Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Road to the Final Four
Elite 8 Recap

East Region

(1) Florida 104 vs. (2) UCLA 79
Florida dominated this game, leading by 20 at halftime. Senior Nick Calathes was on fire, scoring 30 points along with 12 assists. Chandler Parsons scored a career high 24 points off the bench. UCLA had foul problems and couldn't keep it together. The Gators have now won 9 out of 10 without Lucas, their one loss by only one point.


West Region

(1) North Florida 101 vs. (2) Arizona 96
The Wildcats came up short seeking their 3rd straight Final Four, and won't be redeeming themselves for the back-to-back championship game losses. Despite stellar play from their guards, the North Florida big men were just too much for Arizona to handle. Monceaux (16), Riley (16), and Kowalczuk (19) all had their way in the post.


South Region

(2) DePaul 78 vs. (4) Iowa State 52
DePaul won this one despite leading scorer Mac Koshwal only scoring 6 points and playing 12 minutes due to fouls. The Cyclones only went 15-53 from the floor, and Craig Brackins' tournament struggles continued as he only scored 7 points.


Midwest Region

(3) Purdue 82 vs. (4) Cincinnati 68
Nick Aldridge did his part for Cincinnati, scoring 24 points once again. The rest of the team? 12-40. Purdue shot the ball extremely well (31-58) and won easily despite a bad night for E'Twaun Moore. Hummel scored 17 and Johnson scored 14 for the Boilermakers.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Can't wait. I think the Florida vs N. Florida matchup is going to be even better then the Championship game.

Any preference on facing Purdue or DePaul if you can get past the Gators?

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Tough call. Both of them are a better match-up than Florida. Either one would be interesting, since both teams have a center as their leading scorer. I'd probably pick DePaul if I had to though, because they don't have any depth at the big positions. They only have one back-up, granted he is 7'2" so that would be bad, but no depth for them puts less pressure on if we get in foul trouble. Purdue scares me since they have Moore and Hummel, along with Johnson who is 6'11".

Of course this is all IF I can get by Florida. They are going to be the best team by far I've played this season.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Road to the Final Four
Final Four Preview


(1) Florida vs. (1) North Florida
This is an interesting match-up. North Florida upset the Gators last year in Gainesville while they were ranked #1 in the country, but then Florida knocked the Ospreys out of the tournament in the 2nd round later in the season. The Gators lost Marreese Speights who was crucial in shutting down Emerson Riley in that game, and because of that the Ospreys will have a huge size advantage for both Riley and Monceaux. Brent Wood led the way for North Florida those two games, but has struggled to find his rhythm this season.




(2) DePaul vs. (3) Purdue
Neither one of these teams were thought to even make their regional final, but here they are. DePaul won the Big East regular season title, but fell short in the conference tournament. Purdue tied for the Big Ten regular season title, and was also disappointed in the tournament. They are led by 3 big time scorers in Johnson, Moore, and Hummel. DePaul has won every game of the tournament by 11 points or more, and has had several people step up and contribute in each game.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Probably won't get the game in until tomorrow, but I'll have a preview up shortly!

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

NCAA Tournament Final 4 Preview



Point Guards
UNF: Junior Rivera (JR, 6'4, 73 ovr) - 9.4 PPG, 8.1 APG, 2.1 RPG, 1.9 SPG
FLA: Jai Lucas/Happy Mendez (SR/SO, 5'11"/6'1", 87/79 ovr) - 10.6/3.4 PPG, 4.4/1.1 APG, 2.4/0.6 RPG

Advantage: FLA/UNF - Jai Lucas is a game time decision. He's missed the past 10 games with a broken ankle. There's a significant drop off from him to Mendez, so whether or not he plays makes a huge impact on this game. Rivera had 17 points and 9 assists in the 2nd round game last season.


Shooting Guards
UNF: Brent Wood (SR, 6'5, 64 ovr) - 17.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 39% 3pt
FLA: Nick Calathes (SR, 6'6", 91 ovr) - 18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.8 apg, 40% 3pt

Advantage: FLA - This is not the same Brent Wood that played against Calathes last season. That would scored 25 points, but was averaging 28.4. Calathes has improved from 13ppg to over 18. He scored 30 in the Elite 8 against UCLA. Wood is only 11 points shy of 2,700 and currently sits 21st on the all time leading scorers list.


Small Forwards
UNF: Emanuel Dancy (SO, 6'5", 72 ovr) - 15.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG
FLA: Walter Holman (JR, 67", 88 ovr) - 12.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.5 APG

Advantage: Even - Holman splits time with Chandler Parsons, who is 6'10" and a match-up nightmare for Dancy. Both starters have struggled in the tournament, minus a good game apiece. This could be a key difference making match-up.


Power Forwards
UNF: Jean Francois Monceaux (FR, 7'0", 81 ovr) - 9.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG
FLA: Kenny Odia (JR, 6'7", 89 ovr) - 12.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG

Advantage: UNF - Monceaux has been hit or miss in the tournament. He's had two great games, and two poor games. Foul trouble seems to be the most common theme. He has a huge size advantage once again. Odia is a former #1 overall recruit that never seemed to get it together. Others in his class have surpassed him in terms of production. He did score a career high 27 against UNLV in the Sweet 16.


Centers
UNF: Emerson Riley (JR, 7'3", 71 ovr) - 19.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 0.9 BPG
FLA: Alex Tyus (SR, 6'8", 83 ovr) - 9.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.6 BPG

Advantage: UNF - Last year the Gators had Speights here. Tyus is quite a bit smaller, and that's an advantage for Riley who dominates smaller players. Last year he fouled out and only scored 5 points in the tournament, don't expect that to happen this year. He might foul out, but he'll put up 15-20 in the process.


Bench
Advantage: Even - The Gators have two match-up nightmares on the bench in Parsons and Allen. Both are 6'10" SF who can get hot from long range. Florida lacks any post players though. They have one true post player on the bench and he's a freshman. The Ospreys have two freshmen in Harrington and Kowalczuk who have been very productive off the bench all season and in the tournament.


X-Factor
UNF: Wood and Dancy
FLA: Big Men

We all know what problems their big guys can cause. Wood and Dancy have some tall guys defending them, so they'll have to find a way to get space and contribute.

Florida relies heavily on their guards. Odia and Tyus can give you 10 points a game, but can they stop two 7'0" players on the other side?


Summary:
--The Gators go the better of UNF last season in the tournament, but lost Speights who led all scorers with 19 points in that game and shut down Riley. The Ospreys are a better team with three freshmen who all contribute.

Both teams like to play at a fast pace. The Ospreys are the highest scoring team in the country, and the Gators are 5th. North Florida already beat two of the other top 5 in Texas and Arizona in the tournament.

Billy Donovan got his 400th win in the Elite 8 to get here. Chris Matthews got his 100th win in the Elite 8 to get here. Florida lost to eventual champion Duke in the Final Four last season, they'd like to redeem themselves with this team full of experienced players.

[superjames1992]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

I like UNF with that dramatic height advantage.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Revenge! Ospreys "Show Gators Who's the Boss"
”North Florida wins exciting shooting display.."
April 2, 2011

FINAL
	1 Florida (31-7)	51	39	90
	1 North Florida (35-1)	65	42	107
Players of the Game UNF - Brent Wood (Pts: 29, Reb: 2, Ast: 3) FLA - Nick Calathes (Pts: 17, Reb: 2, Ast: 5)

Emerson Riley celebrates after the Ospreys beat Florida to have a shot at a National Title


We promised you an exciting game, and these two teams delivered it! It was a fast-paced, high scoring thrill ride. Both teams shot the ball extremely well. The Ospreys hit 15/29 3pointers, and the Gators hit 7/15 themselves.

North Florida jumped ahead early 7-0, a lead that they wouldn't give up the entire game. Dancy started out super hot, outscoring Florida by himself for parts of the 1st half. Wood would catch fire as well. The Gators would cut the lead down to as little as 5 in the first half, but at halftime the score was 65-51 in favor of North Florida.

Dancy was lights out in the first half, hitting 7 of 12 three point attempts for 22 points. Wood wouldn't be outdone, scoring 21 points of his own. Those North Florida big men everyone is scared of? Both on the bench. Riley scored just 4 points while Monceaux hadn't scored any. A big surprise for Florida in the first half was freshman Moses Anderer. He averages less than 2ppg and his career high is 5 points, but he hit all of his shots and had 12 in the first half.

The second half went a little differently. Wood and Dancy only had 3 points between them midway through it after combining for 43 in the first half. The Gators managed to close the gap and bring the lead to just 4 points with eight minutes remaining. That's as close as they would get though, as the Ospreys went on an 18-5 run to close out the game.

This game had it all. Both of the "X-Factors" did what they were supposed to. Wood and Dancy went bananas, and the Florida big men actually outscored the UNF towers. In the end, the Ospreys hitting 15 3-pointers was too much to overcome. The Gators have to head home, disappointed with another Final Four loss. The North Florida Ospreys get to stick around and play for a National Championship two nights from now.

Coach Matthews’ Minute
“That's right! We showed those stupid Gators who the boss is! Bring on the championship game bitches!!”



North Florida Ospreys Player Stats
Junior Rivera - 8 pts, 15 ast
Brent Wood - 29 pts, 2 reb, stl
Emanuel Dancy - 22 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl
Jean Francois Monceaux - 9 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk
Emerson Riley - 10 pts, 6 reb, ast, stl (foul trouble)

Austen Kowalczuk - 9 pts, 5 reb, blk
Mani Malone - 10 pts, reb



Florida Gators Player Stats
Happy Mendez - 5 pts, 9 ast, 9 TO
Nick Calathes - 17 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl
Walter Holman - 4 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, blk
Kenny Odia - 14 pts, 9 reb, ast
Alex Tyus - 7 pts, 6 reb

Chandler Parsons - 13 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl
Moses Anderer - 14 pts, 4 reb (prev career high was 5 pts)



Record: 35-1 (16-0)
Up Next: NCAA Tournament Championship Game

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Not sure if you follow my Cornell legacy yet or not, but N. Florida pulled off the upset in the A-Sun tourney and are going dancing as a #16 seed.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Not sure if you follow my Cornell legacy yet or not, but N. Florida pulled off the upset in the A-Sun tourney and are going dancing as a #16 seed.

I didn't see that. I'm bad about seeing little details when reading other dynasties/legacies. That's good to see though, because North Florida usually struggles in other legacies I play.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

Road to the Final Four
Final Four Recap


90 - 107
Player of the Game:
Brent Wood - 29 pts, 2 reb, stl

This high-scoring game was an exciting one, despite the lopsided final score. The Gators kept it close, despite Brent Wood and Emanuel Dancy being lights out in the first half leading the Ospreys to a 65 point frame. Not having Jai Lucas definitely hurt Florida, as Happy Mendez turned the ball over 9 times and couldn't make an impact on the offensive end. If Odia and Holman decide to leave, the Gators will lose their top 7 players.




93 -- 87 (OT)
Player of the Game:
Sky Davidson - 20 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl, 3 blk

Despite all of the fouls called and free throws attempted, this overtime thriller was an exciting game. Neither team ever held a significant lead, and both teams had all 12 players with 10+ minutes played. DePaul had starters Damion Abbott and Jared Jackson foul out, while Purdue lost Hummel and 6th man Scott Martin to fouls. JaJuan Johnson led the Boilermakers with 26 points, and despite an off night Moore put up 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tucker (23 points) and Davidson (20 points) led the Blue Demons, with Koshwal putting up 15 and 9 on a poor shooting night.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)



Ospreys Success Bringing Attention to Schools and Recruits
April 3, 2011

Houston, TX - While the Ospreys are preparing for a championship game tomorrow night, their success and deep run in the tournament is causing schools to be interested in Coach Matthews, and recruits to be interested in playing for him.

Last year Matthews turned down job offers, including some to mid-majors, to stay with the Ospreys. That turned out to be the right decision, but what will Matthews do if even bigger schools come calling his name? There have been reports that some schools in major conferences have been looking into the potential of hiring Matthews as their next coach.

On that note, however, some high-profile recruits are also taking note of the Ospreys success. There are multiple Top 100 recruits that have expressed interest in playing for Matthews and North Florida next season considering their success this year and only losing one senior so it should continue into next season.

Will Matthews leave? No one knows for sure as he's a man of mystery. If they win the championship it's more likely, as Matthews seems to love revenge so he'd be more likely to return if they lost.

[MuchToLearn]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

everytime i see the commercial for buffalo wild wings.. about cinderella and the Ospreys, i can't help but think of this legacy

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)



Buffalo Wild Wings Unveils New Ad Campaign Involving UNF Ospreys
April 3, 2011

Jacksonville, FL - Our small school got even more recognition when the Buffalo Wild Wings chain decided to include the University of North Florida in their ad-campaign involving bandwagons.

On the verge of a potential national title, I don't think anyone in Jacksonville, except maybe JU Dolphin fans are complaining about the National attention UNF is getting from this amazing postseason run.

[MuchToLearn]

Re: Coaching Career of Chris Matthews (CH2k8)

honest question, did you never know of this commercial before i mentioned it? :P

it's been getting heavy airplay since the tournament began!