Forget the NIT title, this is why I'm excited for this program

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MinneStoa said:
Where are you getting these stats from? And what periods of time are you referring to? By saying that he averaged 2 PPG and 7 MPG, I assume you're comparing last year to this year? If so, according to ESPN, Mo averaged 2 RPG last year, compared to 4.5 RPG this year. He also has a significantly higher FG% this year as well.
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Yes, comparing last year to this year. Stats are from Gophersports. Their stats seem to be a lot more reliable, since they are directly from the U. And, you are correct, he had 2 rpg last yr and 4.5 this year. My bad.
 

goldy93 said:
This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see on this site. How many players got better from the beginning of this year compared to the end? Look at EE's stats, Dre's stats, Smith's stats, Oto's stats, Wally's stats. They got worse by the end of the year or they quit. Of course, people are going to say it was caused by injury, or B1G play, or lack of heart, or they did not get along with the coaching staff, but they ignore the fact that happens every year (remember when Big Mo blew out his knee, Trevor blew out his knee, Al Nolen went out with an injury, etc.). For every player that improved, there is one that got worse. Happens every year, so I am not sure what it proves. People use Mo as an example of someone who improved, but I remember how good he was playing in the brief period of time before he blew out his knee. So, is it coaching, or finally recovering from a really bad injury and maturing? Maybe it is because Trevor graduated, so it is next man up and he played more minutes? Mo went from averaging 2 pts a game to 8 pts a game and from 7 minutes a game to 19 minutes, but his rebounds are identical at 4.5, despite playing more than double the minutes. He had some moments this year, but frankly, I was expecting more out of him. He disappeared for long stretches.

I think we were worse at the end of the year, our typical late January and February swoon, blowing games to Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and then getting absolutely pummeled by Wisconsin in the B1G tourney. Those things are inexcusable. We were not even competitive against Wisconsin and the loss to Illinois at home was embarrassing. The prior staff would get roasted, because we would start the season hot, beat some good to teams in OOC play (remember wins over North Carolina, West Virginia, Memphis, Louisville), start out the B1G season hot, and then fade down the stretch. The exact same thing happened this year, but somehow Pitino "coached up" his players?

Don't get me wrong, I love Pitino and I think he did a very good job this year, especially with it being his first. However, we have to remember the level of competition in the NIT is not anywhere close to the NC.
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You missed my main point. I said that I never understood why the previous regime would take a player out and never say a word to them. That's part of coaching. I'm saying that the players seemed like they were actually coached this year. Now, I do look forward to see if they actually improve throughout their careers. Take RSIII. I felt like he was almost the same player as a senior as he was as a freshmen. Rodney Williams as well. Maybe I'm way off base and had clouded judgment, but that's my view. Would those players have improved under Pitino? We'll never know, but let's watch our current players and see how they improve over the next few years. That is all.
 

cncmin said:
Not true.

This is not like playing some low-tier football bowl game where a team merely needs to win half of its games to play in the postseason. This is solid competition each an every game, and better competition than playing the low-end B1G teams, for which we seem to treasure wins and hate losses with fair passion. I'd argue the NIT teams would compete strongly with seeds ~11-16 in the NCAAT.
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Not sure if you are serious in saying "[n]ot true", in response to my statement that "the level of competition is not anywhere close to the NCAA."

First, NCAA is neutral court, we had 3 home games, big difference between playing on your home court or a neutral court.

Second, I agree that there may be 2 or 3 teams in the NIT that may compare to maybe an 11 or 12 seed, so what, everyone else is filler. They will get a number 1 seed and then play 3 home games, not playing on a neutral court. There are a lot of 11 seeds in the NCAA every year (heck, 15 seeds) that would blow the NIT field away. People make fun of Iowa, but my guess is we would have been crushed by Tennessee and they were an 11 seed. They would have breezed thru the NIT, IMHO. Look at VCU, George Mason, etc., in past years in the NCAA. Comparing the NCAA field to the NIT is pretty weak. It is a lower tier set. You probably have teams somewhere in the 50-80 rpi. Yes, it is probably better competition than playing Penn State. How does that make it better than the NCAA level of competition?
 



I think Pitino's antics are getting overblown. It's usually an appropriate time when he gets pissed. Terrible call, awful shot selection, playing soft (e.g., Mo letting a guard steal the ball after a rebound), not hustling, stupid foul. And it's not all the time. The players seem to be motivated, not pissed, so I'll take his attitude every time. Better than apathy...
 

Let's just say the potential is there for next year. We have a very high ceiling due to experience and room to grow as players. Mo, Mathieu, and Dre could all be all conference performers. EE could be all defensive team. We have tons of new players and it seems likely that at least one will pleasantly surprise right away. McNeil could become a defensive specialist and solid offensive player. Obviously they're a bunch of what ifs, but at least they're legit possibilities, and it's not like we need more than a few of those to become true. Just hoping a key player doesn't get too hurt.
 

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