas A&M wants him they probably can get him. But we have a very good shot still.


This is looking a lot more like a season where I have to fight til the end of the year to bring in most of my guys. We'll hopefullly land 3 guys but that's not a given at all.

[Radii]

November 14, 2022

#2 Florida State (1-0) at Michigan (2-1)

TEAM: FSU|UM
OVR: 93|84
OFF: 91|84
DEF: 92|83
SHT: 93|86
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|89

Michigan Graduated 4 starters last year, they have some talented guys but we are far and away more talented. We're giving ourselves an early road test though. Only their starting SF has more than 2 bars of experience.

Scouting

PG Rudolph Dawn – SO – 78 OVR – 89 speed/82 quickness. 80 defense/72 steals. 90 hands/79 passing(just C+ pass). 79 close/84 med/76 3/78 off the dribble/78 in traffic. A good young guy, but not a great starting PG at a power conference school. He's a scorer though, already has a 20 point game.

SG Brennon Laurelin – JR – 76 OVR – 87 speed/86 quickness. 81 defense/78 steals. 81 close/72 med/76 3/78 off the dribble. Not bad, not great.

SF Garfield Merritt – SR – 82 OVR – 82 speed/78 quickness. 83 def/72 steals, good for a SF. Oh yeah, 6'7” natural SF. 90 close/82 med/74 3/90 in traffic. 81 defensive awareness, not as good on offense. Average on the boards for a SF (75/76 off/def). Only averaged 6 points last year.

PF Juan van de Laar – FR -75 OVR – a tiny 6'5” natural SF – 72 orb/82 drb. 67 post off/66 post def. 86 close/85 in traffic. Not a great scorer elsewhere either, this guy is so out of place heh, we should walk all over him.

C WB Benson – FR – 78 OVR – 6'9” natural C – 86 orb/84 drb. 92 post off/80 post def. 91 close/84 in traffic. 91 str. Elite post offense and strength, could be a big time scorer.

They have a number of low 70s rated guards, and a PF rated 68 OVR that is only 6'6”, we have a massive edge inside. Heh, poor michigan. We have a 76-36 team unity edge(woot 76 after 1 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%"> UM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Michigan after Alloway hits an open 3. they are shooting well, van de Laar has 7 early, they have a couple 3's. Sanders 4, McCants just 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Barrett with foul #2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin scores our first 5 points off the bench and michigan with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Our starters get back in, McClurkin has all our points off the bench, Day missed a 3 and Sneed missed two good looks inside, McClurkin, on fire.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> A very even first half, fine for our first road contest. They're making all their jumpers, and I mean ALL their jumpers. Shooting 64% from the floor. Their SF, Merritt has 9, PF van der Laar with 7, SG Laurelin with 6. They're 3-8 from 3.


McClurkin leads us with 9, great job off the bench. The starters are remarkably balanced. Sanders 6, Barrett/Alloway 5 each, Forte/McCants 4 each. They're all shooting well and we're at about 50% from the floor. We're 2-5 from 3. We have 6 turnovers though, and Michigan has 4. Forte threw two passes away against their press(like the ball just sailed out of bounds). We need to play better defense is really all that I can say here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with his 3^rd foul
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Michigan slowly builds up a 47-40 lead as they hit open/mildly contested jumpers that they are working for very efficiently every possession, and we score some but not every time. Then Alloway hits a 3, they miss twice in a row and Alloway and Forte score and we're on a 7-0 run. The backups are needing to come in now though, as Michigan calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We scored 5 more before they hit a shot, a 12-0 FSU run. Timeout Michigan, it seems like they are trying to run a 7 man rotation and we are simply wearing them out. We are prssing a little harder, pushing to score a little faster and it seems to be working very well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. McClurkin and Day have every point off the bench. Day lit up a bit, hitting his last two threes and a couple inside, he finishes with 11.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> We're rolling now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> I get the backups in just to make sure there's no stupid late injuries.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
#2 Florida State 77
Michigan 62

Solid road win to open things up. They get 18 from their best player, Merritt. 8 from Dawn, Laurelin, and Benson(starting PG/SG/C).

Forte: 12 points/5 assists/2 steals
Alloway: 13 points
Barrett: 7 points
Sanders: 6 points/5 boards
McCants: 12 points/6 boards

McClurkin: 13 points
Day: 13 points

Amazingly balanced scoring.

[Radii]

November 21, 2022

#2 Florida State (2-0) at Illinois (4-1)

TEAM: FSU|UI
OVR: 93|85
OFF: 91|86
DEF: 92|83
SHT: 93|86
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|87

I thought Illinois was better than this when I scheduled them. They have a few talented guys as well, but they only start 2 upperclassmen. They're a little more experienced than Michigan though.

Scouting

PG Mark Holmes – SR – 76 OVR – 88 speed/85 quickness. 88 defense/78 steals. 88 hands/79 passing, only c+ passing. 78 close/64 med/88 3, an elite 3 point shooter. 82 off the dribble. 7.4 ppg.

SG Stevin Samuels – JR – 83 OVR – 87 speed/91 quickness. 85 defense/76 steals. 85 close/76 med/72 3/81 off the dribble/83 in traffic. A good but not great looking guard, 80 off awareness but only 67 on defense. He is their leading scorer so far at 14.6 ppg.

SF Phil Pippen – SO – 80 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 82 speed/84 quickness. 79 defense/74 steals. 80 close/71 med/72 3/76 in trafic. A solid rebounderand very good athlete(B+ vert/B+ str/B+ hustle). 10 ppg so far. Hopefully someone Barrett can take advantage of 1 on 1.

PF Gary Herman – FR – 72 OVR – 6'8 PF – 75 orb/80 drb. 87 post off/70 post def. 85 close/82 in traffic. Only 66 str, lower than our guys by a lot. Potentially a great post player with the ball, but terrible on defense.

C Shane Slater – FR – 79 OVR – 6'10” C – 83 orb/76 drb. 78 post off/79 post def. 91 close/85 in traffic. Great strength, 85/A-.

All their backups are in the 70-74 OVR range and none are particularly scary in any 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%"> ILL
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Off to a much better start today than in the Michigan game. Sanders 6, Barrettt 4, McCants 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it back to 5, backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> We push the lead up a bit, Day forces a couple 3's that don't go or we could have been up more(the “forces” being the key part there). Timeout Illini.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> We go inside with much success and build up a 10 point lead. Timeout Illinois.
</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%"> They cut it down to 6 but we score the last bucket to go into the locker room with a solid 8 point lead. We shoot 54%, they are under 40%, 2-10 from 3. They are led by C Slater with 10 points and 5 boards, and SG Samuels with 9 points on 4-7 shooting.


Our big men are ridiculous today. Sanders shows the quality we got glimpses of off the bench last year, going 6-6, 2-2 at the line for 14 points. McCants with 8, Barrett with 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout as Illinois scores on their first 5 possessions to cut the lead to 1. McCants has 4 for us and that's it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Illinois is now on a 16-4 run. I call another timeout and get my backups in early(way early). Something's gotta change.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up 7, 52-45, and Day brings us back by himself, scoring the next 7 straight to tie it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:17
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. McClurkin just missed two free throws that should have tied it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with his 4^th foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a 3 point play and then a dunk on a good pick and roll. 6^th man boost for them, timeout for me. We are struggling a ton to score here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses a 3 but Sanders is there for the putback, he's got 18. We get a stop and get out on the run, going inside to Sanders before hitting Alloway for an open 3 from the left corner, tie game! Illinois gets it over half court then calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a steal but turn it over trying to push in transition. Their SG Samuels hits his 20^th point to give them the lead. We get it in to McCants on our end and tie it back up. Another timeout for Illinois.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a steal, work it around a bit, forte misses an open 3. Sanders gets the board but kicks it out instead of going up for the shot(oops, thought it was Barrett in deep heh). We get the ball to Sanders in the post, reach in foul on their PF. That's their 7^th and we're shooting. Sanders is clutch at the line, hitting both, and we lead by 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:24
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a shot in the post from Slater, its off, Sanders boards! He is fouled immediately and hits both free throws.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> They miss their next shot and its over.

#2 Florida State 77
Illinois 70

A second straight tough road win. I love what I saw from Sanders today, hopefully he can do this with some consistency. We were dominant inside all over. They get 20 from SG Samuels and 16 from C Slater.

Forte: 3 points/2 assists/4 steals (1-7 shooting/1-5 from 3)
Alloway: 3 points (1-5, 1-3 from 3)
Barrett: 6 points/5 boards
Sanders: 23 points/8 boards
McCants: 18 points/8 boards

Sneed: 8 points
Day: 7 points

[Radii]

Early Signing Day

As we hit the early signing period we have 3 guys at 100% and one at 99%. I think we're a lock for two recruits, are probably losing one, and the big one, PG Anderson(#10 in the nation) is a tossup with Georgia Tech. Lets see what's up.


5* PG Vandrell Anderson signs with GEORGIA TECH. CRAP.

4* PF Trace Devonish signs with FLORIDA STATE.

4* PF Vidal Nelke signs with STANFORD. That was the one I expected to lose.

4* JC SF Ashton Naymick signs with FLORIDA STATE


Losing the in state 5* PG to Georgia Tech really bites. We'll review our recruits at the end of the early signing period. Mainly b/c its 5am and neither of these guys excite me a whole heck of a lot. They are guys that I'm glad I got and that I need for depth, but not the guys I was going after that I *really* wanted.


We are very unlikely to land anyone in the early signing period.

We changed up one of our scholarships, getting away from the lost cause PG.

5* PG Taj Osborne out of Springfield, IL, on my initial target list(#7 OVR) but I didn't go to him after I found the local guy that seemed more of a sure thing... .Osborne hasn't received interest from elsehwere yet. We jumped on him in the last couple weeks and have him up over 80%. He likes Clemson and UNC but he likes us a lot more right now. No one will land him before the end of the early signing period but we will have the lead which hopefully counts for something.



oh my god...

i look through the early signings so far. Georgia Tech has landed 4 players ranked in the top 15 in the nation. Two 5* PG's, the top PF in the nation(#13 OVR) and #15 overall, a SG. #13 and #15 are from Atlanta, the PG's from Miami Beach and Memphis. Very impressive. Virginia Tech lands the #2 recruit, Clemson the #3 guy, NC State #4(stealing him heads up from North Carolina)



Two tough home games this week, vs 91 OVR Kansas and 91 OVR UCLA, coached by 99 rated Bill Self and 95 rated Ben Howland still.

[DeToxRox]

November 14, 2022

#2 Florida State (1-0) at Michigan (2-1)

TEAM: FSU|UM
OVR: 93|84
OFF: 91|84
DEF: 92|83
SHT: 93|86
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|89

Michigan Graduated 4 starters last year, they have some talented guys but we are far and away more talented. We're giving ourselves an early road test though. Only their starting SF has more than 2 bars of experience.

Scouting

PG Rudolph Dawn – SO – 78 OVR – 89 speed/82 quickness. 80 defense/72 steals. 90 hands/79 passing(just C+ pass). 79 close/84 med/76 3/78 off the dribble/78 in traffic. A good young guy, but not a great starting PG at a power conference school. He's a scorer though, already has a 20 point game.

SG Brennon Laurelin – JR – 76 OVR – 87 speed/86 quickness. 81 defense/78 steals. 81 close/72 med/76 3/78 off the dribble. Not bad, not great.

SF Garfield Merritt – SR – 82 OVR – 82 speed/78 quickness. 83 def/72 steals, good for a SF. Oh yeah, 6'7” natural SF. 90 close/82 med/74 3/90 in traffic. 81 defensive awareness, not as good on offense. Average on the boards for a SF (75/76 off/def). Only averaged 6 points last year.

PF Juan van de Laar – FR -75 OVR – a tiny 6'5” natural SF – 72 orb/82 drb. 67 post off/66 post def. 86 close/85 in traffic. Not a great scorer elsewhere either, this guy is so out of place heh, we should walk all over him.

C WB Benson – FR – 78 OVR – 6'9” natural C – 86 orb/84 drb. 92 post off/80 post def. 91 close/84 in traffic. 91 str. Elite post offense and strength, could be a big time scorer.

They have a number of low 70s rated guards, and a PF rated 68 OVR that is only 6'6”, we have a massive edge inside. Heh, poor michigan. We have a 76-36 team unity edge(woot 76 after 1 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%"> UM
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Michigan after Alloway hits an open 3. they are shooting well, van de Laar has 7 early, they have a couple 3's. Sanders 4, McCants just 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Barrett with foul #2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin scores our first 5 points off the bench and michigan with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Our starters get back in, McClurkin has all our points off the bench, Day missed a 3 and Sneed missed two good looks inside, McClurkin, on fire.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> A very even first half, fine for our first road contest. They're making all their jumpers, and I mean ALL their jumpers. Shooting 64% from the floor. Their SF, Merritt has 9, PF van der Laar with 7, SG Laurelin with 6. They're 3-8 from 3.


McClurkin leads us with 9, great job off the bench. The starters are remarkably balanced. Sanders 6, Barrett/Alloway 5 each, Forte/McCants 4 each. They're all shooting well and we're at about 50% from the floor. We're 2-5 from 3. We have 6 turnovers though, and Michigan has 4. Forte threw two passes away against their press(like the ball just sailed out of bounds). We need to play better defense is really all that I can say here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with his 3^rd foul
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Michigan slowly builds up a 47-40 lead as they hit open/mildly contested jumpers that they are working for very efficiently every possession, and we score some but not every time. Then Alloway hits a 3, they miss twice in a row and Alloway and Forte score and we're on a 7-0 run. The backups are needing to come in now though, as Michigan calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We scored 5 more before they hit a shot, a 12-0 FSU run. Timeout Michigan, it seems like they are trying to run a 7 man rotation and we are simply wearing them out. We are prssing a little harder, pushing to score a little faster and it seems to be working very well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. McClurkin and Day have every point off the bench. Day lit up a bit, hitting his last two threes and a couple inside, he finishes with 11.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> We're rolling now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> I get the backups in just to make sure there's no stupid late injuries.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
#2 Florida State 77
Michigan 62

Solid road win to open things up. They get 18 from their best player, Merritt. 8 from Dawn, Laurelin, and Benson(starting PG/SG/C).

Forte: 12 points/5 assists/2 steals
Alloway: 13 points
Barrett: 7 points
Sanders: 6 points/5 boards
McCants: 12 points/6 boards

McClurkin: 13 points
Day: 13 points

Amazingly balanced scoring.

Cheated IYAM.

[Radii]

Cheated IYAM.

:D they looked a lot better last year. I'll try to remember to schedule them again!

[Radii]

November 30, 2022

Kansas (3-3) at #2 Florida State (3-0)

TEAM: FSU|KU
OVR: 93|91
OFF: 91|90
DEF: 92|93
SHT: 93|92
REB: 95|97
COA: 88|99

Bill Self has 675 career wins now. They're playing a brutal schedule, this is their 3^rd road game vs a top 15 team. They lost at Pitt, at Georgia Tech and are now playing us. They have a total WTF loss to 1-6 Montana State.

They have an... interesting mix. Three all-america quality talents and then two average/below average front court guys.

Scouting

PG Paris Lane – JR – 88 OVR – 97 speed/84 quickness. 92 defense/88 steals. 91 hands/90 passing(A-/A-). 86 close/86 med/83 3/86 off the dribble. Antoerh totally elite talent. 95 vert for a 6'5” PG. Great hustle, good str for a guard. 11 ppg/5.7 rpg/3.3 apg so far.

SG Chris Christian – JR – 89 OVR – 88 speed/91 quickness. 88 defense/91 steals. 93 hands/77 passing. 88 close/87 med/74 3/94 off the dribble. Christian is an elite SG in all areas. He's a defensive stud, great hands, great steals guy, great shooter. 91 vert/76 str/83 hustle(A-/B+/B), just a great looking player. 12.7 ppg so far this year.

SF Brad Sanders – SR – 88 OVR – 6'8” natural SF – 86 speed85 quickness. 89 defense. 88 close/74 med/68 steals/93 in traffic. Incredible awareness, 77 off awareness/83 def awareness. 13.2 ppg/7.2 rpg.

PF Calvin Locklier – SO – 70 OVR – 73 orb/78 drb. 70 post off/68 post def. 86 close/84 in traffic. 71 str. He's a 6'11” PF, just 3.8 ppg/1.7 rpg.

C Teddy Kou – SO – 77 OVR – 6'9” PF – 86 orb/86 drb. 87 post off/77 post def. 80 close/80 in traffic. 67 strength, that's low, but he has crazy talent. Only 4.2 ppg/4.0 rpg, but he has enough talent that its going to be difficult to pound them inside.

They have a number of other guards rated 80+, elite shooters all over the place. They have a backup PF that is 6'7” and just a freshman. We have to find a way to contain their backcourt and pound them inside.

My big fear though is that they play the same “very tight” press that Memphis plays. This is a team that I need to occasionally slow down against, and they're not going to let me, so this might be tough. We do get a massive 80-48 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%"> KU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Their stud PG Lane picks up foul #2, a stupid reach at the top of the key.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> We've drawn 6 fouls already, and in fact all 9 of our points are at the line, 9-10 free throw shooting. We're having success attacking the rim, and their inside guys foul a lot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a 3. We are now technically 1-1 from the field, 9-10 at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> I don't think I've ever had a stretch like that. We've drawn 8 fouls. We are 2-2 from the field, 1-1 from 3, 13-14 from the free throw line. I guess if we win this game like this I have to cut a check to the refs or something.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:48
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> The backups are doing fine so far. Kansas only one starter with two fouls despite all the trouble btw.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Well we give up a little run here and only lead by 4, 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%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> It stays basically even, Kansas takes a 1 point lead briefly before Forte hits a 3, and we go into the locker room tied. We don't draw another foul in the final 13 minutes of the half after shooting 14 free throws in the first 7 minutes. We're 10-19 from the field, 2-6 from 3, both 3's by Forte.


Kansas is 15-26 and I really have no defense it seems. Their stud SF Sanders scores 10 to lead them, one backup guard has 5 and no one else has more than 4. Their PG, Lane, did nothing for 3 minutes then sat. He'll be back for the second half and we'll see how that changes things.


Forte has 11 for us, 2-3 from 3 and 5 free throws. Alloway and Sanders both have 6. There isn't a lot of rebounding with all the made shots. We have an 11-10 rebounding edge. McCants has 5 of those.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Kansas is outplaying us without question here. We just tied it up for the first time since halftime, they've led the whole way so far this half. Alloway just drained a 3. We're fighting for every point while they seem to score with ease. So far we're doing it, but you can tell they have great defensive players all over that backcourt while Lane is in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Bam! Momentum turns to our side for the first time, Lane burns Forte badly and goes to the rack, McCants comes over from the weakside with a great blocked shot that forte picks up, outlets to Alloway for a wide open layup. 6^th man boost Seminoles, big change in the feel of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway is really working it on offense. We foul them as they go up for a dunk, 3 point play try, they miss the free throw though, and we outlet to Alloway, he burns their guard that's on him and launches his 6 foot frame to the rim with a great leaning windmill dunk, I don't think I've ever seen him do that before. We get a well earned 6^th man boost after that one. Alloway has 13 now, having scored our last 7 in a row.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> We play a solid 35 seconds of defense and force a miss and I get Alloway the ball, he doesn't completely burn his man this time but he's hot, so I go up anyway, theres a lot of contact with his man but he gets the ball to go in anyway. Kansas timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> I'm just giving Alloway the ball and clearing out right now, I've never seen him this hot. Last possession he stutter steps, drives to the right, hops back out to the 3 point line and drains a 3. He's scored our last 14 without missing a shot, timeout Kansas.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> 4 straight for Kansas, Alloway finally with a miss, and it feels like its time to finally get the backups into the game. That was an insanely fun stretch to play but we're only up 5...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Day hits 2 3's in a row for us and we lead by 8, key stretch here as we rest up the starters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, 6 straight for Kansas, I get a timeout to get my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Still up two, we turned it over once but got a big stop as Kansas tried to go ahead, came back and Barrett scored to put us up a couple again. Kansas ball,they take a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants swipes at the ball as it goes into the post and gets a steal. We work it around on offense, Forte goes off a screen and drains an open 3! 5 point lead, KU timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> We commit a foul and they go 1 of 2 at the line, Forte comes back and drains a 3 and we're up 7.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They aren't coming back from that.

#2 Florida State 75
Kansas 69

I'm sure from the writeup you'd think Alloway scored 30, but it was really just that one heroic stretch when I felt like Kansas was outplaying me and we were lucky to not be down 10. Alloway totally took over on offense as we got a few stops. Lane comes up with 9 for them in the second half on 4-5 shooting. Sanders 15. Their 70 rated 6'11 guy comes up big with 10 points for them.

Forte: 19 points (4-6 from 3 and 7 free throws, great performance)
Alloway: 20 points/4 steals
Barrett: 8 points
Sanders: 8 points/3 boards
McCants: 4 points/11 boards

Day: 8 points

I'm shooting tons of 3's with Day and he is going to have an awful shooting percentage, but eh. 2-7 today!

[Radii]

December 3, 2022

UCLA (4-5) at #2 Florida State (4-0)

TEAM: FSU|UCLA
OVR: 93|91
OFF: 91|91
DEF: 92|90
SHT: 93|93
REB: 95|92
COA: 88|95

Ben Howland recently picked up win #600, he is 603-309 for his career. They look to have a solid, well balanced, talented team.

Scouting

PG Fabrice Shields – SO – 81 OVR – 88 speed/82 quickness. 91 vert/82 hustle, good athletic abilities. 85 defense/71 steals. 83 hands/82 passing, a decent but not great PG. 83 close/78 med/87 3/82 off the dribble. Just 5.6 ppg but he'll kill us from 3 if we leave him open.

SG Matas Cruz – JR – 85 OVR – 93 speed/91 quickness. 82 defense/83 steals. 85 close/82 med/84 3/84 off the dribble. A good leaper and strong for a guard, he's also a solid rebounder and post player for a SG. 83 off awareness/only 71 defensive. He leads the team with 11.2 ppg so far.

SF Rafael Ellis – SR – 84 OVR – 6'8” natural SF – 81 speed/77 quickness. 80 defense/74 steals/67 blocks. 89 close/84 med/74 3/80 off the dribble/87 in traffic. A great rebounder (86 drb), 74 off awareness/80 def awareness. Looks like he can do a bit of everything on offense. 9.4 ppg/7.6 rpg so far this year.

PF Giovanni Lane – SO – 80 OVR – 6'8” natural PF – 85 orb/78 drb. 82 post off/81 post def. 85 close/82 in traffic. 88 blocked shot rating is incredible but our two big men have 4 inches height on him. 6.6 ppg.

C Loren Sherrill – JR – 83 OVR – 6'8” PF – 91 orb/87 drb. 82 post off/78 post def. 93 close/88 in traffic. Not very strong, 66 str. Good awreness on both ends, 80 off/77 def. 8.8 ppg.

backup SF Joey Vitelli is rated 84 OVR and is pretty talented as well, 90 offensive rebounding is scary but he is just a 6'6” SF. 83 OVR Darrell Van Weerdhuizen is their backup SG, an elite shooter from everywhere on the court, 9.8 ppg.

They have a lot of talent, but they're a little small inside. They have a lot of guys, including the two I mentioned off the bench, that could go off for a big scoring day, we'll need to play a solid all around game to 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%"> UCLA
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 8
</td> <td width="68%"> Their PG, Shields, has all 8 of their points on 3 for 5 shooting. We've got 5 from Alloway, 4 from McCants, 3 from Forte so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> We call a timeout to get the backups in. Shields has 10 for them now. McCants leads us with 6, Forte/Alloway 5 each.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Terrible defense, no offense at all as we fall behind by 7, Iget another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier 1 of 2 at the line, Day a 3, but we trail by 6 still as the starters come back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> No defense at all and we're not scoring every single time down like they are. Last trip Alloway missed a 3 and Sanders got two offensive boards and missed two putbacks before they got the ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Huge run, they get a 3 point play and go up 38-25 and we're on a 12-1 run to storm back into it to end the half. UCLA has the ball for the last possession, they call a timeout. I bring McClurkin and Sneed in for Forte and Sanders for the last 35 seconds, Forte/Sanders have two fouls each.
</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%"> They turn it over and Barrett goes coast to coast to tie the game with 4 seconds to go in the half! They shoot a little over 50%, 15-28, just 4-12 from 3, and 5-7 at the line. PG Shields has 12, SG Cruz with 9. Backup SF Vitelli has 7. Their two starters in the post combine for 2 points/1 board. Great job there for us.


We shoot 45% on the half, 4-10 from 3. We're led by McCants with 11, he's 5-5 from the floor. Alloway 8, Barrett 7, Forte 5, Sanders 4. So our staring front court has 15 points/9 boards to their 2 points/1 board. Pretty big edge heh. Overall we have a 15-11 edge on the boards.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Its been even so far, but a big dunk by McCants earns us a 6^th man bonus. McCants, Barrett and Alloway are all in double figures now, McCants leads us with 13.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> We get another 6^th man boost with another dunk from McCants. We lead 52-49 at that point but UCLA goes on a quick 4-0 run. Forte just picked up his 3^rd foul as we trail by 1 now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants draws a foul and hits two free throws,we go up 1 and go ahead and get the backups out on the court.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get my starters back in, we lead by 1 and the backups played well to hang on to that lead. Sneed is still in for another short while, McCants can come back after the 6 minute mark or so.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants is back in. We get a free throw and a tipin by Sanders, they hit back to back three's though and take the lead. I call a timeout after the 2^nd three.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants misses a turnaround and Barrett tries to drive and draw a foul but doesn't get the call... they score on both their trips and we trail 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants loses the ball working in the post and they get a dunk. I call my next to last timeout as the game is getting away from me.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses an open 3 but Sanders gets the board and draws a foul, he hits both free throws and we end their little run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> We force a miss, McCants boards and outlets to Alloway who draws a foul, he only makes 1of 2. We are able to get another stop and manage a really tough runner in the lane by Forte to get the lead down to 3. Timeout UCLA.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. They miss a 3 and we go to barrett in transition, I thought he had his man beat by a lot more than he did... he went up in traffic and missed a very tough shot, should have pulled that out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> They fumble the ball away and Alloway picks it up in the backcourt! I get to midcourt and call a timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
DAMN! They come out in a 2-3 zone which seems monumentally stupid in the final 30 seconds up by 3. Alloway gets an open 3 at the top of the key, but its off. Sanders with the board and kickout. Alloway is open again on the wing, another 3 is no good, Sanders grabs the board and kicks it to a wide open Forte but his momentum takes him inside the 3 point line so he doesn't shoot. I work it into the post and back to Forte who ends up taking a contested 3 with just 4 seconds to go... it too is no good, Sanders with ANOTHER board but there isn't enough time to do anything else and the clock runs out.

We sure had our chance, but UCLA picks up the win at our house.

UCLA 73
#2 Florida State 70

They just shoot very very well today. 27-49 from the field, 6-17 from 3, and 13-15 from the line. We outrebound them by an insane 34-19 margin, take 11 more field goal attempts but only shoot 24-60 and fall a bit short. Their PG Shields ends up with 18 points and 4 assists on 7-9 shooting(2-4 from 3). SG Cruz scores 17, SF Ellis with 14.

Forte: 10 poitns/4 assists
Alloway: 11 points (4-14, 2-8 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points (4-10)
Sanders: 8 points/12 boards
McCants: 17 points/7 boards

Day: 9 points (3-7 from 3)

I don't think I have ever missed as many shots in transition as I did today, Barrett is 4-10 on the day, one jumper from about 18 feet out, everything else attacking the rim, Alloway is just 2-6 inside the 3 point line, all of those shots going hard to the basket. There are always cases where I feel like Barrett has beaten his man and go for the shot only to realize that they recover well and its a bad shot that gets blocked easily or whatever... but there were 4 or 5 shots today where Alloway or Barrett got by their men, got to the rim and their layup just rimmed out... a contested drive for sure but they usually go in if they can get the ball up there.

Tough loss at home.

[Radii]

I can't quite get the JC SG that I had a shot at up to 100% before the end of the week, so nothing changes with recruiting.

I'm in a fairly tough spot, I've signed two 4* guys but I'm not really in love with either. I've got an offer out to a 5* JC SG from Texas but didn't land him early, and now Houston has made him an offer, we'll see if I can hold them off. I lost the two PG's I decided to go after, there are a ton of good PGs but my 3rd option is only at 85% and now Clemson is going after them as well(I have a big lead on Clemson but Clemson has a history of stealing my 5* recruits the last few years).

I had hoped to be in a much better spot for this recruiting class given all the guys I have graduating.


Anyway, I have landed two guys:

4* PF Trace Devonish - 6'7" 223 lbs - Plantation, FL - #61 OVR/#6 PF

13.3 ppg/7.3 rpg in the ABL, 44.5% from the field, 2 blocks/game too.

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

C orb/C+ drb. C+ post off/C+ post def. B+ blocks. B- close/A- med/B 3/C in traffic. He looks more like a finesse forward(which is often true of shorter forwards, 6'7" is kinda in between). He is strong, B+ str so he'll be able to bang some. Who knows until he comes in and gets on the court of course, but my gut feeling is that this is a 4 year backup.


4* JC FR SF Asthon Naymick - 6'5" 199 lbs - Rocky Mount, NC

As a JC Player he isn't ranked or in the ABL of course. I landed him quickly and without a lot of scouting, he was a solid looking JC guy which I really wanted so he isn't fully scouted out.

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

B+ orb/C drb, no idea in the post. C defense/B- steals, for a natural SF a C defense rating is like 77ish I think. C+ close/A- med/C+ 3/B- off the dribble/C in traffic. I really don't know what to make of Naymick at all.



That leaves me with 4 scholarships and 3 of them offered out:


5* JC SG Evan walker - Houston, TX - 99% interest - competing with Houston.

Walker looks like Barrett on offense, a guy that can get to the rim but isn't going to hurt you from 3. Above average defense, speed, and athletic ratings.


5* PG Taj Osborne - #7 OVR/#5 PG - Springfield, IL - 5'11" 165 lbs - 85% interest, competing with Clemson, possibly UNC/Vanderbilt.

Clemson just recently offered. He's fast and a solid defender, A+ potential(maybe, that rating isn't fully accurate), a clutch shooter and great at creating his own shot.


4* SG Nicholas Power - Tampa, FL - #88 OVR/#30 SG - 6'5" 214 lbs -77% interest - competing with, UCF, Florida Atlantic, possibly Georgia Tech.

We just locked on to Power late. Looks like a good defender, average shooter/scorer.


We've got nothing after these 3 guys, and these 3 aren't locks either. As mentioned above, I'm disappointed in recruiting so far, we're not hurting ourselves with what we'll likely bring in, but I really wanted to pull a top flight superstar type in this class, and it doesn't seem possible at this point.

We'll have a solid class filled with top 100 4* guys though, so we'll be ok.

[Radii]

We fall all the way to 9th after losing to UCLA last week.

1. Oregon
2. Vanderbilt
3. Virginia Tech
4. West Virginia
5. Oklahoma State
...
7. Clemson
9. Florida State
10. Georgia Tech
17. NC State

4 ACC Teams in the top 10 so far. We have 7 non-conference games remaining, we'll play 3 or 4 of them, we have a couple cupcakes mixed in.

We have a fun matchup this week, traveling to Athens, OH, to play my old school,the Ohio Bobcats.

[Radii]

December 6, 2022

#9 Florida State (4-1) at Ohio (6-2)

TEAM: FSU|OHIO
OVR: 93|85
OFF: 92|86
DEF: 92|85
SHT: 93|91
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|81

Our Offense rises to 92 with some gains we've made(more on that later). I have a feeling this is the end for Ohio, their new coach recruited an awful class last year. They have some really fine talent on the team for now though.

Scouting

PG Karim Vaughn – JR – 78 OVR – 93 speed/85 quickness. 83 defense/82 steals. 84 hands/81 passing. 82 close/76 med/90 3. An outstanding 3 point shooter, really just an average handler/passer. 13.1 ppg.

SG Clifton Fuller – JR – 83 OVR – 88 speed/85 quickness. 81 defense/85 steals. 88 close/78 med/85 3/82 off the dribble. Poor offensive awareness, defensive is pretty good. Fuller only plays average defense which hopefully helps us out. 11.9 ppg/5.3 apg.

SF Jerimiah Cage – SR – 87 OVR – 6'6” SF – lottery pick – 86 speed/85 quickness. 81 defense/78 steals(solid for SF). 92 close/80 med/80 3/83 off the dribble/85 in traffic. B vert/B str/B hustle/B- def awareness/B off awareness. A great all around talent. Cage is averaging 18 ppg/6.4 rpg so far this year.

PF Broderick Maclies – SR – 84 OVR – 6'7” PF - 80 orb/89 drb. 84 post off/77 post def. 84 blocks. 92 close/90 in traffic, just 71 str, a little low for a post man. Coach on the floor, 84 off/79 def awareness. 15.4 ppg/5.6 rpg.

C Landon McBride – JR – 73 OVR – 87 orb/78 drb. 80 post off/73 post def. 85 close/81 in traffic. Suffering from a strained achilles and will be slowed as a result. 7.4 ppg/5.1 rpg.

With their entire team except for McBride averaging double figures, its worth noting that Ohio averages 89 points/game and plays at a very fast tempo. That should be an edge for us, this is their 5 most talented players, they have no depth. Their bench players are entirely rated 70 and below. Control Cage/Fuller/Maclies even a little and we should have way more options than they do.

That is often easier said than done though.

<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%"> OHIO
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 0
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that wasn't the start we wanted. They have 3 offensive boards already, and Alloway and Sanders each have shooting fouls. Alloway misses two open 3's early and Sanders and McCants each miss in the post..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> We come storming back and force an ohio timeout. Barrett seems to be on fire and has a huge edge over his man today. He just got an offensive board/putback to tie the game. He has 9 so far, 3 at the line, the putback and two transition buckets.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> They were up 10-2 FYI, so this is a 14-2 run on our part now. I have to go ahead and get the backups in. Barrett with 11. McCants has 6 boards already. Ohio has 4 offensive boards too though heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Ohio with their second timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Ohio scores and ends what had become an 18-2 run... well I guess its an 18-4 run now which is still pretty nice.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar with a 3 point play, McClurkin with a 3 and we're up 12, Ohio timeout #3. Their talented big man Maclies picked up foul #2 as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it up to 29-14, that's a 27-4 run, before they run off 5 straight. Ozier goes 1 of 2 at the line to get us to 30, and the starters come back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> We get right back on a roll as Barrett continues his dominance, up to 15 now, and McCants and Forte both get into the act a bit as well.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> I'll take a 20 point halftime lead on the road any day. Ohio is shooting 28% from the floor. That's pretty much the story. Also we have 4 blocked shots that have been recorded, but blocks aren't recorded right at all. I would imagine we have 7 or 8. We are launching shots as quick as they are and are terrible, horrible from 3... 3-16. But we're getting boards, we're getting out on the run when they miss with great success.


They have 9 from PG Vaughn. Cage has 5 points/6 boards, their 87 rated SF. On our end its all about Barrett. 6-6, 5-7 at the line, 17 points. McCants has 6 points/9 boards. McClurkin has 6. Forte is 1-5 from 3, Alloway 1-4, Day 0-4.


Alloway picked up a charge with 2 seconds left trying to get a last second bucket. It was his 3^rd.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. Barrett comes out with an injury driving to the hoop on our first play. Ozier is in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Well there is really no need to continue this one. I sim it out with a 24 point lead with about 15 to go.

#2 Florida State 92
Ohio 72

Poor Bobcats.

Forte: 13 points
Alloway: 4 points/4 assists
Barrett: 19 points
Sanders: 11 points/6 boards
McCants: 16 points/11 boards

McClurkin: 8 points
Ozier: 7 points
Day: 6 points

[Radii]

I sim our next two against teams rated below 70.

Dec 10, 2022

#9 Florida State 87
Army 36

Sanders 24, Barrett and McCants 12 each.


New Media Poll:

1. Oregon
2. Vanderbilt
3. Virginia Tech
4. oklahoma State
5. Baylor
6. Florida State
...
9. Clemson
10. Georgia Tech
16. NC State



Our first game during the next week is a simmed game as well:

December 13, 2022

#6 Florida State 108
Campbell 58

We ran out to a massive early lead so the backups get a lot of time. Day 20, Alloway 16, Millar 14, Ozier 13, McClurkin 13, Sneed 10.

I believe we're playing our next 3 straight, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas as we run through the SEC.

[Radii]

December 17, 2022

#17 Kentucky (8-1) at #6 Florida State (7-1)

TEAM: FSU|UK
OVR: 93|89
OFF: 92|89
DEF: 92|88
SHT: 93|91
REB: 95|89
COA: 88|98

Gillespie is an elite coach at Kentucky at this point, with 440 wins, and he has Kentucky in the top 25, making this the first top 25 team i'll have faced this season. Kentucky was 8-0, they just lost on the road at a 7-1 Umass squad. None of their wins really look good at all.

Scouting

PG Len Blanchard – SO – 81 OVR – 92 speed/83 quickness. 82 defense/91 steals, a great steals guy. 86 hands/84 passing. 80 close/78 med/80 3/83 off the dribble. Awful offensive awareness(67). 6.4 ppg/2.2 apg.

SG Othello Whittington – SO – 81 OVR – 90 speed/83 quickness. 86 defense/85 steals. 84 close/75 med/79 3/77 off the dribble. 8.8 ppg/3.4 apg.

SF Jamon Hodge – JR – 82 OVR – 6'6” SF – 86 speed/83 quickness. 81 defense/74 steals. 87 close/79 med/71 3/90 in traffic. An average rebounder for a SF. Just 6.1 ppg but looks like a guy that can be dangerous cutting to the hoop.

PF Armondo Sood – JR – 77 OVR – 6'8” PF – 82 orb/82 drb. 82 post off/77 post def. 87 blocks... 83 close/81 in traffic. 6.2 ppg/5.1 rpg.

C Darrian Walton – JR – 85 OVR – 6'11” C – 87 orb/77 drb. 89 post off/82 post def. 95 close/88 in traffic. 88 str(A, very strong guy). 85 off awareness/77 def awareness, a coach on the floor. A good shot blocker, this is a very good looking true center. 13.4 ppg/5.4 rpg.

Whittington has a pulled hammy and will be slowed for awhile.

They have a 7'2” backup center rated 79 OVR who is a stellar rebounder and inside scorer. 7 points/game for him, 3^rd on the team. The rest of their bench is rated 75+. They look really imposing inside, 4 big men nearly as good as our four big men... Walton is actually as good or better than anyone we have. Even with their coach on the floor we have an 83-66 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%"> UK
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Its even up to 10-10 and Kentucky scores 6 straight to take a little lead. I call a timeout to get my backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> Day goes up strong, draws a foul and comes down injured. Alloway comes in for him.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway picks up foul #2 and I get Barrett in for him, until we find out what's up with Day we're just rotating players around here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:52
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Day has a sprained ankle and will be reutrning soon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> We call a timeout, really not playing well at all. I get my starters back in, but Day instead of Alloway. They have 4 different guys with 4-6 points so far, pretty balanced.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> We cannot get inside at all. McCants is 2-6 inside, Sanders has 2 turnovers and nothing else. Ozier comes in for Barrett, who is a bit tired from covering for Day earlier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> We hit a late 3, we were trailing by 14 here for abit... Kentucky is shooting 58%, we are shooting 35%. SF Hodge has 9, C walton has 8. Backup PG Shumate is 2-4 from 3 and has 9 points. They've outrebounded us 15-10, nothing really going well.


Barrett and Forte both have 6, Alloway 4, McCants 4. Sneed actually has 5 as well. We either need to keep forcing the ball inside and try to wear them down, or get our guards trying to go off somewhere... they're having trouble driving though against these big men.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> We draw fouls #2 and #3 on their talented center, Walton, very quickly. They bring in a 7'2” backup so I'm not sure exactly how great that news is(Walton is a solid scorer, so I'm happy about it).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, extremely frustrated at Kentucky's shooting. They've hit contested 3's on each of their last 3 trips in a row, we had the lead down to 9 and just cannot get it back/keep it under 10.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Two buckets and a couple defensive stops and we have the lead down under 10 again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:58
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Great 9-0 run for us over the last 3 minutes, Alloway hits a 3 and Barrett gets a couple layups and a free throw. We've got the ball trying to cut it down to 1 possession, a Kentucky foul and we get our backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They go 1 for 2 at the line, Day goes 2 for 2 for us at the line, timeout Kentucky.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> We cut it to 1, 57-56, and they hit a 3. Sneed gets a layin down low, Kentucky with another timeout. This one gets a bunch of starters back out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a stop and McClurkin hits an open 3to give us the lead! 6^th man boost for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout for Kentucky. The starters are back in the game for the duration.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got the momentum big time now, we get a stop and Forte hits a huge 3 for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple empty trips on both ends, they cut it down to 4 but Alloway drains a huge open 3 and we go up 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> A couple more empty trips on both ends, Kentucky scores to cut it to 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway misses a 3 but Sanders with a huge offensive board.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> And we work it around awhile and Sanders hits a hook shot that should end the game.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They hit a 3 to cut it to 4 but Barrett ices it at the line.

#6 Florida State 77
#17 Kentucky 69

Their center Walton ends up leading them with 14, the stretch where he was out with foul trouble really made a big difference, that's when we really got going. SF Hodge with 10, PG Blanchard with 13 and 6 assists.

Forte: 12 points/5 assists
Alloway: 14 points
Barrett: 14 points
Sanders: 10 points/7 boards
McCants: 4 points/10 boards

Sneed:11 points

Sneed was really solid off the bench today. I got pretty nervous falling behind by 13 with 15 minutes to go but we played great the rest of the way making a comeback. Forte and Alloway combine to go 6-13 from 3 and we shoot 40% as a team(8-20) from behind the arc which helps us quite a bit as well.

[Radii]

Heh, earlier I said "I believe we're playing our next 3 straight, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas as we run through the SEC."

Make that Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and Arkansas. I got EKU's logo confused with Ole Miss somehow.

We moved up to #5 after the two wins that last week(Campbell and Kentucky).


December 24, 2022

#5 Florida State 68
E. Kentucky 47

Sneed 16 off the bench in just 16 minutes. Sanders with 12 points/12 boards to lead the starters.


And EKU was our only game the week of Christmas. Updated poll:

1. Oregon
2. Vanderbilt
3. Oklahoma State
4. Florida State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Georgia Tech
...
9. Clemson
16. NC State
20. Maryland
23. North Carolina

4 ACC teams in the top 10, 7 in the top 25. Its going to get fun real fast here as ACC play starts.


This week we play Arkansas and then open up ACC play against a 92 rated, but unranked, Boston College squad. We finish off non-conference play with Richmond and then face off against two top 10 teams in a row in Clemson and Georgia Tech. 5 of our first 7 conference games are against teams currently in the top 25. WHEE!

[Radii]

<table width="665" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="43"> <col width="111"> <col width="106"> <col width="87"> <col width="77"> <col width="96"> <col width="86"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> Year
</td> <td width="111"> National Champ
</td> <td width="106"> Runner Up
</td> <td width="87"> Final Four
</td> <td width="77"> Final Four
</td> <td width="96"> My Record
</td> <td width="86"> My Postseason
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2008
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Louisville
</td> <td width="87"> Arkansas
</td> <td width="77"> Indiana
</td> <td width="96"> 10-16 (NCAT)
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2009
</td> <td width="111"> Illinois
</td> <td width="106"> Gonzaga
</td> <td width="87"> Stanford
</td> <td width="77"> Louisville
</td> <td width="96"> 14-15
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2010
</td> <td width="111"> Mississippi St.
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> Pittsburgh
</td> <td width="77"> Tennessee
</td> <td width="96"> 17-14
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2011
</td> <td width="111"> Florida
</td> <td width="106"> Mississippi St.
</td> <td width="87"> Syracuse
</td> <td width="77"> Maryland
</td> <td width="96"> 24-8 (OHIO)
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2012
</td> <td width="111"> Tennessee
</td> <td width="106"> Michigan St.
</td> <td width="87"> Missouri
</td> <td width="77"> UCLA
</td> <td width="96"> 13-18
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2013
</td> <td width="111"> Texas Tech
</td> <td width="106"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="87"> Notre Dame
</td> <td width="77"> Providence
</td> <td width="96"> 17-14
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2014
</td> <td width="111"> Kansas
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> UL Lafayette
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 23-8
</td> <td width="86"> NIT 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2015
</td> <td width="111"> Baylor
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> Oklahoma St
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 22-9
</td> <td width="86"> NIT 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2016
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Michigan St.
</td> <td width="87"> Rhode Island
</td> <td width="77"> NC State
</td> <td width="96"> 24-8
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2017
</td> <td width="111"> Arizona
</td> <td width="106"> Duke
</td> <td width="87"> Florida
</td> <td width="77"> Louisville
</td> <td width="96"> 29-5
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2018
</td> <td width="111"> Florida
</td> <td width="106"> Kansas
</td> <td width="87"> Kentucky
</td> <td width="77"> UNLV
</td> <td width="96"> 32-5
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA E8
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2019
</td> <td width="111"> Oklahoma St.
</td> <td width="106"> Pittsburgh
</td> <td width="87"> Ohio State
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 22-7 (FSU)
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2020
</td> <td width="111"> Villanova
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona
</td> <td width="87"> Kansas
</td> <td width="77"> Clemson
</td> <td width="96"> 10-18
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2021
</td> <td width="111"> Villanova
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona St.
</td> <td width="87"> Ohio State
</td> <td width="77"> Florida
</td> <td width="96"> 21-11
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2022
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona
</td> <td width="87"> Vanderbilt
</td> <td width="77"> Nevada
</td> <td width="96"> 22-9
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>



National Titles:


3 North Carolina
2 Villanova
2 Florida
1 Illinois
1 Mississippi State
1 Tennessee
1 Texas Tech
1 Kansas
1 Baylor
1 Arizona
1 Oklahoma State

Final Four Appearances:

6 Arizona
4 Florida
4 North Carolina
3 Kansas
3 Louisville
3 Wisconsin
2 Michigan State
2 Mississippi State
2 Ohio State
2 Oklahoma State
2 Pittsburgh
2 Tennessee
2 Villanova
Arizona State
Arkansas
Baylor
Clemson
Duke
Gonzaga
Indiana
Illinois
Kentucky
UL Lafayette
Maryland
Missouri
NC State
Nevada
Notre Dame
Providence
Rhode Island
Stanford
Syracuse
Texas Tech
UCLA
UNLV
Vanderbilt

National Titles (By Conference)

4 Big 12
4 SEC
3 ACC
2 Big East
1 Big 10
1 PAC 10

Final Fours (By Conference)

11 SEC
10 Big East
9 PAC 10
9 Big 10
8 ACC
8 Big 12
1 A-10
1 Mountain West
1 Sun Belt
1 WAC
1 WCC

[Radii]

hooray for league history(and hooray for super long boring conference calls that I shouldn't have been on in the first place to free up the time to put this together)

[Radii]

December 17, 2022

#4 Florida State (9-1) at Arkansas (7-6)

TEAM: FSU|ARK
OVR: 93|81
OFF: 92|82
DEF: 92|81
SHT: 93|84
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|82

Arkansas hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013... tough times for them. This is our last road contest before ACC play starts, and its a game we certainly should win, but as always on the road who the heck knows until we get going.

Scouting

PG Henry Ellerbee – SR – 78 OVR – 90 speed/85 quickness. 85 defense/76 steals. 89 hands/84 passing. 81 close/84 med/73 3/82 off the dribble. Poor athletic ratings for a power conference, C+/C+/C+ vert/str/hustle. Very poor awareness(64 off/67 def). 9.5 ppg/3.8 apg.

SG Teddy Lucas – JR – 71 OVR – natural PG – 87 speed/82 quickness. 81 defense/76 steals. 86 close/74 med/63 3/80 off the dribble. 3.8 ppg.

SF Drake Bing – SO – 76 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 83 speed/76 quickness. 79 defense/75 steals. 84 close/72 med/71 3/81 in traffic. Defensive awareness is quite good, offense not so much (69 off/78 def). Very weak, 61 str, will probably limit the effectiveness he can have b/c of his size a bit. 7.8 ppg/7.3 rpg though is very solid.

PF Tariq Mejia – JR – 70 OVR – 6'11” PF – 81 orb/79 drb. 76 post off/72 post def. 89 close/81 in traffic. 4.2 ppg/3.1 rpg.

C Dotun Little – SR – 78 OVR – 6'10” C – 88 orb/79 drb. 80 post off/80 post def. 85 blocks(B+). 89 close/67 med/73 3/83 in traffic. 76 str is good. Awareness is aveage/slightly below average(69 off/71 def). 16.3 ppg/5.3 rpg, leading the team in scoring.

In theory, these guys just aren't good enough to play with us. Not even close. A couple backup guards are in the 70-71 range and the rest of their backups are rated below 70.

<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%"> ARK
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> We're up early, and due to a day to day injury earlier my lineup has been auto-reset, meaning Barrett and Ozier are starting instead of Alloway/Barrett. I call for Alloway right away but this is the first time the clock has stopped.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway hits a 3 and Arkansas calls a timeout. Barrett has 6 by the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the backups aren't scoring a lot but we are playing solid defense and lead by 8. I get a timeout to avoid a held ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout by Arkansas.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> And now we get a timeout to get our starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Two straight threes for Arkansas makes it a 2 point game late in the half. Forte hits a 3 to put us up 5 as we go into the locker room. Arkansas is only 11-24 from the floor and 2-8 from 3. PF Mejia scores 8 and PG Ellerbee scores 7, he hit the 2 3's in a row for them late in the half to make it a closer game.


We're not shooting well either, 13-30, a fairly solid 4-11 from 3. Forte is 3-4 from 3 and leads us with 9, Barrett has 8, all in transition. Millar, who rarely does anything that gets him a mention, scores 6 and has a solid half for the backups.


Barrett has 2 fouls, the only foul trouble on either side.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> A poor start to the half and Arkansas has tied up the game. No timeout for me yet though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Our defense picks it up(or really, Arkansas isn't that good and just goes a bit cold) and we run off 6 straight. Timeout Arkansas, I go ahead and get my backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Arkansas scores 5 straight to cut it to 1. McClurkin hits a big 3 for us, they answer right back with a 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up by 6 again and they cut it right back to 1. I call a timeout to get my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte is just not missing any open shots today, he hits back to back 3's and we go up 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3, Alloway answers for us. Timeout Arkansas, we remain up 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got the ball with 1:30 left and a slim 4 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. Shot clock violation, Barrett has a shot blocked after we run a play that goes nowhere and just end up with a rough shot that they are ready for. 6^th man boost for Arkansas and its their ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside out and SG Lucas hits an open 3 and cuts it to one. I call a timeout to hopefully get them out of their half court press.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They don't get out of their press and force a turnover... Arkansas ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:02.6
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Their PG Ellerbee makes a great one on one move and gets by Forte, he still has to make a pretty tough runner with his left hand, and he does. I get the ball up to halfcourt and call a timeout.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Forte gets off a bad, contested shot and it doesn't go.

Arkansas 64
#4 Florida State 63

Arkansas shoots a much improve 6-13 from 3 in the second half, ending up 8-21. We end up 8-22 from 3, 4-11 in each half, but really struggled as they started using the half court trap more and more in the final 10 minutes.

They end up with 16 from PG Ellerbee and 10 from SG Lucas, all tharters score 7+.

Forte: 17 points (5-7 from 3)
Alloway: 8 points (2-7 from 3, 3-10 overall)
Barrett: 10 points/4 boards
Sanders: 8 points
McCants: 6 points/6 boards

Millar: 6 points

Sanders and McCants shot a combined 3/8 in the first half and for some reason I stopped feeding the ball inside in the second half. They combined for 4/5 shooting in the second half and I feel like I could have pounded the ball inside a lot more in the second half. Not the way I wanted to go into conference play, but this is a tough building to win in, and we struggle in general against the half court trap(something I need to get better at).

[Radii]

January 1, 2023

Boston College (12-4) at #4 Florida State (9-2)

TEAM: FSU|BC
OVR: 93|92
OFF: 92|92
DEF: 92|90
SHT: 93|95
REB: 95|87
COA: 88|92

even the unranked teams in the ACC are going to be a bear to deal with this year. We start out with 4 of our first 5 at home and we're going to need to come through with a fast start. BC is undefeated at home, all 4 losses are on the road, all to good teams. They have a home win over #10 St Johns.

BC Starts 5 seniors and more than one of them look to be NBA material.

Scouting

PG Andy Garner – SR – 89 OVR – 94 speed/86 quickness. 91 defense/83 steals. 90 hands/86 passing. 87 close/79 med/88 3/88 off the dribble. Good leaper, good hustle, good awareness(82 off/76 def). The best thing I can say about Garner is that he is a pass first PG, only scoring 8.4 ppg so far this year.

SG Regis Clarke – SR – 85 OVR – natural PG – 91 speed/85 quickness. 86 defense/81 steals. 91 close/76 med/78 3/81 off the dribble. If this were my team Clarke would be PG and Garner SG and Garner would score 20/game. Only 7.6 ppg for clarke.

SF Hilton Hart – SR – 79 OVR – A 6'7” natural SF – 85 speed/76 quickness. 78 defense/74 steals. 86 close/74 med/68 3/84 in traffic. Hart only averages 3.6 ppg, he likes taking open jumpers even though he's nowhere near their best shooter.

PF Izik Dawson – SR – 84 OVR – 6'9” PF – 79 orb/84 drb. 73 post off/76 post def. 77 blocks (B). 93 close/90 in traffic. 82 vert/74 str/87 hustle (A/B/B+). 76 off awareness/84 def awareness. 13.3 ppg/6.5 rpg so far this year.

C Sidiki Sarchet – SR – 82 OVR – 6'8” PF – 87 orb/83 drb. 81 post off/77 post def. 77 blocks/81 steals. 92 close/88 in traffic. His strength is low, 65. 11.3 ppg/5.4 rpg.

backup PG Duane Bowden is rated 83 OVR and scores 11/game off the bench. This will be a tough game but I feel like we have the edge 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%"> BC
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 1
</td> <td width="7%"> 2
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with two early fouls. I get Sneed in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> We pick up a 2^nd foul on their PF Dawson, so we're each down 1 starter for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 and a 3 point play and we fall behind by 2. Barrett picks up his 2^nd foul on the 3 point play, I go ahead and get my backups in a little early with the foul trouble.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> We score 5 straight after being down 16-12, take the lead and BC calls a timeout. Day has 4, he seems to have a big edge on his man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed has 2 fouls too now, starters are back in. BC has 7 fouls but I think we have more foul trouble, especially with two big men in foul trouble. Their SF Hart has 10 already. He has a history of killing us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway and Forte hit 3's for us and BC with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with 4 straight, he's got 6, BC is using a lot of timeouts, here's another.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a 6^th man boost with a blocked shot, but then McCants picks up his 2^nd foul. We've got 9 fouls total, 2 on Barrett, Sanders, McCants, Sneed. They have 8 or 9 fouls too so its pretty even, but I don't like 3 big men with fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> We give up a 3 in the final seconds of the half but still have a 7 point lead. BC only shoots 12-27 as a team but goes 9-11 at the line what with all the fouls. They're a 2 man team... SG Clarke is 6-7, 3-3 from 3, 2-2 at the line and has 17.. . Hart still only has 10, he picked up a 2^nd foul late and sat a bit.


Forte has 3 3's for us and leads us with 9. Barrett has 8, McCants 6, Day 6. Balanced scoring all the way around.


FSU Players with 2 fouls: Barrett, Sanders, McCants, Sneed. BC Players with 2 fouls: Hart, Dawson Each team had 9 total in the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett picks up his 3^rd foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Hart picks up his 3^rd for BC
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with foul #3
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to get my backups in. We went up 51-43 and they storm back. We're crushing them inside but their guards are really ripping it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> We get 3's from Day and McClurkin but their SG Clarke has just gone nuts, scoring their last 7 straight, he has 27, and has given them the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> I was ready to bring the backups in awhile ago but Day got hot, hitting three straight 3's to get us to 71. They get a 2 and a 3 but we lead by 3 now, starters are back in for the duration. Day leaves with 18.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with a bullshit goaltending call going up for a missed 3, getting Clarke to 30 points and putting BC back in the lead again. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett gets to the line and ties the game up. BC with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Clarke hits a 3 with Forte right in his face... 33 points, crazy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway drives by Clarke for a layup. Timeout BC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a steal, he drives to the hoop and Clarke fouls him. He only makes the second free throw though... tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside but miss, Sanders with the board, our ball. We want a 2 for 1 here if possible.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 78
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a pretty turnaround in the lane. We take a 2 point lead, BC Ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> They answer with Dawson in the lane. I get my last timeout and emphasize shot selection to my team(I was hoping they would call a timeout so I could emphasize defense, but this'll do). The plan is to get Sanders or McCants a look inside in the final 3 or 4 seconds.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:04.1
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 80
</td> <td width="68%"> Sarchet reaches in as I feed it to mcCants. That's their 7^th foul of the half so its 1 and 1 time. McCants makes the first... and the second.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They take a shot from half court and its off the front win, we escape with a win.

#4 Florida State 82
Boston College 80

They shoot exactly 50% from the floor, SG Clarke goes 12-14, Hart 5-7. The rest of the team is 11-35. We really controlled the game inside. Dawson and Sarchet, their two big men who score over 10 a game each, score 10 total on 4-15 shooting. Clarke 33, Hart 13, no one else more than 7.

Forte: 10 points
Alloway: 9 points
Barrett: 12 points
Sanders: 4 points/4 boards/3 assists
McCants: 16 points/8 boards

Day: 18 points
McClurkin: 8 points

Day scored 6 in the first half, all on drives to the hoop, in the second half he hit 4 3's, including 3 on 3 straight possessions in a key stretch around the 6 minute mark. I'm really happy with McCants play, 4-7 and 8-8 at the line. He scored our final four points and was big in the clutch.

[Radii]

We fall to 9th in the polls with our loss to an inferior Arkansas squad.

1. Orgeon
2. Vanderbilt
3. Virginia Tech
4. Oklahoma State
5. LaSalle
6. Georgia Tech
...
8. Clemson
9. Florida State
15. NC State
18. North Carolina
24. Maryland


Jan 4, 2023

at FSU 78
Richmond 48

Sanders 19, McCants 10, Forte 10, Sneed 12. Big day in the paint.

[Radii]

Quick development update... everyone in our 10 man rotation has gained 1 point to their OVR ratings... that puts our lineups at;

Forte: 86 OVR
Alloway: 84 OVR
Barrett: 87 OVR
Sanders: 85 OVR
McCants: 84 OVR

backups:

McClurkin: 82 OVR
Day: 80 OVR
Ozier: 87 OVR
Millar: 81 OVR
Sneed: 85 OVR


Such a strong overall roster, we have to be one of the 2 or 3 deepest teams in the nation. While we lack a big time superstar(despite Barrett's and Ozier's ratings, they are not big time superstars), we should be able to find more than one guy every game that can carry us when we need a big shot.


And... we're gonna need it. Take a look at our next 6 games:

vs #8 Clemson
vs #6 Georgia Tech
at Wake Forest (who, while unrated, is 11-2)
vs #20 Maryland
at #3 Virginia Tech
vs #15 NC State


4 of the 6 at home has to help, and we really, really need to get out of the gate good here. There is a smaller, but probably more brutal stretch coming up in February, where we play 3 top 10 teams and #18 UNC all in a row, 3 of the 4 on the road.

[Radii]

January 7, 2023

#8 Clemson (16-1, 1-0 ACC) at #9 Florida State (10-2, 1-0 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|CU
OVR: 93|93
OFF: 92|93
DEF: 93|92
SHT: 93|96
REB: 95|92
COA: 88|93

Our defensive rating has improved to 93. Clemson lost 3 starters last year but they continue to recruit exceptionally well, and in fact have two top 10 recruits that they beat me out for on this roster right now. Clemson lost to a 10-3 Ohio State team at home, their best win is on the road at #14 Florida.

Despite losing 3 startesr, they only really suffer at center, where they start a 73 rated freshman. They replace an 86 rated PG with another 86 rated PG and an 89 rated SF with an 88 rated SF. PF Vitelli has to be a player of the year candidate as well.

Scouting

PG Mark Trammell – SO – 86 OVR – 94 speed/86 quickness. 84 defense/76 steals. 92 hands/80 passing. 83 close/86 med/82 3/85 off the dribble. 7.1 ppg/3.6 apg.

SG Darren Bookout – SO – 86 OVR – 89 speed/86 quickness. 93 defense/84 steals. 92 close/82 med/80 3/79 off the dribble/90 in traffic. 10.4 ppg, capable of much much more.

SF Vidal Dalida – SR – 88 OVR – 6'7” SF but plays like a guard. 88 speed/93 quickness. 84 defense/72 steals. 93 close/82 med/78 3/82 off the dribble/87 in traffic. Deadly from all over. 14.7 ppg.

PF Jim Vitelli – SR – 91 OVR – 6'9” PF – 94 orb/88 drb. 84 post off/87 post def. 84 block/82 steals. 86 close/79 med/73 3/94 in traffic. A vert/A- str/B- hustle. 85 off awareness/82 def awareness. 16.1ppg/5.4 rpg. An elite inside player.

C Jesus Williamson – FR – 73 OVR – 6'6” PF – 80 orb/77 drb. 92 post off/68 post def. 86 close/85 in traffic. 65 str. 6.6 ppg. I've never seen that kind of disparity in post play... 92 off/69 def? Great scorer but can't defend for shit I guess.

backup SF Scott Whitehead is rated 86 OVR and can kill us from all over like Dalida can. He averages 13.8 ppg off the bench. Backup SG Kyile Kickert is rated 86 OVR and scores 8.6/game. Backup PG Dominik Meade is rated 82 OVR and is an incredible shooter.

Backup big man Ashley Eppenhimer is 6'8” and not a good post player at all, he's a freshman, 67 OVR. Our edge is inside. Vitelli is an incredible threat, but Williamson is a huge problem for them. If I can get Vitelli in foul trouble I can really hurt them inside, and even if I can't I can try to isolate their other big.

Our team unity is up to 87 now w/ the coach on the floor that we have(in fact we have 4 coaches on the floor during games, but whatever). Clemson, even with a coach on the floor, only has 67 unity.

<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%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Crazy start... Forte has 11, McCants 4. I forgot, Clemson plays a 2-3 zone most of the time, so its hard to go inside. Williamson leads them with 6 so far. Timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed in for McCants, everyone else is good for another minute or two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</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%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> We draw foul #2 on bookout and he sits. Not as good as getting Vitelli out of there, but Bookout is 3-4 for 6 points now. Timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with foul #2. They sit Vitelli for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with his second foul as well. Vitelli back in, McCants hit two shots in a row while he was gone.
</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 3 as time expires in the half to take a 6 point lead. Barrett picked up a 2^nd foul but no one has 3. They shoot 48%, we shoot 42%, we make 3 3's, they only make 2. They are 7-9 at the line, we are just 4-5. We only committed 6 fouls, but it was 2 by Alloway, 2 Sanders, 2 Barrett, so it seems worse than it was.


Their scoring is incredibly balanced. 6 from Trammell, Bookout, Vitelli, Williams, and 5 from Dalida. That's their starting 5. Vitelli has 7 boards, 4 of them offensive. Forte with 11 for us, McCants with 8. No one else has more than 3. McCants is a solid 4-4 but when they're in their 2-3 zone I cannot score inside unless on an offensive board, it seems impossible w/ Vitelli down there. We are just 3-11 from 3, need to do a little better there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with his 3^rd foul. I sit him for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants is now 7-7 for 14 points, getting 6 straight after they briefly sit Vitelli. Clemson with a timeout as we cut it down to 1 for the first time this half. Forte has 5 this half and 16 total, its all him and McCants. Bookout has 6 for Clemson, he has a quick trigger and is a very good shooter, dangerous any time we give him an inch. Vitelli is back in at this timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 46
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway with a game tying three! I was about to pull my starters but the 6^th man boost generated from tying it up leaves them in a bit more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> 7-0 run, Sanders with an offensive board and a dunk to put us ahead, and Ozier with a windmill jam in transition after a miss! Sanders has had a really awful day, I'm glad to see him get that dunk, his first two points, he has at least 2 turnovers, maybe more. Timeout Clemson.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with 1 at the line and the backups come in. I haven't used a single timeout left, so I've got 6 to burn to keep my guys rested. I'll bring them in a bit early and plan on using timeouts every couple minutes as needed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> We're cold and they have tied it up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh, they get a steal and we foul on the break. We've got 7 fouls now. I get my starters back in, Sneed instead of McCants for another minute though. And I call a timeout.
</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%"> An awesome block by Sanders gets us a 6^th man boost and we score 4 straight to go up again. Unfortunately, Barrett commits his 4^th foul, allowing them to get back to the line. McCants comes back in, Vitelli sits for them. They tie it up at the line.


With Vitelli sitting I won't be using any timeouts until he comes back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett hits Alloway for an open 3 and that generates another 6^th man boost for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> They answer with a 3. McCants gets fouled and goes 1-2 at the line, then McCants fouls a driving Bookout who hits both. We trail 1 with 5 minutes left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders scores inside to put us back up. Timeout Clemson. Vitelli back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> I go for a steal that leaves their PG Trammell wide open for 3. Dumb, he isn't missing that. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> I turn it over trying to get McCants the ball in the post and they drive down for an easy bucket. Alloway has a 3 pointer blocked, but our defense is strong and gets the big stop. Barrett with a layup in transition and we're just down 2 again. Clemson ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with beautiful defense on a cutting Dalida, blocking his inside shot, Alloway out on the break, hits McCants streaking in behind him and McCants lays it in, tie game!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 67
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders tips a pass into the post, steal!! Barrett is out on the break, he finishes and draws the foul!!!! Free throw good, 3 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside out and get Trammell an open 3 in the corner, he hits the clutch three to tie it. I call a timeout. I emphasize D and want a 2 for 1 here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> We struggle to get a shot, Forte ends up with an ok, but not great look from 3. Its no good but McCants is there for the tipin!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a foul on Trammell... he was pump faking and I guess they called it a shooting foul, giving him 3 shots as he was behind the line. We're bailed out big time here as Trammell misses the 3^rd free throw and McCants grabs the board.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I outlet to Barrett but (unlike past close end-game situations) decide that I'm holding for the last shot since its not a 100% easy dunk for Barrett. I hit McCants on the left wing, 9-10 feet out, I wanted him on the block but he was slow to set up, with about 3 seconds to go. Too late for anything else, he pivots, puts up a hook shot with his right hand over their defender(who I am going to assume was Williamson or an SF, not Vitelli). I wish I could record a video ala NCAA09/EASportsWorld... I honestly didn't even know if I got the shot off in time w/ the hook animation, it was at best 0.2 left on the clock, probably 0.1, it hits the rim but falls straight through, BUZZER BEATER!!!

#9 Florida State 74
#8 Clemson 72

clemson got good, consistent scoring from nearly everyone. Dalida was 4-14, 2-6 from 3 for 12 points. Likely not a coincidence that Barrett was guarding him most of the game. Trammell scored 17, Bookout 16. Vitelli only had 11, but he had a hell of a line for a 6'8 power forward given that we have 2 7 footers out there. 11 points/13 rebounds/8 assists/3 steals.

Forte: 16 points/4 assists
Alloway: 9 points
Barrett: 8 points
Sanders: 6 points/9 boards/3 blocks/4 turnovers
McCants: 22 points/9 boards

This would have been easy if our 87 rated 3 point shooter could make open 3's against a 2-3 zone. Day goes 1-7 from 3 off the bench. Outstanding win.

[Radii]

Virginia Tech loses their first game, to freaking Miami... and we're now the highest rated ACC Team. Disappointing, I was hoping there was a chance Va Tech would be #1 when we played them, giving us a shot at knocking of the #1 team.

1. Vanderbilt
2. Oregon
3. Oklahoma State
4. LaSalle
5. Florida State
6. Virginina Tech
...
9. Georgia Tech
10. Clemson
16. NC State
19. Maryland
25. Boston College

BC sneaks into the top 25. I expect the middle teams in the league to beat each other up and to fall out of the top 25, but so far, just more teams coming in!


This week, #5 Ga Tech, and our first road conference game, at 11-3 Wake Forest.

[Radii]

January 10, 2023

#9 Georgia Tech (9-3, 0-1 ACC) at #5 Florida State (11-2, 2-0 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 93|95
OFF: 92|95
DEF: 93|93
SHT: 94|99
REB: 95|99
COA: 88|96

We improve to 94 shooting. Georgia Tech... 99 shooting, 99 rebounding! This is the first team we've played rated higher than us. Tech lost a 1 point game on the road at now #25 Boston College last week. After us, they play #6 Va Tech later in the week.

Tech lost only two starters off last year's team, and their leading scorer was only a soph. Their lineup is ridiculous. They start 4 players rated as good or better than anyone on our team.

Scouting

PG Justin Covington – SR – 87 OVR – 94 speed/94 quickness. 89 defense/75 steals. 89 close/81 med/82 3/85 off the dribble. 8.7 ppg/4.4 apg. Covington took the starting job for the final 8 games last year and of course all this season.

SG Femi Shavies – JR – 88 OVR – Shavies is truly scary. 89 speed/90 quickness. 81 defense/84 steals. 91 close/80 med/86 3/83 off the dribble/81 in traffic. Good awareness, good strength. 15.5 ppg, he's averaged in double figures all 3 years, unusual for a SG, who usually have lower shooting tendencies than big men. His tendencies were maxxed out last year though, he's insanely talented and will shoot the second he touches the ball any time he's open. Holding him under 20 is likely impossible.

SF Jibran Grizzard – SR – 91 OVR – 6'7” SF – 88 speed/82 quickness. 86 defense/82 steals. 95 close/85 med/79 3. 93 vert, 84 off awareness/75 def awareness. Grizzard has never been a big scorer despite the ratings. 9.2 ppg this year is 2 points better than last season.

PF Immanuel Bing – SR – 88 OVR – 6'10” PF – 87 orb/88 drb. 85 post off/80 post def. 96 close/90 in traffic, good shot blocker, good steals for a big, 83 str is huge. 84 off awareness/77 def awareness. Bing was overshadowed by super forward Aly Richards the last couple years but he's taken the reins and is having his best year by far, 12.7 ppg/6.1 rpg, 3 points over his average last year.

C Dalron Axton – SR – 81 OVR – 7'4”, I mentioned Axton last year, when he came off the bench. 88 str(A). 89 orb/82 drb. 79 post off/78 post def. 94 close/88 in traffic. Just 7.4 ppg/5.3 rpg.

backup SF Louie Costello is rated 85 OVR and scores 7.7 a game. Backup SG goran Ravello is 84 OVR with a great shot from all over, 8 ppg. Backup PG Koki Humphrey is 83 OVR and only scores 4/game thankfully.

They have no backup big men. They'll be going with 3 forwards, but Bing and Axton are seriously formidable inside. McCants has had 18 and 22 points his last two games that I've played out. I do not expect the same today.

This is a powerhouse matchup of highly experienced, senior led teams. 87 unity for us, 86 for Tech. They run a 2-3 matchup zone, so they're in man to man most of the time, which I prefer seeing.

<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%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> It was 9-7... ouch. They have 3 steals/layups off turnovers. PG Covington has 2 deep 3's and 10 total. We're strugglingto hang on to the ball, much less put it in the hoop. They also have 2 offensive boards/putbacks. I get a timeout and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar with a turnaround over their backup PF, Day with an open 3 after a turnover, timeout Ga Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Day has 8, 2-3 from behind the arc, doing exactly what we need to keep us in this one after the poor start. Timeout Ga Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Quick 6-0 run after the timeout, and I get my starters back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with foul #2 inside, he'll stay in for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> This team is so much better than us its silly. I get a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett, Forte and McCants now all have 2 fouls. 8 on the team, so they're shooting the rest of the way.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> They are on a 20-4 run. I call my 3^rd timeout and get the backups in for the rest of the half. It sparked a small run last time(of course Tech took out 3 starters last time).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the backups start scoring, but can't stop them. They're shooting 65% so far. Ozier drives, draws a foul, comes down injured. He's out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Uh. Holy shit. Tech shoots 60%. We shoot 50%. Two stats worth noting:


Georgia Tech: 13-14 FT. Florida State: 3-4 FT
Georgia Tech: 17 rebounds. Florida State: 6 rebounds.


WHAT? Their 7'4 center, Axton, has 7 boards, more than our entire team. Covington leads them with 14. Backup SF Costello 11. All other starters 6 or 8.


Day goes nuts for us. He has 15, 5-8 from the floor, 2-5 from 3, and he's taken all our free throws. Sanders has 6. Forte 3. no one else more than 2. They have 5 offensive boards as part of that 17-6 massacre on the boards.


I change my lineup for the second half. Day starts instead of Alloway. At least for now. Ozier has a sprained knee. I'm unsure whether he can come back or not. As of the start of the 2^nd half, he's not available.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> HEH. We're fine at the 16:30 mark. On our last two trips, McCants, Barrett and Forte all picked up their 3^rd fouls. They're on a 7-0 run as well and up 25. I'm about done with this.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

I was done with this about 2 seconds after typing that last thing out... Forte takes an inbounds pass and falls over as Grizzard comes over for the double team, a tech dunk and I wave the white flag. Tech clearly does not, scoring 60 second half points on their way to a 35 point win.

#9 Georgia Tech 110
#5 Florida State 75

This team was so much better than me today that its silly. They beat us in every category, outrebounding us by 15, 6 more steals/8 more turnovers forced. They end up 25-30 at the line.

Covington scores 25, Shavies 26, Axton 19, two others in double figures. Axton with 19 points/16 boards.

Forte: 5 points
Alloway: 8 points
Barrett: 2 points
Sanders: 11 points/1 board
McCants 4 points/5 boards

Day: 28 points

Day was very very good today, but he was the only one. Shavies isn't a great defender and any of our guys have a huge first step edge over Grizzard. But Day was the only one consistently getting by them and getting to the rack.

Hopefully this Georgia Tech team was just playing their best possible today. We get to travel to Atlanta in a month. If they play like this we cannot beat them.

[Radii]

January 14, 2023

#5 Florida State (11-3, 2-1 ACC) at Wake Forest (11-4, 0-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|WF
OVR: 93|86
OFF: 92|86
DEF: 93|85
SHT: 94|91
REB: 95|90
COA: 88|85

We get a “break” from all these stellar teams that we've been playing and get to go face an 86 rated team on the road. They've lost to Virginia and Clemson, UVA at home. I guess if Virginia can go win in Lawrence Joel, we're pretty much expected to as well.

Wake lost three seniors last year and really their players are far worse than last year but they upgraded their coach after Dino Guadio retired last year, so they're still rated the same overall.

Scouting

PG Preston Diakite – JR – 79 OVR – 95 speed/87 quickness. 88 defense/79 steals. 88 handling/73 passing. 88 close/72 med/85 3/88 off the dribble. Poor awareness and poor passing, 8.1 ppg/2.5 apg.

SG Tre Almanson – FR – 79 OVR – 87 speed/80 quickness. 86 defense/71 steals. 87 close/71 med/82 3/78 off the dribble/82 in traffic. Better awareness than most of the team here, 78 off/75 def. Not a good athlete, C vert/C str/C hustle. B- potential, if their new coach can develop guys Almanson will be quite good down the road. 9.1 ppg/2.9 rpg/2.1 apg, possible freshman of the year candidate?

SF Boo Gregory – FR – 78 OVR – 6'6” SF - 82 speed/82 quickness. 71 defense/69 steals(wow, godawful, C- defense). 80 close/78 med/82 3/77 off the dribble/83 in traffic. Awareness is backwards. This guy is a good offensive player but no offensive awareness(68/C), and an awful defensive player with very good defensive awareness(78/B). 8.3 ppg/4.5 rpg.

PF Jeffrey Eldridge – SR – 81 OVR – 6'11” PF – 83 orb/90 drb. 82 post off/72 post def. 67 blocks(C+). 91 close/75 med/83 3/87 in traffic. Eldridge is putting up some of the best numbers in the league this year, a big time contender for player of the year, 19.3 ppg/8.8 rpg. He's a great offensive player, 6'11” and super strong inside, and he is as good a 3 point shooter as Forte or Alloway. H?e's a big weak on defense and has poor awareness.

C Bracey Boddie – SO – 75 OVR – 7'0” C – 80 orb/77 drb. 79 post off/76 post def. 72 blocks. 82 close/86 in traffic. Great strength, 90/A. He's not rated well at all but he's big.

6 of their top 7 rated players are 80+ rated from 3. This is one of those times where our unity edge is massive... 86-43.

<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%"> WFU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Its all about Alloway. They're in a 2-3 zone and he hit his first three pointer, which just sets me off, willing to fire at will from behing the arc. And its worked well so far, 4-7, 12 points. Wake with a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 6 straight as Alloway misses a 3 and they double inside very quickly as I try to get McCants the ball a couple times. I call a timeout to avoid a held ball and its time to get the backups in. Anything going into the post is getting doubled instantly right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Wake with a timeout as McClurkin hits a 3 and we get back up in the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We push further ahead and Wake calls another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> We run it up to 35-19 before Wake scores any at all, so I let the backups stay in as long as they keep this up. Starters get back in at the 4 minute mark.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead by 10 playing solid all the way around really, a horseshit goaltending on a missed 3 in the final 10 seconds allows them to cut it to 10, should have been 13.


Diakite has 8 points on 2 3's. We've done a solid job on Eldridge, holding him to 4 points and 5 boards on 2-5 shooting.


Alloway has 14 after his insane start, and Sanders has 6, but the backups did a ton of work to build up this lead today. McClurkin is 3-4 from 3 for 9 points, Sneed has 6, Ozier 5, Day 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> I get McCants out, he's tired. He's also playing like crap. I get him one on one with Boddie a number of times and he's 1-7 on the day now, 0-4 this half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a 3 and we go up 8. Wake with a timeout. They'd cut it as close as 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 61
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway draws a foul and hits two free throws, we're up 10. I go ahead and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> The backups are just playing so so well today. We're right back up 17, timeout Wake.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:58
</td> <td width="10%"> 78
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups still in, still crushing Wake, we're just running things down now.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I pretty much shut it down entirely from that point on.

#5 Florida State 81
Wake Forest 67

They get 15 from Diakite, 11 from Almanson and 10 from Gregory. Their best player, Eldridge, is held to 9 points/6 boards.

Forte: 3 points/5 assists
Alloway: 21 points (5-11 from 3)
Barrett: 0 points
Sanders: 6 points/5 boards
McCants: 7 points/3 boards

Day: 13 points
McClurkin: 12 points
Ozier: 9 points
Sneed: 8 points/5 boards

We get a solid, fairly easy win on the road in league play, always a good thing.

[Radii]

Even with our loss we only fall 1 spot in the polls.

1. Vanderbilt
2. Oregon
3. LaSalle
4. Oklahoma State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Florida State
...
8. Virginia Tech
14. Maryland
16. NC State
19. Clemson


Boston College falls out of the polls, and Clemson drops from 10th to 19th, they've lost 2 of their last three, to us and Maryland.


And it'll be another exciting week coming up for us:

vs #14 Maryland
at #8 Virginia Tech

[Radii]

January 17, 2023

#14 Maryland (12-4, 3-1 ACC) at #6 Florida State (12-3, 3-1 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|UMD
OVR: 93|93
OFF: 92|92
DEF: 93|93
SHT: 94|96
REB: 95|95
COA: 88|92

We're tied with Maryland at the top of the league so far, no one is undefeated in ACC play, but its very early of course.

Maryland is rated well and has a top 10 RPI(I haven't mentioned RPI yet, but so do we with our solid schedule). Maryland lost to #1 Vandy and North Carolina, but they have 2 bad losses too to Richmond and South Carolina State. They have solid wins over NC State and Clemson, both top 20 teams.

Maryland returns 3 starters from last season, including the top point guard in the league in Bronsen Gatling. SF Marko Hancock is a new starter but is far suprior to the SF they graduated last year.

Scouting

PG Bronsen Gatling – SR – 90 OVR – 97 speed/88 quickness. 92 defense/78 steals. 96 hands/93 passing. 84 close/75 med/83 3/87 off the dribble. His awarenes is good, but not elite, 78 off/73 def. Gatling is averaging 12.5 ppg/2.5 apg so far, the assist total is the lowest of his career so far. Gatling is in the running to be the top pick in the NBA draft.

SG Bradley Fanning – SR – 88 OVR – 87 speed/89 quickness. 89 defense/78 steals. 86 close/78 med/84 3/88 off the dribble/82 in traffic. B vert/B+ str/C+ hustle. 73 off awaeness/85 defensive awareness. An elite talent, this has to be the best backcourt in the ACC. 19.4 ppg, 3^rd in the ACC in scoring. Miami's Center and a guy at Virginia Tech are over 20 ppg.

SF Marko Hancock – JR – 86 OVR – 6'5 SG – 90 speed/87 quickness. 83 defense/76 steals. 83 close/81 med/85 3/84 off the dribble/82 in traffic. 75 off awareness/81 def awareness. 11.4 ppg/3.6 rpg this year so far.

PF Jordan Bing – SO – 79 OVR – 6'8” SF – 82 orb/79 drb. 74 post off/71 post def. 85 close/88 in traffic. This is the only thing that could be considered a hole in their lineup. He's actually an elite on ball defender (88/A- defense, stellar for a SF). 3.6 ppg/2.1 rpg.

C Adama Sogdazi – JR – 85 OVR – 6'9” PF – 83 orb/87 drb. 75 post off/78 post def. 91 close/81 med/78 3/89 in traffic. Dangerous in that he can pull McCants outside and shoot the jump shot. 10.6 ppg/9.2 rpg. Leading the league in rebounding. 77 offensive awarneess, 88 deefnsive awareness, one of the highest i've ever seen.

Maryland has guards coming from everywhere, but they have no big men outside of Songdazi. We really need to take advantage of them inside. That isn't easy, as Songdazi is a quality inside guy, but we've got to take advantage of Bing and anyone else they run out there. And of course, we'll do what we can to slow their guard play, Barrett will be on Fanning.

<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%"> 13:49
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> I have a feeling this might be like Clemson's superstar inside, vitelli... it might be worth noting whenever Sogdazi comes out of the game and totally changing how I play when he's not on the court. He has 6 and is owning McCants on their end. They're doubling fast inside so I'm having trouble taking advantage of their other big down low. Barrett has 6, he's burning his man at will. Sogdazi just came o ut.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in as we turn it over going inside twice in a row.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Sogdazi back in, it certainly didn't seem to help us inside, but McClurkin has 5 straight for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> A 3 point play and a solid look inside for Sneed and Maryland gets a timeout, back to 1, whew. I was worried about falling way behind here and having a repeat of Georgia Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> We had it tied at 21 before Maryland scored 4 straight. An Ozier dunk and UMD calls a timeout. I get the starters back in. Sneed was great that stretch, two 3 point plays, neither foul was on Sogdazi though.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> We take our first lead, using 3's by Forte and Alloway and a layin by McCants.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout to slow a 10-4 Maryland run, and to use my last coaching emphasis thingy of the half to try to get some momentum back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Good half, though it has felt at many points like Maryland has had the edge. Barrett really has a big edge driving to the hoop though, lots of success getting around whoever tries to guard him.


Each team is right around 50% but Maryland has a 16-9 edge on the boards, thanks to 4 offensive boards(we have 0). Sogdazi leads them with 10, just 3 boards(all offensive). Gatling 7, Fanning 6, Hancock 6. Hancock is 0-4 from 3, if he heats up there we'll be in trouble.


Barrett leads us with 10. Sneed has 8 off the bench, he really matches up well with Sogdazi, he's smaller, faster, and can go outside with him better, but McCants rebounding is key for us. McClurkin has 5, Sanders 4. Forte, Alloway, McCants are all 1-3 shooting.


For the second half, I'd like to try to get Sanders going a bit more, and look for Barrett to drive more in the half court set.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Maryland is ice cold to start the half, 0-4 already. Barrett got stuffed twice in transition, but fed McCants once, and drew a foul once, and we've scored the first 4 and taken the lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> A bad pass is intercepted by Forte who gets us running again, hitting McCants who is fouled by Sogdazi but scores anyway! 3 point play and we're up 4, 7-0 start to the half. We get a 6^th man boost for our efforts.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed in for McCants, McCants is tired out, the rest of the starters are ok for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a few stops, another 3 by Forte, he's 3-4 today from behidn the arc, and the backups come in with an 8 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3, we get 4 in a row to make it 9, and Maryland calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 11 and they call another timeout. I should point out that Gatling and Songdazi have both been on the bench for the last 3 minutes or so. They both get back in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> All starters are back in for both teams now. Fanning has started to hit a few shots, 2 recent threes gives him 14.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> A miss on their end and an outlet to Barrett for a very nice looking dunk put us up 12, timeout Terps.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Gatling hits a ridiculous 3 at the end of the shot clock, Forte misses an open 3 and his own equally ridiculous 3 attempt at the end of the shot clock on our end. McCants misses a turnaround as well, and I get a timeout as they're on a 5-0 run and are making it a tighter game than I wanted in the final 4 minutes here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Their PF(actually SF) Bing commits a reach in foul and fouls out. That's also their 7^th foul as a team, McCants hits both at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> We trade baskets, still 9 with a bit under 2 ½ left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> We trade 2 empty trips each, which is just fine for me, what with the 9 point lead and all.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Sogdazi jacks up a 3 the second he touches the ball, and its good. He's got 20, we're up 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett drives to the basket and draws a foul, hitting both free throws.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They miss a 3 and we ice the game.

#6 Florida State 85
#14 Maryland 75

They're a really, really good team but Bing at PF, and the lineups they have to use when they need to rest people just creates some bad matchups for them. Maryland can certainly beat anyone with the talent they have but they're missing a couple 6'9 guys that can bang inside, that's the only thing keeping them from being a final four team IMO.

Sogdazi is a stud though, and he scores 20 today, 5 boards/4 assists. Fanning 16, Gatling 14.

Forte: 11 points/4 steals (3-5 from 3)
Alloway: 9 points
Barrett: 19 points
Sanders: 8 points/7 boards/2 blocks
McCants: 9 points/5 boards

Sneed: 10 points
Day: 6 oints

Everyone contributed today, Ozier and Millar 4, McClurkin 5. We had the edge for almost the entire second half, but this felt like a solid heavyweight matchup on the same level as Clemson or Georgia Tech(though that was one sided the wrong way).

[Radii]

A quick standings update so we can see how all these highly rated teams are doing so far, and wonder what the hell is up with Miami:

ACC Standings:

1. Florida State 4-1
2. Miami 4-1
3. Clemson: 4-2
4. Maryland 3-2
5. Virginia Tech 2-2
6. Virginia 2-2
7. Georgia Tech 2-3
8. NC State 2-3
9. Boston College 2-3
10. Duke 2-4
11. North Carolina 1-3
12. Wake Forest 1-3


Its still very early and this is a very jumbled mess. We have been the beneficiary of a very favorable schedule so far. We've played the top rated teams in the league, but all of them at home.

Miami has beaten Virgina Tech and Georgia Tech both, making me wonder what the hell is up with the Hurricanes. They have an 83 rated center scoring about 21 points/game to lead the ACC, but they don't look that great at all.

Clemson lost to FSU and Maryland but beat Georgia Tech. Maryland beat NC State and Clemson but lost to me and to UNC.

The way that we can win the ACC is by simply winning the games we're supposed to win. As long as we don't fall down and lose a game to Miami or Virginia or Duke we should be the favorites to win the ACC Regular season. There's a long way left though.


Our first road challenge against one of the elite teams in the league is up next, we travel to Blacksburg to face #8 Virginia Tech.

[Radii]

January 21, 2023

#6 Florida State (13-3, 4-1 ACC) at #8 Virginia Tech (14-2, 2-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 93|94
OFF: 92|96
DEF: 93|90
SHT: 94|96
REB: 95|91
COA: 88|94

Virginia Tech barely snuck into the NCAA Tournament last year, but they return 4 starters from that team last year. PF Lex Beeler is #2 in the ACC in scoring, a major force inside.

Scouting

PG Melvin Bright – SR – 87 OVR – 94 speed/90 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. 88 hands/91 passing. 85 close/82 med/90 3/82 off the dribble. 79 off awareness/80 def awareness. An elite 3 point shooter, a great passer and adequate defender. 7.3 ppg/3.6 apg.

SG Robin Vega – SR – 87 OVR – a 5'10” PG – 91 speed/87 quickness. 90 defense/86 steals. 86 close/82 med/77 3/85 off the dribble. 83 off awareness/76 def awareness. 6.0 ppg. An elite defender who can shoot but doesn't seem to be used too much as a scoring option.

SF Reece Plummer – SO – 81 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 86 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense/70 steals. 85 close/83 med/71 3/80 off the dribble/82 in traffic. A good rebounder. This might give us some trouble, hopefully Barrett can burn him when we have the ball, but he creates matchup problems with our 3 guard offense. Luckily as the young, inexperienced guy out there they shy away from him as an offensive option. Just 3 points/game.

PF Lex Beeler – SR – 87 OVR – 6'9” PF – 85 orb/78 drb. 91 post off/73 post def. 71 blocks/78 steals. 96 close/79 med/77 3/88 in traffic. Good strength, outstanding awareness on both ends, 83 off/86 def. An elite offensive player, he seems to have some holes in his defensive game, though perhaps 86 def awareness makes up for the poor post defense, etc? 20.5 ppg/4.7 rpg.

C Tommie Graves – JR – 86 OVR 0 6'10” C – 90 orb/82 drb. 89 post off/91 post def. 75 blocks. 92 close/86 in traffic. 80 str, coach on the floor with 83 off awareness/78 def awareness. 10.8 ppg/5.1 rpg, an elite post player on both ends, we're going to have a hard time against these guys inside.

backup guard Mick Parsons is rated 86 OVR, a better defender and scorer than Bright, though he does it by attacking the rim. 7.5 ppg for Pasons, someone else to watch.

88 unity for us/78 for them. Hopefully this is another heavyweight battle and not a Hokie runaway in their gym.

<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%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Fairly even so far, they have a couple 3's, and we've come up empty 3 times in transition, they get back well and Alloway/Barrett both had some problems. Time to get the backups in, they've been a huge spark in recent games, here's hoping they can do the same here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> Well that went to shit real fast. We keep the score between a 2 and 5 point game... a 3 point play by Sneed makes it 20-18 with 7:30 to go. They get a 3 from Plummer, his 2^nd, then a putback from Graves, and then a 3 from Bright as we come up empty on our end, 8 points in 70 seconds and we have to use a timeout to get our starters back in to try to end this run. On the road I really want to save my timeouts for the second half but I've had to use 2 so far here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett scores our next 8 points, and we've got the lead down to 4 at 30-26, but they hit a 3 and then get an offensive board and putback as we come up empty on a couple trips, right back to 9.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> Another 3 for Va Tech and McCants picks up his 2^nd foul, I sub Sneed in to prevent the late 3^rd foul here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 41
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow... Bright hits 2 3's in the final 2 minutes and has 13, he's killing us. Sanders scores as time expires in the first half to save a little face and end this 11-0 Hokie run, but we're in big trouble here.


Yeah, it felt like they were killing us from behind the arc... 7-13 from 3. That's a sure recipe for a loss. We're 1-10 from 3, and shooting 33% from the floor, 10-30.


Bright leads them with 13, 3-4 from 3. Plummer has 8, backup guard Parsons 6. Beller and Graves have 5 each. Barrett has 10 for us, 8 of them in a 90 second stretch where he just took over for a bit. No one else has managed more than 4. Alloway is 0-5, 0-3 from 3. Forte 0-3 from 3. McCants 1-4, he does have 8 boards. We just need a couple people to step up on offense, and to pick up the 3 point defense, and maybe we can get back in this, but they have the momentum big time and the crowd is going to go nuts for them in a top 10 matchup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the good news is that Alloway hit his first shot, an open 3, a good sign for us. But Alloway and Barrett have both driven by their men only to get blocked trying to challenge Graves inside, and Forte has picked up two quick fouls, he has 3. He stays in for now..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Yeah, this looks to be falling apart. We're not giving up just yet though. McCants gets his 3^rd foul. I bring in Ozier and Sneed, sitting Forte and McCants. Lineup is Alloway, Barrett, Ozier, Sanders, Sneed. Barrett on Bright, who has 18 and 5 3's now, and Ozier on their 6'7” SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> They go pretty cold, but we cannot manage to pick up much on them. A sneed dunk gets the lead down to 15, and injures PF Beeler. I go ahead and bring in the full normal backup crew.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> So frustrating. Their offense just isnt playing that great, but every 3 or 4 trips down they jack up a 3 on us. And we cannot score to save our lives. I put the starters back in after a timeout, they're not all fresh fully but it doesn't matter, we need to make something amazing happen fast.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Well the first step of the miracle comeback is complete... the lead is down to 15. We get 4 stops in a row, which isn't terribly unusual for us lately, they did miss a 3 which is surprising, and the big news is that we managed to score when we got the ball to take advantage. Va Tech just had an unheard of 10 second violation and its our ball. But they also got Bright back into the game, who had been sitting for awhile.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> Bad mojo for me, Forte misses an open 3 and we foul them, we're over the limit and they hit 2 at the line. I get a timeout to rest my guys.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I end up simming the final 5 minutes, 71-51 with 5 to go, just too much. I played this one out further than usual because I really thought Va Tech wasn't playing that great and we had a shot at a comeback. But not today.

#8 Virginia Tech 86
#6 Florida State 61

I don't really expect to beat the top 10 teams on the road. The Hokies shot 13-25 from 3 today. There's really no other stat that needs to be shared, if a team shoots over 50% from 3 like that the game just isn't winnable most of the time.

Bright scored 17 for them, Beeler 11, Plummer 10, backup guard Parsons 11.

Forte: 4 points/2 assists (2-7/0-4 from 3)
Alloway: 8 points (1-7 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points
Sanders: 10 points/8 boards
McCants: 4 points/12 boards (2-7)

Day: 8 points
Sneed: 9 points

We shot 21-60 from the floor, 2-20 from 3.

[Radii]

The polls update again and all the ACC teams trade spots.

1. Vanderbilt
2. Oregon
3. LaSalle
4. Oklahoma State
5. Virginia Tech
...
8. Florida State
10. Clemson
11. Georgia Tech
12. Maryland
23. NC State



Miami beats Virginia and they have won 5 straight ACC games despite being one of clear 3 worst rated teams in the league.

1. Miami 5-1
2. Clemson 4-2
3. Florida State 4-2
4. Virginia Tech 3-2
5. Maryland 3-2
6. NC State 2-3
7. North Carolina 2-3
8. boston College 2-3
9. Georgia Tech 2-3
10. Virginia 2-3
11. Duke 2-4
12. Wake Forest 1-4


major jumble at 2-3.



I'm a little concerned that we aren't able to soundly beat any of these top 25 teams at home, though we handled Maryland nicely. While we aren't blowing anyone out, we've suffered two blowouts ourselves, vs Georgia Tech and at Virginia Tech. It makes me worry a lot about our ability to win games against good teams on a neutral floor at the end of the season.


Just one game this upcoming week, we host #23 NC State, with a chance to get up to 5-2 in conference play, and a chance to knock them out of the top 25 and put them in a big hole towards the bottom of the league.

After that game we get a little break where we play 3 straight teams not in the top 25...but one is a road game at Boston College, who has a lot of talent, and another is against Miami who is inexplicably leading the conference right now. So maybe its not really that much of a "break" in the schedule after all, we'll see. I'm optimistic that we can run off 3 or 4 straight and get up near the top of the league before our next brutal stretch of games vs top 15 teams.

[Radii]

January 21, 2023

#23 NC State (18-4, 3-3 ACC) at #6 Florida State (14-4, 4-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|NCSU
OVR: 93|90
OFF: 92|90
DEF: 93|90
SHT: 94|94
REB: 95|90
COA: 88|93

NC State returns 3 starters from last year's team that was also rated 90 OVR but underachieved badly. We had an interesting set of games against them, destroying them at our place, winning by 27, before losing a tough road game in the final week of the season. They suffer with a freshman center but have gotten better at all other positions.

Their highest rated player, SF Mihailovic, has a sprained wrist that may hamper him today.

Scouting

PG Jairus Drabyn – SR – 82 OVR – 92 speed/89 quickness. 86 defense/75 steals. 87 hands/87 passing. 81 close/74 med/84 3/81 off the dribble. He's decent but not spectacular anywhere. 9.5 ppg/4.9 apg though.

SG Danko Walls – SO – 83 OVR – Last year's national freshman of the year. . 86 speed/83 quickness. 85 defense/70 steals. 87 close/84 med/83 3/84 off the dribble. Solid awareness on both ends, 79 off/77 def. He's improved nicely this season and is averaging 15.6 ppg, leading the team.

SF Justino Mihailovic – SR – 88 OVR – 6'5” SF – 88 speed/89 quickness. 86 defense/77 steals. 87 close/81 med/82 3/85 off the dribble/90 in traffic. A solid defender for a SF and a very talented offensive layer. He's also an elite rebounder for a SF, 89 drb. Great awareness on defense(85), not bad on offense(73). 10.4 ppg/4.7 rpg.

PF Cassiano Hunter – JR – 82 OVR – 6'10” PF – 90 orb/79 drb. 89 post off/75 post def. 86 blocks/A- there. 90 close/87 in traffic. Awareness is awful, and 75 str is good but not great. 7.2 ppg/3.0 rpg, he looks like he has the potential to be an outstanding scorer, but suffers some on defense.

C Zachary Horton – FR – 76 OVR – only 6'8”. 84 orb/82 drb. 83 post off/76 post def. 88 close/85 in traffic. Godawful defensive awareness(63). 72 off awareness. 76 str, good but not great. Not really bad in the key areas that I look for, rebounding and post play, but overall he's short and young and unpolished, hopefully we can walk over him. 5.5 ppg/5.7 rpg.

backup PG Garland Munns, rated 81 OVR, is actually their second leading scoer at 15.3 ppg. He has awesome speed and quickness, 96/92, is their best on ball defender, but lacks the ball handling/passing ability of Drabyn. Backup PF Caron Buboltz is only 6'7” and rated 76 OVR, but noteworthy for his 84 rated post defense, something that could give us some trouble as we work inside. We would seem to have a nice edge over them overall, espicially with Mihailovic slowed with an injury. We'll see though, never know til I get on the court. 87-57 unity edge though a number of these guys get coach on the floor status with minimal confidence boosts.

<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%"> 17:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 0
</td> <td width="68%"> Well its certainly starting out like last year's game at our house did.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> It takes the Wolfpack quite awhile before they burn a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> And there's timeout number 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> NC state with a 4-0 run. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> NC State with their 3^rd timeout. Millar with a big dunk for us but otherwise our backups come out a bit cold.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> The starters have been at the scorers table for awhile now, but I didn't see any reason to stop the game to get them in. They're back in now after a foul though. Sneed ran off 8 straight in the last couple minutes, a solid half for him.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
That may be the best half I've ever played, its certainly the best half I've ever played against a team rated 90 or better OVR. We shoot 23-31 from the floor, just 2-10 from 3, 8-8 at the line. NC State is 11-32, just 2-11 from 3. We outrebound them 23-10. Sanders scores 12, Sneed, McCants, Alloway all have 8, Forte 7, Barrett 6.

The halftime score is 56-26. I obviously sim the rest of the game.

#8 Florida State 99
#23 NC State 65

Forte: 12 points/4 assists
Alloway: 12 points
Barrett: 17 points
Sanders: 16 points/6 assists
McCants: 12 points/10 boards

Sneed: 10 points
Day: 9 points

We were just killing them on the break when they missed, and when they scored, we pushed it up court, got into our offense as soon as everyone was set, and just worked them over in the half court set as well.

[Radii]

Vanderbilt and Oregon both lost for the first time last week, shaking up the top 5 a little, La Salle out of the A-10 is #1 for now.

1. LaSalle
2. Vanderbilt
3. Pittsburgh
4. Oklahoma State
5. Oregon
6. Virginia Tech
7. Florida State
8. Georgia Tech
...
14. Maryland
23. Clemson

Clemson went from 10th to 19th to 10th to 23rd in the last four weeks, very inconsistent, two bad losses last week, to Duke and Boston College, hurt them badly.


I sim our next game, against 84 OVR Virginia.

Feb 2, 2023

#7 Florida State 85
at Virginia 74

Day and Sneed lead us with 17 each. Sneed gets extra minutes due to McCants being in foul trouble. Day gets minutes due to Alloway picking up an injury.

Alloway strains his achilles and is out for 23 days. It looks like he's going to miss 5 games, games we should win(but aren't guarenteed, espicially the first) at BC and vs Miami, and more importantly, he won't be available for rematches against Georgia Tech, Clemson and Virginia Tech.

We'll go with the lineup the AI originally suggested all along:

PG Forte
SG Barrett
SF Ozier
PF Sanders
C McCants

We've only got 10 men that aren't redshirted, so we'll have a little work to do to keep everyone rested. Forte has really high stamina and could log more minutes than he does, I'll take advantage of that and Day and McClurkin will both get more minutes than normal.


Alloway will be back for our final 3 regular season games and the postseason.

[Radii]

After our victory over Virginia we've reached the mid point of the ACC season and I have to be pleased with the results:

1. Florida Sate 6-2 (16-4)
2. Georgia Tech 5-3 (14-5)
3. Maryland 5-3 (14-6)
4. Miami 5-3 (11-9)
5. Clemson 5-4 (20-5)
6. Virginia Tech 4-4 (16-4)
7. North Carolina 4-4 (14-4)
8. Boston College 4-4 (17-8)
9. Virginia 4-4 (14-11)
10. NC State 3-5 (18-6)
11. Duke 3-6 (14-9)
12. Wake Forest 1-7 (12-9)


And of course, its really hard to have any damn clue what these standings tell us about the league. God I hate 12 team conferences, and unbalanced schedules. We've played all of the tough teams in the league and have only lost to top 10 georgia tech and virginia tech.


Also, in development news, three players have now gained a second point to their OVR rating on the season. Ozier is now rated 88 OVR, McClurkin is up to 83 OVR, and the redshirting Mayer is also up to 83 OVR. Everyone on the roster except our two redshirting freshmen have gained 1 point.

[Radii]

Boston College's two top guards both have day to day injuries that slow them greatly. I was beating them 36-17 on the road in the first half when the xbox froze. I hate replaying games once I've already gotten that far into one, so I go ahead and sim it the second time around:

February 5, 2023

#7 Florida State 82
Boston College 76

Sneed 19, Sanders 15, McClurkin 12. McCants only played 9 minutes due to foul trouble. McCants also suffers a pulled quad muscle in the game and is going to be hampered for 12 days. Sneed has been really effective lately, so I'm going to start him. McCants will be slowed in both the Georgia Tech and Clemson games.


New poll after a nice 2-0 week for us:

1. LaSalle
2. Oklahoma State
3. Vanderbilt
4. Georgia Tech
5. Pittsburgh
6. Florida State
7. Virginia Tech
...
15. Maryland
16. Clemson


Clemson's roller coaster ride continues, from 23rd to 16th. They won a road game at Virginia Tech last week. Georgia Tech got wins they were expected to get over Duke and UNC.


Updated ACC Standings:

1. Florida State 7-2
2. Georgia Tech 6-3
3. Miami 5-3
4. Virginia Tech 5-4
5. Clemson 5-4
6. Maryland 5-4
7. North Carolina 5-5
8. Boston College 5-5
9. Virginia 5-5
10. NC State 4-5
11. Duke 3-7
12. Wake Forest 1-9

Still very muddy but Georgia Tech rises up above the rest of the pack a little.


Interesting week for us, we host a Miami team that has unexpectedly started out 5-3 in league play, we expect to win of course. And then we get a chance to redeem one of our bad early losses, as we travel to Atlanta to take on #4 Georgia Tech.

[Radii]

February 9, 2023

Miami (12-9, 5-3 ACC) at #6 Florida State (17-4, 7-2 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|MIA
OVR: 94|85
OFF: 93|86
DEF: 93|84
SHT: 95|87
REB: 95|84
COA: 88|86

And oddly enough our shooting rating goes up with Sneed in. Well not odd I guess, he's a solid mid-range shooter and McCants is not. Miami has some very good wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. They've lost their last two conference games in a row, to North Carolina and Maryland, but they also just beat #23 Syracuse in a late season non-conference game last week.

I don't think I've played Miami in a few seasons, as they are perenially one of the worst 2 or 3 teams in the league.

Scouting

PG Truman Cuic – SR – 77 OVR – a natural SG – 90 speed/85 quickness. 79 defense/84 steals. 84 hands/69 passing. 84 close/73 med/68 3/83 off the dribble. Poor defense, awful passing for a PG. 10.2 ppg, 2^nd leading scorer for Miami.

SG Lukasz Danley – SO – 74 OVR – 6'7” SF... 80 speed/74 quickness, not even good for a forward. 83 defense/68 steals. 83 close/7 med/71 3. 6.2 ppg.

SF Clint Blevins – SO – 75 OVR – 81 speed/77 quickness. 79 defense/69 steals. Poor post player, decent rebounder. 78 close/73 med/67 3/83 in traffic. Not very good offensively. 6.3 ppg/4.0 rpg.

PF Pearce Rowland – JR – 83 OVR – 6'6” PF, tiny! 84 orb/85 drb. 74 post off/73 post def. 91 close/86 in traffic. Good athlete, and good awareness on both ends. 7.0 ppg/5.0 rpg. I just can't get over his size. Poor post defense too, Sanders should own him.

C Rex Newman – SR – 84 OVR – 6'8” C - 92 orb/84 drb. 81 post off/82 post def. 90 close/78 med, 91 in traffic. A- vert/A- str/B- hustle, 86 str is outstanding. Good awareness, great shot blocking. Newman leads the ACC with 21.9 ppg and is a major force in the league. 6.1 rpg. We have solid big men and I assume if we slow him down we win.

Outside of Newman, these guys are terrible, and we've got the bigs to play with Newman.
<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%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Day in for Barrett at SG. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we can run at will on these guys when they miss, they are just too big and slow.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> Day hits an open 3, timeout Miami.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Newman gets his first bucket, Day drains another 3 for us, and Miami calls another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> I go ahead and get my own timeout to get the backups in. Barrett is in at SF for Ozier, Day still in at SG. Sanders has 2 fouls now, and Newman has Miamis last 6 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 25
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout miami. Newman has their last 10 points now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> All 5 starters back in for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout for a bit of rest. Sneed is dominating the game at this point, 11 points/7 boards/2 steals.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Well this has been a fun 3 game stretch. Miami just isn't good outside of Newman. He gets 14 in the first half, almost half of their points. Sneed has 13 to match him though and we lead 53-29 at the half. I go ahead and sim it out.

#6 Florida State 73
Miami 57

Newman ends up with 22 for them, Cuic 10, right on their averages.

Forte: 13 points/5 boards/5 assists
Barrett: 9 points
Ozier: 5 points
Sanders: 8 points/6 boards
Sneed: 20 points/11 boards

Day: 10 points

[Radii]

I'm pleased with how well we've been able to take care of business these last 4 games, simming one vs Virginia, and blowing out NC State and Miami. We were blowing out BC as well when the xbox froze, so I'm counting that :D

But now its back to serious business. at #4 Georgia Tech, at #16 Clemson, vs #7 Virginia Tech for our next 3.

We're 1 game up on Ga Tech for the ACC lead right now. If we could somehow steal one in Atlanta we would take a 2 game lead over the field.

[Radii]

February 11, 2023

#6 Florida State (18-4, 8-2 ACC) at #4 Georgia Tech (16-5, 7-3 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 94|96
OFF: 93|95
DEF: 93|94
SHT: 95|99
REB: 95|99
COA: 88|96

The first meeting was a disaster. We trailed 23-19 with about 9 minutes left in the first half, they went on a 20-4 run and led 50-32 at the half. They ended up destroying us 110-75. Day had a career high 28 for us but we had nothing else.

SF Grizzard has a sprained wrist. He's rarely a major factor in our games anyway despite his ratings. We will try harder to slow the game down today than we did in the first meeting.

Scouting

PG Justin Covington – SR – 88 OVR – 94 speed/94 quickness. 89 defense/75 steals. 89 close/81 med/82 3/85 off the dribble. 9.5/4.9 apg. Covington took the starting job for the final 8 games last year and of course all this season.

SG Femi Shavies – JR – 88 OVR – Shavies is truly scary. 89 speed/90 quickness. 81 defense/84 steals. 91 close/80 med/86 3/83 off the dribble/81 in traffic. Good awareness, good strength. 13.4 ppg, he's averaged in double figures all 3 years, unusual for a SG, who usually have lower shooting tendencies than big men. His tendencies were maxxed out last year though, he's insanely talented and will shoot the second he touches the ball any time he's open. Holding him under 20 is likely impossible.

SF Jibran Grizzard – SR – 92 OVR – 6'7” SF – 88 speed/82 quickness. 86 defense/82 steals. 95 close/85 med/79 3. 93 vert, 84 off awareness/75 def awareness. Grizzard has never been a big scorer despite the ratings. 9.6 ppg this year is 2 points better than last season.

PF Immanuel Bing – SR – 88 OVR – 6'10” PF – 87 orb/88 drb. 85 post off/80 post def. 96 close/90 in traffic, good shot blocker, good steals for a big, 83 str is huge. 84 off awareness/77 def awareness. Bing was overshadowed by super forward Aly Richards the last couple years but he's taken the reins and is having his best year by far, 12.7 ppg/5.8 rpg, 3 points over his average last year.

C Dalron Axton – SR – 82 OVR – 7'4”, I mentioned Axton last year, when he came off the bench. 88 str(A). 89 orb/82 drb. 79 post off/78 post def. 94 close/88 in traffic. 9.0 ppg/5.2 rpg

backup SF Louie Costello is rated 85 OVR and scores 7.7 a game. Backup SG goran Ravello is 84 OVR with a great shot from all over, 8 ppg. Backup PG Koki Humphrey is 83 OVR and only scores 4/game thankfully.


<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%"> 16:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Georgia Tech scores the first 7 of the game, but we have 4 in a row ourselves and have gotten a couple stops. Day is in for Barrett.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 8
</td> <td width="7%"> 16
</td> <td width="68%"> We had it down to 1, 9-8, and they've scored 7 straight. I get a timeout and get the backups in. Axton is just massive inside.. he only has two points but he has two blocks and three offensive boards...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout as Day is exhausted. I go with Forte at PG, McClurkin SG, Barrett SF for now, the backup big men for another couple minutes. Axton sits for the first time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> All starters are back in except Barrett sits, McClurkin still playing SG for a bit more. Our ability to drive goes up tenfold with Axton out, heh..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett is back in. Shavies hits a 3 to put them up 25-16, we run off 6 straight and cut it to 3, they get the next 4. 7 point game, our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up by more than 10 for the first time. An Axton block after Forte burns his man triggers the break.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 38
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a 3 from Forte and a 3 point play from Sanders to cut it to 5. They hit a 3 as time expires to go into the locker room up 8.


Tech shoots 60%, 17-28 from the floor, 4-6 from 3. The big difference between this and the first meeting is that they haven't gone to the line at all. They hit 13 first half free throws in the first meeting. Shavies leads them with 10, Covington 7, Axton 6. Axton has 8 boards and is credited with 2 blocks though personally I would have given him 4 blocks.


Sanders leads us with 9, 4-4 from the field and 1 free throw. We shoot well, 12-22, but we're just 1-5 from 3. We're getting embarrassed on the boards just like in the first matchup, 12-6 edge for them. No one else after Sanders has more than 4. Forte is 1-3 from 3 and I really need him hitting open 3's.


Rebounding is just impossible with a 7'4” guy with good ratings on the other team.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> They score first and get a 6^th man boost after another axton block(though he's not credited with one yet again...). We recover very nicely though, Sneed gets a 3 point play and after a miss by Tech Barrett draws a foul and hits two at the line. Both fouls were on PF Bing, so he's out for awhile.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Day in for Barrett. We miss a golden opportunity to cut the lead to 1, but still, its only 3 and we're right in the mix, i'm pleased.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> We've now missed THREE chances to cut the lead to one, very frustrating. Ozier with two of them, Day with one of them. All three are in transition where I have a decent, but not great look. Their defense in transition is just very good I guess, but to miss all three of these shots is stunning and not draw a single foul is stunning.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout. Just an incredibly annoying sequence. They get a 3 point play after our last transition failure. On our next trip they get another block, we get a steal in transition but turn it rigt back over, then Sanders fouls their backup PF as he pump fakes behind the 3 point line... 3 free throws. Luckily only one goes in, but still we need to settle down.


This feels like a key stretch. We should be ahead right now but we're behind by 7, I have a bad feeling we're going to pay for not being able to convert over the last 2-3 minutes. I make subs in the backcourt, McClurkin, Day, Barrett right now. Starters up front still.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin misses a wide open three and then a layup, this one isn't contested, their big men are out on the wings, and they throw an alley oop that Shavies dunks. We're slowly falling apart here. Timeout. The backup bigs are in now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 51
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin misses another open 3, but Ozier steals the board out of the trees. He goes up strong and is fouled by Shavies. That's 3 on Shavies, he'll sit briefly. Its also 5 on Tech this half, so we will be shooting more free throws soon hopefully. Perhaps some momentum?
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Great defense over the last few trips for us, another transition stop by Tech prevents it from being even closer, but we have it back down to 6. Forte is back in at PG, and Day is giving Barrett a rest at SG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We are keeping in striking distance but just can't get all the way back. All starters are in except Day is still in, now for Ozier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> I change my mind on the biggest factor in the game. It isn't their transition defense. Its our 3 point shooting. We're 1-9 on the game, all but one of our 3's wide open by our best 3 point shooters... I get a timeout as Tech has just scored 5 straight to push back up by 12. I've only got one left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it back under 10 yet again, thanks to an offensive putback by Sanders and a steal and layin by Day.
</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%"> Barrett misses yet another bucket where he burns his man and seems to have a good look at a layin. He commits a foul, our 7^th, they go up 11. Crap!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Feels like game over. Forte goes off a screen and misses an open 3. He's 1-6 now today. He's shooting over 45% on the year from 3 and that's how he takes virtually all his 3's, today none fall. Sneed with the board, he misses the putback, they miss a shot on their end but Bing gets the board and a 3 point play on the putback. We do get a break as the free throw is no good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> I use my last timeout. Forte hit a 3 on our last trip thank god! McClurkin comes in at SG. Day is cold, and tired, and I need someone that can hit 3's, we need a spark here if we have any chance at all.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Heh, not the spark I was looking for... McClurkin beats his man but gets knocked over by Axton inside, its credited as his 3^rd block... its his 6^th by my count. They get an alleyoop to Shavies on the other end. That pretty much does it.

#4 Georgia Tech 78
#6 Florida State 61

It wasn't as bad as a 17 point game for the most part. We really had our chances here today with a couple stretches where they went fairly cold and we would blow transition layup after transition layup. They were contested, and were shots that we probably make 90% of the time against most teams. I expected at least half here against Tech but we missed 5 of them in a row at one point. Add to that that we shoot 3-13 from 3, and two of those were in the final minutes when the game was already over, and we really failed to take advantage of opportunities today.

Shavies scores 26 and is deadly today. Axton has 8 points/10 boards/6 blocks(going by my count, not the games). Backup SF Costello has 12, getting extra minutes due to Grizzard being in foul trouble.

Forte: 8 points (2-7 shooting)
Barrett: 6 points (0-4, 6 free throws)
Ozier: 11 points/7 boards
Sanders: 11 points/3 boards
Sneed: 9 points/6 boards

Millar: 6 points
McClurkin: 5 points (2-8, 1-4 from 3)

They ended up winning the rebound battle 29-21.

[Radii]

We drop to 8th in the latest poll:

1. LaSalle (24-1)
2. Vanderbilt (19-2)
3. Georgia Tech (17-5)
4. Oklahoma State (20-3)
5. Virginia Tech (18-4)
...
8. Florida State (18-5)
13. Maryland (16-7)
15. Clemson (21-6)


And we now have just 3 weeks left in the regular season. Bracketology opens up. North Carolina is the only ACC team on the bubble, at 15-6, 5-6 in ACC play.

Current projected seedings:

1. Georgia Tech
2. Florida State
2. Virginia Tech
4. Maryland
5. Clemson
9. NC State
9. Boston College
11. North Carolina

With 5 regular season games and the ACC tournament left there is still more than enough time to play our way into a 1 seed or down to a 4 seed.


Standings Update:

1. Florida State 8-3
2. Georgia Tech 8-3
3. Maryland 7-4
4. Virginia Tech 6-4
5. Clemson 6-5
6. Boston College 6-5
7. Miami 5-5
8. NC State 5-6
9. North Carolina 5-6
10. Virginia 5-6
11. Duke 3-8
12. Wake Forest 1-10


Just Clemson next week for us.

[Radii]

February 14, 2023

#8 Florida State (18-5, 8-3 ACC) at #15 Clemson (21-6, 6-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|CU
OVR: 94|94
OFF: 94|94
DEF: 92|93
SHT: 95|97
REB: 95|93
COA: 88|93

Our first matchup with Clemson was an instant classic, neither team ever led by more than 6. McCants hit a hook shot as time expired to give us a 74-72 victory. Their PF, Jim Vitelli, terrifies me. He scored only 11 in our first meeting but pulled down 13 boards and had 8 assists. Trammell, Bookout and Dalida all are capable of getting hot and dropping 30 easy. I'm very worried about playing them on the road after the challenge they gave us at home.

Clemson runs a 2-3 zone which I struggle against as well. Without Alloway, Forte is the only 3 point shooter we have in the starting lineup. Ozier will be expected to have some success inside to balance things out for us.

Scouting

PG Mark Trammell – SO – 87 OVR – 94 speed/86 quickness. 84 defense/76 steals. 92 hands/80 passing. 83 close/86 med/82 3/85 off the dribble. 7.0 ppg/3.5 apg.

SG Darren Bookout – SO – 86 OVR – 89 speed/86 quickness. 93 defense/84 steals. 92 close/82 med/80 3/79 off the dribble/90 in traffic. 10.6 ppg, capable of much much more.

SF Vidal Dalida – SR – 89 OVR – 6'7” SF but plays like a guard. 88 speed/93 quickness. 84 defense/72 steals. 93 close/82 med/78 3/82 off the dribble/87 in traffic. Deadly from all over. 14.1 ppg.

PF Jim Vitelli – SR – 91 OVR – 6'9” PF – 94 orb/88 drb. 84 post off/87 post def. 84 block/82 steals. 86 close/79 med/73 3/94 in traffic. A vert/A- str/B- hustle. 85 off awareness/82 def awareness. 16.5 ppg/5.9 rpg.

C Jesus Williamson – FR – 75 OVR – 6'6” PF – 80 orb/77 drb. 92 post off/68 post def. 86 close/85 in traffic. 65 str. 6.3 ppg. I've never seen that kind of disparity in post play... 92 off/69 def? Great scorer but can't defend for shit I guess.

backup SF Scott Whitehead is rated 86 OVR and can kill us from all over like Dalida can. He averages 13.8 ppg off the bench. Backup SG Kyile Kickert is rated 86 OVR and scores 8.6/game. Backup PG Dominik Meade is rated 82 OVR and is an incredible shooter.
<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%"> 12:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We're not playing bad, but the clock hasn't stopped in forever. I haven't made a single sub yet, I get my backups in and Ozier is just going to have to tire himself out a bit here.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett in for Ozier, who is about to pass out. Day scores 5 straight for us and we actually led 18-16 briefly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Day with his 2^nd 3 and McCants with a layin and we go back ahead by 2, Clemson with a timeout. I get the starters back in, Day SG/Barrett SF for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Day has 11, 3 for 4 from 3, but he's gassed. McClurkin in at SG.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:02
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 25
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout for Clemson, we are playing an outstanding half. Everyone is scoring a little.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Stellar defense, Forte hits a great contested 3 as the shot clock expires to give us a 10 point lead on our last possession. We get a stop, and I call a timeout. McClurkin has 2 fouls and I don't want to risk his 3^rd when we're a little short in the backcourt already. Barrett came back a long time ago too and is tired. I bring Day and Ozier back in to finish the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 32
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier and Sanders both have 2 fouls as well so I sit them for the remainder of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> No way did I think I could have a 7 point halftime lead in Littlejohn against this Clemson team. Turnovers are the main reason. Clemson is actually shooting 60%, and we're shooting 55% from the floor. But Clemson has turned it over 8 times, just 2 for us. Dalida leads them with 9, Vitelli has 8, a number of others 2-4. Bookout only scored 2 in 13 minutes, I expect him to go off a bit in the second half.


Day was outstanding for us with 11 points. Forte has 8, as does Sanders, and Sneed scored 6. We had a lot of success inside.With both teams shooting well there aren't a lot of rebounds, but similar to Ga Tech, Clemson gets most of them... they have an 11-5 edge on the boards. That's right, we have 5 rebounds at the half and a 7 point lead.


Clemson only committed 3 fouls in the first half, we committed 8. Sanders, Ozier and McClurkin all have 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 43
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> No scoring for the first 2 ½ minutes. Clemson hits back to back 3's, we finally get on the board as Sanders draws a foul and makes two free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with a dunk and we have our first field goal of the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier drives by his man twice in a row and is soundly blocked twice in a row, Vitelli once, Williamson once. That gets them a 6^th man boost, they go and take the lead, and I get a timeout.


Backups in, Ozier left out there to tire like in the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> Another 3 for Clemson gets them a 2^nd 6^th man boost, I only have 3 timeouts left, i'll just have to weather this one.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin commits his 3^rd. Barrett is in for Ozier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> We do a great job hanging in and actually taking the lead back with a couple fast break buckets. Current lineup is: Forte, McClurkin, Ozier, Sanders, Sneed. Day and Barrett are resting up for the stretch run at SG/SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a free throw, Sneed with a pretty turnaround. Clemson gets a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Huge stretch, a turnover leads to a dunk, a missed shot leads to a 3 and we lead by 7! I get the lineup out there I want the rest of the way, Forte, Day, Barrett, Sanders, Sneed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They get a 3 from Dalida and its a 4 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Clemson another timeout. Its a totally different game when Day is a threat from 3. He's 4-9 today and has 16 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a jumper, we've committed 7 fouls so a reach sends them to the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Inside out, Sneed hits Forte for an open jumper, he's on the 3 point line so its just a 2, but it puts us up 9 with a minute left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Dalida with a quick 3. Our ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:14.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> Day misses an open 3 for us. They take a quick 3 and miss, but get the offensive board, Bookout takes their second 3 and this one is good. Time for us to make free throws.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Well that was an interesting ending. They had only committed 3 fouls, so they had a few to give. After their 5^th, I inbounds to Forte near the sideline, they rush in to foul him but as they wrap him up I guess they force him out of bounds. They call the out of bounds instead of the foul, Clemson gets the ball with 8 seconds left. Bookout endsup with a wide open 3, but he misses, we rebound and secure the win. Whew!

I've never seen that before, I'll make sure to not hang out near the sideline when I'm waiting to be fouled in the future heh.

#8 Florida State 71
#15 Clemson 68

We were all over the place today, tipping passes and forcing steals. Clemson commits 14 turnovers, we only commit 6. We shoot 29-56, they shoot 24-48, and the extra FG attempts make the difference for us. Dalida leads them with 17. Vitelli has 10 points/9 boards/4 assists today, and Bookout has 10.

Forte: 14 points/3 assists/3 steals
Barrett: 2 points
Ozier: 5 points
Sanders: 14 points/6 boards
Sneed: 8 points/6 boards

Day: 16 points

We shoot 7-19 from 3 in this one, a huge improvement over our first meeting where a few more 3's would have given us an easy win. I'm thrilled to sweep a team as good as Clemson, winning on the road vs a team like this is never easy.

[Radii]

That was our only game for the week, new polls:

1. Vanderbilt
2. LaSalle
3. Georgia Tech
4. Temple
5. Pittsburgh
6. Florida State
...
11. Virginia Tech
13. Maryland
16. Clemson


Virginia Tech loses to Wake Forest and North Carolina back to back, dropping them out of the top 10.

New Bracketology is out and noteworthy as we are projected as a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as of right now! Of course, there are way too many games and too many top 8 or 9 teams capable of taking 1 seeds, but its nice to see where we stand.

Georgia Tech lost to Boston College last week and falls to a projected 2 seed. Maryland a 3, Virginia Tech drops all the way to a 4. There's a lot of movement to occur still.


And, updated ACC Standings:

1. Florida State 9-3
2. Georgia Tech 9-4
3. Maryland 8-4
4. Clemson 7-6
5. North Carolina 7-6
6. Boston College 7-6
7. Virginia Tech 6-6
8. Virginia 5-7
9. NC State 5-7
10. Miami 5-7
11. Duke 4-9
12. Wake Forest 2-10

The middle of the league is still so jumbled up.

We have a big say in what happens in the middle of the league this week. We host Virginia Tech and then travel to North Carolina.

After we beat Clemson, the ACC Regular Season Title, and a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament are basically ours to lose at this point. Virginia Tech crushed us last meeting, here's hoping we can do better at home.

[Radii]

too long for one post.

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> February 20, 2023

#11 Virginia Tech (18-6, 6-6 ACC) at #6 Florida State (19-5, 9-3 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VT
OVR: 94|94
OFF: 94|94
DEF: 92|93
SHT: 95|97
REB: 95|93
COA: 88|93

McCants is fully healthy again and takes the starting job back from Sneed. We go for our 10^th win in the ACC, and our 20^th win overall today against a team that beat us by 25 at their place a month ago.

Bright led them with 17 last game, and a number of guys hit double figures. The huge issue was that they shot 13-25 from 3. If they don't do that this time we should be able to make it a good game I hope.

Barrett scored 12 for us last game but really no one had much success. Beeler and Graves are a huge problem for us inside.

Scouting

PG Melvin Bright – SR – 88 OVR – 94 speed/90 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. 88 hands/91 passing. 85 close/82 med/90 3/82 off the dribble. 79 off awareness/80 def awareness. An elite 3 point shooter, a great passer and adequate defender. 8.5 ppg/3.3 apg.

SG Robin Vega – SR – 88 OVR – a 5'10” PG – 91 speed/87 quickness. 90 defense/86 steals. 86 close/82 med/77 3/85 off the dribble. 83 off awareness/76 def awareness. 5.9 ppg. An elite defender who can shoot but doesn't seem to be used too much as a scoring option.

SF Reece Plummer – SO – 81 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 86 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense/70 steals. 85 close/83 med/71 3/80 off the dribble/82 in traffic. 4 ppg.

PF Lex Beeler – SR – 87 OVR – 6'9” PF – 85 orb/78 drb. 91 post off/73 post def. 71 blocks/78 steals. 96 close/79 med/77 3/88 in traffic. Good strength, outstanding awareness on both ends, 83 off/86 def. An elite offensive player, he seems to have some holes in his defensive game, though perhaps 86 def awareness makes up for the poor post defense, etc? 18.8 ppg/5.0 rpg

C Tommie Graves – JR – 86 OVR 0 6'10” C – 90 orb/82 drb. 89 post off/91 post def. 75 blocks. 92 close/86 in traffic. 80 str, coach on the floor with 83 off awareness/78 def awareness. 10.0 ppg/5.1 rpg, an elite post player on both ends, we're going to have a hard time against these guys inside.

[Radii]

heh and the game report it says is a duplicate. I guess it'll let me post it after 5 minutes.

[Radii]

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style>

<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%"> 15:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Day in for Barrett. Apparently Forte taking 3's is the only thing we have going right now. He's 2-2 and was fouled shooting one, he has all 9 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright just picked up foul #2, a good thing for us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Great job by the defense, we're limiting them a ton more than we did in our first meeting. Forte has 12, Day 7, for all of our points. Backups are in, Barrett in for Ozier at SF. Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Another timeout Virginia Tech, despite the fact they've cut into the lead a little.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier is in for Day, he and Barrett are in, backups still at the other 3 spots.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett with 5 straight, and all 5 starters are back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, for rest mainly, though they have gone on an 8-4 run and are much more effective on offense lately.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 33
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Day in for Barrett, he can't go the rest of the half. We've gone cold and our only scoring threats are from our guards really in the first place, we have to find a way to score inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Well a 2 point game shouldn't be that bad until you realize we only scored 2 points in the final four minutes, and they end the half on a 17-6 run. Virginia Tech shoots 16-30, 4-8 from 3. They force 7 turnovers, we only force 2. Backup PG Parsons scores 12 after Bright comes out with foul trouble. Beeler 6, Plummer 5, Graves 4.


We shoot just under 50%, 11-23, 6-13 from 3. We go 7-7 at the line which helps a bit. Forte 12, Day 7, they don't score at all in the final 11 minutes of the half. Barrett puts up 7 and Sanders 4. Ozier and McCants are scoreless.


Sanders scored on a putback and a fast break dunk. We have had no luck at all going inside in any way in the half court set.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 5 before we get the ball past half court. I call an immediate timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout as Virginia Tech goes up by 11. They're now on a 30-10 run going back to the 4 minute mark of the first half. I don't seem to have any answers.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 42
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Day in for Ozier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed in for McCants, who just picked up foul #3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> The fouls are coming fast on both ends this half. We have 5, they have 6. Bright just picked up his 3^rd for the Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> All backups are in now, Ozier at SF. Sneed just picked up a 3 point play in transition to cut it to 3. Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Another Va Tech timeout. We miss a couple chances to tie it up, Ozier does get us to within 2 with a free throw.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier gets us 4 straight burning their SF, then Day gets to the line and ties it up. I bring back all 5 starters. Ozier has been out there awhile though and Day will have to help out there after some rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier gets to the line again and gives us the lead. They are really cold right now. Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with a huge block on a dunk attempt by Graves!!! Another 6^th man boost for us and Sanders is in double figures with a bucket on the other end.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 63
</td> <td width="68%"> They are just incredibly cold. Barrett in double figures, McCants with 10+ boards now, I want to say they've missed 8 or 9 3s in a row.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> They go to their most reliable scorer, Beeler, who scores in the post over Sanders. Beeler has 18. I get a timeout just for rest.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> And now we're the cold ones, one turnover, two misses in our last three trips. They drive on us twice and have the lead down to 2. I get another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 69
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants scores after the timeout, his first 2 points of the game, to put us back up 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Beeler with 20, he's fairly unstoppable heh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:52
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Argh! They block two shots in a row as we drive to the hoop, recover and try to go back up. I pick the ball up again and kick it out to forte but they tip that pass, and the ball rolls downcourt, by the time anyone can get to it the shot clock runs out. Hokie ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:32.4
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Where else but Beeler, he's got 22, and we're tied up. We're not taking any chances. We're taking the last shot.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REG
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> ARRGGGH. Similar to the 2 point win against clemson... Forte drives but doesn't really clear his man cleanly, he kicks it to Sanders who has a 15 foot jumper. Sanders shoots, and it goes in, but this time the shot comes just a tenth of a second or two too late... we're going to overtime. Damn! I wanted Forte taking the shot, Sanders was just when Forte was too well covered, so I didn't really leave enough time for that pass.


Each team had 1 timeout left, so we've both got 2 now. Beeler has 22 for them, Plummer 12. Bright and Vega really never got going. Graves is cold too, 3-9, 8 points/8 boards. Forte leads us with 18 but he had 12 at the half. Barrett, Ozier, Sanders all in the 9-13 point range. Day has 12 off the bench if I decide to bring him in. McCants is not scoring any, but he has Graves guarding him(91 post defense) so yeah, that's understandable.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> A foul as I feed the post, Sanders hits two at the line. I decide to bring Day in for Ozier, we're going to need to rest a little so might as well start rotating people now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout. They miss a 3 on their end, Day takes a mid-range jumper that rolls all the way around the rim and falls out. Va Tech tries to break on us but turns it over in transition. I use the timeout for rest mainly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants and Graves each score and we're still up 2 with 3 minutes left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Beeler scores for them to tie it up after an empty trip by us. I've got Sneed and Ozier ready to come in for McCants and Barrett, but I dont want to use my last timeout just yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, we get our subs in, but unfortunately its as we turn the ball over out of bounds under heavy pressure. Heh, Va Tech uses a timeout too. I emphasize defense, the only coaching emphasis thingy I get in the OT.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Vega misses a wide open 3(wide open because I rushed in to double Beeler the second he touched the ball). Beeler gets the offensive board, they kick it out and work it around some more, Bright misses a midrange jumper and Sneed grabs the board. Its our ball again, able to wait for the last shot if we want.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> END OT
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a mismatch with a big on forte, he tries to drive around him but can't get a good look, turns it over trying to kick it to someone else, and they miss a halfcourt shot as time expires. Double OT!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a jumper, I thought it was a 3 but he was inside the line on the baseline. Hokies call a timeout. I get McClurkin in at PG, bring the rest of my starters back in. Forte won't sit long, but he's starting to tire just a bit. A minute and a timeout and he'll be good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We each turn the ball over, empty trips on both sides. Forte is back in. I'll call a timeout the next time I get the ball and the starters will be good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> And another turnover, they step out of bounds on a pass into the corner. I call a timeout. We each have one left again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> FORTE! Open 3, 5 point lead! Forte has all 5 points in double OT and he's up to 23.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 82
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> 19 foot jumper from Plummer, back to 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 84
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett burns by his man and hits a nice layup going strong to the basket.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 86
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders with great defense on Beeler, forcing him off balance as he tries to pivot. He kicks it out for a 3 tht is missed. We get the outlet pass cleanly out to Barrett and he finishes with a dunk! We go up 7. They answer with a 3 and its a 4 point game with 45 seconds left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> They foul, surprising but I'm glad to see it. Sanders hits both free throws.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:28
</td> <td width="10%"> 88
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Vega hits a 3 from a mile away with Forte in his face. We get the ball into Barrett but they double team instead of fouling right away,I have to call a timeout to avoid a held ball. Glad I saved one!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:26
</td> <td width="10%"> 90
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett is clutch at the line.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style>

They score, but it takes them 15 seconds and its a deuce from Beeler, only cutting it to three. I get it to Barrett who ices the game at the line.

#6 Florida State 92
#11 Virginia Tech 87
2OT

[Radii]

ahh, there we go. Had to edit out my post game comments too, I guess I got a bit wordy during the game there :)

=================================

After shooting 13-25 from the 3 point line in the first meeting, Virginia Tech goes 9-27 this game, a big difference. We have chances to win at the end of regulation and the first overtime, and we're not able to, but we didn't give them a legit shot at the win either, and took care of business in the 2nd overtime, controlling that one from the start.

Beeler justified his high ratings and “top pick” draft buzz today, going 13-18 for 26 points. Plummer scored 17, Parsons 12, Graves 10. Bright and Vega were both cold today when they did shoot.

Forte: 23 points/2 assists/4 steals (4-8 from 3)
Barrett: 21 points
Ozier: 9 points/3 boards
Sanders: 15 points/9 boards
McCants: 4 points/11 boards

Day: 12 points

great win! We split our season series with Virginia Tech, sweep Clemson, and get swept by Georgia Tech. Regardless of how the standings end up, I feel like we're the 4 most talented teams in the league and the parity is there.
=============================================




Its a real treat for ACC fans this week, as one day after Florida State and Virginia Tech play a double overtime thriller, Clemson and Georgia Tech go to overtime in Atlanta. Clemson pulls out the win, 97-95 in overtime.


Current standings at the top of the league:

1. Florida State 10-3
2. Georgia Tech 10-5
3. Maryland 9-5

If we finish 11-5, we would win tiebreakers over either Ga Tech or Maryland for having the best overall record. So all we need is one more win to clinch the ACC Regular Season title.

[Radii]

Alloway is healthy but I end up making the decision to leave my starting lineup the way the AI recommends. Ozier isn't a great scoring threat, but playing Barrett at SG and Ozier at SF allows me to put my best defensive lineup on the court. Ozier is strong attacking the rim and a good rebounder, all things that I don't get as well with Alloway and Barrett.

When I started Alloway over Ozier early in the year I thought Alloway had the potential to be a 15-20 ppg type of guy, the guy I could go to at the end of the shot clock any time I needed to generate a shot. He's good, but he's not that good, averaging around 10 ppg, the same as Forte, Sanders, Barrett, etc. And to give up the more balanced lineup that I get from Ozier, Alloway would have to be a go-to guy. My success with him out of the lineup was enough to convince me that I'm better off and will match up better against more teams with Ozier instead.

[Radii]

February 26, 2023

#6 Florida State (20-5,10-3 ACC) at North Carolina (18-6, 8-6 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|UNC
OVR: 94|89
OFF: 92|89
DEF: 94|90
SHT: 93|89
REB: 95|86
COA: 88|91

We haven't played UNC this year. This will be the first time in awhile that we face them without multiple 88+ rated guys in their lineup. Its a nice change heh, but they're still a quality team. And most importantly, they're still coached by Billy Taylor and his full court press/3-2 zone defense.

UNC is hurting, an 82 rated PF is out with a broken hand, and their starting SG and SF both have day to day inuries, a bruised tailbone for Coombs and a broken finger for Stockman.

Scouting

PG Daryl Troester – JR – 84 OVR – 94 speed/87 quickness. 86 defense/85 steals. 87 hands/87 passing. 87 close/77 med/89 3/86 off the dribble/85 in traffic. Great leaper and hustle guy. Two problems... his awareness is bad, 69 off/72 def. And he's 5'9”. 9.2 ppg/2.9 apg.

SG TR Stockman – FR – 81 OVR – 91 speed/93 quickness. 88 defense/78 stels. 92 close/74 med/74 3/78 off the dribble/82 in traffic. Average awareness, 70 off/72 def. Poor athleticism, C ratings for vert/str/hustle. A great freshman but he needs to develop more still. 6.2 ppg/3.5 rpg/3.8 apg.

SF Nigel Coombs – JR – 85 OVR – 6'7” natural SF - 91 speed/80 quickness. 84 defense/71 steals. 82 close/77 med/86 3/87 in traffic. 73 off awareness/82 def awareness. 10.8 ppg this year, a pretty solid defender for a SF. Hes not really a good rebounder despite the size.

PF Torris Blassingame – FR – 79 OVR – 6'7” PF – 82 orb/82 drb. 74 post off/82 post def. 91 close/88 in traffic. Terrible strength, 64/c+. Great awareness for a rookie, 80 off/77 def. He's a bit small and lacks some abilities. 5.3 ppg/4.4 rpg.

C Spanky Powers – SO – 81 OVR – 6'8” PF – 86 ob/82 drb. 90 post off/80 post def. 85 close/81 in traffic. 73 str, not bad, not great. 72 off awareness/74 def awareness. A thoroughly decent but not spectacular player, outside of the insanely high post offensive abilities. 7.5 ppg/3.7 rpg.

Blassingame and Coombs are the only names I recognize. Blassingame was on my target list all last year but I never went hard after him. The post defense ratings for Blassingame and Powers worry me. I really struggle against the 3-2 defense when I can't attack the rim with success. Hopefully we can draw fouls on these guys, but we'll see.

This is one of those games where unity might matter quite a bit. We have a 91 team unity, theirs is 44, and they are too young/inexperienced to have a coach on the floor out there even after confidence boosts, so its not getting any better.

<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%"> 12:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Well I must be terrible at math or something. Alloway isn't back yet, I thought he was ready 2 or 3 days before this game, oops. Anyway, I get a timeout to get my backups in. We have a huge edge inside, Sanders has 6, McCants 2. We're just too big and strong. They have hit two threes to keep it close for now, but I feel like our edge in this game is massive. Backups in, Ozier still in at SF.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> UNC takes a timeout. Millar and Sneed get going inside right where Sanders left off. They hit another 3.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett in for Ozier. Sneed misses a free throw and we're tied up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin hits a 3, Sneed hits a nice shot inside, and UNC with a timeout. Starters are back in, Day instead of Barrett briefly.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett in for Ozier who just picked up his 2^nd foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 31
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin in for the tired Day.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 29
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits his first 3 of the half, putting us up 7. Timeout UNC.
</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%"> Solid first half, both teams are shooting slightly over 50% from the floor. UNC is 4-8 from 3, we're 3-7. We're each 3-4 at the line, Ozier's two fouls ar ethe only foul trouble anyone is even close to being in.


UNC gets 7 from SF Combs, 6 from Stockman and Powers (SG and C).


We're led by Sanders with 8 and 5 boards. Day scores 7 off the bench, McCants 6. We're only up 7 but I still feel like we have a huge edge here and should win with relative ease, just need to keep them from getting insanely hot to start the half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, UNC does heat up a little from 3, they hit one right away and another a minute or so ago. Forte has hit two of them as well, and we've got 6 more inside to build up a 13 point lead. Timeout UNC.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in, plus Ozier at SF still.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Day is on fire from 3, he's scored our last 9 in a row with 3 straight 3's. Timeout UNC. Barrett in for Ozier.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. They've gone on a 7-2 run but its taken 3 minutes and we still lead by 14.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:58
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> I get a timeout, mainly for rest. We're cold but UNC is taking way too long with this comeback they're trying, our defense is holding up nicely.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
No one scored again til the 1:30 mark when they cut it to 11. We, in fact, never scored again. In the final 9:15 we got outscored 12-2 but were up far too much for that to matter.

#6 Florida State 66
North Carolina 55

they get 15 from SF Coombs and 13 from SG Stockman.

Forte: 12 points/3 assists
Barrett: 7 points
Ozier: 0 points/2 boards/2 assists/2 steals
Sanders: 11 points/7 boards
McCants: 8 points/8 boards

Day: 16 points (4-6 from 3)
Sneed: 7 points

Florida State are the ACC Regular Season Champions!!!

[Radii]

Now Alloway is officially healthy. We move up to #5 in the polls. Georgia Tech 6th, Va Tech 12th, Clemson 14, Maryland 15. Boston College is back in at #23.


Our last two games are against two of the 3 worst teams in the league, both games we are used to simming by now:


March 2, 2023

#5 Florida State 78
at MIami 56

Miami gets 31 from their star center, Newman. That's nearly 60% of their points. They have nothing else at all. Sanders 19, Sneed 17, Alloway 12.


March 5, 2023

at #5 Florida State 79
Duke 66

Sanders 20, Barrett 17, McCants 13 in this one.



Final Regular Season Media Poll:

1. Vanderbilt (24-3)
2. LaSalle (27-3)
3. Temple (26-3)
4. Pittsburgh (26-3)
5. Florida State (23-5)
6. Georgia Tech (20-7)
...
11. Virginia Tech (21-7)
15. Clemson (23-9)
17. Maryland (18-10)
25. Boston College (23-10)



Final Regular Season Bracketology:

1. Florida State (the 3rd #1 seed assuming they are listed in order)
2. Georgia Tech
3. Virginia Tech
4. Clemson
5. Maryland
6. Boston College
8. North Carolina
12. NC State

NC State is on the bubble and currently projeted to be one the last teams in.


Currently, 4 teams have just 3 losses. Vanderbilt, LaSalle, Pittsburgh are projected as 1 seeds along with us. Temple is 26-3 and listed as a 2 seed right now. It seems obvious that if we win the ACC Tournament we are a 1 seed. If we make the finals we are probably a 1 seed. If we don't, I would bet that we're not, but we'll see if that happens.


Getting a 1 seed in the tournament would earn me another coaching point, and I don't expect to be this talented at least for the next couple years, so its something I'm really hoping I can accomplish.

[Radii]

ACC Final Standings

1. Florida State 13-3 (23-5)
2. Georgia Tech 11-5 (20-7)
3. Boston College 10-6 (23-10)
4. Virginia Tech 9-7 (21-7)
5. North Carolina 9-7 (19-7)
6. Maryland 9-7 (18-10)
7. Clemson 8-8 (23-9)
8. Virginia 7-9 (17-16)
9. NC State 6-10 (21-11)
10. Miami 6-10 (13-16)
11. Duke 5-11 (16-14)
12. Wake Forest 3-13 (15-15)

If the seeds held up our road to the ACC Title would be Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech.


ACC First Round

9. NC State 91
8. Virginia 81

5. North Carolina 84
12. Wake Forest 82

11. Duke 86
6. Maryland 71

10. Miami 82
7. Clemson 75


ACC Quarterfinals

1. Florida State
9. NC State

4. Virginia Tech
5. North Carolina

3. Boston College
11. Duke

2. Georgia Tech
10. Miami


NC State tries to get off the bubble with a win. Clemson and Maryland are in but sure don't help their tournament seeding with those embarrassing losses.

[hoopsguy]

Alloway is healthy but I end up making the decision to leave my starting lineup the way the AI recommends. Ozier isn't a great scoring threat, but playing Barrett at SG and Ozier at SF allows me to put my best defensive lineup on the court. Ozier is strong attacking the rim and a good rebounder, all things that I don't get as well with Alloway and Barrett.

When I started Alloway over Ozier early in the year I thought Alloway had the potential to be a 15-20 ppg type of guy, the guy I could go to at the end of the shot clock any time I needed to generate a shot. He's good, but he's not that good, averaging around 10 ppg, the same as Forte, Sanders, Barrett, etc. And to give up the more balanced lineup that I get from Ozier, Alloway would have to be a go-to guy. My success with him out of the lineup was enough to convince me that I'm better off and will match up better against more teams with Ozier instead.


100% agree with this based on your game recaps and the obvious success you had in the back half of your schedule.

Also, if you are going to have an OT game I would ask that you mention the "too long for one post" stuff at the end of the post rather than at the start of the post. At the start is a dead giveaway that you have an OT game and I know I start skimming to get to the good part. So change your pattern to address my laziness :)

Congrats on the ACC title. Hope that you are able to put together a really solid postseason run - no Memphis games this year!

[Radii]

Also, if you are going to have an OT game I would ask that you mention the "too long for one post" stuff at the end of the post rather than at the start of the post. At the start is a dead giveaway that you have an OT game and I know I start skimming to get to the good part. So change your pattern to address my laziness :)

:D Will do!


Congrats on the ACC title. Hope that you are able to put together a really solid postseason run - no Memphis games this year!

Thanks, and no kidding! I haven't taken a good look at these other top 10 teams very closely, but I get the feeling that this season there's no real favorite to win the national title, and we should be one of 8 or 9 teams that could easily win 6 straight if we get good matchups and play well. Of course if we run into a good pressing team in the sweet 16 we might be screwed, but we'll deal with that if it happens.

[hoopsguy]

Has the A-10 emerged as a "power conference"? I saw that they had two top five teams, which I certainly don't expect to see happen in real life anytime soon.

Are there conference power rankings at the end of the year? If so, it would be interesting to see that kind of stuff every few years just to highlight where the power is shifting outside of your own little corner of the basketball universe.

[Radii]

Has the A-10 emerged as a "power conference"? I saw that they had two top five teams, which I certainly don't expect to see happen in real life anytime soon.

Are there conference power rankings at the end of the year? If so, it would be interesting to see that kind of stuff every few years just to highlight where the power is shifting outside of your own little corner of the basketball universe.


Yeah, there are conference rankings, how they're calculated I'm not sure. There are the 6 standard power conferences, 3 "major" conferences (A-10, C-USA, Mountain West), and then the rest are divided between mid-major and small conferences.

The A-10 got 4 teams into the tournament last year, and looks like a lock for 4 teams this year, LaSalle, Temple, Saint Louis, Xavier are all in the top 25, but they're still only the 7th ranked conference, behind all the power conferences.


I believe there was one year where the mountain west was the 6th ranked conference, and there have been a few years where a mid-major conference will crack the top 9 over CUSA, but there has never been any long term shift of power.


I think the reason this happens is fairly similar to the real world... coaches want to move to the top for the most part. But its almost 100% uniform in this game... see Mark Few leaving for Arizona immediately in this dynasty, for example. And coaching skill dictates the success a program can have. So any time a number of power conference jobs open up, the major/mid major conferences lose all their best coaches and fall right back down.


This year's conference rankings, btw:

1. ACC
2. SEC
3. Big 10
4. Big East
5. PAC 10
6. Big 12
7. A-10
8. Mountain West
9. WCC
10. C-USA


CUSA is just awful right now. The West Coast Conference doesn't have a single team with an RPI better than 65, but they still get the nod over Conference USA. The Big 12 only has 3 top 25 teams, Oklahoma State has been in the top 10 all year, but they have 6 20 win teams and are better top to bottom, so by most measures having them 6th and the A-10 7th probably makes sense.

[Radii]

March 10, 2023 - ACC Quarterfinals

(1) #5 Florida State (23-5,13-3 ACC) vs (9) NC State (22-11, 6-10 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|NCSU
OVR: 94|91
OFF: 92|91
DEF: 94|91
SHT: 93|94
REB: 96|91
COA: 88|93

We played NC State at our place in late January and were winning 56-26 at the half, going on to win 99-65. Their highest rated player had a wrist injury during that game though.

Last season we beat NC State by 30 at our place and then late in the year lost a close game at the RBC Center. This is on a neutral floor but I don't necessarily assume that we're going to win by 30 again

Scouting

PG Jairus Drabyn – SR – 83 OVR – 92 speed/89 quickness. 86 defense/75 steals. 87 hands/87 passing. 81 close/74 med/84 3/81 off the dribble. He's decent but not spectacular anywhere. 8.8 ppg/5.0 apg

SG Danko Walls – SO – 84 OVR – Last year's national freshman of the year. . 86 speed/83 quickness. 85 defense/70 steals. 87 close/84 med/83 3/84 off the dribble. Solid awareness on both ends, 79 off/77 def. He's improved nicely this season and is averaging 17.5 ppg, leading the team.

SF Justino Mihailovic – SR – 89 OVR – 6'5” SF – 88 speed/89 quickness. 86 defense/77 steals. 87 close/81 med/82 3/85 off the dribble/90 in traffic. A solid defender for a SF and a very talented offensive layer. He's also an elite rebounder for a SF, 89 drb. Great awareness on defense(85), not bad on offense(73). 9.1 ppg/4.5 rpg

PF Cassiano Hunter – JR – 82 OVR – 6'10” PF – 90 orb/79 drb. 89 post off/75 post def. 86 blocks/A- there. 90 close/87 in traffic. Awareness is awful, and 75 str is good but not great. 6.9 ppg/3.1 rpg

C Zachary Horton – FR – 77 OVR – only 6'8”. 84 orb/82 drb. 83 post off/76 post def. 88 close/85 in traffic. Godawful defensive awareness(63). 72 off awareness. 76 str, good but not great. Not really bad in the key areas that I look for, rebounding and post play, but overall he's short and young and unpolished, hopefully we can walk over him. 5.5 ppg/5.4 rpg.

Backup PG Garland Munns is second in scoring at 15.1 ppg. He's getting almost 30 minutes 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%"> 12:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 15
</td> <td width="7%"> 10
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. This is the biggest lead either team has had, its been back and forth, but we're now on a 7-0 run after the Wolfpack had taken a 10-8 lead a little while ago. McCants leads us with 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar has 3 offensive boards and is 0-3 from the field, doh!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> Getting the ball to Sneed was apparently the secret. He's got our last 4, a big dunk giving us a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway gets going a bit, hitting a 3 and a layin in transition, add a free throw and he's got 6. Their PG, Drabyn, has 10 of NC State's 23. backup PG Munns has 5, he came in when Walls picked up foul #2 a little while ago. Starters are back in during an NC State timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> They tie the game at 28 and we score 6 straight ourselves, a steal and layup by Ozier earns us another 6^th man boost from the crowd.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> We lead most of the half, and its a nice, easy, comfortable half, but we never do push out to a lead bigger than 6, leaving it open to give them a chance to step up and win in the 2^nd half. NC State shoots 45%, we shoot 42% They're 2-10 from 3, we're 4-13. Who would have guessed that putting McClurkin, Alloway and Day all on the court at the same time would generate a lot of 3 point shots.


NC State is lead by 10 from Drabyn, Munns has 5, and both their bigs have 4. PF Hunter has 8 boards already. McCants leads us with 9, Ozier has 7, Alloway 6, Forte 5. Barrett is scoreless, an indication that we aren't getting a lot in transition.


I don't think they have the firepower or defense to do much here and I fully expect to win, but it'd be nice to go on a little run and build this up into double digits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up by 10 for the first time, Sanders has two dunks this half, McCants a couple and Ozier a couple, solid start.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. McCants has 13, Sanders 12, Sanders has either 8 or 10 this half, I forget if he had 2 or 4 at the half. Strong start either way. They've hit a couple 3's and Drabyn is going off big time to keep them in it. He is up to 20, 10 points this half already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 45
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar gets a 3 point play attacking the basket, and McClurkin hits a 3, we're up 12, timeout Pack.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin has 9 now, 3 3's in this run for us, and NC State takes another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:01
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in as we get 4 from Day and 2 from Alloway and have our biggest lead of the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Time to slow the game down and knock this one out.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Sanders scores the next 4, and we go up 75-56. We commit two dumb turnovers in the backcourt in the final minute allowing them to make it look at least a little closer than it was down the stretch.

(1) Florida State 75
(9) NC State 65

Drabyn was great for them, scoring 20, though he didn't score any in the final 12 minutes of the game. PF Hunter had a 12 point/15 board day that was very strong as well.

Forte: 5 points/2 assists/2 steals
Barrett: 0 points
Ozier: 8 points/2 boards
Sanders: 18 points/6 boards
McCants: 13 points/8 boards

McClurkin: 9 points
Alloway: 8 points
Day: 7 points

And we're on to the semifinals, as expected. Sanders had an outstanding second half, he was a big key for us in terms of building up that lead and putting this one out of reach.

[Radii]

ACC Quarterfinals

1. Florida State 75
9. NC State 65

4. Virginia Tech 72
5. North Carolina 49

11. Duke 68
3. Boston College 54

2. Georgia Tech 110
10. Miami 76


ACC Semifinals

1. Florida State
4. Virginia Tech

2. Georgia Tech
11. Duke


No one expected Duke to do what they're doing, and i expect Georgia Tech will put a quick, painful end to Duke's hopes of a miracle run to the ACC Finals. On my half of the bracket though, the top seeds advance, and we get a rematch against a very good Virginia Tech team. They beat us by 25 in Blacksburg, then we beat them in double overtime in Tallahassee. Time for a 3rd meeting in Charlotte.

[Radii]

March 11, 2023 – ACC Semifinals

(1) #5 Florida State (24-5,13-3 ACC) vs (4) #11 Virginia Tech (22-7, 9-7 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|VI
OVR: 94|95
OFF: 92|97
DEF: 94|91
SHT: 93|97
REB: 96|91
COA: 88|94

They've had some nice development throughout the year, with Bright up to 89 OVR and Graves up to 87 OVR, but I'm not quite sure why their roster's offensive rating is 97 now when it was 94 just a couple weeks ago.

Forte and Barrett were HUGE for us in our double OT win, scoring 23 and 21 respectively. Day had 12 off the bench and Sanders somehow managed 15 points against their formidable front line. Beeler isn't that great on defense, but we still seem to struggle quite a bit, looking for offensive boards and transition buckets and other junky type shots inside instead of straight up post success. We'll try of course, but have not reliably been able to score inside against them.

Beeler scored 26, Plummer 17 in the last meeting. They're an extremely good 3 point shooting team, in the first matchup when they destroyed us they shot 13-25. They were 9-27 last game.

Scouting

PG Melvin Bright – SR – 89 OVR – 94 speed/90 quickness. 84 defense/73 steals. 88 hands/91 passing. 85 close/82 med/90 3/82 off the dribble. 79 off awareness/80 def awareness. An elite 3 point shooter, a great passer and adequate defender. 8.7 ppg/3.7 apg.

SG Robin Vega – SR – 88 OVR – a 5'10” PG – 91 speed/87 quickness. 90 defense/86 steals. 86 close/82 med/77 3/85 off the dribble. 83 off awareness/76 def awareness. 5.9 ppg. An elite defender who can shoot but doesn't seem to be used too much as a scoring option.

SF Reece Plummer – SO – 81 OVR – 6'7” natural SF – 86 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense/70 steals. 85 close/83 med/71 3/80 off the dribble/82 in traffic. 4 ppg.

PF Lex Beeler – SR – 87 OVR – 6'9” PF – 85 orb/78 drb. 91 post off/73 post def. 71 blocks/78 steals. 96 close/79 med/77 3/88 in traffic. Good strength, outstanding awareness on both ends, 83 off/86 def. An elite offensive player, he seems to have some holes in his defensive game, though perhaps 86 def awareness makes up for the poor post defense, etc? 18.6 ppg/5.0 rpg

C Tommie Graves – JR – 87 OVR 0 6'10” C – 90 orb/82 drb. 89 post off/91 post def. 75 blocks. 92 close/86 in traffic. 80 str, coach on the floor with 83 off awareness/78 def awareness. 10.6 ppg/5.2 rpg, an elite post player on both ends, we're going to have a hard time against these guys inside.

Backup SF Cameron Aguko (81 OVR) scores about 13 a game off the bench and has been good against us. Backup PG Mick Parsons (86 OVR) scores about 7/game but has done much better than that against us 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%"> VT
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> They get out to a 9-3 start but we rein them back in and its a 2 poitn game as the backups come in. McCants is a frustrating 0-4. He's been blocked by Graves twice, once on a cut to the basket attempting a dunk, once on a putback. Sanders is 2-2 inside though. Forte has a 3 and leads us with 5. Bright has 6 for them early.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> 6 straight for the Hokies, it was 18-17 just seconds ago it seems heh. We turn it over, they go in for a dunk and a 6^th man boost, and I call a timeout. Bright has 8, Beeler 7 for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> Millar scores over their backup bigs(beeler/graves both sat during our timeout, Bright is sitting too). Starters are in after a foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> We take full advantage of their backup squad, getting 4 from McCants and 2 more from Sanders in addition to a transition layup by Forte and we take the lead, timeout Hokies. They get all their starters 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%"> Virginia Tech gets 2 6^th man boosts in the last 2 minutes, once from a simple defensive board on a 27-27 game, the other off a Bright 3. We kill them both off quickly, and actually draw Beeler's second foul, the prospect of him in foul trouble makes me happy. Virginia Tech shoots 55% in the half, we shoot 45%. They are 2-6 from 3, we are 1-5. Free throws are about even, we've got 2 more than them.


Bright 11, Plummer 9, Beeler 7. Vega and Parsons have just 2 points between them, their other two biggest scoring threats. We've got 8 from Sanders, he shoots 4-5 and does a great job finding and taking advantage of the rare openings in their interior defense. McCants does not, he is 2-7 for 4 points. Forte has 7. Barrett is once again scoreless, Ozier just has 2.


If we can get Beeler in foul trouble it'd go a long ways towards giving us an edge in this game. We were strong from 3 in the game we won as well, but the shots have not really been available so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:06
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Vega hits a 3 for them, Forte hits one for us and Barrett gets a transition bucket. We've got two blocked shots inside already this half(5 for the game), and Sanders just snagged an offensive board that gave us a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 35
</td> <td width="68%"> Graves gets his 3^rd block to stop us from taking the lead at first, but they miss a 3 on their end, and Barrett gets another bucket in transition,we're up one!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 40
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett has 10 this half already and we have our biggest lead at 4. We've gotten the 6^th man to go off for us pretty much constantly(4 times in 6 minutes). They just subbed out Beeler and Graves both, so we'll try to pound it inside for a bit. Timeout Va Tech.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Graves/Beeler are back in. We got McCants a point at the line but didn't really take big advantage inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3, get a couple offensive boards and generally do everything they need to on offense to cur out lead quickly back down to 1. I get a timeout and get my backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 49
</td> <td width="68%"> A block gets Va Tech a 6^th man boost, but a reach in by Beeler after we pick up the loose ball is his 3^rd foul and we get to run some clock to kill their advantage.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Va Tech with another 6^th man boost as they take the lead back, I get a timeout. Day just went off a screen and rimmed out a wide open 3 at the top of the key, they got out on the break for an easy layup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> I get another timeout to get my starters some more rest, I need them back in ASAP. Backups are cold from 3/getting owned inside and we're having no luck at all on offense. We have only allowed them to score 2 points so its still just a 3 point game which is good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin hits a 3, we get a defensive stop and its time for the starters to come in and win this thing.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> They take a 1 point lead going 1-2 at the line, Sanders makes a great move on Beeler to hit a little 1 handed shot from 8 feet out, then gets a dunk in transition after a miss, and we get a 6^th man boost and a 3 point lead.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> SANDERS! We force a miss on their end, forte misses a 3, Sanders board and kickout, Ozier misses inside, boards and kicks it out. On our third try Sanders gets a mismatch with a guard on him in the post, scores and draws a foul, hits the free throw! He has our last 7 points and we lead by 6. Timeout Hokies.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright scores his first points of the half, hitting a jumper
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte goes off a screen and drains an open 3! He's got a very quiet 18 points to lead us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> We have seriously contained Beeler this half, McCants blocks him and we recover!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders misses inside, they get a look from Vega on their end, our ball up 5.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte is fouled pump faking to try to get space for a 3, he hits 3 free throws and that probably ices the game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:11
</td> <td width="10%"> 69
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Bright hits a 3 for them but they had to work pretty hard to get it, just 10 seconds left.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We seal it at the line easily.

(1) Florida State 72
(4) Virginia Tech 64

Barrett had a huge stretch early in the second half and Sanders came up just as big in the final 5 minutes as we outscore them 43-32 in the second half to advance to our first ACC Finals!

Bright scored 16, just 6 in the second half. Plummer 14. Beeler 10 points/8 boards, Graves 7 points/14 boards. We did an incredible job on Beeler, he went 4-11 today.

Forte: 21 poitns (4-10 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points
Ozier: 5 points/3 boards
Sanders: 15 points/8 boards/3 blocks
McCants: 5 points/6 boards/2 blocks

Day: 5 points
Millar: 4 points

Each team had 7 blocks today, and that's 7 blocks that got recorded, both defenses were very strong inside and scoring anything in the paint was a major challenge. The game misses a lot of blocks, I would guess 10 each easily. Graves had 3 for them, Sanders 3 for us. Beeler 2 for them, McCants 2 for us, and then Ozier and Sneed each with 1, their SF's each had one.

Now its time to go root like I've never rooted before for Duke.

[Radii]

ACC Semifinals

1. Florida State 72
4. Virginia Tech 64

2. Georgia Tech 72
11. Duke 64


ACC Finals

1. Florida State
2. Georgia Tech


Well, its not what we wanted, but its what it should be to decide the champion of the ACC. We have the #2 RPI in the country, Georgia Tech #3. We're currently projected as a 1 seed, Georgia Tech a 2 seed.

The only problem is that the game I thought we played well against them, we lost by 17. The other game we lost by 35. We'll see if there's something better we can do in the finals to give us a chance to win.

[Radii]

March 12, 2023 – ACC Finals

(1) #5 Florida State (25-5,13-3 ACC) vs (2) #6 Georgia Tech (22-7, 11-5 ACC)

TEAM: FSU|GT
OVR: 94|96
OFF: 92|95
DEF: 94|94
SHT: 93|100
REB: 96|100
COA: 88|96

Tech's shooting and rebounding have both improved from 99 to 100 since we last met. In our last matchup we missed countless transition buckets and shot 3-13 from 3. We either need to score better in transition today or just not run and try to really slow the game down into the 50s. I would prefer to score in transition. We must shoot better from 3, not necessarily shoot a lot more 3's, but when we get open looks they must go in.

I don't know if we've ever stopped Shavies. He scored 26 the last time we played. And Axton at 7'4” just completely controls the middle. The other big problem we've had against them is rebounding, rebounding margins of 15-6 and such in the first half of our last two games.

Scouting

PG Justin Covington – SR – 89 OVR – 94 speed/94 quickness. 89 defense/75 steals. 89 close/81 med/82 3/85 off the dribble. 9.5/4.9 apg. Covington took the starting job for the final 8 games last year and of course all this season.

SG Femi Shavies – JR – 88 OVR – Shavies is truly scary. 89 speed/90 quickness. 81 defense/84 steals. 91 close/80 med/86 3/83 off the dribble/81 in traffic. Good awareness, good strength. 13.4 ppg, he's averaged in double figures all 3 years, unusual for a SG, who usually have lower shooting tendencies than big men. His tendencies were maxxed out last year though, he's insanely talented and will shoot the second he touches the ball any time he's open. Holding him under 20 is likely impossible.

SF Jibran Grizzard – SR – 92 OVR – 6'7” SF – 88 speed/82 quickness. 86 defense/82 steals. 95 close/85 med/79 3. 93 vert, 84 off awareness/75 def awareness. Grizzard has never been a big scorer despite the ratings. 9.6 ppg this year is 2 points better than last season.

PF Immanuel Bing – SR – 88 OVR – 6'10” PF – 87 orb/88 drb. 85 post off/80 post def. 96 close/90 in traffic, good shot blocker, good steals for a big, 83 str is huge. 84 off awareness/77 def awareness. Bing was overshadowed by super forward Aly Richards the last couple years but he's taken the reins and is having his best year by far, 12.7 ppg/5.8 rpg, 3 points over his average last year.

C Dalron Axton – SR – 83 OVR – 7'4”, I mentioned Axton last year, when he came off the bench. 88 str(A). 89 orb/82 drb. 79 post off/78 post def. 94 close/88 in traffic. 9.0 ppg/5.2 rpg

Unity is 93 for us, 90 for Tech.
<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <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%"> 15:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> We're doing a good job slowing it down, believe it or not. Georgia Tech has not missed a shot yet..
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 9
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a shot finally but get the putback when they do. Forte misses the only 3 we take, wide freaking open. Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 17
</td> <td width="68%"> There we go! Alloway and McClurkin each hit open 3's and we force a steal, 8-2 run and its a tie game. This is shaping up like another half where we both might shoot near 80%. The rebound margin is currently 4-1 Tech. They get a timeout after getting the ball past halfcourt. Axton sits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Tech scores 6 straight, Sneed gets a bucket finally for us. Tech calls a timeout. They sub out another starter, I bring mine back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 19
</td> <td width="7%"> 28
</td> <td width="68%"> A dunk and a 3 point play after a turnover and its an 9 point game... they are resting 3 of their starters btw, ugh ugh ugh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a dunk from Sanders, they get a 3 point play on their end... McCants and Ozier both have two fouls now. Axton is back in for them.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 21
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout and bring Alloway in for Ozier. I don't want Ozier getting his 3^rd foul, and they are running 3 guards right now, Grizzard is on the bench, so I can afford to go 3 guards for a bit as well.


I should point out that I'm shooting 64% from the floor, and trailing by 12. How does Georgia Tech have 7 losses? This team is un-fucking-stoppable.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with 5 straight, a 3 point play on a big dunk in transition, we get a 6^th man boost. They make a couple subs, getting their big SF back out there.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We get as close as 5, 35-30. Forte misses another wide open 3 that could have cut the lead to 2, they score 4 straight, Barrett gets us a bucket at the end of the half and its a 7 point game.


This is just impossible. We're shooting 13-20, 4-5 from 3. 65% from the field. What the hell are we supposed to do if we shoot 65% and don't lead for a second of the game? Of course, Tech is shooting 75%. They're 15-20. They also draw more fouls and are 7-8 from the line, compared to our 4-5.


They have a 7-3 edge on the boards, including 2 offensive boards. Grizzard 9, Shavies 8, Covington 6, Bing 6.


McCants has 7 for us, Alloway 7. Sanders 4, Barrett 4, a few others with 2 or 3. Forte has missed 3 open 3 pointers. That's just killing me. That's his shot, pump fake, side step, stroke the 3. He's shooting 43% on the season, but he gets a Georga Tech uniform up in the air and goes 0 for however many times he tries it. I am baffled. We'll keep trying obviously, its within reach, but it feels like we've executed a near perfect half and are just a couple possessions away from them leading by double digits.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier is back in for Alloway, the full starting lineup is out there. Barret drives by covington and draws a foul on him, nice start.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> Georgia Tech misses 4 straight shots, only 1 less than they missed the entire first half, Ozier gets a great 3 point play in transition and Barrett has 6 and we've tied the game up!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> What a fucked up way for momentum to shift. McCants with a great block inside, Barrett attacks and draws a foul. He misses both free throws, and Shavies drains a 3 on the other end. We lose our 6^th man boost and they gain one. I get the ball over half court and call a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 41
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> And things are right back to normal. Forte misses a contested 3(shot clock expriing) and a tough runner in the lane, and they are back up 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> Another great run for us, ozier misses a free throw that could have given us the lead but we're on a 7-0 run and tied it back up. This time it feels a lot more like tough defense than just luck that they're missing, we're forcing them to take some bad shots and are all over the boards unlike the first half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 50
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants with his 3^rd foul, and this is as good a time as any to get the backups in. We have yet to lead in this game despite tying it up twice now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Hah. Their 7'4 guy just hit a 3 pointer. He's actually rated 65 from 3, which is good enough to hit super wide open 3's, and I was sagging way off him to help in the lane w/ Sneed. Owell.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>


To be Continued :D

[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%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 53
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Axton sits for awhile. Millar has all 3 points by our backups, just went 1-2 at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> They miss a 3, Day comes away with the board, finds Alloway with a great outlet pass and Alloway throws down a big dunk, tied up again(it was tied at 52 as well, this is our 4^th tie of the half).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> UGH. Day fouls their SF pump faking for 3 free throws...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Holy shit we just pick the strangest ways to fail totally against these guys. We've drawn 6 fouls this half, all shooting I think. We are 5-11 from the line this half. Barrett missed two, Alloway just missed two. Both are 75%+ free throw shooters.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Day scores 4 straight for us and we take the lead!!! The defensive rebound(their PF missed a wide open 8 footer after Millar got caught in horrible position trying to help off a screen) gives us a 6^th man boost and Day was out on the run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:18
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 58
</td> <td width="68%"> Day again with a layin after another miss, then a steal and outlet to Alloway for another transition bucket!!! 5 point lead, timeout Ga Tech. Starters are back in. I considered leaving the backups in to play the rush we're on, but they are just too good, and turn things around too fast, I need my best unit on the floor.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 62
</td> <td width="68%"> Shavies with 4 straight, McCants turned it over trying to kick the ball out of the post.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:36
</td> <td width="10%"> 63
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Well they're doing something right, tipping 2 passes as I try to run my offense, forcing McCants to try a 17 footer while closely guarded. Sanders with an over the back violation going for the board. They take the lead on their next offensive trip and I call a timeout. The timeout allows them to get Axton and Covington back into the game, bleh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 64
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits his first three of the game! He's got 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:36
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> We force a turnover and get Sanders a look inside. After that we trade baskets, Barrett just hit a midrange jumper for us to put us up 4. Its their ball with 2 ½ left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 68
</td> <td width="68%"> We force another turnover(these last two have both been Forte riding their PG out of bounds in our ¾ court press, doesn't happen too often,espicially with a quality PG like Covington on the other end). We can't score though, and they get a bucket from Bing in close on their end, two point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:53
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> I go to my clutch guy, forte, he drives but is stuffed inside, generating a 6^th man boost for Tech. They rush the ball up the floor and fairly quickly find Shavies for a 3, his 20^th points and they go up 1. I get the ball past midcourt then call a timeout. Both teams are at 6 fouls on the half. We have 1 TO left


</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:42
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte goes by a screen, kicks to Ozier who I think is going to drive, but he pulls up instead. He's bailed out as Axton fouls him, sending us to the line. He misses the first, but thank god hits the 2^nd. Tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 71
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Georgia Tech. 7 second difference in the game/shot clocks.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:30.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow. They go to Axton who hits a hook shot from a good 12 feet out on the right baseline.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:12.2
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett pump fakes and Shavies reaches in on him, committing the foul. That's their 8^th. Barrett is rated 85 at the line, 80.1% on the year. First FT good. Second...GOOD. Time to play defense, no fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:01.5
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> They struggle to get the ball over half court, finally passing it up and calling a timeout with 1.5 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REG
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 73
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it into Shavies, he puts up a 3 from a good 24+ feet out, its not close. OVERTIME.


Shavies leads them with 20, Grizzard 13, Covington and Bing 10. All their starters have played 30+ minutes.


We've got Barrett at 12, McCants 11, Ozier 10, Sanders 8, Forte 7. Forte is our only starter under 50% from the floor. Alloway has 11 and has been solid too, but with all the timeouts taken in the last few minutes of regulation we shouldn't need to rest anyone. McCants and Grizzard have 3 fouls, no one has 4.


And, while I'm really pleased to have done so well today against Tech after our first two meetings, I can't help but point out that we shot 8-15 from the line in the 2^nd half and 12-20 on the game so far. Tech is 16-17 by comparison.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> They win the toss, Bing scores on their first possession. Ozier misses a shot in the post Axton misses from 8 feet out, but Grizzard gets the offensive board and puts them up 4. They get a 6^th man boost and I use a timeout. I have 1 left, Tech has 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> We struggle to find a shot but Barrett gets into the lane and scores with 2 seconds left on the shot clock(actually a goal tend, Axton knocked the ball into the stands but it was coming down).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They throw a bad pass, we get the steal, but cannot get a transition shot off. We pull it out and end up taking a bad 3 after trying to find an open look. They get the board and score on the break.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:31
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Whew, almost thought we'd lost it. Barrett misses a jumper, they get out on the break but McCants is back and puts good pressure on their shot, forcing a miss. We get out on the run ourselves, Forte hits a streaking Ozier for a layin, lead back down to 2, 6^th man boost for us, timeotu for Tech. I use my one OT emphasis on Defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Grizzard with a fairly quick shot, no good, McCants boards! No shot at a fast break.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Wow, great steal by Tech, Grizzard goes diving to the floor to save the ball, and Covington picks it up...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:21
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside to Bing, Sanders swipes at the ball as he pivots, Bing loses the ball, Sanders picks it up and Ozier is out ahead of everybody, catches the outlet pass, Shavies catches him but Ozier hits his shot and draws a foul!!!! He makes the free throw. Tech ball, 21 seconds left, we lead by 1.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:00.8
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> Covington and Shavies work the ball around, it looks like Shavies is going to take the final shot, but he's well covered by Barrett, he fires to Bing(their 6'10 PF, but yeah he's a legit 3 point threat, I did already know that at least). Bing shoots it over Sanders and it goes in with 1 second left. I pass the ball up the sideline and immediately use my last timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> GAME
</td> <td width="10%"> 80
</td> <td width="7%"> 82
</td> <td width="68%"> I get forte the ball about 30 feet out, he gets a shot off but it hits the right side of the rim and is no good.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>


(2) Georgia Tech 82
(1) Florida State 80
OT

A classic ACC Championship game between two of the best teams in the nation. Once again, we had our chances. We shoot 3/13 from 3, and 13-21 at the line. We could have won it in regulation, but this is an outstanding Georgia Tech team and there is no shame at all in taking them to overtime in a title game like this.

Shavies scored 20, Grizzard 15, Bing 15, Covington 12, Axton 7. We actually end up winning the rebound battle, 21-17. Both teams shoot in the 58-62% range for the game.

Forte: 7 points/4 boards/2 assists
Barrett: 14 points/3 assists
Ozier: 15 points
Sanders: 8 points/3 boards
McCants: 11 points/6 boards

Alloway: 11 points
Day: 6 points

[Radii]

Georgia Tech has 7 losses, but remember, Georgia Tech was the preseason #1 team in the nation, and we were #2. They have 4 starters rated over 88, and the only guy that isn't is a 7'4" big man with legit 80+ talents. This team could have blown away the North Carolina teams that were the class of the league when I first took over Florida State and started paying attention.

The fact that we've now proven than we can hang with them gives me a lot more confidence going into the tournament. If we can play this Georgia Tech team to essentially a draw, we can beat anyone in the country. If we'd lost by 20+ again here, I doubt I would have believed that.

[Radii]

NCAA Tournament Seletion

not a lot of suspense today, we're either a 1 or a 2, if we don't show up right away then its just a matter of waiting to see what region we earn a 2 seed in.


haha. Well if the game ruins my suspense, fuckit! Before the option to view the selection show even finishes loading, the "congratulations, you've accomplished a goal" dialogue appears at the bottom of the screen.

Florida State is a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament!!!


Ok, lets watch the selection show anyway and see how things shake out.

Georgia Tech is #3, we are #4 in the final top 25 poll.

NC State is still on the bubble. Iowa out of the big 10 is as well. Michigan was on the bubble a week ago, I don't know if this means they're in or out.

1 Seeds

East: Vanderbilt (overall #1)
South: Georgia Tech
Midwest: Florida State
West: LaSalle

If the #1's hold up, Vandy would play Georgia Tech, we woudl play LaSalle.

EAST Region

1. Vanderbilt

8. Ohio (24-7)
9. Syracuse

Clemson is the 4 seed in the East, they'll play UNLV in round 1. St John's is the 5 seed in the region.

Ohio State is the 2 seed in this region, the big 10 champs.


SOUTH

1. Georgia Tech
16. Bethune-Cookman


Northwestern was the #2 team in the big ten, and they're the 6 seed here.

Virginia Tech is the 3 seed, they'll play (14) Northeastern.

Oregon is the 2 seed here.


MIDWEST

1. Florida State
16. Sacramento State

We get to play in Raleigh in the first two rounds.

8. Nevada (28-5)
9. Notre Dame (21-10)

I don't know anything about either team.

Cleveland State is a 4 seed here, they went 28-2 this season.


6. Boston College
11. Saint Mary's

The 3 seed here is Ole Miss.

2. Pittsburgh. I dunno much about Pitt either, Jamie Dixon is still there and they're consistently good.

Greg tells us this is the toughest region.


WEST

1. LaSalle

8. North Carolina
9. West Virginia

5. Maryland
12. Fresno State

The 4 seed is another mid-major, Marist.


Temple is the 2 seed in the West.


Conference Breakdowns

ACC 7
SEC 7
Big East 6
Big 12 6
A-10 5
Big 10 3
MWC 3
Pac 10 2
CUSA 2
WAS 2
MAC 2

Hah, Clark tells us that the CUSA was espicially bad this year.

NC State and Iowa both miss the tournament.



An overview of the seedings in the ACC:

1. Florida State
1. Georgia Tech
3. Virginia Tech
4. Clemson
5. Maryland
6. Boston College
8. North Carolina



Ohio is in as an 8 seed.


Ohio State is a 2, Wisconsin a 7, and Northwestern a 6 out of the Big 10.



Michigan finished 10-8, in a 3 way tie for 3rd in the conference, they went 20-13 overall but lost 3 of their last 4 to play their way out of the tournament. They are in the NIT


Indiana was 15-16, 8-10 in the big 10, penn state 7-11(15-16), Illinois 5-13(14-18). Illinois was dead last.


WOOOOOOOOOO 1 seed!!!

[Radii]

The selection sunday display had a bug in it, btw. It said that Georgia Tech would matchup with Vanderbilt in the final four, implying that Georgia Tech was the 4th #1 seed and we were #2 or #3.

Looking at the full, accurate bracket in the schedule screen, Vanderbilt actually would play LaSalle in the final four.

We are on the same side of the bracket as Georgia Tech. I believe Georgia Tech is the #2 overall seed and we are #3.




First Round Opponent

We're playing the champion of the Big Sky Conference, Sacramento State. They finished 1st in the league, which rated as the 25th best conference in the nation(out of 32). They went 11-5 in league play, 19-11 overall.

They lost to 10 seed BYU, 86-51, in their first game of the season. They lost by 12 to Oregon State, a 3 seed in the tournament. Those are their only two games against tournament teams. They lost 4 of their last 5 regular season games before recovering to win the Big Sky tournament.

Their highest rated player is 79 OVR, Senior SG Roland Anagonye. He's their scoring leader with 12.6 points/game. SF Abraham Santos is rated 74 OVR and averages 12.1 ppg.

Sacramento State has an overall roster strength of 79 as well.



Looking ahead at potential opposition:

8 seed Nevada is 28-5, they went 14-2 in the WAC. They have a roster strength of 85 OVR, and have a much better offense than defense.

9 seed Notre Dame is 21-10, 12-6 in the Big East. They have a roster strength of 88 OVR

[Radii]

March 17, 2023 – NCAA First Round

(1) Florida State (25-6) vs (16) Sacramento State (19-11)

TEAM: FSU|USS
OVR: 94|79
OFF: 93|81
DEF: 94|78
SHT: 93|86
REB: 96|85
COA: 88|79

Today's game is at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC State's home floor. We're obviously massive favorites over a 16 seed.

Scouting

PG Evan Daniels – SR – 75 OVR – 91 speed/81 quickness. 81 defense/82 steals. 85 hands/79 passing. 84 close/86 med/78 3/79 off the dribble. Terrible offensive awareness (60), better defensive (73). Also a poor athlete. 7.1 ppg/2.9 apg.

SG Roland Anagonye – 79 OVR – 91 speed/82 quicknes. 81 defense/71 steals. 89 close/75 med/75 3/78 off the dribble. Average/slightly below average awareness. 72 off/74 def. Not a good athlete. I'm surprised he's rated as high as he is really, he's 6'5” and has good post and rebound skills for a guard. 12.6 ppg/5.3 rpg.

SF Abraham Santos – SR – 74 OVR – 6'5” and also a natural SG – 88 speed/88 quickness. 80 defense/66 steals. 84 close/78 med/74 3/75 off the ribble. Awareness below 70 on both sides. 12.1 ppg/2.3 rpg.

PF Engin Parker – SO – 71 OVR – 6'6” PF – 72 orb/80 drb. 70 post off/74 post def. 92 close/81 in traffic. 8.0 ppg/6.2 rpg.

C Bernard Black – SO – 73 OVR – 6'8” PF – 85 orb/80 drb. 85 post off/72 post def. 85 close/90 in traffic. C+ strength(62), awareness below 65 on both ends. 7.7 ppg/5.4 rpg. His post offense and offensive rebounding look nice but the rest of his stats look fairly bad by our standards.

These 5 starters are the only 5 players they have rated 70 or better. They have two 6'10” big men backups but they're rated 69 and 64 OVR. As you'd expect out of a 16 seed, we have a massive 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%"> USS
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 11
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Its a bit of a slow/dull start. The main issue though is that Sanders and McCants both have two fouls already. I go ahead and bring in Millar and Sneed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. We'renot playing much defense at all here, obviously. 7 team fouls/8 free throws for them isn't helping.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> I call a timeout to get a little more time out of my backups. Millar has 2 fouls, Sneed 1 now. We're in some faily serious trouble with our bigs if this doesn't stop.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in. We're at 10 fouls total now, but have finally gotten a stop or two(they just missed two at the line which helped) to get the lead up to 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 43
</td> <td width="68%"> Sacramento State is shooting 62% from the field, 10/14 from 3. Their two best players are 10-11 from the field. Apparently “being hyped up for the tournament” totally negates having a 94 rated defender(Barrett's defense w/ confidence boost in game) in your face as you shoot time after time.


Anyway, Sac State is 15-24 from the field. SF Santos has 11, SG Anagonye has 11, PF Parker has 10 (8-10 at the line, he drew 5 of the fouls on us, all shooting).


We're 16-28, 5-9 from 3 which is nice. Forte has 9, Barrett, Ozier, McClurkin, Sneed all have 6. Sanders, McCants and Millar have 2 fouls, they didn't pick up any more.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Both teams make their first 3shots of the 2^nd half before we get a few stops and build our lead up to 10 points. Sac State calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Sac State. McCants has 3 fouls now, but we're deep enough into the game that foul trouble is less of an issue.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> We're finally playing the way we're expected to play and quickly build our lead up to 20.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 72
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
We build the lead up as high as 28 or so and I just leave the backups in the rest of the way, working on post moves with Sneed and Millar(and screwing around and running down the clock). Didn't want to risk an injury to a starter.

(1) Florida State 95
(16) Sacramento State 70

They keep it closer far longer than I'm happy with but we ran away with it in the second half and win easily.

Forte: 13 points/4 assists (4-7 from 3)
Barrett: 6 points/4 assists
Ozier: 13 points
Sanders: 9 points/7 boards
McCants: 11 points/4 boards

Sneed: 16 points/10 boards
McClurkin: 12 points
Millar: 6 points/7 boards
Day: 6 points
Alloway: 3 points

everyone played between 17-23 minutes today.

[Radii]

First round Results

In our bracket, Notre Dame beat Nevada 73-55. Our next oppenent will be the Fighting Irish. More on them in a bit.

12 seed Jacksonville upset 5 seed Mississippi State. 4 seed Cleveland State won their first round game. If we were to win our 2nd round game, we would play either Jacksonville or Cleveland State.


ACC Results:

1. Florida State - Beat Sac State 95-70
1. Georgia Tech - Beat Bethune Cookman 109-62
3. Virginia Tech - Beat Northeastern 100-49
4. Clemson - Beat UNLV 77-70
5. Maryland - Beat Fresno State 98-85
6. Boston College - Beat Saint Mary's 68-62
8. North Carolina - Lost to West Virginia 65-62


Very impressive first round from the ACC, a nice change from the past couple years.


8 seed Ohio lost to 9 seed Syracuse, so they're out.


In the Big 10, Wisconsin (7 seed) lost to 10 seed BYU.

2 seed Ohio State crushed Princeton, and 6 seed Northwestern beat Alabama. Virginia Tech and Northwestern play in round 2.


2nd Round Opponent

Notre Dame is now 22-10, they went 12-6 in the Big East and are #31 in the RPI. They're rated 88 OVR, none oftheir ancillary ratings stand out in any way, 90 shooting/91 rebounding. Mike Brey is still there and has 566 career wins.


The Big East landed 6 teams in the NCAA Tournament, but outside of Pitt, a 2 seed, there isn't much to look at. St John's is a 5 seed after struggling to a 9-9 conference record. The other 4 teams are all 9 and 10 seeds. Notre Dame, Syracuse and West Virginia all earned 9 seeds, Villanova a 10. Interestingly enough, all the 9 seeds won in round one, so the Big East is doing well so far.


Notre Dame played 9 games against tournament teams this year, going 5-4. They lost to 2 seed Pitt and 4 seed Florida. They got wins over 5 seed St Johns and a notable(in that I've also played them) win over 6 seed Boston College. They beat BC by 16 at home in December.

Notre Dame is led by 87 rated SF R Causwell, he leads them in scoring at 17.2 points/game. 82 rated Center Ray Marsh averages 15.7 points/game, and 85 rated SG Isaih Gomes scores 11/game.

They shoot a lot of 3's, 40% of thier shots this year, and they play a man to man defense with some 2-3 zone mixed in. They'll press us after baskets and play a tight defense (which is fine, its the 'very tight' defense that gives me fits).

[Radii]

March 19, 2023 – NCAA Second Round

(1) Florida State (26-6) vs (9) Notre Dame (22-10)

TEAM: FSU|ND
OVR: 94|88
OFF: 93|88
DEF: 94|88
SHT: 93|90
REB: 96|91
COA: 88|93

I'd always rather play a mid-major team, but Nevada couldn't pull off the win in round 1, so we get the #4 team in the Big East instead, Notre Dame.

Neither team has any injuries

Scouting

PG Wade McGrain – SO – 76 OVR – 90 speed/83 quickness. 82 defense/78 steals. 83 hands/82 passing. 77 close/76 med/79 3/79 off the dribble. McGrain looks very average. He was a 4* recruit which surprises me, C potential so I guess he develops slow. 4.8 ppg/3.7 apg.

SG Isaih Gomes – SR – 85 OVR – Interesting... 6'7” SF – 84 speed/80 quickness. 84 defense/75 steals. 90 close/79 med/84 3/92 in traffic. Similar athleticism as Causwell, 76 vert/76 str/79 hustle (C+/B+/B-). 11.3 ppg/6.5 rpg.

SF Rodney Causwell – SR – 87 OVR – 6'7” SF - 85 speed/84 quickness. 86 defense/73 blocks/76 steals, all very good for a SF. 90 close/86 med/73 3/83 in traffic. Good, but not great athlete, 83 vert/78 str/77 hustle (B-/B+/B-). 86 off awareness is excellent, 77 def awareness is quite good too, Causwell is a coach on the floor. 17.2 ppg/5.4 rpg.

PF Ted Stevens – SO – 80 OVR – 6'8” PF – 86 orb/84 drb. 80 post off/83 post def. 72 blocks. 92 close/84 in traffic. 72 str, a little low but still solid. Not nearly as good as Marsh but his post ratings are pretty damn good too. We're going to struggle inside. 7 ppg/3.9 rpg.

C Ray Marsh – SR – 82 OVR – 6'10” C – 82 orb/84 drb. 90 post off/85 post def. 87 close/91 in traffic. 80 str, A- and very good. Good but not great awareness. 85 bloks. This is a high quality player, I love his post ratings and he's an ok rebounder(though we should have the edge there). 15.7 ppg/6.6 rpg. I'm definitely worried about him scoring inside on us, and our ability to score over him.

Our big edge here is that they have a lack of depth. Only these 4 guys in the starting lineup are rated over 80. If we can get Stevens and Marsh in foul trouble their backup bigs are rated 68 OVR. They have a couple guards and 3 point shooters off the bench but choose instead to go with the 2 SF lineup. This should give us a big advantage with our speed attacking the rim, but i'm not sure what it will mean when we're on defense.

My biggest concern with this team is our ability to succeed inside on them. Marsh/Stevens look like a very strong defensive duo in the paint. With 3 seniors and a coach on the floor their unity is 81, not much of an edge there.

<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%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 4
</td> <td width="7%"> 5
</td> <td width="68%"> Their SG Gomes gets 2 quick fouls and sits. Ozier gets two almost as quickly for us. I'll leave him in for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 12
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got 6 straight after they take a 9-6 lead. We're having a lot of success attacking the rim from the wings, Ozier and Barrett have 10 of our 12 points. Sanders and McCants are a combined 0-3 inside I think. Their SF Causwell has 6 and looks quite good. A dunk by Ozier recently gave us a 6^th man boost.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte with a 3 and we're up 5. We've drawn 5 fouls total, McGrain has 2 in addition to Gomes' 2 fouls. Timeout Irish.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> A steal gets us another 6^th man boost and we're up 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:57
</td> <td width="10%"> 23
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> There is nothing more fun than when Forte is on fire. He has such a pretty 3 point stroke, when they're going in its a thing of beauty. He's got 10 of our first 23. Backups are in finally.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 32
</td> <td width="7%"> 19
</td> <td width="68%"> We're playing really well, rebounding well, scoring inside, hitting a 3 here and there, notre dame takes another timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 35
</td> <td width="7%"> 21
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are back in after an Alloway 3. Their big men starters return at the same time.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 27
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. We're on a roll, everything's going right, then Ozier comes out of the game with an injury after he drives into the lane and draws a foul. Day is in for him for now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 47
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> We're playing great, 54% from the field, holding the Irish under 50%. We've got a 15-9 edge on the boards, a +2 turnover margin, and we're making our free throws.


They get 10 from PF Stevens and 8 from SF Causwell. Four of their 5 starters have two fouls, everyone but Stevens. But two of those picked up their 2^nd in the final 2-3 minutes so it didn't have a huge impact on the half. McGrain and Gomes, however, picked up their fouls early and that did have a big impact.


Forte has 12, Barrett 8, Ozier and Sanders 6 each.


Ozier is listed as having a sprained ankle, and its listed at 7 days but we know that doesn't necessarily carry over out of game. I have no intention of Ozier playing again this game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 55
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We're not playing nearly as well but still have a 16 point lead, so that's a good sign. By “not playing as well” the offense isn't flowing as cleanly and we're coming up empty too often, Sanders is all over the boards, he has 5 offensive boards, 3 this half,but only 2 points.


I get the backups in early as Notre Dame calls a timeout. The bigs weren't fully rested at the start of the half, and I want to get a rotation going in the backcourt since I'm only going w/ 9 guys and keeping Ozier out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett in for Day, day is exhausted.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:58
</td> <td width="10%"> 66
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> We're pretty much coasting at this point, Causwell is good, as are their bigs, and sometimes they're just going to score and there isn't shit we can do, but they can't seem to stop us consistently enough to put together a run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 55
</td> <td width="68%"> Its only down to 13 but I don't want to risk anything at all here, the starters are back in(day instead of Ozier)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 71
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Alright, we got this. Day hits a 3, and we run a minute off the clock our next trip down as Sanders gets his 6^th offensive board.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Forte hits a couple more 3's as the shot clock is expiring in the last few minutes to up his point total, and we win easily.

(1) Florida State 80
(9) Notre Dame 59

We shoot exactly 50% on the game, Notre Dame is down closer to 40%. Gomes foul trouble in the first two minutes of the first half really hurt them badly. They needed all their best players playing their best games to have a shot at beating us, and they couldn't survive that. PF Stevens scores 15, SF Causwell 14, C Marsh 8 points/8 boards.

Forte: 24 points/3 steals (6-9 from 3)
Barrett: 9 points
Ozier: 6 points
Sanders: 10 points/15 boards (6 offensive)
McCants: 3 points/6 boards

Day: 7 points
Millar: 6 points
Sneed: 6 points/5 boards
McClurkin: 6 points

Forte is just so fun when he's shooting like that. He's fast, a great ball handler, and has a sweet, sweet shot animation. He goes straight up, no leg kicks, no weird jerky shot motions like a lot of players have, just a straight up elevation and shot. Even with in game confidence boosts he's only 77 rated from 3, which is good of course, but not nearly the best I have. Heh, what is the best I have though, is with confidence boosts, his offensive awareness is 87 in game.

We're in the sweet 16!! This is only my second trip this far in my coaching career, so while it was expected as a 1 seed, its quite exciting as well.

[Radii]

NCAA Second Round Results

12 seeded Jacksonville upsets 4 seed Cleveland State 70-67, so we're getting this year's Cinderella in the Sweet 16.


7 seeded Texas A&M upsets the 2 seed, Pittsburgh, in the bottom half of our bracket. 3 seed Ole Miss takes out 6 seed Boston College. Ole Miss/Texas A&M is who we're looking at if we can win another game.


ACC Results:

1. Florida State 80-59 win over (9) Notre Dame
1. Georgia Tech 103-65 win over (9) Utah
3. Virginia Tech 79-75 win over (6) Virginia Tech
4. Clemson 71-92 loss to (5) St John's
5. Maryland 86-71 win over (4) Marist
6. Boston college 76-82 loss to (3) Ole Miss


4 ACC teams in the Sweet 16.

Northwestern lost to Va Tech, and 2 seed Ohio State lost to 10 seed BYU, the Big 10 is done this year.


Its a rough year for 2 seeds, as Ohio State, Temple, and Pitt all lose in round 2. Oregon rolls though, they seemed like the best 2 seed anyway.

[Radii]

NCAA Sweet 16

1. Vanderbilt
5. St John's

3. Oregon State
10. BYU


1. LaSalle
5. Maryland

3. Oklahoma State
7. Baylor


1. Georgia Tech
13. Texas

2. Oregon
3. Virginia Tech


1. Florida State
12. Jacksonville

3. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M



Jacksonville is by far the weakest team left in the tournament. They're rated 81 OVR. Hah! Dave Leitao is at Jacksonville after getting fired by Virginia a couple years ago(last year? I forget). On paper we have a huge edge, and I always did well against Virginia so I have high hopes here.


Ole Miss and Texas A&M are both rated 93 OVR, if we get by Jacksonville we're going to have a tough test ahead of us no matter who we play.

The other big surprise in the sweet 16 is Texas, but they're rated 89 OVR. They just struggled in the regular season, going 7-9 in the Big 12, they're 22-13. I of course assume Georgia Tech will crush them, but I assume Georgia Tech will crush anyone they play.

[Radii]

Ozier is healthy again, no ill effects from the knock he picked up against Notre Dame.

March 23, 2023 – NCAA Sweet Sixteen

(1) Florida State (27-6) vs (12) Jacksonville (29-6, 14-2)

TEAM: FSU|JU
OVR: 95|81
OFF: 93|82
DEF: 94|79
SHT: 94|85
REB: 96|85
COA: 88|87

We improve to 95 OVR with a little more development as the tournament has gone on. Jacksonville starts four juniors and a soph, this whole team is coming back next year, bad news for the rest of the A-Sun. They're clearly not up to our standards, but we're in a power conference, this is a powerhouse for a tiny conference like the A-Sun, remember when I had NC A&T at 73 OVR and we were the best team in the MEAC?

Jacksonville beat 5 seed Miss State 87-85, and then 4 seed Cleveland State 70-67. As we go into the game I remind all my guys about George Mason.

Scouting

PG Chuck Pompey – JR – 73 OVR – 89 speed/85 quickness. 79 defense. 79 close/81 med/69 3/80 off the dribble. 86 hands/76 passing(both C+). 12.9 ppg/4.1 apg, both lead the team.

SG Darell Norwood – SO – 76 OVR – 87 speed/82 quickness. 81 defense/73 steals. 82 close/84 med/78 3/81 off the dribble. His awareness is abysmal. 65 off/66 def. He has solid offensive abilities and scores 9.6 points/game, but his defense isn't good enough.

SF Darin Gray – JR – 79 OVR – 6'7” SF – 86 speed/81 quickness. 77 defense/72 steals. 86 close/75 med/70 3/83 in traffic. Average awareness.. 74/73 off/def. Average athlete... all his side skills are in the C+/B- range, he actually doesn't look as good as I'd expect a 79 rated guy to look. 9.9 ppg/5.6 rpg.

PF Damien McCray – JR – 75 OVR – 6'8” SF – 78 orb/70 drb. 69 post off/66 post def. 89 close/88 in traffic. Good strength and a decent SF overall, but look at those post skills, Sanders is going to hurt this guy. 8.6 ppg/3.6 rpg.

C Drake Sheridan – JR – 74 OVR – 6'7” PF – 76 orb/78 drb. 78 post off/73 post def. 84 close/81 in traffic.

Their backup bigs are 6'10” but not any better, rated 67 and 68 OVR. That's really where this game seems impossible for them. The AI always seems at least capable of finding offense, but what I see here is a team with no on-ball defenders good enough to check us, and just zero rebounding. Those two factors would seem to give us an overwhelming edge. Of course, we have to remmber that they got here for a reason, and be ready for anything.

Their second best player is actually backup SF Kammron Moreno, a 6'8” SF rated 78 OVR. He averages 8 points/game and looks like a better offensive player than Gray, but his 61 defensive awareness is holding him back quite a bit.

Our unity edge is 93-67 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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> JU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 13
</td> <td width="7%"> 6
</td> <td width="68%"> Timeout Jacksonville. McCants has 6, Sanders 3. Seems like its heading to a blowout for exactly the reasons I listed above.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 22
</td> <td width="7%"> 12
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. The only issue at all is Sanders 2 fouls.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> We continue to roll, timeout Jacksonville. The rebound margin is something like 12-2 right now.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 37
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> We actually went up 19 before they go on a 6-0 rush. Sneed scores to make it 15 and then we foul and the starters come back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders picks up his 3^rd foul and McCants is pretty gassed, so I bring in the backup bigs.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 33
</td> <td width="68%"> Another really strong half against a subpar opponent, this is what I wanted against Sacramento State, but it didn't come til the second half there, it was really from the outset here. We shoot 65%, they shoot 45%. We lead 18-8 on the boards.


Their PG Pompey scores 7, and SG Norwood scores 7(on 3-10 shooting). SF Gray has 6, on 2-10 shooting.


McCants gives a little preview of how I hope to use him next year. He goes 7-8 for 14 points inside, scoring twice as many points as anyone else. Sanders, Ozier, Barrett have 5, Sneed/Forte 4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> The lead reaches 20 for the first time and Jacksonville calls a timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 59
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants goes down with a sprained ankle. Dammit! Sneed in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Sneed has our last 7 points. Actually Sanders is in since Millar started the 2^nd half
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:12
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 52
</td> <td width="68%"> 5 straight for jacksonville, Millar comes in for the exhausted Sneed. Heh, and Sanders picks up foul #4.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 61
</td> <td width="68%"> We hit a couple 3's, they're clearly outplaying us but I really, really don't want to risk the starters anymore(even with the lowish frequency of injuries... mccants might be hobbled for the next game since its in two days, I will take my chances until/unless this gets under 10 to not risk forte, etc).
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 66
</td> <td width="68%"> They cut it to 11 and I worry a bit. Back to back 3's by Day and Alloway and its 17 again.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
They get it down to 12 again but that's at the 1 minute mark. We cruise easily.

(1) Florida State 83
(12) Jacksonville 71

A fairly boring second half but with injuries, however minor, in each of our last two games I wonder about season long wear and tear(I have no idea if that exists in this game) and decide to just be really boring and run the clock and launch 3's over the final 13 minutes with our backups.

Their SG Norwood scores 15 in the second half to get to 22. PG Pompey hits 13.

Forte: 7 points
Barrett: 5 points
Ozier: 7 points/6 boards
Sanders: 5 points/3 boards
McCants: 19 points/4 boards

McClurkin: 15 points (5-7 from 3)
Sneed: 13 points/7 boards
Day: 8 points

Elite 8 here we come! McCants shot 9 for 11, 19 points in 18 minutes of play.

[Radii]

Sweet 16 Results

1. Vanderbilt 87
5. St John's 74

3. Oregon State 95
10. BYU 91


5. Maryland 102
1. LaSalle 87


3. Oklahoma State 97
7. Baylor 65


1. Georgia Tech 80
13. Texas 68

2. Oregon 107
3. Virginia Tech 80


1. Florida State 83
12. Jacksonville 71

3. Ole Miss 84
7. Texas A&M 80


Elite Eight Matchups

1. Vanderbilt
3. Oregon State

5. Maryland
3. Oklahoma State


1. Georgia Tech
2. Oregon

1. Florida State
3. Ole Miss


go maryland!


McCants has a sprained ankle that will limit him until the final four. I'll have to decide whether that warrants starting Sneed against Ole Miss or not. Sneed has been outstanding in the latter half of the season.


Ole Miss is rated 93 OVR and looks solid. They have the #10 RPI and finished 2nd to 1 seed Vandy in a very tough SEC (the #2 conference behind the ACC this year).

They have a high powered, star powered offense. 91 rated SG DeMario Famutimi averages 22 points/game, and they have 88 rated small forward and power forwards. They look to have a small weakness at center with a 76 rated soph center.


They've very top heavy, they have 4 players rated 88 or better, including a backup SF. but their 10th man is a 6'10" PF rated 67 OVR. I haven't looked closely at the ratings, except for the superstar SG, he was a 1st team all american last year with 22 points/game, and came back for another year and got better.

[Radii]

I decide to start Sneed over McCants today with McCants' nagging ankle injury. Sneed has been playing very well whenever he's been in in for quite some time as well. He's not quite as good a rebounder but I expect very little dropoff overall.

March 25, 2023 – NCAA Elite Eight

(1) Florida State (28-6) vs (3) Mississippi (25-7)

TEAM: FSU|MISS
OVR: 95|93
OFF: 93|93
DEF: 94|90
SHT: 94|94
REB: 96|93
COA: 88|93

We've coasted to the Elite Eight, blowing out our toughest opponent and getting a Cinderella who had gone as far as they were able to in the Sweet 16. This will be my second shot at getting to a final four, the first coming during a cardiac style run to the Elite Eight with Arkansas, playing three incredible games in a row that were all 1-2 point thrillers. Its a lot different as the favorite, as after 3 fairly boring games we've got to come out and play at our highest level just like that.

Ole Miss is a very strong team, 2^nd in the SEC behind #1 in the nation Vanderbilt. They average 86 points/game, and they have a returning 1^st team all american in SG Famutimi. He terrifies me. I'm reminded of Ga Tech's SG Shavies, I don't think we've held him under 20 the last 5 times we've played them. Famutimi averages 22, I would not be surprised to see him put up 35 here.

Scouting

PG Martynas Rost – JR – 83 OVR – 93 speed/89 quickness. 89 defense/76 steals. 83 hands/93 passing, average handling but great(A) passing. 81 close/71 med/74 3/92 off the dribble. 78 off awareness/77 def awareness. None of these guys have weak awareness. Rost is a solid compliment to these 88+ rated guys. 5.5 ppg/3.7 rpg.

SG DeMario Famutimi – SR – 91 OVR – 94 speed/88 quickness. 88 defense/88 steals. 88 close/89 med/88 3/88 off the dribble/87 in traffic. 97 hustle, decent leaper, good strength for a guard. 76 off awareness/78 def awareness. A true bonafide superstar, freshman of the year a few years ago, improved as a soph, 23.1 ppg as a junior, 22.3 ppg as a senior.

JR Timmy Batte – JR – 88 OVR – 6'7” SF – 86 speed/80 quickness. 79 defense/82 steals. A great offesnive rebounder(88). And a great post player if he needs to be, Ozier sure won't be posting him up. 85 close/92 med/74 3/6 in traffic. Batte averages 11.4 ppg.

JR Glenn Almond – JR – 88 OVR – 6'9” PF – 81 orb/84 drb. 83 post off/79 post def. 78 blocks/68 steals. 94 close/92 med/77 3/92 in traffic. 84 off awarenes/82 def, coach on the floor easy. 80 str, great hustle as well. Almond is the #2 man on the team for obvious reasons, 15.2 ppg/6.0 rpg.

C Cameron Bazin – SO – 76 OVR – 6'9” C – 83 orb/80 drb. 87 post off/76 post def. 72 blocks(C+, not great really). 90 close/82 in traffic. 87 str, very very strong. 70 off awareness/69 def awareness.

6'10” SF Shavlik Pearson is rated 88 OVR and comes off the bench. He has guard speed, PF rebounding and can score from all over. 93 close/82 in traffic, a good mid range shot. He aveages 9 ppg/6 rpg off the bench.

Backup SG Rans Jorgusen is rated 81 OVR, a freshman, with a 91 rated 3 point shot. A solid threat off the bench, he has no awareness but looks like a great spot up shooter. 6.1 ppg.

It would appear that our edge comes inside. We have a big height advantage, a solid enough rebounding advatnage. Their bigs are good enough in the post that I don't expect to walk all over them, but I do expect to have some success attacking the rim and think its not unlikely that we can get them in foul trouble, and win the rebounding battle.

They go 9 deep rated 75+. They aren't as deep or as talented top to bottom as we are, and that's where we'll hopefully be able to take advantage. Their stars are incredible though.

We have a 94-86 unity edge, pretty minimal really.
<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%"> MISS
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 7
</td> <td width="7%"> 4
</td> <td width="68%"> We get on the board first with a Sneed 3 point play and all our early points come inside. Sneed has 5, Sanders 2.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:41
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit a 3 to make it 9-7, then Forte hits two straight 3's for us and Barrett draws a foul and scores 2 at the line, we're playing outstanding early. Timeout Ole Miss.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1154
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 7
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 17
</td> <td width="7%"> 13
</td> <td width="68%"> They hit threes on back to back possessions, and I go cold. An offensive rebound on a later possession gives them a 6^th man boost, though they miss the putback and we rebound. I call a timeout to kill the 6^th man.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 27
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> The starters have been queued up for awhile now but I am not using timeouts if I don't need to. They scored 12 straight on 3's to get from 7 to 19 points but we stayed ahead the whole time. They've cut it to 1 twice, at 22-21, Day hit a 3 then Alloway got a layup on the break to make it 27-21, and they just scored again to make it a 4 point game. Anyway, backups are still in but theyre scoring now so its all good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 29
</td> <td width="7%"> 23
</td> <td width="68%"> Starters are finally back in as Alloway commits a reach in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We score the last 4 points of the half and take a solid 9 point lead into the locker room. Really everything is going well. We're shooting 60%, they are at 50%. We are getting points from all over, no one is ice cold or anything, our offense is just working, and while they're dangerous, they're not as consistent as we are right now.


SF Batte is 3-3 from 3, 9 points. SG Famutimi is 2-2 from 3 and has 8 points. A number of others have 2-4 points. They're 5-10 from 3.


Sanders is really strong, 4-5 on the half for 8 points. He attacked the rim well and was hitting his post shots when he could back his man down. Sneed has 5 points, so we're solid in the paint. Forte and Barrett have 6 each, Forte has 2 3's, Barrett all driving to the rack.


We have a 13-10 edge on the boards, turnovers are even.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 18:04
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> Holy crap!! Famutimi misses his first two 3's of the half. Forte hits one, then Barrett burns his man in the half court, we go up 45-31. On the next trip they throw the ball away trying to feed the post, and Barrett gets a dunk in transition. The next trip they fall over trying to bring the ball upcourt, Forte grabs it and goes in for a dunk, we have a big 6^th man boost going and all of a sudden are up 18!!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 52
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> We build the lead up to 21 before they finally hit a 3 to get on the board in the second half.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:34
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 36
</td> <td width="68%"> Mississippi finally realizes how dire their situation has become and calls a timeout. Forte just hit another open 3 and Sneed is in double figures down low.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 65
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed scores 8 straight(55->63) and then Barrett gets a bucket and we actually take a 25 point lead, they're on an 8-0 run now. Batte is trying to keep them in the game by himself. He's 5-6 from 3 and just picked up a 3 point play, he's got 20 total. I get a timeout and get the backups in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 68
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Day hits a 3, they get a TO.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Day has our last 9 points in a row, he's got 14 total and is showing the type of explosiveness I am going to hope he can give us next season as a starter, he's streaky but when he is hot from 3 with his insanely high 3 point ratings holy crap he's good. We are up 27!!! timeout Miss.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 74
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> They score 7 straight but with 5 minutes left we still lead by 20. The backups are staying in unless Ole Miss can make a run.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 56
</td> <td width="68%"> Day hits another 3 and we lead by 21 with just over 4 left. I'm not saying anything yet, no jinxing!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Still up 17, I'll go ahead and say it. FINAL FOUR HERE WE COME!!!!!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
WOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

(1) Florida State 79
(3) Mississippi 64

Otis Sneed is the player of the game, I guess the decision to start him over McCants was a good one. Greg shows us the pontiac game changing performance and its a dunk by Forte, its the steal in the backcourt and dunk early in the second half when we got off to such a great start.

Batte is there star today. He goes 5-6 from 3, 8-13 from the floor and scores 22. Famutimi scores 13, but Barrett does a great job limiting his ability to drive and create easy looks for himself. PF Almond 8, PG Rost 7, C Bazin 6, backup SF Pearson 6 and a backup guard scored 2 for them.

They shoot 9-18 from 3 but its nowhere near enough.

Forte: 14 points (4-6 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points
Ozier: 3 points/3 boards/3 steals
Sanders: 8 points/4 boards
Sneed: 16 points/7 boards

Day: 17 points (4-9 from 3)
Alloway: 4 points
McClurkin 3 points/5 boards (go go PG Rebounding)
Millar: 2 points/5 boards
McCants: 0 points/1 board

We win the rebound battle 27-24, and we keep up with their great 3 point shooting, going 9-20 from 3. We just shoot better and they cannot stop us, while we were able to limit their all american to about 10 points under his average.

FLORIDA STATE IS GOING TO THE FINAL FOUR

[Radii]

We play on Saturday, Georgia Tech doesn't play til Sunday, so I don't know who my opponent will be until I sim ahead a day. Of course I expect to see Georgia Tech, I firmly believe they are the best team I have ever played in this game. I don't really know anything about Vanderbilt, and they have been #1 for awhile, but I don't think it can be much of a stretch to claim that Georgia Tech and Florida State are the two best teams in the nation. Now, to sim ahead and see if we get them again in the final four:


Elite Eight Results

1. Vanderbilt 79
3. Oregon State 65

3. Oklahoma State 84
5. Maryland 82



2. Oregon 80
1. Georgia Tech 64

1. Florida State 79
3. Ole Miss 64


Final Four Pairings

1. Vanderbilt
3. Oklahoma State

2. Oregon
1. Florida State


Georgia Tech goes down!!! While a 4th meeting with them could have been epic, I really don't think we could beat them. Heh wow, Oregon looks pretty damn good temselves! Like Georgia Tech, one of their roster strength numbers, Shooting, is a perfect 100. Thankfully there's no 100 rebounding though.

The first thing i see when I look at Oregon is a 90 rated PG. We played the likely 1st team All American shooting guard in the elite eight, and we're probably seeing the 1st team point guard in the final four, PG Stephen See averages 22 points/game, 4 boards and over 4 assists. Their starters at PG/SG/SF are rated 88/90/91 from 3 point range. Four of their five starters are rated 87+.

They clearly are not a size team though. They start a 6'8" PF at center and they appear to start a 6'7" SF at the 4 spot. The center is rated 87 OVR and is a monster inside, but anyone else they can put in the post has serious deficiencies.

They have tons of guards, their top 11 players are all rated 81 OVR or better. Literally everyone on their roster but the PF can shoot the 3, and I mean well. I think their worst shooter on their entire roster, outside of that one big, is rated 77 from 3.

Their defenders look ok, but not great. I expect a game similar to that which we usually play against Georgia Tech. Lots of scoring, i wouldn't be surprised to see both teams shoot well over 60% for long stretches. The big difference is that we have the size and the rebounding.


Now that we've made the final four, I'm guaranteed 3 coaching points... 1 seed, final four, and having a player drafted. Obviously now that we are in the final four anything is possible!

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on the Final Four run!

You mentioned that you are in line to have a player drafted - what are the projected pro prospects for your guys right now? I don't recall seeing this mentioned earlier in the year.

[Radii]

Congrats on the Final Four run!

thanks!


You mentioned that you are in line to have a player drafted - what are the projected pro prospects for your guys right now? I don't recall seeing this mentioned earlier in the year.

SF Ozier (88 OVR): Lottery
PG Forte (87 OVR): First Round
SG Barrett (87 OVR): Second Round
PF Sanders (85 OVR): Second Round
PG Alloway (84 OVR): Second Round

PF Sneed (85 OVR) - undrafted


I don't have NBA 2k8 and don't save my draft classes, I may save this one off though the chances I ever do anything with it are virtually 0.

McCants is rated 85 OVR and is a dark horse candidate to sneak into the draft as a junior, I assume he'll at least make the second round, hopefully higher after a final year of improvement.

Interesting to me is that our top recruit ever, SF Roberto Mayer, is projected as a second round pick right now. I'm redshirting him, he'll be a RS Soph next year. He's rated 83 OVR presently and is a virtual lock to be my starting SF the rest of his college career. Having an underclassmen drafted is another coaching point, so while I never want to lose a guy early, Mayer could easily be a very high pick after his junior year and head off to the NBA.

[Radii]

April 1, 2023 – NCAA Final Four

(1) Florida State (29-6) vs (2) Oregon (33-4)

TEAM: FSU|ORE
OVR: 95|95
OFF: 94|96
DEF: 94|92
SHT: 95|100
REB: 96|94
COA: 88|95

If the roster strength's are to be believed, they have a better offense, we have a better defense. They have better shoooters, and we have a small rebounding edge. From what I've seen of the rosters, I would tend to agree with all of that except I feel we ought to have a large rebounding edge. They've shot 40.5% from 3 on the year. That's really, really high heh.

I am starting Otis Sneed at PF today, Sanders at Center. Both Sneed and Sanders are better with the ball, can step out to 15 feet a lot easier than McCants, but still have the size to muscle inside. I believe Sneed will match up a lot better with the smaller guys Oregon will be playing at the 4 spot today than McCants.

Barrett will be asked to defend their potential all-american PG, Stephen See. He's their leading scorer. They're all deadly from 3, but See seems to be the threat they go to the most often, so Barrett gets him.

After starting out 19-0, Oregon lost 3 straight conference games. And after those 3 losses, they've gone 15-1, losing only to the #2 team in the Pac 10, 28-8/3 seed Oregon State. They redeemed themselves by beating Oregon State to win the pac 10 tournament.

They struggled a little with 15 seed UNC Asheville in the first round, only winning 86-75. After that, they beat (7) UTEP by 44, (3) Virginia Tech by 27, and (1) Georgia Tech by 16. We've had similar resounding success in our run to the final four, so this is a pretty big clash between two powerhouse teams!

Scouting

PG Stephen See – SR – 90 OVR – 93 speed/90 quickness. 81 defense/83 steals. 91 hands/92 passing. 86 close/81 med/88 3/89 off the dribble/85 in traffic. Coach on the floor with 84 off awareness/80 def awareness. Above average, but not great, athleticism. See is a wonderful offensive player, his on ball defense is a little low. He averages 22.4 ppg/4.7 rpg/4.6 apg. A potential top pick in the upcoming draft.

SG Owen Birley – SO – 87 OVR – 93 speed/89 quickness. 85 defense/74 steals. 87 close/78 med/90 3/79 off the dribble. Again, excellent awareness. 84 off/77 def. 10.6 ppg, birley is incredible for a sophomore. He's only a 35% 3 point shooter.

SF Jaja Boylen – SR – 88 OVR – 6'4” SF – 87 speed/83 quickness. 81 defense/70 steals. 84 close/79 med/91 3/83 in traffic. Incredible awareness, 84 off/87 def. He's a great athlete, 85 vert/80 str/80 hustle, an outstanding dunker . 9.5 ppg/4.8 rpg. Boylan is shooting 45% from 3 on the season.

PF Dedrick Erwin – JR – 87 OVR – 6'8” PF – 86 orb/82 drb. 84 post off/82 post def. 74 blocks, 72 steals too. 97 close/87 in traffic. A great leaper, strong, and again, elite awareness... 90 off/81 def. 14.0 ppg/5.9 rpg.

C Darrell McCrommon – JR – 85 OVR – 6'7” SF (why is the SF at center???) - 78 orb/78 drb. 68 post off/70 post def. Terrible shot blocker. 91 close/82 med/86 3/84 off the dribble/87 in traffic. A great leaper, dunker, solid strength... also good awareness, 74 off/82 def. Just 4.7 ppg and hopefully with us using Sneed in the lineup(much quicker/better outside the paint than McCants), we can handle their smaller lineup.

Backup SG Phillip Hacker is rated 85 OVR and is an 87 rated 3 point shooter, 5 points/game.

Backup PG RJ Hobbs is rated 81 OVR, he's their best on ball defender, rated 89 there, and can shoot from all over. He's the worst 3 point shooter on the team with a 76 3 point rating. 4.9 ppg.

They have no big man depth but a couple other guards rated 79-80 or so. We'll just have to see how the matchups play out on the floor. We'll try to dominate in the post obviously, and try to contain their smaller, faster, great shooting starting 5.

Our unity is 93, theirs 90.

[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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> ORE
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 3
</td> <td width="7%"> 3
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a 3 to open the scoring, we're cold otherwise though, Sneed and Sanders both have a miss or two. See just hit a 3 for them for their first points. I've been slowing the game down some and a couple offensive boards have exaggerated that a bit. Oregon is playing half man/half 2-3 so far.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:15
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> We go up 5-3 on two free throws from Sneed and they score 6 straight. A steal gives them a 6^th man boost and I call a timeout after they convert on the other end in transition.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 5
</td> <td width="7%"> 11
</td> <td width="68%"> Another steal and another 6^th man boost for Oregon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:22
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 14
</td> <td width="68%"> Backups are in. Forte hit a 2^nd three, they answered. Sanders gets two at the line.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 18
</td> <td width="68%"> McCants has two fouls already, and we are very cold. Day and Alloway miss 3's, Millar misses a hook in the post and McCants misses a seemingly very easy look going to the rim over a much, much smaller guy.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a bucket from Alloway and two free throws from Day, they answer with 4 straight. See has 7 points, he hasn't missed.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 16
</td> <td width="7%"> 22
</td> <td width="68%"> Alloway drives to the hoop and scores. Oregon takes a timeout. Starters are finally ready to come back in. I am hoarding my timeouts in case the 6^th man goes nuts in the 2^nd half, so I was leaving the backups in as long as I could. Starters back.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:07
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 24
</td> <td width="68%"> They go up 8, Sanders misses in the post, they miss though and we get Sneed the ball on the secondary break and he finishes iwht a left handed jam. With that bucket my four post players are now 1-8 from the floor. We have to dominate inside...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier commits his 2^nd foul.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 31
</td> <td width="68%"> We get it down to 4 but they hit a buzzer beating 3 to take a 7 point lead into the locker room. So the bad news is we trail by 7 and only managed 24 first half points. The good news is that we didn't do anything we wanted, played like shit, shot 29% from the field... and only trail by 7.


Oregon is 12-25 from the field, a below average(forthem) 4-11 from 3, and 3-4 at the line. PG See and SF Boylan each have 7 for them. Their top backup, SG Hacker, has 4. They lead the rebound battle 14-12, though that in part is due to our horrid shooting.


We're 7-24, 2-12 from 3, 8-8 at the line. Forte hit 2 of his first three 3 point attempts, then missed 4 straight. One of them was at the end of the shot clock, the other 3 though were good open shots. Gotta hit those, Forte being solid from 3 is one of the reasons we have done so well in the tournament. Day, Alloway and McClurkin combine for 0-5 from 3 as well.


Then there's our post game. Its abysmal. I need to shoot faster in the post. When I try to back down a smaller guy, they have their hands guys swiping at the ball like crazy. But when I am getting post looks, they're not going. Sneed got that one dunk, that's it. Sneed 1-3, Sanders 0-2, McCants 0-1, Millar 0-2.


Given the shooting disparity and the fact that they're beating us in the places where we should have the edge, we can easily come back and win this, but we've got to improve soon.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

[Radii]

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <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%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Well, we score on our first 3 possessions, including two dunks by Sanders. But, they score on their first three possessions too, including a bucket and two free throws from their one big man, who takes sneed out to the perimeter and just abuses him. Sneed played ok defense the first time and I thought made a good stop but got called for a foul, the second time Erwin just went straight to the hole and embarrassed us.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 30
</td> <td width="7%"> 37
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier with a reach, he's got 3. I'm leaving him in, I'd like him out there but if he picks up a 4^th I could do with another 3 point shooter instead, so meh.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> They go back up 9 again and this time we get 4 straight, two transition buckets by Barrett, one after a miss, one after a steal. We get a 3^rd stop, Forte misses a 3, Sanders gets the offensive board, but misses the putback. The good news though is that the offensive board got us a 6^th man boost. We sure could have used the putback to cut it to three...
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders fails in the post twice in a row and they go back up 8, should have been 9 but they missed a free throw.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 13:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> We pick up our fifth foul of the half, trouble brewing there, but the big news here is that See comes down injured after drawing this most recent foul. For now at least, their best player is on the bench.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 44
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte hits a 3, he's only 3-10 but all but one of them have been good open shots, and he has 11 points. Barrett has 10, most in transition. We've got the ball back with a chance to get the deficit under 5, and the backups are in. See has a strained Achilles so he can come back but will likely be hobbled.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 10:35
</td> <td width="10%"> 39
</td> <td width="7%"> 47
</td> <td width="68%"> Ugh. Alloway misses a jumper, they miss on their end. McCants misses, Day boards, Day misses.... they get the rebound and we foul them. Its our 7^th so they're shooting the rest of the way. First FT good, second no good, but they board and put it back in. We had 3 good looks to cut the lead to 3, and instead its an 8 point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 45
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> They just aren't letting us get anything here... day hits a 3, then goes 1-2 at the lie and we cut it to 4, 47-43. They come right back down and drain a 3. We get a deuce, they get a 3 point play... and its 8 again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 49
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> McClurkin with a 3, they miss, McClurkin out on the break, he goes up for a dunk, he misses but he'sfouled! And misses the first free throw, arrrgggh!!!! He makes the second, and its a 4 point game again.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Our luck turns, briefly at least! They finally miss a shot after we cut it under 5, missing a wide open 3 actually, and we get on the break, McCants finishing with a layup inside, 2 point game!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 6:11
</td> <td width="10%"> 54
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> Their SG drives, but McCants is there to force a difficult shot, its no good, Hacker(their backup guard that is having a very solid game) pulls it down, goes up again but McCants is still forcing tough looks, Alloway comes out of the lane with it, pushes the ball up the court, pulls up for an open 3 in transition, GOOOOOD. We take the lead!!! 6^th man boost for us, timeout Oregon.


I bring the starters back in, and use my first coaching emphasis of the half to stress defense. Don't let them go on a run after this timeout!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:33
</td> <td width="10%"> 56
</td> <td width="7%"> 53
</td> <td width="68%"> 6^th man boosts for both teams, this is the “holy shit 1 point game in the final five minutes of the final four” boost as both teams fans go nuts I can only assume(happens in close conference tourney games too). They get two open looks on the baseline, both for McCrommon, he misses both. Our first trip Forte drives but puts up a tough shot over their bigs and misses. The second Sneed hits a turnaround with just a couple seconds left on the shot clock. That's our first basket actually coming from a post move. Sneed and Sanders have a couple dunks inside, McCants a layup in traffic, but this is the first time one of our bigs has caught the ball in the post, backed in a defender and scored on him.


We're on an 11-0 run, timeout Oregon!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 58
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a bucket from Barrett and extend our run to 13-0. They respond finally with 4 straight from SF Boylen, back to a 1 point game, our ball. They have not brought their star guard, See, back in yet. Their backups are very very good so its probably better having a healthy backup.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:26
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 57
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett burns his man and drives, drawing a foul. Both Fts good. They have only 4 team fouls now(we're at 8 I believe). Timeout Oregon.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> They go to PF Erwin on the baseline who hits an open jumper, one point game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 59
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders beats his man in the post for a layup, back up to a 3 point lead, under 2 to go! Sanders has 8 now. Oregon with another timeout, they're burning through them like crazy now, just one left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:39
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> Barret fouls their center as he cuts to the basket and goes up strong. He makes the first but misses the second, we rebound!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> We try twice to get Sanders a look inside, he catches the ball in really tough spots to score though. At the end of the shot clock Forte puts a move on his man to create enough space to get off a shot, but its not really a good one, and its no good. Oregon ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They get it inside to Erwin who seems fairly open, Forte and Sanders are... kinda standing near him? As he goes up and dinks a hook off the front rim. He picks it back up, goes up again and Sanders alters his shot, its off the rim again, Sneed rebounds!!!! 10 second difference in the game and shot clock.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:10.1
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> We work it into Sneed, he can't get a good shot, kicks it out to Forte, fakes his man into the air, sidesteps, takes the 3 he's been making reliably all season for me, but this one isn't good. However, SANDERS!!!! offensive rebound!!! He's fouled immediately.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:06.6
</td> <td width="10%"> 64
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They have to commit 2 more fouls before we're shooting free throws. I make sure Barrett is the one to get to the line. The biggest free throw of Barrett's life...GOOD!!! the second free throw.... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

I pull my defenders back, Ozier is still stupid enough to commit a foul, and they make two free throws but its just with a second left, Forte catches the ball and the clock expires.

Barrett is the player of the game with 16 points, he was very good today. Sanders' bucket inside with 1:43 left to put us up 62-59 is the pontiac game changing performance.

(1) Florida State 64
(2) Oregon 62

Their superstar PG See plays 22 minutes, doesn't miss a shot and scores only 8 points. If he didn't get injured the outcome could have very, very easily been different. Oregon fans will certainly be lamenting his loss on message boards across the country tomorrow.

SF Boylan scored 15 for them and was very good throughout. Backup guard Hacker scored 9, and pulled down 8 boards. PF Erwin had 7 points/7 boards. Their only letdown was SG Birley, he was cold in the first half, and once See went down, he had Barrett sticking to him for much of the second half. Birley went 1-5 from 3 point land and just 1-8 from the floor for 3 points.

Forte: 11 points/2 assists/2 steals (4-15, 3-12 from 3)
Barrett: 16 points/2 boards
Ozier: 2 points/6 boards
Sneed: 6 points/7 boards
Sanders: 8 points/9 boards

Alloway: 7 points
McClurkin: 6 points
Day: 6 points
McCants: 2 points/5 boards
Millar: 0 points/0 boards/1 assist


We end up shooting 22-54, 6-21 from 3. Forte's average would be something like 5-12, but he was a bit off today. He still drained a few very big shots for us.

[Radii]

Final Four Results

3. Oklahoma State 90
1. Vanderbilt 83

1. Florida State 62
2. Oregon 60


National Championship

1. Florida State
3. Oklahoma State


Well, the last two rounds we've lucked out and not had to play Georgia Tech, and now Vanderbilt. This is a very strong final four all the way around though, so Oklahoma State is nothing to sneeze at. They're #8 in the nation and are a solid 28-7.

They were a bit cold coming into the NCAA Tournament, having lost 3 of their last 4 regular season games, and then losing to Baylor in the Big 12 Semifinals. Baylor was also a tournament team. The Cowboys obviously heated up in the tournament though, beating two teams from the Big 12 thanks to the fact that the brackets ignore conferences. OSU's run to the final four:

beat 14. Sam Houston State 87-77
beat 6. Kansas 90-80
beat 7. Baylor 97-65
beat 5. Maryland 84-82 (OT)
beat 1. Vanderbilt 90-83


They have a strong, balanced lineup with 4 juniors and 1 senior, all rated between 84 and 87.

87 rated SF Xavier Vitelli leads them with 17.9 points/game.
86 rated SG Andrew Payne scores 14.1, and 85 rated C Francis Sparrow scores 10.8.

They don't look like a great 3 point shooting team, their best 3 point shooter is 35.4%.

In the "who to foul" section of the scouting report, I am informed that my best bet if I need to put them on the line is to go after C Sparrow or SG Brower, as they are the worst free throw shooters they have... 73.4%, 73.9%.

Their bigs are actually bigs. Not very tall ones, but they're actually listed as power forwards, instead of poor in the post SF's out of position.

[law90026]

Grats on the win!

[Radii]

April 3, 2023 – NCAA Championship

(1) Florida State (30-6) vs (3) Oklahoma State (28-7)

TEAM: FSU|OSU
OVR: 95|94
OFF: 94|92
DEF: 94|92
SHT: 95|93
REB: 96|91
COA: 88|95

Sean Sutton has 378 wins at Oklahoma State now, he's a solid, A rated coach with a 378-195 record. He has one championship already. Oklahoma State went to the final four in 2015, and won the national championship in 2019. Every 4 years it looks like, as they're back in 2023. Neither OSU or FSU have any injuries

I decide to start Sneed in the championship game again. Sneed just seems to do so much better than McCants against smaller/more agile bigs.

Scouting

PG Omar Ball – JR – 86 OVR – 94 speed/86 quickness. 90 defense/78 steals. 84 hands/84 passing. Just C+ ball handling there. 82 close/87 med/77 3/86 off the dribble. 79 off awareness/77 def awareness. 89 hustle, very solid, decent leaper. His defense is better than anyone we faced on Oregon. 8.4 ppg/3.4 apg.

SG Andrew Payne – JR – 86 OVR – 91 speed/91 quickness. 93 defense/70 steals. Natural PG, actually. 91 hands/88 passing. 87 close/75 med/81 3/87 off the dribble. 87 off awareness(very very very good)/75 def awareness. 14.1 ppg/5.0 apg, a very good player, outstanding defender.

SF Xavier Vitelli – SR – 87 OVR – 6'8 SF - 89 speed/82 quickness. 82 defense/81 steals. 89 close/80 med/72 3/92 in traffic. Decent athlete, not great. 76 off awareness/81 def awareness. He's an outstanding dunker(93/A). Good off the dribble too (81/A- for a SF). A good post player and rebounder, about the same level as Ozier. 17.9 ppg/6.3 rpg.

PF Ryon Shiloh – JR – 84 OVR – 6'6” PF – 92 orb/83 drb. 92 post off/83 post def. 89 close/91 in traffic. 77 str, 74 off awareness/77 def awareness, all solid. He looks like a brilliant post player, but at 6'6” I wonder how effective that can be. 9.3 ppg/4.6 rpg.

C Francis Sparrow – JR – 85 OVR – 6'9” PF – 92 orb/79 drb. 86 post off/85 post def. 87 blocks. 84 close/81 med/71 3/92 in traffic. 73 str, not bad but not great. 77 off awreness/83 def awareness. 10.8 ppg/4.7 rpg.

Backup SF Rich Weisse is rated 84 OVR, a 6'7” SF who looks like a great guy inside, 7.8 ppg/6.0 rpg, he sees time backing up the post players probably too.

Oklahoma State only has 7 guys rated above 80, though two more backups are 79 OVR/78 Ovr. Their only true post backup is a 6'10” guy rated 73 OVR, Treg Huffman. He has very good post skills but isn't a good rebounder or scorer.

They don't have as much post depth as we do, but their post players are very, very skilled. I worry about my ability to score inside, even when we drive. Barrett got 16 against Oregon mainly because he was so much better driving to the hoop than the big men he was going at. Here I could see him attacking and coming up empty a lot.

[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%"> FSU
</td> <td width="7%"> OSU
</td> <td width="68%"> Notes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 16:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 6
</td> <td width="7%"> 9
</td> <td width="68%"> The clock stops for the first time as there's a reach on OSU. They haven't missed yet, a 3 and 3 good looks inside. Vitelli has 4 points/1 assist/1 block. On our side, Sanders is smoking hot. I was worried about our ability to score in the post, but Sanders has hit 3 great post shots, a hook and two turnarounds. Ozier has the only miss of the game so far, he drove to the rim and Vitelli stuffed him cold.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 14:20
</td> <td width="10%"> 10
</td> <td width="7%"> 15
</td> <td width="68%"> OSU misses for the first time all day as their PG drives the lane and takes a bad runner. Unfortunately, he picks up the rebound and puts it back in... so they still haven't come up empty on a single possession. Forte is 0-2 from 3, Barrett has two free throws and Sneed a putback.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:23
</td> <td width="10%"> 14
</td> <td width="7%"> 20
</td> <td width="68%"> We get a couple stops finally, and had the lead down to 1, 15-14, but have allowed them to hit a 3 and then a fast break layup after a dumb turnover. I get a timeout to get my backups in. Sanders is 4-4 for 8 points, he's playing so well. Vitelli leads them with 7.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 8:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 18
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> So Vitelli might score 40. He's got 13 already and he has a quick trigger finger, a decent outside shot, and great speed to get the ball on the break... We may end up letting him get his points and try to stop everyone else. Day can't do shit about it, that's for sure.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 20
</td> <td width="7%"> 26
</td> <td width="68%"> Much like Clemson's PF also named Vitelli, it seems worth pointing out that Vitelli just sat down, hopefully we can take advantage.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 24
</td> <td width="7%"> 30
</td> <td width="68%"> I use my second timeout to get my starters back in. They weren't fully rested, as OSU hasn't used a timeout yet so this is going by pretty fast. The timeout gets them ready though. Our last 6 have come at the line, as Day and McClurkin have had good luck driving by their defenders and drawing contact inside.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 26
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> They push the lead up to 8, just 2 more than a couple minutes ago, but the reason why is my problem. We stop them twice in a row in the half court set and get a nice bucket by Ozier, but we've also made two very poor passes that have been intercepted and taken in for easy layups by the Cowboys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 28
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> Vitelli is back in for them, as are two other starters who were resting. Barrett drives to the hoop to cut it to 6.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 1
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 34
</td> <td width="7%"> 34
</td> <td width="68%"> SANDERS! We're on an 8-0 run and have tied the game. I notice that Sanders has their 73 rated backup big on him, and go to him 4 straight trips. He gets a shot blocked once, but the other 3 times he is perfect, he has 14 and its a tie game.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">
</td> <td width="9%"> HALF
</td> <td width="10%"> 36
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> We've got a good looking title game 20 minutes in. And this is kinda what I expected from the Oregon game, but its materializing here instead. OSU shoots 64%, we shoot 58%. Vitelli is 6-9 and leads them with 13. SG Payne is 4-6 and has 9 points, PG Ball is 3-3, 7 points. That's about 75% of their scoring right there. They're 18-28, 3-6 from 3.


We are 13-23, 0-4 from 3, but we also drew 7 fouls in the first half and are a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Sanders is obviously the man at the half, he's 7-9 for 14 points to lead all scorers. Barrett has 6, as does Day off the bench. Ozier has 4, Sneed 2. Forte is scoreless. Forte was such a stud in our first four tournament games, but damn if he hasn't struggled big time in the final four and finals. He has an outstanding defender on him right now of course, but I'd like to get him going a little if I can.


We lead the boards, 9-8. Its obviously anyone's game with a half to go!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 19:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 40
</td> <td width="7%"> 39
</td> <td width="68%"> So often the guys who are hot in one half disappear in the next... not so far here though! Ozier picks up a quick foul, but then picks up a turnover, Sanders gets a big dunk coming through on the secondary break. We force a miss, Sanders gets the board, we can't break this time but Sanders gets the ball in the paint and attacks and puts us ahead by one!!! He's got 18 now and we have a 6^th man boost going.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 17:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 42
</td> <td width="68%"> Sanders scores again and has 20, they tie it up with a 3 from Vitelli, and then Forte gets a layin to finally get on the board. I'm as pleased about that as I am Sanders having 20 already.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 46
</td> <td width="68%"> Vitelli with 2 more and he has 18, and they take the lead from the line after Sneed is stripped and they are off on the break. The FT to take the lead gives OSU a 6^th man boost, I take my 3^rd timeout, 3 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 15:10
</td> <td width="10%"> 44
</td> <td width="7%"> 48
</td> <td width="68%"> We miss again, they get a layup inside after running their offense, and they get another 6^th man boost. No timeout here, we're just going to slow it down and run this one out.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 12:37
</td> <td width="10%"> 48
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier and Sneed score to tie it up, Vitelli hits a shot in the post to put them back up two, and Vitelli has matched Sanders with 20 points. My backups come in after a reach in foul by Vitelli, his 2^nd.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 11:50
</td> <td width="10%"> 51
</td> <td width="7%"> 50
</td> <td width="68%"> Day drains a contested 3 in the corner as the shot clock expires to give us the lead!! (McClurkin had missed a 3 and we boarded... explaining the 50 second posession there)
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

[Radii]

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } TD P { margin-bottom: 0in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <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%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 9:25
</td> <td width="10%"> 57
</td> <td width="7%"> 54
</td> <td width="68%"> Dueling mismatches... Vitelli can go right over and through Day to score at will, and Day can use his speed to get around Vitelli with ease and get to the rim uncontested. They trade baskets a couple trips, Day now has 13 and is having an outstanding offensive game for us. They miss a 3, we board, and the board gives us a 6^th man boost. We get Millar a dunk on the secondary break, we're up 3 and OSU calls a timeout. They rest vitelli after the timeout.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 7:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 60
</td> <td width="7%"> 60
</td> <td width="68%"> They make a free throw, then McClurkin hits a 3, and we're up 5. They get a good look inside on their end, then after a turnover by McCants, Ball hits an open 3 and they tie it up. The turnover generated a 6^th man boost their way. I call a timeout, two left for me, and get my starters back in. They get Vitelli back in.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 5:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 62
</td> <td width="7%"> 65
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, we go straight to Sanders who gets his 22^nd point of the game and the lead. They go straight to Vitelli who hits a 3 to give OSU the lead back. We turn it over on our end and Vitelli gets a dunk in transition, he has 29. They have the 6^th man going, I'm not calling a TO with just 2 left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:45
</td> <td width="10%"> 67
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett goes off a screen and misses an easy two inside. He picks up the board though and makes a nice interior pass to Sanders for a dunk. Ball hits his 3^rd three on the other end to put OSU up four, but Forte comes through with his first three for us, back to one. They hit a mid-range jumper and that's where we're at now, 3 point game with under 4 to go.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:34
</td> <td width="10%"> 70
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> Barrett pump fakes out on the wing, gets his man in the air and streaks to the basket, he makes a layup and is fouled by Vitelli!! The free throw is good, tie game!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:17
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 70
</td> <td width="68%"> They shoot quickly, a bad shot in the post that falls short, Sneed rebounds, outlets to Barrett who is one on one with Ball. Barrett has the size edge here and just goes at the rim, he lays the ball in with a pretty fingerroll and Ball fouls him!!! Another 3 point play, we lead!!!!
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:00
</td> <td width="10%"> 73
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Heh, they get two right back, Barrett(w/ me controlling, oops) overplays to deny a pass and Ball cuts to the hoop instead, easy two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:40
</td> <td width="10%"> 75
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Back to the bread and butter, Sanders on the left block, a turnaround towards the lane, so pretty, 26 for Sanders.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:06
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 72
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte forces a turnover in the backcourt. He can't get the easy layup though, they've got another guy back on D. I work the offense a bit, and this time its Sanders from the right block, again with a turnaround in towards the lane, and again perfect. 28 points. Timeout Cowboys.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:38
</td> <td width="10%"> 77
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Oh boy... They miss a 3 pointer, we rebound. Of course, we go into the post to Sanders, but this time they strip it away and get out on the break. They throw a pretty alleyoop to Vitelli, who gets fouled by Barrett as he catches it and throws it down. That's a 3 point play for Vitelli, he's up to 32, and that could be a massive turning point, we had the chance to go up 7, instead they cut it back to two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:03
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 75
</td> <td width="68%"> Sneed takes the ball on the right wing, tries to use a screen from Barrett on a set play, but doesn't get open. He flips it to Sanders who is posting up, and Sanders hits another turnaround, he's got 30, and we're up 4. After they get the ball up court, OSU calls a timeout. I use my last coaching emphasis of the game(assuming no OT), and of course use it on defense(I almost always use it on defense)
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:51
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 77
</td> <td width="68%"> Ball tries a pretty quick jumper for them, its no good but Sparrow gets the board and the putback. Back to two.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> 2
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:17
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Ozier throws a bad pass trying to feed the post, its tipped and they pick it off, a quick outlet and easy layup and we're all tied up. The steal generates a 6^th man boost for OSU, so I call my next to last timeout. The goal here is to not give them a chance. We take the last shot, if it goes to OT, so be it.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%">

</td> <td width="9%"> REG
</td> <td width="10%"> 79
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Pretty poor offense, heh. We can't really set anything up, Forte tries a one on one move and a jumper, but its blocked. OVERTIME.


We have two timeouts, they have four as we go to OT. As long as a couple get called I think all our guys will be good for the entire 5 minutes.


Vitelli has 32, Ball 17, Payne 13 for them. They have 10 total between their two starting bigs. They're a very solid 7-16 from 3, 32-56 from the field.


Sanders is 15-18 from the floor today, 30 points. Barrett has 12, Day has 13 but he isn't likely to see the floor. Forte is 1-6 from 3, 2-7 overall, another poor day. Sneed is 1-4 inside as well. We're killing them on the boards, 24-14, not a lot of rebounds since we're both shooting so damn well.


Fouls are not an issue as far as people fouling out. I think we have committed 5 or 6 this half, OSU just 3 or 4. I'm not sure on that though, and don't think its available until/unless a timeout is called.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 4:43
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> We win the tip and go inside to Sanders basically right away. He draws a foul and goes to the line for the first time all game. He makes both and matches Vitelli's 32 points.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 3:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 79
</td> <td width="68%"> Vitelli misses a 3, we board. Sanders feeds Sneed via a pretty nice interior pass but Sneed's shot is blocked. That triggers the 6^th man for OSU. They fail to score though and we board, and we'll just run out the 6^th man boost, no need for a TO yet.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:30
</td> <td width="10%"> 81
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte misses an open 3 on our end, they throw a terrible pass and turn the ball over, we run but Barrett cannot hit a tough shot in transition. They get their PF, Shiloh, a decent look inside and he hits, tying the game up. I use one of my two timeouts, to rest my guys and make sure I don't need to sub.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 2:08
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 81
</td> <td width="68%"> We run a play that gets Sanders the ball at the high post. He fakes a jumper, which he can make, they fall for it, Sanders goes by and dunks it home. We lead by two and get the 6^th man going for us now. OSU calls a timeout when they get the ball down court. 34 for Sanders.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:55
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 83
</td> <td width="68%"> They go inside to Sparrow who hits a very easy shot over Sneed. Tied right back up.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 1:13
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> OSU takes their first lead since the 3:30 mark. Forte tries to drive to the rim, doesn't get by his man and throws a bad kickout pass, Vitelli picks up the loose ball and goes all the way to the rack himself for a dunk. That's the lead for OSU, 34 for Vitelli, and the 6^th man for OSU. I call my last timeout, and emphasize defense.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:52
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 85
</td> <td width="68%"> Forte and Sanders work it inside-out. Now, Sanders has turned it over a couple times, but this is his first outright missed shot in a very, very long time. He misses a short turnaround, OSU ball.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:47
</td> <td width="10%"> 83
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> They drive after picking up the rebound, and Sneed fouls Shiloh as he attacks the rim. Both FT's good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:29
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 87
</td> <td width="68%"> I wanted a much quicker shot so I wouldn't have to foul necessarily, but there wasn't one there. Forte drives by his man and hits a layup, we trail by 2 with half a minute left.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:27
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 89
</td> <td width="68%"> We foul Payne right away. Its our 9^th foul. He misses the front end!!! .........but Vitelli gets around Sneed and gets the board. We foul Vitelli. That'sour 10^th, he'll shoot 2. First good, second good.
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="6%"> OT
</td> <td width="9%"> 0:05
</td> <td width="10%"> 85
</td> <td width="7%"> 89
</td> <td width="68%"> I try to go inside to Sanders, then Sneed, nothing at all. I end up taking longer than I want and having to take a 3 with Forte, which does not go in. They rebound. I foul, they make the first, miss the second, and its too late to matter but heh, Vitelli gets another offensive board and a putback to make it a 7 point final.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

(3) Oklahoma State 92
(1) Florida State 85
OT

[Radii]

There is no quesiton at all about the player of the game. Xavier Vitelli scores 38 in the win. A steal/dunk by Vitelli late is the game changing performance.

Its a classic of a title game, with offense leading the way. OSU shoots 37/63, 58% from the floor. We are 33/58, 57%. They go 11/16 at the line, while we go 16/16. They are much better from three though, 7/17, while we can only manage 3/13.

Xavier Vitelli gives a performance that will not soon be forgotten, 38 points/4 boards/3 steals/3 blocks. He shoots 14-20, 3-6 from 3, 7-9 from the line. His offensive rebound with 27 seconds left in the game when SG Payne had missed the front end of the one and one was truly a clutch play that very possibly changed the outcome.

Forte: 7 points/2 assists (3-10, 1-8 from 3)
Barrett: 12 points/3 boards/3 assists
Ozier: 6 points/5 boards
Sneed: 4 points/5 boards
Sanders: 34 points/6 boards (16-20 FG, 2-2 FT)

Day: 13 points
McClurkin: 5 points
McCants: 2 points/5 boards
Millar: 2 points/1 boards
Alloway: 0 points/1 assist


An incredible national championship game, one that we come up JUST short in, leaving us with lots of motivation to return as quickly as possible.

An individual effort for the ages from Brice Sanders. He might not be remembered the way Vitelli will be since we lost, but that beats his old career high scoring mark by 10 points, and going 80% from the field is just ridiculous. There are very few junk points in there, only 6 boards, a couple offensive I think, but not a lot of dunks and such, so many hooks and turnarounds, he was just completely on his game today from start to finish.

[Radii]

Whew, thankfully the game doesn't force me into the offseason screens at the end of the title game, I can save and start that later. My sister came home from work shortly after I started the game so I paused and we chatted awhile, and then the overtime... I kinda expected to be done an hour ago, heh.

Offseason tomorrow!


One quick looking ahead note though. Here is next season's likely starting lineup, with the player's current ratings:

PG McClurkin (83 OVR)
SG Day (81 OVR)
SF Mayer (83 OVR
PF Millar (82 OVR)
C McCants (85 OVR)

That's before offseason development. McClurkin and Day both have sweet 3 point strokes, Mayer is a very high level recruit who showed some flashes of strength as a freshman, Millar has more skills than you'd think, just no chance to showcase them with all the other talented bigs, and McCants is a well known entity.

Despite the fact that we're losing 6 guys, I don't think next year is a letdown year for us. Now, next year we lose McCants and McClurkin, and there are a huge number of unknowns in recruiting right now. But next year... we're still going to be really, really good, with one of the best two or three starting lineups in the ACC, just a LOT of youth on the bench.

[Radii]

<table width="665" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <col width="43"> <col width="111"> <col width="106"> <col width="87"> <col width="77"> <col width="96"> <col width="86"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> Year
</td> <td width="111"> National Champ
</td> <td width="106"> Runner Up
</td> <td width="87"> Final Four
</td> <td width="77"> Final Four
</td> <td width="96"> My Record
</td> <td width="86"> My Postseason
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2008
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Louisville
</td> <td width="87"> Arkansas
</td> <td width="77"> Indiana
</td> <td width="96"> 10-16 (NCAT)
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2009
</td> <td width="111"> Illinois
</td> <td width="106"> Gonzaga
</td> <td width="87"> Stanford
</td> <td width="77"> Louisville
</td> <td width="96"> 14-15
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2010
</td> <td width="111"> Mississippi St.
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> Pittsburgh
</td> <td width="77"> Tennessee
</td> <td width="96"> 17-14
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2011
</td> <td width="111"> Florida
</td> <td width="106"> Mississippi St.
</td> <td width="87"> Syracuse
</td> <td width="77"> Maryland
</td> <td width="96"> 24-8 (OHIO)
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2012
</td> <td width="111"> Tennessee
</td> <td width="106"> Michigan St.
</td> <td width="87"> Missouri
</td> <td width="77"> UCLA
</td> <td width="96"> 13-18
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2013
</td> <td width="111"> Texas Tech
</td> <td width="106"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="87"> Notre Dame
</td> <td width="77"> Providence
</td> <td width="96"> 17-14
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2014
</td> <td width="111"> Kansas
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> UL Lafayette
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 23-8
</td> <td width="86"> NIT 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2015
</td> <td width="111"> Baylor
</td> <td width="106"> Wisconsin
</td> <td width="87"> Oklahoma St
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 22-9
</td> <td width="86"> NIT 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2016
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Michigan St.
</td> <td width="87"> Rhode Island
</td> <td width="77"> NC State
</td> <td width="96"> 24-8
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2017
</td> <td width="111"> Arizona
</td> <td width="106"> Duke
</td> <td width="87"> Florida
</td> <td width="77"> Louisville
</td> <td width="96"> 29-5
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2018
</td> <td width="111"> Florida
</td> <td width="106"> Kansas
</td> <td width="87"> Kentucky
</td> <td width="77"> UNLV
</td> <td width="96"> 32-5
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA E8
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2019
</td> <td width="111"> Oklahoma St.
</td> <td width="106"> Pittsburgh
</td> <td width="87"> Ohio State
</td> <td width="77"> Arizona
</td> <td width="96"> 22-7 (FSU)
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2020
</td> <td width="111"> Villanova
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona
</td> <td width="87"> Kansas
</td> <td width="77"> Clemson
</td> <td width="96"> 10-18
</td> <td width="86"> None
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2021
</td> <td width="111"> Villanova
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona St.
</td> <td width="87"> Ohio State
</td> <td width="77"> Florida
</td> <td width="96"> 21-11
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 2^nd
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2022
</td> <td width="111"> North Carolina
</td> <td width="106"> Arizona
</td> <td width="87"> Vanderbilt
</td> <td width="77"> Nevada
</td> <td width="96"> 22-9
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA 1^st
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="43"> 2023
</td> <td width="111"> Oklahoma St
</td> <td width="106"> Florida State
</td> <td width="87"> Vanderbilt
</td> <td width="77"> Oregon
</td> <td width="96"> 30-7
</td> <td width="86"> NCAA Finals
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
National Titles:

3 North Carolina
2 Villanova
2 Florida
2 Oklahoma State
1 Illinois
1 Mississippi State
1 Tennessee
1 Texas Tech
1 Kansas
1 Baylor
1 Arizona

Final Four Appearances:

6 Arizona
4 Florida
4 North Carolina
3 Kansas
3 Louisville
3 Wisconsin
3 Oklahoma State
2 Michigan State
2 Mississippi State
2 Ohio State
2 Pittsburgh
2 Tennessee
2 Vanderbilt
2 Villanova
Florida State
Arizona State
Arkansas
Baylor
Clemson
Duke
Gonzaga
Indiana
Illinois
Kentucky
UL Lafayette
Maryland
Missouri
NC State
Nevada
Notre Dame
Oregon
Providence
Rhode Island
Stanford
Syracuse
Texas Tech
UCLA
UNLV



National Titles (By Conference)

5 Big 12
4 SEC
3 ACC
2 Big East
1 Big 10
1 PAC 10

Final Fours (By Conference)

12 SEC
10 Big East
10 PAC 10
9 Big 10
9 ACC
9 Big 12
1 A-10
1 Mountain West
1 Sun Belt
1 WAC
1 WCC

[Radii]

2023 Graduating Seniors

I recruited 8 players 4 years ago. One of them, SG Moye, was a JC player and only played two years. Another, PG Pearson Mcclurkin, redshirted and will be my starting point guard next season. The remaining 6 players all depart Florida State this year.


SF Kueth Ozier - 6'6" 253 lbs - 88 OVR

Ozier is the most talented player that I could never figure out how the hell to use. He is listed as a lottery selection, he had good post skills, good rebounding skills, great inside numbers, but I could never get him to score consistently. He didn't even start his entire career despite being the highest rated player on the team every season. After Alloway got injured, Ozier did start 19 games in his senior season and I think it made the team better, though I believe that is due to awareness and defense and simply having a strong SF on the floor.

Senior Season: 5.3 ppg/2.9 rpg - 53% FG, 70.5% FT

Career Averages: 5.0 ppg/3.0 rpg - 44.3% FG, 69.5% FT


PG Damien Forte - 6'2" 212 lbs - 87 OVR

Forte was injured and missed one game as a freshman. He started 127 of the 128 games that FSU played during his 4 year run. At the start of his career his 3 point rating was in the low 70s. It got as high as 77 at the end of his senior year, and despite his cold streak in the final four, he was one of the best 3 point shooters on the floor I've ever had. A good defender, good passer, an all around great PG. On a weaker team he could have potentially scored 20/game, but for FSU he was the guy that made the offense go but could score when he needed to to keep the defense honest.

Forte is projected to go in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Senior Season: 10.5 ppg/2.9 apg/1.6 spg - 44% FG - 41.6% 3 - 70% FT - 80 for 192 from 3

Career Averages: 9.0 ppg/3.1 apg/1.4 spg - 44.1% FG - 39.6% 3 - 69.0% FT

Forte was a 1000 point scorer, 1140 points on his career.

Forte was also probably my favorite player out of this class.


SG Ike Barrett - 6'4" 203 lbs - 87 OVR

If Barrett could only shoot the 3. If he was a 3 point shooter these last four years would have been different. Barrett could have averaged 20 ppg if he was a 3 point shooter. But he wasn't, but he was great nonetheless. He is the best defender I've ever coached, and he was great in transition, strong enough to go into the trees and not get knocked around, and talented enough to score against all but the best interior defenders. Barrett didn't become an every day starter until Moye graduated. Without him and his defense i'm sure we wouldn't have had the success we did.

Senior Season: 9.2 ppg/1.9 rpg/1.7 apg - 53.5% FG - 82.0% FT

Career Averages: 7.7 ppg/1.8 rpg/1.5 apg - 52.1% FG - 84.0% FT

Barrett's shooting % is so high because I almost never did anything with him but attack the rim. He only shot jumpshots at the end of the shot clock when there was no other option, otherwise he drove by his man and attacked, or passed.


PF Brice Sanders - 7'0" 244 lbs - 85 OVR

Up until the last game of his career Sanders was a talented big man who didn't stand out a lot. He got passed over by McCants for a starting job that quite possibly should have been his to lose instead, he had some good games and was a good rebounder, but all that changed in the final game of his career. Now, he gets to be remembered as the guy who put up 34 and shot 16-20 in a national championship game and almost singlehandedly willed his team to a title.

Senior Season: 12.1 ppg/6.3 rpg/1.1 bpg - 55.6% FG - 82.7% FT

Career: 7.0 ppg/4.0 rpg - 50.5 FG % - 81.2 FT %

Sanders didn't start at all til his senior season, when he started all 37 games we played.


PG Damion Alloway - 6'0" 187 lbs - 85 OVR

Alloway was my most explosive scorer in his final two seasons after Moye left, but he couldn't do it as consistently as I'd hoped. Forte was a better PG, and I had to have Barrett's defense, once I decided I wanted the taller SF on the court, there was just no place for Alloway. he had some amazing games, a career high 32 points in a game, with a number of 20+ games.


Senior Season: 8.4 ppg/1.5 apg/0.7 spg - 40.5% FG - 35.3% 3PT - 73.0% FT

Career Averages: 8.4 ppg/1.7 apg/0.5 spg - 40.2% FG - 33.6% 3PT - 70.6 FT %

Alloway's best season was actually his junior year, when he led the team with 12.7 points/game and started all season.


PF Otis Sneed - 6'10" 238 lbs - 85 OVR

Sneed was one of the most consistent players I've ever had. Even when he lost his starting job as a senior he still averaged 8.4 ppg. His other three years he averaged 9.3, 11.2, and 11.6 ppg. He was always good for 5 baskets/game, he was very good off the bench once Sanders took his place in the lineup, and late in the season started for McCants a few times and did a good job. I thought he could have been more, but I also never dedicated myself to making him my star on offense. He had an 84 post offense rating, 95 close range and 95 in traffic. Those numbers are outstanding, some of the best I've ever had. So I always looked at that and wanted him to be a 15+ points/game guy, but the way I ran my offense, if he didn't start off a game hot, I wouldn't force the ball to him anymore and he'd just pick up points in the flow of the offense. And really with the talent i had that was the right way to go.

Senior Season: 8.4 ppg/4.1 rpg - 57% FG - 84.5% FT

Career Averages - 10.1 ppg/5.2 rpg - 51.3% FG - 77.3% FT

Like Alloway, Sneed's best year was his junior year when he scored 11.6 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds/game.

Sneed scored 1290 points in his career.



So that's that, there aren't a lot of individual awards for these guys because i never really focused on one player after Moye left. Ozier was the only one who was never really capable of starring on offense. The other 5 guys though, it seemed at times like they alternated who was going to have a big game and who was going to be the big 20 point scorer to get me a big win.


Not a single one of these guys ever got an individual award for anything.

[Radii]

2023 Team Stats

Points

PF Sanders - 12.1
PG Forte - 10.5
SG Barrett - 9.2
SG Day - 9.0
PF Sneed - 8.4
PG Alloway - 8.4
C McCants - 8.3

And that shows just how balanced we were this year. Day and Sneed were not every day starters, but they got hot off the bench a number of times for 15 point games to keep their averages up there with the starters.

Of that group, only Day and McCants return next year. McClurkin scored 5.4 points/game and will be my PG next year as well.


Rebounds

PF Sanders - 6.3
C McCants - 6.0
PF Sneed - 4.1
PF Millar - 3.2
SF Ozier 2.9

I though McCants would get a lot more than that.


Assists

PG Forte 2.9
SG Barrett 1.7
PG McClurkin 1.6
PG Alloway 1.5
SG Day 1.1

Yeah, I still don't get assists a lot.



FG %

PF Sneed - 57%
PF Sanders - 55.6%
SG Barrett - 53.5%
SF Ozier - 53.2%
C McCants - 49.2%

Three bigs and two guys that basically did nothing but drive to the rim.


3 Point Shooting

PG Forte - 41.6%
PG McClurkin - 37.1%
PG Alloway - 35.3%
SG Day - 32.9%

Day is by far the best 3 point shooter in the group, which makes him a go to guy. Any time I needed a one on one move, any time I needed a shot at the end of the shot clock, if Day was on the court, he got the ball. also as the best rated 3 point shooter I was much more likely to catch and shoot with him any time he was open, where with a 3 point shooter not as good I might wait and try to get a better shot.

McClurkin I think is going to be a lot like Forte next year as a starter. I expect great things next year with him running the offense.


Free Throw Shooting

PG McClurkin - 89.8%
PF Sneed - 84.5%
PF Sanders - 82.7%
SG Barrett - 82.0%
SG Day - 74.6%


Forte and Ozier were the "bad" free throw shooters at 70% for this team.

[Radii]

2023 Awards

Oklahoma State wins the title,of course.

SG Raymond Gai out of Villanova is the player of the year. Gai scored 24.1 points/game, 4.7 rebounds/3.6 assists for the Wildcats. He's rated 91 OVR.


Oregon's Ernie Kent is the national coach of the year for bringing Oregon to the final four. One of the few times the national title winning coach isn't COY.

First Team All-Americans

PG Stephen See - Oregon - 90 OVR - 22.0 ppg/4.6 rpg/4.6 apg
SG Raymond Gai - Villanova - 91 OVR - 24.1 ppg/4.7 rpg/3.6 apg
SF Dennis Montague - Florida - 90 OVR - 16.0 ppg/9.1 rpg
PF Reyshawn White - Ohio State - 86 OVR - 21.2 ppg/5.2 rpg
C Reggie Norman - Saint Louis - 86 OVR - 22.9 ppg/5.4 rpg

Oklahoma State's Xavier Vitelli is the 2nd team Small Forward.

No ACC players make either team.

No ACC players make the all freshman team either.


ACC Awards

I am the Coach of the Year in the ACC - woohoo, first time I've accomplished that at the power conference!


Miami Center Rex Newman is the player of the year - 84 OVR - 21.8 ppg/5.9 rpg

UNC SG TR Stockman is the Freshman of the year, 81 OVR - 6.6 ppg/3.9 rpg/3.6 apg.


First Team All-ACC

PG Garland Munns - NC State - 82 OVR - 15.2 ppg/3.7 apg
SG Bradley Fanning - Maryland - 89 OVR - 16.7 ppg/3.8 rpg/1.9 apg
SF Vidal Dalida - Clemson - 89 OVR - 13.7 ppg/4.1 rpg
PF Jeffrey Eldridge - Wake Forest - 81 OVR - 19.6 ppg/8.1 rpg
C Rex Newman - Miami - 84 OVR - 21.8 ppg/5.9 rpg


Second Team All-ACC

PG Bronsen Gatling - Maryland - 90 OVR - 14.4 ppg/3.1 apg
SG Danko Walls - NC State - 84 OVR - 17.0 ppg/3.0 rpg/1.9 apg
SF Cameron Aguko - Va Tech - 81 OVR - 13.5 ppg/4.7 rpg
PF Lex Beeler - Va Tech - 87 OVR - 18.4 ppg/4.9 rpg
C Clifton Garnett - Virginia - 74 OVR - 18.2 ppg/6.1 rpg

I am very surprised to see no one from Georgia Tech on the list. SG Femi Shavies espicially, though Walls for NC State had great numbers this year.

Munns, the 1st team PG, is a junior. Walls and Aguko, the 2nd team SG/SF, are sophomores. Everyone else on these lists are seniors.

Freshman All-ACC

PG Willard Lennon - UNC - 75 OVR - 2.5 ppg/1.0 apg
SG TR Stockman - UNC - 81 OVR - 6.6 ppg/3.6 apg
SF Boo Gregory - Wake Forest - 79 OVR - 7.3 ppg/3.7 rpg
PF Jesus Williamson - Clemson - 75 OVR - 6.3 ppg/3.5 rpg
C Zachary Horton - NC State - 78 OVR - 5.6 ppg/5.2 rpg

[Radii]

ACC Seniors Drafted

PG Damien Forte - Florida State - 87 OVR
PG Damion Alloway - Florida State - 85 OVR
PG Justin Covington - Georgia Tech - 89 OVR
PG Bronsen Gatling - MAryland - 90 OVR
PG Melvin Bright - Virginia Tech - 89 OVR
PG Robin Vega - Virginia Tech - 88 OVR
PG Mick Parsons - Virginia Tech - 87 OVR
PG Andy Garner - Boston College - 90 OVR
SG Regis Clarke - Boston College - 86 OVR
SG Bradley Fanning - Maryland - 89 OVR
SG Ike Barrett - Florida State - 87 OVR
SG Kylie Kickert - Clemson - 87 OVR
SF Jibran Grizzard - Georgia Tech - 92 OVR
SF Justino Mihailovic - NC State - 89 OVR
SF Kueth Ozier - Florida State - 87 OVR
SF Vidal Dalida - Clemson - 89 OVR
SF Scott Whitehead - Clemson - 86 OVR
PF Lex Beeler - Virginia Tech - 87 OVR
PF Immanuel Bing - Georgia Tech - 88 OVR
PF Jim Vitelli - Clemson - 91 OVR
PF Izik Dawson - Boston College - 85 OVR
C Dalron Axton - Georgia Tech - 83 OVR


ACC Underclassmen Drafted

None


The conference is losing a ridiculous amount of talent this year. We know where we stand as far as rebuilding/reloading... I'm curious to see how some of these other teams will do.


Sneed and Sanders out of our graduating class both go undrafted. The departure screen doesn't show where people get drafted.


Also, I don't know how the game decides who goes into the draft, ir there are only 60 players(or however many it is that the NBA has now for picks) or if its just players above a certain threshold. But I did go look at the other major conferences. The Pac 10 had 10 players listed as getting drafted, the Big 10 6, the SEC 9, the Big 12 7, the Big East just had 4.

This was just a stacked year for the ACC.

[Radii]

Coaching

I am rewarded with a new 5 year contract for my efforts recently!


I also gain 3 coaching points, for having a player drafted, earning a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and reaching the final four. I go 2 into offense, 1 into discipline.

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

OVerall I am an A- rated coach.


Coaching Carousel

Five major conference jobs open up. I am the top choice for each:

Mississippi State
Stanford
Duke
DePaul
Nebraska

John Calipari leaves Memphis to take the Mississippi State job after I turn it down. I'm very interested to see how Miss State does over the next few years now, that's one of the last remaining elite level coaches that weren't already at a power school.

I greatly enjoy turning down the Duke job :D


One other interesting note here, after getting fired from Virginia recently, Dave Leitao took Jacksonville to the sweet 16, and is on the way back up, taking a job with UTEP.

[Radii]

I keep my assistants for another year. To review:

Ousmane Kilingsworth:

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

Ian Atkinson:

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



A coach is available who is A offense/A defense/C Teaching/B scouting. That's really damn good, but since I have no ability to scout, I keep my A rated scout instead. I really have no idea if this is a good decision or how big an impact the small upgrades to defense/teaching would make vs the downgrade to scouting, etc. So I'm just not changing anything up right now.

[Radii]

Offseason Recruiting

For the first time in awhile, we've got a really busy offseason ahead of us. A very uncertain one too.

We've landed two players. 4* PF Trace Devonish is a 6'7" big man rated #61 OVR/#6 PF. I like his post skills and he is an above average rebounder, also a very strong guy. He's not overwhelmingly good but he looks solid.

I've also landed 4* JC SF Ashton Naymick - Its so hard for me to figure how good a SF will be... but again, a 4* JC guy helps me to even out these recruiting classes and he was an easy sell for me.

That leaves me still with 4 scholarships open.

As we hit the first day when recruits can sign again, we've got 4 offers out:

5* JC SO SG Evan Walker - Austin, TX - Walker looks like an attack the basket type scorer, I'd love another JC guy to even out the draft classes, and 5* is always good. I have Walker at 100%, but so does Houston.

5* PG Alando Carlisle - Easton, PA - #16 OVR/#8 PG - there are so many point guards in the top 30 its riduclous. If I manage to come out of this recruiting season without a 5* PG I'll have no one but myself to blame. Carlisle is a good athlete, good defender, good shooter with great potential. I have him at 100%. UNC is right there too, its so close its hard to tell, the might have him at 100%, it might be 99%. I hope to land Carlisle on the first signing day though.

4* SG Nicholas Power - Tampa, FL - #88 OVR/#30 SG - Power is a decent defender/decent shooter who could hopefully develop into something very very good. We've only got him at 99%. Georgia Tech is at 100% but hasn't offered. So we won't land him on day 1 and will be at the mercy of the Yellow Jackets while they decide if they want him or not basically.

5* PG Taj Osborne - Springfield, IL - #7 OVR/#5 PG - Very good defender, good ball handler, good awareness, good at creating his own shot though he will have to develop a better jumper probabl. We have him at 98%. Vanderbilt and Clemson have also made offers, they are right bleow me. Its very possible that we all 3 get him to 100% next week and I have no idea what happens then...

we have one backup target, a 4* PG that no one has offered yet, but Syracuse and St John's might grab next week.


Initial Signing Day

5* JC SG Evan Walker signs with Houston. Not the start we wanted to see here.

5* PG Alando Carlisle signs with FLORIDA STATE. Much better. I feel so much relief to get a 5* PG on the roster, with the recruit distribution as silly as it is, a 5* PG really should be automatic for me at all times.


Week 1

When I sign another PG, My top 10 target, Taj Osborne, drops to 92%, behind Vanderbilt. I still might have a shot, we'll see.


At the end of week 1:

5* PG Taj Osborne signs with Vanderbilt

4* SG Nicholas Power signs with Georgia Tech

UGH. I now have 3 shcolarship offers still, and only one guy left on my target list.

Week 2

I offer a scholarship to 5* JC Soph PG Dedric Modica - a decent defender and shooter, Modica could perhaps be a backup SG, and another step at balancing these recruiting classes out.


Two other targets are out there that might be interesting. All 5* recruits are gone as are most 4* recruits, but the #1 center is still on teh board. Maybe because the rest of the league values height as well. Nonetheless, I give a look to 4* C Samuel Jolly, #63 OVR/#1 C. He's all of 6 foot 7.

And the #11 SF on the board, #69 OVR, SF Patricio Dearman out of Dallas gets a look.


End of Week 2:

5* JC PG Dedric Modica signs with FLORIDA STATE.

More on Modica after recruiting is over. He's 5'11", JC SO. C+ defense, good speed, A- in close/B- from 3. I'm guessing a 2 year backup SG if anything to be honest, unless I'm just reading this all wrong and he comes in rated amazingly high.


Week 3

SF Dearman looks like he has potential. A- defense for a small forward is something I really like to see, hopefully he can guard forwards and guards.

The Center... I could use depth, really. And if he grows to 6'8 or 6'9 that's really quite fine, his awareness is outstanding, B off/B+ def, that is incredible. Above average rebounder, maybe a good post offensive player, so he gets an offer too.


End of Week 3:

4* C Samuel Jolly signs with FLORIDA STATE

4* SF Patricio Dearman signs with FLORIDA STATE


And I have now filled out my recruiting class. A full recruit overview coming up.

[Radii]

Florida State Incoming Recruiting Class


5* JC SO PG Dedric Modica - NR

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

B speed/C+ quickness. B- off awareness/C def awareness. C+ defense/C+ stteals. A- close/C med/B- 3. C vert/C+ str/B- hustle. Not spectacular but likely a servicable player for two years. If he has some good driving ability he could be a pretty deadly 2 guard attacking the rim.


5* PG Alando Carlisle - easton, PA - #16 OVR/#8 PG

12.9 ppg/4.4 rpg/5.8 apg/2.1 steals in the ABL. 37.6% from the field, 43.4% from 3.

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

B- Speed/F Quickness. B defense/C Steals. C hands/B- passing. C+ close/C+ med/B- 3/B+ off the dribble. C+ off awarenes/B- def awarenes. B- vert/B- hustle. The quickness worries me, I guess i'm looking at like 88 speed/75 quickness or something ridiculous. But B defense is pretty exciting, and I like the above average awareness. Very good off the dribble and an above average shooter. If he can develop, hopefully he'll be a good one. At this time he's slated to take over at PG after McClurkin leaves, but of course we'll have to see how all that goes.


4* PF Trace Devonish - Plantation, FL - 6'7" 223 lbs - #61 OVR/#6 PF

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

C orb/C+ drb. C+ post off/C+ post def. B+ blocks. B- close/A- med/B 3/C+ in traffic. B+ str. Awareness is average/below average. I like his base skills. If he has good potential and can develop as a rebounder it looks like he has a shot to be a very good PF for me.


4* C Samuel Jolly - Forth Worth, TX - #63 OVR/#1 C - 6'7" 229 lbs

Shooting: ?
Skills: B+
Defense: B+
Athleticism: ?
Rebonding: A
Intelligence: A
Potential: ?
Size: B+


Unclaimed as the top center, which worries me, but we'll take it and see what we get. There are some promising points here... C+ orb/B- drb. B+ post off/C+ post def. I like both of those a lot. B off awareness/B+ def awareness might have the potential to make up for a LOT of other defencies. Since I landed him late, and quickly, I don't have his strength or offensive talents scouted out.


4* SF Patricio Dearmon - Dallas, TX - #69 OVR/#11 SF - 6'6" 205 lbs

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

Dearman looks too promising to be left alone the whole time. He looks great to me. B- speed/B- quickness. A- defense/B blocks/B- steals. B str. B- close/B med/C+ 3/C in traffic. C+ off and def awareness. I always have trouble judging SF types, but I like what I'm seeing here. Its hard to say if he'll be a scorer for me, but he can play defense, he's got speed and his awareness looks like itll be in a good place for an incoming freshman.


4* JC FR SF Ashton Naymick - Rocky Mount, NC - 6'5" 199 lbs

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

Naymick is the least exciting guy on the list. Lots of C's. I see an A- in mid range shooting, he looks more like a guard in some ways. Though B+ offensive rebounding, and only C defense, whic for a SF will be like 78. He signed so early that he didn't fully scout out, I loved the idea of a JC guy that wanted to come here though, so I'm pleaesd with that.


Whew. My last 6 person class, hopefully.

I would ideally like to get to where i'm never recruiting more than 4 players in any one year. I should be there now actually, unless I do something weird with redshirts.

[Radii]

ACC Recruiting Overview

With so many teams graduating so many stars, this ought to be good. Remember, these are the rankings of top 100 guys that the ACC is getting in. If a team landed no top 100 guys i mention the top recruit they did get. And I point out 5* types.


Boston College: 45, 90, 96
Clemson: #3 (5* SF)
Duke: #258 (wow, suck!)
Florida State: 5* JC, #16 (5*), #61, #63, #69
Georgia Tech: #5, #10, #13, #15, #88 - 4 five stars. PG/PG/PF/SG.
Maryland: #12(5*), #29
Miami: #124
UNC: #93
NC State: #4 (5*), #27
Virginia: 5* JC SG, #127
Virginia Tech: #2, #6, #9, #59 (three 5* guys)
Wake Forest: #40


Gerogia Tech and Virginia Tech just continue to reload. Amazing.

Incoming Recruiting Classes

1. Virginia Tech
2. Georgia Tech
3. Baylor
4. West Virginia
5. Vanderbilt
6. Texas
7. Kansas
8. BYU
9. Xavier
10. Colorado
...
12. Clemson
14. Boston College
18. Florida State
25. Virginia
28. Maryland
30. NC State


We're only #18? Our recruits must suck, or the ratings system for the recruit class rankings sucks!

[Radii]

I remove a preseason tournament from my schedule that would have overlapped over a sunday and added a bunch of games during the early recruiting period. I've still got 13 non conference games on the schedule, so we'll be playing a lot this year. The ACC looks stacked again despite all that was lost. Because the ACC schedule will be so tough, and we have a lot of youth, I want to win a lot of non-conference games. I've got one really good team on the schedule in Louisville, and I play two decent teams on the road, but there are a lot more teams rated below 80 this season. I'll probably fly through most of the non-conference schedule simming, once I'm comfortable with my guys.

[Radii]

The AI recommends the same lineup that I had intended on using... McClurkin, Day, Mayer, Millar, McCants. And that lineup starts us out with 4 out of 6 bars of team unity filled. McCants is a coach on the floor which is going to help a lot with the other new guys being inserted into the lineup for the first time ever.


Preseason Media Poll

1. Pittsburgh
2. Oklahoma State
3. Oregon
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. North Carolina
...
8. Virginia Tech
9. NC State
10. Clemson
11. Maryland
13. Georgia Tech
21. Florida State

The ACC looks really stacked again this year, as I'd mentioned. I'm pleased to still be a preseason top 25 team after losing 4 starters from last year's team.


ACC Preseason Roster Strength

1. North Carolina - 92 OVR
2. Georgia Tech - 92 OVR
3. Virginia Tech - 92 OVR
4. Clemson - 92 OVR
5. Maryland - 91 OVR
6. Florida State - 91 OVR
7. NC State - 90 OVR
8. Boston College - 89 OVR
9. Wake Forest - 87 OVR
10. Miami - 84 OVR
11. Duke - 84 OVR
12. Virginia - 81 OVR


That's going to be a lot of fun. We're still awesome, though our bench helped us be even better last year. 7 teams rated 90-92 OVR is great though.



ACC Preseason Accolades

Best Overall Player: SG Femi Shavies, Georgia Tech - 89 OVR
Best Freshman: SF Bruce Filipovic, Clemson - 84 OVR
Best Shooter: PG Micah Williams, Maryland - 84 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG Darren Richard, Va Tech - 85 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: PG Mark Trammell, Clemson - 88 OVR
Best Defender: PF Shagari Andres, North Carolina - 84 OVR

This is the 3rd year in a row that Clemson has had the best freshman in the league.

[Radii]

And a very quick look at the incoming freshmen:

C Samuel Jolly - 6'7" 231 lbs - 79 OVR

88 post offense, rebound ratings both over 80, decent in traffic, outstanding strength(86/A-). Awareness that will have him a coach on the floor as a junior with ease. Only C potential. He looks pretty damn promising, I like it. Needs to grow another inch though.


SF Patricio Dearman - 6'7" 207 lbs - 77 OVR

Oh man I'm going to love this guy. He's a guard, screw the height and the position... this guy is a guard. 87 defense/67 steals. Good speed and quickness for a SF(acutlaly a bit low for a guard, despite what I just said :D). 85 close/77 med/74 3, not good off teh dribble, so he'll need to catch and shoot or attack the rim, where is is pretty good in traffic. That level of defense, good athleticism and what should develop into an ok 3 point shot and Dearman is exciting as hell. C+ potential which is ok but not great. Also, Mayer may very well leave after this year, so Dearman might be a 3 year starter at SF.

SF Ashton Naymick (soph) - 6'6" 201 lbs - 76 OVR

Naymick looks purely offensive. Decent speed/quickness, awful defense (75 defense). Not a post player at all, he has a good eye for offensive rebounds, but not on the defensive end. 83 close/83 med/74 3/76 off the dribble/80 in traffic. If he can attack the rim well he might be a good scorer. I don't know how I could use him this year though. He might redshirt, even afte all the trouble to recruit a couple JC guys.

PG Dedric Modica (JC JR) - 5'11" 166 lbs - 76 OVR

Modica looks ok. He lacks awareness and he won't develop it in two years. But he has speed, can shoot the 3, and can handle and dish the rock. 84 close/70 med/82 3/81 off the dribble. Not bad at all there. He will get some time at PG.


PF Trace Devonish - 6'7" 234 lbs - 74 OVR

His rebound and post numbers are all below 80. Awareness both below 70. 90 close/84 in traffic. Devonish has a long way to go. He'll likely redshirt.

PG Alando Carlisle - 6'5" 189 lbs - 73 OVR

Carlisle will be ok, he'll be good even. Outside of 75/F quickness, he has the right skills in the right places. 89 speed, 86 defense(B already). 72 off/73 def awareness, fine for a freshman. 76 close/71 med/82 3/81 off the dribble, so he won't be going inside a lot but he can shoot the open 3. His stamina is terrible (84/C-). His durability is awful (75/C-). He might struggle to start without hurting himself heh. I'm going to redshirt him this year, set his training to work on his endurance and durability(I think I can do that) and see where he's at next year. The JC PG that I recruited, Modica, will likely be backup PG this year and start next year, Carlisle needs some work before he's ready to do either, but he's not as bad as 73 OVR might otherwise indicate, like i said, he's got good numbers in the right places.


None of these guys have a chance to sniff the starting lineup and a couple need to redshirt, but its a solid freshman class for its size. I only lose two seniors this year(plus possibly Mayer). the one total unknown I had after this season... PG, is probably ok with Modica.



We still lack that elusive superstar though. That guy that can get his ratings up towards 90 OVR early in his senior season and just take us all the way to a championship.


Roster and stuff later on!

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on a very strong final season with your big recruiting class. Bummer to come up on the wrong end of such a competitive final.

What is the highest rated recruit that you have landed? Any top 10 guys? Is there some kind of a school reputation that is allowing GaTech, VaTech, and UNC to keep stockpiling those kinds of players every year while you seem to get more in the 20-50 range?

[Radii]

Congrats on a very strong final season with your big recruiting class. Bummer to come up on the wrong end of such a competitive final.

Thanks :) That was a really fun season, and a satisfying result, even though winning the title wasn't in the cards.


What is the highest rated recruit that you have landed? Any top 10 guys? Is there some kind of a school reputation that is allowing GaTech, VaTech, and UNC to keep stockpiling those kinds of players every year while you seem to get more in the 20-50 range?


No top 10 guys but close. Forte was #21, I think he was the best in that giant class. On the team now, PF Millar was 19th, Mayer 14th. Also PG Carlisle, my top recruit this year, was 16th. So that's 3 top 20 recruits, its not like I'm struggling to land quality talent, but the best guys I've gone after lately I happen to have lost.

I really don't know why. I don't do a lot of contacitng freshmen/sophs, I try to add juniors and call them most of the year and that helps a lot. I assume though that there are some hidden ratings that would essentially correlate to program prestige, maybe coach prestige past just Charisma too? But I'm 100% guessing there. It could easily be something I'm doing wrong.


Then again, I probably spoke too soon mentioning the no superstar thing. Roberto Mayer is one of those guys. He's a redshirt soph now, and he's rated 85 OVR with A- potential. If he stayed 4 years I bet he'd get to 91-92 OVR. Unfortunately, he seems likely to leave this year, next year for sure if not.


But these classes with like 4 5* players, man I have no idea, that's insane.

[Radii]

2023-24 Florida State Roster



Point Guards

PG Pearson McClurkin - RS SR - 6'0" 190 lbs - 85 OVR (+4)

93 speed/94 quickness. 84 defense/83 steals. 86 hands/87 passing. 86 close/78 med/79 3/89 off hte dribble/82 in traffic. Those are all solid, very very solid numbers. I loved Forte,but McClurkin is going to do the same things, in the same way, with almost no dropoff. Hell he might do some things better. His defensive awareness is a little low, 72, that's my only wish for him. But he steps right into Forte's shoes and i don't have any worries about that at all.

PG Dedric Modica - JR - 5'11" 166 lbs - 76 OVR

91 speed/86 quickness. 81 defense/76 steals. 86 hands/83 passing. Those are all good but not great. 84 close/70 med/82 3/81 off the dribble. All also good, depending on his driving moves and 3 point motion he could be an effective scorer. His awareness is noticibly lower than McClurkin. 73 off/68 def. A perfectly acceptable backup, though I am worried about PG play next year when this guy starts.


PG Alando Carlisle - FR - 6'5" 189 lbs - 73 OVR - REDSHIRT

89 speed/75 quickness. 86 defense/66 steals. 81 hands/81 passing. 76 close/71 med/82 3/81 off the dribble. 72 off awareness/73 def awaeness. I expected so much more from a top 20 recruit. I hope he improves a lot soon heh. I love his defense, and hopefully he can be an effective 3 point shooter, but he needs a lot of work. C hands/B- passing doesn't cut it for a starting PG in the ACC, that has to go way up.


Shooting Guards

SG Prosper Day - RS JR - 6'3" 218 lbs - 82 OVR (+3)

87 speed/84 quickness. 83 defense/83 steals. 92 close/78 med/89 3/86 off the dribble. Day isn't the fastest, or the best defender, but he's not bad. He is effective at getting to the rim against most defenders, and he scores well inside. 89 rated 3 is awesome. He seems a bit streaky, and I tend to overuse that 3 point shot, I will make a serious effort to not do so this year. He has some holes though. 67 off awareness/71 def awareness. That's low. His stamina is 84/C-, might be a little low as well. Day will start for the first time.


SG Theo Porter - RS FR - 6'6" 226 lbs - 77 OVR (+1)

minimal improvement since he just redshirted his freshman year. I hope to see that improve quickly now though. 86 speed/88 quickness. 78 defense/71 steals. 89 close/81 med/88 3/79 off the dribble. 63 off awareness/76 def awareness. His offensive awareness is so so low. And his on ball defense is so bad. Porter may get specialized training to make him a more effective defender. For a backup, he's fine, but unless i recruit better he's also Day's successor and I can't have sub-80 defense anywhere near my starting lineup.


Small Forwards

SF Roberto Mayer - RS SO - 6'7" 238 lbs - 85 OVR (+4)

Mayer is listed as a lottery pick right now. I assume/fear that means he's leaving, but I guess we'll have to see at the end of the year. 87 speed/76 quickness. 84 defense/69 steals, very good for a SF. 92 close/80 med/81 3/88 in traffic. He doesn't have the best blowby move with the ball to get to the rim, but he is effective from all over. Good post skills for a SF, and average rebounding. 98 hustle is awesome heh. 76 off awareness/73 def awareness, not the best but effective. A clear starter.

SF Patricio Dearman - FR - 6'7" 207 lbs - 77 OVR

81 speed/82 quickness. 87 defense/67 steals. 85 close/77 med/74 3/80 in traffic. 74 off awareness/71 def awareness. His potential is only C+, but still enough for all this to improve nicely. I really really like these numbers, though of course I haven't seen him on the court yet. But I love that defense, and hope he can be an effective scorer for the backups right now. With some development Dearman could be a really good player whenever Mayer leaves.


SF Ashton Naymick - SO - 6'6" 201 lbs - 76 OVR - REDSHIRTING

81 speed/78 quickness. 75 defense/71 steals. 83 close/83 med/74 3/80 in traffic. There is some potential here but he's a ways behind Dearman. Abysmal defense, his awareness sucks too. 65 off awareness, def is 72, that's better. Redshirting.


Power Forwards

PF Haminn Millar - JR - 6'9" 236 lbs - 83 OVR (+3)

85 orb/87 drb. 84 post off/75 post def. 82 close/90 in traffic. 80 str, very very good. 83 off awareness/74 def awareness. Other than the low close range rating, Millar looks like a potential scorer inside. Great post offense, great in traffic, great offensive awareness. However, this year, he's going to be yet again overshadowed and likely won't put up great numbers. But he's going to start and will get some shots.


PF Trace Devonish - FR - 6'7" 234 lbs - 74 OVR - REDSHIRTING

77 orb/79 drb. 78 post off/75 post def. 90 close/79 med/65 3/84 in traffic. 65 off awareness/60 def awareness. He has A- potential, so he can improve quickly. And he needs to. I am not putting someone with sub 80 rebound and post numbers on the floor unless I have to. Since I don't have to this year, there is no point in doing anything but redshirthing him.


Centers

C Florentino McCants - SR - 7'1" 241 lbs - 86 OVR (+3)

88 orb/91 drb. 87 post off/83 post def. 82 blocks. 89 close/88 in traffic. 81 str. 84 off awareness/83 def awareness. McCants has developed incredibly well for a guy w/ C+ potential. He's started all four years, at least off and on each year, which helps. I love these numbers. Insanely high post offense, great close range and traffic ratings to go with it. An exceptional rebounder.

C Maynard Black - RS FR - 6'10" 232 lbs - 80 OVR (+2)

83 orb/90 drb. 83 post off/84 post def. 82 blocks. 93 close/85 in traffic. 71 off awareness/64 def awareness. His awareness is awful, and possibly a huge limiting factor. But his rebounding and post skills are incredible for a freshman, even one with a redshirt year under him. 93 close range... depending on howmuch his awareness holds him back, Black could be a big time star once he takes over for McCants next year.

C Samuel Jolly - FR - 6'7" 231 lbs - 79 OVR

80 orb/84 drb. 88 post off/76 post def. 83 close/87 in traffic. Best strength on the team, 86/A-. Great awareness, 76 off/78 def. His stamina needs work, and his close range shot could imrpove to go along with the ridiculously high post offensive abilities. Jolly really surprised me with how good he looks. He'll be a backup.



Starting Lineup

PG McClurkin
SG Day
SF Mayer
PF Millar
C McCants

Backups

PG Modica
SG Porter
SF Dearman
PF Jolly
C Black


The starters really excite me. They aren't as polished as last year's group, and its a totally different type of team, not as good defensively but lots more explosive offensively. That may well translate into "less wins but a hell of a lot of fun to play with when they're on", we'll have to see.

And I do have a decision to make with my play style. Do I try to style this team like last year's where I have 4 starters in double figures(I figure I can probably get McClurkin/Day/Mayer/McCants all around 10ppg if I want), or do I go out of my way to try to establish a dominant inside game, favoring McCants over all others when possible, getting other people kickout baskets, etc. On paper, McCants looks like a 20/10 guy.


The backups are going to be really, really interesting. Black and Porter redshirted last year, the other three are rookies. I have never controlled any of the 5 backups on the floor. Fun times.