Postseason Expectations

Alumni Hall said:
Vegas has our odds at 25-1 to win it all... 4.5-1 to make the Final Four
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4.5 to 1 to FF, basically means the betting expectation is about even money to get to Sweet 16

if they are paying 4.5 to one, it's probably closer to 6 to 1 but they expect a lot of $$ to be laid on SJU
 
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mattc said:
What? We’re ranked 7th in the country. The major expectations are THIS year. Why on earth would we have to wait another season to expect postseason success?
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Particularly with major roster turn-over every year. Have to enjoy it when you've got it.

I hope to make the final 4 and think it is quite possible (matchups, injuries .....). I expect to make the sweet 16. But, I am happy with the season so I am just trying to enjoy each game.
 
newsman13 said:
As I see it, we're playing with house money. Anything is gravy now!
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I think Pitino would throw you out of the gym if you were a player or coach. He didn't come here to be satisfied with simply a great regular season. Yes, this was fantastic, but starting next week, it all gets serious. For us, the BET is a dress rehearsal for the dance. Winning that is important, but more importantly, gets us ready for win or go home competition.

I know what you guys mean by house money, but IMO, these kids have worked incredibly hard to find their identity, one that can carry them very deep into March. So for me, let's get through first weekend of dance where we will have two winnable (and lose-able) games but will be favored in both. I guess as the competition stiffens, winning will get tougher, but for me, winning at least 1 game on weekend two would satisfy me.

Of course, until we get there, there I will want more.
 
MCNPA said:
The biggest difference about us is that we are arguably the best defensive team in the country and that is one thing that doesn’t rely on matchups. It gives us a distinct advantage because we are exceedingly hard to play against and teams will have to figure out how to work past that regardless how good they are.

I expect us to play our best ball in the post-season and if we keep our defensive intensity every game, we will go deep into the tourney.
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I have a hunch we're gonna ramp up our defensive intensity a tad notch in the NCAA Tournament. I'm speaking it into existence.... The team who faces us in the 2nd round may have a serious problem on their hands. If we make shots from the outside; they better watch out.
 
Would love for this group to celebrate a BET victory, although we don’t have a great NCAA tournament history in the years we won Big East Championship seem to be spent after the accomplishment. That said, we never had Coach Pitino before. All things considered give me an NCAA tournament win which we have not had since 2000 and if we do lose at some point don’t add to the list of frustrating tournament loses other listed on this thread
 
MJDinkins said:
I have a hunch we're gonna ramp up our defensive intensity a tad notch in the NCAA Tournament. I'm speaking it into existence.... The team who faces us in the 2nd round may have a serious problem on their hands. If we make shots from the outside; they better watch out.
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The big concern is the referee crews we draw in the NCAA. We play very close defense on the perimeter, and if refs start calling incidental contact away from the ball, could put us in foul trouble quickly and take away our strength as a defensive stalwart.
 
It's all about match ups. We have no clue of who and where we are playing. I personally like our chances in a second game of the w/e as it gives opponents less time to prepare for our defense and offensive rebounding. Let's get out of the Marquette and BE Tourney games healthy as we are a limited bench team (see loss to Nova without Smitty and "close" one versus the Hall with Scottie out).
 
Agree with the “Anythings Possible” conclusion. If we play well to our defensive potential like we did vs Uconn ,i feel sky is the limit. If we play like we did vs Butler and Seton Hall, not so much. But the potential is there to go very far. As Rick said early in the season, this could be a very special team. It is great to hear Zuby and RJ say they bought in 1000% to Pitino and Defense. RJ said yesterday he “loves” playing D! Rick quotes Zuby when Uconn pulled to within 9 points that we can win this game , been here before, and they will not accept losing!
 
I have a 1 game at a time approach. So much comes into play in a one and done tournament, Just ask Virginia, who lost in the first round as a #1 seed only to win it all the next season. Probably 75% of our conference games were up for grabs with 4 minutes to go. We made the right plays in the end game, and that means a lot. Still, I would be more confident if we were the type of team that pulls away early.
 
I'm just looking forward to seeing a team I love play in the NCAA tournament. That first weekend, even without the Johnies, is maybe the best weekend in sports so to actually be able to watch these guys play again that weekend is going to be amazing. At the beginning of the year, I thought getting in with a 6 seed would be a huge accomplishment for this program. But to be talking about a path to a 2 seed just blows my mind.

Secretly I'm hoping that we get to the point where we are playing a 1 seed. I'd really like to see how we stack up against a Duke or Houston or how Scott and RJ match up with the likes of a Cooper Flagg. It is surreal to think that is a legitimate possibility and not just fantasy.
 
I'm happy with the season now.

Doesn't matter what happens from here, I'll be happy with the season as it's played out in May.

But over the next 5 weeks I will not be happy unless there is a BET Final and a Sweet Sixteen included. After that let's roll 'em out and see what happens. Health and match-ups are everything.
 
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