We need 3 wins, IMO. If we only beat OSU before the conference tourney, we would need 2 wins to make the big dance. The only way we become a 'lock' is to go 3-1 to close out the regular season. Most likely we go 2-2 and are a true bubble team. Lose the first and we are out of the big dance, Win the first and we are likely in (possibly in the play-in game).
There are people on this board who are over the top with optimism year after year. They get called names and are invited back to these posts to 'defend' the team that they had pumped up. They don't seem to accept when our teams have obvious weaknesses that others are just pointing out. Sometimes that is annoying
There are others who are over the top with their negativity. The really do believe the team 'quits', or that the coaches are no better than Jr. High coaches. Some of these people do not seem to have the experience of actually playing sports at least at a varsity level. You don't have to be a 'star' player to have an opinion, but if you haven't played competitive sports beyond Jr. High or JV, you lack a perspective that you will never understand. Players very rarely 'quit' during a game. The coaches have acquired their positions because they have worked hard, learned from mistakes, and grown in their profession. Players and coaches work very hard to get better. The constant name calling and statements of "fact' that border on the absurd is annoying.
There are other posters who are in neither of these camps. They enjoy making snide comments either way just to get someone else riled up. It's a sick kind of amusement. They enjoy the feeling that they have when they believe that they have gotten in someone's head. These people aren't annoying. They are mean and they suck.
All 3 groups want Baylor basketball to be successful. The 2nd group doesn't "love it when we lose", they are just hyper-critical and have a passion for the game. The people in the first group just love Baylor, believe in our coaches and are hopeful that the guys on our roster will develop into the players that they were hyped up to be.
This year's team isn't a 'bad team'. It is a poor roster. Missi was supposed to be our middle presence. We whiffed on some of our transfer pursuits, and landed what we believed would be a difference maker in Omier. I think the best case is that he and Olijuwana could both play 30 plus minutes every game and we could go small ball for stretches to give them adequate rest. The other bigs have been developmental projects who apparently haven't developed enough to even help during the games. Is that on the coaches? Sure, but consider our history with other projects. Several of those took a couple of years but eventually became all conference type players. As far as leadership on the team, that develops organically. I believed it would be the experienced transfers who took over that role. Both Omier and Roach had been solid contributers on final 4 teams. The only two that appear to try to lead on the floor are both Freshmen, and only one of them will be back next year. That has been a problem.
We are in a completely different world of college basketball. There are some players who will transfer for more money. There will be others who could develop over time, but will transfer for more playing time. There will be some players that we are counting on for a couple of years, but develop so quickly that they go pro after one year - Missi and Sochan. Is that coaching? Sure it is. Should they try to not develop those players so quickly?
Should we only recruit 1 and dones? It's fun to watch at times, but it doesn't produce championships. Ask Duke and Kentucky what it has been like turning over the full roster year after year (although this year's Duke team is special - we'll see how they do in the tourney). Roster development is a nearly impossible task. I don't know if they have GM positions like they do in football, but they are needed. What I do expect is that good coaches were learn to optimize NIL budgets and the transfer process to develop competitive teams every year. I do believe Scott Drew is a good coach - another problem is that he is recognized as a good coach and our best assistants get head coaching jobs every couple of years. The lack of continuity on the staff makes building a culture difficult as well. Again, I trust Drew to bring in coaches who will be good for the culture and good for the team.
I will continue to be a fan. I'm too cheap to pay for subscriptions. As a result, I will be a part of the 'free board' community and will have to learn to accept both the sunshine pumpers and the haters. That means that sometimes I will get annoyed with both groups. I will always hope that we will win and develop. I will leave it up to the coaches and athletic department staff to make the decisions that they get paid to make.
Sic em