DDSCB23: All In

[Wayne23]

Holding our lead. Up 8 with 10 to go.

83-79. They came back strong and tied it twice late but we gutted it out. 17, 10 for Sims, 18, 8 for Card, 12, 8, 2, 3 for Howe, 11, 7 for Ando, 14, 4 for Rily. +36 down low.

I’m kind of surprised by how well we’re doing but we have good freshmen and last year it turns out that the Spartans had a few major injuries, so I guess that explains it. We have 5 big guys scoring in double figures and rebounding well, and Rod Clem dishes it very well at the Point.

1/29: 12-7, 5-4 Ohio ST is here tomorrow.

Both recruits easily hit our SAT score.

1/30: I’ve sped up the offense even more lately and it’s working.

Close early. Up 8 after 10. 47-33 at halftime. 24 for Sims. Looking good inside.

Increasing the lead. Up Up 30 with 10 to play.

97-72. 43 and 7 for Sims; terrific game! 11, 7 for Ando, 12, 6 for Card. 13 assists for Clem. +38 inside.

19-1, 10-0, #3, NET #1, 3 game lead in the Big Ten at the halfway point in conf. play. #1 in PPG, +15.7. #2 in shooting pct., 54.3%. +9.5 RBs, -3 TOs, 11.8 per game.

Card leads in scoring with 17.4, 5.9 RBs. Sims gets 16.4, 5.9. Ando has 13.9, leads in RBs with 7.1. 12.8, 6.3 for Howe. 11.9, 4.9 for Rily. 7.2 assists for Clem.

At 14-5, 5-4 Purdue.

2/3: Close early. They can play! Tied after 10. 60-49 at the break. 11, 3 for Card, 10 for Howe, big edge inside.

Increasing the lead early in the 2nd. Up 21 with 10 to go.

110-98 but it wasn’t that close. 24, 7 for Card, 18, 7 for howe, 18, 6 for Rily, 12 each for Ando and Henk.66 in the lane.

At 10-11, 3-9 Northwestern. We won by 19 at our place.

2/6: They’re hanging with us early. Up 1 after 10. 42-41 at halftime. 10, 5 for Sims. Big edge inside.

Close early. They’re playing good D. Up only 1 with 10 to play.

91-80. Great play in the last 2-3 minutes. 24, 4 for Ando, 10, 9 for Card, 17, 7 for Sims, 12, 4 for Howe. +32 inside.

21-1, 12-0. #3, NET #1. 3 game lead in the Big Ten.

11-11, 5-8 Wisconsin. We won by 18 there.

[Wayne23]

2/10: Early lead. Up 11 after 10. 52-42 at the half. 23, 7 for Sims, 9, 4 for Rily. We owned the paint.

Up 19 with 10 to go.

108-86. 29, 8, 3 blocks for Sims, 16, 6 for Ando, 17, 1, 4, 3 blocks for Card. +40 in the paint.

11-11, 5-8 Penn ST is here.

2/13: Quick lead. Up 10 after 10. 54-32. This is a romp. 13, 6 for Sims, 12 for Rily. Crushing them inside.

Up 27 with 10 left. Subs are in early.

103-83. 23, 13 for Sims, 17, 6 for Card, 16, 6 for Rily, 3 others with 10 or more. 78 in the paint, +19 RBs.

Still 3 up on #18 Indiana. Up 5 or more on rest.

18-6, 9-5 Purdue is here. We won by 12 there. We’re now ranked #2.

2/17: It’s close early on. Up 6 after 10. 58-40 at halftime. 16, 3 for Ando, 10 each for Howe and Card. +20 down low.

Up 15 with 10 to go.

111-95. 29, 12, 3 for Ando, 20, 10 for Sims, 20, 4, 0, 4 for Card, 16, 6 for Howe, 10, 7 for Rily. 74 in the lane.

4 up on Indiana.

At 7-17, 5-10 Rutgers.

2/20: They take the lead early but we come back. Up 9 after 10. 47-38. 12, 7 for Ando, 12, 4 for Sims. +26 inside.

The lead goes to 20 quickly. Up 18 with 10 to play.

105-85. 24, 8 for both Ando and Sims. 16, 10, 4, 3 for Card, 15, 10 for Howe. 12 assists for Clem. 68 in the paint.

25-1, 16-0, 4 game lead with 4 to play. #2, NET #1.

#20 Michigan, 19-8, 9-7, is here. We won by 9 at their place.

[Wayne23]

2/24: It’s a battle early. Down 1 after 10. 45-46. 17 lead changes, 7 ties. 13, 5 for Sims, 9 for Ando. +16 in the paint.

We open up a lead early. Up 15 with 10 to play.

85-66. 27, 8, 2, 4 for Sims, 12, 8, 5 for Card, 10, 5 for Howe. +34 inside.

At 11-16, 6-11 Nebraska.

We’re ranked #1 and we’ve clinched the Big Ten regular season.

2/27: They’re staying with us early. Up 5 after 10. 41-33 at the break. Balanced scoring. +16 down low.

Increasing the lead early. +12 with 10 to play.

87-69. 14, 6 for Howe, 18 for Card, 16, 4 for Rily. Strong inside play.

20-9, 11-7 Iowa is here.

3/1: They have a small lead early. Down 1 after 10. 53-57 at the half. Neither team is playing much D in this fast paced game. All 3 of their bigs have 3 fouls. Ando and Rily have 3. 15, 4 for Sims, 11, 1, 4
for Howe. +18 in the paint.

We take the lead early and then it’s back and forth. Up 9 with 10 to go. We go on a big run.

107-91. We shot 62.5%. 17, 7, 6 for Howe, 21, 7 for Sims, 14, 7 for Hart, 10, 8 for Rily.

5 game lead with 1 to play.

We’re at 16-13, 9-10 Ohio ST. We won by 25 at home.

3/3: We score the first 10. Up 17 after 10. 48-24 at halftime. A real blowout. 20, 3 for Sims. +24 down low. Clem has 3 fouls.

Up 22 with 10 left.

88-66. 25, 5 for Sims, 12, 10 for Ando, 16, 6 for Howe, 12, 3, 3 for Card.^2 in the paint.

We end the regular season #1, NET #1, 29-1, 20-0, and we win the Big Ten by 6.

#1 in PPG, +16.4, 1st in shooting pct. With a terrific 54.5%. +10.6 RBs, -3.6 TOs, 11.3 per game.

Sims leads us with 17.5 PPG and gets 6.3 RBs. 17.0 and 5.8 for Card. 14.7, and a leading 6.5 RBs for Ando. 13.1, 6.3 for Howe. 11.7, 5.3 for Rily. Clem gets 7.2 assists.

[Wayne23]

2/24: It’s a battle early. Down 1 after 10. 45-46. 17 lead changes, 7 ties. 13, 5 for Sims, 9 for Ando. +16 in the paint.

We open up a lead early. Up 15 with 10 to play.

85-66. 27, 8, 2, 4 for Sims, 12, 8, 5 for Card, 10, 5 for Howe. +34 inside.

At 11-16, 6-11 Nebraska.

We’re ranked #1 and we’ve clinched the Big Ten regular season.

2/27: They’re staying with us early. Up 5 after 10. 41-33 at the break. Balanced scoring. +16 down low.

Increasing the lead early. +12 with 10 to play.

87-69. 14, 6 for Howe, 18 for Card, 16, 4 for Rily. Strong inside play.

20-9, 11-7 Iowa is here.

3/1: They have a small lead early. Down 1 after 10. 53-57 at the half. Neither team is playing much D in this fast paced game. All 3 of their bigs have 3 fouls. Ando and Rily have 3. 15, 4 for Sims, 11, 1, 4
for Howe. +18 in the paint.

We take the lead early and then it’s back and forth. Up 9 with 10 to go. We go on a big run.

107-91. We shot 62.5%. 17, 7, 6 for Howe, 21, 7 for Sims, 14, 7 for Hart, 10, 8 for Rily.

5 game lead with 1 to play.

We’re at 16-13, 9-10 Ohio ST. We won by 25 at home.

3/3: We score the first 10. Up 17 after 10. 48-24 at halftime. A real blowout. 20, 3 for Sims. +24 down low. Clem has 3 fouls.

Up 22 with 10 left.

88-66. 25, 5 for Sims, 12, 10 for Ando, 16, 6 for Howe, 12, 3, 3 for Card.^2 in the paint.

We end the regular season #1, NET #1, 29-1, 20-0, and we win the Big Ten by 6.

#1 in PPG, +16.4, 1st in shooting pct. With a terrific 54.5%. +10.6 RBs, -3.6 TOs, 11.3 per game.

Sims leads us with 17.5 PPG and gets 6.3 RBs. 17.0 and 5.8 for Card. 14.7, and a leading 6.5 RBs for Ando. 13.1, 6.3 for Howe. 11.7, 5.3 for Rily. Clem gets 7.2 assists.

[Wayne23]

3/5: Nobody declared for the NBA draft. We’re losing seniors Lane Card and Hal Rily.

3/8: We face #9 seed Wisconsin14-16, 7-13. Beat them by 18 and 22.

3/9: They take the lead early. We come back. Up 2 after 10. 51-45 at halftime. Balanced scoring.

We get it to 10, then 15. Up 19 with 10 to play.

110-78. 21, 5, 3 for Sims, 16, 6, 3 for Card, 13, 7, 3 for Howe, 14, 3 for Rily, 12, 4 for Henk. 72 in the paint.

#5 seed Iowa, 23-10, 12-8, in the semis. Beat them by 16 at home.

3/10: Early lead. Up 6 after 10. Then a run. Up 51-33 at the half. 15, 6 for Ando. +22 inside.

Stretching out the lead. Up 32 with 10 to play.

108-75. 27, 10 for Ando, 16, 7, 3, 4 for Card, 14, 12, 5 for Henk. 78 inside.

It’s #7 seed Ohio ST, 19-14, 9-11, in the title game. Beat them by 25 and 22.

3/11: They lead early. Down 1 after 10. 45-51 at the half. 12,3 for Card. 3 fouls for both Sims and Ando. They have hit 7 threes.

Still trailing early. Down 4 with 10 left. We take a lead.

88-80 and the title. We ruled in the last few minutes. 22, 7, 2, 3, 3 for Card, 17, 9, 2, 3 for Howe, 14, 3, 4, 3 for Haer.+40 in the paint.

#1 overall seed?

3/12: #1 East and overall. We play #16 seed Alabama ST, 17-17.

[Wayne23]

3/16: 86-69. I simmed this one. 34, 4 for Ando, 16, 5 for Sims, 15, 5 for Rily. +40 in the lane.

#8 seed Iowa, 24-11, in the 2nd round. Beat them by 16 and 33.

3/18: Early lead. Up 9 after 10. 43-37 at the break. 14, 5 for Card.

Still close early. Up 6 with 10 left. Then a run!

98-78. 30, 8, 0, 3 for Card, 17, 5 for Ando, 16, 4 for Rily, 10, 8, 2, 3 for Howe. +34 down low.

Sims hurts his back badly. Out for the season. Rily will start.

We play #4 seed, #18 ranked Pitt, 26-11.

[Wayne23]

3/23: It’s a battle early. Down 8 after 10. 43-46 at halftime. 11, 4 for Card, 8, 4 for Henk. +18 inside.

Back and forth early. Up 2 with 10 to go.

102-92. We won it in the last 4 minutes. 26, 6 for Card, 23, 9 for Ando. +32 in the paint.

#3 seed, #6 ranked UConn in the Elite Eight. On paper it looks like a tough game. They hit the outside shot and they can rebound and play D.

3/25: We take the lead early. They come back. Down 8 after 10. 43-58 at the half. Most we’ve been down at halftime all season. 14, 8 for Ando. 3 fouls for Rily; his man has 3 as well. Big hill to climb!

Not happening early on. Then it is. Down 4 with 10 to play.

98-101. We tied it with 7.2 left. They hit a three at the buzzer. 23, 19, 4 for Ando, 25, 4 for Card in his last college game, 18, 7 for Rily in HIS last college game.

[Wayne23]

4/3: #4 ranked BYU is the champ.

4/4: Awards: I am National COY. In the Big Ten, Lane Card is POY and 1st team along with Gary Sims. Chad Howe and Ben Ando make the 2nd team. I am Conf. COY.

4/9: TP goes from 74 to 86.

I’m staying for another season.

4/23: I ask for $.

No.

35-2, Big Ten champs, Elite Eight. Overall, for 5 seasons I’m 142-39, .785.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #4 preseason. #18 recruiting class.

We meet the expected to spend amount.

5/29: Guard Al Onda leaves. He didn’t figure in our plans. We’ll go for the best player we can get.

6/2: We offer to an SF. No.

6/5: All the best players are gone. We pass.

6/25: We’ll go to Indy and all of the regional camps.

6/26: 3 scholarships. We want a guard and 2 bigs.

7/11: We offer to a PG and 2 Cs.

7/30: Every recruit we’re seriously chasing has been to one of the camps we attended.

8/7: C Rahi Nelo is #5 on the Norton list and PG Rod Clem is #36.

9/11: We get two, lose one. We get our #1, a C rated #3 overall, and a PG, rated #29. Offering to #12.

9/18: We get the C, #12. Great haul!

Going to the Coaches Classic. Challenging schedule.

10/2: 1st day of practice.

11/12: Here’s the lineup:

Senior Rod Clem is at the Point in our one guard offense. He’s done a great job there. Junior SF Chad Howe starts at SG. He can handle the ball well enough and his height gives him a big advantage over many opponents.

Back up guards start with junior Ram Haer, who would start in a 2 guard set up. Junior Art Hart is good enough to start for a lot of teams. I expected him to transfer out but he stayed. He is clearly not happy though. Soph Heck Mull is next. His D needs work but everything else is good. Finally there’s soph Ivo Rich who is still developing as a player.

Frosh Joe Coll, a natural PF, starts at SF. He is a glass eater and looks really promising.

Senior Ben Ando moves from C to PF. He looks even better than he did last season.

Frosh Rahi Nelo is our best player and may be a 1st team All American. He does it all, and at 6’11” he’s tough to guard. He’s a freshman.

1st big man off the bench, junior Gary Sims, is good enough to start. Junior Shay Henk is solid. Soph Dave Finn needs work.

We’re the #1 seed in the Coaches Classic. We play #16 Chattanooga tomorrow in the opener.

[Wayne23]

11/13: They hang with us early. Up 3 after 10. 50-34 at halftime after a late run. 17, 6 for Ando, 9, 4 for Sims. BIG edge inside.
In control early in the 2nd. Up 22 with 10 to go.

96-82. 26, 12 for Ando, 19, 7 for Sims, 16, 7 for Coll, 15, 6, 3 for Nelo. 13 assists for Clem. 66 in the paint. Good start!

#8 seed Butler, 1-0, in the quarter finals; they seem to be really good at 1 and 4. Only one upset in the first round, #5 got knocked out by #12.

11/15: Close early. Up 2 after 10. 54-43 at the half. We got it going late. 12, 4 for Ando, 14, 3 for Sims.

Holding the lead early. Up 25 with 10 to play. This one is over early.

102-79. 23, 6 for Ando, 23, 4 for Sims and both have looked like world beaters so far. 17, 5 for Coll, 12, 10 for Nelo. 64 in the lane.

#12 seed Buffalo, 2-0, has scored 2 straight upsets, of #5 then #4; their C is a real glass eater and they can hit the outside shot. We meet them in the semis. #2 got upset by #7.

11/17: Back And forth early. Up 8 after 10. 51-37 at the break. 14, 6 for Ando, 13, 7 for Coll. 3 fouls for Howe.

The lead quickly gets to 20. Still up 20 with 10 left.

103-75. 27, 12 for Ando, 19, 11, 3 for Nelo, who has been a 2nd half player so far. 16, 7 for Coll, 12, 5 for Howe. 64 inside.

#3 seed, #5 ranked San Diego ST, 3-0, in the title game. This should be our first challenge of the season.

11/19: Close early. Down 1 after 10. 48-39. We scored the last 9 points of the half. 12, 5 for Nelo. Howe has 3 fouls and all 3 starting bigs have 2. We own the paint.

Up 16 with 10 left.

101-82. 22, 9 for Nelo, 17, 10, 3 for Ando, 5 others with 10 or more. +30 down low. We win the Coaches Classic!

11/20: 4-0, ranked #1.

Our bigs are scoring machines so far.

Kansas, 1-1, in our home opener.