2021 Postseason Preview

Texas (Al Mighty, Sophus Abel) is the top seed in the NCAA West Region and will take on the winner of a First Four game between Kennesaw State and Colgate.

Florida State (Jerry Miller) is the #4 seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against 13th seed Illinois-Chicago.

Arizona (Kuji Chagulia) is the #5 seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against UMKC.

Syracuse (David Ginsberg) is the #2 seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against 15th seed Texas State.

Stanford (Rob Nielsen) is the #3 seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against 14th seed UC Santa Barbara.

Florida (Benton Gale, Barrett Hayes) will be the #6 seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against the #11 seed Utah State (Benito Sanchez).

Georgetown (Matthew Ginsberg) is the #3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will open up against 14th seed Tennessee State.

Michigan State (Tim Sheppard) is the #1 seed in the NCAA South Region and will open up against the winner of a First Four game between Alabama A&M and High Point.

Louisville (Jaybard Riley) is the #2 seed in the NCAA South Region and will open up against 15th seed South Alabama.

Pittsburgh (Jace Hunter) is the #1 seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up against 16th seed Northern Colorado.

Mississippi State (Deacon Palmer) is the #2 seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up against 15th seed Davidson.

Marquette (Dean Hoo, Cori O'Neill) is the #10 seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up against 7th seed Iowa.

Duke (Will Brown) is the #3 seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up against 14 seed George Mason.

Monthly (Feb. 1-Mar. 14) Fantasy Rankings by Class

Seniors

#1- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- 1.656
#2- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.527
#3- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.132

A good race in the senior class, but David wins the final monthly race for the senior class. Well done by Rob though, who really had a fantastic senior season. Al, on the other hand, was good, but definitely not as good as he has been.

Junior

t-1 - Tim Sheppard (Michigan State) and Benton Gale (Florida)- 1.293
#3- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- 1.291
#4- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.261
#5- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.214
#6- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.086
#7- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- 1.072

The race in the junior class was so good that 2 people tied, and 2 more were just behind. What a race.

Sophomores

#1- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- .919
#2- Will Brown (Duke)- .917
#3- Sophus Abel (Texas)- .831

Freshmen

#1- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .968
#2- Cori O'Neill (Marquette)- .296

Not much of a race here. Cori played but was largely ineffective. Benito was just a half a point away from getting an even 1.000.

Monthly (Feb. 1-Mar. 14) Fantasy Rankings Overall

#1- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- 1.656
#2- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.527
t-3- Tim Sheppard (Michigan State) and Benton Gale (Florida)- 1.293
#5- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- 1.291
#6- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.261
#7- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.214
#8- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.132
#9- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.086
#10- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- 1.072
#11- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .968
#12- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- .919
#13- Will Brown (Duke)- .917
#14- Sophus Abel (Texas)- .831
#15- Cori O'Neill (Marquette)- .296

Even though the class races were tight, there was a far cry between #1 and #2, and everyone else overall. Rob and David dominated, as seniors should.

2021 Postseason

34 games on the postseason docket, with a whopping 10 of those being head to head games. Remember those will be bolded. Let's get to it:

SR PG David Ginsberg (Syracuse)

3/19/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (15) Texas State (W 91-75), 33 mins played, 9 points, 2 FGM, 1 3PM, 4 FTM, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls = 33.5 fantasy points.
3/21/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (10) Butler (W 93-75), 35 mins played, 14 points, 5 FGM, 3 3PM, 1 FTM, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 1 foul = 42.5 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA West Region Semifinal vs. (3) Stanford (W 90-79), 24 mins played, 7 points, 2 FGM, 2 3PM, 1 FTM, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls = 24 fantasy points.
3/28/21- NCAA West Region Championship vs. (1) Texas (W 79-68), 32 mins played, 9 points, 3 FGM, 1 3PM, 2 FTM, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 foul = 18.5 fantasy points.
4/3/21- NCAA National Semifinal vs. (2S) Louisville (L 86-66), 32 mins played, 1 point, 1 FTM, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls = 16 fantasy points.

134.5 fantasy points/156 mins played = .862 for the postseason.

SR SG Al Mighty (Texas)

3/19/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (16) Kennesaw State (W 90-58), 25 mins played, 18 points, 7 FGM, 1 3PM, 3 FTM, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls = 42.5 fantasy points.
3/21/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (9) UNLV (W 70-52), 28 mins played, 13 points, 4 FGM, 3 3PM, 2 FTM, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls = 29.5 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA West Region Semifinal vs. (5) Arizona (W 83-51), 29 mins played, 25 points, 10 FGM, 5 3PM, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls = 53.5 fantasy points.
3/28/21- NCAA West Region Championship vs. (2) Syracuse (L 79-68), 26 mins played, 12 points, 5 FGM, 1 3PM, 1 FTM, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 4 fouls = 26.5 fantasy points.

152 fantasy points/108 mins played = 1.407 for the postseason.

SR SF Rob Nielsen (Stanford)

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (14) UC Santa Barbara (W 80-57), 34 mins played, 33 points, 11 FGM, 5 3PM, 6 FTM, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, POTG = 79.5 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (6) Florida (W 80-69), 31 mins played, 31 points, 11 FGM, 5 3PM, 4 FTM, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, POTG = 68.5 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA West Region Semifinal vs. (2) Syracuse (L 90-79), 31 mins played, 25 points, 9 FGM, 4 3PM, 3 FTM, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 foul = 36 fantasy points.

184 fantasy points/96 mins played = 1.917 for the postseason.

RS JR PF Tim Sheppard (Michigan State)

3/18/21- NCAA South Region First Round vs. (16) High Point (W 114-77), 11 mins played, 4 points, 1 FGM, 2 FTM, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul = 8 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA South Region Second Round vs. (9) Texas A&M (W 87-85), 13 mins played, 5 points, 1 FGM, 3 FTM, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 foul = 23 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA South Region Semifinal vs. (5) Memphis (W 95-73), 3 mins played, No Stats= 0 fantasy points.
3/28/21- NCAA South Region Championship vs. (2) Louisville (L 97-88), 8 mins played, 2 points, 2 FTM, 3 rebounds, 1 foul = 7 fantasy points.

38 fantasy points/35 mins played = 1.086 for the postseason.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)

3/18/21- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (16) Northern Colorado (W 73-59), 35 mins played, 9 points, 3 FGM, 3 FTM, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls = 27 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (9) St. Joseph's (W 88-63), 31 mins played, 5 points, 1 FGM, 3 FTM, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul = 50 fantasy points.
3/25/21- NCAA East Region Semifinal vs. (5) Boston College (L 72-66), 34 mins played, 4 points, 2 FGM, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls = 17 fantasy points.

94 fantasy points/100 mins played = .940 for the postseason.

RS JR PG Dean Hoo (Marquette)

3/18/21- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (7) Iowa (W 85-77), 37 mins played, 15 points, 5 FGM, 2 3PM, 3 FTM, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, 1 foul = 37 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (2) Mississippi State (W 86-74), 33 mins played, 18 points, 6 FGM, 4 3PM, 2 FTM, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, POTG = 60 fantasy points.
3/25/21- NCAA East Region Semifinal vs. (3) Duke (L 83-65), 35 mins played, 18 points, 6 FGM, 3 3PM, 3 FTM, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers = 40.5 fantasy points.

137.5 fantasy points/105 mins played = 1.310 for the postseason.

JR SF Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)

3/18/21- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (15) Davidson (W 70-53), 34 mins played, 6 points, 1 FGM, 1 3PM, 3 FTM, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls = 27.5 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (10) Marquette (L 86-74), 21 mins played, 7 points, 2 FGM, 1 3PM, 2 FTM, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, Fouled Out = 13.5 fantasy points.

41 fantasy points/55 mins played = .745 for the postseason.

JR C Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (12) UMKC (W 66-40), 33 mins played, 11 points, 4 FGM, 3 FTM, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks, 3 turnovers, 1 foul = 37 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (4) Florida State (W 85-82), 33 mins played, 5 points, 2 FGM, 1 FTM, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks, 1 foul = 36 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA West Region Semifinal vs. (1) Texas (L 83-51), 31 mins played, 20 points, 8 FGM, 4 FTM, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 1 foul = 32 fantasy points.

105 fantasy points/97 mins played = 1.082 for the postseason.

JR PG Benton Gale (Florida)

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (11) Utah State (W 86-66), 35 mins played, 20 points, 6 FGM, 4 3PM, 4 FTM, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers = 32 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (3) Stanford (L 80-69), 34 mins played, 13 points, 4 FGM, 2 3PM, 3 FTM, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls = 25 fantasy points.

57 fantasy points/69 mins played = .826 for the postseason.

JR SG Jaybard Riley (Louisville)

3/18/21- NCAA South Region First Round vs. (15) South Alabama (W 66-52), 34 mins played, 20 points, 7 FGM, 4 3PM, 2 FTM, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls = 39 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA South Region Second Round vs. (7) Miami (FL) (W 90-63), 33 mins played, 19 points, 7 FGM, 5 3PM, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, Double-double = 68 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA South Region Semifinal vs. (6) Kentucky (W 89-70), 32 mins played, 15 points, 5 FGM, 5 3PM, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 2 fouls = 31.5 fantasy points.
3/28/21- NCAA South Region Championship vs. (1) Michigan State (W 97-88), 27 mins played, 27 points, 9 FGM, 6 3PM, 3 FTM, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, Fouled Out = 50 fantasy points.
4/3/21- NCAA National Semifinal vs. (2W) Syracuse (W 86-66), 33 mins played, 12 points, 3 FGM, 2 3PM, 4 FTM, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls = 38 fantasy points.
4/5/21- NCAA National Championship vs. (6MW) Washington (W 87-76), 17 mins played, 12 points, 4 FGM, 1 3PM, 3 FTM, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, Fouled Out = 8.5 fantasy points.

235 fantasy points/176 mins played = 1.335 for the postseason.

RS SO SF Will Brown (Duke)

3/19/21- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (14) George Mason (W 84-57), 20 mins played, 13 points, 5 FGM, 1 3PM, 2 FTM, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 7 turnovers, 3 fouls = 10.5 fantasy points.
3/21/21- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (6) Temple (W 91-88), 35 mins played, 25 points, 8 FGM, 2 3PM, 7 FTM, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, POTG, Double-Double = 79.5 fantasy points.
3/25/21- NCAA East Region Semifinal vs. (10) Marquette (W 83-65), 24 mins played, 13 points, 4 FGM, 2 3PM, 3 FTM, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul = 31 fantasy points.
3/27/21- NCAA East Region Championship vs. (5) Boston College (L 69-59), 15 mins played, 11 points, 4 FGM, 2 3PM, 1 FTM, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul = 23 fantasy points.

144 fantasy points/94 mins played = 1.532 for the postseason.

SO SG Barrett Hays (Florida)- redshirting

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (11) Utah State (W 86-66).
3/20/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (3) Stanford (L 80-69).

SO C Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)

3/18/21- NCAA Midwest Region First Round vs. (14) Tennessee State (W 101-66), 17 mins played, 3 points, 1 FGM, 1 FTM, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 4 fouls = 20 fantasy points.
3/20/21- NCAA Midwest Region Second Round vs. (6) Washington (L 77-66), 34 mins played, 8 points, 3 FGM, 2 FTM, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls = 13 fantasy points.

33 fantasy points/51 mins played = .647 for the postseason.

SO C Sophus Abel (Texas)

3/19/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (16) Kennesaw State (W 90-58), 29 mins played, 16 points, 4 FGM, 8 FTM, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 fouls, POTG, Double-Double = 61.5 fantasy points.
3/21/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (9) UNLV (W 70-52), 31 mins played, 6 points, 2 FGM, 2 FTM, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 2 turnovers = 35 fantasy points.
3/26/21- NCAA West Region Semifinal vs. (5) Arizona (W 83-51), 17 mins played, 6 points, 2 FGM, 1 3PM, 1 FTM, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls = 18.5 fantasy points.
3/28/21- NCAA West Region Championship vs. (2) Syracuse (L 79-68), 31 mins played, 10 points, 3 FGM, 4 FTM, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls = 42 fantasy points.

157 fantasy points/108 mins played = 1.454 for the postseason.

RS FR SF Cori O'Neill (Marquette)

3/18/21- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (7) Iowa (W 85-77), DNP (Coaches Decision).
3/20/21- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (2) Mississippi State (W 86-74), DNP (Coaches Decision).
3/25/21- NCAA East Region Semifinal vs. (3) Duke (L 83-65), DNP (Coaches Decision).

No postseason play for Cori, very disappointing.

FR PF Benito Sanchez (Utah State)

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (6) Florida (L 86-66), 26 mins played, 4 points, 1 FGM, 2 FTM, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls = 9 fantasy points.

9 fantasy points/26 mins played = .346 for the postseason.

FR SF Jerry Miller (Florida State)

3/18/21- NCAA West Region First Round vs. (13) Illinois Chicago (W 87-80).
3/20/21- NCAA West Region Second Round vs. (5) Arizona (L 85-82).

Postseason Rankings by Class

Seniors

#1- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.917
#2- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.407
#3- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- .862

What a way for Rob to end his career. A few more points and he would have had over 2.000.

Juniors

#1- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.335
#2- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.310
#3- Tim Sheppard (Michigan State)- 1.086
#4- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.082
#5- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- .940
#6- Benton Gale (Florida)- .826
#7- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- .745

A close one here, not a lot separating 1 and 2, then not a lot separating 3 and 4. Jaybard gets the win, and his team won the National Championship. Not a bad postseason.

Sophomores

#1- Will Brown (Duke)- 1.532
#2- Sophus Abel (Texas)- 1.454
#3- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- .647

Well, it was a 2 horse race, and it was close. Matthew really struggled.

Freshmen

#1- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .346

It's too bad I have to give this award out to someone. It was pretty brutal. Cori didn't play at all in the postseason, and Benito might as well not have played.

Postseason Rankings Overall

#1- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.917
#2- Will Brown (Duke)- 1.532
#3- Sophus Abel (Texas)- 1.454
#4- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.407
#5- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.335
#6- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.310
#7- Tim Sheppard (Michigan State)- 1.086
#8- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.082
#9- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- .940
#10- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- .862
#11- Benton Gale (Florida)- .826
#12- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- .745
#13- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- .647
#14- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .346

So it took Stanford 4 damn years to figure out Rob could play ball!

WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!

I want a recount for the sophomores!

2020-2021 Season Rankings by Class

Seniors

#1- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.467
#2- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- 1.387
#3- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.318

It was a tight race, but Rob continued a fantastic senior season by taking home the season win for the senior class.

Juniors

#1- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.346
#2- Benton Gale (Florida)- 1.277
#3- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- 1.257
#4- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.231
#5- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- 1.220
#6- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.196
#7- Tim Sheppard (Michigan State)- 1.098

Jaybard capped off a great junior season with a national championship and winning the race for the junior class.

Sophomores

#1- Will Brown (Duke)- 1.086
#2- Sophus Abel (Texas)- 1.071
#3- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- 1.019

It was close, but Will again takes advantage of his redshirt season, narrowly edging out Sophus for the sophomore win.

Freshmen

#1- Jerry Miller (Florida State)- 1.083
#2- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .955
#3- Cori O'Neill (Marquette)- .600

Even though Jerry only played half the season due to suspension, he still did enough to win this freshman class race. If Benito would have had a better postseason, things could have been different. Cori at least got some minutes, but not enough. Hopefully that picks up next season.

2020-2021 Season Rankings Overall

#1- Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.467
#2- David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- 1.387
#3- Jaybard Riley (Louisville)- 1.346
#4- Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.318
#5- Benton Gale (Florida)- 1.277
#6- Deacon Palmer (Mississippi State)- 1.257
#7- Dean Hoo (Marquette)- 1.231
#8- Jace Hunter (Pittsburgh)- 1.220
#9- Kuji Chagulia (Arizona)- 1.196
#10- Tim Sheppard (Michigan State)- 1.098
#11- Will Brown (Duke)- 1.086
#12- Jerry Miller (Florida State)- 1.083
#13- Sophus Abel (Texas)- 1.071
#14- Matthew Ginsberg (Georgetown)- 1.019
#15- Benito Sanchez (Utah State)- .955
#16- Cori O'Neill (Marquette)- .600

3 of the top 4 come from the senior class, great work all around. The middle of the pack was dominated by the junior class, with the sophomores and frosh needing to pick it up a bit next season.

With the careers of our first senior class coming to an end, let's look and see what their career ratings were:

David Ginsberg (Syracuse)- 1.155
Al Mighty (Texas)- 1.203
Rob Nielsen (Stanford)- 1.006

After all the players have graduated, I will organize the list from best career ranking to worst. Great job to our first senior class.

We aren't done, we have season awards to hand out, and that will finish up the season. That will be done later as I'm on my way to work.

Zona don't know how to use Kuji to max effect!

2020-2021 Player Awards

SR David Ginsberg (Syracuse)

Big East Player of the Year
Big East 1st Team

SR Al Mighty (Texas)

Big 12 1st Team

SR Rob Nielsen (Stanford)

Pac 10 1st Team

RS JR Dean Hoo (Marquette)

Big East 2nd Team

JR Benton Gale (Florida)

SEC 2nd Team

JR Jaybard Riley (Louisville)

Big East 1st Team

FR Benito Sanchez (Utah State)

NCAA All-Freshman Team
WAC Freshman of the Year
WAC All-Freshman Team

And that's it for season 4. Season 5 will begin sometime this weekend.