I saw the same poor attitude and lack of effort last night and couldn't understand it. After learning about Stith I realized it WAS about him. The team was in shock and disbelief. They were so distracted by this "punch in the gut" they couldn't focus on the game. Let's not forget that the newbies all respected and looked up to him. They even gave him the respected nickname "Pops". They loved their teammate and are grieving from this loss.
To me last night was more about a group of kids that expected to win again over Cincy just because they beat them on the road two weeks ago. They didn't understand that it's damn hard for any team to sweep a conference opponent...let alone a group of freshman. They know now.
The only quitting has come from most of our fanbase. It's absurd.
Sith quits and everyone tries hard to see the ship sinking instead of something positive. I've heard Branch is an absolute stud. Why is it more probable that something bad is going to happend then Lavin adding another recruit this week? Riddle me that?
Good point Marillac. I posted about this being about Stith's departure, and to a degree I think it is. But I think you make a good point about a bunch of Freshmen being overconfident against a team they already beat on the road.
The good news is I don't think they'll be overconfident on Sat, and the staff has to do a little repair work on their psyche.
P.S. This program is in the best shape it's been ... since forever, because this program never had winning a national championship as it's real goal. Or a coach or staff who committed to it.