Credit to Lewis for helping us win a few during the second half, but without Barber, we would’ve lost even more. When Lewis was on the court, with Turner, Warren, and two bigs, you simply had nobody who could effectively create a shot against man-to-man defenses or zones. Nobody. When the shot clock ran down, good luck. As good as Warren is, and as great as he moves without the ball, he’s not beating many off the bounce. Wells and Cat were our two guys who could beat their man consistently. They didn’t always make the right decisions, but that comes with experience. IF you want to advance in the NCAA tournament, you need solid defense and players with multiple skills, a few role players, and a little depth. Lewis could’ve been a contributor on this team going forward, but he didn’t want to accept his likely role. He jetted. He could’ve worked on his game, improved his jump shot, his strength and quickness, but he didn’t want to. Like lots of Lowe recruits, they didn’t want to Work.
