Im predicting an ncaa tourney bid.
For those bridge jumpers..
- Thread starter Amaseinyourface
- Start date
Im predicting an ncaa tourney bid.
Avon Barksdale
Member
i believe they underachieved all season. remember they were the last team to beat Florida before Florida lost in the Final 4. Thats neither here nor there anyway because SJU wont sniff the Final 4.
Regarding your question about SJU making the NCAAs, this is what will come back and bite them - losses to Minnesota, Syracuse and Dule OOC (plus maybe St Mary's or another OOC game; because let's face it - they have provento be inconsistent year in and year out and we dont know what we are getting every night).
Once league play starts, I dont see us being able to separate ourselves enough from the pack with an extremely thin lineup, especially up front. Let's face it - if Chris gets in foul trouble in any game we are in trouble and if he gets injured we are done. And the same can be said for Jordan and Harrison. Im sorry i just dont see Adonis Delarosa and Jamal Branch as big time players capable of contributing in meaningful Division One basketball. I hope that i am proven wrong.
Lastly, the coach has to prove he can motivate the team consistently and show he is a capable X's and O's tactician, which he has failed to do both in his tenure here.
There are too many question marks to say this is an NCAA team especially with the loss of Thomas who was a great pick up for this team and wouldve been a HUGE contributor.
Avon Barksdale
Member
we lose to teams we have no business losing to. Robert Morris? DePaul?
even in Lavin's first year we beat every good team under the sun and we lost to Fordham, St Boneventure and went down to the wire vs Rutgers twice and we were humiliated by Seton Hall. Its complete inconsistency and with the schedule set up to doom us again we do not have any room for "slip ups" this year like last year and prior years (if we aspire to go to the NCAAs).
I dont even see us playing Gonzaga because i dont think we are beating Minnesota who everyone is chalking up as an automatic "W" which is just laughable at this point.
we can agree to disagree on Branch. I want DLo and Jordan each playing 38 minutes a night .
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
According to those that saw the open practice, ADL didn't look fit enough to play at this level. My understanding is that although official practices can't start until mid October, players can attend strength and conditioning classes when they enroll. ADL signed months before school started. Has he lost a pound since then, or at least since the first day of class? If not, I have to question his priorities, and wonder when the staff holds him accountable. When Parcells was hired by the Jets years ago, I heard that he wrote a welcome letter to each player, and included in that letter a sentence telling players what their weight better be on the first day they were to report. That certainly sets a tone.
The team wasn't very good even with Keith Thomas, but he was going to help in rebounds and defense. Who is honestly going to replace that? Right now, we're relying on an unheralded recruit (Jones), a walk on who couldn't crack FIU (JDR), a freshman who is working on getting in shape (ADR), and a European who no one heard of up until 2 months ago. And let's not put the blinders on regarding Obekpa. His offensive game is weak and he gets in foul trouble every game. Plus, we had a little incident last year when he quit on his teammates and refused to go back in the most important game of the season.
The guard play will be fine. Harrison and Jordan are one of the best starting backcourts in the conference. PG IV and Branch are solid backups with experience under their belts. But I don't think even that group will overcome the serious deficiencies in the front.
The guard play will be fine. Harrison and Jordan are one of the best starting backcourts in the conference. PG IV and Branch are solid backups with experience under their belts. But I don't think even that group will overcome the serious deficiencies in the front.
I still think we make the tournament as well. The guard play will be too strong and CO is still around at the five. I expected a ton from Thomas, though, and not having him will certainly hurt in the tournament.
The only positive this homer can think of is that it all but forces Lavin to run and gun with three guards set and smaller guys like Dom at the four.
postell25
Member
I'm a pessimist by nature but I'm actually NCAA Tournament or bust with this team. Having guys like Harrison, Greene, Pointer and Branch as seniors and Obekpa as an upperclassmen now is a luxury in college hoops. One that usually pays dividends.
We're not making the Final 4 or anything but I believe that the team believed their own preseason press clippings last year and fell behind the 8-ball. With this being their last chance, I think they are going to play with a sense of urgency we haven't seen yet from this group. I see us firmly in that 2-4 range in the Big East.
We're not making the Final 4 or anything but I believe that the team believed their own preseason press clippings last year and fell behind the 8-ball. With this being their last chance, I think they are going to play with a sense of urgency we haven't seen yet from this group. I see us firmly in that 2-4 range in the Big East.