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Message: [QUOTE="eebmg, post: 3309509, member: 7548"] A bit surprised by some of the concerns of the best programs in the country. This bit by Graves in particular. While many high-major coaches avoid teams like Roussell’s Bucknell squads, Graves took his then-7th-ranked Ducks to [URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/team/11e8e149-cb2c-cff0-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']South Dakota State[/URL] to face the Jackrabbits on Dec. 12 of last season. Oregon escaped with a hard-fought 87–79 victory against a team that many didn’t know about. South Dakota State finished in the [URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/leaderboard/team/hhs_net_rtg/2019/ncaa-d1-natl/#10']top 10 in HHS rating last year[/URL], but never cracked the AP Top 25. Graves isn’t planning a return trip anytime soon. “Those teams that are sneaky good, you don’t wanna go on the road to play them because they’re tough on the road,” he said. “The people who know, know. But the casual fan may not know.” After the near-defeat in Brookings, Graves added, “People were wondering, ‘Wow, what the hell happened?’ You know what happened? They’re freaking good!” When does your program become good enough that you do not have to think this way? Even if you lose such a game, how much would it really affect your Tournament seeding over a 30+ schedule and how better to prepare to play teams you have little prior knowledge in the Tournament than replicating the experience. :confused::confused: [/QUOTE]