PointGuard

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  1. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from drummerJ99 in SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN? (DDSCB22)   
    This dynasty report is being continued in the Wolverine Studios forums (in the Dynasty Reports > College Basketball Dynasty Reports forum).
  2. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in Ready For Prime Time? (DDSCB22)   
    This dynasty report is being continued in the Wolverine Studios forums (in the Dynasty Reports > College Basketball Dynasty Reports forum).
  3. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN? (DDSCB22)   
    This dynasty report is being continued in the Wolverine Studios forums (in the Dynasty Reports > College Basketball Dynasty Reports forum).
  4. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN? (DDSCB22)   
    Jan. 25, 2026: #16 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-6, 4-5) vs Boston College Eagles (11-7, 4-4) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
    Barney Bradley, BC fan:
    This game was close in the early going with multiple lead changes. But in the latter stages of the first half, BC caught fire, hitting most all their shots from all over the court.  By the end of the first 20 minutes, the Eagles sported a 46-35 lead and Notre Dame seemed in shock.  The only problem for BC was that starting C Jason Caldwell had 3 fouls against him.
    Then in the second half the Eagles shifted from a hot offense to a daunting defense which kept the Fighting Irish unable to really fight back and unable to mount a challenge.  BC took Notre Dame to the cleaners and scored a resounding 78-61 victory.  The Eagles outshot the Irish 58% to 37% and totally dominated the boards 36-18.
    Guard Samuel King came off the bench to lead all scorers with 16 points.  C Jason Caldwell scored 12 before fouling out.  PG Willis Lofton and SG James Lilly both added 11 points.  PF Marius Witt and SF/PF Marvin Reese combined to grab a total of 17 rebounds.
    It sure was great seeing the Eagles take down Notre Dame so convincingly.  We Eagles’ fan are not used to that.
  5. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in Ready For Prime Time? (DDSCB22)   
    Bio’s of the Five Independent team coaches:
    Ramon Montez:  Alcorn State Braves (Lorman, MS-prestige 3), Contract: $80K for 3 yrs., Age 46, Dream Job: New Mexico Lobos, High Ambition, Average Academics, High Discipline, Integrity-Avg, Temper-6, Player Preference-6, Player Rotation-4, Offensive Pace-6, Off. Crash Boards-6, Defensive Intensity-5, Def Crash Boards-5, Full Court Defense-6, Zone 8,Defense-2, Offense-33, Defense-24, Scouting-33, Player Development-26, Recruiting-34. 

     
    Terry Morillo:  Dixie State Trailblazers (St. George, UT, Prestige-1), Contract: $80K for 3 yrs., Age 51, Dream Job: St. Johns Red Storm, Medium Ambition, Low Academics, Low Discipline, High Integrity, Temper-7, Player Preference-7, Player Rotation-6, Offensive Pace-3, Offensive Boards-7, Defensive Intensity-7, Def Crash Boards-6, Full Court Def-4, Zone Defense-6, Offensive-23, Defense-37, Scouting-23, Player Development-39, Recruiting-28.  

     
    Ken Yamato:  Tarleton State Texans (Stephenville, TX, Prestige-3), Contract-$80K for 3 yrs., Age 52, Dream Job: Northwestern Wildcats, High Ambition, Very High Academics, Very low Discipline, High Integrity, Temper-3, Player Preference-3, Player Rotation-8, Offensive Pace-6, Offensive Crash Boards-6, Defensive Intensity-6, Defensive Crash Boards-5, Full Court Def-3, Zone Defense-4, Offense-25, Defense-32, Scouting-23, Player Development-29, Recruiting-41.

     
    Mike McMillan:  MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (Princess Ann, MD, Prestige-1), Contract $80K for 3 yrs., Age-35, Dream Job: Georgetown Hoyas, Average Ambition, Average Academics, Very High Discipline, Low Integrity, Temper-8, Player Preference-6, Player Rotation-4, Offensive Pace-4, Offensive Crash Boards-5, Defensive Intensity-8, Defensive Crash Boards-5, Full Court Def-7, Zone Defense-9, Offense-21, Defense-40, Scouting-26, Player Development-32, Recruiting-31. 

     
    Dontell Spencer:  Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (Pine Bluff, AR, Prestige-3), Contract $80K for 3 yrs.,  Age-56, Dream Job: North Carolina State Wolfpack, Ambition-High, Average Academics, Low Discipline, High Integrity, Temper-6, Player Preference-4, Player Rotation-3, Offensive Pace-8, Offensive Crash Boards-7, Defensive Intensity-4, Defensive Crash Boards-6, Full Court Defense-2, Zone Defense-2, Offense-37, Defense-20, Scouting-22, Player Development-26, Recruiting-45.

  6. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    Jan. 9, 2024: Elon Phoenix (7-6, 2-0) @ Towson Tigers (11-2, 1-1)
    Gloria Spann, mother of freshman PG/SG Jon Spann
    Elon’s freshman SF Charles Barnes has been one of the brightest new stars in the CAA.  He’s averaging 10.8 ppg and has scored in double figures in 8 of the Phoenix’ 13 games.  He’s been the CAA Freshman Player of the Week 4 times already.  If my son, Jon, were starting and getting as much playing time, people would understand that he really is the best freshman in the CAA.  It’s nearly a 4 hour drive from Buckingham, VA where we live to Towson, so my husband and I can’t get to all of Jon’s home games.
    The Tigers shooting sucked early in the game and 3 of their players (C Donny Flint, SF Wayne Burrough, and C Donyell Porter) picked up 2 quick fouls.  In contrast the Phoenix shot well and lept ahead 20-10 after 9 minutes of play.  But Towson rallied and came back in the last 5 minutes of the half to take a 36-34 lead when the buzzer sounded.  Jon scored just 2 points but played well.  SF Wayne Burrough was the Tigers top scorer with 8 points.  Charles Barnes was better than I thought, scoring 15 points for the Phoenix.
    Towson held onto a small lead the entire 2nd half but never was able to pull away and create a comfortable lead.  But the Tigers did enough to win by a final score of 80-73. 
    Jon scored just 3 points, but also had 3 assists and 2 steals.  PG Shaun White scored 22, SG Dominick Collins put in 15 points plus had 8 rebounds, C Donny Flint had 13 points, 5 assists and 9 rebounds, and SF Wayne Burrough added 10 points.  SF Charles Barnes scored 23 points for Elon.  Hmm...so OK, he's pretty good.
    The win moved Towson into a 5-way tie for 2nd place, one game behind 3-0 Hofstra.
  7. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from bc2220 in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    This dynasty report will come to you from any and all sources (coaches, players, fans, media reps, administrators, etc). The presenter of each segment will depend on who speaks up first and has something to say and it will be presented in whatever manner that person wants.

    Note on setup: DDSCB2020 Challenge Mode; Standard conference alignment; Beginning season: 2019-2020; Using Option 3 of the College Mod; Injuries set at 200%; Job Pressure set at High; Illegal Recruiting allowed; Underclassmen able to declare for the pros; Recruiting Difficulty set to Brutal.

    Welcome to FEDORA.
  8. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    WBAL Radio Sports Report
    Towson's basketball team braved a snowstorm when they travelled to New York to take on the Hofstra Pride. But a fresh new foot of snow on the ground didn't stop the Tigers as they did their own storming, a 93-79 thrashing of Hofstra. Following an extremely close first half that was filled with numerous lead changes, the Tigers built steadily on their first half narrow 43-40 edge to go up by as much as 17 points in the 2nd half. The Tigers pulled away even though their talented center Donny Flint fouled out early in the 2nd half.
    Dominick Collins led Towson's scoring with 20 points. It's the 3rd time in their last 6 games that Collins has scored 20 or more points. Other major contributors to the Tigers' offense were SF Wayne Burrough with 16 points and PF's Deon Penn and Jason Vickers, both of whom scored 14 points.
    The win was the Tiger's 6th straight and improved Towson's season record to 20-5 and their CAA record to 12-2 which keeps them 2 games ahead of 2nd place James Madison. The Tigers will next host NC-Wilmington this Wednesday at SECU Arena.
  9. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    Coach Frederick Aura
    A year ago while during the middle of a road trip for one of our basketball games, Adrian Brown (who was our starting PG the past two seasons and is now our Graduate Assistant Coach) was the victim of racial profiling by the police.  After the hiring of an excellent civil rights attorney, he was advised that his complaint was hopelessly roadblocked since members of that police department banded together to establish reports and provide testimony that would be extremely difficult to prove that had been fabricated.  Adrian decided to forego further fruitless effort with respect to that case.  Instead early last summer he got actively involved with Achievement Mentoring Program (AMP) in their efforts to work with minority students in high school to improve self-worth and positive attitudes for academic success and preparation for college.  Adrian has now become a leader in the local AMP group.  He has recruited several of our players as well as other Towson students to be involved with the mentoring program.  He’s also gotten me involved in working with small groups of minority youth.  I'm pleased that even in some small way I'm able to support Adrian's efforts.  Janeka, my wife, has also been able to get a couple on-going medical support internships established at the hospital where she works.
    I’m really proud of Adrian’s efforts and how he is helping minority youth through what often are difficult years for them.  I can see the positive results he has already helped create with high school students with whom he has worked.  His leadership within the program has resulted in the local AMP program becoming much more successful and being able to help a larger group of high school students.  It’s exciting that he took a negative occurrence in his life and turned it into positive activities that are helping others.
  10. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    Frederick Aura
    Today is Janeka’s last day of self-quarantining.  About damned time!  Playing Mom and Dad the past two weeks has been hell.  I think the kids were unhappy about not having her with them and also saw an opportunity to take advantage of the situation whenever they could.  And they're getting older and wanting to be more independent which leads to differences in opinion between them and me.  My response to their efforts was occasionally over blown which made things worse.
    Even though she is in the same house and we talk through the door, I’ve missed her a lot.
    I’ve told Janeka to spend as much time as she can with the kids the entire week after she gets “freed”.  I’m then planning to take her on a surprise weekend…just the two of us.  I’ve got my parents coming to our house then to take care of the kids.
    Then a few weeks later, the whole family will go on a great vacation to the Canadian Maritime Provinces.
  11. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    I think it's the best college basketball sim but go to wolverinestudios.com and try the free demo so you can make your own determination.  Then if you have questions as you play it, go to the forums (wolverinestudios.com/board/ ) and you'll have other players who can help you.  Also in the forums, you will find a mod that provides all the correct names, nicknames, logos, and courts for each of the 353 colleges in the game plus the correct conference names and logos.
  12. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Tournament That Wasn't   
    All Tourney Team (top 20 who played at least 3 games):

    SF Joe Bush, Baylor—22.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg
    SG Gerrod Ward, Gonzaga—22.0 ppg
    C Richard Williams, Kansas—20.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.8 bpg
    C JIbran Shannon, Villanova—20.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg
    PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky—19.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.3 bpg
    SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga—18.8 ppg
    SF Gene Barnes, Louisville—18.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg
    PF David Warley, Creighton—17.3 ppg
    SG Brian Butler, Baylor—17.0 ppg
    PF Jabari Edwards, Saint Marys—17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg
    PG Kenny Barrett, Wright State—16.7 ppg, 5.0 apg
    PG Earl Blevins, Cincinnati—9.0 ppg, 6.2 apg
    PG Henry Chaney, Gonzaga—10.2 ppg, 7.2 apg
    C Kevin Hansen, Cincinnati—14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg
    PG Jarvis Brown, San Diego State—11.8 ppg, 4.8 apg
    C Williams Murray, Iowa—15.8 ppg
    SG Drew Searcy, Ohio State—15.7 ppg
    PG Marques Tucker, Wisconsin—15.7 ppg, 3.3 apg
    SG Billy Horton, Duke—14.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
    PG Jeremy Cross, Brigham Young—13.7 ppg, 4.3 apg

    NCAA Tournament MVP:

    C Kevin Hansen, Cincinnati—a combination of great offense and defense and coming through in big games to carry the Bearcats to the championship.
  13. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    Hello. My name is Janeka Aura and my husband is Frederick Aura. We just moved to Towson, MD with our 3 children, two boys (13 and 11) and a girl (3). Yes, she’s spoiled being the youngest and our only girl. The two boys are emulating their father and have become very good young basketball players. I just wish they loved studying as much as they love going out and playing ball. Towson is a predominantly white suburb of Baltimore, but we seem to be fitting in fine. While there is a town center, it’s not really a city even though they say there are over 55,000 people living in the Towson area. I’m a registered nurse, but have taken 6 months off to get my family acclimated to the new area in which we’re living. There are some good medical centers in the area, so when I’m ready to go back to work, it should be no problem finding a job. Frederick is excited to be taking on his newest challenge.

    I arrived here after Frederick so the kids could finish their school year before having to switch schools. We’re getting them together with other kids in the neighborhood and nearby so by the time school starts in late August they will already have some friends. Moving was a hassle with all the packing and unpacking, but we’ve been through it before. At least this time Towson College paid for the movers. That’s not been the case during Frederick’s assistant coaching career. We’ve done do-it-yourself moves in the past and that’s even more work. The house is just so-so, pretty much a plain jane. I couldn’t get down to help Frederick pick it but it’ll do….a split-level built in the mid 1950’s with 4 bedrooms stuffed into 1800 sf. The area is very suburban but there’s lots of trees on the street and out back. Schools are also just so-so, but beggars can’t be choosers. Frederick’s salary is ok, but with me not working right now, we decided to make sure we could handle mortgage payments and had to settle for what we could afford.



    Frederick is totally absorbed with his new job. There’s a lot to do and learn. I just have to give him the time and space he needs. He’s meeting almost continuously with his assistant coaches, talking with his new players, and also watching a lot of game film. We’re used to him having tunnel vision when practice begins and during the basketball season, but his degree of focus at this time of year is something new. Here’s a frequent view of him that we get as he heads back to his office.

     
  14. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Cards in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    This dynasty report will come to you from any and all sources (coaches, players, fans, media reps, administrators, etc). The presenter of each segment will depend on who speaks up first and has something to say and it will be presented in whatever manner that person wants.

    Note on setup: DDSCB2020 Challenge Mode; Standard conference alignment; Beginning season: 2019-2020; Using Option 3 of the College Mod; Injuries set at 200%; Job Pressure set at High; Illegal Recruiting allowed; Underclassmen able to declare for the pros; Recruiting Difficulty set to Brutal.

    Welcome to FEDORA.
  15. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in FEDORA (using DDSCB2020)   
    This dynasty report will come to you from any and all sources (coaches, players, fans, media reps, administrators, etc). The presenter of each segment will depend on who speaks up first and has something to say and it will be presented in whatever manner that person wants.

    Note on setup: DDSCB2020 Challenge Mode; Standard conference alignment; Beginning season: 2019-2020; Using Option 3 of the College Mod; Injuries set at 200%; Job Pressure set at High; Illegal Recruiting allowed; Underclassmen able to declare for the pros; Recruiting Difficulty set to Brutal.

    Welcome to FEDORA.
  16. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from chowderhead9 in The Tournament That Wasn't   
    South Region--Sweet 16

    Iowa's upset of #1 seed Florida State was the biggest news coming from the South Regional. #2 seed Creighton took care of business, but #3 seed Oregon and #4 seed Maryland both were defeated. The BYU-Maryland game was close and exciting throughout and the victory up in the air until the final few seconds.

    Dynasty Threads:
  17. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in DDSCB2020: A Journeyman Style Save   
    Nice start!  Good luck with your recruiting.
  18. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from chowderhead9 in The Tournament That Wasn't   
    Round 1 is COMPLETE!

    11 of the 32 teams advancing to the round of 32 are from non-power conferences. Now the challenge for them is to continue moving forward as the competition stiffens.

    Only 2 teams that were lower seeds won in the 32 games in round 1. One of those wins was a #9 beating a #8 and the only real upset was by #12 Wright State.

    So the tournament committee’s seedings were pretty much spot-on...at least for the first round.

    Top Individual Performances in Round 1:

    Tyler Payne, PF, Oregon—29 points
    Diego Moore, SG, St. Louis—28 points
    Zack Hayes, SG, Maryland—27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks
    Lee Hahn, PF, Colorado—23 points, 7 rebounds
    Mike Hollins, PF, Kentucky—21 points, 12 rebounds
    Marcus Holmes, SF, Illlinois—20 points, 11 rebounds
    Andre Sampson, PF, Arizona—19 points, 11 rebounds, 9 blocks
    Kendric Pugh, SG, Wright State—17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 blocks
    Joe Bush, SF, Baylor—16 points, 13 rebounds
    Mike Grant, PF, Michigan State—16 points, 13 rebounds
    Alvin Griffin, C, Colorado—18 points, 8 rebounds in 18 minutes
    Copley Robertson, C, UC Irvine—18 points, 5 rebounds in 19 minutes
    Renaldo Miller, PF, Duke—17 points, 5 rebounds in 18 minutes
    Travis Murray, SG, Oregon—11 points, 9 assists, 3 blocks
    Trenton Sarchet, SG, Colorado—7 points, 10 assists
    Jeffrey Gardiner, PG, Duke—11 points, 8 assists
    Rasual Crowley, PG, Southern California—8 points, 8 assists
  19. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from chowderhead9 in The Tournament That Wasn't   
    Muchas Gracias!  Figured you'd like the  Creighton game, at least.  We'll soon see who they have to go up against in Round 2.
  20. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Tournament That Wasn't   
    Although the NCAA Tournament has been cancelled in 2020, fear not!  For in DDSCB2020 there is not CoronaVIrus, and DDSCB2020's Tournament Maker allows the BIg Dance to come alive.
    Since only a few conference tournaments concluded before the cancellation was announced, the results of any conference tournaments that were played have been disregarded.  Teams have been selected and seedings made based upon conference standings, overall records, polls and RPI...and my own whims.
    Real World Mod Option #4 was used to create the association upon which Tournament Maker was based for this DDSCB2020 NCAA Tournament.  So each team has real-life coaches.  But players for teams are fictional, of course, rather than this season's actual real-life players...so results may vary from what you expect.
    Now time to get started so brackets can be constructed and tournament games played.
  21. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Town Crier   
    Thanks!  Now that the new (very much improved) version (DDSCB2020) is out, will see what new I can come up with.
  22. Confused
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Town Crier   
    In an "abundance of caution" collegiate basketball was cancelled due to the GuinnessVirus thus ending this dynasty.
  23. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Town Crier   
    Game #11: California Golden Bears (4-7, 0-1) @ #21 Colorado Buffaloes (9-1, 1-0)
    California remains on probations following recruiting infractions a couple years ago and still has a year left in which they can offer no scholarships.  Their probationary status has left them with a team comprised mainly of walkons.  Their offense is centered around SF Gary Mack whose 18.6 ppg is the 4th highest in the Pac-12.  PF John Baily is averaging 11.5 ppg and is dropping in 67% of his shots.
    SF Kenton Dunn scored 15 of our first 23 points giving us a 10 point bulge over the Golden Bears.  We continued to forge ahead and finished the half with a 43-26 lead.  We outshot California 48% to 30% and had just 4 turnovers while the Golden Bears turned the ball over 11 times.  SF Kenton Dunn drilled in 21 points and PF Ike Minahan had 13 points and 5 rebounds.
    California caught fire when they came back on the court in the 2nd half.  They whittled our lead to 51-45 with 14-1/2 minutes left in the game.  We re-established our double digit lead a minute later and held onto it from there on to stomp California 81-61.  We hit 51% of our FG attempts (including 50% of our 3P attempts) and held a 19-10 turnover advantage.
    SF Kenton Dunn finished the game with 28 points.  PF Ike Minahan had 18 points and 10 boards.  SG Rick Coffey hit for 12 points.
    Pac-12 results:
    #5 Arizona-73, #23 Utah-67 (SF Rolan Bell tossed in 24 pts for the Wildcats and SG Bret Smylie had 22 pts for the Utes)
    Arizona State-72, USC-66 (Close all the way with 18 lead changes and 8 ties but ASU’s SG Travis Hawkins’ 22 pts and C Brandon Polite’s 18 pts and 10 rebounds were the difference in the game)
    #1 UCLA-79, Washington State-59 (32 pts, 6 reb, and 7 assists for SG Kyle Taylor of UCLA)
    Oregon-68, Washington-58 (Oregon held a small lead throughout the game)
    #13 Stanford-85, Oregon State-79 (A solid game by the Beavers kept this game in doubt down to the end but C Roger Younger scored 17 and has 18 rebounds along with 5 assists, 5 steals and a block to lead the Cardinals to victory)
  24. Like
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Town Crier   
    Pac-12 Conference Tournament
    1st Round:
    Oregon State Beavers, 9-18, 4-14 (12th seed) vs Stanford Cardinal, 18-9, 10-8 (5th seed): After many lead changes, Stanford took charge late in the first half to go ahead 42-32 at the break.  The Cardinal then ran away from the Beavers in the 2nd half enroute and crushed Oregon State 79-56. PG Dustin Gervin scored 21 points and C Roger Yeager had 15 points and 16 rebounds for Stanford.
    Arizona State Sun Devils 13-14, 6-12 (11th seed) vs Oregon Ducks, 17-11, 10-8 (6th seed): This game had 22 lead changes and 12 ties.  Oregon eked out a 43-41 halftime advantage.  The early part of the 2nd half remained close, but in the latter stages of the game Oregon’s talent paid dividends and the Ducks pulled away to win 90-77.  Reserve guard Donnell Williams topped Oregon’s scoring with 16 points, but the team was led by PG Charles Phillips who scored 15 points and dished out 5 assists while reserve C Daryl Hamilton had 12 points and 10 boards.  C Jeremy Totten hit for 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Arizona State.
    Washington State Cougars, 14-14, 7-11 (10th seed) vs Utah Utes, 15-13, 9-9 (7th seed): The first half was close the entire 20 minutes with Utah coming out on top 39-36.  In the 2nd half the Utes opened a 15 point lead and then held on to beat the Cougars 75-66.  Utah’s PF Mark Wall scored 12, pulled down 8 rebounds, and had 3 assists and 6 blocks. 
    USC Trojans, 13-15, 7-11 (9th seed) vs Washington Huskies, 17-12, 8-10 (8th seed): This was another close game throughout the first half.  At the intermission, USC led 37-34.  The Trojans then went ahead by as much as 12 points in the 2nd half but had to hold on to edge the Huskies 74-68.  Washington, which had been on the top of the conference standings in the first half of conference play, saw their late season fizzle (they lost 7 of their last 8 regular season games) continue.  SF Matt Gates scored 15 points and had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals for USC.  C Shamel Pringle had 15 points and 9 rebounds for the Huskies.
    UCLA, Colorado, Arizona and California had byes.
    2nd Round:
    Stanford Cardinal, 19-9, 10-8 (5th seed) vs #19 California Golden Bears, 20-9, 11-7 (4th seed): California ran away from Stanford in the first half and held a 40-26 lead at the half.  But the tide turned in the 2nd half as Stanford steadily reduced the lead.  Then when the Cardinal finally took a lead late in the game, they never looked back and pulled away for an upset 74-67 victory over the Golden Bears.  C Roger Yeager was the cornerstone for Stanford, scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.  Stanford outscored Cal 48-27 in the 2nd half.
    Oregon Ducks, 18-11, 10-8 (6th seed) vs Arizona Wildcats, 15-12, 11-7 (3rd seed): Arizona blitzed the Ducks in the first half to take a 44-21 halftime lead.  The Wildcats never let the Ducks close the gap in the 2nd half and Arizona came away with an 82-59 drubbing of Oregon.  For Arizona PF Tim Petry scored 22 points and C James Whitworth hauled down 15 rebounds.  Oregon’s SF JJ Robinson scored 19 points.
    USC Trojans, 14-15, 7-11 (9th seed) vs #3 UCLA Bruins, 22-5, 14-4 (1st seed): USC completely shut down UCLA’s potent offense in the first half and sported a 36-24 advantage at the end of the half.  The Trojans then shot the lights out in the 2nd half to expand their lead and come away with a huge 78-61 upset of the Bruins.  Since UCLA had beaten USC by scores of 94-48 and 75-53 in the regular season, USC’s victory was completely unexpected.  USC’s reserve C Dan Warford had 18 points and 7 rebounds while SG Brendan Trilli scored 17.  USC outshot UCLA 57% to 38%.
    Game #30: Utah Utes, 16-13, 9-9 (7th seed) vs Colorado Buffaloes (19-10, 11-7) (2nd seed):  In the two games these teams played during the regular season, each won by about the same point difference while playing on their home court.  Surprisingly the odds makers favored the Utes over us in this game.  We were surprised that they felt Utah’s bench was stronger than ours since we felt our reserves were the strongest in the Pac-12.  C Marc Fife and PF Mark Wall both averaged over 13 ppg with Fife averaging 9.3 rpg.  We felt that controlling Mark Wall was important, but PG Jason Swygart dropped down 37 points against us in the 2 games we played, so we also needed to figure out a way to finally control him as well.  Both players make a high percentage of their shots and can score from all over the court so its no small task to be able to limit either one.  We’re going to try to wear them down with a quick pace and hounding defense.
    We fell behind 9-2 and picked up 4 fouls in the first 4 minutes of the game.  The Utes dominated the boards giving them numerous 2nd chance attempts.  Fortunately they weren’t shooting particularly well, but we shot even worse hitting just 1 of our first 10 shots as well fell behind 12-3 after 8 minutes of play.  Things didn’t improve for us as we hit just 21% of our FG attempts and 10% of our 3P attempts.  By the end of the half we found ourselves in a 34-20 hole.  We were out-rebounded 28-14.  PF/SF Kenton Dunn scored 7 points for us but reserve PG Tega Knox dropped in 13 points for Utah.  All-in-all we just played horribly.  I read the riot act to the guys in the locker room.
    We responded by scoring on our first 5 possession in the 2nd half to reduce the Utes’ lead to 6 points.  With 13:16 to go PF Charles Maors hit a baseline jumper and was fouled.  He sunk the free throw to narrow the difference to 40-36.  With 8 minutes remaining we tied the game at 48-48.  SF Rick Coffey sunk 2 free throws to give us our first lead of the game at 50-48 with 7:15 on the clock.  A minute later we capped a 10-0 run to go up by 7 points.  With 57 seconds left Utah cut our lead to 60-58.  PG Matt Conley was fouled on our next possession.  He hit both free throws to put us ahead by 4 with 50 seconds remaining.  Utah was unable to score on their next possessions so had to foul.  That allowed us to come away with a 65-58 victory.  We won in the 2nd half by forcing Utah to make turnovers, and unlike in the first half, we outshot the Utes.  We outscored Utah 45-24 in the 2nd half to achieve what was a scary but satisfying comeback.
    PF/C Charles Maors scored 14 points, SF Rick Coffey had 13, PF/SF Kenton Dunn and PG Matt Conley both scored 11, and SG Steve Jackson added 10.  Kenton Dunn also pulled down 10 rebounds.  Utah was led by PG Tega Knox with 13 points. 
    Round 3 (Semi-finals):
    Stanford Cardinal, 20-9, 10-8 (5th seed) vs USC Trojans, 15-15, 7-11 (9th seed): USC came built a 42-34 halftime advantage.  But in the 2nd half the lead shifted back and forth.  With 22 seconds to go and the game tied at 80-80, USC played for the final shot.  But they were forced to put up an off-balance 18 foot jumper that clanked off the front rim.  The Trojans PF Jero Okesola went up and tipped the ball back up and it fell through the basket as the buzzer sounded.  USC’s 82-80 win was their second upset victory of the tournament.  Okesola finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans.  SF Matt Gates had 15 points and 11 boards for Stanford.
    Game #31: Arizona Wildcats, 16-12, 11-7 (3rd seed) vs Colorado Buffaloes, 20-10, 11-7 (2nd seed): In the two games these teams played, each won on the other team’s home court.  We’re the higher seed, but are the underdogs for this contest.  We need to keep SF Rolan Bell from breaking loose.  I really hope we don’t have another slow start…that could be catastrophic against the Wildcats.
    The winner of this game will take on the 9th seeded USC Trojans for the Pac-12 Championship.  Both teams beat USC twice during the regular season. USC will need to pull off their 4th straight upset in the tournament to capture the championship.
    We had turnovers on our first 3 possessions resulting in 2 breakaway lay-ins for Arizona.  Then SF Rolan Bell scored 9 of the Wildcats’ first 11 points and 3 of our starters had 2 fouls on them after 6-1/2 minutes of play.  7 minutes into the game we had 7 team fouls and Arizona was shooting 1-and-1’s.  Somehow we took a lead at 14-12 with 11:50 to play in the half.  Arizona was called for their FIRST foul with 8:31 left in the half!  At that point we had 9 team fouls and 4 players on the bench in foul trouble.  The Wildcats took advantage of our forced reserve lineup to pull ahead 26-20 with 5 minutes remaining in the half.  But we shifted players in and out and struggled but were able to almost keep up with Arizona.  At the break we only trailed 34-32.  We had been called for 13 fouls while the Wildcats’ were whistled just 4 times and Arizona had been to the foul line 12 more times than us.  Arizona had out-rebounded us 24-14 but we hit 46% of our shots compared to 33% by the Wildcats.  SG Steve Jackson scored 10 points for us and Arizona was led by Rolan Bell’s 13 points.
    Arizona (and the refs) seemed to wear us down in the 2nd half.  With 11 minutes to play we trailed 58-40.  We never gave up, but our game plan continued to be blown apart.  We ended up with a disappointing 69-57 loss. 
    SG Steve Jackson scored 17.  Arizona’s SF Rolan Bell scored 10 while their PF Tim Petry had 13 points and 15 rebounds and their C Cliff Rivera had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
    Thus endeth our dream of winning the conference championship.
    Round 4 (Championship):
    Arizona Wildcats, 17-12, 11-7 (3rd seed) vs USC Trojans, 16-15, 7-11 (9th seed):  Arizona ended USC’s Cinderalla run by leading from beginning to end.  At the half the Wildcats were ahead 34-19.  They then expanded their lead to 23 points in the 2nd half before easing up and finishing with a 68-52 victory.  C Cliff Rivera had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Arizona. 
  25. Thanks
    PointGuard got a reaction from Chris in The Town Crier   
    Game #18: Colorado Buffaloes (11-6, 3-3) @ #19 Oregon Ducks (11-5, 4-2)
    On the road again.  And taking on the Ducks who are tied for the league lead.  This is the first of two games this week against Oregon.  The Ducks are led offensively by freshman SF JJ Robinson who is averaging 15.6 ppg.
    Oregon came out firing away from outside and hitting over 70% of their shots to forge ahead 27-11 after 7-1/2 minutes of play.  We cooled them slightly (they finished the half knocking down 61% of their FG attempts and 57% of their 3’s), to cut their lead to 49-40 at the break.  C Ike Minahan dropped in 16 points for us while SF JJ Robinson had 12 for Oregon.
    We cut the Ducks’ Lead to 56-51 with 14:19 remaining.  We continued to creep closer and Kenton Dunn’s 3 with 10 minutes to go made it 63-60.  Then Ike Minahan knocked down a 3 to tie the game at 65-65 with 8-1/2 minutes left.  As our defense shut down Oregon, we then ever-so-slowly ground ahead and finished with a surprising 80-71 victory. 
    C Ike Minahan scored 16 and pulled down 7 rebounds, SF Kenton Dunn had 15 points, and SG Camah Griffin tossed in 11 points.  Oregon’s C Ronald Greenwalt led their scoring with 18 points.
    My guys dedicated the game to my father and sent him the game ball.
    Pac-12 results tonight:
    Arizona-81, Stanford-72
    #14 Washington-70, Arizona State-65
    Washington State-74, #15 California-71 (the Cougars overcame 34 points from Cal’s SG Derek Jackson)
    #3 UCLA-94, USC-48
    Utah-76, Oregon State-69
    Our big road win moved us into a 3-way tie for 4th place in the conference.