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

[studbucket]

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

A great night shooting the ball, and I'd say an even better job on defense.

As much as I'd like to take credit for the defense, they shot 2-21 from three and had open looks - they just stink at shooting. This is the game that really made me start changing the CPU tendencies every game to play to their strengths.

[Tovarich]

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

Coach Tovarich needs Dinko to come teach his players how to make the other team shoot 2/21 from 3...

[studbucket]

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

Coach Tovarich needs Dinko to come teach his players how to make the other team shoot 2/21 from 3...

LOL!

Just set cpu 3pt shooting tendency to 70+, play a team with bad three point shooters, and tell your guys to play loose defense on them.

Then you can have two of their starters shoot 0-15.

As much fun as this was, I hope it doesn't happen again.

You know, a coach Tovarich + Drago bros + coach Reid + coach Roberts ncaa coach summit could be a hilarious thing.

Marshdaddy - if you read this, I found you to have some of the best prose on this site, especially from a journalistic perspective. Maybe there's a Ringer Coach summit you could moderate between the 5 coaches? [emoji1787]

Sent from my phone.

[RolePlayer]

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

Man those Stetson home jerseys look clean.

Dinko appears to have righted the ship and things are going well as we are getting through conference play despite the injury. That was some impressive defense embarrassing the Hawks.

Oggy, I'm a bit more unsure of, you're going to want to see more from Nevill going forward even if he's filling in after an injury.

[studbucket]

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

Man those Stetson home jerseys look clean.

Dinko appears to have righted the ship and things are going well as we are getting through conference play despite the injury. That was some impressive defense embarrassing the Hawks.

Oggy, I'm a bit more unsure of, you're going to want to see more from Nevill going forward even if he's filling in after an injury.

Yeah, and the little green triangle on the bottom of the shorts is a nice touch.


Dinko and the Red Flash do have a better rotation figured out. There will still be some bumps because of how young many key players are, but all but 1 (Bethel) of these players will be back next year. I think this team is well set up for a reasonable run this year and a very strong team next year.

Nevill is adjusting to college, starting, and being in a new country all in a year - it's tough for him. It will help a lot when Dahi is back and those two can split time. He's running out of time to get the conference title though.

[studbucket]

NBA Trade Update – January 2023

Most major NBA trades happen near the trade deadline in February, but with the Clippers hosting a fire sale after Christmas, many other NBA GMs felt some urgency to make moves as well. With this added pressure, we saw four additional trades happen as fallout from the Clippers-Raptors-Knicks mega trade.


The Lakers Continue to Go All-In

After shipping DeAndre Jordan to the Kings, Sacramento had a logjam in their frontcourt and DeAndre had little interest in playing for Sacramento. They sent Jordan to SoCal for two role players, giving the Lakers a starting lineup that is basically the 2015 NBA All-Stars…which may be problematic in 2023.

Lakers starting five:
PG: Chris Paul (81 ovr)
SG: Paul George (87 ovr)
SF: LeBron James (93 ovr)
PF: Anthony Davis (94 ovr)
C: DeAndre Jordan (84 ovr)

The only bench player worth anything on the Lakers is now Nico Melli (PF, 79 ovr), as this team is going to need to rely on their starters if they hope to make the playoffs.


The Jazz Add a Starting PF

Sacramento wasn’t done trading. With Jordan gone, they wanted to clear out more frontcourt space so that 7’3” rookie C Reid Ziri (76 ovr) could see the court more. They found a desperate partner in Utah, as the Jazz had struggled to field a productive frontcourt all season long. Utah gave up Jordan Clarkson, who was now the 4^th guard in their rotation, and a first round pick to get Jabari Parker from the Kings.

This gives the Jazz this starting five:
PG: Mike Conley (83 ovr)
SG: Donovan Mitchell (92 ovr)
SF: Denzel Valentine (79 ovr)
PF: Jabari Parker (82 ovr)
C: Rudy Gobert (90 ovr)


Toronto Grabs a Young and Talented Big

Toronto went all-in with the Kawhi trade, but have a hole in their lineup as Hassan Whiteside (C, 85 ovr) was traded to the Knicks. They needed a big man, as Qi Zhou is fine but better as a bench option. There wasn’t a slam dunk available, but fans should be very happy with the addition of Stephen Bathie. The third year big man out of Nebraska was never given much of a chance in Boston and Atlanta, but should be a meaningful player in Toronto this year and for years to come.

They had to give up a decent amount, though Dabanovic is undersized and didn’t play much, and while Beverly is valuable, he was the 4th guard (behind Kyle Lowry) and with the addition of Kawhi the Raptors can afford to take more risks. Here is the Raptor’s current starting lineup:

PG: Devonte Graham (84 ovr)
SG: Norman Powell (81 ovr)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (95 ovr)
PF: Pascal Siakam (90 ovr)
C: Stephen Bathie (79 ovr)


Detroit Bolsters Their Bench

Detroit seems to have taken the next step this year, led by Trevor Merchant (PG, 87 ovr) and supported by Andrew Wiggins (SF, 83 ovr) and Marvin Bagley III (C, 87 ovr). They have aspirations of making the conference finals, or better, and want some more veteran depth and leadership. Avery Bradley wasn’t playing in Orlando, but could get meaningful playing time as the 5^th guard in Detroit in case of injury.

[studbucket]

January 15, 2023 Stetson at Florida Gulf Coast [Atlantic Sun]

On Thursday, the Hatters traveled to SC Upstate and defeated the Spartans 78-74 behind 26 points from Brendon Pocius, who shot 12-14 from the charity stripe. The victory moves them into a tie for 3^rd in the conference with Campbell.

They travel to Fort Myers, Florida for a game against a team who has struggled this season: the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. They are 0-4 in conference play, though three of those four losses have been by 3 points or less. The Eagles are not especially tall or talented, but they are led by very good outside shooters in senior Anil McGrain (PG, 67 ovr) and junior Felipe Allison (SG, 67 ovr). Both players are shooting over 40% from three and combined average 22 points per game. For the Hatters to win this game, they will need to keep them from getting open looks on the perimeter and to ensure they can own and clean up the glass.

By the time the night ended the fans were buzzing about what a great game it was, but it didn’t start out that way. The first timeout of the game was taken by Florida Gulf Coast near the midpoint of the first half with the score 12-7, Stetson winning. It was slow and not especially great offensive basketball as both teams were shooting a combined 8-19 from the field. Stetson wasn’t using their height advantage well and the Eagles were not hitting their shots.

This slow pace continued through halftime as the score was 28-25 at the break. The FGCU had stayed in the game thanks to their three point shooting while Stetson was 0-4 from the field but saw Jerimie Scott and Brendon Pocius combine for 22 points.

Stetson continued to clamp down on Anil McGrain and Felipe Allison in the second half, so SF Robin Finn stepped up in a big way for the Eagles. He and Lennox Evertsen started the half by trading several baskets before Stetson extended the lead to 6 points only to see Florida Gulf Coast go on a 6-0 run and tie the game at 40, causing Oggy to call a timeout.

The rest of the half was a tight, back-and-forth affair. At one point Oggy thought they may have captured the momentum after a Brendon Pocius + Adam Baynes 2v1 fast break resulted in a bucket and foul to put Stetson up by three. However, Florida Gulf Coast kept it close, as the game was 52-51 with 3:30 left and then 58-57 with 1:45 left.

Oggy was getting nervous, this was much closer than he expected, but his team was working hard.

Hatters Hustling: Pocius blocks a short, Kounkorgo keeps it from going out, then Pocius dives on the ball to get control

The final 75 seconds of regulation were full of drama. First, Brendon Pocius rejected a three pointer, grabbed the ball, and made a layup at the other end for a 3 point lead. The Eagles scored, cutting it back to one point. One the other end, Lennox Evertsen missed a three, saw Scott get the offensive rebound, only for Evertsen to miss another three. However, Brendon Pocius grabbed the offensive board this time, only to get fouled.

FGCU realized they need to get back into the game via fouling, and so they started doing so off of the inbound. Marko Nevill only made 1-2 of his shots, which made the game 61-59 with 25 seconds left. Felipe Allison hit a clutch corner shot with 5 seconds left and Brendon Pocius missed the possible winning shot; the game is going to overtime!

Once overtime started, Stetson stayed slightly in front for most of it, with the biggest lead being three. However, FGCU took a 76-74 lead with 1:30 left. On the other end, Deron Wagner made 1-2 free throws to make it a one point game, and Jerimie Scot blocked the shot on the other end. However, given the chance to take the lead Scott missed a hook shot and the Hatters needed to foul. Florida Gulf Coast made both free throws and Stetson found themselves down 78-75 with 20 seconds left.

The Hatters managed to get a wide open look for Evertsen in the corner with 12 seconds left, but he missed it…but Deron Wagner grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to Evertsen on the wing who drained it!

78-78 and we’re headed to double overtime!

The sequence that led to the game-tying basket sending the game to double overtime.

Stetson looked exhausted to start the second overtime, as if they were tired from the emotional drain of the first overtime. They started the period 0-4 from the field but were somehow only down 4 points. Lennox Evertsen once again came through in the clutch, hitting a three and cutting the score to 82-81. Then he hit another three, and another three! The score was now 88-84 after the freshman hit 3 threes in less than a minute.

After the Eagles score, Evertsen finally misses a three and FGCU had some hope, but fellow freshman Neil Mobley grabbed the rebound and put the ball back to re-extend the lead to 4. Florida Gulf Coast scored once more, but when Adam Baynes was sent to the free throw line with less than a second left, the visitors knew they had the victory sealed.

Oggy and the team won 91-88 and they find themselves back at .500 with a 10-10 record on the season.

Jerimie Scott had 26 points and 7 boards, but Oggy was not thrilled with his big men being outrebounded this game as FGCU had 38 rebounds (Stetson had 33), including 11 on the offensive end (to Stetson’s 9).

Lennox Evertsen had 23 points despite only shooting 6-17 from three. However, he made 4 of those 6 in a 3 minute stretch from the end of the first overtime to the midpoint of the second. The freshman was once again the story for Stetson as he scored when he was needed most.

FGCU’s sophomore Robin Finn (SG, 69) stepped up in a huge way, scoring 31 points. Starting PG Anil McGrain added 14 assists.

Around the NCAA

• St. Francis played games the same day as Stetson, splitting the two.
  • They beat Sacred Heart at home, 63-59. Cassiano Djordjevic had 12 points off the bench and fellow substitute Taj Hailey added 8 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Willis Holman returned for a road game against Wagner, but a terrible first half (outscored by 15) did in the Red Flash, who fell 65-57. Vern Quick was 1-13 and 0-10 from three. Wagner was only 19-62 from the field, but only had 15 turnovers to St. Francis’ 24 and managed to take 17 more shots than the Red Flash.
  
  
• Campbell’s Sam Zeigler (SF, 82 ovr) was the National P of the Week with 72 points across two wins for Campbell. The Atlantic Sun’s leading scorer is projected to be a second round draft pick.
• #15 Virgina Tech upset #2 Maryland 79-77. Francisco Moss (PG, 78 ovr) had 22 points off the bench for the Hokies. Next up for Maryland is #19 Georgia Tech and #9 Duke.
• Ohio State moved up to #3 from 7 as they beat Michigan State 78-76 behind Lou Olson’s (C, 84 ovr) 20 points. Next up: #13 Iowa Hawkeyes.
• Duke has climbed back into the top 10 via 2 straight wins after falling to #13 after they lost 3 straight games to Georgia Tech, St. Bonaventure, and Florida State. Those results are frankly unacceptable for the most talented team in the country.

[marshdaddy]

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

You know, a coach Tovarich + Drago bros + coach Reid + coach Roberts ncaa coach summit could be a hilarious thing.

Marshdaddy - if you read this, I found you to have some of the best prose on this site, especially from a journalistic perspective. Maybe there's a Ringer Coach summit you could moderate between the 5 coaches? [emoji1787]

Sent from my phone.

Count me in, I'm all for it.

[kibaxx7]

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

This has to be the best NCAA story going on right now, brother. Keep it up and I can't wait to see what Marsh is cooking!

[R1zzo23]

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

You know, a coach Tovarich + Drago bros + coach Reid + coach Roberts ncaa coach summit could be a hilarious thing.

Let's do this!

[R1zzo23]

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

That game against FGCU seemed like a classic! Love the video clips/gifs that you provided. Makes it incredibly engaging. It clearly seems that tweaking the CPU tendencies for these games has been incredibly beneficial for you.

[studbucket]

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

That game against FGCU seemed like a classic! Love the video clips/gifs that you provided. Makes it incredibly engaging. It clearly seems that tweaking the CPU tendencies for these games has been incredibly beneficial for you.

Yeah, it was so fun. Second time in 4 years that Oggy experienced a double OT game (first time vs Dartmouth). I just hope this isn't a fluke and I got lucky, but a theme that continues going forward. This game was so fun. I vacillated between thinking I had the game won and lost several times.

[georgiafan]

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

That LA starting 5 is loaded

[studbucket]

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

That LA starting 5 is loaded

Yeah, it's absurd...but they are also not a good team. Something about LeBron + Davis has not been great via the sim engine for two years, but I imagine this collection of dudes and the Lakers panicking seems realistic, so I went that way.

We'll see how the playoffs go for them this year, since they are now .500 and will probably make it.

[studbucket]

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

Following up on an earlier conversation with Marshdaddy - I set every single player (not counting incoming draft and current FAs) to have intangibles of 50. It lowered most overalls and I'm happy with it. For instance, LeBron went from 93 to 91 ovr. Giannis from 99 to 98. But some guys dropped from 84 to 79. I like the slightly lower overalls, so I am happy with it.