MBB Struggles
- Thread starter cyfan92
- Start date
In the macro sense, you make some reasonable points.
But people are not worried about the macro. Everyone here is proud of what TJ has done and love what he has done as a program builder and leader.
I think for a lot of fans, it is not a "should win" but rather - in the context of how this season started, and how successful TJ has been the last couple years by literally being a weekly Top 5 - Top 15 team in college basketball - it is very reasonable to expect to compete for:
--A regular season Big 12 title
--A high seed in the tournament (literally for the first 2 months of this season, experts and metrics had us as a borderline 1 seed, and deservedly so)
When SO many things are going right at a program/macro level, when for the first several months of the season the team and coaching are proving what kind of ceiling they have, it understandably gets fans a bit worried and frustrated when things seem to swoon in such a drastic alternate direction. Fans were really, really hoping that what happened last week was not within the range of outcomes for this team. Not the losing part - of course we will lose games - it is the way we are playing right now, and how this play has been trending now for weeks...
When ISU players entered the gym vs. Iowa Pre-Flight with frosted tips, I had a bad feeling the team might under-achieve.
I've been looking at the rest of the schedule and have decided to accept a dose of reality.
I see the next 7 games as winnable, but hope for a minimum of 5-2 (with 2 losses from either at OSU, at TCU, home vs KU).
The final 6 are brutal, but hoping for 3-3 (wins at Utah, home vs TTech and ASU)
Final conference record: 11-7, somewhere in the 4th-6th place position.
Final regular season record: 24-7.
Probably a 3 or 4 seed in March Madness. Then roll the dice and see how this can go.
I see the next 7 games as winnable, but hope for a minimum of 5-2 (with 2 losses from either at OSU, at TCU, home vs KU).
The final 6 are brutal, but hoping for 3-3 (wins at Utah, home vs TTech and ASU)
Final conference record: 11-7, somewhere in the 4th-6th place position.
Final regular season record: 24-7.
Probably a 3 or 4 seed in March Madness. Then roll the dice and see how this can go.
Read too many headlines like two days after the games.
I don't get you folks who set your expectations, set them higher or lower each week, and feel good or bad about it each week. I obviously feel better or worse on losses, but setting a number that you will have to constantly change is what gets you? No season is linear and going to go like you want. Like do you kick puppies when you have to lower your number?
The experts that probably didn't even watch more than 5 minutes of ISU basketball dictate my life.
Also, no to the puppies. Puppies are awesome.
Michigan lost at home to Wisconsin. #39 in Kenpom. Cincinnati is #54. Not much difference there.
It is more the way we are playing - and losing - than who we're losing to. We are making no adjustments to our offense or defense, we just keep making the same mistakes.
I don't think I do that. I only have 2 cats.
Every season around this time, after getting a better idea of the team and the league, I like to look at the schedule and make a guess about where the Cyclones will sit at the end. Whether I'm close or not will not cause me any serious emotional distress. Somewhat similar to filling out my March Madness bracket.
I think everyone just needs to chill out. Every team goes thru stretches where they don't play their best. I would rather it be now and get it figured out then come tournament time.
To piggyback, things are generally not as good as they seem in a given moment, and not as bad. Bouncing back does NOT mean this team will suddenly dominate till March, but I think it's pretty ridiculous to think they're going to crater and just throw in the towel. None of Otzelberger's teams have done that, including ones that were extremely limited from a talent and depth perspective and truly had no levers to pull except to keep giving 110% effort. This team has at least another gear, the trick is just unlocking it
