You're saying they're a tournament quality team when they BARELY made the field of 68 and lost their top scorer?
3 more months, ugh.
Not sure what to expect without Ejim and Kane and an even tougher Big 12. I am guessing we will have trouble matching last year record-wise. As long as we are playing our best ball at the end of the year and make the NCAA tournament, we should have the talent to make a run and take another step forward. It is all about March now.
7 may not make it because the conference will be tougher imo.I don't see the Big 12 as being tougher next year. Still good but not the nasty gauntlet of last year. I don't see seven teams making the tourney with Baylor and Okie State being down some.
You can find people saying any conceivable opinion, but I do not recall the majority of people saying they would finish above 9th or 10th last season. And who said anything about where they would finish? They will be improved is the contention. TCU will not go 0-18 next year.Every year people say TTU and TCU will be better and every year they suck and are 9th and 10th in the standings. Until they prove that they're better, I won't believe it. OSU and Baylor will be worse this year. I don't see the conference being any tougher than it was last year, maybe the same.
7 may not make it because the conference will be tougher imo.
TCU and TT will be improved, that alone makes it tougher. Improved enough to be the reason a team is a win or two shy of making the NCAA. Sure, some of the pack teams (teams other than KU, TCU, and TT) will be down a bit, but some will also end up improved. Will a team or two fall on the wrong side of the bubble this year? Perhaps, but there is almost no discernible difference between a "last four in" team and a "last four out" team imo. There is a difference between having TCU and TT be very bad, and them being below average.
Will it be better? That depends on how good the top few teams of the conference are.
The non-conference is much easier than last year but being perfect in the non-con for a second year in a row is unrealistic. Look at the great 1999-2000 team, the best in school history. That team lost to Drake in its non-conference schedule. I know ISU is playing three weak teams from the SEC and will be favored in each game but I will bet we lose one of those games. I also think ISU is a substantial underdog against Iowa. I can't believe someone on this board thinks we're going to win that game by double-digits when it's in Carver-Hawkeye.
As for the conference, I predict we'll go 12-6. We'll lose one game at home and go 4-5 on the road.
Texas Tech was better last year than the year before and I thought it was pretty apparent. This year I don't see them being any better though.Every year people say TTU and TCU will be better and every year they suck and are 9th and 10th in the standings. Until they prove that they're better, I won't believe it. OSU and Baylor will be worse this year. I don't see the conference being any tougher than it was last year, maybe the same.
11/14 Oakland - W (1-0, 0-0)
11/17 Georgia State - W (2-0, 0-0)
11/24 Alabama - W (3-0, 0-0)
11/25 Arizona State/Maryland - W (4-0, 0-0)
12/2 Lamar - W (5-0, 0-0)
12/4 Arkansas - W (6-0, 0-0) (I've got this game down as a loss to y'all but I do have us finishing 25-6. I suspect that a lot of you will be surprised how good we are and how much of a "quality win" this will be in March)
12/9 UMKC - W (7-0, 0-0)
12/12 @Iowa - W (8-0, 0-0)
12/14 Southern - W (9-0, 0-0)
12/20 Drake - W (10-0, 0-0)
12/31 Mississippi Valley State - W (11-0, 0-0)
1/3 South Carolina - W (12-0, 0-0)
1/6 Okie State - W (13-0, 1-0)
1/10 @WVU - W (14-0, 2-0)
1/14 @Baylor - L (14-1, 2-1)
1/17 Kansas - W (15-1, 3-1)
1/20 Kansas State - W (16-1, 4-1)
1/24 @Texas Tech - W (17-1, 5-1)
1/26 Texas - L (17-2, 5-2)
1/31 TCU - W (18-2, 6-2)
2/2 @Kansas - L (18-3, 6-3)
2/7 Texas Tech - W (19-3, 7-3)
2/9 @Oklahoma - L (19-4, 7-4)
2/14 WVU - W (20-4, 8-4)
2/18 @Okie State - W (21-4, 9-4)
2/21 @Texas - L (21-5, 9-5)
2/25 Baylor - W (22-5, 10-5)
2/28 @Kansas State - W (23-5, 11-5)
3/2 Oklahoma - L (23-6, 11-6)
3/7 TCU - W (24-6, 12-6)
Finish the the regular season in the top 10. Travel well to the Sprint Center and win the Big XII tourney.
2 seed in the NCAA tourney and end up making a run to the Elite 8 or deeper.
Wild Card: if Georgios Tsalmpouris exceeds expectations and can give 15+ minutes per game by March and you've got him and Georges healthy at full speed -- damn, look out. Match-up nightmare.
11/14 Oakland - W (1-0, 0-0)
11/17 Georgia State - W (2-0, 0-0)
11/24 Alabama - W (3-0, 0-0)
11/25 Arizona State/Maryland - W (4-0, 0-0)
12/2 Lamar - W (5-0, 0-0)
12/4 Arkansas - W (6-0, 0-0) (I've got this game down as a loss to y'all but I do have us finishing 25-6. I suspect that a lot of you will be surprised how good we are and how much of a "quality win" this will be in March)
12/9 UMKC - W (7-0, 0-0)
12/12 @Iowa - W (8-0, 0-0)
12/14 Southern - W (9-0, 0-0)
12/20 Drake - W (10-0, 0-0)
12/31 Mississippi Valley State - W (11-0, 0-0)
1/3 South Carolina - W (12-0, 0-0)
1/6 Okie State - W (13-0, 1-0)
1/10 @WVU - W (14-0, 2-0)
1/14 @Baylor - L (14-1, 2-1)
1/17 Kansas - W (15-1, 3-1)
1/20 Kansas State - W (16-1, 4-1)
1/24 @Texas Tech - W (17-1, 5-1)
1/26 Texas - L (17-2, 5-2)
1/31 TCU - W (18-2, 6-2)
2/2 @Kansas - L (18-3, 6-3)
2/7 Texas Tech - W (19-3, 7-3)
2/9 @Oklahoma - L (19-4, 7-4)
2/14 WVU - W (20-4, 8-4)
2/18 @Okie State - W (21-4, 9-4)
2/21 @Texas - L (21-5, 9-5)
2/25 Baylor - W (22-5, 10-5)
2/28 @Kansas State - W (23-5, 11-5)
3/2 Oklahoma - L (23-6, 11-6)
3/7 TCU - W (24-6, 12-6)
Finish the the regular season in the top 10. Travel well to the Sprint Center and win the Big XII tourney.
2 seed in the NCAA tourney and end up making a run to the Elite 8 or deeper.
Wild Card: if Georgios Tsalmpouris exceeds expectations and can give 15+ minutes per game by March and you've got him and Georges healthy at full speed -- damn, look out. Match-up nightmare.
11/14 Oakland - W (1-0, 0-0)
11/17 Georgia State - W (2-0, 0-0)
11/24 Alabama - W (3-0, 0-0)
11/25 Arizona State/Maryland - W (4-0, 0-0)
12/2 Lamar - W (5-0, 0-0)
12/4 Arkansas - W (6-0, 0-0) (I've got this game down as a loss to y'all but I do have us finishing 25-6. I suspect that a lot of you will be surprised how good we are and how much of a "quality win" this will be in March)
12/9 UMKC - W (7-0, 0-0)
12/12 @Iowa - W (8-0, 0-0)
12/14 Southern - W (9-0, 0-0)
12/20 Drake - W (10-0, 0-0)
12/31 Mississippi Valley State - W (11-0, 0-0)
1/3 South Carolina - W (12-0, 0-0)
1/6 Okie State - W (13-0, 1-0)
1/10 @WVU - W (14-0, 2-0)
1/14 @Baylor - L (14-1, 2-1)
1/17 Kansas - W (15-1, 3-1)
1/20 Kansas State - W (16-1, 4-1)
1/24 @Texas Tech - W (17-1, 5-1)
1/26 Texas - L (17-2, 5-2)
1/31 TCU - W (18-2, 6-2)
2/2 @Kansas - L (18-3, 6-3)
2/7 Texas Tech - W (19-3, 7-3)
2/9 @Oklahoma - L (19-4, 7-4)
2/14 WVU - W (20-4, 8-4)
2/18 @Okie State - W (21-4, 9-4)
2/21 @Texas - L (21-5, 9-5)
2/25 Baylor - W (22-5, 10-5)
2/28 @Kansas State - W (23-5, 11-5)
3/2 Oklahoma - L (23-6, 11-6)
3/7 TCU - W (24-6, 12-6)
Finish the the regular season in the top 10. Travel well to the Sprint Center and win the Big XII tourney.
2 seed in the NCAA tourney and end up making a run to the Elite 8 or deeper.
Wild Card: if Georgios Tsalmpouris exceeds expectations and can give 15+ minutes per game by March and you've got him and Georges healthy at full speed -- damn, look out. Match-up nightmare.
11/14 Oakland - W (1-0, 0-0)
11/17 Georgia State - W (2-0, 0-0)
11/24 Alabama - W (3-0, 0-0)
11/25 Arizona State/Maryland - W (4-0, 0-0)
12/2 Lamar - W (5-0, 0-0)
12/4 Arkansas - W (6-0, 0-0) (I've got this game down as a loss to y'all but I do have us finishing 25-6. I suspect that a lot of you will be surprised how good we are and how much of a "quality win" this will be in March)
12/9 UMKC - W (7-0, 0-0)
12/12 @Iowa - W (8-0, 0-0)
12/14 Southern - W (9-0, 0-0)
12/20 Drake - W (10-0, 0-0)
12/31 Mississippi Valley State - W (11-0, 0-0)
1/3 South Carolina - W (12-0, 0-0)
1/6 Okie State - W (13-0, 1-0)
1/10 @WVU - W (14-0, 2-0)
1/14 @Baylor - L (14-1, 2-1)
1/17 Kansas - W (15-1, 3-1)
1/20 Kansas State - W (16-1, 4-1)
1/24 @Texas Tech - W (17-1, 5-1)
1/26 Texas - L (17-2, 5-2)
1/31 TCU - W (18-2, 6-2)
2/2 @Kansas - L (18-3, 6-3)
2/7 Texas Tech - W (19-3, 7-3)
2/9 @Oklahoma - L (19-4, 7-4)
2/14 WVU - W (20-4, 8-4)
2/18 @Okie State - W (21-4, 9-4)
2/21 @Texas - L (21-5, 9-5)
2/25 Baylor - W (22-5, 10-5)
2/28 @Kansas State - W (23-5, 11-5)
3/2 Oklahoma - L (23-6, 11-6)
3/7 TCU - W (24-6, 12-6)
Finish the the regular season in the top 10. Travel well to the Sprint Center and win the Big XII tourney.
2 seed in the NCAA tourney and end up making a run to the Elite 8 or deeper.
Wild Card: if Georgios Tsalmpouris exceeds expectations and can give 15+ minutes per game by March and you've got him and Georges healthy at full speed -- damn, look out. Match-up nightmare.
Only problem I have with these predictions is you have ISU losing twice in Hilton to two teams not named Kansas. That hasn't happened it 3(?) years.