Not counting the loss to Duke in Chicago, we've beaten everyone else by a safe margin so far, but I don't feel good about the direction of the season, and I feel even less confident about next season.
For one, we missed out on Monk and Bam in the fall. I thought we had a real shot at Monk, but Arkansas amped up the home pressure. Bam was always a long shot, but it's obvious we need a real low post presence next year and he would have been a welcome addition.
We beat Ohio State and UCLA, but lost to Duke. I suppose that's okay, but Duke was the biggest test and we failed.
I think the biggest aspect of my trepidation is that Skal won't be able to play this year due to the NCAA ruling him ineligible back in October. I'd much rather have had a slowly-improving Skal than no Skal at all. Also, with Poythress being healthy his entire UK career, I feel like he should be playing better. I'd almost prefer if he had suffered a major injury to give him an excuse for the so-so play. Four years and no major injury = not much room to grow. Can you imagine if he was playing like this but coming off an injury? One would have to imagine he might be an NBA-level player by March.
So, although we're in good shape, I think I'd rather be sitting at 9-2 than at 10-1, with Bam and Monk on the way, and an eligible Skal. At least we'd be in good shape as far as room for improvement. As it is, I feel we've already maxed out our play with very little room to improve. I think I'd also trade two other random wins in exchange for reversing our loss to Duke in Chicago.
I guess it all comes down to perspective, but I really wish we were in a different position right now.
For one, we missed out on Monk and Bam in the fall. I thought we had a real shot at Monk, but Arkansas amped up the home pressure. Bam was always a long shot, but it's obvious we need a real low post presence next year and he would have been a welcome addition.
We beat Ohio State and UCLA, but lost to Duke. I suppose that's okay, but Duke was the biggest test and we failed.
I think the biggest aspect of my trepidation is that Skal won't be able to play this year due to the NCAA ruling him ineligible back in October. I'd much rather have had a slowly-improving Skal than no Skal at all. Also, with Poythress being healthy his entire UK career, I feel like he should be playing better. I'd almost prefer if he had suffered a major injury to give him an excuse for the so-so play. Four years and no major injury = not much room to grow. Can you imagine if he was playing like this but coming off an injury? One would have to imagine he might be an NBA-level player by March.
So, although we're in good shape, I think I'd rather be sitting at 9-2 than at 10-1, with Bam and Monk on the way, and an eligible Skal. At least we'd be in good shape as far as room for improvement. As it is, I feel we've already maxed out our play with very little room to improve. I think I'd also trade two other random wins in exchange for reversing our loss to Duke in Chicago.
I guess it all comes down to perspective, but I really wish we were in a different position right now.
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