You nailed it. That's why I put "bigger and better" in quotations.

We've seen it enough times ... a guy gets to the NCAA tourney or wins a game and he bolts for another job.

Plus, Saul has already won an NCAA game at ND State. So he'll have that on his resume too.

It might very well be a jump to somewhere like Southern Illinois or Wisconsin-Green Bay.

But I just don't think there is hardly any chance he's roaming the sidelines at The Convo next year regardless of what kind of season they have.

This can't be overstated. An argument could be made each of those 3 were the best players in the MAC that year (disclaimer, I am irrationally high on Carter).

Anything short of a MAC title appearance and he has to be GONE

Absolutely. The season starts in March.

Then why not extend his contract rather than give him a lame duck season? Can't be good for recruiting.

That is something coaches have sold athletic programs on, the need for a multi year contract to protect recruiting. The concept was bought into as an industry best practice but I don't know if its necessarily a must. Solich is recruiting fine on a year-2-year contract.

Interesting approach. Resign the basketball coach at half of what he's currently making to reflect his subpar performance. At $275k that would place him right at the bottom as far as MAC salaries go. I could see the AD after Solich retires to try and offer the next guy less money and deemphasis football some. Basketball however is the schools chance to compete with the power schools directly and I would go up in money not down. A big name in the roundhouse is going to attract fans and donors.

And the NFL starts on Super Bowl Sunday.

*Rob Smith

The season has got off to a good start and if the Bobcats stay healthy they can have a nice first two months. The schedule sets up for them to be successful before MAC play begins. Very few true road games with Purdue and Xavier the only tough ones. Detroit Mercy away is a game Ohio can win. If Ohio takes care of business at home they can roll into MAC play with several wins. Nine wins before conference play begins is possible with all the home games. Of course Buffalo is the favorite in the league, but with 11 or 12 MAC wins that gives the Bobcats 20 plus W's going into the league tournament. Don't count these players or coaching staff out just yet.

Thanks for bringing this back for perspective. Yep, my expectations and mind haven't changed a bit.

Obviously option 2 above is no longer possible, which means it's win the tournament or bust for SP. That mirrors what I've been saying for awhile now.

But yes I still agree if he DOES win it. I do a 180 and we extend him - however remote that possibility actually is of occurring.

It took me a while to get here, but I eventually created my own personal standards for Ohio basketball that are based on some realities of being a MAC school.

I think it's fair to say that, historically, men's basketball has been a valued commodity at Ohio University and that, while not as much as I would like, a good amount of resources have been dedicated to its success (talking moreso about coaching salaries than physical facilities which I think need to be enhanced).

Because of the tradition/history, fan support, and financial investments, here is what I expect out of the program with regularity:

-20+ wins

-an upper tier place in the MAC standings-top 4, with the first MAC tourney game being played in Cleveland (within the current format). Worst case hosting a home game in the first round. Blowouts and losing streaks in conference are a rarity.

-Reaching the semis of the MAC tournament with regularity

-Winning the conference tournament and going to the dance at least once every 3-5 years. Playing well once there. Going as an at large is pretty much a pipe dream for me given the history of the selection committee. If Buffalo doesn't win the tournament this year I am not 100% convinced they get an at large, especially if Syracuse struggles to close out the season (lost by 26 at home to UVA last night).

-At least being invited to mid-major postseason tournaments based on success in the regular season.

If there is a magical season where the Bobcats have a great non-conference record and go on a strong run through the MAC (say something similar to what Buffalo is doing this year) and make the tournament and win a couple of games even-that would be wonderful! However, I also know that probably means the coach who led all of that is on the fast track to being the next coach at a middling Big ______ program. It's not realistic to expect that on a regular basis.