Coulda Shoulda Woulda

[Hall2012]

I was just thinking last night about how awesome this league could have been this year if everything broke right. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good, but it lost a lot. What immediately comes to mind for me:

IF...
1. Mo Watson doesn't get hurt, Creighton is looking at a much higher seed and retains realistic final 4 aspirations
2. Ed Sumner doesn't get hurt, Xavier is looking at a much higher seed and retains realistic final 4 aspirations
3. Myles Davis doesn't get into trouble, bumps Xavier even more
4. Ben Bentil returns to Providence (staying in the draft was clearly a mistake), Providence is a likely NCAA tournament team with second weekend potential
5. Isaiah Whitehead returns to Seton Hall (though leaving has worked out well for him and seems to have been the right decision), the Pirates are an NCAA Tournament lock and possibly with final 4 aspirations.

Am I missing anything?

I thought about if Henry Ellenson returned to Marquette but left it out because it didn't ever seem like a realistic possibility.

[DudeAnon]

I think the only one which really is heartbreaking is Watson. He was arguably the best PG in the country and was the heart of the team. Creighton was a more realistic F4 team than Xavier with Mo.

[GumbyDamnit!]

I was just thinking last night about how awesome this league could have been this year if everything broke right. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good, but it lost a lot.

Am I missing anything?

1. If Omari Spellman was not ruled ineligible and if Phil Booth were healthy Nova would be even better, and enter March as the unquestioned favorite to win it all again.

[Hall2012]

I was just thinking last night about how awesome this league could have been this year if everything broke right. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good, but it lost a lot.

Am I missing anything?

1. If Omari Spellman was not ruled ineligible and if Phil Booth were healthy Nova would be even better, and enter March as the unquestioned favorite to win it all again.

Another one I thought about, but I'm not sure they aren't the unquestioned favorite to win it all anyway.

[Hall2012]

I think the only one which really is heartbreaking is Watson. He was arguably the best PG in the country and was the heart of the team. Creighton was a more realistic F4 team than Xavier with Mo.

In terms of a "heartbreaking factor" I absolutely agree Mo Watson is the biggest one with his circumstances. In terms of being a difference maker, my vote would go to Isaiah Whitehead. I can see an argument for Watson too though.

[stever20smom]

I think the only one which really is heartbreaking is Watson. He was arguably the best PG in the country and was the heart of the team. Creighton was a more realistic F4 team than Xavier with Mo.

^^^ this. Agree with most of those points above, but CU had the looks of a legit Final Four contender with Watson at the helm. I still think their ceiling is higher than most national pundits. That said, I found it interesting that the NCAA committee showed that they weren't ready to give up on them just yet when they had them as the first team out of the 'Top 16' or whatever.

It looks like the Jays have finally learned how to play without Watson, and while his absence almost certainly leaves them with a lower ceiling, they still look to be every bit capable of making a run in the tournament. A lot of talent still there and guys seem to be stepping up i.e. Thomas, Foster, etc.

[NJRedman]

What if St. John's beats Del State and LIU? Ugh!

[JohnW22]

What if Jalen Reynolds returned for his senior year

[billyjack]

Good thread and good list, which I agree with.

1. Watson.
2. Sumner and Miles Davis.
3. Booth and Spellman.
4. Bentil... and holy cow, going back a year, 7'-2" Pascal Chukwu and his transfer to Syracuse... both would only be juniors... grrrr.

In the "Shoulda" category, if PC had won the game at BC on Dec 23rd, our RPI would be at 55 and we wouldn't have that terrible loss on our resume.

With Creighton, Davion Mintz has been starting, but Clement has been getting more minutes over the last 4 games, and Clement has averaged 5 assists and 2 turnovers in that time. Is the PG job going to be divided between these two, and do Jays fans have a preference?

[GoldenWarrior11]

Ellenson was never returning for a second year. He was a mercenary, a true one and one player.

The only thing, as a Marquette fan, that would be classified under this scenario would be if we held on to beat Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, and Butler. Those three games killed us. Frankly, I don't think we deserve to be in the tournament with our inconsistency, but I want the BE to get 5 teams in.