So the other day JT3 was asked whether the current batch of Hoyas were playing as well as the Final Four team.  His answer was: "Not yet."

It got me thinking, who would win if the Final Four team played the current team?

My thoughts below the jump.

The stats of the two teams appear at the bottom of this post. But looking at individual categories:

1. Defense: Advantage: '07 Hoyas: Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert combined with Sapp, as well as bench players Jeremiah Rivers and Patrick Ewing Jr, could stop teams cold.  The current batch has Clark (who is exceptional), Vaughn & Monroe (who are good) and are good on defense but simply not at the same caliber as the 07 team.

2. Offense: Advantage: '10 Hoyas.  The current batch has 3-4 players who can score 20+ points on any given night.  Freeman is a .500 three point shooter, while Clark is .462 from three point range.  Freeman, Wright & Monroe are all capable of creating their own shot and lighting up the opposing team.  Beyond that, the '10 Hoyas move the ball around so well and are just incredible at finding and taking a good shot. 

The '07 Hoyas depended on Hibbert & Green with Summers, Sapp, or Wallace serving as complementary players, capable of knocking down jump shots and averaging 10 points a game.  They were at the top of the league in offensive efficiency, but may have benefitted from the fact that the Princeton Offense was still somewhat new. The '07 Hoyas also commit fewer turnovers than the current batch.

3. Rebounding:  Wash. Neither team is particularly great at rebounding, though the 6'11 Monroe averages 3 more rebounds per game than the 7'2" Hibbert. Still the '10 Hoyas are at the bottom of the Big East in rebounding.

4.Bench: '07 Hoyas.  Though not terrific, Ewing (who improved significantly in '08), Macklin, and Rivers served significant and useful roles off the bench.  Rivers, specifically, was helpful as a very good defensive player when called upon.   The '10 Hoyas bench (Benimon and Thompson) have served mostly as an extra set of fouls and to give the starters a breather, though they have generally performed ok in those roles.

5. Poise: '07 Hoyas. The 07 Hoyas were amazingly poised, and always seemed to pull out close games, and come from behind to win games.  The '10 Hoyas have had some great moments (for instance UCONN) but there is no question that they have not pulled out some close games when they might have (ODU, Marquette, USF). 

So Who wins?

I think the '07 Hoyas would win very narrowly.  As good as they are on defense, I could see them contesting shots, frustrating Chris Wright and disrupting the '10 Offense, though Freeman and Monroe would still have significant contributions and even the '07 Hoyas would be unable to stop them.  The game would be very close until the final minutes, when Wallace and Green and the poised '07 squad would pull the game out by making clutch shots and free throws.