godukegobradley
New member
Our '06 team was a different beast. With (2) 7'ers and several 6'5" guards on the bench, we looked like a real team "walking through the airport". That was a team that started 5 future pros and had another 5 on the bench (yes, most were euro league). That was not a fluke of success.
I keep thinking back to '07 when VCU's renouned pressure D forced a young Paulus into a 4-6 Assist to Turnover ratio during an early NCAA exit. Thing was, Bradley played VCU at VCU about a month before that game. VCU kept turning up the pressure, but we kept pulling away. I'm certain we would of beat Duke that year, too.
Now, the teams are much different, and I am scared of what Duke might do, but if Duke is relying on some younger guards without Scheyer, with our senior guards, we may be able to pull something off.
I agree with you on all counts. Though, I must say, that there were probably teams in the MEAC and the Patriot League that could have beaten the '07 Duke team. That team was an aberration of Duke teams. They had 0 seniors, 1 junior who had been hurt much of his first two seasons, two overhyped sophomores who would never live up to their billing ( great kid though Paulus was), one sophomore glue guy, and a four man freshmen class that consisted of only two guys who had any business getting ACC minutes at that stage of their development.
The fact that that '07 Duke team managed to win 22 games and make the NCAA tournament was amazing and a true testament to Coach K, and the will of those young men. They were a team with no depth, no experience, a void of leadership, and quite frankly not enough talent. Actually, now that I think about, I cant believe it took VCU a buzzer beater to do it.
Case in point is what happened to the Tar Holes this year, and they featured two tournament tested national champion Seniors, one junior, 4 sophomores including one lottery pick, and a freshmen class that was far more highly touted than the '07 Devils.
Still, its worth noting, as mediocre as that '07 team was, they still did not lose at Cameron to a non-conference opponent, including a couple tournament teams, like Final Four participant Georgetown. Not sure how, but we did.