This may all help us in the NCAA tourney

Feb 22, 2018, 11:23 AM

Assuming we get in, which I would say is still pretty likely, this little end of season lapse may actually be good for us in the tourney.

Devoe isn't really struggling from 3pt range as much as he is not getting any good looks and is trying to force most of his shots, which has then gotten somewhat in his head. Without Mitchell in the lineup, it is much easier for teams to stay on Devoe, but like we saw last night, it is leaving Reed open much more. Once Mitchell returns, having him, Reed, and Devoe all out there will make it really tough for our opponents and Devoe may find himself with more room to shoot.

Sims has really improved and has much better shot selection and a lot more confidence. The bench is getting a lot of good minutes and will be more reliable when needed once Mitchell is back.

With all the changes with Mitchell out, new players figuring out their roles, and developing from game to game, we could be a totally different team heading into the tourney, which means it will be much harder for our opponent to use season film to scout us. We've seen many seasons under Purnell where we did very well in the season, but by tournament time, teams had figured out our tendencies and how to stop us or beat our press.

I think if Mitchell returns and we get a couple more wins, the tournament committee will give us the benefit of the doubt with this little lapse while he is out. Maybe a lower seed will be better for us, too, as we get to be the underdog or a more even matchup, versus a team with a big target on us.

No matter what happens, we have already far exceeded expectations to even be talking about postseason play in the real tournament.

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UVA loss by running off four straight league wins afterwards, at the time the longest streak in the ACC heading into FSU. That was impressive and tells a lot about the heart in these guys. We lost our best player, adjusted, then got back to the business of winning again.

Mitchell's spot in the line-up has obviously been a big key in our offense. We're 20 points worse per game on offense these last two with him missing, and it looks that way. Getting him back, plus the extra pressure experience that many on the bench are getting during this stretch should pay dividends in tournament time for sure.

Once Mitchell comes back, we shoud be better overall as a team than before he was out, and it couldn't happen at a better time.

This may all help us in the NCAA tourney

Like your pawsitive outlook, thank you!***

I think a big point is that DeVoe is forced with

winn8ng the next 3 will be good***

This team passed a big test after losing Donte and the ugly

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