UW plays defense with their lower bodies. Thats why it seems like guys are "flopping" all the time. Its called position defense. We don't have high flyers who can get up and block a ton of shots so we get in front of our guy and deny them driving lanes and very rarely leave our feet. Most college players these days don't know what to do when somebody does that, so they try to go right through them, thus charges. If thats flopping to you, ok, but I'll take our 13 straight tourney appearances and 11 straight years of finishing no worse then 4th in our conference.
I think a lot of the hate on UW is that teams that have the kind of success that we have had over the last 15 years or so, aren't supposed to look and play the way we do. When you combine that with the fact that for the 50 years before Stu Jackson got here in 92 we were one of the worst programs in the country. Before 1994 we had been to the tourney twice. 1941 (champs!! all right!) and 1947. We went in 94, 97, missed 98 and then we have been back every year since 99. That is quite a turnaround and its taken a lot of analysts a while to come to grips with the fact that UW is a legit program now. The fact that we have done it almost exclusively with kids from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois and very few of them are NBA guys, adds to the perception that UW gets lucky, or has to have help from the refs in order to be successful.
The fact that we don't have a bunch of high flyers also leads to the reoccurring thought that we are an easy out in the tourney, ignoring all of the many factors that prove just the opposite. We have to play focused to win every game so mid-majors aren't going to catch us taking them lightly. We play tough help defense and don't allow teams to run or change the tempo of the game so you have to beat us at our own game. Most mids don't have the horses to do that, but ESPN/CBS likes to promote drama, and if you are just a casual observer, UW is an easy target for an upset because we don't play 'sexy'.
And I get that you are saying that UW is a good matchup is relative. I just think you are wrong. In my opinion UW is one of the worst match ups for Montana in the 3-4-5 seed range. We play extremely disciplined basketball. That makes it tough for less talented teams to close the gap, as compared to a team like IU or Louisville that can get out of control at times if you push the tempo. As a team that inverts its bigs, we know how many problems that can pose to teams that aren't used to it. But we are used to it, plus we have the personal advantage at that spot. Berggren is a borderline NBA guy who has taken it to both Zeller brothers, Jered Sullinger, and numerous other quality bigs and has won most of those match-ups. Your best player is your point guard who gets a ton of steals. Our point guard is an All-American who is going to set the NCAA record for career assist-to-turnover ratio, and our team as a whole has been in the top ten for fewest turnovers for Bo's whole career. You have a bunch of guys that shoot the 3 ball well, while we are near the top for 3 point % allowed. Plus the supposed advantage of having a former player on your coaching staff is moot. Everything he can tell you is available right here for $39.99; http://www.hoopsking.com/boryan.html
We have been susceptible to guards that drive the lane at times this year so you might catch a break there, but even then you have to play your A+ game to beat us (see Iowa). Could Montana win? Oh no doubt. Its not unheard of for us to go for 8 min scoreless stretches and if you get hot at the same time (which only MSU has managed to do this year) we could be in trouble. But we have been playing very well recently, despite what ESPN would have you believe, and I don't see Taylor allowing us to lose in the first round his senior year.
I think a lot of the hate on UW is that teams that have the kind of success that we have had over the last 15 years or so, aren't supposed to look and play the way we do. When you combine that with the fact that for the 50 years before Stu Jackson got here in 92 we were one of the worst programs in the country. Before 1994 we had been to the tourney twice. 1941 (champs!! all right!) and 1947. We went in 94, 97, missed 98 and then we have been back every year since 99. That is quite a turnaround and its taken a lot of analysts a while to come to grips with the fact that UW is a legit program now. The fact that we have done it almost exclusively with kids from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois and very few of them are NBA guys, adds to the perception that UW gets lucky, or has to have help from the refs in order to be successful.
The fact that we don't have a bunch of high flyers also leads to the reoccurring thought that we are an easy out in the tourney, ignoring all of the many factors that prove just the opposite. We have to play focused to win every game so mid-majors aren't going to catch us taking them lightly. We play tough help defense and don't allow teams to run or change the tempo of the game so you have to beat us at our own game. Most mids don't have the horses to do that, but ESPN/CBS likes to promote drama, and if you are just a casual observer, UW is an easy target for an upset because we don't play 'sexy'.
And I get that you are saying that UW is a good matchup is relative. I just think you are wrong. In my opinion UW is one of the worst match ups for Montana in the 3-4-5 seed range. We play extremely disciplined basketball. That makes it tough for less talented teams to close the gap, as compared to a team like IU or Louisville that can get out of control at times if you push the tempo. As a team that inverts its bigs, we know how many problems that can pose to teams that aren't used to it. But we are used to it, plus we have the personal advantage at that spot. Berggren is a borderline NBA guy who has taken it to both Zeller brothers, Jered Sullinger, and numerous other quality bigs and has won most of those match-ups. Your best player is your point guard who gets a ton of steals. Our point guard is an All-American who is going to set the NCAA record for career assist-to-turnover ratio, and our team as a whole has been in the top ten for fewest turnovers for Bo's whole career. You have a bunch of guys that shoot the 3 ball well, while we are near the top for 3 point % allowed. Plus the supposed advantage of having a former player on your coaching staff is moot. Everything he can tell you is available right here for $39.99; http://www.hoopsking.com/boryan.html
We have been susceptible to guards that drive the lane at times this year so you might catch a break there, but even then you have to play your A+ game to beat us (see Iowa). Could Montana win? Oh no doubt. Its not unheard of for us to go for 8 min scoreless stretches and if you get hot at the same time (which only MSU has managed to do this year) we could be in trouble. But we have been playing very well recently, despite what ESPN would have you believe, and I don't see Taylor allowing us to lose in the first round his senior year.
