You know if we’re a 1 seed, we’ll most likely have an SEC team as our no. 2. I don’t know who I’d prefer at this point.
The SEC is certainly intimidating, but after watching them defeat U Conn, I'd put St Johns at the top of my "don't want them unless it's late in the tourney" list. The defense they played to come back was vicious, especially when they went to the full court press to come back, for good, in the second half. Huskies with 22 turnovers, Johnnies with 18 of the 20 points scored on turnovers for the game. It's a physical, athletic, overplaying pressure defense and would give Duke fits.
Wait…..the bald dude (Hurley) with white hair — of what little is left of it — looks 25 years younger than the guy (Harbaugh) with a fairly full head of hair? Not sure I follow your logic.
And they definitely wouldn’t want to see us, either! It works both ways, my friend.
Completely agree. I think I posted upthread that I watched a good portion of that game and was very impressed and that they play old fashioned Big East basketball. They play inner city playground basketball. Suburban, gentlemanly "flow" basketball struggles against that. If Duke played St. John's with refs who are letting them play, the whining here will be through the roof. As I noted in the thread about last night's game, we brought in Brown, Gillis, and James to help play against a team like that.
Some will whine no matter what, in every fan base, but I tend to agree with the sentiment expressed by a few in the post game thread. The issue wasn't that Clemson was too physical, it was that Duke was whistled for trying to return the favor. This team has already proven they can give as good as they get and come out victorious in a "no blood no foul" type game. See Forest, Wake. This is not your older brother's Duke team that couldn't handle being pushed around. They just have to be allowed to push back.
Especially in the second half the zebras had the whistle in waiting to go against Duke.They play physical but we can't play that way ,no its a foul on us.Just maddening.I just want it equal on both sides.Cooper got smacked in the head on a drive I thought it would b a flag 1 on them no play on.Then Coopers lip busted late in the game magically no replay.
I don't mind playing St. Johns. I just don't want to play them in the SW16 because like Houston last year they could wear us out where we don't respond the next game. St. Johns is good but they shoot 29% from 3 which won't get it done against us. Given that the East Regional is in Newark this year I already think it is a lock they are in that region.
the opposite directions of his and calipari's careers are telling.
They make me very nervous as I've said. Miserable 3 point shooting, but an inside game that's both at the rim and also short jumpers--analytically frowned upon, but they just make them. And that defense--what they did to UConn in coming back from like 6 down to 6 up was terrifying. As good a full court pressure defense as I've seen in a long time.
I read a good article on that (The Athletic via Apple News? Sorry, no link). Pitino basically said that in their early season evaluation of his players, they were the worst shooting team he ever had. They had to shoot from closer in to give themselves a chance to make anything. It sounded like it befuddled Hurley. He either didn't seem to realize they wanted to take the shots UConn's defense was trying to give them, or they didn't have a feasible way to adjust to try and take that away.
Very interesting!
