I'd agree our bigs might be better now. Might. I'd say that's offset by the chasm between what Taylor and Willis offer in terms of defensive, and penetrate and dish capabilities compared to what DJ and Armon gave. Those two would eat Stevie and Bean up off the dribble based on what I've seen thus far in 2014-15.

The more and more I watch/think about Laster and Taylor, the more I get excited. Athletic freshman who play defense and can score playing big minutes from the get go? This is awesome.

Of course, progression isn't linear and they haven't experienced a full season or MAC play yet. But we should be excited. I feel like they've been the glue of this team so far.

I've felt from the beginning of the year that this team has that 2010 feel in that, come March, it will be both much improved and very dangerous as a MAC tourney sleeper -- and nothing I've seen so far has dissuaded me from that.

See: the DePaul game. No, the Blue Demons aren't great, but they've got raw talent and we blew them out of the gym.

Consistency has been the problem, and will continue to be so in conference play given our lack of depth and work-in-progress identity. I see this as a five- or six-seed that nobody wants to play in Cleveland. And matchups depending, I see this as a team that could be playing for that NCAA berth when all is said and done.

I know some people around these parts would rather watch a team that can grind out Ws and rack up gaudy conference records (long-time lurker), but give me a high-ceiling with the ability to play with anybody when they've got it flowing any day.

This freshman class is really, really promising. Saul has proven NCAA tourney chops. This team is maddening at times, but I like where OUr program is going.

First off, welcome to the board!

I can see where the feeling you get could be coming from about being strong come late February into March. What I like about this group right now is that they are on the upswing, and every player has really shown flashes of good things.

I still think we'll have to get more from Stevie and the minutes he plays, and Harley/Thomas or Wadley for that run you refer to happen. I just can't see a 7-man rotation running off a 4-5 game streak in a week and a half, but I could be proven wrong.