So does this season go down with the 2002 and 2003 squads as "The teams that could have been"? In 2002 we had a complete team with Zimmerman and Bowers in the Backcourt and Mario Austin and Vincent in the Frontcourt. We had beaten top-ranked teams Oklahoma and Xavier earlier in the year. We once again played great in the SEC tournament before eventually losing to Kentucky in the championship game. We go to Birmingham as a 5 seed and are set up perfectly to advance out of our regional. I still think we would have beaten Louisville if given the chance, but instead we absolutely choke to Butler, and they beat UL instead. That loss still ranks right up there to the 2003 loss to Kentucky as the absolute worst feeling I've ever experienced as a State fan.
Speaking of which, the 2003 team was also loaded. Bowers and Frazier were back and now Lawrence was the big man. For once we played great all season and go into the SEC tournament ranked #4 in the nation trying to play our way to a national #1 seed. Instead, we lose in the first round to Vanderbilt and get a 2 seed and have to play the hottest team in the nation in the 2nd round.
Overall, I don't think this team is nearly as talented as either of those squads, but we do have players that present matchup problems to a lot of teams. I think given a good draw, we could have easily advanced to the Sweet 16. For whatever reason, the team just didn't play up to potential at crucial points in the year. That's the frustrating thing about Stansbury. Why can't his teams play all season like they have these past 3 games? But that's not the point of this post. Without turning this into a Stans-bashing thread, does this season even come close to those as far as disappointing and underachieving. This is of course based on the contingency that we do not make it into the tournament.
Speaking of which, the 2003 team was also loaded. Bowers and Frazier were back and now Lawrence was the big man. For once we played great all season and go into the SEC tournament ranked #4 in the nation trying to play our way to a national #1 seed. Instead, we lose in the first round to Vanderbilt and get a 2 seed and have to play the hottest team in the nation in the 2nd round.
Overall, I don't think this team is nearly as talented as either of those squads, but we do have players that present matchup problems to a lot of teams. I think given a good draw, we could have easily advanced to the Sweet 16. For whatever reason, the team just didn't play up to potential at crucial points in the year. That's the frustrating thing about Stansbury. Why can't his teams play all season like they have these past 3 games? But that's not the point of this post. Without turning this into a Stans-bashing thread, does this season even come close to those as far as disappointing and underachieving. This is of course based on the contingency that we do not make it into the tournament.