Tweet
There are a few teams that I feel have overachieved in the early going, and about the same amount who have underachieved.
Share your thoughts...and GRADES that you would give to each school in the Valley, based on expectations heading into the season, performance vs. varying opponent-levels, and obstacles a team may have had to overcome (ineligibility, injury, etc.)
I'll start from the Head of the Class:
A : Wichita St. - Who would have thought that we'd see an 8-0 start out of the gates? Not even Shocker fans, who knew there would be talented newcomers, but thought they would go through growing pains...not to say they won't during league play, but they have been in tight road games early on and have prevailed. This is a pretty deep team coached by a guy that knows how to get the most out of his players who buy into his system.
A- : Creighton - just 1 hiccup on the way to a fine season by the #16 Bluejays. They have proven to the basketball world that they are legit and that DM is a game-changer. They may be missing PG Young, but it seems they have been clicking on all cylinders without him.
B+ : Bradley - With only 1 sub-par performace in memory, and possibly a couple mediocre performances, the Braves are off to a faster start than most expected. They are playing with a team-first mentality and are getting key contributions for numerous guys who have struggled in the past. A big key has been forcing way more turnovers than giving up. They have found a winning formula that doesn't rely on perimeter shooting, an evident weakness on the team.
B+ : Southern IL - A couple convincing wins by the Salukis and a couple relatively close losses to quality opponents have given hope to fans that rebuilding may not be as long as expected. Much like Bradley, they are showing they can hang with a lot of teams and are not shoe-ins for the Thursday play-in games.
C+ : Evansville - Hard to judge what the results would have been with a healthy Colt. Getting injured in the middle of the game vs. Buffalo was a detriment to the Aces, and then it took a couple more games to get back on track offensively. It appears they have found a groove now and should be tough to beat in the Valley as long as Colt provides the expected horse-power!
Remaing Valley grades:
C : Indy St
C- : Drake
D+ : ISU-red - Would be a "B" had they taken care of Wyoming after building a comfy 19 point lead! They have hurt the Valley with 2 games they should have won...shame on you Redbirds!!
D : UNI - not looking like a contender at this point, though I think they'll get it together by this time next month. Another team that could have helped the league, but went a disappointing 0-3 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney.
F+ : Bad News Bears - nobody knew much about Lusk's team, but I would venture to say nobody imagined they'd be this bad! Still without a win vs. a DI school. How far the Bears have sunk since the 1st place finish less than 2 years ago. Bet they're begging for Barry back.
Share your thoughts...and GRADES that you would give to each school in the Valley, based on expectations heading into the season, performance vs. varying opponent-levels, and obstacles a team may have had to overcome (ineligibility, injury, etc.)
I'll start from the Head of the Class:
A : Wichita St. - Who would have thought that we'd see an 8-0 start out of the gates? Not even Shocker fans, who knew there would be talented newcomers, but thought they would go through growing pains...not to say they won't during league play, but they have been in tight road games early on and have prevailed. This is a pretty deep team coached by a guy that knows how to get the most out of his players who buy into his system.
A- : Creighton - just 1 hiccup on the way to a fine season by the #16 Bluejays. They have proven to the basketball world that they are legit and that DM is a game-changer. They may be missing PG Young, but it seems they have been clicking on all cylinders without him.
B+ : Bradley - With only 1 sub-par performace in memory, and possibly a couple mediocre performances, the Braves are off to a faster start than most expected. They are playing with a team-first mentality and are getting key contributions for numerous guys who have struggled in the past. A big key has been forcing way more turnovers than giving up. They have found a winning formula that doesn't rely on perimeter shooting, an evident weakness on the team.
B+ : Southern IL - A couple convincing wins by the Salukis and a couple relatively close losses to quality opponents have given hope to fans that rebuilding may not be as long as expected. Much like Bradley, they are showing they can hang with a lot of teams and are not shoe-ins for the Thursday play-in games.
C+ : Evansville - Hard to judge what the results would have been with a healthy Colt. Getting injured in the middle of the game vs. Buffalo was a detriment to the Aces, and then it took a couple more games to get back on track offensively. It appears they have found a groove now and should be tough to beat in the Valley as long as Colt provides the expected horse-power!
Remaing Valley grades:
C : Indy St
C- : Drake
D+ : ISU-red - Would be a "B" had they taken care of Wyoming after building a comfy 19 point lead! They have hurt the Valley with 2 games they should have won...shame on you Redbirds!!
D : UNI - not looking like a contender at this point, though I think they'll get it together by this time next month. Another team that could have helped the league, but went a disappointing 0-3 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney.
F+ : Bad News Bears - nobody knew much about Lusk's team, but I would venture to say nobody imagined they'd be this bad! Still without a win vs. a DI school. How far the Bears have sunk since the 1st place finish less than 2 years ago. Bet they're begging for Barry back.
Comment