Who will duplicate K.e.n.t 2002-3?

[Captain Kangaroo]

Looking back at the 2002-3 K.e.n.t. team, they began the season 4-4., including unbelievable losses to Hofstra and YSU.

Their players, on their own, decided to pull their heads out of their butts, quit crying atop their faded Polaroids (youngsters can ask their Grandpa what a "Polaroid" is) of Gary Waters, and play basketball to their capabilities.

OU is obviously the closest parallel, having an NCAA Sweet 16-caliber team being captained by a new coach. And succumbing to the likes of Robert Morris and Winthrop. Eerily similar.

Smart money in on OU to run roughshod over the MAC.

The Zips have similar upside/potential. But rationalizations and scapegoats run rampant...

"The referees are against us!!"

"The NCAA is against us!!"

"We'd have won if we had Diggs!!" (No we wouldn't. We never won with him.)

"We're so young!! Wait until next year!!"

"Nothing really matters until the MAC Tourney anyhow!!" (No, 1-and-done post-seasons with zero meaningful OOC wins are officially old)

"Oh the seating...the seating is soooo bad!!"

"Oh the student support...those students should be packing the house to see...John Carroll."

"Oh, we had too many days off...how, oh how could we be expected to beat anybody??!!"

"Oh you don't understand...Detroit and Coastal Carolina are really good!!"

The Zips have a rare combination of talent, excuses and rationalizations. OU has talent, a resume' and some sort of tangential history.

Two sailors with different stories....in essentially the same December boat. Who will turn it around in 2012-13? And who will begin their quest for a scapegoat? Stay tuned....

[Z.I.P.]

"Oh you don't understand...Detroit and Coastal Carolina are really good!!"

One outta two ain't bad (based on our current record). Give us another shot at the Chanticleers!

My vote: Creighton.

[LZIp]

Spot on Cap'n

[skip-zip]

Let me add this....

For about 10 years, I felt like we were chasing Ken+. Now, I feel like we have spent another few years chasing OU.

I think we've caught up with Ken+, winning multiple games in a row at one point a few years ago during the Romeo/Dru/Wood/Dials era. And right now, we're currently on a 4 game run.

OU is a different story.

I'm tired of being the chaser. But right now, I'm afraid that OU has the edge, especially with the tournament success and subsequent publicity that can easily be used as an asset on the recruiting trail in order to keep that edge for an extended period of time.