The biggest thing imo is having JoJo and Arc back healthy along with a new point guard who is getting better each game.
Plus I see Francis getting better along with Wilson.
I just wish McFarland hadn’t gotten hurt.
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Thinking about Francis, Wilson and TA makes you realize that we have 3 B12 starters coming off the bench.
I’m sure there are certain rosters where all three would not start, but at least one would start for practically every other team in the conference. And each of them bring something to the court that the guy in front of them does not.
That’s really hard to prepare for.
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I think the national media doesn’t think we can beat really good teams, that we’ll come up short in a tough game against an elite team. The early season losses probably fed that narrative. We’ll have a chance to disprove that in Big 12 play, though, and at some point this season we will produce a performance that turns heads.
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Jojo getting into foul trouble early seems to hurt this team more than anything. See a dip in our offensive production when he’s sitting so he must be a key part in the HP&R and getting the offense moving. It would be interesting to see advanced stats on that if it’s true.
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But it’s nice to have a seasoned senior like Francis to replace him.
McFarland is no doubt the better shooter of the three and hopefully bounces back from the injury quickly.
Last year being #1 we were under scrutiny and everyone was waiting for the misstep. Much more freedom this year.
Francis was not at a 100% for the three losses and Uzan was still trying to figure out what bus to get on.
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The 1983 team was ranked #16 at this point in the season because of early season losses. We lost to two really good teams (Syracuse and Virginia) and everyone nationally forgot about us. But Phi Slamma Jamma went on a run,
I think this is the year that we win it all. It feels like 1983 again.
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I just think he can be the guy to use for the last basket.
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Was gonna say, it is fine to be underrated, as long as it is as a 2 seed or better…
Yep. I welcome being underrated. Let others bear the pressure of expectations. Only thing that matters about perception is seeding, so it does become an issue on the eve of the Big Dance. But even then so long as we’re a 2 or even 3 seed, I’m not too concerned. 1 seed gets an 8/9 seed in the R32; 3 seed gets a 6/11 seed. Not a huge difference, and then in the R16 and after you’re going to need to beat elite teams to advance.