by go_jays » Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:24 pm
Kenpom would say -5.75 to be exact. But he's taking the season in as a whole. You really can't do that. Dante has only played 21 games. He was not available for the 99-91 loss to Alabama at home. I don't think he was available for the first ten games or so. So, this team can't be judged by its overall season. It's definitely a different team than it was even a few weeks ago.
I'm guessing that Mac will start Trey on Cousinard. Then we might see a switch to Baylor depending on how the game progresses. I think Mac will want Baylor available to help our rebounding given that Evans will probably be a handful for Miller. Or he might play Green as the game goes on.
Oregon is at the top of their game now. They have "found themselves". They'll have a lot of confidence and swag going into this game. But not unlike the Akron game, if we can limit the damage by Cousinard and Dante, the rest of the team looks pretty pedestrian. I think a stalemate between Kalk and Dante is acceptable. The key will be holding Cousinard down. I really doubt he'll throw down 40 again. We'll see.
Again, gonna point out that turnovers are gonna be critical to our success. You saw it in the Akron game and Baylor alluded to it in his post game interview. You have to make sure every possession counts. Sure, efficiency is important. But you need a significant sample size for those percentages to work themselves out.
I think this will be a nail-biter. But we have more weapons than they do. AND, Mac is familiar with Dana's match-up zone. The familiarity favors Mac, IMO. Mac is in a different world now that he has some elite talent to work with. I think Dana is still Dana.
Go Jays