Rating UC Basketball Players for NCAA Basketball 2018

A week ago I did a little experiment where I guessed at the ratings for a number of prominent Cincinnati Bearcats football players in a world where an NCAA Football 2018 video game was released.

A week later, I’ve got to thinking that if they (the NCAA, EA Sports etc.) can get the football franchise back, why not the one that let you simulate college hoops. There have been a number of different iterations of such games by a number of different developers. EA had its own running series, which ended with NCAA College Basketball 2010, which had Blake Griffin on the cover. It had previously been called NCAA March Madness.

2K, which has grown to prominence through its excellent NBA offering, had its own run as well, with the College Hoops 2K series, which featured such players as Greg Oden, J.J. Reddick and Marvin Williams. 2K recently revived the virtual college game to an extent, adding the option to play for a handful of schools during its “MyCareer” mode.

But with only 10 teams available, none of which are Cincinnati, and the missing pieces of recruiting, the NCAA Tournament and full team control, it amounts to a watered down facsimile of the real thing.

While its unlikely 2K will suddenly add 351 teams and full seasons to its 2K18 offering, it would still be interesting to see how each player on the Bearcats would rate. Here are my approximations.

Quadri Moore - 67

As a player that averages fewer than 10 minutes per game, Moore isn’t going to get a ton of love, even if we all are team #QuadSquad. Still, with career PER of 7.8 in three seasons and a field goal percentage below the .370 mark, Moore would be rated pretty lowly.

Jacob Evans - 85

UC’s leading scorer from a year ago, Evans would get hefty boosts from his shooting and scoring ratings, but he would probably get held out of elite territory (90 and above).

Justin Jenifer - 72

The underlying metrics may indicate that Jenifer was better than it might appear, but when you have to rate hundreds of players, its tough to drill that deep down, which is why Jenifer might not be pegged with a very healthy number, although his passing skills should at least keep him in respectable territory.

Gary Clark - 87

Sure, Evans is the scorer, but Clark does so much well it would be impossible for the ratings committee or whoever makes these decisions to give Clark anything less. He should get excellent marks in rebounding, interior defense and agility, propelling him to the top of the heap.

Tre Scott - 74

Scott still has a lot of growing to do. Not in size, but in terms of molding his raw ability into sustainable on court success. With that said, his defensive acumen and rebounding ability would certainly keep him from falling into the 60s.

Cane Broome - 79

Broome will be a big-time scorer for the Bearcats or at least that’s the plan. Since he’s transferring from a smaller school, he might get a lower rating early on but if 2K or EA updates our fictional game’s ratings throughout the season, Broome could easily get into the 80s.

Kyle Washington - 84

Washington had some stat lines in individual games last year that would make him a threat to break 90, but some weak play near the middle of the campaign might sour his rating just a bit. Still, he would be an excellent player on the virtual hardwood.

Nysier Brooks - 73

We’ll put Brooks just a tick below Scott because of playing time. Still, both Scott and Brooks would likely get a nice boost after this coming season.

Jarron Cumberland - 78

A healthy rating in scoring, especially on the interior and from three-point range, would be the foundation for Cumberland’s solid reading. However, although he seems poised to be the next great Bearcat, I’d expect developers to be cautious.

Keith Williams - 70

Williams is the freshman who may be accorded the most leeway, as he is ranked the No. 153 recruit in the nation.

Mamoudou Diarra - 67

The 6’9” forward is a top 200 recruit but that won’t be enough to give him a considerably high rating.

Trevor Moore - 64

As the No. 74 shooting guard in the 2017 class, Moore was a nice recruiting addition, but he’ll have to prove himself before 2K or EA give him the seal of approval.

Eliel Nsoseme - 59

The rawest of players on the roster, Nsoseme won’t see much court time, virtual or otherwise.