Go on record before the drama starts

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

I'll be very happy with a .500 record in conference play and a thorough drubbing of Wisconsin.

I'll co-sign. Frankly, assuming the remainder of the schedule goes as such:

Beat all non-Power 6 Opponents (Belmont, IUPUI, Jackson St., Grambling, Maine, SJ State, Chgo St, Presby, Stetson)
Go no worse than 1-2 against non-UW Power 6 (Iowa, LSU, NC St/AZ St)
One-and-Done in Big East Tournament

MU would be heading into Selection Sunday with a record of 20-12, with wins over Wisconsin, Iowa, and perhaps 1-2 of the Big East's elite. You might not make the tournament with that mark, but you'd definitely be in the conversation.

[Benny B]

I think Henry is going to be very good.      I just don't understand how anyone can predict that a team with.....

(A) 10 scholarship players.
(B) 3 of whom are taller than 6'6
(C) 5 of whom are freshmen
(D)  off of a 13-19 team that lost a lot of scoring and rebounding
(E) with two freshman point guards, one of whom was not a point guard in high school

....is a second weekend of the tournament team.   Pure homerism.   I would never predict those kind of things for a team that wasn't MU, unless it was another one of Kentucky's ridiculous freshman classes.    Too many things have to go right along with no injuries to Luke, Henry, Duane, or Traci for this team to sniff the big dance.    I hope this gets thrown in my face as the worst prediction ever in 4 months.   But for now, I am going not going to set the bar too high.

Out of curiosity, which team would you feel better about?  The team above or the team below.....

1) Lost their (honorable mention) All-American point guard - and the team's top scorer last year - to graduation,
2) Lost two other starters, and the team's top rebounders, who averaged >14 RPG between them last year,
3) Is returning only one starter who averaged double-digits scoring last year,
4) Aside from one other starter averaged 8.1 pts and 2.0 rebounds per game last year, is returning a bunch of "role players," led by an undersized sophomore power-forward who averaged 6 points & 4 rebounds in 15 minutes last year,
5) Is projecting to start three freshmen, whose consensus ratings are 36, 57 & 61, at PG/SG/SF, respectively,
6) Doesn't have a center on the roster who's good for more than a few minutes off the bench, and
7) Is coming off a disappointing 19-12 campaign last year (7-9 in conference) that was capped off by an early exit from the NIT.

[tower912]

We're not them.  And the amigos turned out better than anyone anticipated and combined to make Novak a hero.   

[wadesworld]

We're not them.

Duane, Luke, and Henry will all be better this year than any of the 3 Amigos were as freshmen.  If only we had Novak...

[Benny B]

We're not them.  And the amigos turned out better than anyone anticipated and combined to make Novak a hero.   

All I'm saying is that, 10 years ago today, if the lot of us were predicting that team to finish with a 4-seed in the BET and make the dance as a 7-seed, I'm sure you would've been calling us homers back then, too.

[tower912]

Homers?   Maybe.   Overly optimistic?    To be sure.   IMO, the best coaching job Crean did.    May lightning strike twice.   

[Benny B]

Homers?   Maybe.   Overly optimistic?    To be sure.   IMO, the best coaching job Crean did.    May lightning strike twice.

Well, I'm hoping for it to strike a few more times than twice (at least before my bottle breaks), but I'll concede starting with "twice" and seeing how things go from there.

[tower912]

http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php?id=men_s_basketball:2005

Ten years, looking back at that roster..... other than the stars, I would take Fitz, Lott, or Chapman on this team.  Although Lott WAS a JUCO, as was Kinsella.   (gasp! 2 on one roster!)  Amo's one-hit wonder in the Great Alaskan Shootout.    Of course, Novak against UConn.

[Benny B]

http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php?id=men_s_basketball:2005

Ten years, looking back at that roster..... other than the stars, I would take Fitz, Lott, or Chapman on this team.  Although Lott WAS a JUCO, as was Kinsella.   (gasp! 2 on one roster!)  Amo's one-hit wonder in the Great Alaskan Shootout.    Of course, Novak against UConn.

I'd take any of those guys, too.  Hell, I'd take two since we've got a couple scholarships available.

[Herman Cain]

I think Henry is going to be very good.      I just don't understand how anyone can predict that a team with.....

(A) 10 scholarship players.
(B) 3 of whom are taller than 6'6
(C) 5 of whom are freshmen
(D)  off of a 13-19 team that lost a lot of scoring and rebounding
(E) with two freshman point guards, one of whom was not a point guard in high school

....is a second weekend of the tournament team.   Pure homerism.   I would never predict those kind of things for a team that wasn't MU, unless it was another one of Kentucky's ridiculous freshman classes.    Too many things have to go right along with no injuries to Luke, Henry, Duane, or Traci for this team to sniff the big dance.    I hope this gets thrown in my face as the worst prediction ever in 4 months.   But for now, I am going not going to set the bar too high.

My current outlook is 9-4 out of conference. 7-11 in conference (6-3 home 1-8 away) and 1 and 1 in BET overall record 17-16 and no tournament. That is providing no major injuries.

I like our team, but reality is the Big East is a tough conference  where every game will be a battle.

[wadesworld]

I think some people are 1) vastly under rating our talent and 2) vastly overrating our conference.

[Lennys Tap]

I think some people are 1) vastly under rating our talent and 2) vastly overrating our conference.

1) Agree and 2) Agree

[mu03eng]

I think some people are 1) vastly under rating our talent and 2) vastly overrating our conference.

Also think that fans will extrapolate a conclusion from the non-conference that will not reflect reality of the conference season.  The few tough games we have in non-con will likely be losses as this team figures out it's talent but by the time conference season rolls around they should be playing at their best and will have a strong BEast campaign.

[Eldon]

There is no such thing as addition by subtraction in basketball, unless you replace their scholarships with better players. Any player is better than an empty seat on the bench, which we have two of.

Anthony Mason, meet TAMU. TAMU, meet Anthony Mason.

[wadesworld]

Also think that fans will extrapolate a conclusion from the non-conference that will not reflect reality of the conference season.  The few tough games we have in non-con will likely be losses as this team figures out it's talent but by the time conference season rolls around they should be playing at their best and will have a strong BEast campaign.

Yup, agreed.

[WarriorInNYC]

There's a lot of agreeing going on in here lately.  Am I on the right board?

[keefe]

There's a lot of agreeing going on in here lately.  Am I on the right board?

What the hell are you talking about?

[wadesworld]

There's a lot of agreeing going on in here lately.  Am I on the right board?

I disagree.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

There's a lot of agreeing going on in here lately.  Am I on the right board?

Apparently no one here played high school basketball

[Dr. Blackheart]

Revisiting this heading into the BE.  My expectations are still the same. 

Discuss...

[brewcity77]

I said 11-2 non-con (check), 11-7 Big East (feels realistic), and 2-1 at MSG. Still feel that's pretty realistic.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Revisiting this heading into the BE.  My expectations are still the same. 

Discuss...

Agree, mine haven't changed a bit. 

[bilsu]

To me the Seton Hall game will set the tone for the Big East season. I think Seton Hall right now is the favorite for the 5th bid, which might be the last Big East bid. I see it as a must win. We are in a world of hurt, if we cannot win this game. Lose this game and we are looking to at a 4-5 home record in conference. There is no reason to believe we can beat any at the top four teams at our place, if we cannot beat Seton Hall.

[wadesworld]

Had us at 10-2 at this point of the season.  Think I had us for a big BE season.  I don't think we get as many BE wins as I originally predicted, as the BE is tougher than I thought it was going to be, but I still expect a top 4 BE finish and to be dancing, being a dangerous team come Tourney time.

[wadesworld]

To me the Seton Hall game will set the tone for the Big East season. I think Seton Hall right now is the favorite for the 5th bid, which might be the last Big East bid. I see it as a must win. We are in a world of hurt, if we cannot win this game. Lose this game and we are looking to at a 4-5 home record in conference. There is no reason to believe we can beat any at the top four teams at our place, if we cannot beat Seton Hall.

We are going to lose a game we "shouldn't" somewhere along the way, and we are going to win a game we "shouldn't" somewhere along the way.  A loss at home to a team that you consider the 5th best team in the BE does not at all mean we can't beat 1 of the 4 teams above them in the pecking order at home.  Nor does a win on Wednesday mean we can't lose to a team like Creighton at home.