Early Valley Predictions

[Wufan]

Bradley inthe 50s would be #2 on that list. Cincinnati in the 60s is #1 easy.

Also, Drake had a run in the late 60s or early 70s.

[DUBulldog]

Can we go back to the comment from 2007-8 about Marshall being in over his head in this conference?

I think you just did.

[valleychamp]

Can we go back to the comment from 2007-8 about Marshall being in over his head in this conference?

Most of us do not track random comments from extinct message boards from 5 years ago. But sure, have at it.

[valleychamp]

You (and the vast majority of other fans and programs determine success by what happens in the Valley. WSU and their fans do not. We measure success nationally, not locally or regionally. There is no Shocker fan that would trade an NCAA, Sweet 16 and Final Four for 6 straight Valley post season titles. Our program is trying to build to win nationally. No other Valley program can say that.

"No other Valley program can say that"....dumb. You believe this to be true why? Comments like this are sanctimonious and/or just flat-out incorrect in most cases.

Just because WSU just made a F4 run does not mean that they are the only school with large aspirations. Every school strives for national impact. And making an impact like that starts within your own conference, consistently winning against your peers. Of course nobody would a trade a conf title for a deep NCAA run, who said they would? But getting to the NCAA's in the first place requires success in your own league and achieving that consistent success is something to be very prideful of.

I don't suppose you had any ill feelings after WSU gave away a conference championship with a home loss on Sr day against Evansville? I mean, WSU had already firmly placed themselves in the NCAA tournament with their at-large resume, so why would winning the conference mean anything at that point, right?

[2livewu]

There is a huge difference between hopes and actuality.

Of course UNI, Evansville, Drake et al want to win at the highest level. Of course their coaches and fans set goals, lofty goals and try to achieve said goals.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret, because too many of you don't get it. You aren't going to win, nationally, without talent. You might sneak a win here and there, but you simply aren't going to succeed long term, whether that's 2 weeks or 4 years.

UNI is the PERFECT example. Their program is built to win in the Valley. They can't compete with the big boys day in and day out. Now, they are well coached enough to catch the occasional team napping on a bad day, but they simply do not attract or go after enough big time athletes to win at the highest level. Why? Well, money for starters. They don't commit enough money to recruit in the areas most likely to produce those kind of players. They don't commit enough money because they don't have enough money. They also have a crappy school in the middle of nowhere in a cold weather environment that you can't get to from anywhere in the country, but that's another story. No doubt, they are up against it. And do they overachieve with what they have? Sometimes, you bet! They get a lot out of not much. But don't confuse 1 really good season with sustained national success and direction.

Now, just because Wichita has the money etc. that doesn't mean they automatically get the keys to success. It's just a step. It's a big step, an important step, but only a step. Think of it as if you are trying to crack a safe. Some people have the key and combination (Kentucky, Duke), others are good locksmiths and deftly try to get the tumblers to fall into place, mostly failing but every once in awhile getting everything to fall into place. Others just spin the knob and hope. Still others can't even get into the bank, and instead wait outside and look for a way to ambush the real pros as they escape or even worse, hope that something falls to side and they can collect the scraps.

WSU has paid their dues and is in the vault, working on the combination. Wanna guess who's outside waiting for the scraps?

Hint: They all have threads on their message boards discussing the money WSU just created for their programs, and celebrating the windfall.

[2livewu]

"No other Valley program can say that"....dumb. You believe this to be true why? Comments like this are sanctimonious and/or just flat-out incorrect in most cases.

Just because WSU just made a F4 run does not mean that they are the only school with large aspirations. Every school strives for national impact. And making an impact like that starts within your own conference, consistently winning against your peers. Of course nobody would a trade a conf title for a deep NCAA run, who said they would? But getting to the NCAA's in the first place requires success in your own league and achieving that consistent success is something to be very prideful of.

I don't suppose you had any ill feelings after WSU gave away a conference championship with a home loss on Sr day against Evansville? I mean, WSU had already firmly placed themselves in the NCAA tournament with their at-large resume, so why would winning the conference mean anything at that point, right?

No other Valley team CAN say that, unless you still count Creighton as a Valley team. I'm sorry UNI is a 2nd class citizen, but it's not WSU's fault. Spend money. Raise money. That's on you, not WSU.

And no, making an impact does not in fact start within the conference, UNLESS that's the only way you can get there. For UNI that's truthful, but it's not for WSU. It's also true for the likes of Southern, Texas Arlington, Weber State etc etc.

But you misunderstand, and I am not surprised, because it's a state you often times find yourself. WSU making the Final Four doesn't make them the only Valley teams with aspirations. It proves without a doubt they are the only program that actually had them in the first place. But even if they didn't make the FF, they are the only program that is actually doing the things that make the possibility even the most remote chance.

[kochhead22]

Sooooooooo uh maybe we get back on topic of predictions for next year and jump off the history lessons...

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

And MSU was to finish top half and WSU bottom half last year. Also, the Chiefs to win the AFC west and MSU to Conference USA.

Some of the many grand posts of Casey! What will the next prediction be from the profit?

Look I don't want to distract from this thread but I feel a great need to defend myself here.

I was completely wrong about Wichita State, I've admitted that on message boards, to coworkers, to a counselor, to my mailman. To everyone. I just thought they lost too much and I thought that MSU was a darkhorse. Sometimes my maroon covered glasses get the best of me. A lot of people picked the Chiefs last year. A lot of people. Have you heard of Mike Mayock? Things did not go according to plan. And I never predicted the CUSA thing. I had heard some intelligence from some of the big cigar boosters but it was second or third hand. I never made a prediction.

Now back on topic, I got WSU winning so if I am so bad at predictions than y'all should be scared!

[rlh04d]

Bradley inthe 50s would be #2 on that list. Cincinnati in the 60s is #1 easy.

Also, Drake had a run in the late 60s or early 70s.

I forgot about Bradley in the 50s. Wasn't including Cincinnati as I was too lazy to consider teams that aren't in the conference anymore.

I'd top the list with Bradley's run in the 50s, then Drake (who I did include) in second. Then I'd probably put all of WSU's runs 3-5 ... 60's, then 80's, then the current run. Bradley in the 80's, then SIU in the 2000's. Then Creighton. UNI's run, then SIU in the 90's. That's my top 10.

[rlh04d]

Sooooooooo uh maybe we get back on topic of predictions for next year and jump off the history lessons...

Eh, this is the second predictions thread already in the last few weeks. Nothing changed since the last one, so I don't think it going off topic matters