Optimistic, so okay. But realistically, all other things being equal, we'd be a lot better off w/him than without, be it for 15 minutes or 30 minutes.
I'm curious to see who starts today, if Pike sticks with the same starting 5 or not. I think Pike and his staff have been brilliant this season, and I think most of the Big Ten coaches would agree, even in most of our losses. They keep finding ways to take a team of non-superstars and getting them to beat teams with more talented players.
Ultimately, our dual Achilles heels have been poor shooting and defending teams with multiple high percentage outside shooters when they're having great shooting days. If we don't fall prey to either of those two things, we have a good shot to win.