This team...

[pdub]

Garrett is a good player playing out of position.
A 3.4 APG to 2.5 TO/PG in conference play solidifies that statement.
And he's still a good defender ( though not showing as good as I'd thought ).

I think we expected one of Bryce, Grant Foster or Enaruna to take a role.
When Wilson early on came in on fire, we thought we had it made.
He's bottomed out and Braun is ice cold.

We have pieces - but it's been said over and over, no alpha, no rim slasher/shot creator.

[ousdahl]

Yeah, “no alpha” might be the biggest prob. Where’s the leadership?

But Bryce totally did have a role, and was slated for minutes. Injury just isn’t mentioned much as part of the narrative fight now tho

[edjayhawk]

NIT Bound?

[pdub]

5 seed.
Loose to a good 4.
Like 19.

Except more likeable.

[ousdahl]

This team could also still turn a corner. Plus, the tournament is a wild ride either way.

Think ‘14 Kentucky - stink it up all year, get like a 9 seed, and make a run when it matters.

[randylahey]

I still think we have pretty good pieces. We have quite a few good wins this season. Creighton. texas tech. OU. WVU. etc. we have played a very tough schedule. have a young team that is struggling with toughness and confidence. I think this same group will win a ton of games next year and the year after. the core of our team is here freshman and sophs and here to stay

[CrimsonNBlue]

We have quite a few good wins this season. Creighton. texas tech. OU. WVU. etc.

Feels like years ago.

[jfish26]

5 seed.
Loose to a good 4.
Like 19.

Except more likeable.

But, is it?

I know the bar here is low, but I'm hard-pressed to find very much that's enjoyable about this team. I guess Och occasionally does the Ben thing where he looks surprised and joyful by his own athleticism? I guess it's fun seeing Braun try to smash on people, even though he hasn't quite connected?

But my god, for the most part it's just a slog.

I think what we're seeing is that college basketball without the fanfare is just dogshit.

The product is marginal to begin with, and worsening by the year because of accelerating talent drain. And - and this is not a knock! - it's clear that 18-23 year old not-[yet-]professionals just don't have it in them to bring their A games and intensity without fans and everything that comes with them.

I was surprised by this. I saw the NBA work, and then MLB and, obviously, the NFL. I thought college basketball would be weird, but fine. It's not fine.

[Deleted User 89]

the elephant in the room, i think, is the social impact covid is having on the players

more so than (most) any of us, the impact of social restrictions and not being able to really travel and see family is undoubtedly having a notable impact on the players

that age group needs the social interactions much more than those that play professionally

[pdub]

This is all true but why would it affect us differently than any other team experiencing the same issue?

[jfish26]

the elephant in the room, i think, is the social impact covid is having on the players

more so than (most) any of us, the impact of social restrictions and not being able to really travel and see family is undoubtedly having a notable impact on the players

that age group needs the social interactions much more than those that play professionally

I think that's true, but isn't all of it. I just think the fact is that 18-23 year olds are just motivated externally, and there's just not a lot of external right now.

I would have thought that, being on the older side, we would've been ok. But the malaise is obvious.

[NDballer13]

We have quite a few good wins this season. Creighton. texas tech. OU. WVU. etc.

Feels like years ago.

Thompson also played in all those games. He doesn't all of a sudden make this team a 1 seed, but I think there is something to him being gone that doesn't necessarily show up in box scores.

[ousdahl]

This is all true but why would it affect us differently than any other team experiencing the same issue?

Just spitballing here, but maybe it’s cuz most other teams don’t expect or get the celebrity treatment like we do?

All the other blue bloods are down too.

The only “elite” team this year may be the zags, and they’re used to being isolated out west with nobody paying attention to them.

[NewtonHawk11]

This is all true but why would it affect us differently than any other team experiencing the same issue?

Just spitballing here, but maybe it’s cuz most other teams don’t expect or get the celebrity treatment like we do?

All the other blue bloods are down too.

The only “elite” team this year may be the zags, and they’re used to being isolated out west with nobody paying attention to them.

Baylor isn't elite..? Ok........

[ousdahl]

Do you think a basketball player in Waco gets the same treatment that a basketball player in Lawrence does?

[ousdahl]

And yeah, I’m not convinced Baylor is elite.

I mean we took a career game from Butler right to the chin, and even our dumpster fire of a team kept it within 8.

I just can’t call them elite until they do something to end a season besides Scott Drew shitting his pants.

[jfish26]

And yeah, I’m not convinced Baylor is elite.

I mean we took a career game from Butler right to the chin, and even our dumpster fire of a team kept it within 8.

I just can’t call them elite until they do something to end a season besides Scott Drew shitting his pants.

Not sure you can apply that standard to Baylor but not Gonzaga.

[ousdahl]

Would you rather huddle around Few or Drew?

This team managed to score 90 on the zags, which just blows my fucking mind now. If not for a few first-game-of-the-year sloppy mistakes, we coulda won. I would have guessed we’d win a rematch, if they replayed any time from then until early January.

[jfish26]

Would you rather huddle around Few or Drew?

This team managed to score 90 on the zags, which just blows my fucking mind now. If not for a few first-game-of-the-year sloppy mistakes, we coulda won. I would have guessed we’d win a rematch, if they replayed any time from then until early January.

I promise, I'm at the front of the line to dunk on Drew, at every opportunity.

But what Baylor has done this year is more impressive; they're playing better competition on a near* -nightly basis than Gonzaga will see from December 26 until, what, the Elite Eight?

* Lol K-State.

[pdub]

Few has been to the championship in the last five years and got screwed by the officials out of a title.
Drew hasn't gotten to the E8 since 2012.