In Reply to: I doubt any AP voters have seen all 18 B1G teams play a game... posted by Born2BBruin on December 02, 2024 at 20:25:49
What this team's ceiling is depends so much on two guys - who seem to me to be a year away from being ready - Kyle and Mara. Both are showing improvement. Both are playing better and Cronin says they are practicing better. But the big lessons are yet to come, they only start this month, only a few games that will really test them - test them in ways and at levels they need to master for the team to reach its positive potential.
I don't think we will know how good this team will be by the end of this month. Perhaps not until early to mid-February.
I think we have some tough lessons ahead. Maybe they lower our expectations. Maybe they should. But we really don't know what Kyle and Mara have inside of them. Mara is certainly showing grit and he's getting better. Kyle - he showed some stuff at his last school, at a lower level, and Cronin seems to believe in him. I don't think we can write them off if they stumble the first half of the conference season.
Some guys just bring it - Dailey is terrific; he just fits. Will Bilodeau be able to deliver against the best competition, playing within a system that keeps moving the ball and involves everyone in the offense rather than stopping the ball every time he gets it to slow things down and try to work for an open look, trying to make something happen? Hope so.
But with Mara it's physical - how will he measure up? And it's grit - how many times will he get back up? Will be really be effective when the opponent is Ballo? Or Wolf and Golden? Will Kyle be physically able to make a difference in those games?
Just not sure you can put a clock on it at this point. Or if this team is really still a year away from being effective in our new conferential playground