How do you feel about #14 after the Morgantown performance?

What say you?


RC

Like most I am sure, this W has to make you feel better about 14. As with so many of the previous 13, they are going to need some help from the middle and bottom of the pack. I am just so encouraged that in that building, against that team they found a way to win. That has be such a positive for the rest of conference play as well as for games in March. Say what you will about WVU and Huggins, they play with a lot of effort. Overcoming that and out toughing them on their home court has got to send a message not only to the rest of the Big 12 but also to this team of Hawks. Its not going to look much more dire. The environment won’t get more hostile. No matter what they face from here on, they can look back at this game and believe in each other. Hey, uh tell Tony Robbins he can leave now. Sorry, got a little too uplifting there. Anyway, In the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas....”so you’re saying theres a chance?” Yes Lloyd, there’s a chance.

In one word: "better".

A few things have happened along the way. First, we've gotten help. WVU was undefeated last week, and after Tech beat them, we went in there tied as opposed to having to win to catch up. Last night's help from KSU should also be noted. If we get the trifecta of luck tonight from the Longhorns, we're truly blessed and I'm sure you'll hear screaming from certain pockets of anti-KU sentiments.

As for the the game, I don't think we should forget how HORRIBLE we were in the 1st half. They came out and punched us right in the nose and we didn't do anything. By halftime I was resigned to us losing and losing big.

What followed, however, was simply amazing. A complete 180. Our guys executed, stopped turning the ball over, and put WVU on their heels.

So from a team perspective, I'm happy that THEY know that THEY have that kind of performance within them. So much of sports is based on confidence. It's very easy to fall back on what you "can't" do, but when you do something like KU did on Monday, you're perception of what's possible changes. To me that's the #1 takeaway....if we CAN do that, there's no reason that we can't do that every night.

All that being said, we're still in a tough league and we can't rely on luck to deliver #14. We've used up a lot of our luck with WVU and OU losing, guys staying healthy, and any number of things that have worked out in our favor. We're going to lose some more games, and I hope we don't lose any more at home, but I wouldn't wager much against it. So I'm right down the middle....we can, but so can a few other teams. What we need to do most of all is take advantage of the "luck" we've been handed and not lose games that we shouldn't lose (i.e. Baylor on Saturday). No unforced errors!

For the past several years, we seem to have been in a similar position. Yes, we have had more talented teams, but so has everyone else. To me, this is pretty much the "same song, 14th verse."

Do we need to quit playing soft and incorporate effective defense? YES!

Do we need to hold serve at home? YES! (Let's hope the one hiccup is all we see)

Do we need some help from other teams? YES!

All of the above have been true in many, if not most of the previous 13 years. This year is no different. Did we have any guarantees in the past? There were probably some years the confidence level was higher, but things happened to give us a scare, at least this early in the conference schedule. Seeing TT get another loss or two is critical since they got us at our place. Otherwise, I like our chances right now about as well as many of the previous 13.

To answer the question in the topic line, I too, feel better. It will give me even greater confidence if we see the same grit and determination in our guys going forward.

The biggest thing right now in our favor is our 3-0 road record. In a typical year, you only need 4 to get at least a share of the title.

Right now we're the only ones with 3 road wins (WVU has 2). Everyone but Tech and OU has at least one home loss as well.