What constitutes a great season for WSU?

[Wufan]

I remember being in college in the late 90s (I went to an NAIA liberal arts school, not WSU) and everyone would laugh that I was a Shocker fan. I'd tell them about the history and they respected my passion despite not understanding it. In grad school (again, not WSU) I would tell everyone to watch and wait. This team's going to be REALLY good! Now 10+ years later, I get texts and calls from dozens of friends every March/April; they are wearing their Shocker gear and telling THEIR friends that they followed the Shockers in the "lean" years. Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey…The Shockers are making their way across the nation one fan at a time.

an undefeated season and consecutive F4s would be incredible!!! Lots of games left to go (hopefully).

[glm38]

WSU definitely has a better team than Creighton this year, and if we have an off shooting night and get beat in the rebounding margin, we could be out in the first round.

For me, that will not take away from this year. It has been an absolute joy to watch our seniors play together in the new Big East. Most of the games have been amazing to watch, either because of the newness of the opponent, the individual performance of Doug, Ethan, or other, or the competitiveness of the game. I've become a much bigger fan of Coach Mac due to his in season adjustments.

That is my point. Outsiders can look in and try to discredit a season all they want, and for Creighton, that will happen if they don't make it to the second weekend. For most Creighton fans, that won't stop us from calling this a great season. I still remember the 2002-2003 season very fondly, even though it was a first round exit. It will be sad for a month or so but I'll get over it.

Maybe that's the difference. I like our program. I have no aspirations of being Kansas or Duke. I like taking players and developing them over four years. That was my biggest fear in moving to the Big East, that we would lose that. For the first season anyway, it's working fine the way we are.

Good post. We all love our teams. CU fans have a lot to be proud of. Maybe this will be the year you catch fire and make a run. Love watching McD play.

[rlh04d]

I think this is absolutely true. For continued national praise it's Final Four or bust.

I don't think it's that black and white. What if we go to the Elite 8 and lose by, say, one point in OT to Kansas as the two seed, who go on to win the national title?

Lots of different situations that could change things. I think Elite 8 is the minimum as long as we are very competitive in a loss. Statistically, I think less than 45% of one seeds make the Final Four.

I'd much prefer a championship, though. We were damn close last year.

[saluki762]

I think this is absolutely true. For continued national praise it's Final Four or bust.

I don't think it's that black and white. What if we go to the Elite 8 and lose by, say, one point in OT to Kansas as the two seed, who go on to win the national title?

Lots of different situations that could change things. I think Elite 8 is the minimum as long as we are very competitive in a loss. Statistically, I think less than 45% of one seeds make the Final Four.

I'd much prefer a championship, though. We were damn close last year.

I am obviously more negative towards the teams I like than most fans so my expectations are decidedly lower. I am a fan of 3 NCAA basketball teams. One is Kansas. As a Jayhawk fan, I hope for a national championship every year. I consider the season a success anytime they reach the S16. Elite 8, Final Fours, and championships take the stars being aligned perfectly. You have to get good matchups and good play at the same time. S16 for WSU would make this post season a success after a historic regular season.