Who said sports was supposed to be easy? I certainly hope none of the players on Portland's team would rather play a bunch of cupcakes and win all of the games than go out there and compete against the best.
Obviously, last night's game didn't go well. And we're travelling to Kentucky next week, and that likely won't go well either.
But, last time I checked, Coach Reveno's goal is to compete for league championships and become a regular NCAA tournament team. That's a tough mountain to climb, and it includes going on the road and playing games like this occasionally.
I'm all for smart scheduling - playing similar mid-majors, playing high-RPI teams at home and mid-RPI teams on the road, etc. I've written thousands of words about it here on DC.
However, at some point, you've got to step up to the plate.