How's This for Expectations

[kcshocker11]

I haven't watched them play this year. What makes them so "gimmicky"???

2 so called mids of course

[AdamCC]

So who's the "gimmick" team this year that the NCAA will most likely pair us against???

Saint Mary's or Butler. I don't want to play either of those teams.

[KC Shox]

I do believe now that the Shox are no longer playing Valley teams, it will most certainly open up our offense and we might just win a few in the Dance. However, it's all about the match ups. We get paired up with a VCU, Georgetown, Syracuse or some other defensive minded and physical team, we're in trouble. We still can't figure out the zone, our FT and 3 point shooting needs improvement and foul trouble gets us in trouble not to mention we haven't exactly played our best ball down the stretch.

The longer layoff, some may argue, actually may hurt the team. I say it won't and GM will preach about playing with a clean slate. We get a good 1st round opponent and come away with a win, it will do wonders for this team and may catapult them to do something special. But again, I think it all depends on our first opponent.

[AZ Shocker]

I just remember last year when they announced Wichita St. drew VCU.....I went "Oh f###." I would've so rather them announced we were playing pretty much anybody else if you know what I mean. Give us a Big-10, Big East, Big-12 or ACC team please!!!!!!!!

[SubGod22]

Georgetown doesn't scare me. They've also proven that they can't score.

[rrshock]

Saint Mary's or Butler. I don't want to play either of those teams.

Didn't St. Mary's get a post season ban for a year or two?

[rrshock]

Georgetown doesn't scare me. They've also proven that they can't score.

That's the truth. Wasn't it 39 or something like that in a game earlier?

[SubGod22]

That's the truth. Wasn't it 39 or something like that in a game earlier?

They've failed to score 50 five different times. They beat Tennessee 37-36 earlier this year.

[CBB_Fan]

Georgetown doesn't scare me. They've also proven that they can't score.

If we face a top seeded team early (as is likely), the teams I most want to face are Georgetown, Louisville, Ohio State, and KU. Georgetown is a team that we can beat even struggling on offense. Louisville is built in the mold of VCU, Southern Miss, and Bradley (those are the top 4 teams for steals), and we've gone 4-0 against those teams. Ohio State relies on Deshaun Thomas, and Aaron Craft shouldn't kill Armstead. KU is KU.

The teams I want to stay away from are teams that can score and/or play a terrific zone. I don't want to play Indiana or Michigan, because those teams can simply outscore us if our offense isn't hitting (much like Creighton did these last few games). I don't want to face Syracuse (yuck, worst possible game for us). I don't want Gonzaga; they are way too fundamentally sound and have too many scoring options. I don't want a healthy Duke, as they have some strong shooters and Plumlee inside.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

I think you're overvaluing Syracuse's zone... Im not saying their not good. But you act like he game is already over if it happens.

[Shockeriffic]

I think you're overvaluing Syracuse's zone... Im not saying their not good. But you act like he game is already over if it happens.

We've seen the Shockers perform terribly against a zone defense installed that week. I don't want to see them try to beat a team that plays zone all year.

[CBB_Fan]

I think you're overvaluing Syracuse's zone... Im not saying their not good. But you act like he game is already over if it happens.

It isn't necessarily just their zone. This year probably isn't as strong as last year for Syracuse on that front. Realistically, it is more about a complete mismatch of our weaknesses versus their strengths. It is as much about us as them.

What are we really bad against on offense? Teams that deny transition opportunities, force us to shoot threes, and keep our big men from scoring inside. Syracuse is EXCELLENT at all the above.
What are we really bad against on defense? Teams that can get to the line, exploit the occasional over-aggressive plays of our guards, and shoot well. Syracuse isn't a perfect against our defense, but they can outsize us and their PG can create baskets.

If you were designing a team to take advantage of our offensive weaknesses, Syracuse would be the team you would build. Only 13 teams force opponents into a higher percentage of 3PT FGAs. They can rebound from the zone, eliminating or reducing our chance to capitalize on offensive rebounds. Only two teams allow a lower assist percentage. If we were going to face them, we would struggle to get the ball inside and get forced into a lot of bad threes (with 6'7" defenders in our faces). Combine all that, and you have a team that wouldn't let us use our strengths, and absolutely abuse our weaknesses.

I'm not saying that the game would be an instant loss, but the match up is as bad we would see from any team in the tournament.

[Kung Wu]

I'll go Elite Eight as our upside this year. Yes, depending on matchups, we could easily be one and done. But the top four teams in the country will have enough fire power AND defense that we will likely struggle should we make it that far.

[forevershockerfan]

If we face a top seeded team early (as is likely), the teams I most want to face are Georgetown, Louisville, Ohio State, and KU. Georgetown is a team that we can beat even struggling on offense. Louisville is built in the mold of VCU, Southern Miss, and Bradley (those are the top 4 teams for steals), and we've gone 4-0 against those teams. Ohio State relies on Deshaun Thomas, and Aaron Craft shouldn't kill Armstead. KU is KU.

The teams I want to stay away from are teams that can score and/or play a terrific zone. I don't want to play Indiana or Michigan, because those teams can simply outscore us if our offense isn't hitting (much like Creighton did these last few games). I don't want to face Syracuse (yuck, worst possible game for us). I don't want Gonzaga; they are way too fundamentally sound and have too many scoring options. I don't want a healthy Duke, as they have some strong shooters and Plumlee inside.

The last time we played the Cuse, it was at their barn, on TV, and against their zone. We laughed all the way to the bank with oodles of Orange bread.. Of course we were hitting shots, so let's hope we settle down and not only get some high % shots inside, but can move it out and hit the 3's with better regularity. Baker, Malcom, Wiggy, FVV,, Cle, and D-Wiil could get hot and it become contagious for some games. Yikes.

[Snapshot9]

I would love a Final Four, but I am just hoping for a Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. Haven't forgot how our team can go flat in a game, be cold as ice on shooting, and fail to get the ball to Hall. More often than not, a team has a flat game during the Big Dance run, and they have to find a different way to win than normal.

I am in a wait-n-see mode till after we play the first game in the Big Dance, our seeding could make a big difference.