Take a step back

[mu03eng]

You are falling into the same trap all of the  "we've-got-7-top-100-players-so-we-should-go-to-the-tourney" folks fell into this season.   At the start of next season, how many players will be on the MU roster who have accomplished anything at the COLLEGE level?    I know that this is a highly ranked class.   Of high schoolers.   They have to show me something at the college level before I buy in.   

Honestly, I'm not worried about recruiting forecast.  My position is based solely on performance I've seen out of the recruits we have coming in.  I don't look at any of the recruit services or how many stars they have.  Just watching games, highlight videos etc.  From a talent and capability standpoint, this class is the best MU has ever had, I think it's better than the 3 amigos.  Henry will be a great player as a freshman, yes he will have to adjust to the college game, but any issues he will have will be mental not physical.  I also think he will spend more time at the 3 than people think.  I think Haanif will push JjJ very hard in practice, which will benefit both players.

The team has three essential starters on the roster now, Duane, Teve, and Luke.  JjJ could develop into a 4th starter.  We will have depth and more talent, we will have more situational flexibility.  Hell we could play Duane, JjJ, Henry, Teve, and Luke for minutes together and play a 2-3 zone.....it boggles my mind.  This doesn't even account for the possibility of developing Sandy into a good player and a Carlino type from the outside.

I get your point, and my current expectation is based on what I know/see now.  Things can/will change over the summer and I'll adjust my pre-season expectation accordingly...to which I will hold the team to with no room for change. 

[MUMonster03]

While I understand why a lot of people think we still do not make the tournament next year, if we don't make it I think a lot of people need to tone don their 16-17 excitement. Very rarely do you have a team not make the tournament and then come out the next year and have the type of season/deep tournament run many are hoping for.

With that said if this team is what most of us hope it is I see somewhere in the 18-21 win range which is usually bubble country, a top half finish in the Big East (which if the RPI of the conference is good increases bubble position), and hopefully a bid. A lot will depend on who we schedule and beat in non conference.

[MUMonster03]

And before anyone says UConn they would have made the 13 tournament but were banned from postseason play that year. And Kentucky is a different animal all together with all these one and dones.

[LAMUfan]

UCLA is barely on the radar this season....apathetic L.A. to be honest with you.  Four McDonald's All Americans and they have struggled for most of the season.  The Kentucky loss and a few others really buried the "faithful".

I grew up a few miles from UCLA and was almost unaware that they were still playing basketball.  "faithful" is accurate

[The Lens]

The Harrison twins at Kentucky were projected lottery picks before they ever played a game in college.  Two years later, draftexpress.com has Andrew projected to go 51 and Aaron not even drafted in their latest mock.  I'm as excited about Henry as everyone else but let's wait for him to at least arrive on campus before we start planning his departure.

I'm not trying to be negative but I really believe if you're not planning for his departure, you're planning to fail.  Wojo has been around One & Dones for the past decade, I would imagine he has a strategy.  As for me, I'm looking at anything past 2016 as some really nice gravy.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I'm not trying to be negative but I really believe if you're not planning for his departure, you're planning to fail.  Wojo has been around One & Dones for the past decade, I would imagine he has a strategy.  As for me, I'm looking at anything past 2016 as some really nice gravy.

Wojo definitely needs to have a contingency plan in case HE is one and done.  Need to go all in next year and not bank schollies if that's the case.  But for fans to expect HE to be a one and done savior is setting the bar pretty high, with anything less being a disappointment.  I'm going to let Wojo worry about the what ifs while I take a wait and see approach.

[4everwarriors]

UCLA is barely on the radar this season....apathetic L.A. to be honest with you.  Four McDonald's All Americans and they have struggled for most of the season.  The Kentucky loss and a few others really buried the "faithful".

He gone

[ChicosBailBonds]

He gone

I have no doubt, but if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm not trying to be negative but I really believe if you're not planning for his departure, you're planning to fail.  Wojo has been around One & Dones for the past decade, I would imagine he has a strategy.  As for me, I'm looking at anything past 2016 as some really nice gravy.

Of course, you have to plan for players leaving and should recruit accordingly.  Just my gut that he stays two years.

[The Lens]

Wojo definitely needs to have a contingency plan in case HE is one and done.  Need to go all in next year and not bank schollies if that's the case.  But for fans to expect HE to be a one and done savior is setting the bar pretty high, with anything less being a disappointment.  I'm going to let Wojo worry about the what ifs while I take a wait and see approach.

I never said savior. 

Jabari - 1st round loss
Wiggins - 2nd round loss
Vonleh - No post season
Embiid - 2nd round loss

Plenty of guys who didn't move the needle in March and still were top 10 picks.  I guess if I had to pick I bet we're a bubble team and that Henry leaves. 

[Benny B]

But before we start mentally hanging banners for next year I would suggest we collectively take a deep breath.

For some people, the only way to take a deep breath is to hang a mental banner.  Not just in basketball, but in real life.

[JakeBarnes]

I have no doubt, but if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?

Bill Walton makes a lot of sound about how he still hates Ben Howland. Every. Single. Game.

[JakeBarnes]

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Well done Jake!

[GOO]

We've got three players who I am very comfortable with starting next season: Duane, Henry, Luke

That leaves us with

PG: ?
SG: Duane
SF: ?
PF: Henry
C: Luke

Right now we have 1 player who can truly play the 1...and he's the second lowest ranked freshman in our class. Getting Carter is a great start but unless he is an absolute stud, we need to find a juco or grad transfer to fill in that position.

The SF I'm less worried about. Between Wally, Cohen, Cheatham, JjJ, and Anim we have 5 players who can play the position. Hopefully one of them step up and becomes a consistent starter for us.

This pretty much sums up my view.  The key will be point guard.  If Carter or someone else (not Duane, we need him at the 2 most of the time) can handle that roll at an average level, we should be in good shape to get to .500 in the BE.  IF Henry turns out to be a stud or IF we have great play at the point, we could be an NCAA team.  We only have a couple of IF's this coming year going into the season.  The point is the biggest IF.  This year we pretty much had IF's at every position going into the season.  We should be better next year.

[GGGG]

UCLA is barely on the radar this season....apathetic L.A. to be honest with you.  Four McDonald's All Americans and they have struggled for most of the season.  The Kentucky loss and a few others really buried the "faithful".

Man...who could have predicted that Steve Alford would find a way to be a fringe NCAA team with that loaded roster?

Bill Walton makes a lot of sound about how he still hates Ben Howland. Every. Single. Game.

The end of Howland's tenure was no doubt a disappointment.  But the guy won there and did it cleanly.

Pretty sure that never happened at UCLA before him.

[tower912]

Man...who could have predicted that Steve Alford would find a way to be a fringe NCAA team with that loaded roster?

Anyone who has ever watched him coach. 

[JakeBarnes]

Anyone who has ever watched him coach. 

At this point, I'm thinking I'm the superior Coach Alford... and all I've ever coached is NCAA 2010 teams on PS3.