Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 4868040, member: 488"] This is closer to a vintage Pitino team than I think people might realize given that it's his first season. That doesn't mean they're great, but the portal can work wonders for a guy who's probably better at recruiting to a system than developing. Hurley's teams should be better equipped to handle the rugged style and frantic pace than the later-years Calhoun/Ollie teams (which infamously stumbled to a 1-9 mark against the Cards from 2010-14), but Karaban's potential absence could complicate things. I know they've already played once this season, so nothing should come as a shock. But this is not the team of stereotypical overachieving mid-major players I thought they'd be when Pitino assembled this group. They might have one or two players like that (notably Ledlum), but for the most part it's a stable of impressive-looking athletes that can bully you if you don't come ready. [/QUOTE]