This team today and now is superior defensively...
This team today and now is superior defensively...
TRUST THE PROCESS
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
— John Wooden
I know the 09 team won the league, league tourny and got to the NCAA, but the 05-06 team with Woody, Nelson, Winkleman, Smith and Moorman may have been the best team so far IMO. Andre Smith would have been a star on any team in the nation and was probably the biggest reason NDSU got their big wins at Wisconsin and Marquette on their home floors.
It's just too bad they couldn't have won at Minnesota as least once to really solidify the legacy of how good that team was.
For the two years Andre was on this team, every game they played against major conference schools with the exeception of one blow out at Kansas State was very competitive. This is rare for most mid-major programs. They put NDSU on the college basketball map and have given some of the coaching staffs at major conference schools second thoughts about scheduling the Bison since that time.
I would say this however, Bjorklund seems to be on a developmental stage to be the same kind of relentless low post scorer and rebounder Smith was. In other words, someone that can carry you when the outside shots don't fall. This fact along with the development of LA makes the future of Bison basketball very exciting.
Last edited by BisonBlogger; 01-02-2012 at 04:53 PM. Reason: add to
I agree, the future is bright with this group of young men. It makes every game so much more fun to watch knowing that you have these guys for another few years. The Summit tourney this year is going to be a crap shoot. I would say there are 4-5 teams that could legitimately come out of there; NDSU being one of them. As far as our NCAA tourney team of 09. I'm sorry to burst the proverbial bubble here but these guys are too young to compete with the likes of a Woodside/Winkleman lead team. Woody would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then steal their girlfriend afterward, and make them pick up the check for the food he ate. It's that simple. This team may be young and more athletic, but that doesn't mean squat in college hoops. Some of the best ball players of all time were not that athletic. A seasoned team with a filthy leader like Woodside? No contest. These boys would hang for a half and then the 09 squad would gobble them up with brains, average D, Woody, and smooth shooting from 4 of the 5 guys on the court. In the end if this current team could keep it around a 15 point deficit that would be a good showing against a superior team. That 09 team wasn't a great defensive squad, but a great D wouldn't be enough to shut them all down. And nobody on the court would shut Woody down. It would be best to compare this team now to Woody's team when they were all sophs. That would be a good game.
Go Bison!!!
After 13 games in the 08-09 season: 8-5 with 6 DI wins over IPFW, Northern Arizona (twice), Georgia Southern, Centenary, Oral Roberts. Non-DI wins over Very Shitty and Mayberry. Losses to Stephen F. Austin, Oakland, USC, Minnesota, Idaho.
After 13 games in the 11-12 season: 10-3 with 8 DI wins over Northern Arizona, San Francisco, Louisiana-Lafayette, Fresno State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Oakland, IPFW, IUPUI. Non-DI wins over Nebraska-Omaha and Mayberry. Losses to Minnesota, Arizona State and Western Illinois.
Seems to me they're doing better NOW as sophomores than the Fab 4 did as seniors.
"Jfufhr dhuis msdjdi asdj."
- Lou Holtz
Hmmmm nator for mayor! I agree I think these young guns would take them to task!
Nator u making it to frisco?
TRUST THE PROCESS
This year's team wouldn't have lost a 15-round judge's decision to Stephen F. Austin (112-111 in 3OT) like the 09 team did. They would've put them away by midway thru the 2nd half. This year's team seems to be beating just about every non-Power 6 team they play (except for the shit night at WIU). The 09 team was more capable of losing to lower RPI teams than this year's team is.
"Jfufhr dhuis msdjdi asdj."
- Lou Holtz
One more reason why I think this year's team is better: In 09, our only good (and I use this term loosely) inside presence was Moorman, and when he left the court, we had to cross our fingers and hope we didn't get the rock rammed down our throats. Now this year, we obviously don't have Summit POY candidates playing inside for us, but Bjorklund, Braun and Aaberg are a better circumstance for us than Moorman, and after that... Lorenzo Riley??
"Jfufhr dhuis msdjdi asdj."
- Lou Holtz