Overconfidence is our worst enemy. If you are Roy, how do you motivate your team to take State seriously?
Defeatism is their worst enemy. If you are Gott, what kind of game plan gives you your best chance to beat Carolina and to convince your players they can do it?
They were 12-3 before playing us and none of those losses was a bad loss (Creighton on the road; @ Illinois; @ Miami).
Then we clobbered them - starting a 2-9 slide.
It's almost impossible for them to make the NCAA. Maybe if they sweep the regular season and win a couple of games in the ACCT.
OTOH, they have a better shot at the NIT. They need to win nearly all their remaining games. And they need a signature win from either us or UVa. But when you look at that roster, they should have a shot at it.
So . . . their chance to play in post season could be on the line, starting with this game. For guys like Smith and Abu that could make a payday difference or even, in Abu's case, determine whether he has any shot at the next level. Henderson (also a senior unless he has a redshirt year left) may be good enough to play in Europe. So he will want to play well. Dorn has been riding the pine (which seems really stupid to me because he's very good). So he should be up for it if Gott lets him play. Rowan played better than most against us last time, but should still want to do better. Yurtseven has disappointed, but he isn't that bad. More uncertain than unskilled. I imagine Smith has something to prove against Berry because Berry really outplayed him.
Point being that State has something to prove as a team and individually. So even if Gott has lost control of his team, the individual players may come out with fierce determination.
Defeatism is their worst enemy. If you are Gott, what kind of game plan gives you your best chance to beat Carolina and to convince your players they can do it?
They were 12-3 before playing us and none of those losses was a bad loss (Creighton on the road; @ Illinois; @ Miami).
Then we clobbered them - starting a 2-9 slide.
It's almost impossible for them to make the NCAA. Maybe if they sweep the regular season and win a couple of games in the ACCT.
OTOH, they have a better shot at the NIT. They need to win nearly all their remaining games. And they need a signature win from either us or UVa. But when you look at that roster, they should have a shot at it.
So . . . their chance to play in post season could be on the line, starting with this game. For guys like Smith and Abu that could make a payday difference or even, in Abu's case, determine whether he has any shot at the next level. Henderson (also a senior unless he has a redshirt year left) may be good enough to play in Europe. So he will want to play well. Dorn has been riding the pine (which seems really stupid to me because he's very good). So he should be up for it if Gott lets him play. Rowan played better than most against us last time, but should still want to do better. Yurtseven has disappointed, but he isn't that bad. More uncertain than unskilled. I imagine Smith has something to prove against Berry because Berry really outplayed him.
Point being that State has something to prove as a team and individually. So even if Gott has lost control of his team, the individual players may come out with fierce determination.
