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Ohio Basketball

Topic: Managing Expectations

Topic: Managing Expectations

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oubobcatjohn
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Member Since: 1/1/2005
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Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 12:42:50 AM

This is a new season and we have a new coach. We are coming off the greatest season in modern day Ohio basketball. It's unfair to expect this team to get back to the sweetsixteen. Realistic goals would be MAC regular season crown and tournament title. Before the MAC slate starts its about getting adjusted to a new coach and system. There will be some bumps in the road. No team picks right off where they left off last year. Its gonna be a great season and we just have to trust the team that we will be that team cutting down the nets once again in Cleveland.

bobcat4
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Member Since: 1/9/2005
Location: Budapest
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 7:30:16 AM

I absolutely disagree. We have all the pieces in place to have even GREATER goals and expectations then what we accomplished last year. Coach Christian is not re-inventing the wheel. He has good experience in the MAC and we have fantastic players who are leaders who will not settle for anything less then GREATNESS. I expect and believe we will come out of the gates guns a blazing and never let up.

I expect a MAC Regular Season Title, MAC Tournament Title, Top 25 ranking throughout the season and advancement in the NCAA tournament. Anything less and i think we did not reach our potential for this year. There is really no team on the schedule in which we should not expect to beat.

Just my 2 cents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfZRXeinYe4

OUVan
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 9:11:14 AM

We shouldn't "expect" anything. Anything can happen. And while I thought we were the best team in the MAC last year we didn't win the regular season title. Akron is right there with us. We could be better than last year and still only get an NIT bid. It seems like a lot of people are setting themselves up for disappointment if you expect us to do no worse than last year. I will be disappointed if we don't do better in the regular season but the post season is a complete crap shoot.

The Optimist
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Location: CLE
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 9:23:37 AM

bobcat4 wrote:

There is really no team on the schedule in which we should not expect to beat.

Is there a team in the nation we don't belong on the same floor as?

What excites me most is our experience on the big stage. It is one thing to return an entire (very talented) team. Having a very talented team who also has more experience than ANYONE on the big stage....

I've seen crazier things happen.

stub
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 9:26:58 AM

OUVan wrote:

I will be disappointed if we don't do better in the regular season but the post season is a complete crap shoot.

Bingo!

If this team plays to the level I think they can play, they can take the MAC regular season and get an NCAA bid. Never expect a tourney championship. On a given night in a short week, when some teams are just hot, others not, it is a crap shoot.

Last Edited: 11/9/2012 9:30:41 AM by stub

whocaresgobobcats
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 10:03:17 AM

Agreed. Winning the regular season MAC and MAC Tournament should be the goals and expectations. Once you get into the NCAA's it's all about matchups.

The Optimist
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 10:06:43 AM

After reading the predictions thread, I really hope we get the better of Akron, especially in the MAC tourney.

I've seen crazier things happen.

Andrew Ruck
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Location: Columbus, OH
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 12:00:25 PM

I've yet to see a MAC regular season title since Ive been around, and I crave it desperately. The only way I will be at peace with a season that doesn't have us winning the MAC is if we have a good bit of injuries or something crazy happens with Akron where they win it at 15-1 and we are 2nd at 14-2...If we have another season of dropping games at directional Michigans, etc and have yet another 10 or 11 win MAC season...I'll be pretty disappointed. It feels like all I've ever known is the 9-11 win MAC seasons and it needs to end this year.

If anyone but Akron beats us in the MAC tourney, I'll be disappointed.

If we reach the dance after winning the MAC regular and/or tourney...nothing could happen that would make me call it a disappointment. I don't like the folks that always chime in "All that matters is how we do in March." In a lot of ways, I almost value a consistent impressive regular season MORE than I do an improbable March run. Maybe because I've yet to experience a truly dominant regular season.

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

Bobcat110alum
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 12:55:01 PM

I'm definitely heading into this season with controlled expectations. A strong regular season ending with a championship would be great. Winning the tournament and heading to the NCAA would be even better!

I haven't seen much mention of the NIT either. While it's definitely not the NCAA, wouldn't it be pretty awesome if we could make a run and win? I'd be down with that!

B.S. Journalism, 2012.

stub
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 4:43:49 PM

[QUOTE=Tyler Charles]I haven't seen much mention of the NIT either. While it's definitely not the NCAA, wouldn't it be pretty awesome if we could make a run and win? Quote]

Which raises an interesting question. What would be your trade-off be for winning the NIT. Just making it to the NCAA and losing? Winning one game? Sweet 16?

I think I'd just rather go the NCAA. I'll bet few of us know who won the NIT last year.

Last Edited: 11/9/2012 4:45:53 PM by stub

Bleed Green & White
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/9/2012 5:02:49 PM

I've been able to manage expectations for too, too long. I'm highly doubtful that I'll be able to this season.

I'll try to not expect too much, but it's really hard with what we are returning. Of course, the key is to reassess the situation after a few games, at the start of MAC play, and the push though late Feb into MARCH.

The KEY to the season is how well they work together as a team. If too many "Me" men appear, we'll have a repeat of the "It" team of 05-06.

"we are bound to win the fray..."
Don't let anyone block your pride.
BSC '06

west side cat
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 6:03:01 PM

Every year is a new year. Look at what injuries have done to the football team. You can't take anything for granted, but I too would be disappointed with anything less than a MAC championship in regular season and tournament, as I'm sure the team would also. Once in the dance, all bets are off. It could be a special year.

bobcat72
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 6:15:16 PM

I'd rather lose by 30 in the NCAA first round than win the NIT. No one remembers or cares about the NIT - it's all about winning the MAC and getting to the Big Dance.

Pataskala
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 7:41:07 PM

A lesson should be learned from the football team. We had a great 2011 season; returned the QB, OL and DL; were unanimously picked to win the East and the favorite to win the MAC; and were the odds-on favorite for an unbeaten season and maybe a BCS bowl. Now, with two games left, we're out of the conference race and may finish 8-4 (still a good record but a bit of a disappointment given the expectations and the way the season started). Why? Primarily, a ton of injuries that decimated the D secondary and the receiving corps. They say the team that wins it is the one that stays most healthy. Well, if Ohio stays healthy, and keeps within its game, this team could go a long, long way -- maybe win it all. I would be extremely happy with (1) best efforts, (2) staying healthy, and (3) not beating ourselves. If these things come to pass, the rest (national rankings, MAC titles and NCAA tourney wins) should follow.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.

DayvidGallagher
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Member Since: 7/28/2010
Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 8:43:05 PM

Not to pass over Pataskala's very quality post but:

bobcat72 wrote:

I'd rather lose by 30 in the NCAA first round than win the NIT. No one remembers or cares about the NIT - it's all about winning the MAC and getting to the Big Dance.

Im curious to test this, no one answer these but just think to yourself:

Who won the 2012 NIT?
Who did Florida beat by 26 (largest margin in first round) in the first round of the NCAA?

Or even, who did the eventual National Champions Kentucky beat in the first round?

Personally I couldn't answer any of the 3 without looking it up. So I would argue no one remembers or cares about either.

Last Edited: 11/12/2012 8:45:47 PM by DayvidGallagher

“The thing that gets lost in the deal is we’re Ohio University. We’re Ohio. We liked to be referred to as Ohio. That’s who we are." - John Groce

OUVan
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 8:56:42 PM

bobcat72 wrote:

I'd rather lose by 30 in the NCAA first round than win the NIT. No one remembers or cares about the NIT - it's all about winning the MAC and getting to the Big Dance.

If we won the NIT we would remember as a high point for the program. I would rather not dance if we aren't competitive. Losing by 30 would be horrible.

Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 10:14:04 PM

The reason hype around a basketball team is less dangerous in football, at least in my mind, is you can have some early hiccups, learning experiences or bad nights early in a hoops season. A hiccup in Week 2 in football sinks your chances as a mid-major. In basketball, Ohio seems to crap the bed against Toledo or Bowling Green every year and yet can blow it off, round into shape and make a run.

When you play in the MAC, you have to be perfect in football. There's some wiggle room in basketball. That somehow comforts me as a basketball fan. The season is NEVER over unless you've been eliminated in Cleveland.

Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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RE: Managing Expectations

Posted: 11/12/2012 10:24:22 PM

OUVan wrote:

I would rather not dance if we aren't competitive. Losing by 30 would be horrible.

The very thought going through my head midway through the second half of the Florida game at the Gaylord Center in Nashville. I was completely convinced Ohio was going to be buried by David Lee and Corey Brewer.

(Aside: Looking at that 2004-2005 Florida roster...David Lee, Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah. Forgot how stacked that team was, even given that Horford and Noah were freshmen).

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