Sunday, April 21, 2019

Great Teams of the 21st Century - Value Add Basketball Game

We consolidated all instruction blogs for Value Add Basketball to this Master Instructions Blog.

March Madness' 42 Greatest Teams of the 21st Century group into the following six 7-team conferences to play off using the Value Add Basketball Dice Game. We chose only the best year for each school with team(s) that either made the Final Four or ranked in the top five at www.kenpom.com.

The teams were ranked based on how far their went in March Madness, followed by seed, with the team's rating at www.kenpom.com as the final tie-breaker. Here are the 42 Great Teams:


ACC (Past & Present)




TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Virginia2019ACCChampion1
Duke2010ACCChampion1
North Carolina2005ACCChampion1
Maryland2002ACCChampion1
Syracuse2003Big EastChampion3
Georgia Tech2004ACCRunner-Up3
Pittsburgh2009Big EastPomeroy 3rd1

The ACC boasts four of the nine teams in the game that won the National Championship after also meriting a 1-seed, and would have more if we allowed more than one team per school. The addition of great teams from Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who were actually in the Big East during their runs, makes this conference so loaded that we play to allow the top two teams in the round robin into the Elite 8 tourament at the end, and even have the third place team in the 4-team play-in for the last spot. UVa ranks as the highest of the four 1-seed champions based on the highest www.kenpom.com rating.


Big 12 (&A10)



TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Kansas2008Big 12Champion1
Texas Tech2019Big 12Runner-Up3
Texas2003Big 12Final 41
Oklahoma State2004Big 12Final 42
Oklahoma2002Big 12Final 42
West Virginia2010Big EastFinal 42
Saint Joseph's2004A10Pomeroy 3rd1

Texas Tech's near miss of a second Big 12 champion boasts them as the second seeded team in this round robin. The second place team in the round robin will play the third place team in the ACC in one preliminary semifinal for the 8th and final spot in the tournament.

Big East (past & present)



TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Villanova2018Big EastChampion1
Louisville2013Big EastChampion1
Connecticut2004Big EastChampion2
Butler2010HorizonRunner-Up5
Georgetown2007Big EastFinal 42
Marquette2003CUSAFinal 43
Cincinnati2002Big EastPomeroy 2nd1

While some great Big East teams were placed in their current ACC or Big 12, we kept the Louisville 2013 national champions and the Marquette and Butler who joined the Big East after Final Four runs. The second place team in the round robin will play the SEC second place team in the other semifinal for the final Elite 8 spot.

Big Ten



TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Wisconsin2015Big TenRunner-Up1
Illinois2005Big TenRunner-Up1
Ohio State2007Big TenRunner-Up1
Michigan State2009Big TenRunner-Up2
Michigan2018Big TenRunner-Up3
Indiana2002Big TenRunner-Up5
Purdue2018Big TenPomeroy 5th2

The "near miss" conference boasts six great teams who lost in the title game and then Purdue, who were kept out of the Final Four only by a miracle scenario by UVa.

Pac12 (WCC,MVC,CUSA)



TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Memphis2008CUSARunner-Up1
Gonzaga2017WCCRunner-Up1
UCLA2006Pac-10Runner-Up2
Oregon2017Pac-12Final 43
Wichita State2013MVCFinal 49
Loyola-Chicago2018MVCFinal 411
Arizona2015Pac-12Pomeroy 4th2

Since three Pac-12 teams dominated the conference runs, we put several of the other great teams from other conferences together with them to make a seven team conference, including the Memphis and Gonzaga teams that just missed the title and two Missouri Valley Cinderellas.

SEC (& Colonial)



TeamYearConfHow far they wentSeed
Kentucky2012SoutheasternChampion1
Florida2007SoutheasternChampion1
LSU2006SoutheasternFinal 44
Auburn2019SoutheasternFinal 45
South Carolina2017SoutheasternFinal 47
George Mason2006ColonialFinal 411
VCU2011ColonialFinal 411

The 2015 Kentucky Wildcats are likely the best team of the Century, but since Wisconsin upset them in the semifinal it falls to the best college basketball player of the century - Anthony Davis - to represent them in a conference that includes another of the most dominant teams of the century in Florida.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Match-up any College Basketball Teams in a 30-35 Minute Board Game

Complete instructions and everything needed to play available by clicking here.

The following are the google docs with all the information and playing cards needed to play a Value Add Basketball game matching up any two teams or combination of teams in 30-35 minutes. You need only two 6-sided dice, a 20-sided die and an 8-sided die. The new improved scoresheets pictured resulted in games being played out in 30 to 35 minutes.


How to Play Value Add Basketball (instructions can be read on this google sheet link or below this box)
Value Add Game Scoresheet
Pick 2 teams, click for Player Cards
All-Conference Player Cards
Abilene Christian to BYU
Cal Baptist to Duquesne
East Carolina to Green Bay
Hampton to LSU
Maine to Notre Dame
Oakland to Syracuse
TCU to Youngstown Player Cards

The Value Add Basketball Game simulates each players' ability to get the ball and get shots off,  rebound, hit from the line and inside and outside the arc, dish out great assists, guard the ball, as well as steal and block shots adjusted for the level of competition they faced.

While we also calculated cards for every player who played at least 8 minutes a game for all 353 teams, we decided to start with a tournament pitting all 32 All-Conference teams during March Madness.


How to play the Value Add Basketball Game For Complete Game and Teams click:

We are working on transitioning the cut and paste language below to instructions for playing the game, but for now go to the "How to Play Value Add" link at the top.

A. Setting Up the Game - Filling Out the Score Sheet After Printing 2 Teams of Your Choice 1. DICE and SCORESHEET. The only thing you need to purchase to play the game is one 8-sided die, one 20-sided die, and two traditional 6-sided dice of different colors so one can be the "10s" roll and one cane be the "1s" roll for an 11-66. Print this scoresheet to record the results during the game: 2. PRINT PLAYERS AND SCORESHEET. Pick which of the 385 teams you want to play - from all 353 Division 1 programs or any of the 32 All-Conference teams on the following tabs. Find and define the 5 starters (see Duke below) print SELECTION and FIT TO PAGE to get a layout like the Duke starters below, then print the team's backups in the same way, and the starters and backups for the opposing team. All Conference March Madness Value Add Game Scoresheet Pick 2 teams, click for Player Cards All-Conference Player Cards Abilene Christian to BYU Cal Baptist to Duquesne East Carolina to Green Bay Hampton to LSU Maine to Notre Dame Oakland to Syracuse TCU to Youngstown Player Cards 2a. Once you print out the scoresheet go to the 7:54 mark of the sheet for the first half and start the game at 20-20. The math of the figures for all players is calibrated to be accurate IF you start with a 20-20 tie and then play out the rest of the game. Do not try to play out all 20 minutes for both halves, because it makes the (1) makes the favored team much TOO likely to win and (2) makes the game take over an hour to play unstead of a more manageable 40 minutes (once you are used to playing). 3. Each player has three columns on their card. When filling out the scoresheet you only need to look at the left column. We will use Duke's starting line-up as an example. a. The S-1 at the bottom of that column for Tre Jones card indicates he is recommended as a starter (the S- instead of a B- that would indicate a suggested player off the bench. The -1 means he is a suggested point guard or the first of 5 positions. b. An 8-sided die roll of 1 will give the ball to Jones, while a roll of 2 will give it to the shooting guard RJ Barrett etc. through a 5 for the center Reddish. If the player also has a 6,7 or 8 then he also gets it on that roll, so write it by his name Barrett gets ball on 2 or 7. c. The game starts with a 20-20 tie before you start rolling dice. On the scoresheet award 4 points to the three starters with the highest Value Add ratings *Jones, Barrett, Williamson," and award 2 points to the other 2 starters. Also award 2 points to the top 2 bench players. d. Give every starter two fouls, and every bench player one foul to start. Normally starters play starting at the 18:11 box on the scoresheet, but the more advanced way to play is use the number under playing time to determine when they enter. e. Normally all starters play starting at the 18:11 box on the scoresheet, however a player with a Playing Time of 59 or higher can play the whole game, 58 at the 6:05 box of the first half, all the way down to a 37 or lower would not play until the 13:20 box. Use Left side of card to set up scoresheet Note below on points and fouls marked before 1st roll: Tre Jones Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Jones 1 - PG put a line through the "4" after points and Duke "2" after fouls ACC,6-2 Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Barrett 6 2 - SG put a line through the "4" after points and Value Add: 5.59 "2" after fouls Playing Time Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Williamson 7 3 - SF put a line through the "4" after points and 50 "2" after fouls Gets Ball (below) Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 White 4 - PF put a line through the "2" after points and S - 1 "2" after fouls Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Reddish 8 5 - C put a line through the "2" after points and RJ Barrett "2" after fouls Duke ACC,6-7 Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Goldwire 1 - PG put a line through the "4" after points and Value Add: 10.21 "1" after fouls Playing Time Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Because Duke only has 4 bench players and Barrett has the highest Playing Time (56) he would play the entire game at SG even when the other 4 reserves play. 6 2 - SG put a line through the "4" after points and 56 "1" after fouls Gets Ball (below) Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 O'Connell 3 - SF put a line through the "4" after points and S - 2, 6 "1" after fouls Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 DeLaurier 4 - PF put a line through the "4" after points and Zion Williamson "1" after fouls Duke Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Rebounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blocks: 1 2 3 4 5 Fouls: 1 2 3 4 5 Bolden 5 - C put a line through the "4" after points and ACC,6-7 "1" after fouls Value Add: 13.69 Playing Time Note that when Jones and the 4 subs are on the court, there is no 7 or 8. If one is rolled, roll again, and if it happens a 2nd time it is a 30-second violation. 43 Gets Ball (below) Jordan Goldwire Alex O'Connell Javin DeLaurier Marques Bolden S - 3, 7 Duke Duke Duke Duke ACC,6-2 ACC,6-6 ACC,6-10 ACC,6-11 Jack White Value Add: 0.17 Value Add: 2.06 Value Add: 3.32 Value Add: 4.42 Duke Playing Time Playing Time Playing Time Playing Time ACC,6-7 11 22 24 33 Value Add: 3.47 Gets Ball (below) Gets Ball (below) Gets Ball (below) Gets Ball (below) Playing Time B - 1 B - 2 B - 3 B - 4 36 Gets Ball (below) S - 4 Cam Reddish Duke ACC,6-8 Value Add: 4.32 Playing Time 46 Gets Ball (below) S - 5, 8 B. 8-sided die. After setting up the scoresheet, the first roll of the 8-sided die determines who on the visiting team gets the ball. As shown above, if a 3 or 7 were rolled for Duke then the ball would go to Zion Williamson. If Duke was visiting Michigan, this would mean Michigan's starting small forward would be guarding Williamson on this possession. Zion Williamson Use this card on 44-66, Opposing Defender on 11-42 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) Charles Matthews Use this card on 44-66, Opposing Defender on 11-42 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) Duke 11 to 16++: he steals ball 1 to 1: 3-pt made Michigan 11 to 16+: he steals ball 1 to 2: 3-pt made ACC,6-7 21 to 26++: he blocks shot 2 to 11: 2-pt made B10,6-6 No blocks 3 to 8: 2-pt made Value Add: 13.69 36 to 36: commits shooting foul, check 20-sided 12 to 15: he draws foul, take 2 FT Value Add: 4.81 36 to 36: commits shooting foul, check 20-sided 9 to 11: he draws foul, take 2 FT Playing Time 41 to 42 = forces miss & gets rebound 16 to 17: missed three Playing Time 41 to 43 = forces miss & gets rebound 12 to 14: missed three 43 When he has ball check 44-66 18 to 20: missed two 51 When he has ball check 44-66 15 to 20: missed two Gets Ball (below) 51: turns ball over Off Reb: 1-6+/Def Reb: 1-4 Gets Ball (below) 51: turns ball over Off Reb: 1-3/Def Reb: 1-3 S - 3, 6 63 to 66: he dunks (unless 20-sided gives 3-pt made) 1 to 13: free throw good S - 3, 8 63 to 66: he dunks (unless 20-sided gives 3-pt made) 1 to 13: free throw good C. Two 6-sided dice for total of 11 to 66. On roll of 11-42 check the defender Matthews' card, but if 44-66 then check card of player with the ball. 11 to 16 roll Matthews would steal the ball from Williamson. Leave Duke's score the same (if 1st possession, then write another "20" in Duke's box) androll again to see which Michigan player gets the ball. 21 to 26 rolls are possible blocked shots, but Matthews does not have any blocked shots - however if Matthews had the ball Zion would block his shot on an 21-26 and check the scoresheet to see if the defense would get the ball or if there is a chance of an offensive rebound. 36 roll indicates Matthews fouls Williamson while shooting (some players go all the way from 31-36) and when this happens you must also check the 20-sided die to see if he fouled Williamson during a 3-point shot and also if Zion made the shot and would thus just get 1 extra freethrow. 41 to 43 Matthews stops Zion from scoring AND gets the defensive rebound (for pooer defenders any of these numbers could instead allow the offensive player to get to the basket and make a layup. 51 and any number from 44 to 66 is on the offensive players card and could be a turnover, though in Zion's case he only turns it over on a roll of 51. 63 to 66 is a dunk for Zion UNLESS the roll on the 20-sided die is a "1," in which case take the better result - a 3-point shot made for Zion. If the roll of 11-43 does not yield a result on the defenders card, or a roll of 44-66 does not yield a result on the offensive players card, then proceed to look at the 20-sided card for the result as the player tries to score. Zion Williamson Use this card on 44-66, Opposing Defender on 11-42 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) Duke 11 to 16++: he steals ball 1 to 1: 3-pt made ACC,6-7 21 to 26++: he blocks shot 2 to 11: 2-pt made Value Add: 13.69 36 to 36: commits shooting foul, check 20-sided 12 to 15: he draws foul, take 2 FT Playing Time 41 to 42 = forces miss & gets rebound 16 to 17: missed three 43 When he has ball check 44-66 18 to 20: missed two Gets Ball (below) 51: turns ball over Off Reb: 1-6+/Def Reb: 1-4 S - 3, 6 63 to 66: he dunks (unless 20-sided gives 3-pt made) 1 to 13: free throw good D. The 20-sided die roll is used if the 11 to 66 roll does not complete the play. 5. 20-SIDED DIE TO SEE IF PLAYER WITH BALL HITS SHOT OR IS FOULED. In this case, Zion makes a 3-pointer on a roll of "1", hits a 2-pointer on a 2 to 11, draws a 2-shot foul on a 12 to 15, misses a 3-pointer on a 16 to 17, or misses a 2-pointer on a 18-20. if the player gets a dunk on the 11-66 roll (in Zion's case a 63-66) but he also has a three-point made on the 20-sided dice (a 1 in Zion's case), then he gets the 3-pointer made instead of the dunk. If the defender fouls on the defenders card (a 36 in Matthews'case) it is normally a 2-shot foul, but check the 20-sided die as well. If a 36 combined with a 1 on the 20-sided die then Zion makes a 3-pointer and gets one extra shot for being fouled. On the combination of a 36 with a 20-sided die roll of 2 to 11 Zion makes a 2-point shot and is fouled to get one extra free throw. If a 36 is combined with a 20-sided die of 16 to 17 then Zion missed a 3-pointer but was fouled so gets 3 shots instead of 2 shots. 6. CASES IN WHICH YOU ROLL AGAIN. In most cases that one roll of 4 dice determines what happens on that possession, so record how many points the team now has and give the ball to the other team. There are only 3 scenarios in which you must roll additional dice. 6a. NO PLAYER ON COURT HAS 6, 7 OR 8 WHEN IT IS ROLLED ON THE 8-SIDED DICE. If noone on the court has the 8-sided number that is rolled then roll again. If a second roll also results in a 6, 7 or 8 that no player has, then it is a shot clock violation and turnover. 6b. FOUL SHOTS on 20-SIDED DIE. Once a player is fouled, refer to the green numbers in the bottom right corner, and in this case Zion makes each free throw on a roll of 1 to 13 and misses on a 14 to 20. 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) 1 to 1: 3-pt made 2 to 11: 2-pt made 12 to 15: he draws foul, take 2 FT 16 to 17: missed three 18 to 20: missed two Off Reb: 1-6+/Def Reb: 1-4 1 to 13: free throw good 6c. REBOUNDS. If a player misses his last free throw, or a shot, then determine who gets a rebound. Keep track of how many possessions are left in the game, and if it is an EVEN number then the rebound goes to the defense and start their possession. If there are an odd number of possessions left a * appears by the possessions remaining and you must roll the 20-sided die and one 6-sided die and refer to the rebounding chart at the bottom of the scoresheet, which appears below. If Zion misses a shot and the rebound roll is a 6 or 7 on the 20-sided die then the Offensive Small Forward (Zion) tries for the rebound, and because Zion's offensive rebounding range near the bottom of his green card (see below) is 1-6 so he always gets it. If the rebound roll is a 16 or 17, then Matthews gets a chance at the rebound and since his Def Reb range is a 1-3, he gets the rebound on a 1-3 but on a 4-6 he let's Zion get it. On a roll of 10 or 20, the highest on the whole court gets it, and Zion's 1-6+ is higher than any Michigan defensive range or any other Duke players offensive range, so he would get it. Defense gets rebounds on even numbered possessions (32, 30 ....2). On odd possessions marked by a *, roll the 20-sided die and refer below to who has a chance. (the offense can only get one rebound per possession even on the odd possessions, so if they miss again the defense gets it). Zion Matthews "Rebound Chart 20-sided die determines which player has chance at rebound. If in their 1-6 range he gets rebound, if not then player defending him does. Offense use players 1-6 range BEFORE / 1 Off Center (in 5 slot) 2 Off Center (in 5 slot) 3 Off Center (in 5 slot) 4 Off PF (in 4 slot) 5 Off PF (in 4 slot) 6 Off SF (in 3 slot) 7 Off SF (in 3 slot) 8 Off SG in 2 slot) 9 Off PG (in 1 slot) 10 Highest on court (see 20 below) Defense use players 1-6 range AFTER / 11 Def Center (in 5 slot) 12 Def Center (in 5 slot) 13 Def Center (in 5 slot) 14 Def PF (in 4 slot) 15 Def PF (in 5 slot) 16 Def SF (in 3 slot) 17 Def SF (in 3 slot) 18 Def SG in 2 slot) 19 Def PG (in 1 slot) 20 On a 10 or 20 the highest on court check all 5 ""Reb off"" on team that missed the shot, all 5 ""Def Reb"" after slash on defense. High on court wins, but tie goes to defense and 1-6+ beats 1-6. If a team misses a shot after an offensive rebound, the defense always gets the second rebound. If Off Rebound roll 20-sided for his card." 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) 1 to 1: 3-pt made 1 to 2: 3-pt made 2 to 11: 2-pt made 3 to 8: 2-pt made 12 to 15: he draws foul, take 2 FT 9 to 11: he draws foul, take 2 FT 16 to 17: missed three 12 to 14: missed three 18 to 20: missed two 15 to 20: missed two Off Reb: 1-6+/Def Reb: 1-4 Off Reb: 1-3/Def Reb: 1-3 1 to 13: free throw good 1 to 13: free throw good E. Record the result. The most important thing after each result is to write the number of points in the next box (another 20, a 23 if a 3-pointer is made, etc.). You can also put a line thorugh the additonal number of opints for the player who scored, as well as marking the next foul after a foul, or rebound, steal or blocked shot. 1st Half Visitor Score Home Score Rebound if miss? 2nd Half Visitor Score Home Score Rebound if miss? 7:17 20 20 Start 20:00 Check Rebound chart 6:41 Check Rebound chart 19:23 Defensive Rebound 6:05 Defensive Rebound 18:47 Check Rebound chart 5:29 Check Rebound chart Starters start here at 18:11 Defensive Rebound 4:50 Defensive Rebound 17:34 Check Rebound chart Value Add Basketball Game - Advanced Rules including using Substitutes 1. It saves time to start with the reserves on the court and have them play out the lsat 7:54 of the half then the first two possessions of the second half. Then the starters can play the final 31 possessions of the game unless he fouls out. 2. Reserves playing time - the all-conference teams all have 5 starters and 5 reserves so you can rotate as shown in the previous line. However, some teams have fewer than 5 subs, so at least one starter will need to play more than the 31 possessions, and the number under the "playing time" figure shows how many possessions each player would normally play. For the most realistic play, you would use the player with the highest number to play the entire game or most of the game. The average starter plays just over 2/3rds of all possessions (a 44) but Charles Matthews of Michigan actually averages playing 51 of every 66 possessions, well above the average starter's 44, so could pay more. Charles Matthews Michigan B10,6-6 Value Add: 4.81 Playing Time 51 Gets Ball (below) S - 3, 8 3. FOULING OUT. Because the game does not track fouls that do not result in free throws and the game starts at 20-20, you should assume each player starts with two fouls and consider him fouled out of the game if he gets three more during the game. 4. ADJUSTING FOR 6, 7, 8 or 19. With substitutes you may end up with two players on the court that have a 6, 7 or 8 on their card. These numbers are interchangeable, so if you end up with two players with a 6 but no player with an 8, just state which player you want to change to an 8 before playing. If you do not have a number covered, but you have a player with a "19" in the same lower left hand corner, then that player can also change the 19 to a 6, 7 or 8. If you have players on the court that use up the 6, 7 and 8 and still have additional players with one of those numbers or with a 19, then you can choose to make every player who could not their 6, 7, 8 or 19 to turn their missed shots on the number 19 into 2-point baskets. (this is actually statistically accurate because if a player is suddenly on a all-conference or other team on which he does not need to shoot as much, then his shooting goes up). 4a. If in substituting or due to a point guard fouling out, if you do not have a player with a B-1 or S-1 playing point guard, then every roll of 6, 7 or 8 becomes a roll again rather than going to a player, and if it happens twice in a row it is a 30 second violation. (this is statistically accurate because when teams try to play a non-point guard at point guard the offense often stagnates, and the chances of rolling a 6, 7 or 8 two times in a row gives a 14% chance of a turnover by not getting a shot off. 5. ASSISTS. A few dozen players have an "Ast=20", and if using this factor it turns any missed shot on a "20" by one of his four teammates into a 2-point basket off a great pass (only players who assist on more than 33% of teammates baskets get this). Perhaps the most amazing card is that of Ja Morant, whose assist rate is so high that if playing advanced rules then any teammate on Murray State or the Ohio Valley All-Conference team who is on the court with him has a miss of either 18 OR 20 turned into a 2-point basket off his assit. Morant assists on more than 50 percent of all teammates scores, amazing since he is also one of the top go-to guys in the country - getting the ball on a roll of 1, 6 or 8 on the 8-sided die. Ja Morant Use this card on 44-66, Opposing Defender on 11-42 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) Murray St. 11 to 14: he steals ball 1 to 2: 3-pt made OVC,6-3 21 to 23: he blocks shot 3 to 8: 2-pt made Value Add: 9.05 36 to 36: commits shooting foul, check 20-sided 9 to 12: he draws foul, take 2 FT Playing Time No Change when guarding 13 to 16: missed three 61 When he has ball check 44-66 17 to 20: missed two Gets Ball (below) 46 to 56: turns ball over Off Reb: 1-2/Def Reb: 1-2 S-1, 6&8, 8,20=Ast 66: he dunks (unless 20-sided gives 3-pt made) 1 to 16: free throw good 6. HOME ADVANTAGE - SWITCHING MATCH-UPS. While the game assumes the starting lineups play in their natural 1 to 5 positions as their sheets printout, you can create a home advantage by allowing the home team to change matcups in order to draw or avoid fouls, or use a defender to stop a star. 7. RECORDING STATS. On the scoresheet provided, the only thing you must record to make the game accurate is the running score after each possession - so leaving a teams points at "7" if they fail to score on the possession, or increasing it to "10" if they hit a three-pointer. However, we include some letters at the top of the scoresheet that you may want to record by each player if you would like to keep some stats. Keep in mind we only record very tough assists and contested rebounds, so there are many in a game that would not be measured in the game, and most important start each player with one foul so that he fouls out with four. 8. FOULING OR GOING FOR STEAL AT END OF GAME IF BEHIND. If a team is losing going into the final two possessions, they can declare they are going to deliberately foul and thus play four possessions instead of the final two for each team. In that case, roll only the 8-sided die to see who gets the ball and is then fouled to take the two free throws and the 11-66 dice to see if they get a steal first. 8a. TRYING FOR STEAL BEFORE FOUL AT END. However, if the two dice total an 11-16 there is a chance they got the steal before the foul. The defender who would foul tries for the steal, but subtract 3 from his steal range (a 1-6+++ becaomes 1-6, 1-6++ becomes 1-5 etc. 9. BLOCKS or STEALS from other players. If a player on a team has a Steal 11-16+ or a Block 11-26+ then he can steal or block shots even when another player he is not guarding has it. With one + on a steal roll of 16 on another players card who does not go that high turns into a steal by the 11-16+. Likewise a 26 roll on a card of a player who does not go up to a 26 on blocks can be blocked by a 21-26+. If there are more than one + marks on either, rather on the same card or on multiple cards, then a block can also occur on a 25 and a steal on a 15 of any teammate. Charles Matthews Use this card on 44-66, Opposing Defender on 11-42 20-sided (if 11-66 not in a range) Michigan 11 to 16+: he steals ball 1 to 2: 3-pt made 1 to 4: 3-pt made if trying for 3-pointers B10,6-6 No blocks 3 to 8: 2-pt made 5 to 8: now MISSED 3-pointer Value Add: 4.81 36 to 36: commits shooting foul, check 20-sided 9 to 11: he draws foul, take 2 FT Playing Time 41 to 43 = forces miss & gets rebound 12 to 14: missed three 51 When he has ball check 44-66 15 to 20: missed two Gets Ball (below) 51: turns ball over Off Reb: 1-3/Def Reb: 1-3 S - 3, 8 63 to 66: he dunks (unless 20-sided gives 3-pt made) 1 to 13: free throw good 10. If a team is behind late and needs to try for a 3-point shot, they declare it before the roll. When they do this they can ADD ONE 3-POINT MADE number to their card for EVERY TWO 2-point made numbers turn into a missed 3-pointer, AND they can never more than double their 3-pt made numbers. In the example above, Michigan decides to try for a 3-point shot and then the ball goes to Charles Matthews. He normally makes a 3-pointer on a 1 or 2 and makes a 2-pointer on a 3 to 8. He can add two made three pointers to make a 1 to 4 all made 3-point shots, which does not go beyond his doublling of the 3-pt made, and lower his 2-point made from 8 down to 4 (removing two 2-pointers made for every 3-pointer added so he now misses on a 5 to 8. Zion Williamson only makes a 3-pointer on a roll of "1" so he can only make it "1-2" for 3-pointers made because that doubles his three pointers from 1 to 2. His highest two made 2-pts are 10 and 11, so those become missed 3-pointers, but he still makes a 2-pointer on 3 to 9. 11. A team ahead who could only lose by fouling on the last possessions can decide to let the other team score. In that case whichever player gets the ball scores unless he is trying for a 3-pointer and misses, or he turns it over. However, ignore any foul and just score the points.

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Reasons to Play Value Add Basketball Game (or Statis-Pro Baseball)

We consolidated all instruction blogs for Value Add Basketball to this Master Instructions Blog.

When people ask why I play the dice game of Value Add Basketball and card game of Statis-Pro Baseball here are my reasons (my 1st basketball national championship scorecard appears at the bottom of this post):

1. While video games were cool when I was a kid as a break to get away from using a manual type writer and calling people on a landline, now I need to break from a computer or phone screen. Resting is often not just sitting around - it is changing activities, and for me dice and a pad with playing cards that replicate each players skills at every aspect of each sport with a variable for chance is great for me.

2. I keep timesheets at work. I put in a lot of 16 hour days. Most of that time is either seeing if I can get through 100 or 150 calls in a day or do a ton of data work on a spreadsheet. For me, shifting to dice and a pad is the change of pace I need.

3. The games each take between 25 and 35 minutes. I like to recreate a game in a small fraction of what it takes to watch a game. It lets me really understand each players skills and weaknesses and discover players (e.g. I didn't know the all time leading scorer at UVa had a son playing for ODU).

4. People who don't understand basketball beyond seeing that someone is a great shooter, quickly learn the phases of the game (Four Factors). Can the defender prevent the opponent from getting off a shot or will he foul in the process of trying? How good is each player at getting the ball and getting a shot off or drawing a foul? If he misses, what are the chances of each of the 10 players on the court getting the rebound and which are better at offensive or defensive rebounding? After playing a 35-minute game, people have a feel for the entire flow of a game and can enjoy the next game they watch.

5. If you'd rather test how fast you are with a remote for a sports or adventure game, I understand. But I do find a lot of people who would rather use strategy while learning the ins and outs of the game and what is good or bad about particular teams then a dice game.


To play your own game, click on the first 2 links for instructions and scoresheets, then pick two teams from any of the links below for player cards. You need only two 6-sided dice, a 20-sided die and an 8-sided die. The new improved scoresheets pictured resulted in games being played out in 30 to 35 minutes.


How to Play Value Add Basketball
Value Add Game Scoresheet
Pick 2 teams, click for Player Cards
All-Conference Player Cards
Abilene Christian to BYU
Cal Baptist to Duquesne
East Carolina to Green Bay
Hampton to LSU
Maine to Notre Dame
Oakland to Syracuse
TCU to Youngstown Player Cards

The Value Add Basketball Game simulates each players' ability to get the ball and get shots off,  rebound, hit from the line and inside and outside the arc, dish out great assists, guard the ball, as well as steal and block shots adjusted for the level of competition they faced.

While we also calculated cards for every player who played at least 8 minutes a game for all 353 teams, we decided to start with a tournament pitting all 32 All-Conference teams during March Madness. 

Click here for links to the season.




Final 4 Results - Click to see Who Won Title between ACC, ASun, Big 12 and CUSA

We consolidated all instruction blogs for Value Add Basketball to this Master Instructions Blog.

Scroll to the bottom for results of the Big 12 vs ACC national championship game - a rematch of sorts from UVa vs Texas Tech.


In the NCAA's 3-on-3 All-Conference tournament the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) was the surprise National Champion - winning all seven games. The Midwest Region championship in the game pitted the CUSA against the MAC, two teams that narrowly missed winning the actual live 3-on-3 all-conference championship - both losing to the eventual champion CAA by two points.

Click here for Midwest Region, East Region, South Region, West Region or overall bracket.

The CUSA won the Midwest by an average of 6 points to get there, their next opponent the ACC averaged winning by 21 to win the South.

The other 1-seed to win their Region, the Big 12 (West) also faces a surprise team made up of players who shocked the big conferences this post season. A Lipscomb team that was snuffed for the NCAA tournament, took it out on NC State, Wichita State and Davidson in the NIT to make it all the way to the title game against Texas - another team which should have been in the tournament. The Liberty team that beat them for the ASun title shocked Mississippi State and then led Virginia Tech before finally falling.

Three players from each team combined in our game on the ASun All-Star team which combined lots of great three-point shooting with a Liberty's dominant center James underneath to have just enough for an upset of the 1-seed SEC for the South Region Title and a Final Four performance.


Semi Final 1: ACC vs. CUSA

The ACC was not a friendly host to the former great former Final 4 Point guards in ODU-CUSA coach Jeff Jones and the son of Bryant Stith - the all-time leading scorer at the school. CUSA upset 2-seed Mid-American and 1-seed Big Ten in close games with nothing to spare.

However, the South Champion ACC won by exactly their tournament average - 21 points - to advance to the championship of the Big 12-ASun winner. In the first 28 games of the tournament there were three 4-point plays, but the ACC had three in this game, an early one by UVA's Jerome, and then two by Zion Williamson. Below is the total score card.



Semi Final 2: Big 12 vs. ASun

The magic continued for the underdog ASun, as they jumped to a double digit 46-36 with 15:09 to play. The Big 12 2nd team with only one go-to offensive player in Shayok from Iowa State struggled with multiple shot clock violations at the end of the first half for the second straight game.

However, Kansas' Lawson started to take over inside all five Big 12 starters finished in double figures in a furious comeback. At 52-45, Lawson stepped out an hit a 3-pointer, Moretti of Texas Tech stole the ball back and got it to Wade of Kansas State who drew a foul and hit both free throws to make it 52-50. Wade was a  preseason All-American in the real season but was injured for much of it including missing through tournament when Kansas State lost in the opening round.

Wade hit a 3-pointer to give the Big 12 their first lead at 58-56, and then Lawson scored, then stole the ball and dunked again to make it 62-58 with 4:12 to play and both Moretti and Wade grabbed offensive rebounds and scored down the stretch to secure the come-from-behind 70-61 win.




National Championship Repeat of Real Title: Big 12 vs. ACC

Three Texas Tech and three University of Virginia players had player cards in the Value Add Basketball game's 31st and championship game of the inaugural tournament since the game was invented. Their respective conferences, the Big 12 and ACC, each won their first four games to advance to the championship.

Iowa State's Shayok solved the Big 12s issue with their second team scoring, as he outscored the ACC 11-10 in the final 6:41 of hte first half that we playout to give the Big 12 a 31-30 halftime lead against an ACC squad that averaged winning their other four games in the tournament by 21 points.

The Big 12 found the one way to stop the seemingly unstoppable ACC - 10 steals on the 45 possessions we play out (which we use to estimate 15 steals to account for the 20-20 opening 13 minutes of action).

Virginia Tech's Blackshire did draw a fifth foul on Kansas' Lawson to pull the ACC within 43-39, but that Texas Tech's Owen back in the game and he later scored off an offensive rebound to give the Big 12 their first double digit lead at 57-47.

The ACC scored on five straight trips between 6:05 and 3:07 on the clock to have a chance, but an RJ Barrett three-pointer that we know from the dice would have gone in, was instead rejected by K-State's Brown  and they could get no closer than 70-64 the rest of the way, as the Big 12 won the title 76-69.

Not only did the same two conferences meet in the title game as met in the actual NCAA tournament, but the favorites (better conference rating at www.kenpom.com used for seeding) went 22-9 in the game and 23-8 in the actual final 31 games of the NCAA tournament, so it seems the chance of an upset is roughly the same.



To play your own game, click on the first 2 links for instructions and scoresheets, then pick two teams from any of the links below for player cards. You need only two 6-sided dice, a 20-sided die and an 8-sided die. The new improved scoresheets pictured resulted in games being played out in 30 to 35 minutes.


How to Play Value Add Basketball
Value Add Game Scoresheet
Pick 2 teams, click for Player Cards
All-Conference Player Cards
Abilene Christian to BYU
Cal Baptist to Duquesne
East Carolina to Green Bay
Hampton to LSU
Maine to Notre Dame
Oakland to Syracuse
TCU to Youngstown Player Cards

The Value Add Basketball Game simulates each players' ability to get the ball and get shots off,  rebound, hit from the line and inside and outside the arc, dish out great assists, guard the ball, as well as steal and block shots adjusted for the level of competition they faced.

While we also calculated cards for every player who played at least 8 minutes a game for all 353 teams, we decided to start with a tournament pitting all 32 All-Conference teams during March Madness. 

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Midwest Region Click for Results: Horizon Only Surprise among Big 10, Mid-American and CUSA.

Scroll down for results and score sheets for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in the Midwest. To see the Final 4 results click here and scroll to the bottom for how to play your own games for free.

The 2-seeded Mid-American Conference (MAC) looked like a serious challenge to the 1-seed Big Ten, but a bad luck of the draw made them sweat out a 4-point win over the Ohio Valley Conference. The seeds are based on the conference ratings at www.kenpom.com, but the OVC was a huge threat with the second best NBA prospect in the country Ja Morant. 

The MAC survived that tough draw and then took it out on the Horizon (see below), but the big surprise came when the Big Ten was the first 1-seed to fall in a thrilling back-and-forth that ended in CUSA advancing to play the MAC for the Midwest Title and a Final Four appearance. The one vulnerability of the great Ethan Happ (Big Ten, Wisconsin) did hurt down the stretch, as the 45% free throw shooter missed including one roll of "10" on the 20-sided dice which is a made free throw for anyone player who shot 50% or better from the line.

The entire bracket of all-conference teams is tracked here.


Stopping Ja Morant was tough in the 1st round game, but the MAC led by Buffalo stars found the Horizon League no challenge.





After announcing his bout with cancer, UVA legend Jeff Jones watched his old team team take the national title after coaching BJ Stith, the son of UVa's all-time leading scorer, and Old Dominion to a CUSA title and scrappy appearance against powerhouse Purdue. Purdue then almost knocked off UVa.

In the game, ODU's CUSA went through the entire Midwest Region without beating anyone by more than 10 points - including narrow upsets of the 1-seed Big Ten and then 2-seed Mid-American (MAC) led by Buffalo in the game below. 

The Region championship in the game pitted them against the MAC, two teams that narrowly missed winning the actual live 3-on-3 all-conference championship - both losing to the eventual champion CAA by two points.. 

Repeating that real 3-on-3 title in the simulated full 5-on-5 March Madness we are playing out could prove even tougher. While the CAA won their first three games by an average of six points, their semifinal opponent is the ACC, which averaged winning their first three games by 21 points each.

Here is the scoresheet on their Midwest championship win over the MAC which put them in the Final Four. 





To play your own game, click on the first 2 links for instructions and scoresheets, then pick two teams from any of the links below for player cards. You need only two 6-sided dice, a 20-sided die and an 8-sided die. The new improved scoresheets pictured resulted in games being played out in 30 to 35 minutes.


How to Play Value Add Basketball
Value Add Game Scoresheet
Pick 2 teams, click for Player Cards
All-Conference Player Cards
Abilene Christian to BYU
Cal Baptist to Duquesne
East Carolina to Green Bay
Hampton to LSU
Maine to Notre Dame
Oakland to Syracuse
TCU to Youngstown Player Cards

The Value Add Basketball Game simulates each players' ability to get the ball and get shots off,  rebound, hit from the line and inside and outside the arc, dish out great assists, guard the ball, as well as steal and block shots adjusted for the level of competition they faced.

While we also calculated cards for every player who played at least 8 minutes a game for all 353 teams, we decided to start with a tournament pitting all 32 All-Conference teams during March Madness.