191 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

If Turgeon didn't have a track record here of not being able to counter-adjust/finish strong, I'd be much more willing to not underrate them right now. But after two stupidly close home wins to Northfuckingwestern and Penn State... and continued absolute duds on the road, I've thrown in the towel.

We aren't beating Indiana. We will probably lose at Nebraska and Penn State.

I hope I look like an idiot in a few weeks. I seriously fear that I won't.

[Mackus]

I don't think the performance from the first two months was over our heads, we were too good for too long to have been a fluke, but I do think it was pretty much our optimal peak level.  It's damn near impossible to sustain playing at your absolute best for the entire season, most teams have some bad stretches and often multiple times.  I also think that right now we are playing at our absolute worst possible level, barely being able to beat the bad teams at home and getting blown out against solid but not great teams on the road.

 

I don't think there is a "true" level of this team that we haven't seen.  Both levels we've seen are true levels.  We can be that good when everything is clicking and we can be this bad when nearly nothing is (in just about all of our bad games, only one of our 3 stars has played well and we've gotten very few unexpected contributions from the role players).

 

The rest of the way isn't about doing anything new or different.  It's just about whether we can do what the players have shown they can do.  It's leadership, it's coaching, it's individual confidence, it's luck...it's a lot of things that will contribute to whether or not we get back to playing better or possibly even truly really good like we have seen before this season.

[Mackus]

If Turgeon didn't have a track record here of not being able to counter-adjust/finish strong, I'd be much more willing to not underrate them right now.

 

Is this a quintuple negative?

[Pedro Cerrano]

Is this a quintuple negative?

 

Haha, you didn't not say that not before I never could.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm not ready to say we can't beat Indiana at home.

 

I'd really really like to win that game.

 

Considering going.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I'm not ready to say we can't beat Indiana at home.

 

I'd really really like to win that game.

 

Considering going.

 

I was thinking about going a couple weeks ago. Then Northwestern/Penn State/Iowa happened.

[bnickle]

The problem is the Gary myth. See, people like Ricker think this team would have maintained their unsustainable hot start and remained a Top 10 team. Not true. The myth goes Gary got every last drop out of his talent and thats just not true. Certainly not consistently. He had as many underachieving teams as he did overachieving teams on the whole. Mostly, got exactly out of them what they were, as most coaches do.  This is a bubble caliber roster. Thats what we will end up being with a chance to actually be better. 

[Mackus]

I think we're clearly better than a bubble team based on talent.  We didn't know what Melo was in October.  But with him stepping in and being a all-conference level guy (not first team, but in the conversation for 2nd or honorable mention), that's a big change from if he was just a solid starter.  He's not a solid starter, he's the best player on the team.

 

If Melo was just another guy, saw a slightly better version of Nickens but at the point guard spot, then I think we're a bubble team at best and should be happy with any team that makes the tourney.  But with him being legitimately very, very good and capable of greatness on any given night, I think we're considerably better, enough where I think comfortably into the tournament is a fair expectation.  And I think we will be comfortably in the tournament.  I don't think we'll be saying that we need X wins in Chicago to dance.  I think we'll be a lock by then, because I think eventually we'll break this funk and play better, maybe not quite as good as earlier in the year, but definitely way better than the crappy play we've seen recently.

[glenn__davis]

For the record, I do expect them to make the tourney, because eventually I do expect them to play better.

 

I'm just saying that they're currently playing like one of the worst teams in the league, and if they don't at least somewhat right the ship, it's still not a lock.

[JordanKough]

He had as many underachieving teams as he did overachieving teams on the whole. Mostly, got exactly out of them what they were, as most coaches do. 

 

I don't know about this...I'd want to see some more evidence to say this was the case. If we all agree Gary sucked at recruiting, how did we do so well if you can't credit him coaching up the guys that he did bring in?

 

I'm certainly not saying your wrong, and it could be a myth, certainly one that I buy into, I'd just be interested to see this backed up a bit more and how it meshes against the fact that he didn't/couldn't recruit well.

[bnickle]

The 95-96 team underachieved and so did most of the teams with the talent he got after the NC. Two Top 10 classes back to back but only two NCAA tourny appearances and didnt get past the 2nd round in any of them. 

 

 

I cant list the '94-95 and '98-'99 teams as underachieving as a whole but both teams losing in the Sweet 16 round was disappointing. Especially, the '99 team as a #2 seed getting blown out by St Johns. 

[BSLChrisStoner]

The 95-96 team underachieved and so did most of the teams with the talent he got after the NC. Two Top 10 classes back to back but only two NCAA tourny appearances and didnt get past the 2nd round in any of them. 

 

 

I cant list the '94-95 and '98-'99 teams as underachieving as a whole but both teams losing in the Sweet 16 round was disappointing. Especially, the '99 team as a #2 seed getting blown out by St Johns. 

 

What a horrible game. Artest.