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

[marshdaddy]

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

Not gonna lie, the on-court movement is crisp in this game. Looks super realistic, but the graphics just aren't on-par with today. almost feel like the movement then is better than today.

But major comeback, you guys just kept coming back to fall back down again. nice job pulling it out, think you can win the next round?

[studbucket]

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

Not gonna lie, the on-court movement is crisp in this game. Looks super realistic, but the graphics just aren't on-par with today. almost feel like the movement then is better than today.

But major comeback, you guys just kept coming back to fall back down again. nice job pulling it out, think you can win the next round?

Yeah - it's such a good game. Can be a bit animation heavy at times (where players start an animation and must finish it), but it was a better game than NBA 2K8 or NBA Live 08.

After the second half started, I thought there was no way I'd come back. Was fun to get the win at the end. Big relief.

I will be simming next round and SFU is 1-1 vs FDU this season. A 4 point loss and a 30 point win. I'd give us decent chances, despite FDU being a 2 seed. They are well rounded, but don't have any stars.

[marshdaddy]

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

Yeah - it's such a good game. Can be a bit animation heavy at times (where players start an animation and must finish it), but it was a better game than NBA 2K8 or NBA Live 08.

After the second half started, I thought there was no way I'd come back. Was fun to get the win at the end. Big relief.

I will be simming next round and SFU is 1-1 vs FDU this season. A 4 point loss and a 30 point win. I'd give us decent chances, despite FDU being a 2 seed. They are well rounded, but don't have any stars.

Is there a reason your simming and not playing?

[studbucket]

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

Is there a reason your simming and not playing?

Yeah, to increase the challenge and to make things move slightly faster. I will now play every other game in tournaments plus the title game.

Sent from my phone.

[studbucket]

Simulated Recap: Stetson vs Mercer, March 3, 2023 [Atlantic Sun Tournament]

Note: this was a simulated game as I am now playing every other game in postseason tourneys.

Oggy was preparing for what felt like the most important game of his life. He knew it wasn’t true, but it felt like it for some reason. He got word that his brother won the game in the last minute after falling behind early. He was going to need to check out those highlights and call his brother later. For now his focus was on the 8^th seeded (13-18 overall, 6-10 in conference) Mercer Bears. His team should win this game, but they lost their only matchup this year by 8. It’s not a given at all, especially without Evertsen.

It was going to be a happy call to Dinko that night as both brothers celebrate their comeback victories. Oggy’s wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Dinko’s, but he outscored the Bears by 14 in the second half, overcoming a 9 point halftime deficit to get the victory.

The Hatters were a bit sloppy with 25 fouls and 22 turnovers, but they shot 27-58 from the field (compared to 22-60 for the Bears) and had a few solid performances.

• Marko Nevill only scored 1 point but had 8 assists.
• Arnaud Dahi led the team with 17 points plus 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
• Daron Wagner was very efficient, scoring 16 points on 5-7 shooting and grabbing 9 boards.

Mercer’s Cheyne Knox (PG, 66 ovr) finishes his college career with a 21 point, 4 rebound, 7 assist, and 4 steal performance. A very good way to wrap up a solid career. He averaged nearly 15 points per game this season.


Around the Atlantic Sun

• Jacksonville 103 – Campbell 43. The Dolphins absolutely decimated the Camels in this game, and it never looked close. Sam Zeigler’s college career comes to an end after he tweaks his knee just 9 minutes into the game, finishing with zero points. For the Dolphins, Jacob Amerson (PG, 72 ovr) had a near triple double (17, 9, and 12) and Rashay O’Bannon (SG, 78 ovr) scored 20 points and Lucas Sargent (PF, 69 ovr) added 24 points and 13 boards. Jacksonville faces off against Oggy in the conference title game.

[marshdaddy]

Re: Introduction

Big second half comeback over a spunky 8 seed. How is Oggy feeling heading into the title game?

[studbucket]

Re: Introduction

Big second half comeback over a spunky 8 seed. How is Oggy feeling heading into the title game?

Good. Stetson has had Jacksonville's number the last two seasons. For whatever reason it's been a good matchup in simmed or played games.

It's not going to be easy, but there are probably worse matchups for the Hatters.

[studbucket]

Stetson vs Jacksonville, March 4, 2023 [Atlantic Sun Tournament]

Oggy is back in the title game again for the third time in his career and the second time in the two years he’s been at Stetson. Last year he managed to defeat Jacksonville by 3 points and this year’s Atlantic Sun championship is a repeat of that one. However, the stakes are higher for Jacksonville this year: they are no longer runaway champs and on track for an at-large bid if they lose. There will only be 1 team from the Atlantic Sun that makes the tournament this year, and it will be the winner of this game.

Jacksonville is immensely talented for a small conference team, more talented than the Hatters. Despite that, Stetson is 2-0 on the season with a 68-67 win and a 68-62 win. So the key to winning? Scoring exactly 68 points.

Jokes aside, the Dolphins program should be very disappointed if they don’t manage to get a title with this group. While they will add a great shooter from Marquette next year, this is the last year for a few of their players, and they are a tough team. Here are some of their key contributors:

• Rashay O’Bannon (SG, 78 ovr) – This Alabama transfer is very quick and averages 10 points per game.
• Jacob Amerson (PG, 72 ovr) – The senior playmaker is averaging 13 points, 4.5 assists, and is very quick.
• Homer Nelke (C, 70 ovr) – He’s a 7 footer and the reigning freshman of the year.
• Lucas Sargent (PF, 69 ovr) – The senior is leading the team with 18.5 ppg.
• Harold Atako (SF, 69 ovr) – He’s a streaky 3 point shooter who is only shooting 35% from three, but can go off. He has a career high of 29 points in a game.
• Clarence Bowen (C, 68 ovr) – Oggy lost out on Bowen in the recruiting race, and the big man has backed up fellow classmate Nelke that last 2 seasons.

A win would make three NCAA appearances in four years for Oggy and a reputation as more than just an ambitious, possibly selfish coach. That would put him in consideration for some of the best up-and-coming young coaches in the country alongside Dinko.

But let’s see if he can get the win. It’s not going to be easy.

Right from the jump, it looked like Jacob Amerson was going to be a handful. The senior point guard was attacking the basket and playing with energy. That energy showed up in all the other players as the game was off to a very fast start.

As Jacksonville drove to the hoop, Stetson countered on their end with entry passes to their big men, but then things started to turn a bit for Stetson. Nevill managed to get a third steal in just the first few minutes and then he “put some mustard on that hot dog” (as Oggy screamed) when he threw a behind-the-head alley oop to Arnaud Dahi, delighting the Hatters faithful. As Neville was from New Zealand and had a tendency to play with flair, some fans started saying he was a ”spicy Kiwi”, which shortly turned into the “Spicy K” nickname. His latest batch of hot sauce had given Stetson a 13-6 lead early on.

Marko “Spicy K” Nevill showed up in a big way in the Atlantic Sun final

After Homer Nelke got into foul trouble and headed to the bench, things were looking bad for Jacksonville…but that’s just when they turned things around. Stetson stopped scoring and let JU bring the game to within 1 point, 14-15, before relinquishing the lead a few minutes later as they fell behind 21-20.

That’s when, you guessed it, Marko Nevill showed up. He stole the ball and slammed it home, then ran a beautiful pick and roll on the next possession to get the game to a 3 point lead. Jacksonville tied the game at 24, then Stetson took off like a rocket and never looked back. They went on an 11-0 run and went into halftime up 38-28.

Marko Nevill was bossing the game with a spicy 2 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Jerimie Scott had 5 points and Stetson was shooting 70% compared to Jacksonville’s 39%. It’s honestly a shock the game was as close as it was.

In the second half, Nevill led Stetson to a 15 point lead, but the Dolphins briefly made the game seem closer, getting to within 9 points with 4:20 left. Jacksonville then put O’Bannon at point, moving Amerson to the 2 in a bid to make something happen. It didn’t work as Nevill sliced up their defense and the Hatters pulled away.

Oggy and the Stetson Hatters are NCAA tourney bound thanks to a dominant 74-56 victory over the Dolphins.

Nevill was the straw that stirred the drink this game. He only had 2 points, but added 11 assists, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals. He did have 6 turnovers, but it was totally worth it due to his aggression and playmaking. He also had no fouls and was guarding Amerson most of the game. Jerimie Scott had 20 points, Daron Wagner had 18 points, and Arnaud Dahi was 5-6 from deep with 17 points.

Stetson shot 64% and Jacksonville only made 40% of their shots. The Dolphins were a respectable 5-12 from three but only shot 17-42 from inside the arc. Stetson also had a 27-16 rebounding advantage. Amerson had an OK game, but received no help. Atako was 3-11, O’Bannon only scored 8, and Sargent had 10 points.

[kibaxx7]

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

YES!! Congrats on another trip to the dance!

[studbucket]

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

YES!! Congrats on another trip to the dance!

Yeah, Oggy's done it! This has been such a good 365 days for him:

1. Win 2022 Atlantic Sun tourney
2. Play USC very close in round 1
3. Get a good recruiting class and a solid transfer
4. Beat brother the alumni game
5. Beat brother in the Drago Derby
6. Win 2023 Atlantic Sun tourney and make the NCAAs again

I think the narrative may be starting to shift between the brothers, but we'll see how Oggy behaves and what Dinko does.

[studbucket]

Simulated Recap: March 6, 2023 St. Francis vs Fairleigh Dickinson

Note: this was a simulated game as I am now playing every other game in postseason tourneys.

Oggy had done it. He was greatly criticized for his decision to leave Greeley, CO for DeLand, FL but he had now won two straight conference tournaments and looked like he was able to make the most of bad situations – such as losing his best shooter.

Dinko was very proud of his brother and allowed himself to celebrate that evening, talking for over an hour on the phone with Oggy about the details of the game, his approach, and what his journey has been like to get here. The call finished with an exhortation from Oggy: “you better be joining me again. We can’t have the media thinking I’ve passed my little brother. You know, with the win this year, the tourney berth, and heck even the scrimmage victory this summer.”

Previously against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Red Flash had lost 107-103 but then won easily 85-55. This game could go either way, but most oddsmakers had the #2 seed as a 5.5 point favorite. The Knights are well rounded team, with four of their players scoring in double figures:

• Toree Arnold (PF, 67 ovr) – 12.6 ppg
• Kevin Duggins (SG, 67 ovr) – 12.4 ppg
• Aly Millar (SG 69 ovr) – 11.4 ppg
• Daymond Salazar (SF, 79 ovr) – 10.5 ppg

Coming off of the last second victory, confidence was very high among the St. Francis players and they felt they could play the role of Cinderella in this game.

The Red Flash, to use a phrase the mild-mannered Dinko would never use, absolutely curbstomped the Knights. St. Francis scored 40+ each half, nearly doubling up second seed. Not a single Knight scored in double digits, they had 17 turnovers (vs 7 for St. Francis), and shot 2-11 from three.

For St. Francis, Vern Quick was the star scoring 24 points. Stephane Diakite had a very well rounded game, as did Taj Hailey off the bench. Willis Holman had a clutch 13 rebounds off the bench, doubling FDU’s entire bench in rebounding.

Around the NEC

• Central Connecticut State 89 – Quinnipiac 66. A 15 point halftime lead helped the Blue Devils coast to an easy victory. Russ Ba (PF, 68 ovr) had 20 points, Dana Ravello (PF, 69 ovr) had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Walter Wheless (PG, 71 ovr) had 9 points and 9 assists to lead the way. This will be the third straight season that St. Francis and Central Connecticut State face off in the NEC conference tourney.

[studbucket]

College Hoops Tonight March 6, 2023

Here is the video for March 6, 2023’s College Hoops Tonight with Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg.

[studbucket]

March 9, 2023 St. Francis vs Central Connecticut State [NEC Tournament]

Somehow, some way, both brothers had made it back to the conference title games. Oggy had already punched his ticket, making it to the dance for the third time in four years. If Dinko wins tonight, the same would be true for him and the Red Flash. If not, it’s just one more way that his brother will have bested him this year.

Truthfully, he wasn’t thinking about that at all. It had been a rough year relying on all these freshman and dealing with the injuries. This tournament run had redeemed the season whether or not they win tonight. With that said, a win would be huge for him and maybe would fully get the attention of the folks at Duquesne…or maybe not and he’d just stay here for a few more years.

Central Connecticut State fans had grown to HATE the Red Flash. Head coach Donyell Marshall was complimentary, but the reality was that St Francis had beaten the Blue Devils regularly and often with ease. The teams were 1-1 on the season, trading road victories – but that wasn’t what fans hated the most. What drove them crazy were the two straight early exits from the conference tournament at Dinko’s hands. And it hasn’t even been close: 2021 saw an 18 point win and 2022 was host to a 29 point drubbing that saw Gerardo Bethel “run up the score” in the form of a forced triple double. Central Connecticut had not forgotten that and wanted revenge.

CCST features seven seniors in their top eight and this is a steady and reliable team. Here’s their top 8:

• PG Walter Wheless (71 ovr) – 12 points, 5 assists per game, quick and a solid shooter.
• SG Tommy Victor (71 ovr) – 10 ppg, OK shooter.
• SF Akil Crenshaw (65 ovr) – Dropped from 10.5 to 6.5 ppg this year.
• PF Dana Ravello (69 ovr) – Leads team with 13.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
• PF Russ Ba (68 ovr) – The only sophomore, scoring 10 ppg.
• SG Darren Enzweiler (67 ovr) – Solid shooter.
• PF Felipe Kinloch (66 ovr) – 6’6” PF shoots 53%.
• PG Tank Weaver (65 ovr) – The best 3 point shooter, but only scoring 6 ppg.

The one thing about this team is that they have very little height. Ba is their tallest regular, though Howie Minnifield (C, 59 ovr) is 6’9” and Idong Thibodeaux (C, 59 ovr) is 6’10” and get bench minutes most games. The Blue Devils often run a 2-3 zone and clog the lane, so it’s not a given that St. Francis will be able to use their height to get easy baskets.

The first half started close and stayed that way with neither team taking control. Central Connecticut was working the mid-range game and getting rebounds while St. Francis worked the ball inside and the game was 15-15 shortly after the midway point. St. Francis had 5 assists to the Blue Devils’ 2, and there were very few fouls.

The Red Flash pulled ahead after a Djordjevic three made the game 22-18. They then double-teamed Wheless at the top of the key, which resulted in a quick pass and then a hurried that clanked off the rim. SFU took the ball and saw Chris Thompson slam it home on the other end. So far, CCST couldn’t buy a three pointer, clanking off the rim regularly – they were uncharacteristically bad from deep.

Despite this, the Red Flash couldn’t close the deal and went into halftime just up by 1: 28-27. It had been a very even game so far. Floyd Akindele had 8 points for St. Francis and Vern Quick had 7. Walter Wheless and Tommy Victor each had 6 points and Dana Ravello had 6 rebounds for Central Connecticut.

Dinko preached offensive patience and a focus on the pick-and-roll during halftime, but that’s not what happened. Instead the Red Flesh started the half off by turning the ball over 4 straight times and falling behind by 5. St. Francis very briefly clawed their way back and took a 34-33 lead before it all fell apart.

They couldn’t buy a bucket and found themselves down 11, 47-36 after Akil Crenshaw nailed a three. That meant that the Blue Devils had gone on a 29-12 run since late in the first half. Dinko and the Red Flash were in big, big trouble.

Fortunately, they had a big, big man to get them out of trouble. A Floyd Akindele and-one brought the game to 47-40, and then he grabbed an offensive board and cut the game to 5. Dinko then instructed his team to periodically surprise Walter Wheless with double teams and it worked: he threw the ball straight to Stephane Diakite who started the fast break that ended in an alley-oop layup. It was now a 3 point game with 2:30 left and Donyell Marshall called time.

Immediately out of the timeout, the Red Flash capped off a 10-0 run with a Chris Thompson up-and-under to make it a 1 point game, and then the magic happened. They doubled Wheless again and forced a bad jumper then jumped out on the break. On the other end, Vern Quick got fouled on the left-handed hook layup, giving him and AND-1 that gave the Red Flash a 51-49 lead with a minute left. What a clutch play.

The sequence that led to the lead with a minute left.

On the other end, Wheless immediately threw it away again which led to a fast break alley-oop AND-1 and a 54-49 lead for St. Francis. From there, Tanoris Houston made his free throws and the Red Flash went on a remarkable 20-4 run to finish the game and win the NEC conference tournament. Dinko is joining Oggy in March Madness once again.

The Red Flash celebrated while making play-after-play down the stretch

Vern Quick had 16 points despite shooting 1-7 from three. Tanoris Houston had 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. Floyd Akindele and Chris Thompson combined for 7 offensive boards.

It was an off night of shooting as both teams combined to shoot 4-26 from three. A rough night for two teams that usually shoot quite well from deep.

[studbucket]

Conference Tournament Recap

The Selection Show airs in just a few hours and all conference tournaments have been wrapped up. Let’s take a look at how the NEC, Atlantic Sun, and major conference tournaments turned out.

Atlantic Sun
The Atlantic Sun has a new villain: Ognyan Dragomirov. The new line amongst rival fans has been to ask how long Stetson will have Oggy before his wandering eye takes him away from there. With this second straight NCAA tournament berth, it may not be long at all. Jacksonville will be disappointed to have missed out again this year with their deep and talented roster, but they are gearing up for another run next year thanks to a transfer from Marquette.

Northeast Conference
Somehow, someway Dinko did it again. Three straight NEC conference titles and this one as a definite underdog and via a dramatic comeback. Donyell Marshall and the Blue Devils have to be wondering why they are cursed against St. Francis…and they’ll have the whole offseason to do so.

Major Conferences
ACC – #2 Duke Blue Devils
Duke has now won 17 games in a row including the title game over #8 Maryland. That’s the third time they have beaten the Golden Eagles this year as they won both the regular season and tournament titles in the ACC.

Big East – #12 Cincinnati Bearcats
The nation’s deepest and best conference had another thrilling tournament as #12 Cincy bested #20 Pittsburgh 76-73. Regular season champ #6 Syracuse lost in the semis to Pitt.

Big 10 – #3 Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State had a run, defeating Ohio State in the final, 95-77 thanks to Vili Hite (SG, 88 ovr) and his 26 points, 9 rebounds. We saw Ohio State easily dispatch Iowa and Michigan State defeat Illinois on the way to the title game.

Big 12 – Texas Tech Red Raiders
In an amazing run, the Red Raiders beat Oklahoma (and big man Sherman Turner), #10 Kansas (by 34 points), #15 Iowa State, and Oklahoma State. That run vaulted them from a poor regular season finish to March Madness.

Pac 10 – #22 Arizona Wildcats
Big wins over ASU, UW, and Oregon propelled the Wildcats back into the NCAA tournament.

SEC – #1 Florida Gators
Just like Duke, the Gators were dominant and have won 20 straight, including the title game over Vanderbilt by 32 points.


Big Sky Note
Northern Colorado lost 71-70 in the first round of the Big Sky tournament as senior and hometown boy Brandon North scored 30 points in his final game for the Bears.

[kibaxx7]

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

Both brothers with conference titles, can't get any better than that!