Really? You don't thinking going 0-12 in a loss to Gonzaga (who was a complete unknown at the time and a 10 seed, in a game we absolutely positively had to win), and fumbling a ball out of bounds up 3 with nobody near him and two minutes left, wouldn't have ruined KEA's rep as a big game player? Think of how Donyell is remembered and multiply it by two or three. That wasn't an off game - that was the worst big game performance by a key player in our entire history, bar none, and Rip saved his bacon by dropping 20+ against a box and one that they could afford to stay with while KEA's testiculos ascended back up into his body for one strange day. KEA wasn't great against Duke either, frankly (six turnovers), but was 1-2 in the last minute and 2-2 at the line, which cemented his reputation.
Bazz wouldn't be Bazz either, without surviving St Joe's. Role player on a NC and two first round losses in winnable games leaves him way out of the Mt Rushmore conversation. He's ahead of Albie Mouring just because of his regular season clutchiness, but not by all that much.
The Duke game was a total aberration for Taliek. He had a ghastly seven turnovers and had more than four in a game once in the entire season up to that point (5 in a double digit win over Miami). But you're certainly right - if we had lost, he'd be the one we pinned it on. And he'd largely deserve it for playing poorly. But the folks who had their minds made up about Taliek and were looking for one piece of evidence to support it during an epic postseason run of dominance and spectacular offensive efficiency would still be clinging to it like a pit bull to a rawhide bone. But he got a second life, went out there, and ate Jarrett Jack up as we dominated again, which should make up for it. KEA and Bazz took advantage of their second lives too.
