I guess I am the only true homer so far...
I can never see voting against seeing us go all the way...
But in all honesty, I have thought about this time and time and again, and have listened to all the naysayers on here, 1460, newspaper, etc. and still feel we have a pretty good shot...
I keep hearing that they don't play with consistency, they can't put back to back game together, they shoot too much, they don't find the big guy, they are too young, etc....
The thing is we have one of the best NCAA tourney coaches, he hasnt got this team to peak yet, we still have 2 regular season games left, and then the big ten tourney, we havent played anyone that even resembles a sweet 16 team since our loss at Wisky. We have honestly been bored at times, I know the feeling of playing in a game where you know that eventually you will turn it on and beat the team, and you lack that intensity that you need for the whole game.
We will see this Sunday what we do when we come out and play a full game of intensity.
So with all that said I will give 10 reasons why we win it all...
1.) Look around the country and you see that no teams are solidifying themselves. Every team in the country has lost a game they shouldnt have, o yeah besides us.
2.) I would say that everyone agrees that we have as much talent as everyone in the country except say UF.
3.) We are going to get a 1 or a 2 seed, so we should get an easy 1st round game, and then hopefully a pretty favorable matchup in the second.
4.) With a high seed we are not going to see the teams like UF, UNC, Wisky, until probably ATL or in the elite 8, therefore they could either be upset by then.
5.) We have the best big man in college basketball, he is almost back to 100% we have seen him improve all season long and he is a game changer on the defensive end. He takes away teams inside game and can make teams one dimensional. That is why he is the #1 pick in the draft next year.
6.) We have 4 guys that suffered defeat in the 2nd round last year and they are not going to want to feel that again. Cook, Oden, Conley, Lighty have also all won state tournaments or played in the finals of the state tournament. So they all know what it takes to win in a tournament type setting.
7.) Hunter has given us the option of bring in a second big guy to go along with Oden that will not allow a team to dominate us on the inside. This will help out tremendously against a team that sent us home early last year b/c they caused mismatches. Well we can match up pretty well with any team in the country this year.
8.) Free Throws down the stretch, we have Butler and if we have a lead and get the ball in his hands he is clutch at the line and will knock them down. Conley scares me a little here, but he seems to have ice water in his veins.
9.) Conley has became a great PG. Him and Butler will take care of the ball and Conley has done a great job of penetrating and scoring some tough baskets when we needed them.
10a.) We went on the road and played in 4 of the toughest environments in the country,and you could tell that we grew from each one of those games, and have had some real close games, against UT, PSU, MSU, Purdue, NW, so they have been in tight situations and have found ways to win. I keep comparing this team to UF in football who everyone was writing off, b/c they had some close games and no one thought they were that impressive, but when push come to shove they whooped our ass. Maybe some direspect from the committee, would put a chip on this teams shoulder that it needs to lead them all the way...
10b.) And last but not least, I know this could also be our achelies heel, but when/if this team gets hot from the outside, Butler, Lewis, Harris, Cook, Conley we can beat anyone in the country without question, and we have shown this season even in games where we have struggled from behind the arc we have found ways to win.
