The Cold Hard Truth About Cuonzo

Meh I do not disagree with principles. I disagree with assessment of political waters.

 

The bold cuts to the truth quick. As you put it, UT did enough to get it(compared to its peers), they fell short of removing all doubt that they did.

 

I agree about the moving target. Remember a few years ago how they made such a big deal about the way teams finished the season? The team that finished on a run was more likely to get in than the team that started strong and fizzled out. Guess that wasn't a big deal this year.

 

The cultural or "political" leanings of the committee sets the target (i.e., the teams that will make it in over others) and then the criteria are "set" to justify those teams.

 

Like this if I can't get 128 teams and the shut down of all conference tournaments. They are crap anyway with low attendance and bad ratings - and you gain a week for the real thing. Low seeds play their way in during the first week. I am a body of work guy - hate conference tourneys. If a team can't finish in the top half of their conference over the course of a season and have some good OOC games they don't belong in.

 

I really don't think the SEC was at a political disadvantage.

We were just that bad as a whole.

Didn't the Pac-10 get 2 bids a few years ago?

 

First, you'd be hard-pressed to broadly generalize "this group" of posters outside of calling them mammalian.

Second, I didn't see anyone accepting any excuses for Cuonzo, or this team. If it has occurred, its the infrequent and rare exception. Most here like the guy, and hope he does well, but ultimately, results cannot be ignored.

I think you're most likely noticing the lack of an acerbic vitriol toward him, and which was so gladly heaped on Dooley. But then, he was an abortion from the get-go, so much so that only the lowest common denominators could have failed to immediately notice it. But don't mistake a personal preference or liking of Cuonzo as a cure-all for doing that which he is being paid to produce - winning championships. Obviously, the first step toward that goal is making the field required to compete for it.

 

Throw me in this boat.

 

The SEC is the only conference that doesn't have a powerhouse under NCAA penalties/investigations. They need the SEC more than the SEC needs them.

 

I like Counzo the person much better than I liked Dooley the person.

Counzo still has a lot to do coaching wise. However, he's actually won a few games he wasn't supposed to and has at least acted excited to have the job. He's recruiting fairly well, not great.

Year 3 tells the tale of his coaching.

 

If he could simply motivate his team to play like the first 15 games were just as important as the last 15, he'd be we'll on his way to building something special here.

Also, as a question for those who know more than I (pretty much everyone, I would guess): how is he doing, insofar as recruiting is going on? I know that he landed Jarnell, but that seemed like a unique situation, to say the least, but otherwise, is he pulling in the kind of talent that we need to compete for championships? Does our offer list look more like Florida or Florida Atlantic?

I'll hang up and listen.

 

Somewhere in between I'd say. Couple of good gets in next year's class (Robert Hubbs, AJ Davis)and a couple I'm not sure about. Those of you more in tune with bball recruiting can educate me.

 

We have a 5* who had a Duke offer. We have a 2* who was benched on his high school team.

Little of both.

 

36 vs. 59 RPI
23-10 vs. 20-12 record
1 loss to A&M vs 2 losses to UGa
win over VCU

 

Thanks - prognostication as to where the class will be ranked (SEC and Nationally, please)?

 

On Scout we're ranked 28th, 5th in the SEC (behind UK, UF, Arky, and Missouri). Right now we have one 5*, one 3*, and one 2*. I think we're pushing for another PG who would also be a 3* with offers from NC State, Vandy, and Purdue.

Worth noting, only three programs in the country have multiple five star commits. Two are in the SEC. The three are Kentucky (5), Duke (3), and Florida (2).

 

Wow, our RPI really took some hits down the stretch. I would like to point out that we had some meaningful wins too.

 

Going 9-of-10 dn the stretch was quite a run, it was the in-between/mid-season that hurt in add't to the GA losses.

 

Darius Thompson (CG, not a true PG). Anton Beard ('14) a true PG has us along w/ LSU, Arky, & Mizzou I believe.

 

I was thinking Thompson was a true PG. It's great that we're in on one for 2014, but can we please get one sooner?