finally, a voice of reality. We are not dominant. Duke shot their normal 3 point %. Despite our record, we are not in a class by ourselves. On a given night a number of the top teams might beat us. We get some kudos for closing out close games, but we would get more if we had a larger average margin of victory. Of course, the other teams are going to harp on our parade of close games and contrast that with our record. It does not mean that we are hated for being from NY or being newbies. It simply means that our record might be subject to debate. We will not know the answer until we play at Virginia and Duke, the ACC tourney and the Dance. On the plus side; Grant and XMAS are improving with every game, Keita is practising, we have the opportunity to win some significant away games, and we are not going to be out coached.
Nonsense. Duke shot their normal three point percentage, but hit way more threes than what they average. They don't average 15 threes a game. Seriously, this isn't a difficult concept to grasp.
"Our record might be subject to debate?" How so? We're undefeated and 25-0 at a ridiculously late stage of the season. Our record is the one thing that
CAN'T be debated. Detractors can wring their hands and whine about close calls all they want, and fantasize about us losing. There are some colloquial sayings about "almosts" and "ifs and buts" -- but none of that amounts to a hill of beans beyond wishful thinking.
"On a given night a number of the top teams might beat us." Isn't that true of every team in the top 10? Did you see what happened last week in the top 15? Every team is struggling. For most teams, playing poorly translates into losses. We've had pretty good teams in the past that would have lost games at Pitt, against NC State, or at St. John's, or at home to Duke--games we found ways to win this season. Or might have folded against Villanova. This team has shown a tremendous amount of poise all season long. Margin of victory is window dressing; there are no style points in the W/L column. Would it be great to win every game by 20 points and have every fast break result in an ESPN top 1o highlight? Sure. But that isn't how we play, nor is it how any other team plays.
Other teams have off nights and lose--even top 10 teams. We have off nights and find ways to win. Doesn't mean we're unbeatable, doesn't mean that we don't have things we can't improve upon. But I'm greatly encouraged that this team hasn't even peaked yet.
We're going to get a boost / shot in the arm / infusion of energy from Baye's return. Book it. I love how things set up for this Duke game, with them having to play their main rival on Thursday. And despite having 4 out of the last 6 on the road, I am a believer in what this team is capable of.
Let's Go Orange!!!
