Not saying anything that hasn't already been posted before, but this team wins games because it (i) is really well coached, (ii) plays great defense for the entire game (ties back to coaching and the commitment of our best players) and (iii) doesn't rely on one or even two players. I don't think (ii) and (iii) have been true very often, if at all, in the past 45 plus years. It's clear you can have a good season relying on a couple of guys to play well offensively. I don't think you can be as consistently competitive as the team has been this year, though, without having 7 or 8 guys step up at different times offensively. Vic shoots 2 for 12 last night. Scottie plays just o.k. Pardon, Skelly and Brown don't score. No problem. Earlier in the conference season, Lumpkin wasn't contributing much offensively and Skelly had some really good games. Brown made some key baskets against Nebraska and obviously Pardon was dominant when Lindsey and Macintosh shot poorly. I am guessing there is going to be a game or two this year when everyone is struggling offensively, but it's been remarkable how competitive the team has been in almost every game this year. Michigan State was really the only game where I felt like they didn't have a good chance to win in the second half.
