can we reach a final 4 without

[march madness]

Look at gophers final four team for your answer.

Coach K has been quoted as saying it takes 4 nba first rounders on a team to get to the final four. With the early entries maybe it takes 3. Not in absolutely every case (Butler, G.Mason), but in a majority.

We had first round picks:
Bobby Jackson
John Thomas
Sam Jacobsen
Quincy Lewis

We also had solid college players:Eric Harris
Trevor Winter
Charles Thomas

This year:first round potential?
Sampson
Rodney

Good college players:
Devoe
Nolan
Hoff
Trevor
Iverson

**We are a player or two of great talent away.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

Coach K has been quoted as saying it takes 4 nba first rounders on a team to get to the final four. With the early entries maybe it takes 3. Not in absolutely every case (Butler, G.Mason), but in a majority.

We had first round picks:
Bobby Jackson
John Thomas
Sam Jacobsen
Quincy Lewis

We also had solid college players:Eric Harris
Trevor Winter
Charles Thomas

This year:first round potential?
Sampson
Rodney

Good college players:
Devoe
Nolan
Hoff
Trevor
Iverson

**We are a player or two of great talent away.

Tubby's 1998 UK team (his only FF) had four 1st rounders - Nazr Mohammed, Scott Padgett, Jamaal Magloire, and Michael Bradley. All but Bradley were big contributors in 1998.

The 1999 team also had 4 - swapping Tay Prince for Nazr Mohammed. But no FF in 1999.

 

[WanderingGopher]

Why is that not happening?

It is happening.

The reason this team was only a 1-and-done in the NCAAs last year was that 2 of the best players never made it on the floor, and the starting PG lost eligibility midway through the season.

Had we had our full team, or even ONE of White and Mbakwe, this was a 25+ win team and may very well have landed Cory Joseph for this year. And we'd be looking at a top-10 preseason ranking instead of wondering about what's gone wrong.

That said, look at the top 7-8 guys on our roster -- this is still a top-20 team if we don't have any casualties like we did last year. And that kind of finish this year will lead to more good recruiting and we won't have to fill the last 2-3 spots with last-second "projects" like this year.