JB's 2k20 (PS4) Fictional Draft Classes

[jeb4056]

January Notes:

International update: 18 year old 7’1 center Nathan Sirven from France is the 18th ranked international recruit, and he’s not ready to enter the NBA draft this year as he still is maturing and growing his game, but should be on scouts lists for either next year or the year after.

Recruit signing update: Kentucky received a commitment from #2 ranked prospect—Center Amir Roberson; Kansas signed #9 ranked recruit—Bruno Sosa a SG from Brazil; and Virginia signed #10 ranked recruit V.J. Thibodeau, a 6’8 PF. #1 recruit Marcel Hampton is still undecided—there are rumors circulating that the 5th ranked recruit SF Jontay Taylor might go overseas to play instead of going to college.

TCU continues their improbable season, they’re ranked #5 in the nation and have a record of 19-3. Junior SG Zain Shipp has provided quite the spark for them this season and seems to always have some type of highlight reel dunk when they play. He wasn’t on many scouts radars coming into this season, but he’s definitely got their attention now.

Arizona State continues to thrive this season behind SF Jason Sanders who is having a great freshman season and will be one of the top picks in this year’s draft. This Arizona State team doesn’t have much talent around him, but they’re 18-4 and ranked #7. He’s averaging just a shade under 24 points per game.

Duke and Syracuse just had quite the game—Duke came out on top, but Syracuse PF R.J. Wallace put on a defensive clinic. He shut down Duke PF Trace Butler, had 4 blocks on rotations to the weak side. He also altered several other shots—he didn’t provide much offensively, but he showed off his ability to change a game on the defensive end of the floor. With the paint locked down Duke relied on their perimeter shooting. Duke is 19-3 and ranked #2; Syracuse is 16-6 and ranked #18.

Kentucky lost to Texas A&M to continue their slump—they’re 15-7 on the year after a 5-4 record in January. Kentucky SG Zavier Flynn had 23 points in the loss. Texas A&M controlled the boards and the paint and won the game 76-64. A&M has two bigs both over 7’ tall that play at the same time--sophomore Nefi Diop from Sudan, and freshman Benito Hernandez. Hernandez has seen his stock rise over the past few weeks and could consider entering the NBA draft this year.

[jeb4056]

Top 25 through January

Rank	School Name	Record
1	Gonzaga	20-2
2	Duke	19-3
3	Xavier	19-3
4	Michigan State	18-4
5	TCU	19-3
6	Villanova	19-3
7	Arizona State	18-4
8	Memphis	19-3
9	Iowa	18-4
10	Michigan	17-5
11	Cincinnati	17-5
12	Maryland	17-5
13	Florida State	17-5
14	Kansas	16-6
15	UCLA	16-6
16	UNC	17-5
17	Texas Tech	16-6
18	Syracuse	16-6
19	Virginia	15-7
20	Texas	15-7
21	Creighton	17-5
22	Kentucky	15-7
23	Arizona	16-6
24	Providence	17-5
25	Baylor	16-6

[jeb4056]

Recruiting Update (January)

Rank	Name	*****	Pos	Ht	Commit Status	Top Schools
1	Marcel Hampton	*****	SF	6'10		UCLA, Kan
2	Amir Roberson	*****	C	7'	Signed	Kentucky
3	Nico Harrington	*****	PG	6'6	Signed	Duke
4	Keon Wallace	*****	PF	6'9		Louisville, Washington
5	Jontay Taylor	*****	SF	6'8		Duke, Memphis
6	Gerald Nicholson	*****	C	6'11	Signed	Florida State
7	Levi Franco	*****	SG	6'5	Signed	Kentucky
8	Cliffton Yates	*****	SF	6'6	Signed	Michigan State
9	Bruno Sosa (Brazil)	*****	SG	6'5	Signed	Kansas
10	V.J. Thibodeau	*****	PF	6'8	Signed	Virginia
11	Caron Theus	*****	PF	6'10	Signed	UNC
12	Jared Jennings	*****	C	6'10	Signed	Kentucky
13	Qyntel Mason	*****	PG	6'2	Signed	Alabama
14	Lamar Carson	*****	SG	6'4	Signed	Villanova
15	Armond Gatling	*****	PF	6'9	Signed	Stanford
16	Mario Zoric (Serbia)	*****	C	7'	Signed	Gonzaga
17	Edwin Vargas (Venezuela)	*****	PG	6'	Signed	Arizona State
18	Giovanni Wise	*****	SF	6'6		Ore, Mich, Mizzu
19	Kareem Moss	*****	SG	6'5		UGA, Duke, Mich St
20	Jonas Claver	*****	SF	6'7	Signed	California
21	Lou Archibald	*****	C	7'1	Signed	Oklahoma
22	Darin Washington	*****	PG	6'3	Signed	Michigan State
23	Shane Ruffin	*****	SG	6'3	Signed	Michigan
24	Curtis Sutton	*****	SG	6'6	Signed	San Diego State
25	Jevon Rolle	*****	PG	6'4	Signed	California
26	Diego Rosario (Dom Rep)	****	PF	6'9	Signed	UCLA
27	Addison Weber	****	C	7'		Georgetown, Nova, Providence
28	Barry Werner	****	PF	6'11		Texas, TTU, Baylor
29	Coleman Adkins	****	SF	6'7		Iowa, ISU, Wisc
30	Conrad Andrande	****	SF	6'9	Signed	Weste Virginia
31	Corey Barnett	****	PG	6'1	Signed	Colorado
32	Simeon Rush	****	PF	6'10	Signed	Syracuse
33	Emanuel Beard	****	C	6'11	Signed	Texas Tech
34	Gavyn Bellamy	****	SG	6'5	Signed	South Carolina
35	Jackon Booker	****	SF	6'7	Signed	Ohio State
36	Lewis Carr	****	C	7'	Signed	Miami
37	Noah Macvan	****	SG	6'4	Signed	Marquette
38	Orlando McCall	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Purdue
39	Freddie Potter	****	SG	6'3	Signed	Penn State
40	Giancarlo Ramirez	****	PF	6'9	Signed	Oregon
41	Barrett Williamson	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Florida
42	Tyron Ward	****	PG	6'4	Signed	Villanova
43	Darnell Stephens	****	SF	6'7	Signed	UNC
44	Isiah Law	****	C	6'10	Signed	North Carolina State
45	Jonathan Linhart	****	C	6'10	Signed	Tennessee
46	Franklin Young	****	PF	6'9	Signed	Wisconsin
47	Dandre Spreewell	****	SG	6'4		Syracuse, Duke, UNC, Maryland
48	Korey Stokes	****	SF	6'8		Bama, Auburn, Tennessee
49	Lamar Thomas	****	SF	6'7	Signed	LSU
50	Randall Wade	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Texas

[jeb4056]

February Notes:

After the abysmal January, Kentucky has turned things around heading into the conference tournament—undefeated this month—SG Zavier Flynn has been on a tear scoring over 20 points every game this month so far—finishing the year in the top 10 in scoring.

Auburn closed the regular season strong—they were 6-7 after 13 games and turned their season around to head into the conference tournament ranked #23. Freshman PF Quincy Everett had a strong second half of the season. Junior PG Rashad Tiggs put together a strong season as well, showcasing his potential as a perimeter defender at the next level.

Arizona State had a rough month, falling down to #22. SF Jason Sanders missed 5 games during that stretch and they lost every game without him. He might not be back in time for the conference tournament, but he should be ready by the time the NCAA tournament begins.

International News: 21 year old center Artem Viktorov is an intriguing prospect—he’s been dominant this season, but when asked about entering the NBA draft he told reporters he has no desire to play in the NBA and is happy where he’s at. He’s currently a top 20 international prospect and should shoot up into the top 10 next year, maybe once his stock rises he’ll reconsider.

Recruit signing update: #1 recruit SF Marcel Hampton has finally made his decision—Live on ESPN2—with UCLA and Kansas as his final two choices he’s slides the Kansas hat aside and puts on the UCLA Bruins cap. #5 recruit SF Jontay Taylor made a verbal commitment to Memphis but has rescinded and has opted to play overseas for a year.

[jeb4056]

Recruiting Update (Final)

Rank	Name	*****	Pos	Ht	Commit Status	Top Schools
1	Marcel Hampton	*****	SF	6'10	Signed	UCLA
2	Amir Roberson	*****	C	7'	Signed	Kentucky
3	Nico Harrington	*****	PG	6'6	Signed	Duke
4	Keon Wallace	*****	PF	6'9	Signed	Louisville
5	Jontay Taylor	*****	SF	6'8		Overseas
6	Gerald Nicholson	*****	C	6'11	Signed	Florida State
7	Levi Franco	*****	SG	6'5	Signed	Kentucky
8	Cliffton Yates	*****	SF	6'6	Signed	Michigan State
9	Bruno Sosa (Brazil)	*****	SG	6'5	Signed	Kansas
10	V.J. Thibodeau	*****	PF	6'8	Signed	Virginia
11	Caron Theus	*****	PF	6'10	Signed	UNC
12	Jared Jennings	*****	C	6'10	Signed	Kentucky
13	Qyntel Mason	*****	PG	6'2	Signed	Alabama
14	Lamar Carson	*****	SG	6'4	Signed	Villanova
15	Armond Gatling	*****	PF	6'9	Signed	Stanford
16	Mario Zoric (Serbia)	*****	C	7'	Signed	Gonzaga
17	Edwin Vargas (Venezuela)	*****	PG	6'	Signed	Arizona State
18	Giovanni Wise	*****	SF	6'6	Signed	Michigan
19	Kareem Moss	*****	SG	6'5	Signed	Duke
20	Jonas Claver	*****	SF	6'7	Signed	California
21	Lou Archibald	*****	C	7'1	Signed	Oklahoma
22	Darin Washington	*****	PG	6'3	Signed	Michigan State
23	Shane Ruffin	*****	SG	6'3	Signed	Michigan
24	Curtis Sutton	*****	SG	6'6	Signed	San Diego State
25	Jevon Rolle	*****	PG	6'4	Signed	California
26	Diego Rosario (Dom Rep)	****	PF	6'9	Signed	UCLA
27	Addison Weber	****	C	7'	Signed	Georgetown
28	Barry Werner	****	PF	6'11	Signed	Baylor
29	Coleman Adkins	****	SF	6'7	Signed	Iowa
30	Conrad Andrande	****	SF	6'9	Signed	Weste Virginia
31	Corey Barnett	****	PG	6'1	Signed	Colorado
32	Simeon Rush	****	PF	6'10	Signed	Syracuse
33	Emanuel Beard	****	C	6'11	Signed	Texas Tech
34	Gavyn Bellamy	****	SG	6'5	Signed	South Carolina
35	Jackon Booker	****	SF	6'7	Signed	Ohio State
36	Lewis Carr	****	C	7'	Signed	Miami
37	Noah Macvan	****	SG	6'4	Signed	Marquette
38	Orlando McCall	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Purdue
39	Freddie Potter	****	SG	6'3	Signed	Penn State
40	Giancarlo Ramirez	****	PF	6'9	Signed	Oregon
41	Barrett Williamson	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Florida
42	Tyron Ward	****	PG	6'4	Signed	Villanova
43	Darnell Stephens	****	SF	6'7	Signed	UNC
44	Isiah Law	****	C	6'10	Signed	North Carolina State
45	Jonathan Linhart	****	C	6'10	Signed	Tennessee
46	Franklin Young	****	PF	6'9	Signed	Wisconsin
47	Dandre Spreewell	****	SG	6'4	Signed	Maryland
48	Korey Stokes	****	SF	6'8	Signed	Auburn
49	Lamar Thomas	****	SF	6'7	Signed	LSU
50	Randall Wade	****	PF	6'8	Signed	Texas

[jeb4056]

Statistical Leaders:

Rank	Name	PPG:
1	Jaheim Briggs, SG - Marquette	24.8
2	Franklin Reed, G - Memphis	24.2
3	Jason Sanders, SF - Arizona State	23.6
4	Parker Ellis Jr., PG - UNLV	22.8
5	Kavon Daniels, SF - Vanderbilt	22.4
6	Carson Tate, SG - Gonzaga	22.1
7	Ian Gavel, SF - Iowa	21.6
8	Ellis Weaver, SF - West Virginia	21
9	Luke Elson, PG - Virginia	20.7
10	Zavier Flynn, SG - Kentucky	20.3
Rank	Name	Assists
1	Javon Shumpert, PG - Michigan State	6.1
2	Parker Ellis Jr., PG - UNLV	5.9
3	Sidney Cross, PG - Duke	5.7
4	Damon Mihm, PG - Oregon	5.5
5	Everett Quinn, F - Gonzaga	5.4
6	Rashad Tiggs, PG - Auburn	5.4
7	Tyshawn Drew II, PG - Purdue	5.4
8	Kane Sampson, PG - Providence	5.3
9	Brett Ayers, G - Xavier	5.2
10	Franklin Reed, G - Memphis	5.1
Rank	Name	Rebounds
1	Kofi Toupane, C - Baylor	12.6
2	Benito Hernandez, C - Texas A&M	12.1
3	Rashawn Bryant, C - Mighigan State	11.8
4	Nicholas Layman, C - Penn State	11.5
5	R.J. Wallace, PF - Syracuse	11.2
6	Titus Sanders, C - Auburn	10.9
7	Walker Jeffries, C - Ohio State	10.7
8	Darwin Ollie, C - Duke	10.5
9	Maxwell Fulton, C - Purdue	10.3
10	Quincy Everett, PF - Auburn	10.1
Rank	Name	Steals
1	Rashad Tiggs, PG - Auburn	2.2
2	Sidney Cross, PG - Duke	2.2
3	Jahiem Briggs, SG - Marquette	2
4	Darian Chasan, SG - Kentucky	1.9
5	Javon Shumpert, PG - Michigan State	1.8
Rank	Name	Blocks
1	R.J. Wallace, PF - Syracuse	2.8
2	Benito Hernandez, C - Texas A&M	2.5
3	Rashawn Bryant, C - Michigan State	2.3
4	Dewayne Cherry, C - Penn State	2.3
5	Dexter Westermann, PF - Villanova	2.2
Rank	Name	3pt%
1	Spencer Nixon, SG - Ohio State	44.60%
2	Rowan Abdul-Rahim, SG - Arizona	43.70%
3	Talon Moss, SF - Wisconsin	43.50%
4	Jonah Galloway, SG - LSU	43.40%
5	Luke Elson, PG - Virginia	43.10%

[jeb4056]

Conference Tournament Winners and Notes:

AAC

Notes: Memphis goes into the tournament as the favorites even though Cincinnati was ranked higher in the AP poll. Memphis had the better conference record and they had no problems winning back to back AAC tournaments. They faced off against Cincinnati again in the finals—this time beating them in overtime 76-73. Franklin Reed led all scorers with 28 points in the win. Cincinnati PG Cyrus Saunders had 17 points and 6 assists in the loss.

AAC Tournament Winner: Memphis

AAC Tournament MVP – Franklin Reed, G - Memphis

ACC

Notes: UNC gets knocked out in the semi-finals by Syracuse 69-65; while Duke beats Virginia 77-62 in the Semi’s. Duke and Syracuse face off in the finals and Duke wins 80-66. Duke PG Sidney Cross had a game high 23 points to go along with 8 assists; PF Trace Butler put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. For Syracuse, PF R.J. Wallace ended with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

ACC Tournament Winner: Duke

ACC Tournament MVP – Sidney Cross, PG - Duke


Big 12

Notes: TCU beats Texas in the Big 12 finals 76-70 to win the tournament. TCU SG Zain Shipp led all scorers with 24 points. Texas SG Darius Stith finished with a team high 18 points in the loss.

Big 12 Tournament Winner: TCU

Big 12 Tournament MVP – Zain Shipp, PG - TCU

Big East

Notes: Marquette beats Villanova 81-72 in the semi-finals, and then went on to beat Xavier in the finals to win the Big East tournament. SG Jahiem Briggs was the leading scorer in both of those games—scoring 26 against Villanova, and then scoring 27 in the win over Xavier.


Big East Tournament Winner: Marquette

Big East Tournament MVP – Jahiem Briggs, SG - Marquette


Big 10

Notes: Michigan State beats Iowa 74-71 to win the Big 10 tournament. PG Javon Shumpert had 17 points and 11 assists in the win, Center Terrance Braun added 16 points and 9 rebounds for the Spartans. Iowa SF Ian Gavel led all scorers with 29 points, but he missed the game tying 3pt shot with just 5 seconds left in the game.

Big 10 Tournament Winner: Michigan State

Big 10 Tournament MVP – Javon Shumpert, PG – Michigan State


Mountain West

Notes: UNLV beats Nevada 80-66 to win the Mountain West tournament. PG Parker Ellis jr finished with 22 points and 7 assists.

Mountain West Tournament Winner: UNLV

Mountain West Tournament MVP – Parker Ellis Jr., PG – UNLV


PAC 12

Notes: Arizona gets the best of Arizona State in the finals, winning 77-70. Arizona SF Rowan Abdul-Karim scored a team high 20 points in the victory. Arizona State SF Jason Sanders led all scorers with 31 points in the loss.

Tournament Winner: Arizona

Tournament MVP – Rowan Abdul-Karim, SF - Arizona


SEC

Notes: Kentucky faces off against Auburn in the SEC finals; both teams come in on 8 game winning streaks. Auburn put up a strong fight, but Kentucky brought their “A” game and ended up winning 84-72. Kentucky SG Zavier Flynn led all scorers with 24 points and SF Jace Redding added 15 points for the Wildcats. Auburn PF Quincy Everett led his team in scoring with 19 points in the loss.

Tournament Winner: Kentucky

Tournament MVP – Zavier Flynn, SG - Kentucky


WCC

Notes: Gonzaga again cruises through their tournament without much completion.

Tournament Winner: Gonzaga

Tournament MVP – Carson Tate, SG - Gonzaga

[jeb4056]

NCAA Tournament:


1st Round Scores, Highlights & Notes:

South Region:

(1) Duke 95 – (16) South Alabama 55
Duke takes a 30 point lead into the half and cruises to victory. PG Sidney Cross has a team high 23 points and 7 assists in the win.

(8) Penn State 72 – (9) New Mexico State 68
Penn State takes care of business against New Mexico State. Penn State bigs Dewayne Cherry and Nicholas Layman combine for 36 points and 25 rebounds in the win.

(5) Maryland 76 – (12) Davidson 66
Maryland beats Davidson behind a stellar performance from senior PF Solomon Townsend—20 points and 8 rebounds.

(4) Arizona 77 – (13) UNC Wilmington 51
Arizona moves on—SF Rowan Abdul-Karim leads all scorers with 24 points.

(6) UNLV 68 – (11) Georgia 67
UNLV escapes against Georgia. PG Parker Ellis Jr., is able to get some space and hit a floater as time expires to propel the Runnin’ Rebels to victory.

(14) Marist 69 – (3) Cincinnati 66
The first major upset of the tournament—Marist upends Cincinnati.

(7) Marquette 68 – (10) Creighton 62
SG Jamiem Briggs carries Marquette to victory over Creighton. Scoring 29 points (18 in the 2nd half)—and 10 of the team’s final 12 points.

(2) Xavier 81 – (15) Robert Morris 60
Robert Morris didn’t pose much of a threat, and Xavier took care of them pretty easily. Xavier guard Brett Ayers had a team high 17 points in the win.

West Region

(1) Gonzaga 90 – (16) Oral Roberts 57
Gonzaga rolls past Oral Roberts 90-57. Point Forward Everett Quinn finished with 11 points and 8 assists in the win.

(9) Texas A&M 64 – (8) LSU 61
Texas A&M ends the game on a 10-0 run to beat LSU by 3. Center Benito Hernandez came up with some big defensive plays down the stretch, and had a few put back dunks during the 10-0 run as well.

(5) Florida State 76 – (12) Belmont 58
FSU beats Belmont, PF Cedric Stockton posts a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

(4) UCLA 81 – (13) Western Kentucky 63
UCLA moves on with win over Western Kentucky. PG William Flowers finished with 19 points and 7 assists for the Bruins.

(6) Arizona State 73 – (11) Miami 70
Arizona State holds on against Miami—SF Jason Sanders scores a game high 30 points in the win—he was key down the stretch, every time Miami scored, Sanders answered with a bucket on the other end.

(3) Villanova 70 – (14) Kent State 54
Villanova advances with win over Kent State. SF Chris Snyder led all scorers with 18 points.

(7) Baylor 69 – (10) Providence 63
Baylor’s defense proves to be too much for Providence. Center Kofi Toupane finishes with a game high 22 points and 14 rebounds.

(2) Iowa 80 – (15) Austin Peay 62
Iowa breezes by Austin Peay by 18. SF Ian Gavel hits 5-6 3’s in win and scores a game high 26 points.

East Region

(1) Michigan State 93 – (16) Oral Roberts 47
Michigan State starters rest most of the 2nd half of blow-out win over Oral Roberts. Back-up PG Grayson Vernado makes the most of his playing time scoring 15 points and dishing out 5 assists.

(9) Louisville 66 – (8) Indiana 58
Louisville takes care of Indiana—SG Montee Hayes leads all scorers with 16 points.

(5) Kansas 71 – (12) Winthrop 61
Kansas goes on 15-2 run to start the 2nd half and put the game out of reach. Kansas forward Alvin Swift puts up 16 points and grabs 8 boards in the win.

(4) Virginia 75 – (13) UIC 57
Virginia moves on with win over UIC. Virginia PG Luke Elson hits 5 3’s and scores a game high 21 points in the win.

(6) Auburn 70 – (11) Pittsburgh 62
Auburn defeats Pittsburgh 70-62. PG Rashas Tiggs shut down Pitt PG Sterling Weems—holding the electric PG to just 9 points on 3-14 shooting.

(3) UNC 77 – (14) Florida A&M 61
UNC moves on with win over Florida A&M. PF Franklin Knox posts a double-double in the win with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

(7) Texas Tech 63 – (10) Houston 57
Texas Tech closes out Houston down the stretch. SF Javon Rhodes has had a up and down year but stepped up big in this game with 17 points off the bench to lead the team in scoring.

(2) Michigan 80 – (15) Lehigh 62
Michigan rolls past Lehigh 80-62. Michigan SG Ramiro Ermis had a game high 19 points in the win.

Mid-West Region

(1) Kentucky 93 – (16) South Alabama 51
Kentucky blows out South Alabama. SG Zavier Flynn leads all scorers with 29 points.

(8) Ohio State 73 – (9) Oregon 66
Ohio State holds off a late run by Oregon to move on. Center Walker Jeffries had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

(5) Texas 71 – (12) UC Santa Barbara 56
Texas moves on with win over UCSB. SF Avery Barnes had 17 points and 5 rebounds for the Longhorns.

(4) Syracuse 62 – (13) Princeton 44
Syracuse dominates on defense holding Princeton to just 44 points. PF R.J. Wallace finishes with 11 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in the win.

(6) Illinois 67 – (11) Vermont 61
Illinois avoids upset bid from Vermont to move on. SG Gordon Reyes scores 15 of his game high 22 points in the second half.

(3) Memphis 79 – (14) Bradley 54
Memphis dominates against Bradley to advance. Guard Franklin Reed has a game high 26 points and 5 assists in the win.

(7) Purdue 69 – (10) Tennessee 62
Purdue knocks off Tennessee by 7 to advance. Center Maxwell Fulton notches a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Boilermakers.

(3) TCU 74 – (15) UNCG 63
TCU beats UNCG in a game that was close until the final 5 minutes. TCU SG Zain Shipp was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.