Who cares about an NIT after a  Sweet  16?  A step has been made backwards.  

JSF. In the MAC you are either building towards something or competing for something. We failed on an epic level this year.  Sorry you come from the trophy for everyone generation.  I hope you enjoy the NIT run for the " trophies for everyone" crowd. NCAA to NIT, gotta love the move forward in the program.

Whatever JC is saying during halftimes is killing the momentum of the first half. He needs to stay the hell out of the locker room. Bring on the spring game! Basketball is over. 

So you don't think 3 NCAA wins, a sweet 16, 2 MAC tourney titles, 1 regular season title and 3 MAC title game appearances is moving the program forward?

This class was responsible for completely turning a program around that had been treading water for some time. Or does everyone forget the TOS years already?

One day we'll all look back and realize that this was a special, special group of players. It's unfortunate to say it but I doubt the success this class had will ever be duplicated. I'm not even sure what the percentages would be on another class winning 3 NCAA games...5%?

While something didn't quite click like it did last season, I think many people have been spoiled by this teams' success. They had an unbelievable run....even in a season where they came up just a bit short.

that is not what I am happy with. A lot of effort built on a lot of backs to get a great foundation. I voiced my concern that all that was built is in danger of being dismantled. We have been swinging for the fences. The program should be moving forwArd every day. NOt ,maintaining, not rationalizing, not being happy with where we have been but supporting and demanding maintained excellence. I am happy with where he have been but am also still aspiring to make a bigger dent in the world of college ball. May be the small town Hoosier in me but I know OHIO is a place where a jump to next level is attainable....especially with the foundation many worked very hard to lay.

9704--Keep posting:  train wreck whacko is always fun to read.

Let's face it.  Some of our players this year had lesser years than the last year or two.  It was that way all season and it meant that we couldn't win a big game.  Good teams worked us pretty good.  I don't know what could have changed that.  Just know that it has been easy to see, making such as tonight foreseeable.

I don't disagree with any of that. I think we all strive for the program to make that next leap but its going to be tough sledding.

Players, coaches, boosters and fans are gonna have to dig deep. To get to the next level you need things like stadium and lockerroom improvements and discussions about a PD facility. Is that feasible?

The biggest challenge is sustaining the success, not initially attaining it. Save facilities, you take the next step by recruiting more talented players. We desperately need someone who can take this senior classes success and leverage it in to even better talent. I hope we have the coaches on this staff to out recruit the rest of the league.

Last season was special and this season certainly could have been better than it has turned out. It's not over, though. It still can get better if Ohio doesn't quit like some of the fans have. And even if the Bobcats lose in the first round of whatever tournament they are in, that doesn't mean the team has taken any steps back. One game or one season doesn't shift a whole program. The Bobcats still are way better off than they were only a few years ago, largely because of the work of a great senior class. If everyone sticks with it, things will keep moving forward. Everything isn't going to work out just the way you expect along the way at every moment, but I think you can expect a lot of Akron-Ohio finals in the next several years.

Dambrodt has Akron as the Gonzaga of the MAC.  Seven tourney championship games in a row.  The guy wins and they play for championships.  Like him or his players or not, he just wins.  They are big and physical and tough hard nosed players.  Our guys, in three tries this year, couldn't match that.  I think the biggest thing this year was having three starters 6'3" or less and then an undersized 4. 

I know what JG was trying to do but with that size you really can't compete with really good teams consistently unless you bring your A+ game every night.  And don't tell me about last year...we were one last second shot in the MAC championship game from going to the NIT last year too.  Then, we played A+ ball for three games.  We just couldn't do that against Akron this year.

I just hope to see a more physical style next year. 

So....that was fun.

Just not going to beat Akron going 1-20 from 3. Heck we're not going to beat Winthrop going 1-20 from 3.

I said it before and I'll say it again, JC was a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE ATROCIOUS hire for THIS team, THIS year. Not saying he's a bad hire period, but just for this season. His basketball philosophy couldn't be any further away from Groce's. Now, that doesn't mean JC won't end up a "better" coach with a better overall record and even more overall success. I think he COULD be. Schaus just obviously decided to go a different direction with the program at the sacrifice of this year in hopes of even more/longer future success. 

The problem all year though has been, in the past,  Groce was a master at maximizing this teams advantages to cover up all our glaring weaknesses. We didn't have size or rebounding last year either but we still managed to beat a much bigger USF team and hang with a UNC and Louisville team that was full of NBA players. JC NEVER figured out, all year...and again tonight, how to make up for those weaknesses like Groce did. Is that his fault or is it just because it's not his style/philosophy? A little of both IMO. Let's face it. All year when we played teams more physical than us we reverted to jacking 3s and praying they went in. That didn't work tonight, nor did it work too well all year. No adjustments were ever really made.

Every game that we played where we had the premier/ultimate talent on the court, we won. Any game where we WEREN'T necessarily the most talented team or the other team was more physical than us...we lost (and usually in glorious flaming fashion, see: Memphis, Belmont, Akron etc).

Part of building a great program is recruiting and acquiring superior talent for sure, and I think JC can do that. But man, you can't just ALWAYS rely on simply having the "best players" every night. The other part is being able to put your guys in a position to win games that they "shouldn't". JC gets an F- in that regard this year. But again it's hard to be overly critical of him when he's coaching Groce's team. He gets next year, when more than half the roster will be "his" guys to prove he can actually coach himself out of a wet paper bag. If he doesn't we're in big trouble and I want him gone. Personally I think he CAN once he installs his system. Time will tell.

Sad sad way for these seniors to go out, but then I said that the day Groce accepted the Illini offer.

Also, I'm not positive we're an NIT lock at this point. 24-9 in a down MAC with literally 0 quality wins on the resume and we just got embarrassed on national tv for the 3rd time this year. We might get in based on our name recognition from last year and/or the ability of our fanbase to travel well, but I wouldn't be completely shocked to see us in the CBI along with WMU and Kent.

Edit to add - Just saw Christian's post game presser on the local Cleveland news here from the motel and I want to puke. The man literally just said "Hey, if we are lucky enough to get an NIT invite that's a big deal." Hmm...no, no it's not. "That's a pretty good accomplishment...I mean we're 24-9 all right." Are we supposed to be impressed with a 24 win team when you had 20+ games against teams not even in the top 175-200 in the RPI?  "I'm proud of the guys and our accomplishments this year." Say WHAT now? WHAT accomplishments? You were the 2nd best team in the 16th/17th best basketball conference? WHOOPIE! Hello high standards of excellence, meet Jim Christian. He's apparently never met you before. Might want to have a chat and take some notes. How embarrassing. I bet he thinks Bryant University had some "tremendous accomplishments" this year too. Good coach or not that's a losers mentality right there.

Ranting on an internet messageboard is wacko. Only posting after a loss or when you have a gripe is wacko. Attacking other fans who are feeling just as down as you are in order to get your frustration out is wacko.

Bornacatfan, you've forgotten more about basketball than I can ever hope to know, so whatever you say I take to the bank.  Essentially, if he's given the proper tools (upgraded locker, practice facility, etc.) do you think Coach Christian can take Ohio to the next level?  Do you think the Coach Christian hire was a good one for Ohio?