Never want to hear.......

[TeedupHigh]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

[onebadrubi]

Before you go on a tangent, how many times previously has the freshman laiden team beat the senior laiden team?

[PonderinHog]

Before you go on a tangent, how many times previously has the freshman laiden team beat the senior laiden team?

Fab Five, baby!  Wait, nevermind. 

[jry04]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

The person who thinks this is the norm is the one who should be laughed out of the building.

[CDBHawg]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

It all depends. 

When you sign 2-3 one and dones every year, then yeah, it shouldn't be an excuse.

When you depend upon player development, then it's more of a reason than an excuse.

[onebadrubi]

Before you go on a tangent, how many times previously has the freshman laiden team beat the senior laiden team?

I'll answer it for you, 0. 

[Smithian]

Just need good players.

Wisconsin hit big on a couple 3*s, mixed in a couple higher recruited ones, and coached them up.

Duke was a bit younger but had three young studs and mixed in a couple big time veterans.

Kentucky made it to the Final Four with an ultra young, talented team.

Michigan State made it with a lot of experienced, highly recruited players.

There is no one right way to do it. Just get players and coach them up while you have them.

[hawginbigd1]

Wisconsin is about the oldest team you will ever see at this level again IMO, if things remain the same. So if you want to win it all you better figure out how to win it young.

[Kevin]

Well you better get ready to hear it a lot next year if qualls & Portis leave

[bigredone]

Young teams really benefit from having referees in their pocket. Anyone that thinks Duke beat Wiscy because of the players didn't watch that game. Duke has had NC caliber teams in the past, this was not one of them.

[Youngsta71701]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

If you have a bunch of young McDonald's All-American's on your team being young is not an excuse.
But if you have a bunch of young Burger King players on your team then the young excuse is legit.

[Biggus Piggus]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

It is about the talent level not the coaching. Good lord.

[Hogfaniam]

It is about the talent level not the coaching. Good lord.

True.  Good coaching helps, but you have to have talent that gels together. If it was mainly coaching, K would have more than 5

[mizzouman]

Doesn't matter how young a team is or injuries or suspensions or anything like that.  You have to play with the guys you have.  PERIOD.  No excuses.  98% of the reason a team loses is because the other team is better on that particular day.  Being young, injured or having players out is all part of it. 

[ricepig]

True.  Good coaching helps, but you have to have talent that gels together. If it was mainly coaching, K would have more than 5

So, he hasn't had good talent?

[Hogfaniam]

So, he hasn't had good talent?

What?

[BadHog]

Young teams really benefit from having referees in their pocket. Anyone that thinks Duke beat Wiscy because of the players didn't watch that game. Duke has had NC caliber teams in the past, this was not one of them.

Really? That's not what Coach K said but what does he know!

[ricepig]

What?

Coach K has had a lot of good talent at Duke, pretty much every year. Who's job is it to gel this talent? I took your "coaching" comment to indicate that he hasn't had the talent to win more titles.

[Hogfaniam]

Coach K has had a lot of good talent at Duke, pretty much every year. Who's job is it to gel this talent? I took your "coaching" comment to indicate that he hasn't had the talent to win more titles.

I was emphasizing the gelling.  He has a nucleus for another run of great teams for the next three years, if they stay together long enough. 

If the coaching part was the main determining factor in championships, he would have even more rings. 

[latrops]

It all depends. 

When you sign 2-3 one and dones every year, then yeah, it shouldn't be an excuse.

When you depend upon player development, then it's more of a reason than an excuse.

Exactly.  Some highschool seniors enter college ready to dominate.  Others must gradually improve over the course of their career in order to become starters and difference makers.  Michael Qualls wasn't an impact player as a freshman.  He was arguably our best player at the end of his junior season. 

[latrops]

If you have a bunch of young McDonald's All-American's on your team being young is not an excuse.
But if you have a bunch of young Burger King players on your team then the young excuse is legit.

Which is why it really hurts us to lose players a year or two early that aren't McDonald's All Americans/lottery picks.  If Portis leaves, it's not entirely unexpected and isn't a disaster in itself.  If Qualls also leaves, we lose a guy that was developed and who is ready to contribute at a very high level at the time we need him most.  As a program that doesn't bring in many McDs All Americans or players generally expected to go pro as underclassmen, we can't afford to lose guys that aren't projected as potential NBA lottery picks.  Tough for a program like ours to make real progress if we can't keep our best players AND don't bring in many players that are expected to star as freshmen.  We need guys like Qualls or a more mature BJ Young around as upperclassmen to get this thing to the next level.

[hogman99]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

That is a classic Hogville excuse because our system is so complicated. 

[Rocket23]

Could be Kentucky and their nine McDonalds All-Americas.  NO NBA team had more McDonald's All-America players than Kentucky.  Charlotte has nine and a few other teams have eight.

[HiggiePiggy]

Kentucky great recruiting.  Duke great coaching. 

[Hogarusa]

90% of P5 basketball programs are young. 

[Biggus Piggus]

Coach K has had a lot of good talent at Duke, pretty much every year. Who's job is it to gel this talent? I took your "coaching" comment to indicate that he hasn't had the talent to win more titles.

Many seasons, Duke has had an imbalanced roster that limited the team's upside. They typically win a lot anyway, but people overestimated the teams' postseason potential based on W/L record. It took a long time for Coach K to get enough frontcourt talent to make another serious title run. They were a finesse team for the longest time.

[Atlhogfan1]

Zoubek, Singler, Thomas, Kelly, the Plumlees

Okafor, Plumlee, Jefferson

Duke has had skilled G's, wings and F's.  But too often for the last several seasons, they have been too perimeter oriented and made them vulnerable in the NCAAT. 

[MountieDawg]

Kentucky great recruiting.  Duke great coaching. 

Duke recruits top 5 classes each year... They lost in the 1st round of the tourney 2 of the last 4 years.

[Atlhogfan1]

Duke recruits top 5 classes each year... They lost in the 1st round of the tourney 2 of the last 4 years.

And made 20 straight NCAAT's.  No NIT's and of course no NIT losses in the first round to Robert Morris.

[MountieDawg]

I will take your Robert Morris and raise you Lehigh and Mercer.

[HawgTide]

Kentucky great recruiting.  Duke great coaching. 

Duke had better coaching...and 8 McDonald's high school all americans.

[Hoggish1]

Any team that ever uses the excuse, "well we are young" should be laughed out of the building!  A team is only young if those young players can't play!!  Duke and Kentucky proves young just don't matter!  Great coaching can win with young talent

Amen!  Calimari uses that as milk in his cheerios...

[dhornjr1]

Many seasons, Duke has had an imbalanced roster that limited the team's upside. They typically win a lot anyway, but people overestimated the teams' postseason potential based on W/L record. It took a long time for Coach K to get enough frontcourt talent to make another serious title run. They were a finesse team for the longest time.

Quite frankly, some of those Duke teams that were highly regarded yet flamed out early in the tournament were overrated because they were, well, Duke.

[Atlhogfan1]

I will take your Robert Morris and raise you Lehigh and Mercer.

That isn't a raise.  NCAAT 1st R > than NIT.  UK is almost due another appearance.