There are a LOT of people out there saying that Bill Self might have had one of the worst coaching efforts in the history of college basketball last season. Do you agree?
How would YOU have done if you were coaching the eventual #1 and #3 picks in the NBA draft, and two other McDonald's All - Americans? It's not as easy as it looks.
I probably would have lost just as many of those non-con games, but I bet we would have lost more than 5 conference games if I was coaching them. oscar Weber would have probably got me in Lawrence, and there is no way I beat the Mayor in Ames. However, I do think I could have led them past Iowa State in a virtual home game in the Big 12 Tournament.
Then, we lose Embiid. We beat Eastern Kentucky (duh) without Joel, and probably do beat a very average 10-seed Stanford team because we have two other McDonald's All-Americans that I easily cajole into stepping up when Joel goes down. Obviously would have crushed 11-seeded Dayton with our 3 healthy McDonald's All-Americans at three different position (how could we not???). BUT, Florida would have pounded us again....Billy would have had my number, for sure.
See, it's not easy.