FBCB Interactive Coaches Dynasty- part 2

[bbgunn]

The only team Wazzu can beat in the conference are the leaders? Man...

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 21-27, 2022

1 feature games this week, and it's in the American:

Tulsa (Will Brown) @ ECU (Al Hutt) -- Very poor shooting doomed the Golden Hurricane, who shot just 28.8% for the game. After holding a 2 point halftime lead, they couldn't hit anything in the 2nd half and it helped ECU to a home victory.

Final Score: ECU- 54, Tulsa- 46

Now for the rest of the weekly recap:

Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 15-14, 9-7 T-4th America East.

2/25/22 at Binghamton (L 75-66).

The Hawks lose their final game of conference play, and that drops them all the way to a tie for 4th place. They won the tiebreaker and will be the 4th seed in the America East Tournament, opening up against 5th seed Maine.

UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 16-12, 11-5 2nd American.

2/23/22 vs. Temple (W 81-71).
2/26/22 vs. SMU (W 87-75).

2 more wins for the Huskies, who have rolled off 3 in a row, and 5 of the last 6. They even got a quality win against SMU. They can still win the AAC regular season title, but they must beat conference leaders Memphis next week, and still get help.

ECU (Al Hutt) -- 16-13, 9-7 T-5th American.

2/23/22 vs. Tulsa- feature game, highlighted above.

Just 1 game for the Pirates this weekend, but they took advantage of bad Tulsa shooting. UConn will be their biggest fans early next week as they take on Memphis a game before UConn does.

Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 14-14, 9-7 T-5th American.

2/23/22 at ECU- feature game, highlighted above.
2/26/22 vs. #17 Memphis (L 77-56).

The Golden Hurricane had a rough week, forgetting how to shot at ECU, and then of course, Memphis is just tough. They can still finish over .500 in conference play, but next week won't be easy either.

#12 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 22-7, 12-5 T-4th ACC.

2/23/22 vs. #6 Virginia (L 75-45).
2/26/22 at #14 Notre Dame (L 70-61).

Not a good week for the Blue Devils, who take a major drop in the standings. They fell apart against Virginia, and couldn't get over the hump at Notre Dame.

TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 14-13, 8-8 T-4th Big 12.

2/21/22 vs. Kansas (W 82-60).
2/26/22 vs. #20 Kansas State (W 60-48).

The Horned Frogs welcomed both Big 12 Kansas teams this week, and sent them both home with frowns on their faces. This puts them back over .500, and with next week being 2 games against teams that are in the same position, it puts a lot of importance on taking care of business.

#19 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 21-6, 13-3 T-2nd Big Ten.

2/23/22 at Minnesota (W 84-80).
2/26/22 vs. Michigan (W 81-63).

2 more wins for the Spartans, who are having their best season the 2017-2018 campaign. Their seed in the Big Ten Tourney is already locked up. No matter what happens next week against stiff competition, whether they find a way to win both, or split, or lose both, they are locked into 2nd place in the Big Ten.

Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 16-12, 8-8 T-6th Big Ten.

2/23/22 at Purdue (W 91-89).
2/26/22 at Maryland (L 84-67).

A road split for the Wildcats, who are barely hanging on to postseason aspirations. They face a pair of 17-11 teams next week, and getting at least 1 of those to stay at or above .500 in the conference will be very imperative.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-11, 8-7 T-4th Big West.

2/24/22 vs. Cal Poly (L 88-80).
2/26/22 at Cal State Northridge (W 76-64).

A split for the Warriors this week, and next week they have a single game against the conference leaders. They still have a chance to finish as high as 3rd or as low as 7th in the conference.

Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 15-12, 7-9 9th Conference USA.

2/24/22 vs. #11 Old Dominion (L 81-72).
2/26/22 at Middle Tennessee (L 82-47).

The Owls definitely didn't have their best week, with a tough loss to conference leader Old Dominion, as well as an embarrassing 35 point loss at Middle Tennessee. They better pick it up, and fast.

Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 20-8, 12-4 T-2nd Pac 12.

2/24/22 at Utah (W 66-55).
2/26/22 at Gonzaga (W 76-60).

2 solid road wins for the Buffaloes, and Coach Nielsen has to be in consideration for Pac 12, maybe even national COTY. This is Colorado's first 20 win season since the first season of this dynasty. They are still trailing Arizona though, but have a chance to meet them next week in a game that could decide the Pac 12 title.

Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 19-7, 12-4 T-2nd Pac 12.

2/24/22 vs. Washington (W 78-53).
2/26/22 vs. Oregon State (W 61-49).

2 more wins for the Cardinal, who are also 1 game behind Arizona. Unless they have a letdown next week, they'll pick up another 20 win season.

UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 19-9, 11-5 4th Pac 12.

2/24/22 vs. Gonzaga (L 98-91, OT).
2/26/22 at Arizona State (W 60-37).

A split for the Bruins, as they can't overcome blowing a 10 point halftime lead in an OT loss to Gonzaga. This means they have to win twice next week and get a lot, and I do mean a lot, of help if they are going to win another Pac 12 Title.

Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 10-18, 2-14 12th (last) Pac 12.

2/24/22 vs. #24 Arizona (L 73-66).
2/26/22 vs. Oregon (W 96-88).

Looks like the Cougars decided to wait until the end of the season to start playing good basketball. They actually had a 9 point halftime lead against Arizona, too bad they couldn't finish it off, but they seem to be building a little momentum.

Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-10, 12-4 T-1st SEC.

2/23/22 at LSU (L 98-93, OT).
2/26/22 vs. Tennessee (W 76-66).

The Crimson Tide could be in the SEC lead all by themselves had they not fallen late at LSU. Nevertheless, next week is huge for the Tide as they take on the conference co-leaders and the 3rd place team.

Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 21-8, 10-6 T-4th SEC.

2/23/22 vs. Florida (W 55-42).
2/26/22 at LSU (W 87-76).

2 more wins for the Wildcats, and they've won 3 straight after a 2 game losing streak. They still have a slight chance to extend their record of consecutive years winning or splitting the SEC title, but it's going to take 2 wins and a lot of help.

Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 17-12, 11-8 3rd Sun Belt.

2/24/22 at Arkansas Little Rock (L 68-59).
2/26/22 vs. UT Arlington (W 92-64).

Yet another split for the Trojans, who will probably miss out on the Sun Belt title. 1 more game next week, and a win could still get them a share of the conference title, but a loss could drop them all the way to 8th place. Either way, they know they will have a chance for more wins as they will qualify for the Sun Belt tournament.

Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of Feb. 28-March 6:

    #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                          test  test  test  test  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Wisconsin                (72)    29-1    1800    1  Big Ten Conference                                          
   2.  Wichita State                    29-1    1728    2  Missouri Valley Conference                                  
   3.  Baylor                           25-3    1624    3  Big 12 Conference                                           
   4.  Oklahoma                         23-5    1605    4  Big 12 Conference                                           
   5.  Virginia                         23-5    1514    6  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
   6.  Florida State                    23-5    1423   10  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
   7.  San Diego State                  24-4    1354    8  Mountain West Conference                                    
   8.  Texas                            22-6    1285    7  Big 12 Conference                                           
   9.  Syracuse                         22-6    1197    9  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
  10.  Old Dominion                     25-2    1182   11  Conference USA                                              
  11.  Notre Dame                       23-6    1092   14  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
  12.  Arkansas                         22-6     984    5  Southeastern Conference                                     
  13.  St. John's                       22-6     879   15  Big East Conference                                         
  14.  Memphis                          23-5     858   17  American Athletic Conference                                
  15.  Louisville                       20-8     698   13  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
  16.  Oakland                          25-5     675   18  Horizon League                                              
  17.  Duke                             22-7     621   12  Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
  18.  Michigan State                   21-6     553   19  Big Ten Conference                                          
  19.  Georgetown                       19-8     479   21  Big East Conference                                         
  20.  Arizona                          22-6     461   24  Pacific-12 Conference                                       
  21.  Villanova                        21-7     440   25  Big East Conference                                         
  22.  Sacred Heart                     25-4     353   23  Northeast Conference                                        
  23.  BYU                              23-7     284   16  West Coast Conference                                       
  24.  Buffalo                          21-7     130   NR  Mid-American Conference                                     
  25.  Kentucky                         21-8      90   NR  Southeastern Conference                                     
                                                                                                                       
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                                           
       North Carolina                  18-10      22       Atlantic Coast Conference                                   
       Stanford                         19-7      20       Pacific-12 Conference                                       
       Florida Gulf Coast               24-6      18       Atlantic Sun Conference                                     
       Massachusetts                    22-7      12       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       Kansas State                     19-9      11       Big 12 Conference                                           
       Colorado                         20-8       3       Pacific-12 Conference                                       
       FIU                              20-7       2       Conference USA                                              
       Iowa State                      18-11       1       Big 12 Conference                                           
       Manhattan                        22-6       1       Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference                          
       Southern Utah                    21-6       1       Big Sky Conference

Duke has a big drop in the polls thanks to losing twice this week, while Michigan State raises a spot. Kentucky is back in the top 25, while Stanford and Colorado are receiving votes again.

Now for the mid-major top 25 going into the week of Feb. 28-March 6:

    #  Team                         FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                          test  test  test  test  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Wichita State               (72)    29-1    1800    1  Missouri Valley Conference                                  
   2.  San Diego State                     24-4    1725    2  Mountain West Conference                                    
   3.  Old Dominion                        25-2    1658    3  Conference USA                                              
   4.  Memphis                             23-5    1572    5  American Athletic Conference                                
   5.  Oakland                             25-5    1497    6  Horizon League                                              
   6.  BYU                                 23-7    1455    4  West Coast Conference                                       
   7.  Buffalo                             21-7    1337    8  Mid-American Conference                                     
   8.  Sacred Heart                        25-4    1299    9  Northeast Conference                                        
   9.  Massachusetts                       22-7    1226    7  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  10.  Florida Gulf Coast                  24-6    1135   11  Atlantic Sun Conference                                     
  11.  FIU                                 20-7    1051   14  Conference USA                                              
  12.  Loyola MD                           23-6     937   10  Patriot League                                              
  13.  Manhattan                           22-6     886   13  Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference                          
  14.  Fresno State                        20-9     845   19  Mountain West Conference                                    
  15.  SMU                                 19-9     786   12  American Athletic Conference                                
  16.  UNC Wilmington                      22-8     759   17  Colonial Athletic Association                               
  17.  UNLV                               18-10     700   21  Mountain West Conference                                    
  18.  Richmond                            19-9     660   15  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  19.  William & Mary                      20-9     466   18  Colonial Athletic Association                               
  20.  Southern Utah                       21-6     437   20  Big Sky Conference                                          
  21.  Indiana State                      19-11     275   25  Missouri Valley Conference                                  
  22.  Boise State                        16-11     180   16  Mountain West Conference                                    
  23.  Bowling Green                      19-10     147   NR  Mid-American Conference                                     
  24.  Saint Joseph's                     18-10     118   22  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  25.  UAB                                 17-9      83   24  Conference USA                                              
                                                                                                                          
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                                              
       Rider                               21-9      74       Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference                          
       Long Beach State                    18-9      38       Big West Conference                                         
       Houston                            18-10      32       American Athletic Conference                                
       Belmont                            20-10      31       Ohio Valley Conference                                      
       Connecticut                        16-12      30       American Athletic Conference                                
       Texas A&M Corpus Christi            19-8      29       Southland Conference                                        
       Fordham                             18-9      25       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       Portland                           19-11      23       West Coast Conference                                       
       Alabama A&M                         20-8      22       Southwestern Athletic Conference                            
       Davidson                           17-11      19       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       New Mexico                         16-12       8       Mountain West Conference                                    
       UTEP                               17-11       8       Conference USA                                              
       Wagner                              21-8       8       Northeast Conference                                        
       Jacksonville State                 20-10       7       Ohio Valley Conference                                      
       George Washington                  17-11       6       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       Colgate                            19-10       4       Patriot League                                              
       Harvard                             18-9       2       Ivy League

Welcome back UConn, who is receiving mid-major votes again.

None of our teams are in the Overall Bubble Watch this week, but let's take a quick look:

OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH

 Team                 Record         RPI  vs. 1-50  vs. 51-100  vs. 101-200  vs. 200+  SOS  Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mississippi           17-11   .552 (60)       3-6         4-3          5-1       5-1   67         In
 Purdue                17-11   .558 (50)       3-6         2-3          6-1       6-1   63         In
 Indiana State         19-11   .567 (40)       0-4         2-2          7-3      10-2   69         In
 UTEP                  17-11   .574 (34)       4-4         1-1          6-3       6-3   30         In
 Colgate               19-10   .549 (63)       1-3         4-0          5-3       9-4  141         In
 Green Bay             18-12   .554 (57)       5-1         6-1          3-5       4-5   77         In
 SMU                    19-9   .544 (70)       1-2         8-3          4-2       6-2  144         In
 VCU                    19-9   .540 (80)       3-4         5-4          4-1       7-0  154         In
 UAB                    17-9   .545 (68)       1-4         1-1          5-3      10-1  135        Out
 Houston               18-10   .549 (65)       2-2         4-4          2-1      10-3  126        Out
 George Washington     17-11   .542 (76)       1-2         5-3          2-6       9-0  101        Out
 Davidson              17-11   .541 (79)       0-1         4-4          5-4       8-2  110        Out
 Indiana               17-11  .529 (101)       3-6         5-2          5-1       4-2  131        Out
 Portland              19-11  .526 (107)       2-1         0-3          6-6      11-1  200        Out
 Wagner                 21-8  .520 (121)       0-1         2-2          3-2      16-3  329        Out

Here's a look at our FOFC teams:

Locks: Duke, Michigan State, Stanford, UCLA, Kentucky, Alabama
In: Colorado

No changes from last week, it's exactly the same.

[law90026]

Ugh c'mon duke

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 28-March 6, 2022

1 feature game to tell you about this week, and we go to the Pac 12:

3/5/22- UCLA (Tim Shepard) @ Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- Unbelievable what Washington State has done over the past couple weeks, as they steal another one, forcing 19 UCLA turnovers and holding them to 37.3% shooting. They got up by double digits early and never looked back to stun another team.

Final Score: Washington State- 76, UCLA- 62

Now to the rest of the weekly recap:

Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 15-15, 9-7 America East.

3/3/22- America East Quarterfinals vs. (5) Maine (L 78-73).

It was a quick exit from the conference tournament for the Hawks, who pretty much needed to win it to ensure a postseason berth. With their .500 record and 205 RPI, it's safe to say they'll be staying home this postseason after 2 straight berths.

UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 16-14, 11-7 T-3rd American.

3/2/22 at Cincinnati (L 77-69).
3/5/22 at #14 Memphis (L 89-88, OT).

The Huskies lost an OT heartbreak at Memphis, and also fell short at Cincinnati. They ended up in a 3 way tie for 3rd, and will pick up the 4th seed in the American Tournament. They'll open up in the Quarterfinals against (5) Houston.

ECU (Al Hutt) -- 17-14, 10-8 6th American.

3/2/22 at #14 Memphis (L 103-79).
3/5/22 at Temple (W 61-60).

The Pirates ended the regular season with a split, narrowly defeating Temple on the road. They'll be the 6th seed in the American Tournament, where they'll open up in the First Round against (11) Temple, who they just squeaked out a win against.

Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 16-14, 11-7 T-3rd American.

3/2/22 at Houston (W 76-69).
3/5/22 vs. Cincinnati (W 86-56).

The Golden Hurricane took care of business this week, stealing the 3rd seed away from both UConn and Houston and will get a bye in the American Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against the winner of (11) Temple/(6) ECU.

#17 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 23-7, 13-5 T-4th ACC.

3/5/22 vs. N.C. State (W 96-87).

Just 1 game this week for the Blue Devils who pick up a big win. They lost out on both the #4 seed and a double bye with their tough finish, but they'll still be the 5th seed in the ACC Tournament and get a single bye into the Second Round, where they'll await the winner of a First Round game between (13) N.C. State and (12) Virginia Tech.

TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 15-14, 9-9 T-4th Big 12.

2/28/22 at West Virginia (L 82-51).
3/5/22 at Texas Tech (W 80-54).

A road split for the Horned Frogs, and a pair of blowouts. They will be the 4th seed in the Big 12 Tournament and take on (5) Kansas State in the Quarterfinals.

#18 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 21-8, 13-5 2nd Big Ten.

3/2/22 vs. Illinois (L 68-67).
3/5/22 vs. #1 Wisconsin (L 76-73).

A pair of agonizing defeats at home for the Spartans, who battled in both games against tough competition. They were already locked into the 2nd seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and they'll get a single bye into the Quarterfinals and take on the winner of a Second Round game between (10) Maryland and (7) Indiana.

Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 17-13, 9-9 T-6th Big Ten.

3/2/22 at Penn State (L 97-74).
3/5/22 vs. Indiana (W 79-72).

A split for the Wildcats, who have some work to do, and not an easy draw. They drew the shortest straw in the 3 team tiebreaker for 6th, and will fall all the way to the 8th seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They'll open up against (9) Ohio State in the Second Round.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-12, 8-8 5th Big West.

3/5/22 vs. Long Beach State (L 77-72).

A gallant effort, but the Warriors fell short in a single game this week, narrowly losing against the conference winner. They'll be the 5th seed in the Big West Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against (4) UC Santa Barbara. Remember, in the Big West Tournament (at least in FBCB, don't know if it's the same way in real life), the semifinal teams are reseeded.

Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 16-13, 8-10 T-7th Conference USA.

3/3/22 at Louisiana Tech (W 79-59).
3/5/22 at FIU (L 94-93, OT).

1 point, 1 lousy point is all that separated the Owls from raising their seed in the conference tournament. Instead, they come in 3rd out of a 4 team tiebreaker for 7th and will be the 9th seed in the Conference USA Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against (8) Charlotte. On a bright note, the win at Louisiana Tech was career win #100 for Coach Shocker.

Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 21-9, 13-5 T-2nd Pac 12.

3/3/22 vs. #20 Arizona (L 71-69).
3/5/22 at California (W 84-82, OT).

Tough week for the Buffaloes. They narrowly defeated Cal in OT, but before that, lost a heartbreaking buzzer beater to Arizona, who ended up winning the Pac 12 regular season title. Still a great season for Coach Nielsen, as he and Colorado will be the 2nd seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals and taking on the winner of a First Round game between (10) Oregon and (7) Washington.

Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 20-8, 13-5 T-2nd Pac 12.

3/3/22 at Arizona State (W 60-52).
3/5/22 at Oregon (L 55-45).

A split for the Cardinal, who missed a chance to share the Pac 12 regular season title, maybe even win it outright, as they dropped their regular season finale to Oregon. Instead of a possible 1 or 2 seed, they'll still be a respectable 3rd seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals and taking on the First Round winner between (11) Utah and (6) Oregon State.

UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 20-10, 12-6 4th Pac 12.

3/3/22 vs. Utah (W 68-54).
3/5/22 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.

The Bruins split, and also missed a chance for a higher seed after a loss to a suddenly hot Washington State team. They'll be the 4th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament and get a bye into the Quarterfinals, where they'll open up against the winner of a First Round game between (12) Washington State and (5) Gonzaga.

Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 11-19, 3-15 12th (last) Pac 12.

3/3/22 at Gonzaga (L 97-63).
3/5/22 vs. UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.

A split for the Cougars, who go 3-3 in their last 6 games. Not bad considering they lost their first 12 conference games. They'll obviously be the 12th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, and will open up in the First Round against (5) Gonzaga, who just beat they by 34 points. Do the Cougs have another upset in them?

Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-12, 12-6 T-2nd SEC.

3/2/22 vs. #12 Arkansas (L 88-80).
3/5/22 at VCU (L 66-60).

2 damaging losses for the Crimson Tide, who might be fighting for an at-large berth now. They finish in the middle of a 3 way tie for 2nd and will be the 3rd seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll get a double bye into the Quarterfinals and will take on either (14) South Carolina, (11) Florida, or (6) Ole Miss.

#25 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 23-8, 12-6 T-2nd SEC.

3/2/22 at Texas A&M (W 79-57).
3/5/22 at Auburn (W 78-61).

2 dominating road wins for the Wildcats, who finish on a 5 game winning streak. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, as Kentucky misses out on either a share of, or the SEC title outright, for the first time in this dynasty. They win all the tiebreakers for 2nd place though and will be the 2nd seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll get a double bye to the Quarterfinals and open up against the winner of a Second Round game between (10) Texas A&M and (7) Missouri.

Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 18-12, 12-8 3rd Sun Belt.

3/5/22 at Arkansas State (W 77-69).

1 game for the Trojans this week, but it was a win. Coach Hawkins has led Troy to their best season so far in this dynasty, setting the team record for both the most conference and overall wins in a season. In the quirky Sun Belt Tournament format, they'll get a bye into the Second Round and will take on the winner of a First Round game between (7) Arkansas Little Rock and (6) South Alabama.

Here's a look at the final national top 25 poll before March Madness begins:

    #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                    test  test  test  test  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Wisconsin                (72)    31-1    1800    1  Big Ten Conference                                    
   2.  Wichita State                    32-1    1728    2  Missouri Valley Conference                            
   3.  Baylor                           27-3    1656    3  Big 12 Conference                                     
   4.  Oklahoma                         23-7    1526    4  Big 12 Conference                                     
   5.  Virginia                         24-6    1517    5  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
   6.  San Diego State                  26-4    1409    7  Mountain West Conference                              
   7.  Texas                            24-6    1323    8  Big 12 Conference                                     
   8.  Florida State                    24-6    1319    6  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
   9.  Old Dominion                     27-2    1177   10  Conference USA                                        
  10.  Syracuse                         23-7    1143    9  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
  11.  Arkansas                         24-6    1121   12  Southeastern Conference                               
  12.  Notre Dame                       24-6    1089   11  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
  13.  St. John's                       24-6     894   13  Big East Conference                                   
  14.  Memphis                          25-5     864   14  American Athletic Conference                          
  15.  Arizona                          24-6     722   20  Pacific-12 Conference                                 
  16.  Georgetown                       21-8     703   19  Big East Conference                                   
  17.  Duke                             23-7     647   17  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
  18.  Oakland                          25-5     554   16  Horizon League                                        
  19.  Louisville                       22-8     525   15  Atlantic Coast Conference                             
  20.  Villanova                        22-8     383   21  Big East Conference                                   
  21.  BYU                              24-7     353   23  West Coast Conference                                 
  22.  Buffalo                          22-7     347   24  Mid-American Conference                               
  23.  Kentucky                         23-8     333   25  Southeastern Conference                               
  24.  Michigan State                   21-8      76   18  Big Ten Conference                                    
  25.  Sacred Heart                     25-5      76   22  Northeast Conference                                  
                                                                                                                 
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                                     
       North Carolina                  20-10      52       Atlantic Coast Conference                             
       FIU                              22-7      21       Conference USA                                        
       Vanderbilt                       22-9      15       Southeastern Conference                               
       Kansas State                    20-10      10       Big 12 Conference                                     
       Fresno State                     22-9       6       Mountain West Conference                              
       Loyola MD                        25-6       6       Patriot League                                        
       Florida Gulf Coast               26-7       3       Atlantic Sun Conference                               
       Southern Utah                    23-6       2       Big Sky Conference

Duke stays put at 17 while Kentucky moves up 2 spots, and poor Michigan State drops 6 spots. Feels like a bit of a tough drop, especially since they only lost both their games this week by a combined 4 points. Stanford and Colorado both lose their votes.

Now for the final mid-major poll of the season:

    #  Team                         FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                          test  test  test  test  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Wichita State               (72)    32-1    1800    1  Missouri Valley Conference                                  
   2.  San Diego State                     26-4    1723    2  Mountain West Conference                                    
   3.  Old Dominion                        27-2    1660    3  Conference USA                                              
   4.  Memphis                             25-5    1583    4  American Athletic Conference                                
   5.  BYU                                 24-7    1466    6  West Coast Conference                                       
   6.  Oakland                             25-5    1466    5  Horizon League                                              
   7.  Buffalo                             22-7    1387    7  Mid-American Conference                                     
   8.  FIU                                 22-7    1264   11  Conference USA                                              
   9.  Sacred Heart                        25-5    1173    8  Northeast Conference                                        
  10.  Fresno State                        22-9    1116   14  Mountain West Conference                                    
  11.  Loyola MD                           25-6    1063   12  Patriot League                                              
  12.  Florida Gulf Coast                  26-7     971   10  Atlantic Sun Conference                                     
  13.  Richmond                            21-9     955   18  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  14.  Massachusetts                       22-9     869    9  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  15.  SMU                                 21-9     855   15  American Athletic Conference                                
  16.  Manhattan                           23-7     722   13  Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference                          
  17.  Southern Utah                       23-6     652   20  Big Sky Conference                                          
  18.  UNC Wilmington                      22-9     538   16  Colonial Athletic Association                               
  19.  William & Mary                     22-10     529   19  Colonial Athletic Association                               
  20.  Saint Joseph's                     20-10     420   24  Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
  21.  Rider                               23-9     302   NR  Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference                          
  22.  UNLV                               18-12     217   17  Mountain West Conference                                    
  23.  Boise State                        17-12     186   22  Mountain West Conference                                    
  24.  Green Bay                          20-12     159   NR  Horizon League                                              
  25.  Harvard                             20-9     105   NR  Ivy League                                                  
                                                                                                                          
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                                              
       New Mexico                         18-12      45       Mountain West Conference                                    
       Alabama A&M                         21-8      38       Southwestern Athletic Conference                            
       Indiana State                      19-12      38       Missouri Valley Conference                                  
       Portland                           20-11      23       West Coast Conference                                       
       Davidson                           18-12      19       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       George Washington                  18-12      15       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       Belmont                            20-11      11       Ohio Valley Conference                                      
       Long Beach State                   19-10       9       Big West Conference                                         
       Texas A&M Corpus Christi            20-9       9       Southland Conference                                        
       Mercer                             21-11       6       Southern Conference                                         
       Rhode Island                       16-12       4       Atlantic 10 Conference                                      
       Bowling Green                      19-11       1       Mid-American Conference                                     
       Wagner                              21-9       1       Northeast Conference

As expected, none of our FOFC teams are in the mix.

Here's a look at the final edition of this seasons Bubble Watch, starting with the Overall Bubble Watch in which none of our teams are involved:

OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH

 Team                 Record         RPI  vs. 1-50  vs. 51-100  vs. 101-200  vs. 200+  SOS  Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 UNLV                  18-12   .578 (27)       3-4         5-2          7-5       3-1   12         In
 Iowa                  18-12   .562 (42)       3-9         3-1          8-1       4-1   26         In
 Mississippi           18-12   .552 (56)       4-7         1-3          7-1       6-1   55         In
 Penn State            18-12   .565 (40)       4-6         2-1          7-3       5-2   30         In
 George Washington     18-12   .552 (57)       3-4         4-1          2-7       9-0   75         In
 New Mexico            18-12   .558 (46)       1-4         6-3          8-5       3-0   53         In
 Indiana State         19-12   .566 (39)       0-4         3-3          9-3       7-2   47         In
 VCU                   20-10   .542 (72)       4-5         1-4          6-1       9-0  145         In
 SMU                    21-9   .539 (76)       1-2         6-5          6-0       8-2  189        Out
 UAB                   17-11   .543 (69)       1-4         1-3          5-3      10-1  100        Out
 Colgate               19-11   .543 (70)       0-3         5-0          5-3       9-5  147        Out
 Houston               18-11   .539 (77)       2-2         4-5          1-1      11-3  126        Out
 Utah State            18-12   .540 (75)       3-6         2-2          5-3       8-1  114        Out
 Davidson              18-12   .539 (78)       1-3         4-4          4-3       9-2  117        Out
 Portland              20-11  .524 (107)       2-0         0-3          6-7      12-1  223        Out

And a final look at what our 17 FOFC teams are predicted to do:

Locks: Duke, Michigan State, Stanford, Colorado, Kentucky
In: UCLA, Alabama

A few changes, as Colorado goes back to the lock line, they were on the in line last week. And UCLA and Alabama both go from the lock line to the in line, which means while they aren't on the bubble, they still have some work to do.

[collegesportsfanms]

March 7-13, 2022

1 feature game during the conference tournaments, and it came in the AAC.

3/11/22- American Quarterfinals - (6) ECU (Al Hutt) vs. (3) Tulsa (Will Brown) -- ECU got to the line often in this one, and took full advantage in an otherwise even game. The free throw shooting led them to the AAC semifinals.

Final Score: (6) ECU- 62, (3) Tulsa- 51

Now for the rest of the weekly recap:

Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 15-15, 9-7 America East.

The Hawks played their conference tournament last week and will miss the postseason.

UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 16-15, 11-7 American.

3/11/22- American Quarterfinals vs. (5) Houston (L 57-33).

Not a good finish to the season for the Huskies. They didn't show up against Houston at all. That RPI of 62 might be enough to squeeze them into the NIT, but don't be surprised if they get dropped to the CBI, if even that.

ECU (Al Hutt) -- 19-15, 10-8 American.

3/11/22- American Quarterfinals vs. (3) Tulsa- feature game, highlighted above.
3/12/22- American Semifinals vs. (2) SMU (L 88-86).

Not a bad performance for the Pirates, who probably got themselves an NIT bid. They sure would have liked to have beaten SMU though.

Will Brown (Tulsa) -- 16-15, 11-7 American.

3/11/22- American Quarterfinals vs. (6) ECU- feature game, highlighted above.

Tough loss for the Golden Hurricane who committed way too many fouls. They are in the same boat as UConn, except their RPI is much lower, so they are probably done for the season.

#17 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 24-8, 13-5 ACC.

3/9/22- ACC Second Round vs. (13) N.C. State (W 70-61).
3/10/22- ACC Quarterfinals vs. (4) #12 Notre Dame (L 87-49).

Ouch! The Blue Devils might as well have not showed up against Notre Dame. An embarrassing performance, but they are NCAA bound. Their seed will probably take a hit with that performance over ND though.

TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 17-15, 9-9 Big 12.

3/10/22- Big 12 Quarterfinals vs. (5) Kansas State (W 85-67).
3/11/22- Big 12 Semifinals vs. (9) West Virginia (W 73-70).
3/12/22- Big 12 Championship vs. (3) Oklahoma (L 76-67).

Nice run for the Horned Frogs, as their RPI of 18 is more than good enough to warrant an NCAA Tournament bid, but that record will probably keep them out. Top seed in the NIT maybe.

#24 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 23-9, 13-5 Big Ten.

3/11/22- Big Ten Quarterfinals vs. (10) Maryland (W 69-52).
3/12/22- Big Ten Semifinals vs. (3) Illinois (W 68-63).
3/13/22- Big Ten Championship vs. (4) Iowa (L 78-73).

So close for the Spartans, who are in the midst of their best season in a while. They are NCAA tournament bound.

Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 17-14, 9-9 Big Ten.

3/10/22- Big Ten Second Round vs. (9) Ohio State (L 68-60).

Tough one for the Wildcats, who really needed a win or 2 in this tournament to feel good about a postseason berth. I think they get left out and we see a new coach there next season.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-13, 8-8 Big West.

3/10/22- Big West Quarterfinals vs. (4) UC Santa Barbara (L 84-59).

The Warriors missed a golden opportunity to make some noise, and even though their record is 4 games over .500, their RPI of 165 makes me think their season is over too.

Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 16-14, 8-10 Conference USA.

3/9/22- Conference USA Second Round vs. (8) Charlotte (L 68-59).

Not the performance the Owls were looking for, and they are another team that will probably be left out of the postseason.

Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 21-10, 13-5 Pac 12.

3/10/22- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (10) Oregon (L 63-52).

Another embarrassing loss for the Buffaloes. They'll make the NCAA Tournament with 10 losses, but I can't expect their seed to be great. Maybe a 9 or 10.

Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 22-9, 13-5 Pac 12.

3/10/22- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (6) Oregon State (W 67-48).
3/11/22- Pac 12 Semifinals vs. (10) Oregon (W 63-60).
3/12/22- Pac 12 Championship vs. (1) #15 Arizona (L 75-62).

Nice run for the Cardinal, but they fall just short against an Arizona team that really turned the corner mid-season. Stanford will be in the NCAA Tournament, and their seed should be higher than Colorado's.

UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 20-11, 12-6 Pac 12.

3/10/22- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (5) Gonzaga (L 79-61).

Tough one for the Bruins, who have really had a disappointing season, not up to their standards. In fact, there's a real question whether they make the NCAA Tournament or not. I say they still do, as a First Four team.

Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 11-20, 3-15 Pac 12.

3/9/22- Pac 12 First Round vs. (5) Gonzaga (L 85-71).

A better effort for the Cougars, but they still end the season with a whimper, and are obviously going home. We've seen signs of a good team there, but Coach St. John has work to do.

Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-13, 12-6 SEC.

3/11/22- SEC Quarterfinals vs. (6) Ole Miss (L 67-58).

The Crimson Tide really needed a win or 2 to feel good about their NCAA Tournament chances. They should still be in, but possibly in a First Four game.

#23 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 23-9, 12-6 SEC.

3/11/22- SEC Quarterfinals vs. (10) Texas A&M (L 83-76, OT).

The Wildcats will still be dancing, but this is the worst season they've had in the Coach Hutt era. Let's hope they are fired up for NCAA play.

Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 20-13, 12-8 Sun Belt.

3/11/22- Sun Belt Second Round vs. (6) South Alabama (W 59-54).
3/12/22- Sun Belt Semifinals vs. (2) UL Lafayette (W 86-78).
3/13/22- Sun Belt Championship vs. (1) Northern Kentucky (L 76-68).

Great run for the Trojans, who are in the midst of their best season ever. The only thing that would top it is a postseason berth. Their RPI is still pretty bad at 169, but it would be a damn shame if they don't get a postseason berth with 20 wins.

And now it's time for what we've all been waiting for, Selection Sunday.

[collegesportsfanms]

2022 Selection Sunday

Stanford got the 8th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will take on 9th seed BYU.

Michigan State got the 6th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will take on another FOFC team, 11th seed Colorado.

Duke got the 4th seed in the NCAA East Region, and will open up against 13th seed Mercer.

Kentucky got the 5th seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up against the winner of a First Four game between Purdue and Davidson.

Alabama got the top seed in the NIT Midwest Region and will open up by hosting the winner of a First Round game between 9th seed Utah State and 8th seed UL Lafayette.

UCLA gets the top seed in the NIT South Region and will open up by hosting the winner of a First Round game between 9th seed Miami and 8th seed McNeese State.

It's official! Troy makes their first ever postseason berth (at least in this dynasty) by getting the 7th seed in the NIT East Region. They'll host a First Round game against 10th seed Charleston Southern, with the winner travelling to 2nd seed UNC Wilmington.

ECU gets the 2nd seed in the CBI and will open up by hosting another FOFC team, 15th seed Northwestern.

Hawaii gets the 14th seed in the CBI and will open up by travelling to 3rd seed Eastern Illinois.

Rice gets the 9th seed in the CIT and will open up by travelling to 8th seed UMBC.

12 of the 17 FOFC teams make the postseason, gotta be a record.

[Breeze]

Woo Hoo in the NIT...that's a big step forward for Troy.

[Coffee Warlord]

Sad tourney performance, but we'll crush Michigan State.

[vex]

When it comes time, I would like to look at potential coaching destinations for Will Brown.

[thealmighty]

17 wins and 18 RPI doesn't warrant a bid to even a crap post season tourney? Have to be better than some that got in!!

[collegesportsfanms]

Originally Posted by Breeze

Woo Hoo in the NIT...that's a big step forward for Troy.

Yep, I told ya! Patience. Hopefully this will be the start of a nice postseason streak.

[collegesportsfanms]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Sad tourney performance, but we'll crush Michigan State.

Them's fighting words from Coach Nielsen. Does Coach Mighty have a response?

[collegesportsfanms]

Originally Posted by vex

When it comes time, I would like to look at potential coaching destinations for Will Brown.

Can do, I'll be at that point sometime this week.

[collegesportsfanms]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

17 wins and 18 RPI doesn't warrant a bid to even a crap post season tourney? Have to be better than some that got in!!

Yea, that was a little ironic to me. I mean they are in a power 5 conference, so I expected them to be at least in the NIT.

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by collegesportsfanms

Them's fighting words from Coach Nielsen. Does Coach Mighty have a response?

Unfortunately, Coach Al never has any idea which Sparty team will decide to make an appearance.

[collegesportsfanms]

2022 Postseason

With 12 FOFC teams in the tournament, and 2 feature games already guaranteed, the question is would there be anymore. The answer is yes, we have 3 total:

3/16/22- CBI First Round -- (15) Northwestern (Ess Vee) @ (2) ECU (Al Hutt) -- ECU led by 7 at halftime, but Northwestern dominated the second half, outscoring the Pirates by 15 points to pick up the road victory and advance.

Final Score: (15) Northwestern- 80, (2) ECU- 72

3/18/22- NCAA Midwest Region First Round -- (11) Colorado (Rob Nielsen vs. (6) Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- Coach Mighty said in the pregame that he didn't know which Spartan team would show up, and unfortunately it wasn't the one that needed to. Offensively both teams were fine, but defensively, Michigan State couldn't stop anybody, allowing Colorado to shoot 60.3% from the floor and 72.2% from three point land. All this led to a Colorado win.

Final Score: (11) Colorado- 89, (6) Michigan State- 81

3/19/22- NCAA East Region Second Round -- (5) Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) vs. (4) Duke (Dean Hoo) -- For the second straight year, the Blue Devils and Wildcats resumed their rivalry in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. This time it was Kentucky getting the victory, albeit much closer than last years Duke victory. Despite shooting just 36.5% from the field, Kentucky only turned the ball over 8 times and made 10 three pointers to get the narrow win, and revenge for last season.

Final Score: (5) Kentucky- 84, (4) Duke- 79

Now for the rest of the postseason recap:

ECU (Al Hutt) -- 19-16, 10-8 American.

3/16/22- CBI First Round vs. (15) Northwestern- feature game, highlighted above.

It wasn't the end that the Pirates wanted, but 2 straight postseason appearances have the ECU brass ready to offer Coach Hutt a contract extension (contract extensions aren't in the game really, but in real life, the turnaround Al Hutt has gotten for ECU would probably really net one).

Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 25-9, 13-5 ACC.

3/17/22- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (13) Mercer (W 81-47).
3/19/22- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (5) Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.

The Blue Devils will probably pay off the committee if it means not playing Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament next year, or anytime in the future. But.. there needs to be a rubber match as to my knowledge, they are 1-1 against each other in this dynasty.

Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 23-10, 13-5 Big Ten.

3/18/22- NCAA Midwest Region First Round vs. (11) Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.

As mentioned above, Coach Mighty wasn't feeling good about his team coming into the postseason. Still a disappointing season overall for a team that has so much potential and is expected to do better.

Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 19-15, 9-9 Big Ten.

3/16/22- CBI First Round at (2) ECU- feature game, highlighted above.
3/21/22- CBI Quarterfinals at (7) Oklahoma State (W 83-81).
3/23/22- CBI Semifinals at (11) Colorado State (L 93-82).

The Wildcats might have just saved Coach Vee's job, at least for another season. Not only did they make a postseason tournament, which was what the board wanted, but they also went ahead and won a couple games before running out of steam against Colorado State.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 18-14, 8-8 Big West.

3/15/22- CBI First Round at (3) Eastern Illinois (W 68-47).
3/21/22- CBI Quarterfinals at (11) Colorado State (L 74-65).

So Colorado State took out both our FOFC teams playing in the CBI. The Warriors made their first postseason in 4 years, and while Coach Gunn wasn't quite on the hot seat this season, he didn't meet the boards expectations of a conference championship. firecoachgunn.com took a poll, and it is 50/50 as to whether he should be on the Hawaii sidelines next season.

Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 17-15, 8-10 Conference USA.

3/16/22- CIT First Round at (8) UMBC (W 80-79, OT).
3/21/22- CIT Quarterfinals at (1) Lehigh (L 99-90).

The Owls also won a game in their first postseason appearance in 4 years, even though they needed overtime to do it. If they could have played some defense at Lehigh, who knows what would have happened.

Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 22-11, 13-5 Pac 12.

3/18/22- NCAA Midwest Region First Round vs. (6) Michigan State- feature game, highlighted above.
3/20/22- NCAA Midwest Region Second Round vs. (3) Memphis (L 69-68).

Heartbreak for the Buffaloes, who were just 1 lousy basket away from a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Not bad for a team that missed the postseason the last 5 years.

Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 22-10, 13-5 Pac 12.

3/17/22- NCAA Midwest Region First Round vs. (9) BYU (L 64-59).

One and done for the Cardinal, who were also making it back to the postseason for the first time in 3 years (are we noticing a trend here?)

UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 24-12, 12-6 Pac 12.

3/17/22- NIT South Region Second Round vs. (8) McNeese State (W 99-76).
3/20/22- NIT South Region Semifinal vs. (4) Manhattan (W 80-71).
3/25/22- NIT South Region Championship vs. (3) St. Joseph's (W 73-56).
3/29/22- NIT Final Four vs. (4MW) Portland (W 65-44).
3/31/22- NIT Championship vs. (2W) New Mexico (L 63-43).

The Bruins fall short in their quest for their 2nd NIT Title since this dynasty started, and would have been their 2nd in 3 years. However, for the 2nd straight season, they get blown out in a championship game (last year NCAA Championship) but they have a nice streak going on: 3 straight years playing in a postseason championship game. Also, the win over Portland in the NIT Final Four was career win #200 for Coach Shepard. Much congrats to him.

Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-14, 12-6 SEC.

3/16/22- NIT Midwest Region Second Round vs. (9) Utah State (L 86-83, OT).

Not exactly the postseason performance the Crimson Tide wanted, especially since they blew a halftime lead. A nice turnaround from missing the postseason last year though.

Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 27-10, 12-6 SEC.

3/17/22- NCAA East Region First Round vs. (12) Davidson (W 71-61).
3/19/22- NCAA East Region Second Round vs. (4) Duke- feature game, highlighted above.
3/25/22- NCAA East Region Semifinal vs. (1) San Diego State (W 70-68).
3/27/22- NCAA East Region Championship vs. (3) Arkansas (W 90-67).
4/2/22- NCAA Final Four vs. (3MW) Memphis (L 94-76).

The Wildcats finally got back to the Final Four, although they are still looking for their first National Championship in this dynasty. Still though, they got revenge against Duke and Arkansas both, and beat a #1 seed on their way to the Final Four. Not bad, but the expectations will continue to be high.

Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 21-14, 12-8 Sun Belt.

3/15/22- NIT East Region First Round vs. (10) Charleston Southern (W 81-77).
3/17/22- NIT East Region Second Round at (2) UNC Wilmington (L 67-55).

The first ever postseason game in this dynasty for the Trojans led to a win, a big monkey off coach Hawkins' back. Unfortunately, that's as far as it went, but the future is bright for more postseason returns.

And that concludes the 2022 postseason recap. 3 of our 12 teams made it to the Final Four of their respective tournaments (Northwestern- CBI, UCLA- NIT, Kentucky- NCAA) but there were a couple teams that lost their first game. Overall, not a bad performance, and definitely the best as far as # of FOFC teams that made the postseason.

Tomorrow I'll have the postseason recap and get into awards and recruiting rankings.

[collegesportsfanms]

A huge apology to Coach Bee Mighty of TCU, an oversight on my part, as he got career win #100 in the Big 12 Semifinal win over West Virginia. And yes, I still say the Horned Frogs were snubbed this season.

[rjolley]

Congrats to Coach Sanchez for making it to the Big Dance. Next time, let's hope they stay longer.

Congrats to Coach Shepard for making it to another postseason championship game, but it's concerning that he can't get the team ready to play in the big game.

Congrats to all of the FOFC coaches for their great seasons.

[Coffee Warlord]

Tough loss, but can't complain on the season as a whole.

[law90026]

Well that was a disappointing loss to an inferior team.

[collegesportsfanms]

2022 Postseason Recap

We know that Kentucky lost to Memphis in one NCAA National Semifinal, but the other semifinal saw (8S) Iowa beat (5W) Georgetown 66-52. Then, for the 2nd straight season, a #8 seed won the national championship as Iowa beat Memphis 100-81.

We know that UCLA beat Portland in the NIT Final Four and lost to New Mexico
in the NIT Championship. New Mexico beat (4S) George Washington 66-53 in the other NIT Semifinal.

In the CBI Championship Series, it was a quick one, as (9) Cincinnati beat (11) Colorado State in 2 games. The first game saw Cincinnati win 90-80, and the Bearcats won the second game 83-71.

The CIT Championship saw (15) South Alabama beat (1) Lehigh 77-57.

[collegesportsfanms]

2021-2022 National Awards

Michigan State had 1 player on the All-NCAA 1st Team.

Kentucky had the NCAA Freshman of the Year and also had that same player make the NCAA All-Freshman Team. They also had a player on the All-NCAA 3rd Team.

2021-2022 Conference Awards

Hartford had 1 player on the America East 2nd Team.

UConn had 1 player on the America East 2nd Team and 1 player on the America East All-Freshman Team.

ECU had 1 player on the American 2nd Team.

No awards for Tulsa.

Duke had 1 player on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

TCU had 3 players on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. This could bode well for them in the future.

Michigan State had a player on the Big Ten 1st Team and a player on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Northwestern had a player on the Big Ten 1st Team.

Hawaii had 1 player on the Big West All-Freshman Team.

Rice had 1 player on the Conference USA 2nd Team.

Colorado head coach Rob Nielsen was named Pac 12 Coach of the Year. Besides that, the Buffs had 1 player on the Pac 12 1st Team, 1 player on the Pac 12 2nd Team, and 1 player on the Pac 12 All-Freshman Team.

Stanford had 2 players on the Pac 12 2nd Team.

UCLA had 3 players on the Pac 12 1st Team and 1 player on the Pac 12 2nd Team.

Washington State had 1 player on the Pac 12 All-Freshman Team.

No awards for Alabama.

Kentucky had the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. The Wildcats also had 2 players on the SEC 1st Team and 1 player on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Troy head coach Brett Hawkins was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year. The Trojans also had 2 players on the Sun Belt 2nd Team and 1 player on the Sun Belt All-Freshman Team.

[collegesportsfanms]

2021-2022 Recruiting Class Rankings

Hartford had the 79th best class in the nation, tops in the America East by a wide margin.

UConn had the 175th best class in the nation, good for 9th in the American.

ECU had the 125th best class in the nation, good for 8th in the American.

Tulsa had the 259th best class in the nation, last in the American.

Duke had the 20th best class in the nation, good for just 5th in the ACC.

TCU had the 101st best class in the nation, good for 7th in the Big 12.

Michigan State had the 40th best class in the nation, good for 7th in the Big Ten.

Northwestern had the 29th best class in the nation, good for 6th in the Big Ten.

Hawaii had the 184th best class in the nation, good for 6th in the Big West.

Rice had the 92nd best class in the nation, good for 3rd in Conference USA.

Colorado had the 39th best class in the nation, good for 6th in the Pac 12.

Stanford had the 71st best class in the nation, good for 8th in the Pac 12.

UCLA had the 8th best class in the nation, good for 2nd in the Pac 12, behind who else.. Arizona.

Washington State had the 275th best class in the nation, last in the Pac 12.

Alabama had the 47th best class in the nation, good for 6th in the SEC.

Kentucky had the 30th best class in the nation, good for 5th in the SEC.

Troy had the 307th best class in the nation, good 8th in the Sun Belt. Yikes!

[collegesportsfanms]

OK guys, it's check-in time! We have 17 FOFC coaches, and we have a few users that have multiple coaches. Most of you I've heard from at some point throughout the season, but just give me a quick shout to let me know you're still following.

Also, before I get into the head coach period, are there any other teams that want to do a test and resign and see what job offers they get? I know that Tulsa wanted to run a test, are there any other schools? I'll give it through the weekend and if not, I'll move forward.

[DavidCorperial]

79th best recruiting class in the country for a team from the American East, wow!

[law90026]

20th in the country. Coach Hoo earning his salary

[vex]

Still following and still looking to leave Tulsa.

[Coffee Warlord]

Whoo awards! Nielsen wants a raise!

[Breeze]

that recruiting class...that's the way to build on our strong season

[rjolley]

Way to go with recruiting, coaches.

Can someone lock the Arizona coach in a closet somewhere?

[thealmighty]

I hope that 101st best class was because they had few to offer with noone leaving.

[collegesportsfanms]

A couple coaches I haven't heard from that have been active recently. Neuqua, bbgunn, muns. I'm going to go ahead and run the head coach movement period, but as always, I won't save it, so if you guys decide you want to test the market by resigning and seeing what offers come their way, let me know either today or tomorrow at the latest, otherwise I'll move forward.

The only user that I haven't heard from in a while is Zinto, who hasn't been on the forums in over a month. If I drop his teams, that would eliminate Kentucky and ECU, and I almost hate to do that because well.. Kentucky is Kentucky, and ECU is on the rise. But, we did kind of discuss it earlier and we decided that it wasn't really fair to keep coaches active if their users hadn't checked in or even been on the forums for over a month. So I want your guys opinion on that. Remove his coaches for now, or keep them in?

I'll run the head coach movement later today.

[bbgunn]

I thought I posted this yesterday, but...
Keep my guys at the same schools for now. Let's see what happens.

[muns]

I am still around. Just keep forgetting to check back here. Rice get any offers?

[collegesportsfanms]

Some news and notes:

As Zinto hasn't been on the boards in almost 6 weeks, I've made the decision to make his coaches inactive and remove Al Hutt and Patrick Hutt as FOFC coaches. So that means we have 15 active coaches for the upcoming season. If Zinto or any of the other users come back and want their teams back, no big deal, just let me know.

Job Offers

First we take a look at the coaches that got job offers while still with their current teams, and there were 7 of our coaches that did. I'm going to run through these quickly and if you want any info on any of the teams, let me know.

Benito Sanchez (Stanford) is getting courted by Missouri.

Rob Nielsen (Colorado) is also getting courted by Missouri.

Bee Mighty (TCU) also got an offer from Missouri

Dean Hoo (Duke) is getting offers from N.C. State, Oklahoma St., West Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Al Mighty (Michigan State) is getting offers from N.C. State, West Virginia, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma.

Tim Shepard (UCLA) is getting offers from Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and what might be the most tempting offer, Arizona. This might be a case of "If you can't beat em, join em" for Coach Shepard.

Brett Hawkins (Troy) is definitely a coach that has garnered a lot of attention over the past couple seasons. He got lots of offers: Morehead State, Belmont, FIU, Georgia State, Mercer, Niagara, UAB, Colgate, Eastern Michigan, Lehigh, Manhattan, Ohio, Stephen F. Austin, Fordham, IFPW, Loyola Chicago, Rhode Island, UMass, Kent State, Southern Illinois, and Oakland. Some pretty good mid-major schools in there, Coach Hawkins might have the toughest decision to make.

Now, 2 of our coaches wanted to test the waters by temporarily resigning from their schools and see what offers came their way. We'll start with:

Will Brown (Tulsa), who if he resigns, would get offers from North Dakota, Texas Southern, and Sam Houston State.

Randolph Childress (UConn) would get the exact same offers.

So the moral of the story is if you resign or get fired, expect to only get offers from crappy teams with low prestige, unless you get lucky.

9 of our 15 coaches have decisions to make, so I'll put this on hold until then.

[collegesportsfanms]

Originally Posted by muns

I am still around. Just keep forgetting to check back here. Rice get any offers?

Nope, no offers for Rice

[rjolley]

Talked to Coach Shepard. While the Arizona interest is appreciated, he's a Bruin for as long as they'll have him.

Coach Sanchez, on the other hand, is not interested in Missouri and will stay put.

[Coffee Warlord]

Coach Nielsen will never leave Colorado.

[law90026]

Coach Hoo isn't done at Duke yet.

[vex]

Sigh, Will Brown will stay at Tulsa for yet another mediocre year

[ntndeacon]

Childress will stay put

[thealmighty]

Al is tempted by the OU offer. Getting to play against brother Bee at least twice every year could go a long way in settling the sibling rivalry- if not the "Mom liked you best" argument.

However, Al will stay put for now, as will Bee.

[Neuqua]

Sorry I've been on vacation. Coach Vee will continue until he gets let go.

[collegesportsfanms]

Got a couple more coaches I'm waiting to hear from before I start the next season, which honestly won't happen until next week anyways, as the rest of this week will be combined with school finals and business out of town. Look for something next week though.

[collegesportsfanms]

I want to apologize for my lack of activity in this dynasty, let's just say real life hit me hard. Personal stuff, school, work, and coaching a baseball team have all caught up with me and I needed a break, so my free time the last few weeks have pretty much been spent either sleeping, or in front of the tv.

I am hoping to get back to this report this weekend, but if not, then for sure next week. Be patient, and I apologize again.

[rjolley]

No need to apologize. Hope things improve for you.

[law90026]

Don't worry about it, update when you can!

[collegesportsfanms]

I'm baaaackkk!

Again, I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts in the last few weeks, but expect to see a post regularly from now on.

1 coaching change, as Brett Hawkins has decided to take advantage of a couple good seasons at Troy and take the step up to Conference USA, as he'll take over FIU.

[collegesportsfanms]

2022-2023 Hot Seat Ratings and Coach Goals

Coaches on a Warm Seat

Al Mighty (Michigan State) -- The Spartans can take some satisfaction in knowing they made the NCAA Tournament again last season, but it's not enough for the board. With the recruiting classes they've had, the board expects Michigan State in the Final Four this season, no excuses. If it doesn't happen, Coach Mighty will probably find himself on the hot seat next season.

B.B. Gunn (Hawaii) -- A win in the CBI wasn't enough to cool off Coach Gunn's seat. A lot of it comes from performances in the Big West. The board has not backed down off their stance of wanting Hawaii to win the Big West championship, and until they do, or at least finish in the top 2, Coach Gunn can expect his seat to stay warm.

Coaches on an Average Seat

Randolph Childress (UConn) -- It definitely hasn't been rosy for Coach Childress since he moved to UConn. This will be his 3rd season with the Huskies and he has a sub-.500 record in his first 2 seasons. While he isn't worried about job security yet, the board has made it clear they still expect him to lead the Huskies to an AAC championship.

Will Brown (Tulsa) -- 2 seasons in a row missing the postseason haven't made the board very happy. Coach Brown is also safe for now, but the board has made it clear: get into any postseason tournament this season, or things may get a little warmer.

Bee Mighty (TCU) -- Last season was a bit of a drop off for TCU as they missed the postseason. The board knows the struggles TCU has in the Big 12, and how tough it is, but they still think the Horned Frogs can do enough to make the postseason, even if it is the CBI or CIT.

Ess Vee (Northwestern) -- A remarkable turnaround for Northwestern, as Coach Vee led them to their best season since his first season at the helm. It was badly needed too, as Coach Vee's seat has cooled significantly. The board wants the Wildcats to become a postseason regular though, as that is the goal for this season, make it back to the CIT or CBI, or NIT. Or even, god willing, the NCAA Tournament.

Brett Hawkins (FIU) -- After getting his first 20 win season as a coach, Brett Hawkins has moved to greener pastures. He'll get somewhat of a grace period in his first season here, but the board has still let Coach Hawkins know they think the Golden Panthers are good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament, and first year or not, they'd like Coach Hawkins to get them there.

Charlie Shocker (Rice) -- The Owls made the postseason for the first time in 4 seasons last season, and Coach Shocker wants to continue the trend. The board just wants a .500 overall finish, but the fans want more.

Rob Nielsen (Colorado) -- A 21 win season and making it to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament last season is exactly what the fans have been looking for. The board is good with that too, as Coach Nielsen's seat has cooled. The board still wants the Buffaloes to compete for the Pac 12 Championship though.

Benito Sanchez (Stanford) -- Another 20 win season last season for the Cardinal, and Stanford's board is a bit more lenient. They just want Coach Sanchez and Stanford to compete for the Pac 12 title.

DeShawn St. John (Washington State) -- As if they haven't had enough to play for, now the Cougars can add something else to the list. They are the only active human coached team since this dynasty started to not have a 20 win season. Fortunately, the board doesn't care about 20 win seasons, all they want is seeing Washington State out of the Pac 12 cellar once the regular season is over, something that has been the goal for many years now and will probably continue to be.

Roy Rogers (Alabama) -- The Crimson Tide got back in the postseason last season after missing it the season before. That isn't enough. The board is pretty specific on wanting Alabama back into the NCAA Tournament. If it doesn't happen, that seat that Coach Rogers is sitting in may start to heat up.

Coaches on a Cool Seat

David Ginsberg (Hartford) -- Despite only finishing .500 overall last season, the Hawks had a winning conference record, and that seems to be what the Hartford board is looking for. It's the same this season, .500 or better in the America East.

Dean Hoo (Duke) -- While the Blue Devils had an earlier than expected exit in the NCAA Tournament last season, the fact is they have been there 2 straight seasons, that coming after a season 3 years ago in which they barely won 20 games. Still, the board isn't wavering, they expect the Blue Devils back in the Final Four this season.

Tim Shepard (UCLA) -- Despite the fact that the Bruins have been in the NIT 2 of the last 3 years, the fact that they've won an NIT Title and finished runner-up in both the NIT and NCAA Tournament once in the last 3 years is enough for Coach Shepard's seat to stay cool. The Bruins actually had the least overall wins in a season last season since this dynasty started, but that doesn't matter to the board. They just want UCLA back in the Final Four.. the NCAA Final Four.

[collegesportsfanms]

Team Prestiges to Start the 2022-2023 Season

Hartford- 28 (-1)
UConn- 72 (-1)
Tulsa- 62 (No Change)
Duke- 86 (No Change)
TCU- 67 (+2)
Michigan State- 85 (+1)
Northwestern- 61 (+2)
Hawaii- 47 (-1)
FIU- 47 (Coaching Change)
Rice- 38 (+1)
Colorado- 75 (+4)
Stanford- 85 (+2)
UCLA- 97 (-1) With a prestige that high, anything less than a good performance in the NCAA Tournament is likely to lower it.
Washington State- 53 (-1)
Alabama- 78 (+1)