Random thoughts.
Marquette missed their general on the court. Kolek doesn't have to score, just direct and facilitate. They are a for real #2 if he can.
PC, StJ, SH all would beat UVA and Izzo U 8/10 times. No respect!
Our path is fine. Who here cares about raising Sweet 16 or even Final 4 banners? We've had far worse paths when we were lower seeds and somehow came out on top.
Auburn doesn't have a true floor leader. They're deep, athletic and go to the line a ton. They will be taken down by a deliberate, rebounding team that hits their 3s.
Iowa State: They were the #8-ranked team before the Houston beat-down. They're peaking now and rely on elite guard play. I feel they can neutralize our guards to an extent but do not have a Clingan-stopper. We win most measurables but again, they're peaking. I actually like this match-up.
Illinois has the great Terrence Shannon. Stop him if you can to punch your next ticket.
The way to beat us is to neutralize Clingan and hit your 3s but he is the dragon that will not be slayed unless by the refs. The best way to just slow us is to press onto Newton, stop his penetration. It can be done but at the expense of open looks for Spencer and Karaban. The way Newton transformed into a facilitator last January was a huge key to our championship run and it continues at an elite level. Again, gigantic props to our coaching staff.
As said from November, the 3 keys to the repeat were Newton's return, Clingan on the court and Castle maturity. Back then we didn't know what Spencer would become. Castle surely is learning from his poor BET performance and given the chance to face teams who haven't seen him 3 times, I expect him to be a big plus.
