The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigPlayJ1220

Playing a legit nba prospect R1 of the NIT is a tall task figuratively and literally.

Ha! It absolutely is. Excited to see how Scott and Rowe can match up.

[studbucket]

The Red Flash were in Kingston, Rhode Island and getting ready to take on the Rams of URI. His brother played them very close in last year’s NCAA tournament, losing by only 4 points. This team seemed a bit less talented than that group, though they feature a lot of experience and Romain Pilgrim (PG, 85 ovr) was no joke. The team could shoot very well from deep and should be a dangerous matchup for the Red Flash.

Romain Pilgrim leads the team with 19 points, 4.5 assists, and 2 steals per game. He’s supported by fellow guards Andrae Austin (77 ovr) at 12 points and Reyshawn Delgado (79 ovr) at 11 points per game.

Dinko’s best chance to succeed looked like it would be on the boards and in the paint. The Rams’ tallest starter was 6’7” and the tallest player on their roster is 6’8”. If 7’2” Floyd Akindele can lead the way, St. Francis has a puncher’s chance in this game, especially because their shortest starter is 6’7” Erwin Willingham at point guard.

The game opened with Floyd Akindele throwing down a strong 2-handed dunk right away, setting the tone for what St. Francis wanted to do this game. After the teams traded threes and Erwin Willingham stripped Romain Pilgrim, Chris Thompson finished an “and-1” to put the Red Flash up 9-5 in the early going.

After another basket, Rhode Island’s coach David Cox called a timeout to regroup the team. During the break Dinko was fiery, preaching passionately about playing strong defense and staying focused. He knows the Red Flash can score, but the team needs to ensure they don’t let the Rams score their way to a victory.

Dinko was very into the game, giving defensive instructions well after the timeout ended. The refs had to give him a warning and tell him to get back on the bench.

St. Francis’ defense did put in the work and managed 4 steals and 1 block in the first 5 minutes of the game and was putting pressure on the Rams’ defense who already had committed 3 fouls. The Rams started doubling the ball every time in entered the paint and limited the Red Flash’s bigs from scoring. However, the visitors were patient and worked the ball around and looked for a better shot.

There was a lull in scoring mid-half, but it picked back up and St. Francis found themselves up by 5 through most of the half. It was a very start-and-stop game as the Rams picked up their 7^th and 8^th fouls and Stephane Diakite picked up his 3^rd foul and had to take a break.

As the half neared its close, Rhode Island started heating up and hitting their long shots. After 3 free throws and a deep shot, the lead was cut to 1 and another three tied up the game. St. Francis started to tighten up their defense and after 7’2” Akindele picked up his second foul, Dinko went deep into the bench and subbed on 7’3” Geary Doss. After a few more free throws the lead was back to 5.

Doss was impactful right away and it inspired Dinko to say “screw the fouls” and put in a twin towers lineup with both Doss and Akindele in the game, hoping to control the paint on both ends.

At halftime, the game was 41-38. It’s been high scoring as the Rams really started to hit their threes, shooting 5-7 from deep in the first half. Chris Thompson led all scorers with 13 points, but no other SFU starter had more than 4 points. It was a similar story for Rhode Island as Plummer led all scorers with 12 and no other Rams starter had more than 5 points.

Very quickly, St. Francis pulls ahead big 50-42 thanks to a Vern Quick three pointer. That gets extended to a 56-46 lead thanks to 3 straight post move buckets from Thompson, Doss, and Willis Holman. However, the lead doesn’t feel safe and the Rams have shown an ability to score quickly and close the gap.

With 8 minutes left, Dinko puts back in all his starters, including the well rested (and in foul trouble) Diakite and Akindele. Can this group close things out? It got pretty iffy.

The Rams brought the game to within 4 and Dinko told his boys to calm down and slow down the game. It worked as they got back up by 9…then it fell apart and Rhode Island brought the game back to within 2 points: 64-62 with 3 minutes left.

Another Plummer three puts the Rams up by 1, but Akindele scores on the other end to make it 66-65, St. Francis. On the defensive end, recent substitute Bobby Valdez makes a huge interception to give St. Francis the ball up 1 with 1:30 left. After Stephane Diakite shows off remarkable handles, he misses the layup and gives the Rams a chance to get the lead. However, Floyd Akindele blocks the Rhode Island shot and starts a breakaway for Vern Quick who goes coast-to-coast for a layup and a three point lead.

Rhode Island had the ball down 68-65 with 53 seconds left but managed to miss 3 three pointers on 1 possession and was forced to begin fouling when SFU finally got a rebound. Dinko subbed in his free throw shooters and they sealed the deal.

Tanoris Houston made 6-6 free throws, Willis Holman got a steal and shot 1-2 while Fernandez Markovic got an offensive rebound and went 2-2 from the line.

This gave St. Francis a 77-67 victory and they have advanced to the second round of the NIT!

St. Francis shot 65% from the field but only took 40 shots. They went 22-30 from the free throw line (Tanoris Houston was 10-10). The Rams outshot and outrebounded St. Francis, but they had 20 team fouls and shot 3-15 from deep in the second half (8-22 overall).

The Red Flash had 12 steals and some clutch blocks to help get them the win. Chris Thompson led the way with 15 points, as did Vern Quick. Floyd Akindele had 10 points alongside “Mr. Free Throw” Tanoris Houston.

Romain Pilgrim only had 4 points, but did get 5 boards, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Levi Plummer led the Rams with 19 points on 6-11 shooting.

[studbucket]

I've updated and modernized the brothers' look using AI art generation. Look for these starting next season.


Here's the old look:

Here's the new look:

[studbucket]

Oggy was thrilled for his brother and the win over Rhode Island and grateful he was able to catch most of the game before needing to focus on his. While the Red Flash had to stop guards and shooters, the Hatters would need to slow down one of the best big men in the country and his supporting case was pretty good as well. Taquan St. Fort would require a lot of attention and he hoped that Jeremie Scott and Ray Rowe were up for the task, because their defense was going to be essential to advancing past DePaul and keeping alive the hope of facing his brother.

Having Brendon Pocius back and healthy would be huge for the Hatters, giving them more depth and meaning they didn’t have to rely so heavily on Evertsen for wing scoring. Due to injuries, there were no players taller than 6’9” available outside of St. Fort, and if the Hatters could get the big man into foul trouble, there was a chance for them to use their size to their advantage.

The Hatters started off quickly with a 4-0 lead before the fans could even sit down. Shortly after that, Pocius drove in and got Taquan St. Fort to foul him – just 1 more foul and he’ll be headed to the bench.

The game stayed close for a bit until Marko Nevill came in and got 3 assists in 2 minutes and extended the lead to 17-11. However, that lead evaporated quickly as St. Fort started scoring and the game ended up tied 24-24. However, St. Fort picked up his second foul and went to the bench.

Without their big man, DePaul fell behind and Stetson went into halftime up 40-33. The Hatters were 0-5 from three and Evertsen was bad from deep once again. However with St. Fort on the bench the Stetson bigs were feasting and Rowe and Scott had combined for 25 points so far while Taquan only had 7. The pick-and-roll offense was really popping off for the Hatters.

Lennox Evertsen had a nice dunk, but that was about all he had provided in the first half.

DePaul went on a run to start the second half and very quickly made it a 40-39 game. Evertsen finally hit a three pointer to extend the lead to 4.

The game stayed close throughout the second half with Brendon Pocius getting into foul trouble because he kept getting switched onto Taquan St. Fort. With the senior sitting out, the 7 point lead Stetson had built up started to fade and the game was 67-65 with a minute left.

With a chance to seal the game, Evertsen missed a three and saw DePaul make a basket with 30 seconds left to tie up the game. Stetson had the last shot and milked the clock down. Looking into Jerimie Scott, there was too much congestion in the paint, so Scott turned and skipped the ball to the corner. Lennox Evertsen caught the ball and launched a three with 5 seconds left. It hit the back of the rim, but guess who was there? Not Taquan St. Fort but Jerimie Scott.

Scott put the ball back up, got fouled, and made the free throw to put Stetson up by 3 and pretty much guarantee the win! With a final score of 70-67, Oggy joins his brother in the second round of the NIT.

Jerimie Scott finished with 21 points after the pick-and-roll slowed down in the second half and Ray Rowe only scored 3 points in the frame. Evertsen was only 2-8 from deep but did finish with 11 points. Taquan St. Fort had 17 and 7 for the Blue Demons.

Around the NIT

• Cal-State Fullerton destroyed Tennessee-Martin 106-77 behind 5 players scoring 14+ points, including 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists from Dameon Sullivan (PG, 73 ovr).
• The Battle of Georges was won by George Washington as they defeated George Mason 69-52.
• Syracuse beat St. Joseph’s and will now face Stetson in round 2.
• Gilbert Newton (PG, 79 ovr) scored 23 points off the bench and had 5 steals to lead the Kentucky Wildcats to a 71-65 win over Middle Tennessee.
• Northwestern destroyed Grambling 95-57 thanks to 20 points and 9 rebounds from Deshaun Hornsby (C, 74 ovr). They will face St. Francis in round 2.
• Vidal Scott (SG, 80 ovr) scored 26 points to lead UAB over Northern Arizona.
• Gonzaga and Memphis went to overtime tied at 78 and the Bulldogs pulled it out 88-87.
• California saw Kendaris Worthington (SG, 81 ovr) score 33 points off the bench for the Golden Bears as he was the ONLY player for either team to score double-digit points in the win.

[JoshNormanMane]

Love to see the nail biter victory at the end. I hope this is the universe's way of giving us the Oggy & Dinko matchup (aka the Dragomirov Duel) that we need!

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshNormanMane

Love to see the nail biter victory at the end. I hope this is the universe's way of giving us the Oggy & Dinko matchup (aka the Dragomirov Duel) that we need!

I want that so bad. I can't wait for them to end up in the same tournament or conference.

The game won't let me put both of them in the season non-conference invitational tournaments, so I gotta rely on some luck

And yeah, lots of close games this season, makes it fun.

[studbucket]

Upset Watch
#12 Marist 76 – #5 Arkansas 67: The Foxes got Arkansas in foul trouble and every one of their starters played well as they outscored the Razorbacks by 13 in the second half.
#11 Kansas State 84 – #6 Missouri State 62: Curtis Bitee (SG, 90 ovr) led the underdog Wildcats to a big win in the “Border War Junior” matchup.
#11 Utah 82 – #6 East Carolina 75: two different Utes had a double-double as they got out to a big first half lead and held on.
#10 Indiana – #7 Xavier 64: 5 IU players scored in double digits as they pulled out the win thanks to a big second half.

These are barely upsets, but including all four of the 9-over-8 games as round 1 was light on the surprises:
#9 Pacific 74 – #8 Missouri 68: 9s over 8s is barely an upset, but in a day that didn’t see many upsets, this technically qualifies.
#9 Providence 73 – #8 Southern Utah 71: darling Southern Utah, who had only lost 3 times all year, barely fell to providence in round 1.
#9 Alabama 78 – #8 Santa Clara 77: every Crimson Tide starter scored in double-digits to get the squeaky close win.
#9 Fordham 82 – 8 Ohio State 70: The Rams sent the Buckeyes home after just 1 game thanks to a big second half.

Key Performances

• In the exact opposite of a key performance, NBA prospect Darius Lovelace (C, 87 ovr) went 1-20 from the field for the Huskies, but somehow Washington still beat Davidson.
• Paul Clifton (SG, 86 ovr) and Lester Campbell (PF, 79 ovr) both scored 22 points to help the Washington Cougars win their round 1 game against Rice.
• NBA Prospect Can Maldonado (SF, 88 ovr) dropped 33 points on 12-17 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds and added 5 steals in a runaway 95-44 win over Delaware State.
• Former NCAA freshman of the year Jermaine Faulk (SG, 86 ovr) is somehow just a supersub for Louisville and he scored 33 points, had 6 rebounds, and 5 assists as the 6^th man for the Cardinals.
• Smackey Krayl (PF, 88 ovr) and Kirby White (PF, 85 ovr) combined for 49 points as Michigan State advanced out of round 1.
• Kak Kanter (SG, 86 ovr) is round 1’s leading score as he dropped 34 in a 70-44 Iowa win over Georgia State.
• Yale may have gotten destroyed by FSU, but their starting center Raphael Mallory (C, 82 ovr) impressed with 29 points and 11 rebounds. The junior will be returning for another year and a chance at NBA stardom.
• Marquette’s Lyle Cortez (SG, 89 ovr) scored 28 points, had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in their round 1 win.

[studbucket]

Upset Watch
#11 Utah 94 – #3 Maryland 82: Wilson Wentt (PF, 84 ovr) went nuts for Utah, scoring 42 points on only 18 shots and grabbing 12 rebounds as they advanced to play Marquette in the Sweet 16.
#6 Wisconsin 62 – #3 Boston College 57: The Badgers outplayed Boston College in the second half to advance to the Sweet 16.


Key Performances

• Darius Lovelace (C, 87 ovr) redeemed himself after his terrible round 1 performance by scoring 38 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He got most of his points from the FT line (18-20), and did struggle from the field (9-21) and had 7 turnovers. However, he helped lead UW to a 61 point second half, overcoming a 17 point halftime deficit to win by 3 over Tennessee.
• Pittsburgh destroyed TCU by 39 points thanks to Bobby Reed (SG, 91 ovr) and Smackey Linebaugh (SG, 87 ovr) combining for 47 points.
• Louisville-Arizona was a great game and the Cardinals pulled it out by 1 point in the end. For the Cardinals, Jermaine Faulk (SG, 86 ovr) scored 25 and the Wildcats had Hesse Vargas (SG, 84 ovr) score 24 and grab 9 boards and Aubrey Pope (PF, 85 ovr) get a 21 and 10 double-double.
• Smackey Krayl (PF, 88 ovr) was great again for the Spartans, scoring 25 points in a big win over Providence.
• Curtis Bitee (SG, 90 ovr) had a big game but Kansas State lost as he scored 27 points.
• Every single Texas Tech starter scored 14 or more points as the Red Raiders dropped 125 on Marist. They were led by Jeb Houston’s (SG, 86 ovr) 14, 11, and 11 triple double and Michael Johnson’s (C, 79 ovr) 26 points.