My GF finally feel asleep so I got to see a few minutes. We stopped them on D well, but our offense (if you can call it that) is just awful. Either Blackshear is made of paper or I missed something on that injury.
It comes down to no sensible person thought we would win either of the last 2 games. We aren't talented enough to beat elite teams. We can beat bad teams (recently). And can give middle of the road teams a tough game at home. That sounds like an NIT team to me. The kids get to decide if they are NIT or NCAA over this final stretch
Well said GMan! BTW, your Charlotte team is doing fine. Congrats on Butler win.
Disagree slightly with the talent perspective. Louisville and Syracuse have talent obviously but they also had two marked advantages, they were at home and they have several players with 3-4 years of experience. Siva, Smith, Dieng etc. Syracuse with Triche, Southerland and Fair. SJU has closed the talent gap significantly.
I understand SJU could probably use some help in certain areas. But even if they don't add ANY players they will be significantly better next year then this year. Heck, do you think SJU loses to Asheville or even Murray St now as opposed to early this year? That is a clear indication of the marked improvement already.
Sampson is as talented if not more then say Behanan. He is not at Behanan's level just yet in terms of everyday impact, but he will be in time. Chane has improved significantly from last year to this year. Harrison will exceed Siva, but right now Siva is better as is Triche.
I know people hate the "youngest team in America" tag but they are incredibly young. You think Obepka is going to be the same offensive player he is today next year? You don't think Dieng improved the last 3 years?
Look at Dom Pointer. You don't think he will be siginificantly better the next two years? He already has improved leaps and bounds.
Heck look at Norm's last year and Lavs first year. Except for Polee the SAME EXACT TEAM. SAME EXACT PLAYERS. Literally. In one year they went from 6-12 to 12-6 with wins over Duke and Pitt. No name changes. I understand people like to simply say Norm stunk but trust me an extra year and a little better coaching can do wonders. And this team in terms of athletic talent is far superior to that 2010-11 team. And this team has done and will do much better then 6-12.
Don't underestimate how physically talented many of these kids are and what another off-season and another year will do for them. They will learn.