We've lost the close games. On the positive side, we've competed for almost every game. But at the end, we just didn't make the plays to take the prize. Lost to Vandy by 3. Took KY to Ot. Lost to Richmond by 1. Seven points gives us three wins therer. Then we lost the WKU game in the last two minutes. Rider we just weren't ready. Dropped the two to Al and Ark that hurt us. We could have won both of those. Not remembering the Florida loss exactly now but remember it was pretty close. We are very close to being a great team. We've almost got the stuff to hang with a lot of the better teams in the country. But we lack the inside offense and ability to mix up our game more when needed. Maybe more importantly we lack the killer instinct required to take that close game as the final buzzer approaches. What really hurts my heart this year is the wouldacouldashoulda syndrome. Turn these late fades around and we're a top ten team. That being said, I don't think it's correct to blame Stans. I'm sure he's using every motivational tool he knows. Sometimes the **** doesn't work with some players. The idea that we should call timeout at every critical juncture, which many criticize him for not doing, is something I disagree with. I think timeouts can hurt as much as they can help. Somethimes they're needed but not every time the opponent has a run. Runs are a normal part of the game.
I think a big thing this season is that we just don't have the athletes to dominate many teams. So Stans deserves credit for winning most games with these players and even challenging the top teams. He'd deserve more credit if he could put us over the top in more of those marquee games -- Vandy, KY annd Florida. All winnable, all L's.
