Big 3 underachieved?

[damuts222]

Mbao - If Otule is healthy would not see the court and possibly would be redshirted
Cadougan - Still a step slow wouldn't be able to guard quick pg's
Otule - Who knows what he would have done this year better, but we wouldn't be competing for a BE title
Maymon - Barely plays for a UT team that I feel is overrated and lacks depth similar to MU

 The Big 3 did not underachieve I don't remember them being picked to go far in the tourney, nor do I remember
their being an adequate big man. Of course Rocco you can compare this years team to last years all you want
because both teams are all guards, Hayward, and Butler.

[GGGG]

Mbao - If Otule is healthy would not see the court and possibly would be redshirted
Cadougan - Still a step slow wouldn't be able to guard quick pg's
Otule - Who knows what he would have done this year better, but we wouldn't be competing for a BE title
Maymon - Barely plays for a UT team that I feel is overrated and lacks depth similar to MU

Maymon not only barely plays...he *never* plays...because he's a transfer.

[Mu2323]

Last years team had far more talent then the final four team minus a big inside presence. I dont think people understand how much robert jackson was the key to the success of the final four team

[ChicosBailBonds]

So you dont think depth is a flaw of this years team?

Absolutely it's a flaw, but what's the tradeoff. 

I also don't think those guys are nearly as talented as we think, at least in year one, to say that we would contend for the Big East title.  Mbao is literally years away.  Otule, I don't know...I'd say a year or two away. Maymon had some nice moments, but as a freshman I wasn't expecting much.  In games against high majors I don't think he did that well if I recall.  JC, hard to say but freshmen point guards normally is a scary proposition.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Let's just cut to the chase. Crean underachieved.

Considering how bad a recruiter and coach he is, I'd say he overachieved.   I mean, how does someone that is so bad at his craft, to use the words of some here, "underachieve"?   

[reinko]

Far more talent?!!?

The team with 3 future NBA players one being a lottery pick??!!??

[Mu2323]

You do realize that if dj didnt get hurt last year both him and mcneal would be in the nba right now.

[Mu2323]

Outside of wade being a lottery pick the other two might as well have never made it i havent heard anything about either one.

[reinko]

That's a stretch and you know it.  Still even then, where is the lottery pick?

[GGGG]

You do realize that if dj didnt get hurt last year both him and mcneal would be in the nba right now.

Horsecrap.  They are both too small and have too inconsistent an outside shot to be in the NBA right now.  I mean, I can't even understand how you could blame DJ's injury for McNeal not being in the NBA.

[reinko]

Good christ.

Teams do not draft players, then resign players just because of a teammate they had in college.  There are no players on NBA rosters by accident.

[4everwarriors]

You do realize that if dj didnt get hurt last year both him and mcneal would be in the nba right now.

Huh? Do you follow the NBA at all?

[Rocco]

I guess they didn't underachieve.  I appologize to all of the MU fans I offended.  I do not use drugs.  

[GGGG]

Last years team had far more talent then the final four team minus a big inside presence. I dont think people understand how much robert jackson was the key to the success of the final four team

No way.  Robert Jackson meant a great deal, but the FF team had one of the world's best players and two additional players who are still on NBA rosters.

[Mu2323]

No i dont follow nba at all bc thats crap basketball. Dj could have been in the nba his junior year im sure everyone remembers. Mcneal fell of the face of the earth when james got hurt, im sure u also remember the 1,000 threads about mcneal going 2-20 every game. Before he got hurt mcneal was hitting what seemed to be 75% behind the three and averaging 20 per game. Im not going to argue anymore if the final four team had more talent then they did.

[4everwarriors]

No comprehendo. Dude, I don't even know where to begin refuting this. Don't want to get into in with Santa Claus or the Easter bunny, but DJ and Jerel were nice collegiate basketball players. Probably good citizens as well. But, their games are woefully lacking and pale in comparison to NBA caliber players.

[GGGG]

No i dont follow nba at all bc thats crap basketball. Dj could have been in the nba his junior year im sure everyone remembers. Mcneal fell of the face of the earth when james got hurt, im sure u also remember the 1,000 threads about mcneal going 2-20 every game. Before he got hurt mcneal was hitting what seemed to be 75% behind the three and averaging 20 per game. Im not going to argue anymore if the final four team had more talent then they did.

McNeal's not being in the NBA right now has has nothing to do with the end of the year drop off.  NBA teams don't base their evaluations of players on a handful of games at the end of their year.  McNeal got a work-out...he played on summer league teams...and no offer came.  Not because of DJ's injury, but because he doesn't have the game right now.

And my guess is that unless you watch the NBA, you really don't have much basis to understand why both are ill-suited for the league.

[jaygall31]

I've said this many times before, I think the NCAAs are a crap shoot and I put that into a separate category.  In other words, I don't put all my eggs into that basket.

I thought last year's team played with tremendous heart, was tough, good chemistry, etc.  I also think last year's team would destroy this year's team.

Considering what that class of Wes, Jerel and DJ did, I honestly don't think anyone can say they underachieved, not using the lens I use.

We were supposed to get destroyed in the Big East when we joined, but we didn't because those kids played their asses off and made sure we didn't.  Four straight 10 win Big East seasons, several pre-season tournament championships, four NCAA bids, a ton of top 25 victories.  They spent a good chunk of their career in the top 25 themselves.  Without their efforts in those first few years of the Big East, I shutter to think where we would be right now.

They proved we belonged in the best conference in America, and for that I'll always be grateful and applaud their achievements.  What they did in one game in March doesn't lead me to believe they underachieved.  Their entire body of work is what is important to me.

I love our team. but +1, least years team would destroy this years team.

[Bob "Big Daddy" Wild]

After a long day of work and studying, the absurdities being spouted in this thread have given me great enjoyment.  Keep on keeping on.

[Ron Paul]

I definitely think this year the team has overachieved.  Not the other way around

[Rocco]

I definitely think this year the team has overachieved.  Not the other way around

That is probably the most accurate post yet.

[MarquetteDano]

Sounds like this posting is slowly coming to an end but just wanted to get my 2 cents in.  I think most people refer to the "Amigos" NCAA tourney success when saying they "underachieved".

However, let's look at each year...

Frosh Year: surprised everyone by 10 wins in Big East.  Seeded seventh and lost in the end to the 10 seed (common upset)

Soph Year:  McNeal injury plagued team at end of year.  Egg laying against Mich State (this year was an underachievement perhaps)

Junior Year:  Had six seed which was solid.  Given that team's talent, six seed seemed about right.  Lost to three seed on last second, practically behind the backboard shot.  Let us not forget Barro had a worse Senior season than his Junior season (can't blame that on Amigos).

Senior Year:  If Crean doesn't leave, you have Taylor as backup point guard.  That means James injury is a lot less painful.  Plus, Mbakwe probably stays (yes, we have found out some unsavory stuff here but nonetheless).  This team would have been seeded higher and probably reaches Sweet Sixteen even without a healthy James end of year.

[radome]

"Cadougan - Still a step slow wouldn't be able to guard quick pg's."  From one of the posts above.  It is certainly true now but I wonder how far along he would've been without the injury.

[MR.HAYWARD]

The saddest thing to me whenever these types of strings come up about the 3 amigos is that it seems they all focus on them underacheving.  We ll i dont think they underacheived, i think their head coach underacheived them.  Had the 3 amigos not been forced to play with the worst front court in the Big East their last 3 years none of this underacheiving talk would go on.  Tom Creans absolute inability to recruit capable big men will forever cause the 3 amigos to be deemed underaceivers. 

I actually see it differently,  i think they over acheived despite the absolute pathetic results of a coach to construct a collge basketball team.  i think the fact that they were #8 in the country and 9-0 in the Big East with the worst front court in the league speaks to how much those guys were over acheiving before DJ got hurt.  problem once again tho was once he got hurt we had no backup.  Creans inability to construct a lineup of BE caliber players was a joke, and enraged me, others saw him as infallible, i saw one none big east recruit after another and a poorly coached team.  he is indianas problem now.  Our administration did not have the balls to demand better from him, thanks God Indiana saved us, and we had buzz fall in our laps. 

[Hards Alumni]

No i dont follow nba at all bc thats crap basketball. Dj could have been in the nba his junior year im sure everyone remembers. Mcneal fell of the face of the earth when james got hurt, im sure u also remember the 1,000 threads about mcneal going 2-20 every game. Before he got hurt mcneal was hitting what seemed to be 75% behind the three and averaging 20 per game. Im not going to argue anymore if the final four team had more talent then they did.

its okay, you dont understand.