Better athletes and better shooters makes for the difference, in my mind, which may be stating the obvious. We so often don't get a shot off until the end of the shot clock but tend to make a lot more of them this year. That's because we just have more talented offensive players than in the past. We are better defenders and rebounders (though I wish Pardon would block out more) and shot blockers than ever before due to our increased athleticism. We had great tactical coaching with Carmody, but now we have a great leader in Collins who has increased the talent - he excels in all aspects of coaching. While we are not quite as talented as other teams as yet, we play like a team, which allows us to overcome. Let's hope for continued addition of high-level talent - then, the sky is the limit!