Jones is willing and able to drive to the basket. Finish at the rim? That is a different question. Yes, that was supposed to be Gach’s job, but even he was reluctant to do it most times, and other times he just lost the ball on the way there.
I think Larsson or Martinez should be able to help here as both are known for their ability to do exactly this. Also, I could see Plummer improving in this area as well.
what would convince any oddsmaker to rank us ahead of any of these teams? The only scenario where that happens is if one of them has a massive COVID outbreak or some other catastrophe a few days before the tournament.
Oddsmakers go on more than their personal feelings about Larry K coached teams. I personally don’t know a lot about any of the teams in this tournament. I know most of them typically good, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we are the worst team there.