Western Illinois Final Four stream in 30 minutes for 2020 NCAA tournament!
What’s happening? No. 7 seed Western Illinois faces No. 1 seed UCLA in the Final Four of the 2020 NCAA tournament in our ‘College Hoops 2K8’ sim. We’re going to watch the simulated game and live stream it on Twitch tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Where can I watch? My Twitch channel
Do I need to sign up for anything? No. You only have to create a free Twitch account if you want to comment in the live chat feature, which is recommended because it’s always poppin’.
IF WE WIN: We face the winner of No. 5 seed Indiana vs. No. 3 seed Florida in the national title game later in the night. We will sim and watch the national championship game shortly after the buzzer in the Final Four should we defeat the Bruins.
So no one is controlling the teams? That’s correct. I only do the recruiting and set the coaching strategies for Western Illinois. We are watching a simulated game.
I’ll be doing a pre-game press conference as soon as you get this email, so come hang out with me on Twitch.
Catchup on this season: Read the start of Year 13 + a Sweet 16/Elite Eight recap
Western Illinois enters the Final Four for the third time in the last six years in search of its second national championship in school history. The Leathernecks became the lowest-seeded team to ever win it all in 2015 (or Year 8) when they cut down the nets as a No. 10 seed. We took an undefeated record into the 2018 Final Four only to get blown out by Michigan State.
UCLA is our opponent in the 2020 Final Four. The top-seeded Bruins enter at 28-7 overall and reached the national semifinal after a blowout victory over two-time defending national champion Louisville in the Elite Eight. Here’s a look at how the two teams matchup:
And here’s a look at UCLA’s roster:
Western Illinois always felt dangerously under-seeded as a No. 7 seed. Our Leathernecks led the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency during the regular season while entered the tournament with only two early-season losses to Northwestern and Louisville.
Here’s our path to the Final Four:
First round: No. 7 Western Illinois 95, No. 10 Pitt 84
Second round: No. 7 Western Illinois 94, No. 2 Gonzaga 85
Sweet 16: No. 7 Western Illinois 119, No. 6 Memphis 99
Elite Eight: No. 7 Western Illinois 95, No. 1 Kansas 75
Here’s a look at our roster:
Draughan and Terrell might be the best wing combination in the country. The seniors are each averaging better than 21 points per game through our four-game run in the tournament so far. They’re joined on the perimeter by breakout junior point guard Billy Assel, who brings the total package of size (6’4), outside shooting, speed, finishing, and playmaking. Our front court features 2019 Summit League Player of the Year Najeeb Goode (who just had 21 rebounds against Kansas in the Elite Eight) and 7’1 center Trevor Hoyer (who led us in scoring during the regular season).
Our bench is young, but has risen to the occasion in March. Look out for RS sophomore point guard Diondre Haynes, RS freshman shooting guard Borislav Grimes, and RS junior power forward Raymond Harper to all make an impact tonight.
The other Final Four game is No. 5 seed Indiana vs. No. 3 seed Florida
If we defeat UCLA tonight, we will simulate and stream the national championship game shortly after the buzzer in the Final Four.
Here’s Indiana’s roster:
Here’s Florida’s roster:
I’m hanging out on Twitch now so come say hi. Let’s win another natty tonight.