What Are Your Expectations For Basketball?
by Beergut
on Nov 18, 2008 9:05 AM CST
I know we have one more football game left. I know the big game is approaching next week. However, we have our second basketball game of the season tonight. We're playing a Stephen F. Austin team that won 26 games last year, and would have made the Big Dance if they had managed to win the Southland Conference tournament after winning the regular season title.
After winning our first game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, I am again left where I was at the beginning of last season, where I'm wondering if our players know what they're doing on offense. Turgeon's postgame comments again left me scratching my head.
This brought me to a question of expectations for the program. I don't know if I am alone in this area, but I expect our program to improve on last season's showing in the Big Dance, and make the Sweet Sixteen this year. I think we have progressed enough as a program to where we should expect to be in the NCAA Tournament every year, and we should expect to experience some success there. Maybe I am still living in the era of Billy Clyde Gillispie, where I became spoiled, and expected to have a good coach leading our program, but I think we should expect a minimum of twenty wins and a post-season appearance every year. I expect a team that is competitive every time they walk onto the court, no matter who they play. My expectation of fielding a competitive team every time out is probably one of the reasons why I stress so much over our defensive intensity (or lack thereof). Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, I felt we gave up too many open shots and allowed too many good looks. Against good teams, those open looks will result in points, and we'll get buried. These are issues we can fix now, but I would also argue that defensive intensity and scheme is something installed in the pre-season, before we play our first game.
I do wonder if Mark Turgeon realizes that this isn't the A&M of the 1990s, where we would have just been happy to win 18 games and make some kind of postseason tournament. We expect to win now, and we expect to be in play in March. I sometimes wonder if Turgeon is ready for that change in mindset, having come from Wichita State, where there isn't as much pressure as there is in a Big 12 program.
What are your expectations for the Texas A&M men's basketball program?
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You seem
To always harp on defensive intensity, and to bring up Billy Gillispie every time you do. I want to point out that his Kentucky team just recently gave up 111 to VMI, and also lost to Gardner-Webb last season. Now maybe the GW loss wasn’t due to a lack of defense, but 111 to VMI? Looks like his team is the one lacking the defensive intensity. I’m not saying that Turgeon’s teams are great defensively, but he’s not getting blown out by lesser opponents.
by the12thman11 on Nov 18, 2008 9:36 AM CST 0 recs
Gillispie will get it turned around
that team that lost to Gardner-Webb also made the Big Dance b/c they ran roughshod over the SEC.
I always bring up Gillispie when I talk about defensive intensity b/c his teams brought it in spades when he was in College Station.
by Beergut on Nov 18, 2008 10:02 AM CST 0 recs
we'll see
a lot depends on consistency and expectations as the season moves along. We’ll see how we do against early tests (arizona, stephen F. Austin, others) and then make the BIG 12 run.
by carsondude on Nov 18, 2008 10:32 AM CST 0 recs
I agree with you Beergut.
I expect a 20 win season and a sweet sixteen berth. I really don’t know how good this team will be.
Side question. Why did you delete my fan post?
by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 18, 2008 12:18 PM CST 0 recs
your fanpost was deleted b/c the stats you were quoting to support your statement were inaccurate
and I didn’t feel like editing it.
This is a blog dedicated to covering Texas A&M sports. If I wanted to read posts with a negative slant towards A&M, I’d frequent other blogs.
by Beergut on
Nov 18, 2008 12:52 PM CST
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Contend
for the Big XII for sure…20+ wins should be the goal. Who knows what happens in the tourney and what expectations should be. Too many weird things happen in March when these schools nobody can identify sneak up on the big boys, but a deep run is what I believe you’ll get.
by Tech92 on Nov 18, 2008 12:32 PM CST 0 recs
20+ wins
But I really see them with a .500 conference record. I just don’t have as much confidence in our improvement as you do, I suppose. I think it gets us to the tournament, though.
by FuturePants on Nov 18, 2008 12:50 PM CST 0 recs
New FanPost
