I think we lost because:
1) Game plan
2) Harrell was incredibly impressive. That was lottery pick play if you ask me. It was like he was on a personal vendetta to make up for the last game.
3) Delta in aggressiveness that resulted in an inconsistent whistle
4) An off night from Cat and Abu
5) That freshman PG played lights out on the big stage.
I felt like this was our best shot to make real noise since V. At the same time, this type of game shows you just how tough it is once you make the Sweet 16.
I will say this though. The late season run that resulting in the Sweet 16, from where we were after the rough stretch was incredibly impressive. While we need to tip the cap to Louisville tonight, I’m pretty impressed with how we finished up down the stretch.
The path back to relevance isn’t done with one hot run. It’s done from being in the discussion year in and year out. Notice the number of appearances in the Sweet 16 that Pitino, Izzo, Roy, K, Calipari, etc. have made? That’s what we need to get in order to get over the hump. Continuous success will feed recruiting, which ultimately will allow us to break through. The goal next year should be no less than the Sweet 16.
