Best PG in Big East, possibly country

[GumbyDamnit!]

I thought Nova would drop off this year with the guys they lost. Wrong. Brunson's improvement makes them just as tough as last year. You look at them and can see flaws, but they just don't lose.

I wish Villanova only the best, but I don't think they've replaced Ochefu. There were times last year when they really needed a basket that they could go to him and he was almost automatic. There may come a time in a close game in the tournament when they'll wish they had that.

Yeah, he can get you timely buckets down low, but more importantly we can't play inside-out anymore. That's an entire dimension of last year's offense that has to be locked away until next season.

No question that Ochefu is missed more. But you play with what you've got and it has been really interesting to watch the gradual emergence of Eric Paschall and how he is used. With little mention, EP hit 3 really big 3 pointers on Saturday with Delgado nowhere near him defensively. I think Jay is starting to recognize the matchup problems that he could provide when faced with a team with a dominant big. This team's clear strength is spreading the floor, ball movement and finding open shooters. If EP can hit that pick and pop 3 at an >35% clip the rest of the way, it will only open up the floor even more--and playing to the team's strength. So maybe not the same as what Ochefu could provide, but still highly valuable for the system.

What I think we miss more is on the D side. We never had to double the post with DO.