Just imagine

[MUFanInGreenBay]

how badly teams like Kansas and UNC would beat us. Louisville is a top 10 team. They will prove it by season's end too. They have UNC and Kansas type talent. So does UCONN. It's just a matter of these teams showing up with effort and intensity.

[ecompt]

We simply can't play with teams like that. They are bigger, stronger and better than us at every position.

[ChicosBailBonds]

how badly teams like Kansas and UNC would beat us. Louisville is a top 10 team. They will prove it by season's end too. They have UNC and Kansas type talent. So does UCONN. It's just a matter of these teams showing up with effort and intensity.

Tonight....those teams would kill us.  Though another team that would be in the "Kansas and UNC" mold would be Duke...they beat us by 4 points.  Wisconsin, ranked 7th....we beat them.  But that was awhile ago.


Something is wrong, don't know what it is but this team has not been right for the last few weeks.  Very sluggish...even Saturday's win, if you watch the first 16 minutes it was very poor.

Something isn't right.

[MUFanInGreenBay]

I just don't see Duke up with Kansas and UNC. They're frontcourt is just too weak, which explains why they get out rebounded a lot and dominated down low by teams with good frontcourts. That's why we hung with them. They didn't have anybody to pound us down low with.  They don't have an NBA talent as a true post-up like the elite teams do. Kansas, UNC, UCLA, have many of them. As does Ville'. Memphis has a good one in Dorsey. Hell, look at the MSU tourney game last year. They're weren't really even that great of a team and they crushed us. Too much size, agility, and strength for us to handle in the middle.

[CTWarrior]

how badly teams like Kansas and UNC would beat us. Louisville is a top 10 team. They will prove it by season's end too. They have UNC and Kansas type talent. So does UCONN. It's just a matter of these teams showing up with effort and intensity.

Tonight....those teams would kill us.  Though another team that would be in the "Kansas and UNC" mold would be Duke...they beat us by 4 points.  Wisconsin, ranked 7th....we beat them.  But that was awhile ago.

Duke and UW are not in the UConn/Louisville mold.  They do not possess the athleticism.  They are very good teams but for different reasons.  We hung with Duke because Paulus has trouble getting the offense going against our quick guards and they don't possess superior overall quickness.  Same with Wisconsin.  We have a quickness advantage to offset their size (UW) and skill (Duke) advantages.  Against UConn, Louisville, UNC, Memphis, Kansas, etc. we have no area where we are superior.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I just don't see Duke up with Kansas and UNC. They're frontcourt is just too weak, which explains why they get out rebounded a lot and dominated down low by teams with good frontcourts. That's why we hung with them. They didn't have anybody to pound us down low with.  They don't have an NBA talent as a true post-up like the elite teams do. Kansas, UNC, UCLA, have many of them. As does Ville'. Memphis has a good one in Dorsey. Hell, look at the MSU tourney game last year. They're weren't really even that great of a team and they crushed us. Too much size, agility, and strength for us to handle in the middle.

GreenBay / CT Warrior....still think Duke isn't in UNC's league?   

[AlumKCof93]

When we played Duke in Maui, I was surprised at how much they improved from last year.  But I didn't think they were a top 5 team.  I'm still not convinced they will go far in the NCAA tourney, but they were impressive last night.

And is it just me, but I don't find this Duke team as hard to root for as past teams. Aside from Paulus, I don't really dislike any of their players. I still hate their fans and Dickie V and Coach K, but not their players this year.

[SoCalEagle]

Good post Chicos.  Well, I guess Duke is in UNC's league now. 

Duke's win reminds me of how good we looked earlier this season.  I agree with Chicos that "something isn't right."  However, I have seen how sometimes teams with talent (which I believe we have) can flip a switch and turn things on.  I don't know if this team can do it, but who knows?  A big win against ND could start us off on a new win streak. 

Basketball is like baseball in that players and teams can get streaky and go in and out of funks.  I am hoping our current funk ends and a new streak begins this Saturday at ND.

Go Marquette!!

[mwbauer7]

Wow, I thought with a title like "just imagine" this would be a positive post...


Chicos is right. Something is wrong here.

The mettle of this team (and coaching staff, as everyone shoulders this cold spell to a certain degree) will be tested by how much longer it takes us to get out of this funk.

So far this year we've played well in tournaments where it is essentially do or die. If we continue like this, it will be do or die as to whether we make the NCAAs or not.

PS- yes I know we've either won or finished 2nd in the last 3 early season tournaments we've been in.

[Big Papi]

Duke did beat UNC last night but UNC was without Lawson.  With Lawson and it is a totally different game.  CTWarrior is 100% right.  With Duke and UW we have an advantage in our guard play.  Against Louisville, UConn, UNC we do not and our lack of interior play hurts us badly.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Duke did beat UNC last night but UNC was without Lawson.  With Lawson and it is a totally different game.  CTWarrior is 100% right.  With Duke and UW we have an advantage in our guard play.  Against Louisville, UConn, UNC we do not and our lack of interior play hurts us badly.

That is very true, but that will ALWAYS be true for almost every team.  One team's strength is another team's weakness.

I think my point was that we have enough talent to beat elite teams, we have done that....and yes, we have enough weaknesses to be slaughtered by elite teams as well. 

[jaygall31]

Duke's for real. How can anyone think they aren't? Last nite was their coming out party.