Next years team in Video Game World

[Lord Ash]

Hey all,

Well, as is the tradition, when the season ends I get a head start on next years group by creating them in XBOX and playing with them.

So I wanted to ask you guys your opinions!

With Josh as an 86 and Greg as an 82 and Gerald as an 81 as a comparison, here is what I had:

I have Kyle as an 80 overall. A bit slow (70something speed, which is low) but a good shot all around; good scorer in close, good midrange, and good 3 (but not as good as Jon or Taylor.) Fine rebounder. Very good handle. Excellent in the clutch. Good defence, but not amazing; still the best forward defender.

Nolan is a 77 overall, which is actually a point better than Jon. He is the quickest player on the team, barely (1 more point of speed than Gerald,) and a good defender. Decent 3 point shot and he can dunk, tho not much of a midrange game. Okay rebounding but nothing stand out in that department.

Taylor is a bit lower at around 74 overall, which is actually worse than everyone but Marty. However, part of this is because he simply isnt much of a rebounder or defender. Excellent shot, the best 3 point shooter on the team. Decent handle but not amazing; he can't dribble like a guard or anything but can create a bit. A bit weaker on the boards than the other forwards, and I envision him getting a lot of time at the 3 dropping in 3s.

At the moment I have Josh still on the team and Patrick not, but if that should change I'll make the changes.

Oh, and numbers are a problem; both Kyle and Taylor wear retired numbers! Any suggestions are welcome... I saw that Kyle wore the number 8 for a national team, so maybe I'll go with that.

Anyway... thought folks might enjoy it! If you have any insight, feel free to share!

[Duke15304]

what game, College hoops or March Madness, singler couldnt wear 8 since its not allowed in the NCAA, i would say improve kings rebounding a little, everything else seems about right

[Lord Ash]

Hm, College Hoops I think... the one with JJ on the cover?

Wait, what is that about number 8 not being able to be worn?! Say what?

Maybe you are right on Taylor, I'll give it a look.

[Duke15304]

Maybe you can in the game, i have to look, but the NCAA says only the numbers 1-5, 10-15, etc up to 55

[HK Dukie]

Don't forget to include the bench warmer that can make 90% of his 3pt attempts. That was always hilarious in the old games.

[Duke15304]

360 is pretty realistic, except for the too many layups missed

[DankeShane]

It's funny that you bring up this game. I was just playing it on Wednesday and it was the @ GT game for me. Duke was up 6 points with about 2 minutes to go and I thought I'd go with my own version of the slow-down. Long story short, I missed my next shot, GT got a 3, I'm fouled and miss the front end of the one-and-one, GT gets another 3 and then I fail to score again and I lose in OT. I was frightened at how accurate the game was able to reflect reality (not in the result of that game, but just the team in general).

[jimbonelson]

what game, College hoops or March Madness, singler couldnt wear 8 since its not allowed in the NCAA, i would say improve kings rebounding a little, everything else seems about right

WHY CANT YOU WEAR NUMBER 8

[VAGentleman05]

WHY CANT YOU WEAR NUMBER 8

It's much easier for officials and scorekeepers not to deal with numbers over 5 (number of fingers and all that).

[feldspar]

WHY CANT YOU WEAR NUMBER 8

Because the NCAA says so.

Only numbers 0 through 5 are allowed on the jersey.

[jimbonelson]

I never really noticed before i wonder why that is.

[CMS2478]

I never really noticed before i wonder why that is.

Because it is harder for an official to signal a foul on # 8 becasue it involves 2 hands.

[jimbonelson]

ya...i dont know how they do it ....lol thanks for the explanation

[RelativeWays]

I have the PS2 version of College Hoops 2K7...its rather glitchy though it plays pretty decent. Right now Duke is 6-0 in the 06-07 season (I'm reliving this season vicariously, who needs reality when you have video games)

[feldspar]

Because it is harder for an official to signal a foul on # 8 becasue it involves 2 hands.

Which is funny because by my guess most scorers listen more for the official's voice than pay attention to his hands.

I think it's just one of those long-standing tradition things that the NCAA doesn't want to change.

[Lord Ash]

Yeah, the finger thing makes sense to me.

I too am facinated how realistic the game is.

I am a pretty good video game basketball player, but I went like 24-11 this year with Duke. Some teams like UNC just blasted past me; I simply couldn't match their speed and break, and I paid for it.

However, I also won the NCAA title, which isn't too realistic. I went through Air Force, USC, Notre Dame, and a few others to get there, but even in the tournament games I was in trouble in all of them and won by a combined 20 points or so over 6 games.

I am having a hard time finding time for my players tho with next years team... again, similar? I am starting with Paulus, Nelson, Scheyer, Singler, and McBob (assuming he is staying) but it is hard to keep Gerald and Taylor King out of the lineup. Nolan is nice to have to spell Greg. Zoubek gets some time, as does Thomas, but I am afraid that at the moment Pocious and Dave aren't getting a ton of time I've only played a few practice games and haven't started the season, but am wondering how that will play out next year too...

[Duke15304]

verison has way too many TOs, i only beat carolina by 3 and they had 36 TOs, i had like 25, way too many, the 360 verison is much more realistic, you have to run real plays, press breakers, etc to win

[Clipsfan]

Which is funny because by my guess most scorers listen more for the official's voice than pay attention to his hands.

I think it's just one of those long-standing tradition things that the NCAA doesn't want to change.

It's just a matter of time until Carolina petitions the league to allow them to have other jersey numbers due to the fact that they've retired all the ones which are allowed. At this point, I guess it will have to be voice only.

[Lord Ash]

Okay, now what?

I'll get rid of McBob, but do I add Patterson? I mean... Kentucky is out, obviously, and I just don't think Florida is going to be that great next year... I think maybe he has waited this long for McBob?

[Lord Ash]

Okay, I thought I would come back with an update on the 2008 Duke Season!

So far, so good. I am 11-3 at this point, with a very, very tough non-conference schedule. I've got losses at Kentucky, Memphis, and unfortunately NC State. However, I have some good wins, including at UCLA, Texas Tech, and at Michigan State.

I AM including Patrick Patterson at the moment, but will remove him if he commits to someone else.

The starters are Paulus, Nelson, Scheyer, Singler, and Patterson.

Top five in minutes:

Singler
Nelson
Patterson
Paulus
Scheyer

then

King
Henderson
Zoubek
Thomas
Smith
McClure
Pocious

Top scorers:

Singler, 13 ppg
Scheyer, 12
Paulus 10
Nelson 10
King 9
Henderson 7
Patterson 6
Smith 6
Pocious 3
Zoubek 3
Thomas 3


Scoring has been surprisingly even, all things considered. Singler isn't flashy fast or anything, but has excellent handle; he can really do neat things scoring the basketball. Scheyer is dependable in all facets, and Paulus is a threat from 3 as well as driving with the ball; you can see he has healed from the foot injury Nelson is excellent, although not quite dominant. King is the surprise; he is just so deadly from 3 that I can drive with one of any number of other dangerous players and dish back to him for a standstill 3. Add in his height for a putback each game, and he isn't half bad. I've had, as silly as it sounds, a tougher time finding minutes for Smith and Henderson; they take over for Paulus and Nelson respectively, but Paulus and Nelson can play extended minutes and are quite good. I don't run too much offense through the post; it is mostly putbacks. Zoubek just isn't good enough, and Patterson is ever so slightly outsized inside against some opponents, and the same holds truer for the thin Thomas.


Top Rebounders:

Patterson 7 rpg
Singler with just under 7 a game
Nelson 5
Zoubek 5
Thomas 4

No big surprises there; Demarcus is a strong rebounder for a guard, and Singler is just in the right place at the right time.

Top Assists:

Paulus 5 apg
Singler 4
Nelson 3.5
Patterson 3.5
Smith 3

Nolan Smith is quite, quite good and shows it especially in assist/minute ratio. Paulus is a workhorse, and Singler proves to be a jack of all trades.

Steals Per Game:

Paulus and Nelson both average 3 steals a game
Singer 2 spg
Scheyere 2 spg

My defense is very tough with a LOT of pressure forcing turnovers; this Duke team is athletic.

So that is it! Things are going well, I think, for this still-young team, and it is nicely rounding into shape!

Next year in REAL life should be fun too!