Tim O'Shea has silenced my juvenile taunting in a quick hurry. He deserves some major accolades for what he did this year. I didn't think they'd win double-digit games for six or seven years.
My take on the Akron game: They beat us three times. This wasn't a fluke. Ohio was not as good as Akron this year. It's not an especially frustrating loss to me past the first gutpunch reaction. They were better.
Ohio did what few teams can do: be really good midstream a coaching change. To win 23 or 24 games with a first-year coach is incredibly difficult. I think it shows just how flexible both the players and coaching staff were to get to the MAC title game and get a share of the conference crown.
This one hurt like a band-aid for me: a quick rip and it's gone. I never felt like this team fully found its momentum, so expecting another long run in the NCAA tournament was unrealistic.
A nice run in the NIT would cap an amazing four-year stretch here. Then it's time to circle the wagons and rebuild on the run. Still try to get to 20-22 wins while in the post-DJ era.
Thanks for a measured and rational post. I think the conference is going to be pretty wide open next year, and there's no reason to think things we can't be in the thick of a good race.
Against a great frontcourt like Akron, our only hope is hitting outside shots. When they don't fall, this team has no Plan B because there's little size and little rebounding ability. That was true last year too. One difference is that the shots fell last year. Another huge difference is that Akron got a lot better last from last season to this one. All their key returners and their new players made for a much better team (Treadwell is my early pick for POY). I'd argue that only Keely made a similar jump for us, and we all know a couple of guys slid backwards for one reason or another. People want to find blame for it, but I think their players just had higher ceilings (Marshall isn't even close to his potential yet).
It's been a great run, and while I was bitterly disappointed Saturday, I have some perspective today. I'll enjoy the NIT regardless of the outcome and I'll sip the bitter drink of watching the superior team represent the MAC in the NCAAs.