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

[BlindSideNZ]

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

Congrats to Coach Oggy for pulling up the century. Huge achievement.

[studbucket]

March 10, 2025 St. Francis vs Sacred Heart [NEC Tournament]

Note: this is a simulated game per my policy of only playing every other tournament game.

Sacred Heart is not a good team. As covered here in the 84-66 win for the Red Flash, they have only 2 reasonable players and a lot of below-average guys. Unless something amazing happens from Martin Harvey (C, 74 ovr) and Leslie Larranaga (SF, 71 ovr), this should be an easy win for St. Francis and send them to the title game.

The Red Flash laid an egg and simply did not show up. Vern Quick, Stephane Diakite, Chris Thompson, and Floyd Akindele combined for 17 fouls and only 27 points and 2 assists. The team shot 19-56 and was 5-24 from three. Allowing 50 points to Sacred Heart in the first half showed that the team just wasn’t ready to play. Somehow Dajuan Sinville (SG, 59 ovr) went 4-4 and had 17 points.

In a post game press conference, Dinko had this to say. “It’s a bitter end to a great season and an even greater run for our seniors. I wanted to give Vern, Stephane, and Floyd a better send off. Here’s to hoping we sneak into the NIT and can make a run there.”

Central Connecticut State 74 – Long Island 69. In another shocker, the Blue Devils knocked off the Blackbirds. Despite Jeremie Lalugba’s 35 points, no other Long Islander scored more than 9. CC State saw Tron Callans and Russ Ba combine for 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists as the 2 seniors didn’t want to give up yet. They’re hoping to get coach Donyell Marshall his first conference tournament championship against Sacred Heart.

[Tovarich]

Re: March 10, 2025 St. Francis vs Sacred Heart [NEC Tournament]

The simulation LOVES the conference tournament upsets. Rough ending. Someone's going straight to Dayton from there.

[studbucket]

Re: March 10, 2025 St. Francis vs Sacred Heart [NEC Tournament]

The simulation LOVES the conference tournament upsets. Rough ending. Someone's going straight to Dayton from there.

It absolutely does. Not just SFPA losing either, but Long Island. Sacred Heart is an objectively awful team. Oh well, this stuff happens and it just means I'm getting to next season faster with Dinko.

[studbucket]

March 10, 2025 Gonzaga vs Loyola Marymount [WCC Tournament]

While Dinko was in the midst of losing a hugely disappointing game and loss, Oggy was gearing up for an unlikely championship appearance and chance to make the NCAA tournament. He knew his brother was down big in the second half, which sucked, but was hoping Gonzaga could lay a similar egg in their appearance against an inferior opponent.

The two teams split the season series with neither game being close. Gonzaga dominated in January and the Lions won 96-63 in February. The Bulldogs finished just ahead of Loyola Marymount in the standings in 5^th place. The Bulldogs are led by senior Eduardo Clark (PF, 80 ovr) and his supporting cast of Benjamin Barley (SF, 81 ovr) and Mack Fitzgerald (C, 80 ovr). They are a disciplined and patient team who looks to score near the basket.

In their first matchup, Oggy found his team up 10-0, but was outscored 74-43 from that point onward and lost handily. For the Lions to book their ticket to the big dance, they will need to shoot 50% or better from the field and limit their turnovers.

Just like last game, Oggy decided to employ a high risk-high reward strategy of sending aggressive double teams at Gonzaga’s big men when they touched the ball, particularly Eduardo Clark and Mack Fitzgerald. He wanted to force Barley, Rose, and Mulholland to beat them.

After Gonzaga opened the game with a missed three, the Lions responded with a Christensen 3 point play on the other end after Mack committed the foul. Getting him and Clark into foul trouble could be huge for the underdog’s chances. And that’s exactly what happened.

Three minutes in, Mack had 2 fouls and was sent to the bench and Loyola Marymount was up 8-7 and should have been up even more. They had a number of good looks inside the paint so far, but had only made a few of them.

A few minutes later, the shots still weren’t falling but Gonzaga was making theirs and the game was now 10-16 and Loyola needed to start making shots before the game got out of hand. They briefly got within 2 points, 23-25, before Gonzaga extended it to 27-35 at halftime.

The Lions were struggling to make shots, even Nashif was just 3-7 with all his shots being close. They were shooting 36% vs Gonzaga’s 51% and were outrebounded 11 to 17, so it was a miracle that the game was as close as it was. Christensen, Nashif, and Salow all had 7 points and backup big Cochran had 8 points for Gonzaga. The game was in reach for Oggy and co, but they had to wake up offensively and keep attacking the basket. One thing they had done well was force the Bulldogs to foul them 9 times in the first.

Right off the bat Gonzaga scores 6 straight points to open the half and they are up 41-27. This is looking bad for Oggy and co. Could they respond?

Slowly and steadily they tried to work back into the game. They’d cut it to 9 three different times, but then Gonzaga would respond. Finally they got it to 54-62 after a Nashif hook shot and then Gonzaga dribbled out of bounds. Maybe the Lions could make this a game?

In what is likely his final college game, Herbert Nashif did his best to will the Lions to victory. Pictured here is one of several thunderous dunks.

With 3 minutes to go, it was a 6 point game and Reid Christensen was consistently using his strength to score down low and keep the game close. Gonzaga didn’t seem worried though, they still had 5 timeouts remaining, maybe because Oggy had used all 7 of his already.

After some free throws from Christensen and a tough layup from Herbert Nashif, the game was cut to 3: 61-64. Gonzaga has gone ice cold. However, they couldn’t get any closer. An And-1 from Gonzaga put them up 6. There was some false hope after 2 Nashif free throws and then a steal, but they missed 3 straight shots and couldn’t cut the game to 2.

It ended up being a 63-69 loss for the Lions, as they fell just short. Ultimately you can’t win when you shoot terribly: just 44% for the game, 1-10 from three.

The Lions only had 6 assists and 3 offensive rebounds (vs 10 for Gonzaga) and were outrebounded 21-35 overall. Gonzaga had 12-15 points from Joseph Mulholland, Dominick Rose, Benjamin Barley, and Eduardo Clark. Mack Fitzerald had 0 points and 4 fouls, so Oggy’s approach worked somewhat.

Herbert Nashif had 19 points and 8 rebounds in what is probably the final game of his career. Reid Christensen had 22 points in a gutsy effort that included 4 steals.

[Tovarich]

Re: March 10, 2025 Gonzaga vs Loyola Marymount [WCC Tournament]

Rough for neither brother to make it. I feel Oggy's rebounding problem for sure. It takes a lot more than +4 in turnovers and 10% 3-point shooting to overcome -14 rebounds.

[studbucket]

Re: March 10, 2025 Gonzaga vs Loyola Marymount [WCC Tournament]

Rough for neither brother to make it. I feel Oggy's rebounding problem for sure. It takes a lot more than +4 in turnovers and 10% 3-point shooting to overcome -14 rebounds.

Yeah, first time in their 6 years coaching that neither will taste the postseason.

Oggy made chicken salad out of chicken [waste] this season, and it really sucks that Nashif is gone because the team will probably be a lot better next year.

[studbucket]

Power Conference Updates

As we head into the last week of play and have conference tournaments kicking off, let’s take a look at where the major conferences stand and who is likely to make it into the NCAA tournament.

Conference Standings
ACC: #15 Maryland will win the regular season, finishing ahead of #19 UNC, #22 BC, and #4 Duke. The Blue Devils lost their final 2 games to UNC and Miami and will likely drop several spots.

Big East: With 10 straight wins, #1 Louisville has won the Big East, finishing 3 games ahead of #9 Notre Dame and #18 Syracuse. #2 UConn managed to finish just 5^th in the conference.

Big 10: The #5 Michigan State Spartans won the conference, with the only other ranked team, #20 Illinois, finished second.

Big 12: #8 Texas are the new kings of the Big 12, with unranked Kansas at the 5^th spot and in danger of missing out on the tournament. #17 Kansas State and #14 Texas Tech are 2^nd and 3^rd.

Pac 10: The Pac 10 was exciting this year, and #6 UCLA won the regular season, followed by #3 California and #12 Washington. Shockingly, #16 Arizona went 8-10 in conference play and has lost 5 of their last 6.

SEC: This conference only has 1 ranked team and it’s not conference winner Arkansas or 3^rd place Kentucky. It’s 4^th place Tennessee at #23 in the polls.


Top 25
Here are the top 25 teams in the country the week before the big conference tournaments kick off. There were no truly dominant teams this regular season and there are nearly 20 teams that feel they could make a national title run.

Bubble Watch
With over a week until selection Sunday, here are the teams on the bubble, hoping to make something happen this week and make the tournament:

School	RPI	Wins	Losses
Oregon	32	18	11
Nebraska	38	20	10
Xavier	45	21	9
Hofstra	48	22	8
Florida	59	23	8
Washington State	37	19	10
George Washington	41	22	10
Oklahoma	39	17	12
Alabama	46	19	10
Pittsburgh	42	20	11
Florida State	34	17	12
Rice	54	21	7
Indiana	53	21	9
San Diego State	49	19	10
Air Force	58	18	9

[studbucket]

NEC Tournament Final

Unfortunately for coach Donyell Marshall, his Blue Devils once again suffered a loss in a big game. Sacred Heart completed their Cinderella run with a big 85-69 win in the final. Martin Harvey (C, 74 ovr) had 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a monster performance.

Here’s the College Hoops Tonight for the past week:

[studbucket]

Coaches’ Corner Episode 12 – March 13, 2025

It is KDKA Channel 2’s distinct privilege to present Coaches’ Corner with Pittsburgh’s adopted son, Ognyan Dragomirov. Live from Los Angeles, California, here is the head coach of Loyola Marymount University.

-----

Oggy:
Welcome and ‘zdraveyte’ to another exciting episode of coaches corner. Neither of us are coaching basketball at the moment as we were both eliminated from postseason contention, so we figured we better do an episode! After last episode’s takedown of Dinko, we’re looking for today to be a more positive experience for my brother.

Dinko:
It’s OK, the tough questions build character.

Oggy:
And that’s enough “coach speak” for one episode, and we’re only 30 seconds in. Dinko, control yourself a bit, alright?

Dinko:
I’m just here so I don’t get fined.

Oggy:
Good Lord, let’s get to the questions. This first one is from Murph in Pittsburgh. “For both brothers, who is a coach you look up to?”

For me, I think that John Calipari. I appreciate what an amazing recruiter he is and how he adjusts his system to fit his players. He’s managed to bring in just absolutely remarkable talent, but it’s clear from his time at UMass and Kentucky that he’s more than just a slick recruiter: he’s a coach. You can see how he tries to adjust what his team focuses on year-to-year as he works to help Anthony Davis one year and then adjusts to try to get the most out of an SGA-Knox-Diallo-Washington-Richards team, for example.

He also spent time in the NBA, coaching for both the Nets and the Sixers. I’d love to make my way to the pros someday and I love a coach who is willing to push himself and try to succeed at all levels.

Dinko:
I’d never asked you this question, so it was cool to hear your answer. Calipari makes sense, he’s a great coach. For me, I think it’s Erik Spoelstra. Regardless of the talent on his roster, he gets them to play together, play hard, and play as a team. Over and over again you’ve seen his teams rise up and play above their talent, or to their talent in some cases. He also can aptly handle large personalities, which is a challenge you and I haven’t had to deal with in the same way.

Oggy:
Absolutely, Spo’ is really quite something. Since he’s your coaching hero, does that mean that we can expect you to go to the NBA sometime soon?

Dinko:
Ha, very unlikely. I’m not sure I’m equipped to coach there and any team that thinks I am is probably foolish. Let me learn more where I am.

Oggy:
Fair enough.

Our second question of the day is from Lizzy in Ann Arbor, MI. “What’s your favorite type of player? What mold, so-to-say, do you prefer? And what professional, past-or-present, fits it the most?”

Dinko:
Oh, this is a fun one. My favorite type of player is a big man, ideally 7 feet or more, that can play with speed and strength. You can’t teach size or speed, and pairing those things with a tenacity and willingness to play with power is an amazing thing for a big man.

You could probably name many great big men from NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, even a young Shaq. But the guy who embodies this the most is Hakeem Olajuwan. I just loved watching him play. Grace and power. Class and anger. The Dream was amazing in his prime.

Oggy:
Hard to top Hakeem, he’s a great one. As for me, my favorite type of player is one who is about the exact opposite of what I was as a player. I love hyper-athletic and aggressive guards who can shoot. As tantalizing as a Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose-style player can be, my favorite type of player is a shooter first, driver second. If I had to choose 1 player, it might be Ray Allen. Everyone seems to remember him from his time in Boston and Miami, but Milwaukee-era Ray Allen was able to score from any place on the floor against anyone. How many players were in both the dunk contest and three point contest? He’s remarkable.

Dinko:
And he’s not a bad actor either, and we all know about your flair for the dramatic. A match made in heaven!

Oggy:
Not everyone has mastered the art of coach-speak quite like you Dinko-wan.

Our final question of the day comes from Ricardo in Fort Myers, FL: “Oggy, what have been the challenges that come with moving from the East coast to the West coast? How has it gone?”

Dinko:
I think the biggest challenge has been winning basketball games.

Oggy:
Don’t even….ugh. Anyway, thanks Ricardo. I like the weather better here in California than Florida, but it has taken some getting used to the time difference and the traffic. The NFL kicks off at 10 AM out here. It’s wild. My family is all plus 3 hours from me, so I need to be cognizant of that when calling them, but it hasn’t stopped mom from calling me at 5 AM my time.

Overall, I’m settling in quite well. It helps that Kate moved out here as well and lives just a 10 minute drive from campus. It gives me something to anchor to besides the Loyola basketball team. There’s so much talent out here and player want to come to LA, so recruiting has been fun. It’s a different world than when I was in Greeley, CO.

Dinko:
You were made for the sunshine. Not sure you could ever take a job at Wisconsin. Your fragile self may fall apart.

Oggy:
You’re right that I greatly prefer it, but I’d do anything for great basketball, even live in the snow.

With that, we’ll sign off. I hope there are no snowstorms where you are dear viewers. See you next time.

[studbucket]

Major Conference Tournament Recap

As an appetizer before Selection Sunday, here’s what happened in the major conference tournaments.

ACC: Duke Blue Devils
The #8 Blue Devils rebounded from a rough end to the regular season by blowing out Maryland and NC State in the final two rounds of the tournament. North Carolina lost in the 2^nd round, as did Boston College.

Big East: Louisville Cardinals
As expected, Louisville won, but it wasn’t easy. The defeated Syracuse by a single point in the title game and also defeated Villanova along the way.

Big Ten: Michigan State Spartans
After Illinois lost their first game to Ohio State, the Spartans’ toughest competition was knocked out and they defeated Purdue, Indiana, and Norhtwestern en route to the title.

Big 12: Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders beat in-state Rivals Texas for the title, while both Kansas State and Texas A&M were dispatched in the semifinals.

Pac 10: California Golden Bears
Cal completes the double as they also win the conference tournament with an easy win over Stanford. UCLA and Washington were both eliminated in the second round.

SEC: Florida Gators
The Gators win the conference in an upset as Tennessee and Kentucky were eliminated before the semifinals and the Gators defeated Alabama in the semis and LSU in the final.

What about the Atlantic Sun?
Thanks for asking. Oggy is the architect of a conference champion as Stetson beat East Tennessee State, Jacksonville, and then North Florida in the final to make it to the NCAA tournament. Go Hatters!

[studbucket]

2025 Selection Sunday

Anticipation has been building and fans have their pencils ready. What will the matchups be?

The top 4 seeds were understandable except for 1: UCLA. Instead of grabbing the 7^th ranked team in the country that was knocked out in the second round of their tournament, the committee could have chosen one of the great teams from the best conference in the country in UConn or Villanova.

This results in a an absolutely KILLER East bracket with Louisville, Texas, and Duke. All 3 in the top 8 and the best teams in their conferences and none of them should have been a 3 seed. Here’s the top 4 teams in each bracket:

7 seed Boston College vs 10 seed Kansas is a very interesting round 1 matchup. BC is probably better than a 7 seed, though they had a rough end to the season and Kansas has been underperforming all seed despite their talent.

Somehow Florida ended up as an 8 seed despite winning the SEC, being 26-8, and being 11^th in the Coaches Poll (though they were unranked in the media poll). This is likely due to their strength of schedule, but is a slap in the face to a major conference champion with single digit losses.

What about the brothers?
For the first time in their careers, neither brother will see postseason games, not even the NIT.

However, Stetson got a 13 seed and will face Kansas State in round 1:

From the brothers’ conferences:

1. Gonzaga is a 12 seed and facing 5 UAB
2. San Francisco is a 7 seed against 10 seed Colorado State
3. Sacred Heart ended up in the play-in game against Prairie View
4. Long Island made the NIT and will face off against San Diego State

Looking at all the conferences and their bids, it’s quite interesting to see the breakdown.

1. The Big East saw an amazing 9 teams make the tournament
2. The Big 10 only got 2 teams in the tournament, which is a new low for what was once considered one of the best basketball conferences in the country

Of the top NBA prospects, there are several who won’t be playing in March Madness, which is likely a blow to their stock.

• Timon Ravello, PF, Florida State – He’ll be taking his 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per game to the NIT where he hopes to raise his draft stock to a middle of the first round level.
• T.J. Reid, SF, Pittsburgh – The 6’7” wing averaged 12.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in the country’s toughest conference. He’ll get at least 1 more game in the NIT.
• Jazz Grace, SG, Tulane – Grace may be the top pick in the draft, but many fans haven’t seen him play and won’t see him because he landed in the NIT. The “Music Man”, as they call him, is averaging a very solid 18, 6, and 5 for the Green Wave.
• Ashley Legge, PF, Arizona State – his college career is over. No postseason play and it was a disappointing season for the 6’8” senior. He only averaged 8.5 points per game.
• Rudy Vilardell, SF, Clemson – Rudy is nursing an injury and was only the 4^th leading scorer on a middle of the pack ACC team. The NIT is his last chance to shine before the draft.
• T.J. Gogerty, PF, San Diego State – “Goges” averaed 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in a reasonably tough MWC. He’ll get to show off his skills against Long Island in the NIT.
• Jack Millage, SF, Georgia – Millage is mentioned as a top 5-10 pick, but won’t even play in the NIT as he couldn’t lead Georgia to the postseason. He averaged 13 and 6.

[studbucket]

Player Spotlight: Juan King

As I play games, I will take time to periodically spotlight some of the fictional players in my NBA. Today we are learning about Juan King, a 5^th year journeyman center of the SuperSonics (his 5^th team!).

College Career and NBA Draft
King spent 4 years dominating the competition at Georgetown thanks to his 7’2” frame. His senior season started off well as he was a first-team preseason All-American and his Hoyas started out as the 6^th ranked team in the nation. During the season, he was named Player of the Week once for a 33 point performance in a win over Memphis. He also had a 30 point performance in a win over Memphis.

It was a slightly disappointing regular season as they finished ranked #8 and were eliminated in the Big East semifinals by a Syracuse team featuring Gordon Cousinard and Bobby Drake. King finished the season averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game

The Hoyas entered the NCAA tournament as a 3 seed and easily dispatched BYU in the first round thanks to King’s 25 points and 10 rebounds and then he followed it up with another 25 and 10 to beat #11 Washington. However, their run ended in the Sweet 16 as they were upset by #7 seed Xavier with a buzzer beater from Donnie Conroy. King was held to just 15 points.

Heading into the draft, King was competing with North Carolina’s Jarek Kickert, Fordham’s Shaddean Christopher, and UNC-Greensboro’s Dana Bright for the title of best big man in the 2020 NBA draft and was being compared to Gheorge Muresan and Ian Mahinmi – not exactly the best company for a possible top 5 draft pick.

Despite some red flags, King was selected 4^th overall (behind Ernesto Parkinson, Trevor Merchant, and Jarek Kickert) by the Atlanta Hawks. He gave them great size, solid defense, better athleticism than what they had, and helped to replace Clint Capela.

Player Overview

The theme of King’s career has been movement. He’s never been good enough to be highly valued by his team, but never been enough to not have some other team value him. He’s been a starter every year in the league, but never for more than 1.5 seasons.

After being drafted by the Hawks and starting 80 games, his option was not picked up for year 2 and he signed with Houston to play for another playoff team and possible contender, starting half of his 78 games. However, his one year deal expired and he signed a multi-year deal with the Spurs. After 1.5 seasons of being the primary starter, they decided to move on from him so that Raynell Ere can get more playing time. They traded him to the Brooklyn Nets who were looking for a better 5 as they wanted to make a playoff run with KD and Kyrie again. After that fizzled out, he signed a deal with the SuperSonics to be their starting 5.

So what kind of player is he? Why is he good enough to start but not good enough to hold onto?

He’s an intimidating and solid, but not dominating, rim protector. He’s a better passer than you’d expect (4.2 apg for his career), but not someone you’d run an office through. He’s reasonable on the boards, but you’d expect more from a guy who is 7’2”. He’ll score, but never take over a game. In this sense the Ian Mahihmi comp makes sense – but he’s the absolute ceiling of what Mahinmi could have been.

Juan King is good enough to be a starter for half the teams in the league. But he’s not good enough to be worth $15-20 million per year. If you can get him for $10 million or less and he can be your backup big or you have some 4 better players in the starting lineup, that’s great. If you need to pay him or rely on him: you’re going to want a new plan.

NBA Stats

Season	Team	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TOPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	PER
2020-21	ATL	80	80	6.9	7.7	4.7	1.3	1.9	2.0	43.2%	12.9%	74.2%
2021-22	HOU	78	39	8.5	8.6	4.3	1.3	1.9	1.8	43.2%	11.5%	76.4%
2022-23	SA	76	72	10.5	8.1	3.7	1.2	1.7	1.9	41.1%	13.3%	72.1%
2023-24	SA-BKN	76	75	9.7	8.5	4.1	1.3	2.0	1.9	39.4%	11.8%	75.1%	15.8
2024-25	SEA	71	71	10.3	8.1	4.2	0.6	1.3	1.3	46.7%	0.00%	70.7%	16.7
Total		381	337	9.18	8.2	4.2	1.1	1.8	1.8	42.7%	9.9%	73.7%

Bonus trivia
Which real-life player does King represent from College Hoops 2K8? This is a much easier one than some previous player trivias.

Spoiler

Roy Hibbert: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Hibbert

[studbucket]

2025 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 recap

Upset Watch

• #12 Gonzaga 72 - #5 UAB 69: The WCC champions dispatched the Blazers thanks to Mack Fitzgerald’s (C, 81 ovr) 20 points. #11 Bowling Green 93 – #6 BYU 68: Britton Armstrong (PF, 86 ovr) led the Falcons to a huge win in round 1, destroying the Cougars.
• #11 Drexel 65 - #6 Richmond 63: Drexel was down 13 at the half and turned it on the second half to get the win.
• #10 Kansas 73 - #7 Boston College 70: In a low scoring game that went to overtime, the defending champions bested the Golden Eagles. Walter Borges (SG, 88 ovr) led the way with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.
• #9 South Florida 85 - #8 Georgia Tech 76: Barely an upset, but it’s worth calling out the performance from NBA hopeful Mindaugas Buggs (PF, 87 ovr). He had 24 points on 9-12 shooting in the win.
• #9 Marquette 90 - #8 Florida 84: Jaime Chatfield (SG, 89 ovr) and his peppered gray beard led the way as Marquette beat the favored Gators.

Key Performances

• Micheal Coles (SG, 90 ovr) had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in the first round as Louisville dispatched Prairie View.
• The LSU Tigers easily won their round 1 game thanks to Andre O’Hara (C, 89 ovr) and his 32 points.
• The Stetson Hatters were no match for Kansas State’s DeAngelo Hopes (PG, 87 ovr) as he had 29 points and 7 assists.
• Villanova’s 6^th man Stephan Demond (SG, 89 ovr) had a very interesting stat line in their round 1 win: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block in 30 minutes.
• Ralfeal Dux (PG, 90 ovr) had a near triple-double in the Terrapins win as he had 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
• The Illini were led by Dommanic King (PG, 87 ovr) and his 31 points.
• Notre Dame had 104 points and saw every starter and their 6^th man score in double digits. Backup big man Dommanic Assel (C, 82 ovr) led the way with a 22 and 10.
• Lorenzo Burnett (PF, 82 ovr) had a very interesting stat line for UCLA. He had 15 rebounds and 19 points but those points came on 4-17 shooting as he went 11-14 from the line.

NIT Update

• Clemson ended the season with a whimper, losing 81-56 to Wichita State. NBA hopefully Rudy Vilardell (SF, 88 ovr) had 4 points in the loss.
• Xavier dropped 100 on Hartford as 7 players scored in double digits.
• Kentucky decided that they didn’t want to show up to the NIT, scoring only 43 points in a loss to Saint Joseph’s.
• Jazz Grace’s (SG, 88 ovr) college career is over as Tulane loses to Utah 57-79. Jazz had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in the loss.
• Middle Tennessee State won over Murray State thanks to Julio Esterkamp (C, 80 ovr) and his 32 and 10 performance.
• San Diego State easily dispatched Long Island, but TJ Gogerty (PF, 84 ovr) was hurt and only played 11 minutes, scoring no points.
• Alabama beat Howard thanks to a combined 50 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists from Dean Monroe (PF, 84 ovr) and Willie Prillman (PG, 86 ovr).

[studbucket]

2025 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 recap

Upset Watch

• #7 Arkansas 101 – #2 Texas 85: The Razorbacks were on fire this game. 5 players scored in double digits and Franklin Dickerson (SG, 81 ovr) and Roland Price (SG, 81 ovr) both had 23 points as they easily dispatched the Longhorns in a major upset.
• #6 Arizona 64 - #3 Notre Dame: A thrilling comeback from Arizona who was down 11 at halftime.
• #5 Maryland 84 - #4 Illinois 74: Being down at half, Maryland got 3(!!) Illini starters to foul out and outscored them by 12 in the second half to get the win.
• #5 Texas A&M 85 - #4 Washington 77: A great team performance from the Aggies saw them get the round 2 victory.

Key Performances

• Hilton Edwards (C, 82 ovr) had a 25 and 10 for the Mountaineers as they easily defeated Gonzaga.
• Texas Tech absolutely destroyed Kansas – they scored 63 first half points. They were led by the duo of Michael Johnson (C, 82) and Jamie Cuffe (PG, 84 ovr) who combined for 57 points.
• This is starting to be a breakout tournament for Lorenzo Burnett (PF, 82 ovr) as the senior 7-footer led UCLA to another win with 31 points and 10 rebounds.