FBCB Interactive Player Dynasty- Season 5 (2018-2019)
 

OK, we now have 19 recruits in, with real life coaches for their schools, and I tried to get as close to the coaches age as of July 2018 as possible. We've got a season 5 recruiting class of 5, which will bring us to 23 (as David Ginsberg will be graduating this season).

For the next couple season I will no longer be taking recruits until I weed some of these current recruits out, as not all of them will go on to play ball at the next level (I am in process of getting FBPB and figuring out how to import draft classes and such.)

As it stands, here is a look at our Season 5 recruiting class, in order of national rank:









cmp, believe it or not, this was the highest rated guy in Michigan. There were no 4 or 5 star prospects in Michigan this recruiting season.

August 2018

SG Cameron Blodgett- It's almost a brand new top 5 for Cameron, with Arizona, Pittsburgh, Duke, Florida, and Villanova in the mix. None have offered yet.

PF Erik Flamebeard- UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona St. have offered, with Cal and UNLV still in the mix.

C Tim Sheppard- Tim has a bit of a surprise in his top 5, as Bradley is in and has offered. Illinois, Ohio St., Syracuse, and Mississippi St. are also in the mix, but none of them have offered.

PF Jawouk Bafou- Georgetown, Syracuse, Maryland, Michigan St., and Boston College are the top 5 for Jawouk, and none have offered.

PG Jackson Pace- Central Michigan and Ball St. have offered, while Purdue, Cleveland St., and Notre Dame have not.

September 2018

SG Cameron Blodgett- Duke has made an offer to Cameron, with Arizona, Pitt, Xavier, and Villanova right behind but yet to offer.

PF Erik Flamebeard- UCLA and Arizona St. have offered now, with UNLV still in the mix but no offer. Kansas St. and Auburn have entered the mix, but neither have offered.

C Tim Sheppard- Bradley has moved up a spot to 3rd in Tim's top 5, and are the only ones to offer. Otherwise, no change.

PF Jawouk Bafou- Georgetown and Boston College are at the top of the list now, as both have offered. Syracuse, Maryland, and Michigan St. are still hanging around.

PG Jackson Pace- Notre Dame has passed on Jackson, at least for now. There are still 4 schools in the mix. Purdue, Central Michigan, and Ball St. have offered, Cleveland St. has not.

October 2018

SG Cameron Blodgett- Cameron has narrowed it down to Duke, Xavier, and Pittsburgh for the moment, and Duke and Xavier have offered while Pitt hasn't.

PF Erik Flamebeard- UCLA and Arizona St. are still the only offers. UNLV and Auburn are still hanging around, and Michigan St. has reentered the mix.

C Tim Sheppard- Syracuse has left Tim's top 5 and Maryland has entered. Otherwise, no change.

PF Jawouk Bafou- No change for Jawouk, as everything is exactly the same as it was last month.

PG Jackson Pace- Jackson has given a verbal to Purdue, so unless something changes, he will be a Boilermaker next season.

November 2018

SG Cameron Blodgett- The opportunity to play for a legend was too much, as Cameron has signed with Duke. Coach K has promised that he will stick around to coach Duke for at least a couple more years, which is why Cameron signed there.

PF Erik Flamebeard- Erik is going to be a Bruin next season, as he has signed with UCLA in hopes of leading them back to the promised land.

C Tim Sheppard- Bradley has moved down to 4th on Tim's list, and Mississippi State has offered and jumped up to #2. Ohio St, Illinois, and Maryland are still in the mix but none of those 3 schools have offered.

PF Jawouk Bafou- Jawouk will be joining Ariel Ginsberg at Georgetown next season, as he signed his LOI with the Hoyas.

PG Jackson Pace- To the surprise of nobody, Jackson honored his verbal and signed with Purdue, leaving just Tim unsigned.

This is where I stop for the night. My plan is for tomorrow to look at the depth charts and let everybody know where they stand, that way they can make a decision on redshirting their players or not, although obviously some of you no longer have that option. Here's hoping that Chester Smith didn't make a foolish decision by letting Coach Turgeon talk him into coming back to Maryland!!

Let's go Purdue!

Unless somebody really wants to know, I don't see a point in telling you guys your spots on the depth chart before training camps and redshirts, because that doesn't matter. What does matter is your spot after training camps and redshirts, so I'll just do that.

I'm going to start with those that have already used their redshirt year, and there are 10 players that have.

C Jace Hunter (Xavier)- Jace is projected as the starting C.

PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn)- Randy is projected to be the starting PG.

PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)- Ivan has shifted and will be the starting C at the beginning of the season.

SF Chester Smith (Maryland)- Nothing has changed for Chester, who just hasn't developed the way we hoped. He's listed 12th on the depth chart this season.

PG Al Mighty (Houston)- Al is listed 6th on the depth chart, so he should get plenty of PT.

SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV)- Ricardo is listed 7th on the depth chart but should still get better minutes than last season.

SF Jack Dawkins (Syracuse)- Jack is listed 9th on the depth chart and will have to wait to get key minutes.

PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- Bam may have been better off staying where he was at, as he is listed 12th on the depth chart. Don't look for him to see a lot of PT this season.

C Ralph King (Duke)- The problem with playing for a school like Duke is that the roster is stacked. Ralph is listed 10th on the depth chart, and everybody in front of him is either green/blue or blue/blue.

PG Benton Gale (High Point)- Benton is listed 9th on the depth chart, and may or may not see some action. I'd bet he'll see some at least.

Now, these 9 players still have their redshirt option available if they choose to use it:

PF David Ginsberg (Army)- David will again man the starting PF spot this season, as he seems to have converted nicely from the center spot. No reason for him to redshirt his senior year, as his draft stock doesn't look promising anyways.

SF Eden James (Boston College)- It seems that either some of the recruits positions changed on me, or that I wrote them down wrong. Eden is listed as a SF, I had him down as a PF. Hmm. In any case, Eden will be the starting PF, and I have no clue why he's listed as a SF. No reason for him to redshirt, as he has a small chance of declaring for the draft this year, and if he does, he's projected to be a second round pick.

C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State)- Rudy is projected as the starting PF, and I see no reason to redshirt him, so he'll play.

C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown)- With a weakness in the post for the Hoyas, Ariel, even though he's not totally ready, is projected as the starting C. Now, if he wants to take that redshirt year to develop further, he can. Fair warning though, it would leave Georgetown with pretty much nothing at the C spot.

PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- Mike is listed 10th on the depth chart. I'm not sold on that, nor am I happy with it, so Mike, since he is one of my recruits, will redshirt.

SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall)- Thomas has been bumped up to the SF spot, and he is projected to start. I wouldn't redshirt him, but it's not my choice.

SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh)- Qwikshot is projected 7th on the depth chart and should see fairly good minutes.

PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- Path is listed 9th on the depth chart, and there is 1 other post player in front of him (not counting the 2 starters of course), so it's a toss-up as to whether he would benefit from redshirting or not.

SG Jaybard Riley (Michigan State)- Jaybard would easily be a lottery pick if he were to declare for the draft. Unfortunately, I wanted everybody to get at least 3 years in college, so I hope that's not an issue. As for his spot on the depth chart, he is projected to be the starting SG. Doesn't look like we've got a lot in the way of decisions to make as far as redshirts, looks like Thomas and Path have the biggest decisions to make. Oh, and Ariel.

A couple other notes that I forget to mention for some of our other players that are draft eligible.

Jace Hunter is projected as a top 5 pick, and the experts say there is a 1% chance that he doesn't declare, so it looks like Jace might be our first recruit that makes it to the NBA.

Ivan Carrillo wasn't even mentioned in a mock draft, so he'll almost certainly be back for his senior year.

Randy Rodgers also wasn't mentioned in a mock draft, so he'll be back for his senior year more than likely.

Aside from that, everybody else is an underclassman and not eligible for the draft.

I think PF's always could use time to grow a bit, especially at 9th on the chart. Path will redshirt this year.

Both Ginsbergs will play this year.

Now to hope no more academic issues for Hunter.

"Put me in coach" - no redshirt

Still waiting to hear from Eden James, Thomas Magnum, and Jaybard Riley to decide if they want to play or redshirt. I'll give them a few more days, especially since I'm going out of town in a couple days and won't be back for a week. If they haven't made a decision by the time I get back I'll probably make it for them, as I know some of you guys (and me)! are ready to get going on this season 5.

Grambling? And 12th on the depth chart? Time to find another career, Bam.

No redshirts for Magnum P.I. and E.J.

Yea, I'm not sure what is going on with that, I think Bam and Chester are getting the most raw deals of anybody so far.

Fortunately, if I can keep these going long enough, I will at some point reopen sign-ups for new recruits so maybe Bam will get a second chance (or somebody related to him of course)

Good to hear from you, your guys will play then. BTW, have you had a chance to check out my new WIS ultimate tournament? I'm 21 groups into it and already a few surprises.

As soon as I hear back from Jaybard Riley (neuqua) and as soon as I get back in town next week, I'll get going on season 5, as I know some of you are eagerly anticipating the results. I'm changing up the format just a little too.

For recruits that play on teams in the same conference, those games will be highlighted first. Since we have players on different teams in the same conference, for instance, if say, when Arizona State and Oregon play, those games will be at the top of the post. Then after I recap all those games, I will go back to the regular format.

You guys will get a better understanding of what I mean when conference play rolls around, or if we have an issue where 2 of our FOFC player teams meet in the same season tournament.

Look for this to get going next Monday or Tuesday, thanks for your patience.

Sorry for the delay, I'm in Cancun getting married.

Jaybard Riley will go ahead and play this year.

Congrats on the wedding!

Yeah, congrats!

Thank you gentlemen!

For those wondering, I have not abandoned this project, not by a longshot. I've been dealing with some medical issues over the past few days and I am getting ready to go to a doctors appointment to hopefully get some tests run and get some answers. I'm hoping that I can get this next season started either tomorrow or Friday, if all goes well. Cross your fingers.

Take it easy. Health over dynasties, I always say!

I have been reading but only occasionally due to end-of-the-semester meetings and paperwork, so my internet/ootp/beer guzzling activities have been mostly put on hold while I try to get my ducks in a row and prepare for my trip to the States at the end of the month. So...I have not been around very much lately. I'll catch up soon.

Also, I see that you are having some medical concerns. I hope all is well.

No problem, it's moving much slower than I had hoped. All my projects are as a matter of fact, I feel like I'm losing the interest of those involved for my time in-between posts. But not a problem at all. I also have an OOTP dynasty going at those forums, and the Women's Soccer World Cup has forced me to reinstall Worldwide Soccer Manager 2007 (it's the only version I have as I refuse to deal with Steam, and 2007 was one of the last versions that didn't require Steam). No dynasty report there though, just a lot of simming.

The medical concerns.. I know about as much as I did before. The initial tests all came back negative, it could be nothing, could have been an infection that cleared itself up by the time I finally got to the doctor, or it could be something more serious like kidney disease or diabetes. My family doctor didn't seem to be too concerned about it, and I'd prefer not to put my symptoms out in the open, but if anybody as curious, PM and I'd be glad to explain.

I'm getting ready to do some initial stuff with Season 5, getting the redshirts taken care of and going from there.

2018-2019 Redshirts

Mike Schaplowsky- Kansas St.
Path Twelve- Oregon

Everybody else is playing, I hope I didn't miss anybody that wanted to redshirt.

Also, the string of unfortunate events continues for Bam Jamison, as he is academically suspended until January 1st give or take.

Let's take a look at our teams playing in season tournaments:

Georgetown (Ariel Ginsberg) is the top seed in the 2018 Alaska Invitational.

Arizona State (Ivan Carrillo) is the 3rd seed in the 2018 Alaska Invitational.

Maryland (Chester Smith) is the 2nd seed in the 2018 Coaches Invitational.

Duke (Ralph King) is the top seed in the 4 team 2018 College Classic.

Boston College (Eden James) is the 2nd seed in the 16 team 2018 Las Vegas Shootout.

Houston (Al Mighty) is the 3rd seed in the 16 team 2018 Las Vegas Shootout.

Auburn (Randy Rodgers) is the 4th seed in the 16 team 2018 Las Vegas Shootout.

Xavier (Jace Hunter) is the 5th seed in the 16 team 2018 Preseason NIT.

Syracuse (Jack Dawkins) is the top seed in the 2018 San Juan Classic.

collegesportsfan,

What happened with C Tim Sheppard? Did he sign somewhere, or did he decide to pursue a career as an extra on all Marvel properties, taking over for Stan Lee?

As of November 2018, this is the update on Sheppard.

C Tim Sheppard- Bradley has moved down to 4th on Tim's list, and Mississippi State has offered and jumped up to #2. Ohio St, Illinois, and Maryland are still in the mix but none of those 3 schools have offered.

He is the only one of this seasons recruits to have not signed anywhere yet.

Nov. 11-18, 2018

This post has 8 days again, as the seasons in FBCB always seem to start on a Sunday.

This is where the change to this format comes in. Anytime we have teams playing that involve an FOFC player on each team, the game automatically becomes a feature game. This week we have 2 such feature games.

11/18/18- UNLV (Ricardo Tubbs) @ Long Beach State (Rudy Arellano) -- Wasn't much of a game, as the Rebels led by 17 at halftime and never looked back as they shot 60% from the field to just 33.9% for Long Beach.

Final Score: UNLV- 76, Long Beach St.- 51

Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV)- 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists.
Rudy Arellano (Long Beach St.)- 7 points, 5, rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals.


11/18/18- #1 Duke (Ralph King) @ Marshall (Thomas Magnum) -- Duke only led this one by 6 at halftime but forced 16 Marshall turnovers and eventually pulled away.

Final Score: #1 Duke- 88, Marshall- 68

Ralph King (#1 Duke)- 1 point on 1-2 FT shooting in 1 minute of action.
Thomas Magnum (Marshall)- 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal.
Other Games

SR C David Ginsberg (Army)

No games this week for David and the Cadets.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (#11 Xavier)

11/15/18- Preseason NIT First Round vs. (12) Wichita St. (W 80-57), 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks (double-double).
11/17/18- Preseason NIT Quarterfinals vs. (4) #8 Stanford (W 61-56), 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals.

Decent effort from Jace, but not great. Not NBA great anyways.

RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn)

No games this week for Randy and the Tigers.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)

No games this week for Ivan and the Sun Devils

JR PF Eden James (#7 Boston College)

No games this week for Eden and the Eagles.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#6 Maryland)

11/11/18- Coaches Invitational First Round vs. (15) UMKC (W 85-71), 2 points, 3 rebounds in 5 minutes.
11/12/18- Coaches Invitational Quarterfinals vs. (10) Western Kentucky (W 89-85), 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal.
11/18/18- Coaches Invitational Semifinals vs. (3) #22 Wisconsin (W 81-76), no stats in 1 minute of action.

Alright! Not only did Chester play in every game so far, but he contributed in 2 of them. Hopefully this is the start of a nice career.

RS SO Al Mighty (Houston)

No games for Al and the Cougars.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV)

Ricardo had a feature game this week against Long Beach, their only game of the week, and he did ok, nothing special.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State)

Ditto for Rudy, who played Ricardo in that feature game, their only game of the week.

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (#15 Syracuse)

No games this week for Jack and the Orange.

RS FR C Ralph King (#1 Duke)

11/12/18- College Classic First Round vs. (4) Colorado (W 92-60), 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal.
11/13/18- College Classic Championship vs. (2) #10 West Virginia (W 92-89), 3 points, 1 rebound in 1 minute.

So Duke becomes the first FOFC team to win a season tournament in 2018, and if you really wanted to, you could say that Ralph's 3 points gave the Blue Devils the win over WVU. He only played 1 minute but converted an and-one!

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point)

No games for Benton and the Panthers.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- Academic Suspension

No games for Bam and the Tigers this week.

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown)

No games this week for Ariel and the Hoyas.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall)

The Thundering Herd had a feature game against Duke this week. They lost, but Thomas had a nice college debut.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh)

No games this week for Qwikshot and the Panthers.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#13 Michigan State)

11/18/18 at Eastern Michigan (W 67-58), 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals.

Not the greatest game for the Spartans, who only led by 3 at halftime. Jaybard had a solid start to his college career, albeit against fairly weak competition.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting

No games for Mike and the Wildcats.

FR PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- redshirting

No games this week for Path and the Ducks.

I don't know why, but for whatever reason, I can't seem to get the 2 polls in the same post. I don't get it, I can do it with the Coaches Dynasty, but this one is giving me fits, and I don't understand it. Maybe it's because there are still too many teams receiving votes early in the season, I'm not sure. I just don't seem to have the trouble in the Coaches Dynasty like I do in this one.

So, until I'm able to figure out why I can't get it all in one post, I can do 1 of 2 things, I can just split the polls up like I have been, with the mid-major poll for each week getting a separate post, or I can scrap showing the polls all together, since any FOFC team that is ranked or receiving votes in either poll will be noted during the posts anyways.

What do you guys think?

Oh, sorry about that. I thought you were further along in the year.

Nov. 19-25, 2018

We've got 1 feature game this week, so we'll start with it.

11/21/18- Army (David Ginsberg) @ #8 Boston College (Eden James) -- This was actually a tight game throughout, despite the fact that neither team played particularly well. There were 36 turnovers combined in the game, but eventually the depth and talent of BC proved to be too much.

Final Score: #8 Boston College- 81, Army- 70

David Ginsberg (Army)- 4 rebounds in 19 minutes as he struggled with foul trouble.
Eden James (Boston College)- 4 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 11 blocks (wow!!).

Other Games (and there are a lot of em, 29 to be exact. Busy week.)

SR C David Ginsberg (Army)

11/21/18 at #8 Boston College- feature game (highlighted above)
11/25/18 at Temple (L 100-66), 4 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks.

Not a good week for the Cadets, who played ranked BC tough, but had a major letdown at Temple. David has had much better weeks.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (#9 Xavier)

11/24/18- Preseason NIT Semifinals vs. (1) #2 Tennessee (L 82-81, OT), 3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal.

Just the 1 game this week for the Musketeers, would have been 2 had they won this one. A solid effort against a great team, but just a little short. Had Jace put together a better effort, Xavier probably wins.
RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn)

11/24/18 vs. Davidson (W 77-55), 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals.

Just 1 game for the Tigers, but what a nice way to open the season. A solid game from Randy too.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)

11/23/18- Alaska Invitational First Round vs. (6) Louisiana Tech (L 65-58), 20 points, 7 rebounds.
11/24/18- Alaska Invitational Consolation Semifinals vs. (2) Alabama (L 104-75), 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 steals.
11/25/18- Alaska Invitational 7th Place Game vs. (8) TCU (L 70-56), 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal.

Not a good week at all for the Sun Devils, who not only lost all 3 of their games, but lost 3 players to injury, all long term injuries too. Unfortunately, one of those players was Ivan, who was off to a nice start on the season before suffering a concussion against TCU, a very serious concussion that will sideline him for at least 65 days. It's been a rough road for Ivan.

JR PF Eden James (#8 Boston College)

11/21/18 vs. Army- feature game, highlighted up top.

Not the greatest of starts to the season for the Eagles or Eden, who both struggled. BC struggled to put away Army, and Eden didn't have his best game for a guy that has a chance to go pro after this season.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#3 Maryland)

11/19/18- Coaches Invitational Championship vs. (1) #14 Kansas (W 86-75), 2 rebounds, 1 assists, career high 10 minutes.

Things are looking up for Chester and the Terps. Whatever issues he had with Coach Turgeon seem to be worked out, and it looks like the minutes will increase, or at least he'll get some minutes. Great start for the Terps in winning the Coaches Invitational.

RS SO PG Al Mighty (Houston)

11/20/18 vs. Northwestern State (W 96-68), 6 points, 1 rebound.
11/22/18 at Lamar (W 83-42), 7 points, 3 assists, 1 steal.
11/25/18 vs. UL Lafayette (W 81-73), 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal.

Nice start to the season for the Cougars, although not the toughest competition. Al improved his scoring total with each game, we don't expect it to increase this game, and Coach Sampson definitely wants to see more dimes out of him.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV)

11/22/18 at Idaho (W 55-47), 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists.

Definitely not an inspired effort in the Rebels' only game of the week. Ricardo took 14 shots to get his 11 points, including 1-8 from three point land, so that is an area of concern. However, a win is a win.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State)

11/25/18 at Southern Utah (W 69-57), 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists.

A nice bounce back win for the 49ers, but Rudy still thinks he can do better out there, and he can!

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (#13 Syracuse)

11/22/18 at #20 Kentucky (L 78-72), 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal.

Tough way to open the season for the Orange, but at least they are going out and playing top notch competition from the start. Jack had a nice college debut, and I expect him to get even better.

RS FR C Ralph King (#1 Duke)

No games this week for Ralph or the Blue Devils

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point)

11/21/18 at Davidson (L 80-55), 1 minute of action for Benton, no key stats.
11/25/18 vs. Wake Forest (L 86-58), ditto the Davidson game.

So we know minutes are gonna be hard to come by for Benton this season, and it doesn't look like the Panthers will prove to be a lot of opposition for opponents early on.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- Academic Suspension

11/25/18 at Missouri State (L 86-57)

Rough start for the Tigers, as Bam can only sit and watch. Then again, since he transferred from San Francisco to Grambling of all schools, maybe he deserves to be on academic suspension. ;)

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown)

11/23/18- Alaska Invitational First Round vs. (8) TCU (W 79-71), 1 rebound, 1 assist in 1 minute of play.
11/24/18- Alaska Invitational Semifinals vs. (4) Clemson (L 92-74), 1 rebound in 1 minute of play.
11/25/18- Alaska Invitational 3rd Place Game vs. (7) Weber St. (W 72-64), 2 rebounds, 1 block.

Not a great start for the Hoyas, as they looked sluggish in all 3 games. Ariel is on the bottom of the depth chart, but is at least getting in the stat book with the minute per game he does get.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall)

11/23/18 at Illinois-Chicago (L 65-60), 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists.

Nice game for Thomas, but the Thundering Herd fell short in their only game of the week. Really tough since they led by 8 at halftime.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh)

11/21/18 at Robert Morris (L 75-72), 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal.
11/23/18 vs. #6 Illinois (L 89-79), 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist.
11/25/18 at Duquesne (W 64-63), 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal (fouled out).

Tough week for the Panthers, who embarrassingly lost to Robert Morris. Ugh! Qwikshot didn't do bad, but he was in foul trouble all 3 games.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#11 Michigan St.)

11/25/18 vs. Indiana State (W 78-54), 25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, (POTG).

Huge game for the Spartans, and for Jaybard, who totally dominated the hapless Sycamores. This was definitely nothing like Magic-Bird, this was completely one-sided.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting

11/21/18 at SE Missouri State (L 74-62)
11/24/18 at Mississippi Valley State (W 79-71)

Typical Wildcats. Play weak competition out of the Big 12 and choke. Losing to SE Missouri? Really?

FR PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- redshirting

11/19/18 at Central Michigan (W 74-59)
11/24/18 at Idaho (W 72-63)

Not the best of competition, but the Ducks start 2-0 on the young season, while Path sits and watches.



Lots of our teams represented somehow in the Coaches Poll. I like it!

This mid-major poll is crazy! 10 teams received a FPV, including 2 of our FOFC teams, and teams that are down around 21 and 22. Surely this isn't a glitch in the game? I hope not.

Last thing on this one right now, I am considering changing this to a one and done, which means Jaybard Riley would have a chance to go pro after this season. But I'm torn. I personally think guys should have to stay at least 2, 3 years in college, but I'm leaving it up to you guys. I'm taking votes, because I would think within the next month of game time, guys will start to declare.

So, for the Earliest players turn pro option, we have: As Recruits, Freshman Year, Sophomore Year, Junior Year. I'm taking votes, so get em in!

Ugh... throwing his career away!

Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2018

SR C David Ginsberg (Army)

11/29/18 at Dayton (W 90-71), 2 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal.

The Cadets get their first win of the season, and David was a beast on the boards. Winning on the road against a solid mid-major team like Dayton is a nice win.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (#17 Xavier)

12/2/18 at Tennessee Tech (W 75-64), 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal.

The Musketeers actually trailed at halftime in this one, but rolled in the 2nd half. Nice line for Jace, who is still debating on whether he wants to enter the draft or not.

RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn)

11/27/18 vs. Alabama State (W 92-78), 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal.

Great game for Randy in the Tigers' only game of the week. Had so many other players not had good stat lines, Randy might have gotten the POTG. As it stands, his stock is rising.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)

12/2/18 at #4 Illinois (L 111-58), DNP (Injury)

It is going to be rough for the Sun Devils for a while. A 15 man roster trimmed to 11 after redshirts, is now down to just 6 active players. Arizona State played 7 in the blowout loss, but one of those was also injured. That makes 4 injuries and 1 academic suspension, and you have to wonder if Ivan regrets coming to Arizona State now.

JR PF Eden James (#7 Boston College)

11/27/18 at Pennsylvania (W 97-56), 13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 1 steal, (Double-double).

Solid game for Eden who in my mind should have been POTG, but they gave it to a guy that scored 24 points and did nothing else.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#3 Maryland)

11/27/18 vs. Hofstra (W 77-74), 1 rebound in 3 minutes of action.
12/1/18 at Morgan State (W 96-89), 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal.

Not the best of weeks for the Terps, who remain undefeated but trailed at halftime in both their games. A bit of a letdown after winning the 2018 Coaches Invitational. Chester is trying to take advantage of his minutes. He actually logged 10 minutes at Morgan State.

RS SO PG Al Mighty (Houston)

12/1/18 at Bradley (W 66-62), 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists.

Just the 1 game this week for the Cougars, and it was a hard fought win, but Coach Sampson still would like to see more out of Al.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV)

11/27/18 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (W 78-52), 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals.
12/2/18 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (W 70-62), 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals.

Easy week for the Rebels, with home games against 2 fairly easy teams, although Dunk City provided some competition. Nice lines for Ricardo, who seems to be settling in nicely at UNLV.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State)

11/28/18 vs. North Dakota State (W 71-62), 16 points, 13 rebounds, (Double-double), (POTG).
12/2/18 at San Diego (W 69-54), 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist.

The 49ers are on a roll now after losing their first one. A little disappointing to see Rudy fall so much after a great game against ND State. You'd liked for him to have sustained some of that great play.

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (Syracuse)

11/26/18 at Butler (W 74-63), 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, (Fouled out)
11/28/18 at Vanderbilt (L 99-97), 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.
12/2/18 vs. Hofstra (W 66-52), 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Jack seems to be battling some foul trouble early in the season, but he has had some good efforts. He probably won't want to remember the Hofstra game though, as that is the first game this season he wasn't in double figures in scoring. Of course, him also spraining his ankle might have something to do with that. He's also expected out about a week. As for the Orange, well they are struggling.

RS FR C Ralph King (#1 Duke)

11/29/18 at #15 Memphis (W 83-70), 2 point, 3 rebounds.

Good win for the Blue Devils who should stay on top in the polls, and of Ralph is still finding his stride as a Blue Devil.

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point)

11/29/18 at Appalachian State (L 86-52), 1 rebound in 5 minutes of action.
12/1/18 at Campbell (W 91-83), DNP (Coaches Decision).

So the Panthers get their first win, but for whatever reason Benton didn't play against Campbell. Hopefully that doesn't become a regular occurance.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- academic suspension

12/2/18 at UL-Lafayette (L 95-50)

The Tigers are bad, really bad. Why in the world Bam transferred there is beyond me. Of course, if he can't even bother to keep his grades up, then there isn't much hope of a long career for him.

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown)

No games this week for Ariel or the Hoyas.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall)

11/26/18 at Murray State (W 75-42), 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal.
11/29/18 at Missouri State (L 73-72), 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.
12/2/18 at VCU (L 61-48), 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals.

What a week for Thomas, who had an early career high at Missouri State in a game the Thundering Herd really should have won. They are playing good mid-major competition however, and that could go a long way for them.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh)

No games for Qwikshot or the Panthers this week.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#8 Michigan State)

11/28/18 at Akron (W 81-72), 9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 2 steals.
11/30/18 vs. DePaul (W 70-60), 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 steals.
12/2/18 at Bowling Green (W 79-38), 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists.

Jaybard continues to make a case for multiple awards in his freshman season, although it is yet to be seen how he will do against top notch competition as the Spartans haven't faced a major challenge yet. However, Jaybard may be sidelined for a few days, as he sprained his ankle against Akron. He's expect to continue light workouts, and might miss about a week of game action.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting

11/26/18 at Arkansas State (W 74-66)
11/30/18 vs. Iowa (W 78-65)
12/2/18 vs. Prairie View A&M (W 83-76)

Good week for the Wildcats, including a nice win against Iowa.

FR PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- redshirting

11/26/18 at Montana State (W 70-63)

The Ducks still aren't playing their greatest basketball, but hey, a win is a win and they all add up at the end of the season.



I like seeing so many of our FOFC teams represented in the coaches polls. Good stuff.

These mid-major polls are very interesting. Xavier has more FPV than Rider, yet Rider is at the top thanks to having more points. And nice to see Houston with 5 FPV. Still 7 teams getting FPV, so the mid-majors are a crazy time right now.

Dec. 3-9, 2018

SR C David Ginsberg (Army)

12/5/18 at Seton Hall (L 77-61), 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, 3 steals, (Fouled Out).
12/7/18 vs. Penn State (L 76-61), 8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.

The Cadets played some tough competition this week and only trailed Penn St. by 1 at halftime. David had a solid week, and had a heck of a game going until he fouled out against Seton Hall.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (#14 Xavier)

12/4/18 vs. Stetson (W 80-57), 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 8 blocks, 1 steal, (Double-double), (POTG).
12/6/18 vs. #18 Cincinnati (L 76-74), 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal.

Wow, did Jace have a block party against Stetson or what? Unfortunately he couldn't sustain that interior defense as the Musketeers lost a top 20 game.

RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn)

12/3/18 vs. South Alabama (L 81-67), 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block.
12/6/18 vs. Belmont (W 73-62), 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, (POTG).

So the Tigers lost a tough one against a good S. Alabama team, but still a nice start to the early season. A nice start for Randy too, who is putting up solid, consistent numbers.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)

12/5/18 at #23 Wisconsin (L 79-50), DNP (Injury)

The Sun Devils lost another player to injury in this game, and had been playing tough otherwise, only down 7 at halftime. ASU now has just 6 eligible players, and you have to wonder if it's not time to take the redshirt off a couple players.

JR PF Eden James (#6 Boston College)

12/3/18 at Drexel (W 101-72), 7 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals.
12/6/18 vs. Northeastern (W 86-59), 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal (POTG).
12/9/18 vs. Hofstra (W 87-77), 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal.

The Eagles roll over subpar competition this week, and Eden is all over the stat book. Solid if not spectacular numbers.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#3 Maryland)

12/5/18 vs. Penn St. (W 69-48), 1 rebound in 3 minutes of action.
12/9/18 vs. Boise St. (W 76-37), no stats in 4 minutes of action.

It certainly isn't the best of weeks for Chester, especially against Boise St., but at least he is playing. The Terps continue to roll and are still undefeated.

RS SO PG Al Mighty (#24 Houston)

12/9/18 vs. Texas St. (W 71-57), 2 points.

The Cougars stay undefeated, but Al was a non-factor this week, other than 2 made free throws.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (#21 UNLV)

12/7/18 at Loyola Marymount (L 62-61), 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal.

Tough loss for the Rebels in their only game of the week, and Ricardo had decent numbers.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State)

12/4/18 vs. UCLA (L 81-50), 4 points, 6 rebounds.

It was huge for the 49ers to host UCLA from a financial standpoint, and they only trailed by 14 at the half, but UCLA took control in the second half. Rudy didn't exactly have the greatest of games in limited minutes.

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (Syracuse)

12/5/18 vs. Holy Cross (W 71-59), 3 points in 3 minutes.
12/9/18 at Canisius (W 83-75), 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.

Jack wasn't at full strength against Holy Cross, which explains his lack of minutes, but he was back in the starting line-up against Canisius, as the Orange play 2 uninspired games of basketball this week.

RS FR C Ralph King (#1 Duke)

12/4/18 vs. East Tennessee St. (W 80-56), 2 points, 2 rebounds.

1 game for the Blue Devils this week, and it was an easy one. Ralph didn't play much, but he was effective when in the game.

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point)

12/4/18 at Western Michigan (W 75-73), DNP (Coaches Decision)

A nice win for the Panthers who led by 11 at halftime, but no minutes for Benton.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- academic suspension

12/8/18 at SMU (L 65-52)

Best effort so far for the Tigers in the young season, but they've got a lot of work to do.

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown)

12/3/18 vs. #10 Arizona (L 82-69), no stats in 4 minutes of action.
12/8/18 vs. Northeastern (W 69-59), 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block.

The Hoyas really wanted that Arizona game, and they played well, but not well enough. Ariel had a nice game against Northeastern in his 7 minutes of floor time.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall)

No games this week for Thomas and the Thundering Herd.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh)

12/4/18 vs. Iona (W 73-62), 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists.
12/6/18 vs. Detroit (W 88-78), 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block.
12/9/18 at Coppin St. (W 68-66), 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.

Good week for the Panthers who won all 3 games, although the competition wasn't great, and Pitt didn't play great basketball. Qwikshot had nice, consistent stats, nothing special.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#7 Michigan State)

12/4/18 at Green Bay (W 80-52), 22 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, (POTG).
12/8/18 at Detroit (W 68-46), 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists.

The Spartans win a couple more against subpar competition, but another great week for Jaybard. If FBCB had weekly or monthly awards, Jaybard would be cleaning up.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting

12/9/18 vs. Indiana St. (W 69-62)

Just the 1 game for the Wildcats this week, but it was a nice win over the Sycamores.

FR PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- redshirting

12/3/18 vs. Seattle (W 86-77)
12/6/18 at UC Santa Barbara (L 79-78)

Not a bad loss for the Ducks as UCSB is a pretty strong mid-major.



Nice to see a fair amount of our teams getting votes in the coaches poll, but Duke loses the top spot.

Both UNLV and Xavier had huge mid-major drops, but Houston is now receiving 4 FPV.

Recruiting

We've still got 1 player that was unsigned going into the regular season, so let's take a look.

C Tim Sheppard- Tim still hasn't made a decision, and there aren't a lot of offers going his way. Illinois, Maryland, Syracuse, and Auburn are interested but none have offered. Mississippi St. is interested and has offered.

Dec. 10-16, 2018

Looks like we've got 1 feature game this week, so we'll start with it:

12/16/18- Arizona State (Ivan Carrillo) @ #2 Duke (Ralph King). -- Not much to talk about in this one. The Blue Devils scored early and often and rolled to an easy victory.

Final Score: #2 Duke- 105, Arizona State- 74

Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State)- DNP (Injury)
Ralph King (#2 Duke)- 4 points, 2 blocks.

Other Games

SR C David Ginsberg (Army) -- 1-7, 0-0 Patriot.

12/13/18 vs. Penn (L 67-64, OT), 6 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks.
12/16/18 at Drexel (L 82-79, OT), 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks.

Rough week for the Cadets, who lost a pair in OT. David had a nice game against Penn, not so nice at Drexel.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (Xavier) -- 6-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10.

12/11/18 vs. Wright State (W 62-52), 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks.
12/13/18 vs. Milwaukee (L 73-62), 8 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 7 blocks.
12/16/18 vs. UMKC (W 93-86), 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks, (Double-double).

So the Musketeers go 2-1 this week, with a tough loss against Milwaukee. They still aren't playing their best basketball, but Jace is having great performances.

RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn) -- 4-1, 0-0 SEC.

12/14/18 vs. Troy (W 55-39), 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists.

Just the 1 game this week for the Tigers, an easy win. Randy had a solid game.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State) -- 0-8, 0-0 Pac 10.

12/10/18 at #10 Florida (L 69-48), DNP (Injury)
12/12/18 at UTEP (L 76-56), DNP (Injury)
12/16/18 at #2 Duke- feature game, highlighted above.

The Sun Devils just keep getting worse and worse, they could go winless this season.

JR PF Eden James (#6 Boston College) -- 7-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/11/18 vs. Boston University (W 110-80), 11 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks.
12/15/18 vs. Fairfield (W 84-57), 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks.

2 easy wins for the Eagles this week, with a lot of balanced scoring. Would like to get more out of Eden, he seems to be holding back a bit.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#3 Maryland) -- 9-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/11/18 vs. George Mason (W 95-77), 2 points in 6 minutes of action.

Another easy win for the Terps in their only game of the week, but the only led by 1 at halftime. Chester had 2 free throws and that was it.

RS SO PG Al Mighty (#20 Houston) -- 7-0, 0-0 Conference USA.

12/13/18 vs. Sam Houston St. (W 76-68), 12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists.
12/15/18 vs. Rice (W 89-47), 6 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists.

The Cougars had a couple more easy wins this week, although Al didn't put up the numbers coach Sampson was hoping for, especially against Rice.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV) -- 4-3, 0-0 Mountain West.

12/13/18 vs. Fresno State (L 81-76), 13 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal.
12/15/18 at Texas Southern (L 53-42), 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist.

Bad week for the Rebels, who dropped 2 tough ones, especially against Texas Southern. Ricardo had a nice game against Fresno St., but needed some of that effort against TX Southern.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State) -- 4-2, 0-0 Big West.

12/12/18 at USC (W 64-59), 8 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Good bounce back win for the 49ers, and Rudy had a great game in the only game of the week.

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (Syracuse) -- 5-2, 0-0 Big East.

12/11/18 vs. Dartmouth (W 74-50), 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals.

Just the 1 game this week for the Orange, and it was actually tied at halftime. Jack didn't have the best of games, but he actually had a nice shooting percentage of 60%.

RS FR C Ralph King (#2 Duke) -- 8-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/10/18 vs. Drexel (W 76-57), 4 rebounds.
12/12/18 vs. Old Dominion (W 102-60), 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal.
12/16/18 vs. Arizona State- Feature game, highlighted above.

Easy week for the Blue Devils, who rolled in 3 games. Their closest margin of victory this week was 19. Ralph played decent minutes, but not great.

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point) -- 3-5, 0-0 Big South.

12/10/18 at Penn State (L 77-68), no stats in 1 minute of action.
12/12/18 vs. UNC Greensboro (L 88-81), DNP (Coaches Decision).
12/14/18 vs. North Carolina A&T (W 76-65), DNP (Coaches Decision).

Well, at least Benton got 1 minute of action this week, but he's struggling to find playing time as well. The Panthers had a 1-2 week, getting a nice win in their last game.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- academic suspension (0-5, 0-0 SWAC).

12/11/18 at Louisiana-Monroe (L 78-66)
12/13/18 at Alabama (L 90-65)

Another couple of losses for the Tigers, and all Bam can do is sit and watch.

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown) -- 4-2, 0-0 Big East.

12/13/18 vs. Delaware State (W 85-42), 3 points, 2 rebounds.

Just 1 game this week for the Hoyas, who ran all over their opponent. Ariel played 5 minutes and made the most of them.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall) -- 3-4, 0-0 Conference USA.

12/10/18 vs. Tennessee-Martin (W 68-57), 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists.
12/14/18 vs. Savannah State (W 110-67), 28 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals.

Big week for Thomas, who went off against Savannah St. The Thundering Herd got a couple much needed wins.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh) -- 5-2, 0-0 Big East.

12/13/18 vs. Indiana (W 92-73), 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist.

Just the 1 game this week for the Panthers, and a nice one it was, getting a solid win. Qwikshot had a nice day, and could have been even better if not for foul trouble.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#7 Michigan State) -- 9-0, 0-0 Big 10.

12/11/18 vs. American (W 87-63), 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists.
12/15/18 vs. Idaho (W 89-49), 33 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, (POTG).

Huge week for Jaybard, who earned a POTG award, as the Spartans roll over inferior competition.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting -- 6-2, 0-0 Big 12.

12/12/18 vs. Jackson State (W 72-60)
12/14/18 vs. #15 Georgia Tech (L 69-59)

A good effort for the Wildcats against GA Tech, but couldn't quite get it done. At least they beat Jackson St.

FR PF Path Twelve (Oregon)- redshirting -- 5-2, 0-0 Pac 10.

12/10/18 at San Francisco (W 74-64)
12/12/18 vs. Portland State (L 66-65)

That loss to Portland State hurts, one of those can't have type of losses.



1 lousy point separates Duke from being ranked #1. I'm telling you, there's a lot of parity right now, as there are 13 undefeated teams still, including some major surprises (Rider, Bethune-Cookman).



Nice to see Long Beach State getting some mid-major votes.

Dec. 17-23, 2018

We've got 1 feature game this week, and let's take a look at it.

12/23/18- Las Vegas Shootout Semifinals- #7 Boston College (Eden James vs. #18 Houston (Al Mighty) -- This one was a shootout, literally, as neither team played much in the way of defense. The Eagles shot 57.8% while the Cougars shot 47.7%. In the end, BC was too much.

Final Score: #7 Boston College- 102, #18 Houston- 87

Eden James (#7 Boston College)- 12 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal, (Double-double)
Al Mighty (#18 Houston)- 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists.

Other Games

SR C David Ginsberg (Army) -- 2-7, 0-0 Patriot.

12/21/18 at Boston University (W 82-78), 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals.

1 game for the Cadets this week, and it was a good win. David had a nice game as well, falling just short of a double-double.

RS JR C Jace Hunter (Xavier) -- 8-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10.

12/19/18 vs. Green Bay (W 71-61), 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 9 blocks, (Double-double).
12/21/18 vs. Washington (W 60-59), 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 steal, (Double-double).

Great week for the Musketeers and Jace both. Jace was 1 block short of a triple-double against Green Bay, and he was robbed of the POTG against Washington, as a guy from Washington got it. Go figure.

RS JR PG Randy Rodgers (Auburn) -- 7-1, 0-0 SEC.

12/20/18- Las Vegas Shootout First Round vs. (13) Princeton (W 71-57), 9 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals (POTG).
12/22/18- Las Vegas Shootout Quarterfinals vs. (12) Indiana St. (W 91-72), 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists.
12/23/18- Las Vegas Shootout Semifinals vs. (1) #4 Illinois (W 101-93), 21 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, (Double-double) (POTG).

Great week for the Tigers, who advance to the championship of the Las Vegas Shootout. Randy was sensational, earning 2 POTG awards, with the last one coming against superb competition.

RS JR PF Ivan Carrillo (Arizona State) -- 0-9, 0-0 Pac 10.

12/20/18 vs. UC Irvine (L 74-65), DNP (Injury)

Ugh! The Sun Devils are still looking for their first victory, and Ivan continues to sit with injury. I fully expect Herb Sendek to be gone after this season, and Ivan playing for yet another new coach next season.

JR PF Eden James (#7 Boston College) -- 10-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/20/18- Las Vegas Shootout First Round vs. (15) Portland St. (W 66-57), 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 1 steal, (Double-double), (POTG).
12/22/18- Las Vegas Shootout Quarterfinals vs. (10) Pacific (W 74-54), 9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals.
12/23/18- Las Vegas Shootout Semifinals vs. (3) #18 Houston- feature game, highlighted above.

So we'll have at least 1 feature game next week, as the Eagles will meet Auburn in the Las Vegas Shootout Championship. A tremendous week for the Eagles and Eden, who got a couple double-doubles.

RS SO SF Chester Smith (#3 Maryland) -- 11-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/17/18 vs. Delaware St. (W 87-43), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.
12/23/18 vs. VCU (W 87-42), 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal.

So the Terps win 2 games by almost the exact same score this week, and Chester takes advantage of his limited minutes, but he'll hopefully be getting even more minutes next season.

RS SO PG Al Mighty (#18 Houston) -- 9-1, 0-0 Conference USA.

12/20/18- Las Vegas Shootout First Round vs. (14) UMBC (W 71-62), 11 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists.
12/22/18- Las Vegas Shootout Quarterfinals vs. (6) Northeastern (W 79-64), 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, (POTG).
12/23/18- Las Vegas Shootout Semifinals vs. (2) #4 Maryland- feature game, highlighted above.

The Cougars suffer their first loss of the season, but against one heck of a team. Al seems to be settling in nicely, but Coach Sampson still wants more dimes out of him.

RS SO SG Ricardo Tubbs (UNLV) -- 7-3, 0-0 Mountain West

12/17/18 vs. San Diego (W 75-45), 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals.
12/19/18 vs. Oregon St. (W 67-60), 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists.
12/23/18 vs. UC Irvine (W 82-71), 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals.

Good week for the Rebels who win 3 games, 2 of them fairly tough. Ricardo had a nice, balanced week. Not spectacular, but solid.

SO C Rudy Arellano (Long Beach State) -- 4-4, 0-0 Big West.

12/17/18 at Nebraska (L 108-66), 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists.
12/20/18 at San Diego St. (L 72-58), played 1 minute, injured during game.

Bad week for the 49ers who lost 2 games, and also lost Rudy to a broken finger. He's out for about a week, and he probably won't even try to play next week.

RS FR SF Jack Dawkins (Syracuse) -- 7-2, 0-0 Big East.

12/19/18 at #16 Wisconsin (W 73-44), 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist.
12/21/18 vs. Detroit (W 78-67), 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Huge week for the Orange, as they dismantled a top 20 team, but almost had a letdown against Detroit. Jack was decent, but not great.

RS FR C Ralph King (#2 Duke) -- 9-0, 0-0 ACC.

12/19/18 at Elon (W 73-53), 1 rebound in 4 minutes of PT.

A solid win for the Blue Devils, but Ralph didn't see a lot of action.

RS FR PG Benton Gale (High Point) -- 3-7, 0-0 Big South.

12/18/18 vs. South Florida (L 74-59), DNP (Coaches Decision)
12/22/18 at N.C. State (L 69-60), DNP (Coaches Decision)

2 tough losses for the Panthers to tough competition though. It looks like Benton has made his coach mad as he has not seen action in the last 4 games.

RS FR PF Bam Jamison (Grambling)- academic suspension -- 1-6, 0-0 SWAC.

12/18/18 at South Alabama (L 94-76)
12/22/18 at Tulane (W 79-70)

Shocking to see the Tigers get their first win on the road against a good Tulane team. Bam finds out in a week whether he will be eligible for conference play or not.

FR C Ariel Ginsberg (Georgetown) -- 6-3, 0-0 Big East.

12/18/18 vs. Morgan St. (W 101-73), 2 points, 1 rebound.
12/20/18 vs. Siena (W 73-44), 2 points, 1 rebound.
12/23/18 at #9 Florida (L 74-59), 1 rebound.

So the Hoyas lose their toughest game on the schedule this week, and the one they needed most. Young Ginsberg definitely has some work to do to crack the top of the rotation.

FR SG Thomas Magnum (Marshall) -- 4-5, 0-0 Conference USA.

12/18/18 at Appalachian St. (L 71-59), 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists.
12/22/18 at Northwestern (W 57-37), 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.

Tough loss for the Thundering Herd at App. St., not the kind of loss you want. Good recovery at Northwestern though. Thomas had a solid week.

FR SG Qwikshot Collins (Pittsburgh) -- 6-3, 0-0 Big East.

12/19/18 vs. Holy Cross (W 92-70), 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals.
12/22/18 at Kent St. (L 70-69), DNP (Injury)

The Panthers suffered a huge blow against Holy Cross, as Qwikshot left the game with a broken foot. He is most likely out for the season. The good news is, if he doesn't play again this season, Qwikshot will be eligible for a medical redshirt.

FR SG Jaybard Riley (#6 Michigan State) -- 9-1, 0-0 Big 10.

12/21/18 vs. Creighton (L 75-67), 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal.

So just 1 game for the Spartans, and they suffer their first loss but Jaybard had a solid game.

FR PG Mike Schaplowsky (Kansas State)- redshirting -- 7-2, 0-0 Big 12.

12/17/18 vs. Western Illinois (W 82-55)

Good win in the only game of the week for the Wildcats.

FR PF Path Twleve (Oregon) -- 7-3, 0-0 Pac 10.

12/17/18 vs. Eastern Washington (W 76-61)
12/21/18 at Buffalo (L 63-55)
12/23/18 vs. Santa Clara (W 55-52)

Losing to Buffalo put a damper on the week, but overall, still a nice week for the Ducks against decent, not great competition.


Due to lack of time, I will have the polls for this week in a separate post.

I am still waiting to hear opinions on what I should do about being pro eligible. Right now I have it set up so that our guys can only go pro after their junior year. We've got some guys that are predicted to be drafted that are underclassmen. Since I started with having to be a junior to go pro, do I just keep it the same through the whole dynasty? Or would some of you like to see your players go pro after Freshman or Sophomore Year.

Unless I hear differently, I'm keeping it the way it is, if you have an opinion, feel free to speak your mind, and I'll consider making a change.

I think it is always a good idea to keep as consistent a world as you can but that is just my weirdness.

I don't have a preference, I think it'll be a fun read either way so whatever you decide to do I'm cool with it.

Here are the polls for the Week of Dec. 17-23