JacobPadilla wrote:JayPharmAlum wrote:Creighton trailed NC St by 9 in the second half last year before things started clicking. People forget how badly we were struggling in our tourney opener because we ended up a whistle away from a Final Four.
In a tournament setting, anything can happen. A 3 seed can lose to a 14 seed. Assume nothing.
This was largely the point of my comment on the previous page. I think we tend to romanticize last year's team because this year's struggles are fresher in our minds. For all the flaws/limitations this year's roster has, last year's had its own and the Jays overcame them to make a run.
This year's team is different than last year's, but I don't think it's dramatically better or worse. All the things we liked about last year's team that this year's seems to lack came with drawbacks as well. It's largely just going to come down to how well the team plays (see UConn Pt. 1 vs. Pt. 2).
Jacob,
Great points and I've been thinking largely the same thing all season.
Last years team had more athleticism at the point and physicality at the 4 which helped that team win ugly games. Kaluma for all the ire that came his way was a physical x-factor. He'd flail around and get fouled, get a rebound, make a block that contributed to success. He just wasn't a great offensive fit for how Greg wants to play with Kalkbrenner being a key part of what we do and that showed at times. Nembhard, wasn't a great three point shooter, but the thing he provided that this team sorely needs is somebody that needs to be respected going downhill in a "non-broken" situation. Providence would not have been able to overplay EVERYTHING like they did if we had Nembhard.
This years team has a better Baylor, Trey is better and Kalkbrenner is better when he gets the ball. We have better shooters at the 1 and 4 by a long shot, but they lack ballhandling at the 1 and physicality at the 4. I like both of them, but it's a bit like Greg said, we need more shooting and went all in dismissing the fact that sometimes you need some guys that can make stuff happen when the shots weren't falling (I know he didn't, but that was the result). Ashworth, has done good things, he's generally playing better running the team, but he's not what we've become so spoiled by over the last decade (Chatman, Mo, Zegarowski, Nembhard). My first born child to have Zegarowski on this team
.
This team has been entertaining, has won more big games than they've lost and are easy to root for. If they get the right matchups and the shots fall, they have the potential to get to the final 4, but if they play a team that has length, athleticism and gritty defense as their hallmarks, we could be out early. Providence used the blueprint, slow it down, make us become one on one players that can get downhill and control the boards. We're experienced and I think we'll play well against all the various styles. Ultimately, teams have to get used to playing us and we're a tough matchup if someone doesn't see us year in year out.
Go Jays!