ACC thread...

[mcnicKY91]

I'm not saying that what you are saying isn't true, I just don't think being heavily tested has as big an impact on tourney success as many people do. There are plenty of national champions throughout history, in both basketball and football that rolled through the regular season pretty easily. It probably helps some, but I just don't think it is as big a factor as many other people do. There's no way really to say how much it increases your odds of winning in the tournament if you play a bunch of close games throughout the year. I also don't think tourney results are a good way to measure ANYTHING. We both know that all it takes is one night of bad shooting or whatever and you can be beat by about anybody.

That's fine. There is definitely an element of randomness to tournament games. No doubt.

At the same time, if I had my choice between going into a tournament (that has an element of randomness) of being tested in conference or not being tested, I would choose the former. It's always nice to know if a team can handle adversity against good/really good competition.

Just my opinion.

 

[Blueheart32]

That's fine. There is definitely an element of randomness to tournament games. No doubt.

At the same time, if I had my choice between going into a tournament (that has an element of randomness) of being tested in conference or not being tested, I would choose the former. It's always nice to know if a team can handle adversity against good/really good competition.

Just my opinion.

Now that I do not disagree with at all. Yes, give me that every time. I just don't think not having it hurts my chances that much.

 

[bignish]

Do you know how Duke would handle it?

How would Auburn or Houston handle it? If a game is tight with a few minutes to go, clearly the other team is playing very well so its going to come down to who gets stops and who can hit some clutch shots. Being "battle tested" doesn't prepare you for that. There's a lot of variance involved then but you generally want the best player or 2 on the floor to create their own shot/draw a foul and the best X&O coach to draw up plays.

 

[mcnicKY91]

How would Auburn or Houston handle it? If a game is tight with a few minutes to go, clearly the other team is playing very well so its going to come down to who gets stops and who can hit some clutch shots. Being "battle tested" doesn't prepare you for that. There's a lot of variance involved then but you generally want the best player or 2 on the floor to create their own shot/draw a foul and the best X&O coach to draw up plays.

Being battle tested doesn't just come down to how a team navigates a close game in the tournament.

It moreso refers to handling adversity during the game. As an example, what if Duke is down by double digits against a really good team in the tourney with 10 min to go. How will they respond? Is there anything to draw upon from a similar experience earlier in the year....I always think experiences like that help.