Alieberman wrote: Sun Feb 20, 2022 9:37 am
I think with 2 weeks left in the regular season it is important to reflect on where we are.
I know many of us thought AZ being left out of the pre-season top 25 and picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the Pac was absurd but with a new coach... who had zero head coaching experience taking over.... no one could have thought that entering the final week of February we would:
Have a coach who quickly won over all of the skeptics in Tucson and fans of AZ
Have only 1 non-conference loss (to a top 15 team on the road)
1 conference loss (to a top 15 team on the road)
A 3 game lead in Pac.... all but having the regular season Pac 12 Championship locked up
Have a favorite to win Pac-12 Player of the Year (As well as All-American)
Have a favorite to win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
A locked up Pac-12 Coach of the Year (And a serious candidate for NCOY)
Had the amazing and unexpected growth in 3 key players (Koloko, Terry and Ballo)
Undefeated at home
A team that never panics at early double digit deficits
A team that is staring at #2 poll ranking
A team that is closing in a #1 seed in The NCAA Tournament
It's good to be a Cats fan
Bear Down!
I was the most vocal of critics when it came to the hire, but I must say that Lloyd has adjusted quite well to the Old Pueblo. That being said, we still need to clean up the rebounding, turnovers and free throws. I don't expect radical changes overnight, but some fine tuning will pay huge dividends come post season time.
You know, CTL has lived quite the semi-charmed life. He leaves a top 5 program and moves to a program that re establishes itself as a top 5 with a great tradition and culture. No rebuild, just a massive tune up. Now, he has a good foundation to have a top 5 team next year if only Mathurin leaves (and if he recruits the portal well). I like the fact his image is squeaky clean as well, it makes every accomplishment that much more palatable by not just fans, but the media as well.
He can be a bit dorky at times, but with the culture he has instilled the future does indeed look promising. Some fans might whine about the closeness of the score, but we need games like Illinois, Wichita State and Oregon to prepare us for those physical, SEC level teams that will stretch us come tourney time. But overall, I'm just happy to sweep ASU and get those UCLA and Oregon monkeys off our backs. It feels great.