David and Goliath Debunkedby Cortney Basham What can I add to the litany of stories about our beloved Toppers? Reporters have spilled enough ink about Courtney Lee, Darrin Horn, Ty Rogers, and Tyrone Brazelton to drown a horse. Along with Davidson, the Toppers are this year’s “Cinderella” in the NCAA tourney. Horn and Davidson coach Bob McKillop have reached more ears by way of radio than any other coaches left in the Dance. Everyone wants to talk to the underdog and know how they pulled this off. I cannot tell you anything about any player that you have not read in a local or even national paper. But, I do have to quibble with the general consensus about the nature of tomorrow’s WKU vs. UCLA tilt. This game has been referenced ad nauseam as “David vs Goliath.” While that Biblical story is one of my favorites, it simply does not fit the bill. Let’s go to the tape. HEIGHT Clearly, Goliath would have a MUCH bigger post presence than UCLA C Kevin Love. Goliath is a real space-eater at nine feet tall. He would certainly negate any size advantage that Topper bigs D.J. Magley or Jeremy Evans might have. Love is imposing, but he simply does not bring the same fearsome presence that Goliath would. David, son of Jesse: small 12-year-old boy Again, even our smallest player logging huge minutes is much more physically imposing than any 12-year-old I’ve ever seen. And, I doubt David had near the foot speed or shooting stroke that Brazelton has. Now, David was deadeye with the slingshot, but from the historical record, we do not know if that accuracy translated to his jump shot. So, the jury is out on that one. Clearly, in the size department, “David vs Goliath” is a poor analogy for WKU vs UCLA. METHOD UCLA: the best half-court defense in the country, size Kevin Love, Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute…none of them will be packing instruments of war. They will wear poly-mesh jerseys just like WKU. Each team has lethal weapons. While a good argument can be made in favor of UCLA’s more adept use of their given weapons, this is not a mismatch of Biblical proportions. We will not need an act of God to win, just superior execution, focus, and a great shooting night. So, again, in the style of play arena, “David vs Goliath” does not quite fit. HISTORY UCLA: 11 national titles, 17 Final Fours, 42 NCAA tourneys, 96 NCAA wins OK, this must be the ticket to validate that “D vs G” battle, right? Well, not really. See, a TRUE David and Goliath story might be if Stetson or Campbell, who have never even made the NCAA bracket, somehow got in as a 16 seed and played UCLA. Or, simply go back one week ago. If Mississippi Valley State had won over UCLA in the 1/16 matchup, that might be deserving of the comparison. They lost 70-29. Not a misprint. The mainstream media has it all wrong. This is not David versus Goliath. This game is more like Goliath fighting a smaller, but still very dangerous opponent. Goliath expects to win, and might even win big, but he cannot sleep on this opponent. David did not win because he was tough or a great warrior. It was an act of God’s deliverance. The Toppers do not need an act of God. They need to speed up the game, make a high percentage of their shots, and put together 40 minutes of their best basketball. Do those things, and they can slay Goliath. But don’t call them David. |
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