Question 2: Which team is the hardest for you to figure out right now, for better or for worse?
Robinson- Marquette. Coming off of last season I really expected them to be winning more of their non-conference games against quality opponents. This would have served as a signal that their upperclassmen are ready to cement The Golden Eagles amongst the best programs in the country and that hasn’t happened the way I envisioned it.
Megdal- Has to be Rutgers. Look, bringing back Tyler Scaife was bound to make a big difference. But they didn’t add a ton of other pieces to a 6-24 team from last year. And they are legit 10-2, gave South Carolina all they could handle, beat NC State and Virginia. Now the obvious answer is C. Vivian Stringer’s brilliance, but exactly how they are so much better so fast is puzzling to me. Need to get eyes on them in person, soon.
DuDonis- Louisville. I was there in person last season to see the Cardinals season end in a beatdown at the hands of Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen. I left that game with a ton questions about them moving forward. Well, those questions have been answered. Asia Durr is really good (duh) but the whole team is performing so well. They are shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from three. Not just that, they are top 10 in the country in margin per 100 possessions, effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage and a ton of other important categories.