My Thoughts from the OKC Regional (On and Off the Court)

[skyvue]

If they bring the team that stands around, dribbles in circles, and jacks contested threes then goodnight sweetheart...

And if A&M brings the team that was trailing by 12 with under a minute to play against UNI, we're golden. It took a perfect storm of an injury to a key player, ineptitude on UNI's part, lucky breaks, assists from the officials, and hustle by A&M for them to avoid losing that game. It was a meltdown more than a rally.

Somehow, the opposing team always gets the benefit of the doubt from our fanbase. A&M has played five games against tourney teams since Jan 1st--seven if you count the tourney games, 11 for the whole season. OU has played 14 games against tourney teams since Jan. 1 -- 16 if you count the tourney games, 19 if you count the whole season. That means we've played more games against tourney teams than against non-tourney teams.

I'm not guaranteeing a win -- anything can happen. But this team is battle-tested and has won many more games against tough opponents than they've lost. As far as I'm concerned, they've well earned our confidence. Honestly, we could be 34-0, but if some of those wins were by less than double-digits, some of our fans would be doubting our team's capabilities.

 

[tycat947]

And if A&M brings the team that was trailing by 12 with under a minute to play against UNI, we're golden. It took a perfect storm of an injury to a key player, ineptitude on UNI's part, lucky breaks, assists from the officials, and hustle by A&M for them to avoid losing that game. It was a meltdown more than a rally.

Somehow, the opposing team always gets the benefit of the doubt from our fanbase. A&M has played five games against tourney teams since Jan 1st--seven if you count the tourney games, 11 for the whole season. OU has played 14 games against tourney teams since Jan. 1 -- 16 if you count the tourney games, 19 if you count the whole season. That means we've played more games against tourney teams than against non-tourney teams.

I'm not guaranteeing a win -- anything can happen. But this team is battle-tested and has won many more games against tough opponents than they've lost. As far as I'm concerned, they've well earned our confidence. Honestly, we could be 34-0, but if some of those wins were by less than double-digits, some of our fans would be doubting our team's capabilities.

+1

 

[Zimwillett]

I'm glad many of you are so confident, and I hope you're right. I think ATM is a bad matchup for us and like a previous poster said if Hield doesn't have his cape on this game OU could be in trouble. Forget KenPom, I can see with my own eyes that their size will bother us, and they are overflowing with intangibles. Like you saw the other night, they never quit, are physical and tough. That masks their sometimes scoring deficiencies. The guy no one talks about who is the biggest pest I think is Caruso. He is a steal machine, good rebounder, defender, and if he is hitting(he isn't a great shooter) we may be screwed. Now if OU has a shooting day like they did at Waco I think it'll all be good. If they bring the team that stands around, dribbles in circles, and jacks contested threes then goodnight sweetheart...

I don't think anyone disagrees that OU will likely lose if they play poorly. Of course, that's true regardless of the opponent in the Sweet 16. It basically goes without saying.

And I wouldn't say I'm overly confident. I see this as a tossup game with maybe a slight edge to OU. My point is that it seems weird to me that so many OU fans want to dwell on OU's negatives while propping A&M up as something they're not. A&M is very good, but beatable (especially away from College Station). And where OU has consistently proven it can beat teams as good or better than A&M, the inverse cannot really be said of A&M.

 

[tycat947]

The stakes are higher, yes, but the opponent is not necessarily better. We played a number of teams in the final two months of the season that are (arguably, at least) as good as A&M.

I think we will be more focused in Anaheim. It's great to play at home, or near home but outside distractions become that....distractions! And you feel a little more comfortable.

I think they will be more focused in Anaheim. If we don't play well, A&M can win but if we're both playing close to OUr best, I think we win.