There was plenty of talk about how weak this draft was leading up to it, and on draft night many saw numerous surprises. In fact, we shouldn’t have been very surprised by anything, and there are things we can take away from this draft.
Your Phil of Hoops
Charlotte wanted more but feels like they accomplished something
Charlotte naturally had hoped to make the NCAA Tournament, then hoped to make a run in the NIT when it came calling instead. But the 49ers have a season of progress now in the books and should be primed to continue growing next season from what they did this year.
Despite semifinal loss, Notre Dame feels better leaving New York than when they entered
Amidst much talk of whether or not conference tournaments are a good idea, Notre Dame got a boost in New York. They are happy with the tournament and feel more prepared for the NCAA Tournament despite a semifinal loss.
John Dunne sad the season is over for St. Peter’s
It was a tough year on the bottom line for St. Peter’s, but that didn’t make head coach John Dunne any less sad to see the season end. He had a solid group of players that did everything well except pull out wins.
For Cincinnati, offense will be the key
Cincinnati is now trying to play smaller and faster. It worked very well against Providence but not so well against a very good defensive team in Georgetown. The Bearcats aren’t a great offensive team and it showed.
Providence needs to keep growing to win more in New York
Providence was blitzed early by Cincinnati on Wednesday and once again bowed out of the Big East Tournament early. They have grown this year but clearly have more growing to do.
Turnovers hurt Siena right to the end
Turnovers hurt Siena all season, but especially on Saturday as they did a lot of things well on offense when they did take care of the ball. They had their chances, but turnovers often snuffed them out.
Butler bounces back from blowout loss, look more like themselves
In their first game since being thumped at VCU, Butler looked more like themselves. That will be crucial with the Atlantic 10 Tournament and NCAA Tournament right around the corner.
Virginia can’t turn win over Duke into a momentum builder
Virginia met the same fate as Maryland when going to Boston College after a win over Duke. The Cavaliers were close to a different result, but remain on the bubble and need to turn the corner on the road.
In a tough loss, Connecticut shows tremendous heart
Connecticut lost Wednesday night’s game against Georgetown in double overtime. But along the way, the Huskies showed a lot of heart with how they competed to even get the game to one overtime, let alone two.
