Youthful

In one respect, at least, Will Neighbour reminds me of John Shurna of Northwestern. Neither of them will ever look as old as he is. They look like they are about 16 years old.

Winning with half a game

Northwestern's problem winning big under Carmody is that they play half a game. They are superb shooters and ball handlers, but they just ignore the down-and-dirty parts of the game - rebounding and physical defense. They are like Wall Street bankers trying to play against tough kids from the neighborhood. When you only use half the game in trying to win, you leave yourself very little room for error.

Peaceful

It surely is nice to root for a program that is not constantly immersed in controversy.

Tramar

Tramar Sutherland was the ideal role player last season. He did what we needed to be done. He was the kind of player who unfortunately does not get noticed much, and therefore does not get enough credit, but does what is needed and does it well.

ASU next year

Our arch-rivals should have four starters returning next year, including their leading scorer and do-everything guard Trey Finn. They should be tough.

No comparison

PLEASE do not say that Kentucky's current one-and-done big man deserves to be mentioned with Lew Alcindor. Not even on the same page!

Wisconsin's defense

Wisconsin' defense was just ridiculously good this year. Opponents shot just 38.9% overall and 29.4% from the arc. Add to that the fact that they had only 9 turnovers per game and play at a slow pace, and the other teams really had to make the best of the few opportunities they got against them.

Shields' improvement

It appears to me that Steve Shields is continuing to grow as a coach. The last couple of seasons he has displayed much more flexibility with his teams, while preserving the core principles of his basic game. Will Neighbour is going to provide some very interesting opportunities for him as a coach, given his unusual package of skills. With Michael Javes as a bona fide defensive enforcer in the middle for the first time in years, the same will be true on the defensive end.

Savannah State

Remember Savannah State, who back in 04-05 did not win a single game - the whole season? Well, keep an eye on them next season. They were 21-12 this past season and won the MEAC regular season title. They should return their entire roster next year, including five starters that will be seniors.

TOUGHNESS

Mental toughness is a quality that really cannot be captured in the stat sheet. Good teams always seem to have a player or two who embody it.