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

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2020-21 NCAA Season Preview

All of the “Midnight Madnesses” have wrapped up and the tip off for this year’s college basketball season is just around the corner. Here’s the season preview from Clark and Greg as well as the top 25.

The Big East is once again the class of college basketball with 5 teams in the top 10 and 7 teams in ranked. UConn are pre-season favorites for the title, followed by a Memphis team that returns most of its contributors, including several defensive standouts. UCLA, at #13, is a dark horse favorite for the title with a few incredibly talented players including B.A. Guasco and Stewart Mobley.

And here are your preseason All-Americans.

[studbucket]

Top NBA Draft Prospects

As we kick off the college basketball season, let us take a look at the top prospects for next year’s NBA draft. Jerry Sparks is clearly the #1 prospect, but there’s a lot of ambiguity after that.

Point Guards

Player	Rank	School / Country	Age	Height	Weight
Marquis Huffman	3	Boston College	21	6’1”	197 lbs
Seth Valsin	4	USC	19	6’6”	211 lbs
Ronni Eppenhimer	8	Pittsburgh	21	5’10”	197 lbs
Reece Campbell	21	South Carolina	20	5’9”	184 lbs
Taylor Blount	22	Texas	20	6’0”	180 lbs

Shooting Guards

Player	Rank	School / Country	Age	Height	Weight
Gerard McCollum	15	Arizona	20	6’7”	214 lbs
Floyd Paschal	19	Memphis	20	6’6”	206 lbs
B.A. Guasco	23	UCLA	21	6’5”	208 lbs
Herb Drabyn	26	Memphis	20	6’5”	200 lbs
Rod Douglas	28	Indiana	19	6’4”	227 lbs

Small Forwards

Player	Rank	School / Country	Age	Height	Weight
Gordon Cousinard	2	Syracuse	20	6’3”	223 lbs
Rashad Konare	5	Louisville	21	6’6”	215 lbs
C.C. Walsh	6	Georgia	20	6’6”	195 lbs
Donnie Conroy	7	UConn	23	6’6”	232 lbs
Jameer Trammell	10	Kentucky	19	6’6”	228 lbs

Power Forwards

Player	Rank	School / Country	Age	Height	Weight
Jerry Sparks	1	Kansas State	20	6’11”	241 lbs
Dave Tran	11	Washington	21	6’7”	262 lbs
Darrall Gosley	17	Indiana	19	6’9”	265 lbs
Andre Rice	18	UConn	21	6’7”	248 lbs
Solomon Akindele	20	Solomon Akindele	21	6’9”	228 lbs

Centers

Player	Rank	School / Country	Age	Height	Weight
Sidney Dunnington	9	Oklahoma	19	6’8”	256 lbs
Stewart Mobley	13	UCLA	19	6’10”	270 lbs
Serge Cisse	24	UConn	20	7’3”	258 lbs
Nikola Pattrick	N/A	Utah	20	7’1”	277 lbs
Reid Ziri	N/A	Oregon	18	7’3”	241 lbs

USA vs the World Rising Stars Game

In a game comprised of some of the top college and foreign prospects, the USA dominated. Led by Jerry Sparks, who already is playing like baby Giannis, team USA won by 51 points and outclassed the world with their talent and athleticism.

[studbucket]

November 7, 2020 St. Francis at Lehigh [non-conf]

The season kicks off for St. Francis as they visit Lehigh. This should be a good season for the Red Flash as they return every single contributor from last season and Dinko and his staff learn to be more effective in their second year.

Lehigh went 11-16 last year and don’t seem overly talented, but do have a trio of shooters in Neal, Willis, and Whithers and also have a 7 footer in Woodward. A win for the Red Flash will be quite important for their early season confidence as they follow up this game with one against Pittsburgh and then face off against Syracuse in a very talented tournament.

Coach Dragomirov rolled out a small lineup change this year, as he swapped Noah Almond to the 2 and put Tobias Roberson at point guard. Asked before the season why he made the change, Dinko said the move was made to get Almond more open looks on the wing, which is something they did not do a good job of doing last year.

For the first few minutes, St. Francis was clearly the better team, though they allowed the Mountain Hawks to get several offensive rebounds due to their height advantage. Noah Almond nailed a transition three and the Red Flash were up 13-6, causing Lehigh to call a timeout. After that timeout St. Francis came out ice cold and Lehigh clawed back into the game. What kept SFU from falling behind during this cold stretch was their physical play. They kept working hard and driving to the basket and despite being down 18-17, they had forced the Mountain Hawks into foul trouble.

The first half wrapped up with a low score (24-21 St. Francis lead) due to relatively miserable shooting from each team: 38% and 34% and SFU was only 5-11 from the charity stripe.

In the 2^nd half, Dinko instructed his team to double down on what was working: defense and getting to the foul line. After falling behind 43-42 midway through the 2^nd, the Red Flash were finally able to take control of the game. After causing a foulout and getting some steals, they solidified their lead and won the game 62-53.

Casey Tyler led the Red Flash with 18 points, and Muhamad Payne had 11 points on 1-7 shooting (because he went 9-13 from the line). St. Francis shot 25 free throws to Lehigh’s 12, which was a huge reason for the victory.

[studbucket]

2020-21 NBA Season Preview

The Milwaukee Bucks are the reigning NBA champions and start the season atop Erick Boenisch’s NBA power rankings. Based on his rankings, here are the division projections:

Atlantic	Central	Southeast
Boston Celtics	Milwaukee Bucks	Miami Heat
Philadelphia 76ers	Indiana Pacers	Washington Wizards
Toronto Raptors	Cleveland Cavaliers	Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets	Chicago Bulls	Orlando Magic
New York Knicks	Detroit Pistons	Charlotte Hornets
Northwest	Pacific	Southwest
Utah Jazz	Los Angeles Clippers	Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets	Los Angeles Lakers	Dallas Mavericks
Oklahoma City Thunder	Golden State Warriors	Memphis Grizzlies
Minnesota Timberwolves	Sacramento Kings	San Antonio Spurs
Portland Trail Blazers	Phoenix Suns	New Orleans Pelicans

Boenisch predicts the Bucks will defeat the Clippers in the finals, which will definitely irk some Mavericks fans, who he has ranked 5^th in the West. The West still has immense quality, as is evidenced by the last place predictions for the relatively talented Portland, Phoenix, and New Orleans teams.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Good win for the Red Flash to begin the season! Hoping that both brothers can make the tournament this year.

[RMJH4]

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

Lets go Red Flash! Good win over Lehigh! Lets see if the squad can use their chemistry to pull out a couple more wins this season!

[studbucket]

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

Good win for the Red Flash to begin the season! Hoping that both brothers can make the tournament this year.

Me too, though I predict it will only be 1 again this time, though maybe Oggy can work some tournament magic.

Lets go Red Flash! Good win over Lehigh! Lets see if the squad can use their chemistry to pull out a couple more wins this season!

I think you are going to see them overachieve and be quite consistent due to their experience. This team knows how to play together.

[studbucket]

November 11, 2020 Northern Colorado vs Cal-State Fullerton [non-conf]

The Bears of Northern Colorado opened their season with an 88-75 loss at Wyoming and head back to Greeley for their home opener against the Cal-State Fullerton Titans, who are also 0-1.

After a rough offseason, Northern Colorado really needs new players to step up if this team is going to taste any success and give the fans hope this year. Andres Swanson seems like the best candidate to take the leap this year, though Brandon North’s deep shooting is going to be heavily relied upon.

For CSF, they are led by a sharpshooting point guard in Eto Beye and 6’10 freshman PF Dominic Goral. Randy Alvarez and Taron Guy will need to play strong and help control the paint this game, especially given the relative lack of outside shooting that UNC has.

Early on, it looked amazing for the Bears. The Titans couldn’t handle the full court press and Northern Colorado was up 6-0 before Cal-State Fullerton even thought the game started. Just a few minutes into the game, the Titans had already committed 5 turnovers.

However, the Titans got back into the game and kept it close the whole first half, with the Bears staying just a bit ahead. It was 35-30 at the break, and freshman Taron Guy showed surprising hustle for a player of his girth, leading to a game-leading 12 points at half.

However, just 20 seconds into the 2^nd half the Bears had allowed 4 points and were struggling. From the sideline, Oggy yelled at his team to calm down and to get back to what they know. That advice seemed to work, as the Bears got into a rhythm, with Swanson getting to the line and North hitting a three and they found themselves up 44-36.

The Titans got the game as close as three points, but Northern Colorado worked the lead back up to 11 with an emphatic dunk from Brandon North.

Brandon North gives the Bears a commanding lead with a commanding dunk

Spurred on by the dunk, the Bears coasted to a 76-61 victory and was a great way to open the season for the home crowd.

“Big T” (Taron Guy) had 20 points in his 2^nd career game, throwing his weight around to create space and get close looks. He was a big part of the 48-18 points in the paint advantage. Brandon North has been on fire so far, scoring just under 20 points in each of the first two games for the Bears.

Around the NCAA

• The biggest news for the Dragomirov clan was the St. Francis Red Flash heading into Pittsburgh and beating the Panthers handily, 79-52. It was a shocking victory and pro prospect Ronnie Eppenhimer only had 5 points on 2-14 shooting while Tobias Roberson had 21, shooting 6-8 from three.
• In a matchup of Titans, #8 Syracuse beat #7 North Carolina 98-89. SF Gordon Cousinard had 27 and 12.
• #24 LSU is the only team in the top 25 without a winning record as they have lost to Chattanooga and UAB.
• Through 3 games, standout sophomore Stewart Mobley is averaging 31.3 points and 8 rebounds per game for the UCLA Bruins.

Around the NBA

• It turns out that Fred VanVleet signed just before the season started with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The move bumped D’Angelo Russel to shooting guard and gives the Wolves a respectable point guard and team player as they make a run for the playoffs.
• The Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz have the best records in the NBA at 8-2. Both Donovan Mitchell and Kristaps Porzingis have stepped up their scoring and are big reasons for the successful start to the season.
• The Denver Nuggets have lost 6 straight after starting 2-2 and it looks like the additions of Dinwiddie and Bjelica may have been the wrong moves.
• The Lakers have also started slow and are 4-7. A big part of this was losing LeBron James to a pinched nerve in his back for all bu the first game. Without LeBron, Anthony Davis has gone off, and is averaging nearly 37 points per game.
• Among rookies, PG Trevor Merchant is on fire for Detroit, averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. The Pistons aren’t good, but Merchant looks like a superstar already.
• On the other hand, Knicks fans are already concerned about 3^rd overall pick Jarek Kickert who is averaging 4.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 27 minutes per game.

[kibaxx7]

Re: November 11, 2020 Northern Colorado vs Cal-State Fullerton [non-conf]

Still looking great!

[studbucket]

Drago Derby #2 - Preview

Note: this post was written based on your responses to the pre-season survey. Thanks to those who responded!

It’s the eve of our second Drago Derby – the coaching matchup between Bulgarian immigrants and Pittsburgh adoptees Ogyan and Kostadin Dragomirov. On the eve of this second showdown between Oggy and Dinko (their preferred names), the Post-Gazette took the time to survey basketball fans from the greater Pittsburgh area to get an idea of how the two brothers are viewed.

Oggy, the older of the two twins, is the 2^nd year head coach of the Northern Colorado Bears. He took this job over after 5 years on the Robert Morris basketball team and several years on their staff. Dinko, the more talented of the two twins, had his career cut short at Duquesne after a serious car accident (that also left his now wife, Stephanie, unable to walk). Dinko is now the head coach at nearby St. Francis University, commuting from his home in Pittsburgh to coach.

Neither brother had a significant advantage in terms of being favored by the public, but depending on your measure of success, either brother could be a clear winner.

Question	Oggy (UNC)	Dinko (SFU)
Who is your favorite Bulgarian brother?	49%	51%
Which brother will have a better 2020-21 season?	73%	27%
Which brother will be the first to take a new job?	94%	6%
Which brother will be the first to get an NBA job?	91%	9%
Which brother will be the first to win an NCAA or NBA title?	29%	71%

Among the public, both brothers seem to be well regarded, with allegiance being based on alma mater or their coaching style. Yes – alma mater. In a surprise to this report, there were several responses like this one: “I went to Northern Colorado so I’ll be rooting hard for Oggy!”

However, the public was able to put aside their preferences when it came to predicting success, as there were clear favorites for all the other questions.

Coming off of the NCAA tournament berth, 73% of fans are predicting that Oggy and Northern Colorado will have a better season, flying in the face of the expert predictions of the Bears finishing at or near the bottom of the Big Sky Conference. That predicted success, combined with Oggy’s well-documented drive, has an astounding 94% of fans predicting he will be the first brother to take a new job. However, one quick look at Dinko and his priorities makes this unsurprising. The towering younger brother has made it very clear that his wife and parents are a top priority in his life and that means staying in the Pittsburgh area.

One respondent believes that there is a link between his prediction of Oggy going to the NBA first and Dinko winning a title first. “Oggy will make the jump first, giving Dinko more time in college to win a title.” Another resident had similar sentiments. “I think Oggy will build off the tourney appearance and achieve more initial success with jobs, but not the first title.”

Game Preview

Turning to the court, St. Francis handily beat Northern Colorado last season. After a tumultuous offseason, Oggy will have his work cut out for him to beat his younger brother, even in Greeley. The Red Flash bring back all 5 starters, including team captain and sharpshooter Noah Almond.

Here’s how the expert analysts at College Hooks 2K rate the two teams.

As you can see, the Red Flash have clear advantages in several areas like shooting, and are nearly even when it comes to defense and coaching. Even though the Bears are at home, they are going to need to play a slow-paced game that allows them to take advantage of their slight size advantage, defense, and rebounding. If they are slow on their rotations or allow this to become a track meet, Oggy and his team may be in for a long night.

[studbucket]

The Drago Derby #2 – November 26, 2020 St. Francis at Northern Colorado

It’s time for Drago Derby #2 and Oggy certainly hopes that the home cooking in Greeley can make the game closer than the very first Drago Derby. Both teams come in at 2-3, but the paths there have been very different.

Dinko and the Red Flash rode their veteran experience to wins over Lehigh and Pitt, but then had to face Syracuse and Kansas, losing to both and then falling to Radford.

The Bears of Northern Colorado did not face nearly as tough competition and after their win against Cal-State Fullerton, they lost to Utah State and Long Beach State, with a victory over Fresno State in between. Brandon North has been on fire for the Bears, averaging 21.6 points per game after scoring 31 and 26 the last two games.

With the Dragomir and Zhivka nearing 70 years old and Stephanie (Dinko’s wife) wheelchair bound, the Dragomirov clan did not make the trip to Greeley this year, but they happily attended the viewing party put on by friends and family from around Pittsburgh. Though Stephanie was always nervous before games, the combination of viewing the game on TV, being around friends & family and knowing that Dinko probably had the better team was a comfort to her. As the game got ready to tip off, mama Zhivka shushed everyone around her and the party turned their attention to the game.

Early on, it was all UNC and Oggy was all smiles. Unable to contain his smile, Oggy could be seen grinning as Brandon North nailed his first two shots of the game and helped the Bears out to a 17-10 lead thanks to 3 threes from North. Fed up with his team’s complete lack of defense, Dinko called a timeout and implored his team to calm down and focus. He knew they were more talented than the Bears, and if they didn’t get psyched out they could come back and control this game.

The timeout seemed to work, as Northern Colorado had no more easy buckets and the Red Flash went on a 12-2 run, causing Oggy to be the one to take a timeout this time. As his players come into the huddle, he glanced down at his brother, who gave him no acknowledgement but instead was focused on encouraging his team.

From that point, the first half was a close one, and the game was tied at 32-32 before the Red Flash managed to enter the break with a 41-37 lead. Both teams were on fire from the field, shooting super hot (75% and 60%) and Brandon North already had 14 points.

After a slow start to the 2^nd half as both teams came out cautious, the Red Flash of St. Francis turned on the afterburners. Casey Tyler had an and-1 jumper to put them up 55-44 and it didn’t get any closer before Oggy was forced to call another timeout at 62-46. The Red Flash started the half on a 21-9 run and wouldn’t look back.

Oggy tried to get his team to play methodically and get the ball into the post. The strategy did help Taron “Big T” Guy get his buckets, but didn’t make the game any closer as they couldn’t stop the Red Flash. The game ended at 81-65 and “little brother” Dinko was now 2-0 in the Drago Derby and it would be a great flight back to Loretto, Pennsylvania.

The Bears had a rough 2^nd half shooting, dropping from 65% to 49% and solid games from North, Swanson, and Guy were not enough. The Red Flash had 5 players in double-digit points and Zygis Keita led the game with 9 rebounds, 5 of which came on the offensive end.

[RMJH4]

Re: The Drago Derby #2 – November 26, 2020 St. Francis at Northern Colorado

Love the above poll analysis! pretty much in line with what I voted! Looks like the gap hasn't really closed so far this year though!

[Careless Whisper]

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

Chalk another win up for Dinko in the rivalry! I'm sure Oggy isn't pleased, but he might be okay if Northern Colorado goes dancing again this season.

Beyond the family business storyline, that's a pretty good win for SFU. To go in and handle a NCAA Tournament team on the road is impressive. Glad to see this back!

[kibaxx7]

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

Happy to see this back, stud! Great win for Dinko.

[studbucket]

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

Love the above poll analysis! pretty much in line with what I voted! Looks like the gap hasn't really closed so far this year though!

I had to "fudge" the numbers a bit since there weren't many voters and I wanted the numbers to be more realistic, but they all represents the votes. I'll probably try to do something like this each year.

Chalk another win up for Dinko in the rivalry! I'm sure Oggy isn't pleased, but he might be okay if Northern Colorado goes dancing again this season.

Beyond the family business storyline, that's a pretty good win for SFU. To go in and handle a NCAA Tournament team on the road is impressive. Glad to see this back!

Dinko just seems to be the more consistent in-game coach, but the Bears got hot last season.

Happy to see this back, stud! Great win for Dinko.

Good to be back Been playing more video games with my kids and wife, so had less time to work on this, though it's been in the back of my mind for weeks.