ND reminds a bit of....

[DefenseBB]

UConn in 2016-17. With the injuries to Turner, Johnson, Thompson and Vaughn leaves them 7 scholarship players. They had a bad game against a pumped up Louisville (ok, a really bad game), and the ND fans have been complaining a bit on the “rubbing in” they felt occurred. I have noted I disagree with that assessment and it got me thinking about who ND has “left” in their lineup and when I was going through this, I thought of the eerily similar traits we had last year:
The 7 players left for ND:
#21 Westbeld- savvy Senior player with lots of experience (more so than #75 Soniya)
#10 Ogunwabole highly rated floor leader like #33 Nurse and a pre season AA consideration
#24 Mabry- noted outside shooter who needs to show more versatility in her game:#1 KLS
#11 Young- athletic like #14 Gabby, a year younger as Sophomore vs. Junior but heigher HG rating
#3 Shepard- at 6’4” no direct correlation to last years team but as a high rated post player-Pheese
#30 Patterson -freshman forward with no direct match. But with upside like #3 Dangerfield
#39 Nelson- savvy veteran post like Butler (not rated in top 100 but 53rd at her position-I put #100)

Now it is not a perfect match, but ND actually had higher ratings on HG than us. We had two top 5 with Crystal Dangerfield and KLS so I know that needs to be weighted. However the 7 total scores are 138 to 232.

Again I would phrase this as “a poor man’s” UConn lineup but still A LOT OF TALENT. I know Muffet can coach and she can and will get this team to perform. The concerns are UConn, MSU, Baylor and Louisville. All others are certainly on the lesser talent level than ND. Tenn is probably the notable exception with their handicap being CHW. It should be interesting this week at South Bend.

I just wish this ND team was better conditioned to handle 33 minutes each. Don’t give me guff about the lack of a point guard as both UConn last year and ND now have good passers and 2 very good on-ball leaders (Nurse/Soniya & Ogunbawale/Young). They are thin at guard like we were. All said, Geno managed and so too can Muffet. So no, ND no one will feel sorry for you. Just suck it up and play like you can!

 

[hoophuskee]

UConn in 2016-17. With the injuries to Turner, Johnson, Thompson and Vaughn leaves them 7 scholarship players. They had a bad game against a pumped up Louisville (ok, a really bad game), and the ND fans have been complaining a bit on the “rubbing in” they felt occurred. I have noted I disagree with that assessment and it got me thinking about who ND has “left” in their lineup and when I was going through this, I thought of the eerily similar traits we had last year:
The 7 players left for ND:
#21 Westbeld- savvy Senior player with lots of experience (more so than #75 Soniya)
#10 Ogunwabole highly rated floor leader like #33 Nurse and a pre season AA consideration
#24 Mabry- noted outside shooter who needs to show more versatility in her game:#1 KLS
#11 Young- athletic like #14 Gabby, a year younger as Sophomore vs. Junior but heigher HG rating
#3 Shepard- at 6’4” no direct correlation to last years team but as a high rated post player-Pheese
#30 Patterson -freshman forward with no direct match. But with upside like #3 Dangerfield
#39 Nelson- savvy veteran post like Butler (not rated in top 100 but 53rd at her position-I put #100)

Now it is not a perfect match, but ND actually had higher ratings on HG than us. We had two top 5 with Crystal Dangerfield and KLS so I know that needs to be weighted. However the 7 total scores are 138 to 232.

Again I would phrase this as “a poor man’s” UConn lineup but still A LOT OF TALENT. I know Muffet can coach and she can and will get this team to perform. The concerns are UConn, MSU, Baylor and Louisville. All others are certainly on the lesser talent level than ND. Tenn is probably the notable exception with their handicap being CHW. It should be interesting this week at South Bend.

I just wish this ND team was better conditioned to handle 33 minutes each. Don’t give me guff about the lack of a point guard as both UConn last year and ND now have good passers and 2 very good on-ball leaders (Nurse/Soniya & Ogunbawale/Young). They are thin at guard like we were. All said, Geno managed and so too can Muffet. So no, ND no one will feel sorry for you. Just suck it up and play like you can!

I don't think they have a pg. You asked not to but why not? It's true. They don't. And I don't think they are athletic enough. Westbeld is not very athletic. Shephard is slow (though I like her game). Mabrey is slow for a pg. So they have the wings covered with athletes but they are slow at the pg along with Center and pf whenever Young isn't play pf.

 

[DefenseBB]

I don't think they have a pg. You asked not to but why not? It's true. They don't. And I don't think they are athletic enough. Westbeld is not very athletic. Shephard is slow (though I like her game). Mabrey is slow for a pg. So they have the wings covered with athletes but they are slow at the pg along with Center and pf whenever Young isn't play pf.

True, no point guard, but neither did we last year. Granted Kia is/was more prepared to distribute that Arike but all the ND players can pass. My phrase "poor man's UConn" was in reference not as athletic/not as defensive minded/not as physically conditioned (which up until now didn't hurt them-except maybe against us) but all can score and they do have some size. I think we are in agreement on them.
Against Tenn, they match up well so that game should be interesting. ND is still a top 5-8 team with this group or at least if Geno Coached them....

 

[Orangutan]

True, no point guard, but neither did we last year.

Dangerfield and Chong?

 

[bballnut90]

UConn in 2016-17. With the injuries to Turner, Johnson, Thompson and Vaughn leaves them 7 scholarship players. They had a bad game against a pumped up Louisville (ok, a really bad game), and the ND fans have been complaining a bit on the “rubbing in” they felt occurred. I have noted I disagree with that assessment and it got me thinking about who ND has “left” in their lineup and when I was going through this, I thought of the eerily similar traits we had last year:
The 7 players left for ND:
#21 Westbeld- savvy Senior player with lots of experience (more so than #75 Soniya)
#10 Ogunwabole highly rated floor leader like #33 Nurse and a pre season AA consideration
#24 Mabry- noted outside shooter who needs to show more versatility in her game:#1 KLS
#11 Young- athletic like #14 Gabby, a year younger as Sophomore vs. Junior but heigher HG rating
#3 Shepard- at 6’4” no direct correlation to last years team but as a high rated post player-Pheese
#30 Patterson -freshman forward with no direct match. But with upside like #3 Dangerfield
#39 Nelson- savvy veteran post like Butler (not rated in top 100 but 53rd at her position-I put #100)

Now it is not a perfect match, but ND actually had higher ratings on HG than us. We had two top 5 with Crystal Dangerfield and KLS so I know that needs to be weighted. However the 7 total scores are 138 to 232.

Again I would phrase this as “a poor man’s” UConn lineup but still A LOT OF TALENT. I know Muffet can coach and she can and will get this team to perform. The concerns are UConn, MSU, Baylor and Louisville. All others are certainly on the lesser talent level than ND. Tenn is probably the notable exception with their handicap being CHW. It should be interesting this week at South Bend.

I just wish this ND team was better conditioned to handle 33 minutes each. Don’t give me guff about the lack of a point guard as both UConn last year and ND now have good passers and 2 very good on-ball leaders (Nurse/Soniya & Ogunbawale/Young). They are thin at guard like we were. All said, Geno managed and so too can Muffet. So no, ND no one will feel sorry for you. Just suck it up and play like you can!

I don't see a lot of parallels between the two other than that both teams don't have much depth.

For starters, UCONN in 2016-17 was MUCH better than 2017-18 Notre Dame team. They went 36-1, dominated competition and dominated good teams, including a win against a fully loaded Notre Dame team. In the semifinals, they were a 23 point favorite over an outstanding Mississippi State team. Notre Dame would never be a 23 point favorite against any 2 seed.

2nd, UCONN didn't have injuries or transfers in 2016-17, while Notre Dame has been decimated by them. UCONN went into the season knowing they'd have just 9 scholarship players and remained healthy for the year with the same crop of kids every game. Notre Dame was projected to have 12 or 13 scholarship players prior to off season transfers. Notre Dame lost Boley, Turner, Patberg, Johnson, Vaughn, and Thompson. Turner was a 2x AA, Boley a top 5 kid expected to start as a sophomore, and Thompson would compete for a starting spot. I highly doubt Mabrey or Ogunbowale expected that they'd need to man the point this season. At UCONN the players knew they'd be taking on much larger roles and they were more prepared to do so compared to the Notre Dame players.

3rd, UCONN had 2 point guards and a combo guard in the rotation last year. Chong was a excellent PG for the Huskies, Nurse ran point at times during her first 2 seasons, and Dangerfield was the top PG in her class coming out of HS. Notre Dame meanwhile has no PGs and is left with 2 shooting guards manning the position and learning on the fly. Very different scenarios.

In regards to the player comparisons--UCONN just flat out had more talent and better players than 2017-18 ND. KLS and Collier both were 1st team All Americans, Williams should have been a 1st teamer, Nurse was a 2 year starter and HM AA, and Chong played her role very well. For ND, their best players are having to play out of position, and Shepard is brand new to the system and isn't the same #3 recruit coming out of high school. She didn't develop her game at Nebraska and is behind pace compared to other top players in her class (ex. KLS, Durr, Collier, Anigwe, etc.)

 

[DefenseBB]

Dangerfield and Chong?

going into the season, Chong was a complete unknown as was Crystal Dangerfield. The bulk of the leadership was going to fall to Nurse. Soniya developed beyond ALL expectations and Crystal Dangerfield was a Freshman in every sense of the word. She got ok minutes. The parallel here is ND must figure out if Arike can be a facilitator with some assistance from Marina. ND is thinner at Guard than UConn was last year.

 

[Orangutan]

going into the season, Chong was a complete unknown as was Crystal Dangerfield. The bulk of the leadership was going to fall to Nurse. Soniya developed beyond ALL expectations and Crystal Dangerfield was a Freshman in every sense of the word. She got ok minutes. The parallel here is ND must figure out if Arike can be a facilitator with some assistance from Marina. ND is thinner at Guard than UConn was last year.

I know Chong never played big minutes before last year but I don't see how a senior can be a "complete unknown". Dangerfield is a true point guard and an extremely highly-rated one at that.

There's a difference between having no point guard and having no experienced point guard. Ironically, next year ND's point guard situation will be more analogous to UConn's in 16-17 as the duties with either fall upon a senior who has never been a starter (Mychal Johnson), a true freshman (Jordan Nixon), or a senior shooting guard playing out of position (Mabrey).

 

[DefenseBB]

I don't see a lot of parallels between the two other than that both teams don't have much depth.

For starters, UCONN in 2016-17 was MUCH better than 2017-18 Notre Dame team. They went 36-1...

2nd, UCONN didn't have injuries or transfers in 2016-17...I highly doubt Mabrey or Ogunbowale expected that they'd need to man the point this season. At UCONN the players knew they'd be taking on much larger roles and they were more prepared to do so compared to the Notre Dame players.

3rd, UCONN had 2 point guards and a combo guard in the rotation last year....

In regards to the player comparisons--UCONN just flat out had more talent and better players than 2017-18 ND. KLS and Collier both were 1st team All Americans, Williams should have been a 1st teamer, Nurse was a 2 year starter and HM AA, and Chong played her role very well. For ND, their best players are having to play out of position, and Shepard is brand new to the system and isn't the same #3 recruit coming out of high school. She didn't develop her game at Nebraska and is behind pace compared to other top players in her class (ex. KLS, Durr, Collier, Anigwe, etc.)

I hear ya, but you are somewhat comparing the end of the season to the beginning and middle season success. Direct comparison is both teams were/are thin in depth. Most of the ND team is not in great condition-sorry to be that blunt but Shepard (3 years removed from ACL is woefully out of shape), Mabry, Westbeld and even Nelson are should have been working on Cardio regardless of expectations for the year.
I highlighted certain sections not that I am necessarily against your points but clarity on my assessment for your response:
1. Your retort on success was after the season. Prior to the season, we here were expecting 4-5 or 6 losses. Yes, the team gelled quite nicely and the talent evolved remarkedly. No one thought Gabby, Pheesa or even KLS would get to those levels. They had talent and so does Arike, Marina, Shepard and Young. Even Westbeld was rated higher than both Nurse and Gabby and has been a 2 year starter.
2. Again, going into the season, no one knew. So yes, ND has had horrific injuries and I am talking about their situation NOW, after the injuries with 7 players. The list of injuries is already noted and should be a rallying cry for MM and team to rebound.
3. Not True. Both Nurse and Chong were off-guards/scorers. Crystal Dangerfield was the main recruiting target to be a point. Nurse play #2 guard next to Moriah for 2 years. She and Soniya both developed unbelievable during the year with the whole team passing quite well. That was unknown going in.
Nurse WAS NOT an Honorable AA going into the year. She earned the AA HM after that season. Arike has a shot for AA this year. So while I agree that Nurse's pedigree with the Canadian Olympics certainly has her skills well known, she was not an AA going into last year.
4. Only 1 person will really have to play of out of position-Arike/Mabry of Young.
Again, this team is pretty good offensively with great skills but even as Muffet says, they are challenged on defense and are a bit slow.

My point was "Poor man's" UConn so the lack of complete comparison was noted. The other fact still is all these kids were highly rated so the talent is there. They can still only have 3-4 losses this year given this talent. Can Muffet raise her game to coach that?

Last, as I said, I understand your points but don't agree completely. Humbly submitted-DefenseBB.

 

[Oldbones]

They had a bad game against a pumped up Louisville (ok, a really bad game), and the ND fans have been complaining a bit on the “rubbing in” they felt occurred.

So, Louisville beating them by 33 (up 39 after 3 quarters)was rubbing it in, but ND beating BC by 29 (up 39 after 3 quarters) wasn't?????????

 

[CMC'72]

ND reminds a bit of....

a two-legged horse?

 

[Orangutan]

So, Louisville beating them by 33 (up 39 after 3 quarters)was rubbing it in, but ND beating BC by 29 (up 39 after 3 quarters) wasn't?????????

I suppose the argument would be that ND can hardly take out its starters as ND doesn't have anyone else to put in.

 

[UConnCat]

If one were to draw parallels between this season's ND squad and a UConn team it might be the 2011-2012 team. That UConn team started Dolson + 4 guards -- Hartley, Hayes, Doty and Faris -- and not one was a natural point guard. Doty was a shell of her former self. That UConn team essentially went 7 deep with Stokes and KML coming off the bench. The team over-achieved I thought, making it to the FF and losing to ND in OT in the semis after KML failed to box out Novosel at the end of regulation.

Moriah joined the following season though she didn't start as a freshman and didn't play a lot of minutes in big games. The starting backcourt in '12-13 was eventually Doty and Faris with Bria and Moriah off the bench. Moriah was the only point guard in the quartet but she didn't blossom and play a lot until her sophomore year.

 

[Orangutan]

I hear ya, but you are somewhat comparing the end of the season to the beginning and middle season success. Direct comparison is both teams were/are thin in depth. Most of the ND team is not in great condition-sorry to be that blunt but Shepard (3 years removed from ACL is woefully out of shape), Mabry, Westbeld and even Nelson are should have been working on Cardio regardless of expectations for the year.

I'm not sure where people get the idea that Mabrey is out of shape. I haven't noticed that at all and the Mabreys are notorious gym rats. Westbeld wasn't even cleared to start the season due to a slow recovery from ankle surgery. That said, I think she looks trimmer this season that she has in the past. She's just not fast. It doesn't help that the injury bug bit four of ND's fittest players.

1. Your retort on success was after the season. Prior to the season, we here were expecting 4-5 or 6 losses. Yes, the team gelled quite nicely and the talent evolved remarkedly. No one thought Gabby, Pheesa or even KLS would get to those levels. They had talent and so does Arike, Marina, Shepard and Young. Even Westbeld was rated higher than both Nurse and Gabby and has been a 2 year starter.

Nobody thought KLS, a consensus #1 recruit and ESPNW's Freshman of the Year, would be great as a sophomore? Yeah, that's complete nonsense. See my screenshot below. I was telling y'all in December 2015 that KLS and Pheesa were going to be great.

Again, this team is pretty good offensively with great skills but even as Muffet says, they are challenged on defense and are a bit slow.

The problem defensively is that injuries took both of ND's rim protectors and both of ND's players capable of defending point guards. It's a team of 3 wings, 3 power forwards and a slow-footed reserve center.

My point was "Poor man's" UConn so the lack of complete comparison was noted. The other fact still is all these kids were highly rated so the talent is there. They can still only have 3-4 losses this year given this talent. Can Muffet raise her game to coach that?

I actually agree. Despite the obvious issues, there is enough talent that ND shouldn't take too many more losses, though there are some tough games upcoming. Tennessee and Florida State come to mind. The ACC regular season is probably gone now but I don't think the ACC tourney is out of the question. I'd love another crack at Louisville and I bet Muffet would too.

Some points above in bold. See below for my rebuttal to "No one thought Gabby, Pheesa, or even KLS would get to those levels."

 

[UConnCat]

I don't think they have a pg. You asked not to but why not? It's true. They don't. And I don't think they are athletic enough. Westbeld is not very athletic. Shephard is slow (though I like her game). Mabrey is slow for a pg. So they have the wings covered with athletes but they are slow at the pg along with Center and pf whenever Young isn't play pf.

All true and makes for a fascinating match-up Thursday night with Tennessee, a team with athleticism and length. Tennessee has yet to play a team as tough to guard as Notre Dame.

 

[bballnut90]

I hear ya, but you are somewhat comparing the end of the season to the beginning and middle season success. Direct comparison is both teams were/are thin in depth. Most of the ND team is not in great condition-sorry to be that blunt but Shepard (3 years removed from ACL is woefully out of shape), Mabry, Westbeld and even Nelson are should have been working on Cardio regardless of expectations for the year.
I highlighted certain sections not that I am necessarily against your points but clarity on my assessment for your response:
1. Your retort on success was after the season. Prior to the season, we here were expecting 4-5 or 6 losses. Yes, the team gelled quite nicely and the talent evolved remarkedly. No one thought Gabby, Pheesa or even KLS would get to those levels. They had talent and so does Arike, Marina, Shepard and Young. Even Westbeld was rated higher than both Nurse and Gabby and has been a 2 year starter.
2. Again, going into the season, no one knew. So yes, ND has had horrific injuries and I am talking about their situation NOW, after the injuries with 7 players. The list of injuries is already noted and should be a rallying cry for MM and team to rebound.
3. Not True. Both Nurse and Chong were off-guards/scorers. Crystal Dangerfield was the main recruiting target to be a point. Nurse play #2 guard next to Moriah for 2 years. She and Soniya both developed unbelievable during the year with the whole team passing quite well. That was unknown going in.
Nurse WAS NOT an Honorable AA going into the year. She earned the AA HM after that season. Arike has a shot for AA this year. So while I agree that Nurse's pedigree with the Canadian Olympics certainly has her skills well known, she was not an AA going into last year.
4. Only 1 person will really have to play of out of position-Arike/Mabry of Young.
Again, this team is pretty good offensively with great skills but even as Muffet says, they are challenged on defense and are a bit slow.

My point was "Poor man's" UConn so the lack of complete comparison was noted. The other fact still is all these kids were highly rated so the talent is there. They can still only have 3-4 losses this year given this talent. Can Muffet raise her game to coach that?

Last, as I said, I understand your points but don't agree completely. Humbly submitted-DefenseBB.

Are you trying to argue that entering the season there are similarities between UCONN/Notre Dame or are you making the comparisons midseason?

If you're looking at it entering the season, I don't see much in common other than both teams were expected to have shorter rotations and lacked depth in the post.

No one really knew how UCONN was going to be and how players would pan out. Nurse, despite not being an AA the year before, was a starter on back to back championship teams and was rated preseason #7 on the HG top 25 players. KLS was a #1 recruit, Collier a top 10 player who was also expected to be a larger part of the offense, and Williams was a good athletic undersized forward. No one was sure how players would adjust to new roles and develop.


At Notre Dame, they had 2 big scoring guards coming back in Mabrey and Arike. They also had a glue player in Westbeld back, along with some new freshmen posts and a talented freshman in Young who was expected to take on a larger role. Depth appeared to be an issue without Turner and Shepard wasn't expected to play. People thought ND would be good again and a Final Four contender, but probably not a viable threat to UCONN without Turner.



If you're looking at how the teams unfolded by midseason, there are zero similarities there:

At Connecticut, everything gelled really well and went better than hoped. The big 3 all developed into stars in Geno's system, while Nurse and Chong played their roles perfectly. It was the same UCONN machine, just different players. Despite whatever players were ranked coming out of HS, it was very clear that the Big 3 were some of the best players in the country.

At Notre Dame, they've been decimated by injuries and haven't been able to find their rhythm with all of the changes (Westbeld overcoming her injury, Thompson going down, Johnson going down, Vaughn going down, players having to play different roles than they expected to, etc). All of these injuries and changes throw players out of their rhythm and force them to start over more frequently rather than build on the foundation they've started with.

Perhaps most significant, UCONN had more talented players than Notre Dame does this year! No one at Notre Dame is at the talent level of UCONN's Big 3 the same time a year ago.

Notre Dame also doesn't have a good option at PG. UCONN had 3 viable options, 2 if you were in the belief that Dangerfield wasn't ready last year. Nurse has played PG throughout her career and internationally--she is much more experienced as a PG than Mabrey or Ogunbowale. Chong also stepped up as the starting PG last year and looked very comfortable in her role. Even if she was recruited to be a SG, she evolved into a good PG last year for Geno. At Notre Dame, Mabrey is manning the point spot but clearly is not as comfortable or adept to play the position as Nurse or Chong were. She is a fantastic 2 guard, but the additional responsibilities have hindered her play this year.

Other players who can step in and play point for ND are Ogunbowale and Young, neither who have any PG experience and are not suited for the role. Yes, only one is playing PG at a time but when Mabrey goes out, that responsibility falls on Young/Ogunbowale which takes them out of rhythm in their other position, so it does affect all 3 of them.



In regards to conditioning, Shepard wasn't expected to play this year and is brand new to MM's system and level of conditioning. The conditioning isn't there, and it wasn't expected to be there coming into the season. Westbeld was injured the entire off season after having ankle surgery so she's had a late start, Mabrey is not out of shape but is playing a more demanding position, and Nelson is much leaner than she has been. Nelson also wasn't expected to be a rotation player and isn't a big contributor, so not sure why she's mentioned at all here. None of those 4 girls are nearly as athletic as Nurse, Williams, Dangerfield, or even Collier, which adds to my point that Connecticut was flat out more talented than this year's ND 7.

BTW-Williams was ranked higher than Westbeld coming out of HS. And Nurse, despite being ranked #33 by HG, was clearly under ranked coming from Canada, as she cemented her starting spot 2 games into her freshman year. Both are more talented than Westbeld.

Notre Dame does have talent and absolutely can be a Final Four team. That said, 2016-17 UCONN was on a different stratosphere than this Notre Dame team was. We can agree to disagree, but I still don't see any similarities.

 

[DefenseBB]

So, Louisville beating them by 33 (up 39 after 3 quarters)was rubbing it in, but ND beating BC by 29 (up 39 after 3 quarters) wasn't?????????

I know! I didn't understand it either and was perplexed. I mean, Louisville suffered so many beat downs from ND, pay back is, what's the phrase...something that rhymes with "itch"...it escapes me for the moment...

 

[DefenseBB]

Are you trying to argue that entering the season there are similarities between UCONN/Notre Dame or are you making the comparisons midseason.

Mid-season, as going into the year, ND had depth, albeit unknown chemistry with the new people, injury recovery and expanded roles.

My main assessment was the premise from some of the ND faithful (again Dillon and Orang excluded) that "woe is me" we can't really compete now to all the injuries. This is not to be a direct comparison to UConn. That said, if any team can compare to UConn, it would have to be ND as year in, year out, these games are the most competitive and with a slew of highly ranked players.

I agree Mabry is NOT suited to the point and it should be Arike. We can definitely agree to disagree on the assessment and is why we have discussions.

No one will sway me that ND does not have the talent to be a Elite Eight team this year with a shot at the Final Four. I hold them in too high a regard even with my misgivings on Muffet winning the "big one"...

All said, I do appreciate the dialogue and maybe I should have been clearer on my premise for mid-season and why I was posting.

 

[bballnut90]

Mid-season, as going into the year, ND had depth, albeit unknown chemistry with the new people, injury recovery and expanded roles.

My main assessment was the premise from some of the ND faithful (again Dillon and Orang excluded) that "woe is me" we can't really compete now to all the injuries. This is not to be a direct comparison to UConn. That said, if any team can compare to UConn, it would have to be ND as year in, year out, these games are the most competitive and with a slew of highly ranked players.

I agree Mabry is NOT suited to the point and it should be Arike. We can definitely agree to disagree on the assessment and is why we have discussions.

No one will sway me that ND does not have the talent to be a Elite Eight team this year with a shot at the Final Four. I hold them in too high a regard even with my misgivings on Muffet winning the "big one"...

All said, I do appreciate the dialogue and maybe I should have been clearer on my premise for mid-season and why I was posting.

Gotcha—thanks for clearing that up. I agree, they have the talent to make the Final Four this year. It’s definitely going to be a tough road with such limited depth and playing PG by committee, but I think they can do it. A lot of times a bad loss will be a turning point for a program. Maybe the Louisville game will kick their butt into gear for the rest of the season.