Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Mon Mar 13, 2023 1:39 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
11/14   #3    (n) Oral Roberts       L 77-84 (OT)   0-1              D. Arnold (14 pts 12 reb 3 blk) S. Feeley (13 pts 16 reb 5 ast)
11/21   #23   #12 Cincinnati         W 73-51        1-1              D. Arnold (29 pts 10 reb 7 blk) P. Walker (12 pts 3 reb 4 ast)
11/24   #23   #5 Arizona             L 73-94        1-2              D. Arnold (16 pts 7 reb 3 blk) B. Moravec (16 pts 3 reb 7 ast)
11/28         @ #2 Maryland          L 63-85        1-3              K. Thomas (11 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 stl) D. Arnold (10 pts 13 reb 4 ast)
12/1          Villanova              W 78-54        2-3              D. Arnold (14 pts 10 reb 2 blk) J. Dillon (14 pts 9 reb 1 ast 2 stl)
12/5          Gonzaga                W 62-56        3-3              D. Arnold (15 pts 12 reb 4 blk) S. Feeley (13 pts 10 reb 3 ast 4 stl)
12/8          #11 Xavier             W 72-45        4-3              P. Walker (28 pts 6 reb 2 ast) D. Arnold (15 pts 12 reb 2 ast 6 blk)
12/12   #21   @ #23 Duke             L 67-90        4-4              P. Walker (21 pts 1 reb) G. Mamoepa (11 pts 2 reb 2 ast)
12/19         #16 Kansas             W 77-73        5-4              S. Feeley (16 pts 5 reb 2 ast 1 stl) B. Moravec (17 pts 2 reb 1 ast)


After the Arizona loss our home streak ended, as did our streak of weeks being nationally ranked (our last unranked game as a team was November 26, 2034, five entire seasons ago. But we knew this was going to be a team learning experience, and we can’t prepare ourselves for the Big Ten and later tournament grinds without playing the best teams. Cupcakes set you up for nothing but failure even when you win. Still, these kids are young, and I had to work extra hard during practice to ensure we weren’t getting down on ourselves or becoming demoralized. The Villanova win was vindicating, as we had six players in double figures and our bench outscored theirs 23-19 despite their having played 14 deep against our ten. And against Gonzaga we came back from down 20-29 at the half to win a hard-fought battle by six, which was another solid confidence booster. When we handed Xavier only their second loss of the year by a massive 27-point margin I knew we had a team that could fight and be as good as we want.

Heading into the Big Ten season we’re 5-4 but ranked 23rd in the NET. #15 Michigan leads the conference at 9-1 (#4 NET) while Wisconsin (8-2 #72 NET) and Purdue (7-2 #22 NET) are right behind. So far seven teams in the Big Ten are inside the top 100 NET.
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby PointGuard » Mon Mar 13, 2023 6:22 pm

Your team is doing pretty good given the number of very good players they lost after last season.
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Mon Mar 13, 2023 6:33 pm

PointGuard wrote:Your team is doing pretty good given the number of very good players they lost after last season.


Thanks! :)
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:32 am

Code: Select all
Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
12/30         @ Nebraska             L 58-69        5-5 (0-1)        D. Arnold (19 pts 16 reb 4 blk) P. Walker (11 pts 6 reb)
1/2           Illinois               W 87-74        6-5 (1-1)        S. Feeley (23 pts 6 reb 4 ast) J. Dillon (19 pts 4 reb 3 ast 4 stl)
1/6           @ Iowa                 W 80-60        7-5 (2-1)        D. Arnold (21 pts 9 reb 1 stl 3 blk) P. Walker (19 pts 3 reb 2 ast)
1/11          Butler                 W 87-63        8-5 (3-1)        D. Arnold (28 pts 9 reb 4 ast 3 blk) S. Feeley (17 pts 17 reb 8 ast)
1/16          Michigan               W 78-68        9-5 (4-1)        J. Dillon (19 pts 6 reb 1 blk) P. Walker (15 pts 6 reb 2 ast)
1/18          @ Ohio State           W 74-67        10-5 (5-1)       P. Walker (19 pts 3 reb 1 ast) D. Arnold (18 pts 3 reb 6 blk)
1/20          Nebraska               W 91-71        11-5 (6-1)       J. Dillon (17 pts 10 reb 3 stl) D. Arnold (11 pts 10 reb 3 ast 5 blk)
1/25    #24   Purdue                 W 77-69        12-5 (7-1)       J. Dillon (20 pts 3 reb 1 ast) D. Arnold (12 pts 8 reb 1 ast 2 blk)
1/27    #24   @ Indiana              L 53-60        12-6 (7-2)       D. Arnold (8 pts 18 reb 1 ast 2 blk) J. Davali (10 pts 1 ast)
1/30    #24   #25 Wisconsin          L 47-54        12-7 (7-3)       P. Walker (16 pts 2 reb 1 ast) S. Feeley (17 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
2/1     #24   @ Northwestern         W 76-53        13-7 (8-3)       D. Arnold (14 pts 14 reb 2 ast 2 blk) P. Walker (18 pts 3 reb 2 ast)


Heading into the final stretch of the Big Ten season, we’ve got five of eight remaining games on the road, so we’re not feeling comfortable that we’re in second place in the conference, just one game back of #24 Wisconsin. We’ve bounced back out of the poll, and we still have to beat the Badgers on the road, and they already defensively dismantled us at home. And none of the remaining road games will be easy wins. The one thing that is heartening is that our NET rating is a solid #10 nationally,

Bubble Watch: Wisconsin (17-4, 9-2) looks like they’re on track for a #4 seed in the tournament, while we’re on the edge of a #7 seed. Michigan (16-6, 7-5) and Nebraska (14-8, 7-5) are on the 8-line right now, and Ohio State (13-9, 6-6) is one of the last four in at this juncture. Butler (11-9, 7-4) is currently out (#88 NET) as are Illinois (11-10, 6-5, #99 NET), Penn State (10-10, 6-5, #131 NET) and Purdue (12-10, 5-8, #96 NET) barring late-season craziness. None of the other teams in the conference have winning records.


Code: Select all
Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
2/6           Penn State             W 74-57        14-7 (9-3)       D. Arnold (19 pts 14 reb 4 ast 4 blk) B. Moravec (11 pts 3 reb 10 ast)
2/8           @ Notre Dame           W 67-64        15-7 (10-3)      D. Arnold (19 pts 12 reb 3 blk) J. Dillon (15 pts 15 reb 2 ast 2 stl)
2/10          Iowa                   W 80-58        16-7 (11-3)      D. Arnold (17 pts 12 reb 2 ast) B. Moravec (17 pts 3 reb 8 ast)
2/15    #23   Indiana                W 86-54        17-7 (12-3)      B. Moravec (24 pts 3 reb 5 ast) P. Walker (19 pts 3 reb 2 ast)
2/17    #23   @ Minnesota            W 79-90        18-7 (13-3)      B. Moravec (18 pts 2 reb 4 ast) S. Feeley (15 pts 13 reb 3 stl)
2/20    #20   @ #18 Wisconsin        W 73-66        19-7 (14-3)      D. Arnold (21 pts 10 reb 6 blk) P. Walker (17 pts 3 reb 3 ast)
2/22    #20   @ Illinois             L 70-78        19-8 (14-4)      S. Feeley (12 pts 8 reb 6 ast 6 stl) B. Moravec (13 pts 2 ast 1 stl)
3/1     #18   Northwestern           W 75-57        20-8 (15-4)      P. Walker (19 pts 3 reb 3 ast) S. Feeley (11 pts 12 reb 2 ast 1 blk)
3/3     #18   @ Purdue               L 58-70        20-9 (15-5)      S. Feeley (14 pts 8 reb 2 ast 2 stl) P. Walker (10 pts 3 reb 2 ast)


Danny Arnold missed the final Norton cut, and will not be among the top ten players in the nation in that competition. He has, however, decided that one year was enough for him and he’ll be leaving for the NBA. He will be our only player leaving early barring transfers. Our two losses late in the race cost us the Big Ten title, with #15 Wisconsin winning it at 25-5 (17-3). We’re in second, followed by #24 Michigan (22-8, 13-7) and Nebraska (18-12, 11-9) who won a three-way tie among Butler (15-14, 11-9) and Penn State (15-14, 11-9) in the fight for that last double-bye. Illinois (15-15, 10-10) is right on the edge of postseason eligibility, but will need to win at least one game to stay so and the whole tourney to feel comfortable.

Bubble Watch: As of right now, we are in the tournament alongside Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska. Penn State looks pretty far off the bubble unless they win it all to convince the committee, though a couple wins could help even with a title loss. Butler, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana would probably need to win the whole thing, and Ohio State, despite the #108 NET ranking, would definitely need to do so, though they may still eke out a postseason bid outside the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame (13-18, 6-14, 251 NET) should not expect a repeat of last year’s miracle, considering they’re playing out of the 13th seed and would have to win five straight.

Big Ten Tournament

Code: Select all
Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/9     (10) Minnesota         W 65-56        21-9             D. Arnold (22 pts 19 reb 5 blk) S. Feeley (12 pts 9 reb 3 ast 4 stl 2 blk)
3/10    (3) Michigan           L 83-96        21-10            P. Walker (23 pts 5 reb 2 ast) D. Arnold (21 pts 9 reb 2 ast 2 blk)


Wisconsin and Michigan faced off in the title game and the Wolverines won out 76-71, becoming the first Big Ten team to punch its ticket.

Big Ten Teams in the NCAA Tournament:

Dayton: (12) Nebraska - plays into Detroit region
East Rutherford: (4) Michigan
Detroit: (4) Michigan State
Albuquerque: (3) Wisconsin

If Nebraska wins its play-in game and then gets past (5) Oregon we’d potentially face them in the second round. Arizona (31-1) is the top seed in Michigan’s region and seems primed to return to the title game yet again if things stay chalk.

Penn State, Butler and Purdue all are in the CBI Tournament.

NCAA Tournament

Code: Select all
Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/16    (13) Stony Brook       W 88-74        22-10            D. Arnold (25 pts 11 reb 3 blk) P. Walker (25 pts 6 reb 3 ast 1 stl)
3/18    (5) Oregon             L 65-70        22-11            D. Arnold (21 pts 6 reb 3 ast) S. Feeley (19 pts 9 reb 2 ast 6 stl)


Nebraska lost its play-in game to LSU by a 72-79 margin. Penn State and Purdue both advanced in the CBI Tournament -- the Nittany Lions beat TX San Antonio 80-74, and the Boilermakers had a killer defensive game against East Tennessee State 57-47. Michigan blasted (13) Jacksonville State 87-64 on Thursday while we won our game with relative ease despite not being as big a blowout. Wisconsin, meanwhile, barely held off (14) Purdue-Fort Wayne 74-72, and they’ll have to play better than that if they’re going to survive deep into this tournament. Of course, it’s hard for me to talk when we lost to Oregon in a similarly tight fashion in the second game of the tournament, bringing our run to an end outside the Sweet Sixteen and snapping my streak just a game shy of reaching my 500th victory. Michigan advanced with an 84-75 victory over (5) Texas A&M, but Wisconsin stumbled against (6) Virginia, losing another tight one 78-83.

In the CBI Tournament Purdue won a tight matchup against Marshall 76-75, while Penn State blew past Eastern Michigan 85-71. They will have to play each other in the CBI Semifinals, ensuring a Big Ten team will at least compete for the title.

In the Sweet Sixteen (4) Michigan had to face (1) Arizona and as expected they were absolutely no match for the marauding Wildcats, falling in the end 62-82.

Purdue beat Penn State 58-52 in the CBI Tournament Semifinals, earning a spot in the title game against Vanderbilt. They promptly crushed the Commodores 82-67 to take home the CBI Championship, though I’m sure they would have rather been playing in NCAA Tournament games instead.

In the Final Four, (2) Kansas stunned (1) Arizona 74-69, while (4) Dayon won a shootout against (4) UNLV 102-84, making it back to the Finals for the first time since we beat them there two years ago. And in a stunning upset, the Flyers won their first title in school history by knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks 79-74, becoming the first Mid-Major to actually take home the title!

Team Leaders
Scoring: Danny Arnold (14.6 ppg) Philipp Walker (14.3 ppg) Sam Feeley (9.9 ppg) Bohdan Moravec (9.3 ppg) Jaraan Dillon (9.2 ppg)
Rebounding: Danny Arnold (10.5 rpg) Sam Feeley (8.3 rpg) Jaraan Dillon (6.5 rpg) Philipp Walker (3.2 rpg)
Assists: Bohdan Moravec (5.3 apg) Sam Feeley (2.8 apg) Jaraan Dillon (2.0 apg) Philipp Walker (1.8 apg)
Steals: Sam Feeley (2.3 spg) Jaraan Dillon (1.5 spg) Kyle Thomas (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Danny Arnold (3.2 bpg) Sam Feeley (1.3 bpg)

Graduating Players
None. All our recruits are due to transfers and remaining scholarships from last season.

Leaving Early
Danny Arnold (3.4 GPA) 14.6 ppg 10.5 rpg 1.5 apg 0.4 spg 3.2 bpg (31 starts)

Dalron Cantrell is very likely going to transfer. He has been a disruptive force with the team all year, and after his redshirt season never managed to get into our lineups much despite our lack of depth, mostly due to his getting into constant arguments with his teammates. We’re going to have a team of veterans back next year and if he’d rather be elsewhere I can’t say I’ll miss his attitude.

Awards
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Danny Arnold
1st Team All Big Ten: Danny Arnold
2nd Team All Big Ten: Sam Feeley

Tim Davis won National Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
Wisconsin’s Tyrone Lemeke won Big Ten Coach of the Year again for Wisconsin.

Commmitted Recruits -- Final List
6’0” 201 lbs SG Andrew Green (HS Senior, Munster IN) 3.1 GPA (#25 Ntl #4 Reg) 23.8 ppg 4.6 rpg 1.9 apg 2.3 spg 0.8 apg
6’2” 205 lbs PG Rodney Bey (HS Senior, Venice FL) 2.8 GPA (#39 Ntl #12 Reg) 21.6 ppg 5.2 rpg 5.1 apg 3.7 spg 0.6 bpg
6’9” 278 lbs C Karel Plesnicar (HS Senior, Slovenia) 2.4 GPA (#58 Ntl #5 Reg) 16.1 ppg 12.6 rpg 1.9 apg 3.8 spg 5.3 bpg
6’8” 223 lbs PF Chris Washington (HS Senior, Proctor MN) 18.0 ppg 8.5 rpg 4.2 apg 2.3 spg 2.2 bpg

We’ve extended Justin Smith’s contract as Associate Head Coach for an additional year, giving him a $127,050 contract for three seasons. He just turned 29 and is starting his sixth year with our program, having risen from third assistant. The remainder of our staff’s contracts will remain unchanged. I, meanwhile, will be starting my 19th season as a head coach at the Division 1 Level, my 11th here in East Lansing. I’m a win away from my 500th overall, and I’m just eight wins away from my 300th here at Michigan State. I’m starting to contemplate how long I will want to deal with the day-in day-out year-round grind of college coaching, but right now I’m really enjoying my time mentoring these young players, and I’m not ready to hang up my whistle yet.

The Big Ten continues to shift toward a completely mid-west lineup, in what the league hopes will be the final realignment. Nebraska will be heading back to the Big 12, which is sending Iowa State to the Big Ten as a natural rival for Iowa. Meanwhile, Penn State will be heading to the Big East, with Marquette coming into the Big Ten as a natural rival for Wisconsin, Northwestern and Minnesota.
Last edited by jksander on Wed Mar 15, 2023 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Wed Mar 15, 2023 1:19 pm

SEASON NINETEEN
2040-41


Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 54 (499-168, .748)
National Titles: 3 (2031, 2036, 2038)
Contract: $1,559,000 / 4 years
Reputation: 97%
National Title Appearances: 6 (2029, 2031, 2036-2039)
Final Fours: 8 (2025-2026, 2029, 2031, 2036-2039)
Elite Eights: 10 (2025-2027, 2029, 2031, 2033, 2036-2039)
Sweet Sixteens: 12 (2024-2027, 2029, 2031, 2033, 2035-2039)
Big Ten Titles: 4 (2031, 2033, 2038-2039)
Big Ten Tourney Titles: 4 (2031, 2036-2038)
SEC Titles: 1 (2025)
SEC Tourney Titles: 2 (2025, 2026)
National Coach of the Year: 3 (2036-2038)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: 2 (2031, 2039)
SEC Coach of the Year: 2 (2025-2026)

School Information
School: Michigan State Spartans
Location: East Lansing MI
Conference: Big Ten
Arena: Jack Breslin Student Events Center (14,797 Cap)
Budget: $583,443 ($239,050 Assistants / $344,393 Recruiting)
Facilities: B+
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 94% (-5)
Conf. Prestige: 80%

Top 5 Recruit Classes
1. Clemson
2. Florida
3. Wichita State
4. Duke
5. Michigan

Top 5 Big Ten Recruit Classes
5. Michigan
7. Indiana
10. Michigan State
24. Purdue
27. Wisconsin

Scouting Reports
International Gold ($100,000)
National Gold ($80,000)

Summer Travel
Indy Elite Camp ($4,100)
Chicago Prep Revue ($3,700)

Players Transfering
Dalron Cantrell did choose to transfer, but the real shocker was that Jaraan Dillon, who I had planned to start this season, decided to transfer despite what I’d felt had been a good relationship over his three playing seasons plus his redshirt year. He was here for our title runs, so it’s disappointing to see him leave so close to graduating as a Spartan. We have eleven players on the roster at this point, so I’m going to skip the transfer window and keep all our scholarships for the recruiting season. We’ll have five open scholarships, so it’s going to be important to build for the future with this year’s class.

NBA Draft
11. Danny Arnold

Norton Nominees
None.

Recruits
6’6” 228 lbs SF Rudi Kukoc (HS Senior, Croatia) 2.5 GPA (#37 Ntl #2 Reg) 19.1 ppg 3.3 rpg 2.0 apg 2.6 spg 0.8 bpg
6’8” 255 lbs C Kenyon Jones (HS Senior, Chicago IL) 3.1 GPA (#50 Ntl #4 Reg) 15.3 ppg 9.0 rpg 1.7 apg 3.6 rpg 4.9 apg
6’8” 203 lbs SF Wil Boschee (HS Senior, Nelsonville OH) 3.0 GPA (#58 Ntl #6 Reg) 19.6 ppg 2.6 rpg 1.8 apg 1.8 spg 0.8 bpg
6’3” 171 lbs SG Greg Ruddock (HS Senior, Leroy MI) 2.8 GPA (#82 Ntl #11 Reg) 15.8 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.5 apg 1.8 spg 0.7 bpg
6’6” 194 lbs PF Tim Wise (HS Senior, Concord MI) 2.8 GPA (#123 Ntl #20 Reg) 16.5 ppg 6.8 rpg 1.7 apg 1.4 spg 1.8 apg

I’m catching a lot of flack from some members of the boosters club who are pissed I didn’t go after any of the big name five star players this year. But I’ve been focusing more on local midwest talent and international players with the skills to fit into our rotation, and I am confident that this is the way to build. We’ve struggled with the constant influx and exits of blue chip players over the years, and I think it’s time to attempt to develop some roster consistency. After this year, it’s worth noting, I will have opened a recruiting pipeline to Michigan, which should go nicely with the reputation I’d built in Tennessee and Georgia during my time in the SEC. I’ve also done nicely in Indiana and Illinois over the years -- Kenyon Jones is my seventh recruit from the land of Lincoln, and I’ve had six recruits over the years from the Hoosier state.

From the looks of things the blue chip players this year are spread among a wider swath of teams, so no one is really creating a “super class” or anything. As of right now we have a borderline top ten class nationally, and our class should lead the Big Ten barring any late recruiting by Michigan and Indiana.

Schedule
11/14 - (n) Bradley - Preseason NIT
11/22 - Providence
11/25 - @ Northern Iowa
11/29 - Kentucky
12/2 - Western Kentucky
12/6 - Louisville
12/9 - #14 Cincinnati
12/13 - @ Akron
12/20 - Murray State

We’re ranked #12 in the preseason polls, one ahead of #13 Michigan, the only other ranked team in the Big Ten this early. Aside from the game against Cincinnati, no one on our schedule is preseason ranked. It looks like a very light schedule, particularly with six home games and only the two road trips (Northern Iowa and Akron) before hitting the Big Ten slate running with a trip to Minnesota on the 26th of December. It’ll be interesting to see how we’re looking in the NET when we get to that point, because this looks like a schedule that could trip us up with early wins that look better than they are.

Roster
PG - Bohdan Moravec (6’2” 180 lbs Jr) Czech Republic (International HS) 2.7 GPA (4.0/4.5) 9.3 ppg 2.8 rpg 5.3 apg 0.5 spg 0.1 bpg
SG - Philipp Walker (6’3” 178 lbs Sr) Winston OR (Douglas HS) 3.2 gPA (4.0/4.5) 14.3 ppg 3.2 rpg 1.8 apg 0.4 spg 0.1 bpg
SF - Kyle Thomas (6’6” 196 lbs So RS) Iron Mountain MI (Iron Mountain HS) 3.3 GPA (2.0/4.0) 5.6 ppg 2.4 rpg 1.2 apg 1.0 spg 0.3 bpg
PF - Sam Feeley (6’7” 217 lbs So) Alma MI (Alma HS) 3.3 GPA (4.0/4.5) 9.9 ppg 8.3 rpg 2.8 apg 2.3 spg 1.3 bpg
C - Karel Plesnicar (6’9” 278 lbs Fr) Slovenia (International HS) 2.8 GPA (4.5/5.0)

6 - Brandin Green (6’8” 229 lbs Sr RS) Beech Grove IN (Beech Grove HS) 4.0 GPA (2.5/4.0) 3.4 ppg 2.4 rpg 0.9 apg 0.4 spg 0.5 bpg
7 - Greyne Mamoepa (6’1” 186 lbs Jr RS) Nigeria (International HS) 3.6 GPA (3.0/4.0) 5.0 ppg 1.5 rpg 1.6 apg 0.1 spg 0.1 bpg
8 - Josh Davali (6’2” 201 lbs Sr) Circleville OH (Logan Elm HS) 4.0 GPA (3.0/4.0) 1.9 ppg 0.3 rpg 0.9 apg
9 - Chris Washington (6’8” 223 lbs Fr) Proctor MN (Proctor HS) 2.8 GPA (2.0/4.0)

RS - Rodney Bey (6’2” 205 lbs Fr) Venice IL (Venice HS) 2.8 GPA (2.5/5.0)
RS - Andrew Green (6’0” 201 lbs Fr) Munster IN (Munster HS) 3.1 GPA (2.0/5.0)

Bey and Green were going to be too raw to play any real minutes this year, so the redshirts are worth the risk. They’ll be in better position to fight for playing time next year, and this year we need players who can handle minutes from the word “go.” Everyone on our bench will get their chances this season to prove that they can handle playing in the toughest environments.
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Wed Mar 15, 2023 1:56 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
11/14   #12   (n) Bradley            W 67-44        1-0              P. Walker (14 pts 5 reb 4 ast) K. Plesnicar (6 pts 13 reb 2 stl 3 blk)
11/16   #12   (n) #10 Missouri       L 61-75        1-1              K. Plesnicar (16 pts 13 reb 2 ast) K. Thomas (17 pts 3 reb 3 ast 4 stl)
11/22         Providence             W 95-59        2-1              K. Plesnicar (24 pts 11 reb 3 ast) B. Moravec (19 pts 11 ast 2 blk)
11/25         @ Northern Iowa        L 63-71        2-2              K. Plesnicar (21 pts 19 reb 2 ast 4 blk) P. Walker (21 pts 4 reb 1 ast)
11/29         Kentucky               W 82-67        3-2              K. Plesnicar (26 pts 11 reb 3 stl 4 blk) P. Walker (24 pts 5 reb 1 ast)
12/2          Western Kentucky       W 73-70        4-2              K. Thomas (15 pts 5 reb 3 ast 3 stl) K. Plesnicar (14 pts 5 reb 3 stl)
12/6          Louisville             W 78-59        5-2              K. Plesnicar (15 pts 16 reb 4 ast) B. Green (10 pts 2 reb 4 ast 1 stl)
12/9          Cincinnati             W 54-49        6-2              K. Plesnicar (18 pts 17 reb 4 stl 4 blk) B. Moravec (11 pts 3 reb 6 ast)
12/13   #22   @ Akron                W 86-67        7-2              S. Feeley (16 pts 5 reb 1 blk) K. Plesnicar (16 pts 8 reb 3 stl 1 blk)
12/20   #23   Murray State           L 58-59        7-3              S. Feeley (12 pts 8 reb 2 stl) K. Thomas (12 pts 3 reb 3 ast)


Losing at home to Murray State by a point hurts, but we’re off to a solid 7-3 start and though our #108 NET ranking isn’t what I’m used to seeing, I think it did help to not be facing a meat grinder every game all through November and December. There’ll be plenty of time for that in January and February. We dropped back out of the AP Poll, but #18 Wisconsin (9-2) and #17 Purdue (9-3) are still in there, and Marquette (9-2) and Iowa State (8-2) are right up there competing, ready to show they’re fully capable of fighting for a top spot in the Big Ten. Minnesota and Michigan are both 6-3, as are Northwestern and Notre Dame. Ohio State, Butler and Illinois have four losses but winning records. Only Indiana (4-6) and Iowa (2-7) have losing records. Four Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Marquette, Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State) are in the NET top 50, while Iowa State is at #94. Northwestern (#101) and our team are right on the edge, and if we can put together some Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins without taking any hits against the Illini, Hoosiers and Hawkeyes of Quad 3 and 4, I think we’ve got room to fight back in the conference season and firm up our postseason chances.
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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Postby jksander » Fri Mar 17, 2023 12:19 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank  Opponen[code][/code]t               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
12/26         @ Minnesota            L 65-72        7-4 (0-1)        B. Moravec (22 pts 6 reb 5 ast) C. Washington (11 pts 8 reb 2 ast)
12/28         Northwestern           W 74-60        8-4 (1-1)        P. Walker (21 pts 1 reb 1 ast) B. Moravec (14 pts 3 reb 1 stl)
1/2           Notre Dame             L 73-77        8-5 (1-2)        K. Plesnicar (17 pts 8 reb 3 ast) P. Walker (19 pts 3 reb 2 ast 3 stl)
1/4           @ Marquette            W 75-67        9-5 (2-2)        P. Walker (27 pts 2 ast 3 stl) S. Feeley (10 pts 6 reb 5 ast)
1/9           Butler                 W 102-83       10-5 (3-2)       P. Walker (27 pts 3 reb 3 ast) B. Moravec (14 pts 3 reb 11 ast)
1/13          Minnesota              W 64-44        11-5 (4-2)       K. Plesnicar (14 pts 11 reb 4 ast 4 stl) P. Walker (13 pts 3 reb)
1/18          @ Illinois             L 58-63        11-6 (4-3)       K. Plesnicar (11 pts 15 reb 3 ast 2 stl) B. Green (11 pts 3 reb 1 blk)
1/20          @ Northwestern         W 73-70        12-6 (5-3)       P. Walker (21 pts 3 reb 2 stl) K. Plesnicar (16 pts 4 reb 3 ast 5 stl)
1/25          Ohio State             W 68-51        13-6 (6-3)       P. Walker (25 pts 2 reb 1 stl) C. Washington (11 pts 5 reb 1 ast 1 stl)
1/27          @ Michigan             L 79-92        13-7 (6-4)       K. Plesnicar (23 pts 6 reb 3 stl) P. Walker (16 pts 4 reb 3 ast 2 stl)
2/1           @ Iowa State           L 73-80        13-8 (6-5)       K. Plesnicar (15 pts 9 reb 3 stl) B. Moravec (15 pts 2 reb 4 ast 1 stl)
2/3           @ Notre Dame           W 78-68        14-8 (7-5)       K. Thomas (22 pts 5 reb 1 ast) B. Moravec (11 pts 7 reb 7 ast 1 blk)


Bubble Watch: We’re off to our worst start in a long time in the Big Ten, with four road losses plus one at home, putting us in fourth place in the big ten, though aside from Michigan (17-3, 11-0) the rest of the Big Ten is such a mess that 12 teams have between four and eight losses in-conference. So where we’ll finish is anyone’s guess. As of right now we’re a 9th or 10th seed depending on how generous the committee feels. But if we don’t do well in our last eight games I could see us falling down to the bubble’s edge. Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue Nebraska, Marquette and Minnesota would join us as “in” if the tourney was today, but we, Marquette and Minnesota have work to do if we want to stay there. Iowa State and Illinois, meanwhile, are on the bubble and need to turn their seasons around quickly to avoid misisng out. Northwestern’s NET ranking of 94th might qualify them for some form of postseason play, but only if they get their 10-10 record back above .500 for the year -- 4-7 in the Big Ten isn’t gonna get them there.
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