There's a lot here to pick apart. I'll just add 2. The Nevada game we started our usual 5. Krutwig only got 13 minutes that game (he average 24 in the other games) because we adjusted our strategy to fit what Nevada was doing. Without that, and I'm sure Nevada wins.
Also, to say the 2018 team would've been fine because it was so talented overlooks one thing. The only reason we had the talent was due to the recruiting done by Porter. No one on that team was from Illinois Wolves so it wasn't the Mullins connection. This isn't the NBA where you draft players, sign players, and inherit teams put together by the GM where can just "coach" a team that has a ton of talent a la Steve Kerr or Tyronn Lue. You have to go out and convince players to come to your school over others. I probably could coach last year's Duke team deep into the tournament with Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish, but Coach K only got them to the Elite 8. He must be a terrible coach, and maybe they should fire him and let me take over the Duke program.

Only difference may be he can get those players and they probably wouldn't want to play for me.