Trinity fan here. I think you are on to something with a loss being useful. I don't think Trinity was at all cocky due to their ranking, but I did sense that they were playing without focus over the last few games. They are fortunate in having several terrific players who on a given night can go out and score over 20 points (Robbins, Napoli, Milton, Shipley, Hale, Putnam) but who that is seems random. I anticipate that now tightening up as we approach conference and NCAA playoffs. No matter what, they are a joy to watch!
I would completely agree. Trinity, much like Hope last year, is still my favorite to win the national title. And like Hope, I don't think they've gotten cocky either. But at times, there's a pressure that comes from a lengthy win streak, and sometimes it's nice (tough as a loss may be) to get that off your back, especially heading into tournament time. They're incredibly deep, which makes them super dangerous, especially because of their scoring production beyond the starting five. Really enjoy watching Trinity play!!
After posting this, it also dawned on me that they'd only played one game over a 15-day period and the last road game was three weeks previous. Not an excuse, but perhaps a contributing factor.
Here's hoping your current predication comes true!
Trinity fan here. I think you are on to something with a loss being useful. I don't think Trinity was at all cocky due to their ranking, but I did sense that they were playing without focus over the last few games. They are fortunate in having several terrific players who on a given night can go out and score over 20 points (Robbins, Napoli, Milton, Shipley, Hale, Putnam) but who that is seems random. I anticipate that now tightening up as we approach conference and NCAA playoffs. No matter what, they are a joy to watch!
I would completely agree. Trinity, much like Hope last year, is still my favorite to win the national title. And like Hope, I don't think they've gotten cocky either. But at times, there's a pressure that comes from a lengthy win streak, and sometimes it's nice (tough as a loss may be) to get that off your back, especially heading into tournament time. They're incredibly deep, which makes them super dangerous, especially because of their scoring production beyond the starting five. Really enjoy watching Trinity play!!
After posting this, it also dawned on me that they'd only played one game over a 15-day period and the last road game was three weeks previous. Not an excuse, but perhaps a contributing factor.
Here's hoping your current predication comes true!