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Message: [QUOTE="LStudfellow, post: 4855189, member: 5436"] [B]I hit the "send" button by accident so I did not get out what I was trying to say... here is my response to [USER=1522]@superjohn[/USER] in full:[/B] I am all for giving these guys the love and adulation they are earning. They have come together more quickly than any of us could imagine, and that is despite the significant injuries to arguably 2 of their 4 or 5 best players in the first half of the year. Certainly 2 of the 3 to 4 most important, as well. That having been said... come on, are you really going to put out there that you think this team, even as they continue to evolve through the end of this year, could beat the '99 or '04 teams? Sorry, but no way. First, no one on this team is covering junior Rip Hamilton for a whole game. He would be the best player on the court in that theoretical matchup, hands down. Secondly, I will put senior Ricky Moore on any one of the guards and he will take them out of the game. Thirdly, I think 4 of the 5 matchups favor the '99 team... and Voskhul will almost certainly hold his own against Donovan Clingan. The college game is still enjoyable to watch, but even in the last 25 years guys are leaving earlier and not developing at the college level to the level they were back in 1999, or even 2004. There is a big difference between junior Rip Hamilton, junior Kevin Freeman, senior Ricky Moore and freshman Stephon Castle, sophomore Alex Karaban and sophomore Donovan Clingan. The growth in those years is often huge, and trying to compare them, and then acting like this year's group could measure up to the 1999 group or the Emeka/Ben as juniors 2004 team doesn't work once you dig into the matchup. Theoretically, if you could keep this year's team together for next year and have a sophomore Castle, sophomore Stewart, sophomore Ball, junior Karaban and junior Clingan then yes, that would be a much more fair comparison. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach