Troubles against big men...possibly overstated?

[MUCam]

I think we tend to struggle more against teams with athletic big men and athletic wings than we do against traditional big men. Against Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Georgetown we did extremely well. We were unlucky not to beat ND at ND and Georgetown, we gave away (or the officials did).

LOSSES:

UConn - athletic wings/athletic bigs.
WVU - aberration
Louisville - athleticism on the wings beat us more than Padgett or Caracter did.
Duke - No true big. Tough loss against a fundamentally sound team with a couple athletic wing players/forwards.
Syracuse - Epitome of our troubles against the longer athletic players.

BIG MEN WINS(or should've won):

Georgetown - see above. Hibbert got his points, but wasn't the reason we lost.
ND - Harangody's best game? The blow out in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin - no reminders need.
Providence - Where was McDermott?

In sum, I like our chance to run Standford. Our guards and wings/forwards match-up well with their's. The big men may get their points, but those Lopez twins can be isolated. It is going to be tough no matter how you look at it. Location, in my opinion, has to be the main concern.

[MarquetteDano]

Good post.  It is overstated.  Just because a team has a big man who CAN SCORE doesn't mean we are in trouble.  We are an excellent defensive team, even against big teams.  It concerns me when a team has all of the following:

1. Big men who can play defense (multiple players)
2. A wing who can play defense
3. A team that plays zone consistently and well (ala Louisville & Syracuse)
4. A team that takes care of the ball offensively

It seems to me that Kentucky and Stanford (though, I must admit I know very little about the Cardinal this year) don't have all of these qualities.  In fact, it seems like neither even has three of them.

I like our chances.  I am quite happy with our seeding.  Maybe a Stanford follower can tell me why I am wrong.

[CTWarrior]

I've said all along that big men with size and quickness are what give us the most trouble.  Teams like UConn, Louisville, Memphis, Syracuse, etc.

[bilsu]

Athletic power forwards who can score are our problem.