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01-12-2017, 08:53 PM
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#51 | ||
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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DeMarcus Waters took the job at CCNY, which led MNSU existing head coach Morgan Fletcher to take the job at Penn State to replace him. (They figured that if the MNSU pipeline worked once, why not again?)
So to hire a new coach at MNSU, we went after someone with no connection to the program or even a link to Minnesota for once. Code:
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01-16-2017, 10:52 AM
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#52 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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I'm probably going to repurpose this story and focus more on the Montana basketball thing, rather than explicitly talking about Minnesota State. We'll follow the program still, but I'm just going to get through the next 25 years by looking more closely at the recruits coming out of Montana and following their careers.
I'll probably do other stuff, but mostly I just want to follow some careers and dredge up some interesting stories somewhere in the margins, especially my longheld desire to see how the careers of some 1 to 3 star guys end up after they leave college and head to the pros. With the Ameliaville storyline as the backdrop and Montana as the locale, we might be able to find a few good ones? |
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01-16-2017, 10:08 PM
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#53 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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I'll be super intrigued to see if Montana State or Montana benefit from the influx of talent in Montana basketball over the next decade, thanks to Ameliaville metropolitan area basketball turning the state into a basketball recruiting proving ground or whether the best talent leaves the state over time.
I'll do annual reports of where the best talent goes from Montana, because that's kind of the storyline within the storyline right now for me, but it's very possible that I just literally sim the next 10 years to see whether there's an impact on Montana basketball as I'm more curious about that than anything else. Last edited by Young Drachma : 01-16-2017 at 10:09 PM. |
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01-16-2017, 10:37 PM
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#54 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2026-27 SEASON RECAP
This is the first year.
I didn't notice a lot of the players coming out of MT were JUCO guys, which is realistic, but an accident on my part. I'll fix that next time. Since the game doesn't generate a list that shows you where guys went. Here are the best HS recruits (non-JUCO) from Montana and where they went: Quote:
I wonder if this will be a trend where the best guys in the state can't get signed because the schools who'd pick them out don't have scholarships, so they have to walk on somewhere or if it's a one-year thing. Rather than doing a year-by-year over Minnesota State, I'm just going to tell you about them in ten years. Plus, it'll keep me from tinkering with the program or trying to shore things up on my own for another decade and left to their devices, it'll be interesting to see how long coaches hang there and whether they can turn that thing around or not. Montana's NBA team is still a decade away, because I won't bring them in until I can run them. 2026-27 FINAL FOUR 1) NC State 4) Clemson 4) Alabama 4) Cincinnati NC State won the national title over Alabama, its their second straight Final Four appearance and the first national title in program history. Hilarious, a Montana kid not contained in my experiment (he predates it) transferred from Montana State and was on the NC State championship team's roster. Code:
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01-16-2017, 11:41 PM
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#55 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2027-28 RECRUIT SUMMARY
So my theory is about right. Elite Montana prospects are like foreigners, in that, they wanna go to good schools if they have the chops. But those programs don't like to travel that far to get players and hope to get them as walkons instead, so if a program that's close and has a scholarship offers them, they'll sign with a program that's well beneath what they deserve (e.g. Poole going to Montana State)
So this is kind of an interesting discovery. Obviously, the game doesn't have enough western programs at the D1 level which is problematic, but for schools in the west, it could level the playing field over time if those programs can start to tap that area. Since there are no pipelines in game, it'll never learn, but...I'd be interested over time as programs have graduating seniors, whether Montana kids do better as the years ago on. This is so different than when I play as Minnesota where there's only one other D1 school and kind of let myself be beholden to whatever talent the state can produce since it doesn't produce very much on its own and you have to go outside. But the geography of Montana is such that even our 5-star kids aren't getting deals because they're not willing to go beneath their standards, so bad schools won't offer them and good schools just hope they'll walk on somewhere. This seems like something that could be fixed in a future version, since we all know that lower prestige programs will always offer first, even if a guy will never go there, so a 5-star guy should never have to be a walkon somewhere unless there are grade and/or severe character issues. Quote:
Muhammad ended up at Houston (on scholarship) after the late signing period in April. Last edited by Young Drachma : 01-16-2017 at 11:47 PM. |
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01-17-2017, 07:43 PM
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#56 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2028-29 MONTANA RECRUIT LANDING SPOTS
I have fewer Montana recruits this year -- fewer of the 1-star useless variety -- and just guys who teams might want and there's all but one that got signed this year. PF Denny Hahn (Colorado State) 5* C Aidan Roberts (Washington State) 4* PF Bailey Dawson (Colorado) 3* PF Kerry Serrano (Uncommitted) 4* PG Latrell Joyner (UNLV) 4* PG Hayden Freeman (Uncommitted) Mr. Montana 4* G Sammy Willett 3* (Idaho) G Levi Stapleton 3* (Montana) G Vic Parker 3* (Montana) So ALL of our recruits end up on western teams, Montana officially becoems a place where talented programs can come and pick up guys. That's exciting. Only took 3 years. |
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01-17-2017, 07:52 PM
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#57 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2028-29 FINAL FOUR
Illinois State beat Maryland to win their 1st national title. Apparently, Illinois State had been to the Final Four once before in 1978. SEMIFINALISTS 1) Maryland 1) Arizona 2) Army 3) Illinois State Army being good surprised me. Also the American (AAC) had two teams in the Final Four in ISU and Army. Minnesota State is back. The team lost in the Elite 8, their first appearance past the first round for the program in 14 years. Code:
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01-18-2017, 12:43 PM
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#58 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Not that it matters, but I must not have saved and when I shut down the machine where I run this game (remotely) it reverted back to the 2026 season so I've got to sim ahead a few years to get back where I was. For once, the NBA season is ahead of the college one and I don't usually play that way.
So alternate history time. Damnit Barry Allen.
__________________
Current dynasty: OOTP25 Blitz: RTS meets Moneyball | OOTP Mod: GM Excel Competitive Balance Tax/Revenue Sharing Calc | FBCB Mods on Github |
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01-18-2017, 04:13 PM
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#59 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Not being able to resist a good story, I think my next project is to take over the University of Montana program in the hopes that we can turn them into a winner. They're worse than Montana State even, so they're more in need a boost.
They've made the NCAAs only three times ever, their current head coach is an alum, but they are hot garbage. I think taking my Montana recruits theory one step further, I'm wondering what I can do by taking over Montana and stocking the team with recruits ONLY from Montana with some modest exceptions (no recruits beyond 3-stars from any state other than Montana.) We'll sim through 2030-31 and then I'll consider this idea. Code:
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01-18-2017, 04:27 PM
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#60 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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We'll sim through 2030-31 and then I'll consider this idea. I'll probably do it on its own thread, not because anyone will read, but simply because if someone does want to read...it'll make it easier to follow the story without having to follow the MNSU timeline. I will still poke into this story from time-to-time, especially if they do well.
Code:
Former MNSU assistant Marques Terrell took the job at Minnesota A&M when his son signed with the program a few years ago. As a result, he's the first and only coach in program history to last more than 3 years as HC of the program. There is no doubt he's turned things around in Rochester, finally. Code:
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01-18-2017, 06:04 PM
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#61 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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CHAMPIONS POST-2030
Code:
FINAL FOUR TEAMS POST-2030 Code:
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01-18-2017, 06:04 PM
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#62 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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NIT CHAMPS
Code:
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01-18-2017, 09:30 PM
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#63 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Boston College beat Oregon to win their first national title. (2031-32) Hilariously, Oregon beat Minnesota State in the Final Four. Oregon took MNSU's head coach after last year.
The program is now coached by former player Caleb Lane, who was featured earlier in this dynasty. Code:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 01-18-2017 at 09:30 PM. |
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01-20-2017, 08:47 AM
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#64 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Code:
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01-20-2017, 08:47 AM
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#65 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Code:
Code:
Code:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 01-20-2017 at 08:48 AM. |
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03-12-2017, 10:25 PM
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#66 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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After reading an irrational account of Texas basketball, I got the idea to come back to Minnesota State after years and see if we could restore the luster of the program. It'll be done recap style in the same way that article was written, so it'll be a fly-by storyline.
I'm less curious to see how good they get -- though that could be fun -- I'm just more interested in seeing what kind of storyline I'll have to write about after seeing how each season goes, essentially. |
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03-12-2017, 10:47 PM
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#67 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2045-46: RESTLESS IN ROCHESTER
 After five straight years of missing the post-season, folks are getting restless in Rochester. Nobody thinks the team has the juice to return to the Final Four anytime soon, but they'd like to see upward progress. After former player Caleb Lane left the program five years ago, things have gone backwards. RECRUITING Four recruits incoming for next season. None are blue-chip but perhaps that's for the best? Code:
Code:
CAN THE MOVE TO THE MVC HELP? Minnesota State left the Big 12 and returned to the Missouri Valley in all non-football sports after the football program moved back to FCS. The hope was that it would restore the program's competitiveness, but also cut costs which were bloated for a program in a market that doesn't have the recruits to keep with the Texas-type programs. Seems that after two years in the MVC, things have stabilized considerably. The program notched its first 20-win season in six years and punched a ticket to the NIT. Not exactly an NCAA bid, but progress -- any kind of progress -- has to be valuable at this stage. PLAYER STATS Code:
3 KEY ISSUES 1. Who is the point guard? This team needs ball distribution if it's going to advance to the upper echelons of the conference. Instead of getting a ball handler, the coaching staff seems hellbent on relying on Junior wonder kid Jewel Castillo. Which is great, except they went and recruited FOUR front line players for next year. I'm not quite sure what the recruiting strategy, especially when we're losing Drew Stevens and Derrick Martin two point guards. 2. Will Adrian Adams Stay? 2nd year head coach Adrian Adams faces what many coaches at Minnesota State have faced. If you have any success here, people typically head out why the going is good. Will he go? Some people kind of want him to leave because he's an abysmal recruiter. Who will take this job, especially now that it's not even in the Big 12 anymore? This isn't your grandfather's Minnesota State program. 3. In Search of an identity... The problem right now is nobody knows what Minnesota State basketball is. It's not too offensive, not too defensive. We're just not sure what the identity is. William & Mary, LaSalle and other mid-majors have carved out their space in this new basketball universe, but meanwhile, the program that excelled against all odds for decades can't seem to find itself. And there seems to be no real sign of that changing next year or into the future. TEAM STATS Code:
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03-12-2017, 10:47 PM
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#68 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2045-46 SEASON SCHEDULE
Code:
Code:
Jewel Castillo isn't coming back, he's headed to the draft and so that sets things back in Rochester considerably, especially with the abysmal recruiting class. Last edited by Young Drachma : 03-12-2017 at 10:53 PM. |
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03-12-2017, 10:49 PM
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#69 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2045 FINAL FOUR
First time I've seen 4 #1 seeds here in a really long time. LaSalle, Virginia Tech, Rice & Penn State |
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03-13-2017, 12:45 PM
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#70 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2046-47: FALLING FORWARD
Sophomores are again eligible for the NBA draft. Was doing a juniors only thing for a while. I might even go back to allowing one and dones, I only dislike that when I'm actively paying attention to the NBA file because it's too hard to evaluate those guys.
Anyway. Another season in the books. Former Head coach Adrian Adams left for the Rutgers job after last year, meaning we needed a new coach in Rochester. We brought back Caleb Lane as Associate Head Coach, he's now 60 years old and at the twilight of his career. The new head coach is 30-year old Jeremiah Vargas, who spent the past three years as an assistant at Minnesota. He's a recruiter in ways our last guy was not, so that's really what I was hoping for. He'll leave us if he ends up being anyway, but we'll deal with that bridge when we come to it. RECRUITING Here's his incoming class for next year: Code:
SURPRISE, SURPRISE I think by all accounts, the 2046-47 season was going to be a disappointing year. Losing key players last year was obviously going to make it hard for this team to build on last year's 20+ win season. Losing a coach made that even more challenging, but somehow the team got hot in the conference tournament and leveraged other upsets to knock off 6-seed Northern Iowa in the conference title game and with it, took the MVC's auto bid, making the team's first NCAA appearance in seven years. Code:
THE PROBLEMS The real issue is a lack of continuity. If Osip Yashkevich stays another year, they'll at least have a solid guard to keep them in games, but it'll require a lot of younger players stepping up to fill the gaps necessary. You'd have to think that after this year, things will improve just through the experience, but it's hard to say. Two of MSU's leading scorers are seniors who'll be outta here. On balance, this wasn't a good team despite the surprise conference championship and even the First Four win over Central Connecticut State to get into the main bracket. The proof will really be in the pudding next year to see whether things are moving forward in Rochester or if this was a March fluke. Code:
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03-13-2017, 12:53 PM
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#71 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Code:
2046-47 FINAL FOUR 1) Richmond 1) Auburn 1) Central Michigan 9) Iowa State Code:
NIT CHAMPS (I had no idea Wyoming won an NIT) Code:
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03-13-2017, 02:17 PM
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#72 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2047-48: WALKING BACKWARDS
In Jeremiah Vargas 2nd year as head coach at Minnesota State, he preached for patience all year. Even when the team shot out of the OOC gate with 10 wins, he told people to relax and this team would need to gel.
They'll be waiting another year, but at least he recruited another monster class to help them get closer. Code:
As far as a team identity is concerned, scoring was the soup of the day for this team. When they shot the ball, they were hard for anyone to keep up with, but their record wasn't great against the few tough teams they had all year, going 2-5 against Top 100 clubs. Code:
Year 3 will be a no-excuses year for this program and we'll see whether or not Minnesota State has the goods to really take a huge step forward or if it'll end up being more of the same. With 4 4-star recruits showing up to go with a team only losing one senior starter, it'll be time for the club to get their act together. Code:
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03-13-2017, 02:19 PM
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#73 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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2047-48 FINAL FOUR
7) UNLV 11) JAMES MADISON 3) TEXAS TECH 4) MARYLAND Code:
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03-26-2017, 02:43 PM
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#74 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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So it finally happened. Last year's Minnesota State squad lost just two games, but one of those games came in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They've once again outgrown their small conference and will surely need to be moved after this year to compensate for things.
So another year passes, they make the tournament as a play-in 13 seed and after beating Texas A&M in the opening round by one point, they steamroll their way to a national championship, the first in school history. When you look back at the history of Minnesota State teams, this probably wasn't the most talented. But they did have talent, they were very lucky and also, they won when they needed to. I can't even believe this has finally happened after all of these years though and mostly when we least expected it. Code:
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They were horribly underseeded in this year's tournament, which is kind of how the team's facing them through the first few rounds were playing a much tougher team than their seed indicated. Which is kind of funny. The Delaware draw in the 2nd round was probably a gift, but...they blew UNC out, blew out the top seed.  Code:
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03-26-2017, 02:44 PM
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#75 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Code:
They're going back to the Big 12. Code:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 03-26-2017 at 04:53 PM. |
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