david aka the TYZ
Well-known member
This was a great season. This team deserved better than to be asked to beat UCLA, in California no less, to make the sweet sixteen. Plain and simple. We can gripe all we want about what we didn't accomplish, but we went 16-2 in the conference. Ask anybody before the season starts if they'd take that and be happy and they would. SMU was a better team, especially as a match up for us and had a better year. I can't blame these players for that. Had SMU not sold their soul to Larry Brown and gotten busted immediately for multiple violations SMU would be nobody. Sad they still are benefitting from his cheating but good for the league I suppose. But that's a separate issue. Not making the sweet sixteen sucks, but UCLA was misranked as were we. Being asked to beat a top five, maybe top three team to declare yourself one of the best sixteen simply isn't right. This team deserved better. The mick haters will find reason to hate on the results but reality is this team played well, played hard and outside of a bad night against UCF and coming out flat in the conference tourney final, they were great every night. It made me sick to see the draw we got and will leave a bad taste in my mouth for awhile. They thoroughly dominated KSTATE and that's what I'll hang my hat on this year. They weren't going to beat UCLA and honestly shouldn't be expected to. Hopefully we get there soon, but based on reality and where we sit now, we're not on their level and I don't blame mick or the players for losing to them. They gave them their best effort and fell short. That's all you can ask.
As far as next year, I think we'll miss troy and KJ more than some people realize. Cane brings a different dimension, but I'll need to see him play team ball before I buy the hype. And defensively we take a hit. I'm excited about Cumberland getting real minutes. He needs to sure up his team defense. Washington needs to be better defensively and Evans needs to get stronger and be more agressive. He got beat a few times early in the year trying to make a play and lost his confidence to put the ball on the floor. He has to shake that. He's too good to be a jump shooter. Next year's team has a chance to be good but a lot of that hinges on having a pg that can get the team going. Clark, Washington, Evans and Cumberland will need to be given the ball to score. If cane is always looking for his own shot, we'll see JJ in there. Honestly I'd love to see what JJ could do running that team. He's too quick to be a half court guy though. Team needs to adjust (will Mick allow it). But pg, pg, pg is the only real question mark next year. That and how much does our defense drop off. Mick can teach that at least. Will be exciting for sure.
As far as next year, I think we'll miss troy and KJ more than some people realize. Cane brings a different dimension, but I'll need to see him play team ball before I buy the hype. And defensively we take a hit. I'm excited about Cumberland getting real minutes. He needs to sure up his team defense. Washington needs to be better defensively and Evans needs to get stronger and be more agressive. He got beat a few times early in the year trying to make a play and lost his confidence to put the ball on the floor. He has to shake that. He's too good to be a jump shooter. Next year's team has a chance to be good but a lot of that hinges on having a pg that can get the team going. Clark, Washington, Evans and Cumberland will need to be given the ball to score. If cane is always looking for his own shot, we'll see JJ in there. Honestly I'd love to see what JJ could do running that team. He's too quick to be a half court guy though. Team needs to adjust (will Mick allow it). But pg, pg, pg is the only real question mark next year. That and how much does our defense drop off. Mick can teach that at least. Will be exciting for sure.
