Mike DeCourcy, who a while back was ripping Wojo as a guy who dishonored John
Wooden by being a candidate for Player Of The Year, is back to ACC bashing, this
time ripping Bill Guthridge. It's pretty clear by now that he doesn't
much care for the ACC, but now it's equally clear he doesn't pay much attention
to it either.
DeCourcy asks why Gut left Cota in with four fouls. Perhaps it was because of
what happened in Durham when Cota had to come out - Terrence Newby got cut up
like Saturday night sushi. Duke was playing great defense, but Florida went on
several defensive tears in this game. If they had sat Cota for any length of
time, the game would have, de facto, been over. Newby has never shown that he
can be more than a spotty backup. Now if Ronald Curry had played, things
would/might have been different and Cota would have sat. But for this group,
it's Cota or nothing.
A more salient point is this: DeCourcy, who works for the Cincy Enquirer, has
written a lot about the Bearcats of course, to whom he seems somewhat
partial. Cincinnati, with boatloads of talent year in and year out, has
lost 3 straight years in the second round. This year is somewhat understandable,
since the Player Of The Year was injured, but nonetheless: if Bill Guthridge,
who who made the Final Four two out of his first three years, and who ied
Everett Case for the most wins ever in a coach's first 3 seasons, and has
done this in spite of following a legend and in spite of criticism which would
crush a lesser man, what does that say about DeCourcy's Bearcats and Bob
Huggins? How can a man who has had great success be a flop and DeCourcy's
hometown coach not be? The criticism just defies logic, particularly in
light of Cincinnati's repeated failures and, well, chokes. They could have
beaten Tulsa this year, and when they played Temple, with Martin, Temple
confused them and left them jawing in frustration. Not the mark of a
championship team.
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