It seems as if the Memphis Tigers basketball team has been using the "We get no respect" motto to encourage them to beat team after team all season long. All in all, they've won 39 games (an NCAA record) and been ranked in the top 5 pretty much all season long. For a team that doesn't get any respect, that sounds like someone thinks they're pretty darn good! And they've proven their worth by beating up on some of the best teams in NCAA Men's Basketball during the NCAA tournament.
I've been watching some of CNN's coverage of the Final Four in San Antonio today (during breaks from work, of course!) and all they talk about is how good this Memphis team is...especially their two guards that most expect to be in the NBA this time next year. Very little has been said about KU although many prognosticators predict that as many as five or six of KU's players may end up on NBA rosters next season. It seems that the Memphis Tigers are all of a sudden everyone's little darlings of the tournament. No doubt they are a t
errific team. But KU is no slouch this year. Three years ago, when many of KU's players were heralded freshman, everyone seemed to expect them to make it to the Final Four. So why is it such a stretch for people to really believe that with three years under their belts they can't win it all? Yes, we KU fans have grown accustomed to the disappointment of believing the team will make it year after year only to lose to teams like Bucknell in the first round. But I believe this team is much different. This team has something that I haven't seen in any other team this year. Balance. They have the most balanced team I've seen in years. They are loaded with unselfish talent. In each game during the tournament, it seems that a different player has stepped up and given the team the boost they needed to win the game. And Coach Bill Self has sold this incredibly talented group of players on the importance of defense. Ever hear the old saying "Offense wins games, but defense wins championships"? Saturday night, KU played a North Carolina team that was blowing away everyone in this tournament. By playing tenacious defense, KU built up a 40-12 lead in the first half! Is it so hard to think that they can do that again? Now, the North Carolina game was a game that isn't going to be duplicated very often. But I've often seen KU win big games by creating turnovers on defense. I believe they can do it one more time. This time tomorrow I may be eating my words, but for now I have to believe. It seems that this KU team should be using the "No Repect" motto this time around.
I've been watching some of CNN's coverage of the Final Four in San Antonio today (during breaks from work, of course!) and all they talk about is how good this Memphis team is...especially their two guards that most expect to be in the NBA this time next year. Very little has been said about KU although many prognosticators predict that as many as five or six of KU's players may end up on NBA rosters next season. It seems that the Memphis Tigers are all of a sudden everyone's little darlings of the tournament. No doubt they are a t
errific team. But KU is no slouch this year. Three years ago, when many of KU's players were heralded freshman, everyone seemed to expect them to make it to the Final Four. So why is it such a stretch for people to really believe that with three years under their belts they can't win it all? Yes, we KU fans have grown accustomed to the disappointment of believing the team will make it year after year only to lose to teams like Bucknell in the first round. But I believe this team is much different. This team has something that I haven't seen in any other team this year. Balance. They have the most balanced team I've seen in years. They are loaded with unselfish talent. In each game during the tournament, it seems that a different player has stepped up and given the team the boost they needed to win the game. And Coach Bill Self has sold this incredibly talented group of players on the importance of defense. Ever hear the old saying "Offense wins games, but defense wins championships"? Saturday night, KU played a North Carolina team that was blowing away everyone in this tournament. By playing tenacious defense, KU built up a 40-12 lead in the first half! Is it so hard to think that they can do that again? Now, the North Carolina game was a game that isn't going to be duplicated very often. But I've often seen KU win big games by creating turnovers on defense. I believe they can do it one more time. This time tomorrow I may be eating my words, but for now I have to believe. It seems that this KU team should be using the "No Repect" motto this time around.
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