I know for years we have begged for better games....and this year we got them.....Monday morning quarterbacking on a Sunday wondering if this was the year for this to happen. I say that because it just looks like our new guys did not get enough playing time to gel and gain confidence....last year always looked like we knew we were going to win....this year looks like we know we might lose and hesitancy and not confidence creeps into our play. I think we had to give our best effort in so many of the tougher games on the Non-Conference schedule that we maybe sacrificed a little development time.
But half way through the season we at least know what we have to do.
1. Play to our potential 2. Hit open 3s 3. Get Williamson back and 4. Protect the home court.

We were preseason AP #26. Lindy’s magazine had us #17. We were thought of as an at-large contender.

Those polls are just guessing games.....we were a hot topic and mags knew people wanted to read about us.......and the predictions for the most part are mumbo-jumbo.........I will guarantee you whoever wrote those had never seen Ughak or Kaifes play and based it on 3 starters returning.I will agree that the schedule we put out there gave us a chance to get an at large if we had won some of the games against improved opponents...so from that stand point I guess the better schedule was a plus..........we could have played down again and won more games but it probably would not have given us an at-large....so it is back to winning the tournament

I think playing better opponents is good no matter what. I hope the program is constantly trying to improve SOS.

I actually agree with you.....I guess I want it both ways!!!!!!!! Would have been really great to have been able to develop the bench and win some of those games....In retrospect I guess the non-con gave us a pretty good idea of who we are.....I guess what I saw in the Illinois State game was that we played a very short bench....that PM does not have a lot of faith in the younger guys other than Kaifes. I kind of thought Bujdoso after he scored 11 against Richmond might have found his way into the rotation?

I vehemently disagree with this for a few reasons (including that previously mentioned preseason at-large possibility).

1.) Half of our non-con losses were eminently winnable games: Furman, Ball St., & St. Joe's. Both poor play and tough luck factored into those losses. However, if those 3 teams (2 of those matchups at home) are too tough of a schedule for any team, then said team is ATROCIOUSLY SOFT. It's not like any of those teams were Duke filled with NBA lottery picks that are just bigger, faster and stronger than us. As a matter of fact, if we can't use St. Joe's as a solid measuring stick for the program given their similarities to us (good academic Jesuit school, in a comparable mid-major conference and a major league city with a fertile recruiting base), then we really have to take a hard look at how our basketball program is operating. Not saying we need to win by 40 or cut the team, but we absolutely should always be competitive with a school like St. Joe's.
2.) I still think the non-con schedule as a whole was a solid learning experience for our guys. So Porter tightened up his bench last game. Playing time and how it's dished out is something we all have complained about and will continue to complain about for just about any coach. Plus I think that's less of a indictment on development from those games and more of a Porter thing because he has done that literally every year as the season goes along, regardless of our schedule.
3.) I still think this team is better equipped to handle the Valley because of that schedule than they were 2 years ago when our soft non-conference schedule helped hide deficiencies in our team that were exposed when we lost 7 of our last 9 games, including 3 to a very mediocre SIU team in the span of a month. That team finished with a record of 18-14, but was quite frankly a disappointment given how they folded in Valley play. I do not think this team will fold as dramatically as that one.