Could WSU win a National Championship ?

[molly jabali]

the comment about a Burger Boy is correct...only our beloved Gary Williams at Maryland won a title without one on his roster, since the award began.

[chitown_shocker]

Bump. I want one.

With all the talk about signs and running the valley and respect from the media at large or beakers et al, etc, I would like to talk of the ultimate win. How do we stack up among the best this march? What does this team need to prove on?

[Shock Top]

I believe anything less then an Elite Eight run would be a shock for me.

That said, I believe we have a damn good shot at taking it all.

[Heinro]

Wichita State vs. Arizona in the national championship for 40-0. Greatest game in the history of college basketball.

[kstarheel]

Yes. Absolutely.
WSU presents a lot of matchup problems for any team and they are getting a bit deeper with Green's improved play. I really think they will make the Final Four again. Depending on who else makes it, they can win it all.

[AndShock]

No way. We don't recruit good enough players.

[jpshocker]

I'm not sure that I understand why some are stressing that our recruiting would have to get better. We were about 10 minutes away from going to he NC game last year and had Louisville on the ropes almost the entire game without 5 star recruits. And it is no stretch to say that we most likely would have beaten Michigan in the NC game because the matchup was very favorable for us. I realize that it takes a great deal of talent to get to that point but our recruiting right now is arguably as good as it's ever been. Are we saying that we would need better players than we have right now to beat Syracuse, Arizona or Michigan State if any of those games were played tomorrow? Seriously? HCGM recruits the right players for his system and has done a nice job of sprinkling in diamonds in the rough and we have improved absolutely every year since he's been here. This team COULD have won a national championship last year, this team is capable of winning a national championsip this year and I like our chances to win one in the years to come as well. Don't buy into the same garbage the media feeds us that we have to be chocked full of 4 and 5 star recruits to be national contenders. If I'm not mistaken Kentucky had more on their team last year than we've have in he last 25 years and it didn't go so well for them.

[Steeleshocker]

I'm not sure that I understand why some are stressing that our recruiting would have to get better. We were about 10 minutes away from going to he NC game last year and had Louisville on the ropes almost the entire game without 5 star recruits. And it is no stretch to say that we most likely would have beaten Michigan in the NC game because the matchup was very favorable for us. I realize that it takes a great deal of talent to get to that point but our recruiting right now is arguably as good as it's ever been. Are we saying that we would need better players than we have right now to beat Syracuse, Arizona or Michigan State if any of those games were played tomorrow? Seriously? HCGM recruits the right players for his system and has done a nice job of sprinkling in diamonds in the rough and we have improved absolutely every year since he's been here. This team COULD have won a national championship last year, this team is capable of winning a national championsip this year and I like our chances to win one in the years to come as well. Don't buy into the same garbage the media feeds us that we have to be chocked full of 4 and 5 star recruits to be national contenders. If I'm not mistaken Kentucky had more on their team last year than we've have in he last 25 years and it didn't go so well for them.

While most of the posts above were back in 2011, I would contend our recruiting is much better since the NIT.

[jocoshock]

In today'world of mass transfers and one and dones, we absolutely can. Several teams with so called lesser talent have in the past.

NC State vs. Houston
Villanova vs. Geotgetown
Kansas vs. Oklamoma
Maryland

We were two possessions away from NC game last year.

[shocksrbest]

No mid-major has won it all since UNLV back in 1990 I believe. I have no clue when the last mid-major team without football won the whole thing. However, given Butler's recent success my mind has changed just a little bit. Can a mid-major win it all, yes. Can WSU? Not with the type of players we recruit.

Had we not gone the the FF last year I might agree with you. But in light of how close we were last year and how we seem to play better in the Tournaments than in the Valley, I think we can..and will. The level of recruits we are now getting and their level of development is getting better each year. I don't think it will be long.

[Rosewood]

Two things to consider:
Matchups and Luck

If we matched up against a guard as good as FVV with a truly dominate big man down low we could have issues if we aren't hitting from outside.
And the luck comes from when we get those matchups. For example, if we get matched up with the above example in the 2nd game that is just some bad luck.

But if those guys are all on the other side and all get knocked off first? That's some good luck. If we get 4-5-6 favorable matchups? Fantastic. But there is some dumb luck involved in that.

This is one of the reasons I love the tourney vs the old BCS mode of just pick the two best teams. Very rarely do I think the two best teams end up playing for the title in the tourney format. I don't give a ****. I want the two teams that battled through the tourney.

So, for the record, I do think we have what it takes to battle through that tourney. An amazing PG, a great PG, an amazing defensive guard, a lethal shooter, big men by committee that are learning what it takes to play angry, and a group of guys ready to go in and get the job done.

[jocoshock]

Two things to consider:
Matchups and Luck

If we matched up against a guard as good as FVV with a truly dominate big man down low we could have issues if we aren't hitting from outside.
And the luck comes from when we get those matchups. For example, if we get matched up with the above example in the 2nd game that is just some bad luck.

But if those guys are all on the other side and all get knocked off first? That's some good luck. If we get 4-5-6 favorable matchups? Fantastic. But there is some dumb luck involved in that.

This is one of the reasons I love the tourney vs the old BCS mode of just pick the two best teams. Very rarely do I think the two best teams end up playing for the title in the tourney format. I don't give a ****. I want the two teams that battled through the tourney.

So, for the record, I do think we have what it takes to battle through that tourney. An amazing PG, a great PG, an amazing defensive guard, a lethal shooter, big men by committee that are learning what it takes to play angry, and a group of guys ready to go in and get the job done.

+1

[1972Shocker]

We can. But winning a Basetball NC is rarified air indeed and not easy to achieve in today's era of parity and the 3-point shot regardless of a school's tradition and pedigree. We can start considering that one we get back to another FF, not an easy chore in and of itself. It's not an unreasonable goal for this year's Shocker team, but one that remains on the backburner for the time being.

[wufan]

A National Championship would just be a bonus to an already fantastic season! Once you get to the tourney, you just don't know. Win. Prepare. Gut it out and see what happens.

[60Shock]

Sure we can. Not always, but over the years a lot of teams that won had two potential NBA players plus a very good supporting cast. And, yes, North Carolina State did it with 5 nobodies, but that is very rare.

We have potential NBA players, plus Cotton, and a trio of centers who, by committee, make a very good supporting cast, plus, and most important, an outstanding coach.

We certainly have all the marbles to win a national championship. We just need the breaks and a whole lot of good luck.

I have always dreamed that someday we would.

We damn well had better do it within the next 25 years as I am certainly not getting any younger!