Bracketology 2020-21

[ousdahl]

I think this team is better than both 15 and 19.

DMac or Landen?
Jalen or Perry?
Haunkey or Kelly?
Och or Selden?
Marcus or Frank?

Dajuan, Mitch, Tristan, TGIF - or - Devonte, Jamari, Svi, Brannen Greene?

[CrimsonNBlue]

Well, the big difference is the trend line.

2019, we just got worse and worse as the season went on and we lost players.

This year our worst is behind us and we're getting better. 2019 was a four seed that finished the year like a 7 seed and we're a 4 seed that is finishing like a 3 seed. (depending on the remaining games)

The one thing 2019 had that this team doesn't was a go-to guy in Lawson.

Fair point on Lawson being a go-to. But again, not like Danny Manning was.

Another thing was how fractured the psyche was on the 2019 team. Bad attitudes and the Lawsons had their foot out the door.

[Deleted User 289]

Every time people I see/hear people making predictions in February I am reminded of 2011 UConn.

Last 11 regular season games = 4-7
Last 5 regular season games = 1-4

Big East Tournament = 5-0
NCAA Tournament = 6-0

[pdub]

DMac
Perry
Haunkey
Chai
Frank

[ousdahl]

Pretty much, but I think I’d take Kelly over Christian tho

[ousdahl]

And as weird as it sounds I think 15 had the better bench?

[CrimsonNBlue]

This is the very optimistic, but not completely unrealistic view: this team, going into the tournament, might be in better shape than all of:

2005 - fractured
2006 - frosh
2009 - inexperienced
2014 - Joel/naadir
2015 - yuck
2019 - yuckiest

[CrimsonNBlue]

The 2015 team got punked in every sense of the word by a Missouri Valley team in the tournament. The entire offense was designed around getting Perry Ellis to the FT line. Jamari played more than Mitch. GTFO with 2015.

[ousdahl]

Good point, though I’d take Cole and Sherron over DMac and Marcus all day.

[pdub]

Perry was busted so that was a factor.
But yes, not a solid team.

[ousdahl]

Wait, fucking Face Ass started on that team too tho, didn’t he?

I’d take 21

[CrimsonNBlue]

Good point, though I’d take Cole and Sherron over DMac and Marcus all day.

Me too, and the '09 team did very well for themselves and were playing their best ball at the end.

That's a tough one to say this team can be better than, but that team just started 5 completely new guys.

[pdub]

Tyrel, Sleeves, Mario Little and frosh Morris Twins and Ty Ty.
Beyond Cole and Sherron, a lot of too big for britches at the moment.

[ousdahl]

Yeah, Cole and Sherron we’re obvious studs going into that year, but a lot of youth (and face ass) otherwise

[PhDhawk]

This is the very optimistic, but not completely unrealistic view: this team, going into the tournament, might be in better shape than all of:

2005 - fractured
2006 - frosh
2009 - inexperienced
2014 - Joel/naadir
2015 - yuck
2019 - yuckiest

I think this is a case of hingsight being 20/20. You're using the reasons those teams got bounced as evidence that they weren't good. I don't think that's the same thing.

2005 went into the tourney loosing (similar to 2019, played its worst ball late), but that's still #11 in kenpom
2006 - Just a hard NO for me, Yes young and inexperienced...but they were #8 in Kenpom
2009 - Two best players were better than any two on this team.
2014 - Yes, because of Embiid's injury...otherwise they were #7 in kenpom
2015 - Yes, because of Ellis' injury and Cliff
2019 - Yes, because of Dok's injury and Vick.

[pdub]

I think 2005 is better than how they ended up - and all people recall is the Bucknell loss.
Keith was a bit banged up too.

They were Roi's guys but they were very good and experienced.

[CrimsonNBlue]

This is the very optimistic, but not completely unrealistic view: this team, going into the tournament, might be in better shape than all of:

2005 - fractured
2006 - frosh
2009 - inexperienced
2014 - Joel/naadir
2015 - yuck
2019 - yuckiest

I think this is a case of hingsight being 20/20. You're using the reasons those teams got bounced as evidence that they weren't good. I don't think that's the same thing.

2005 went into the tourney loosing (similar to 2019, played its worst ball late), but that's still #11 in kenpom
2006 - Just a hard NO for me, Yes young and inexperienced...but they were #8 in Kenpom
2009 - Two best players were better than any two on this team.
2014 - Yes, because of Embiid's injury...otherwise they were #7 in kenpom
2015 - Yes, because of Ellis' injury and Cliff
2019 - Yes, because of Dok's injury and Vick.

06 and 09 were the hardest ones to put in there because they look like they were better teams than this one. Hindsight is 20/20, especially on the '06 team--just didn't have the maturity to follow up the Texas game, which felt like a national championship to them.

05, no, that team was done. Self was done. Langford's comments after the mizzou game made it clear that we were a one weekend team.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Langford, Giddens, Russ Rob--there was just a lot going on.

One thing that this team has that others have not is that they all seem to be on the same page and good kids. What you want out of role players, which they all are.

[ousdahl]

Yeah, 05’s wheels had fallen off.

They were 3-5 going into the tournament.

The only team that would try to call that good is Baylor

[ousdahl]

What were Langford’s comments after mizzou?

But yeah, he was busted, Russ was a deer in the headlights, Giddens was standing around the 3 point line waiting for the game to end so he could go to the moon bar, and Christian Moody was starting.