Maybe many of us were basing our hopes that we could do well in the Big Ten and have a shot at winning the Big Ten, but looking at history too far gone?!
From 2008 to 2011 there were only 9 Big Ten teams who finished the regular season ranked in the Top 16, that's a 2.25 per year, or 2 per year for all but 1 of those 4 years.
If that history held true, and we all knew the talent on this team made us a Top 16 team, that would have put us among the Top 3 teams in the conference. Add to this our slightly favorable schedule, and how we played in the ooc part of the schedule, and its quite easy to see how we all got our expectations up so high.
Especially with how Wisconsin, the most consistent team in the conf the last few years, struggling early in the season.
Now add to this, a home win over an MSU squad that was early enough in the conf season that they hadn't really gotten into their groove yet, which is their typical pattern, and a ROAD win over an Illinois team that was simply cold as hell from outside.
How could our expectations not have been through the roof????
Well, for one, we did not rely enough on history.
Wisconsin's consistency was disregarded. MSU's annually kicking into gear more and more as the conf season rolled along. Indiana's preseason #1 ranking was apparently disregarded. Ohio St's FF trip just last year was disregarded.
And maybe, most importantly, instead of looking at the 2 Top 16 teams on average from 08-11, maybe we should have looked at the more recent history, and the Big Ten's getting FIVE teams ranked in the Top 16 just last year.
So, what do we have now?! We are ranked, #17 in the Sagarin, #14 in the Ken-Pom and #15 in the RPI. So, averaged out, 16th place.
And ahead of us, FIVE BIG TEN TEAMS, all ranked Top 13 by at least 2 of those 3 rating systems.
And we're tied for 6th place. Right where history says we should be.
See, we got better from last year, more experience, we got Trev back, that's fine, we should have improved this year from last. And if you look at all of the computer ratings, WE HAVE!!!!! A TON!!!!!!
But so has the rest of the Big Ten basically, right along with us. The 5 teams that finished ranked among the Top 16 last year, are the 5 teams ranked ahead of us this season.
But none of that makes the negative nancies feel better, because only getting pissed off and angry and frustrated and venting their negative frustrations apparently makes them feel better??????
Do I think that the possibilities were there, that we could have done better so far this year? Yes!!! But against such an absolutely brutal schedule, and being as shallow as we are, with no bench, I'd say we are doing pretty good when it really comes down to it.
I'm a silver lining kind of guy, I always try to find the silver lining, and guess what, I'm generally a happy guy.
I believe that there is a still a chance we'll pull off a 1989 or 90 kind of Big Dance run, and if we don't, well, then maybe that will help move the program in a different direction. Either way there is a positive to be found. My real hope is for us to have an Elite 8 run and then to have Tubby announce his retirement, going out ON TOP.
