Well...that's pretty heartbreaking. I feel bad for this team. They play real heard, but right now they seem deflated and it shows on the court. A lot of the guys are real tentative. It reminds me of our last season in the HL when we would constantly get a lead but could never figure out how to close a game.

Well...maybe we're just not better than them.

Well, I'm finally angry. Except for the Illinois State and Creighton games, I think we've been out-hustled and/or out-smarted almost every other outing. It's one thing to not measure up talent-wise, but to have the other team want to win more than you do almost every game is really inexcusable.

The lack of effort is really baffling. In Porter's second year we were 5-11 in conference, but the team played hard and was enjoyable to watch. This team is lazy, and will be lucky to go 5-13. It's embarrassing.

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MBB Scholarship Chart

You wonder if getting so many two year players and transfers effects the ability for great chemistry....which seems to be one of the factors in hustling... as well as developing a leader on the court which we do not seem to have either. Tough losses.

After a couple of hours getting back home, I have thought of some things. First, maybe the issue with the intensity and hustle isn't PM. He really wants to win, and I see that during the games. Maybe the players need to be held responsible for that. I wonder if the success from last year caused them to think they can work less or not as hard, but still do well. The guys are great people, but at 18-22 it isn't out of the question that the guys may have started to slack off some or get deflated because the games aren't going like they did last year.

In terms of PM, I see similarities to what happened at my favorite college football school, Georgia. There, Mark Richt was loved because he was a great person, good ambassador for the school, recruited good kids, and ran the program with class. The only knock was the teams under-performed with the occasional team playing well. For the Ramblers, last year was a glimpse of what could be, but this year is a disappointment. I was split on where I stood with Richt, and I'm the same way with PM. I think he is a great person, makes sure the players are respectful and a class act, but the team isn't performing to its potential. I love that the team is full of players that are kind, classy, and respectable, but I want to succeed. If there is a season or two of success sprinkled in with a few years of disappointment, how long is it acceptable? Or what is the ratio of good seasons to mediocre seasons? UGA gave Richt 7-8 years of this after his first 5 years were extremely successful. How much time does PM get or deserve?

This was a disgusting display of ineptitude against a weak opponent. The Bears seemed to want it more than the Ramblers did.

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Let's go Braden!

You can go through the season schedule and put the games into several categories:

1. We were so much better than the opponent that a good or mediocre effort was enough to get a win. (UTSA, Eureka, San Diego, Western Illinois, UIC)
2. We wanted the game more than a well matched opponent and got the win. (1st Toledo game, Creighton)
3. A well-matched opponent simply wanted the game more than we did. (2nd Toledo game, Southern Illinois, Indiana State)
3. An average to below-average effort against a much better opponent (New Mexico, Notre Dame).
4. An inferior opponent beat us due to low effort (UNC Asheville, Cleveland State, Missouri State)
5. Came out on the losing end despite a good effort (Illinois State).

The way I figure it, our team only gave its best and performed at top effort against three or four of our opponents. Apparently, these guys just aren't very embarrassed by a half-assed effort. I suspect it's not entirely (or even mostly) the coach's fault. I think these kids get more motivation from peers (like other students, fellow players Christian Thomas and Joe Crisman) than from coaches. I think that to an extent, WE (the fans/alumni) are partly at fault with the crappy attendance after a really good season and with a lot of potential for this year; our best efforts at home almost perfectly track the attendance in house rooting for us-- Creighton was our best outing, UTSA or Toledo was maybe second best?, and the weak game against SIU had about 500 (very loud) Saluki fans out of the 1600 at the game, so you can subtract that. I mean really, if fellow students and alumni don't show up after a 24-win season in a better league, when will they-- or does it matter at all? On the other hand, if 4000+ people show up to watch you play, don't you feel an obligation to give it your all, keep your fellow players motivated, keep everyone pulling in the same direction, etc.?

I agree, John. The crowd was a huge factor in the Toledo game.

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MBB Scholarship Chart

Help me out here. I think Porter has three years left. I have some buddies who think two