Welcome back to Western Illinois’ chase for greatness in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons at the About page of this website. Share it with a friend!
I just took a look over the tourney rosters and I think the Necks actually got a pretty favorable draw. None of the teams in they'd play the 1st weekend look great with the max rating of a player at only 86.
For the most likely Sweet 16 match-ups, both Gonzaga and Louisville look like really good teams with multiple players in the 90s. Gonzaga has 3 good guards (one of them rated 95) and 2 good big men, but they do not have a SF in their top 9. Depending on how smart the game is about adjusting rosters, WIU could be at an advantage if the game doesn't assign one of the top guards to the SF position. Louisville looks to be very guard focused. Something that could hurt them is their lack of size with only 2 players listed over 6'7" and no one 6'10".
Looking forward to possible match-ups in the Elite 8, UConn has to be the favorite. One look at the roster and they look absolutely loaded. I can understand why they were preseason #1. The one drawback they has is that they do not have a quality center. And again, depending on how smart the game is, they may not optimize that position.
Some other roster takeaways:
- Florida has the two highest rated players in the country, a 97 and a 96. They're both only Juniors! Could be a nightmare matchup.
- I nominate Dannorriss St. Fort of Kentucky as best name in the tourney.
It saddens me to see Florida and Miami (FL) having great teams this season. And Clemson took Clayton from us as well. As an FSU alum, this is really painful! lol
Love the tourney stats. Jonathan, if you're reading I'd love to add this to the spreadsheet. Any chance you could tally up some efficiency stats too (fg%, 3pt%)?
Coach, you were able to reel in Argentine F Renardo Verdejo, affectionately known as Vino, during a global pandemic back in 2020. What do you remember about that crazy time and how you were able to maintain communication with Vino during his recruiting process?
Love the tournament stats from Jonathan! The Nelk Man is my all time favorite Leatherneck but holy crap, I did not realize that Draughan and Lubos were such beasts. Great stuff
After going through most of the rosters (I hate myself), it's hard to find anyone with a better group of bigs. Most teams seem very guard heavy, noticed quite a few that don't even have a center in their top 10. If they can take down Florida in the Elite 8, the championship looks good. Gators are loaded though.
Looking at the other rosters, I noticed that Jud Stivers, who we once recruited, is an 87 ovr true sophomore. That kid is an absolute stud, I really wish we could have landed him.
I just took a look over the tourney rosters and I think the Necks actually got a pretty favorable draw. None of the teams in they'd play the 1st weekend look great with the max rating of a player at only 86.
For the most likely Sweet 16 match-ups, both Gonzaga and Louisville look like really good teams with multiple players in the 90s. Gonzaga has 3 good guards (one of them rated 95) and 2 good big men, but they do not have a SF in their top 9. Depending on how smart the game is about adjusting rosters, WIU could be at an advantage if the game doesn't assign one of the top guards to the SF position. Louisville looks to be very guard focused. Something that could hurt them is their lack of size with only 2 players listed over 6'7" and no one 6'10".
Looking forward to possible match-ups in the Elite 8, UConn has to be the favorite. One look at the roster and they look absolutely loaded. I can understand why they were preseason #1. The one drawback they has is that they do not have a quality center. And again, depending on how smart the game is, they may not optimize that position.
Some other roster takeaways:
- Florida has the two highest rated players in the country, a 97 and a 96. They're both only Juniors! Could be a nightmare matchup.
- I nominate Dannorriss St. Fort of Kentucky as best name in the tourney.
It saddens me to see Florida and Miami (FL) having great teams this season. And Clemson took Clayton from us as well. As an FSU alum, this is really painful! lol
Love the tourney stats. Jonathan, if you're reading I'd love to add this to the spreadsheet. Any chance you could tally up some efficiency stats too (fg%, 3pt%)?
Yes, I can probably do that. Also wanted to do best performances/production in a whole tourney.
Wait, the dude's name was "St. Paul Forth"? Oh that one hurt's, that's an amazingly cheesy name to miss out on
Coach, you were able to reel in Argentine F Renardo Verdejo, affectionately known as Vino, during a global pandemic back in 2020. What do you remember about that crazy time and how you were able to maintain communication with Vino during his recruiting process?
Love the tournament stats from Jonathan! The Nelk Man is my all time favorite Leatherneck but holy crap, I did not realize that Draughan and Lubos were such beasts. Great stuff
After going through most of the rosters (I hate myself), it's hard to find anyone with a better group of bigs. Most teams seem very guard heavy, noticed quite a few that don't even have a center in their top 10. If they can take down Florida in the Elite 8, the championship looks good. Gators are loaded though.
Looking at the other rosters, I noticed that Jud Stivers, who we once recruited, is an 87 ovr true sophomore. That kid is an absolute stud, I really wish we could have landed him.
I got a feeling... The Necks are gonna win it all!!!