What are your expectations for men’s hoops?

[curseddawgs]

My expectation for the season is to be at very least a 7 seed in NCAA tournament. I think we will finish in the top 7 of the SEC as well but probably closer to number 7 than number 1. Because of the roster turnover it will take time to build team chemistry no matter how talented a team is (Rocket being out for summer workouts and maybe some fall practices isn’t ideal). On top of that, Howland’s teams have often gotten off to slow starts in SEC play even with talented squads (see 2019 and 2020). Finally, the SEC seems to be as loaded as it’s ever been especially at the top of the league. I do think we could make a run in March but trying to predict NCAA tournament results in July is a waste of time. If the team only lost 1 or 2 non conference games (with no quad 3 or 4 losses) and a 10-8 or 11-7 SEC record to me that is a fairly successful season and should put us around a 6 or 7 seed depending on our metrics.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Sweet 16….we have that much talent…

 

[Dawgg]

Honestly, even if the SEC is loaded, it still depends on our non-conference schedule.

The only announced opponent I know of is Texas Tech, but I could have missed some other announcements.

 

[curseddawgs]

Sweet 16….we have that much talent…

We were extremely talented in 2002, 2004, 2012, and 2019 and couldn’t get out of the first weekend. I agree with you that we have the talent to get that far but there are 6 other teams in the SEC alone that think they can get to the Sweet 16 off the talent on their rosters.

 

[curseddawgs]

Minnesota is in the Hump on December 5. They have a first year coach which means they lost a lot of talent to the portal. I believe we host Furman around Christmas. Furman is a very solid program and have given SEC teams some losses over the past couple of years

 

[SteelCurtain74]

Minnesota is in the Hump on December 5. They have a first year coach which means they lost a lot of talent to the portal. I believe we host Furman around Christmas. Furman is a very solid program and have given SEC teams some losses over the past couple of years

One of their players who averaged 19 a game just transferred to Texas. I think he was All Big-Ten last year. I think his last name is Carr.

 

[DAWGS1.sixpack]

Make the Tourney and win first game.
Making it to the Sweet 16 would be gravy.

 

[curseddawgs]

Yes and their best big man, Liam Robbins, transfered to Vandy

 

[Maroon Eagle]

If it’s Mississippi State, I expect fans to complain during basketball season.

 

[curseddawgs]

If it’s Mississippi State, I expect fans to complain during basketball season.

“Tear down the Hump and expand the Dude.” -State fans after we lose by single digits at Rupp arena against a ranked Kentucky team

 

[oxfordrebel22]

One of their players who averaged 19 a game just transferred to Texas. I think he was All Big-Ten last year. I think his last name is Carr.

Yeah I got a $50 Texas to win the 2022 national championship ticket at 30:1 and I’m really wishing I’d put more than that on it. Beard is KILLING IT with the portal. Texas is going to be tough.

 

[curseddawgs]

Chris Del Conte hiring Vic Schaefer, Steve Sarkisian, and Chris Beard all within a 12 month span is insane

 

[philduckworth]

Get to the NCAAT. It's a crapshoot after that.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

6-7 seed in NCAA & survive to the 2nd round.
Average over 5K actual attendance for SEC games

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Not to **** the bed down the stretch of SEC play.

This team has potential to be very good but it call all be squandered pretty quickly in February.

 

[mstateglfr]

I expect the team to make the NCAA Tournament.
Along the way, I expect MSU to upset a couple teams and to drop a couple games to lesser teams.

I hope the team wins a game in the tournament.

 

[curseddawgs]

Under Howland, January has been a bad month and February is when we win some games get our hopes up only to lose to a team like Vanderbilt or South Carolina in gut wrenching fashion

 

[curseddawgs]

I think this year we beat the teams were supposed to for the most part (we’ll probably lose a road game or two in which we’re the favorite) but I think we’ll struggle for the most part against teams equal or better than us. Don’t see us winning in Lubbock, Lexington, or Tuscaloosa

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

National Championship- injuns are dead

 

[Ranchdawg]

I no longer have expectations for our basketball program. At one time basketball was my favorite sport at State. The Hump was full for every SEC game and teams said the Hump was the loudest of all in the SEC. Byrne changed the seating to raise money and all that went away. Many of our fans went away too. After the coaching changes I look at every season like Russian Roulette. We will have talent but so will everyone else in the SEC.

 

[KOdawg1]

I just want the team to quit being so bipolar. We'll win a few games to get everyone's hopes up, and then drop one to a team we have no business losing to. Hadad and Coleman used the "ball up the hill" analogy. It's completely correct. They'll do just enough to get the ball to the top of the hill, and it'll come crashing down. I want this team to get over the hill.

 

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

I have none......when does fall baseball start?

 

[thekimmer]

We have to be a solid tournament team. If we fail to make the dance or even if we are left sweating it out on the bubble then we must move on to new program leadership.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

hopefulness -> disappointment in an early head scratching loss -> a big win that brings hope back -> late season overreactions to all wins and losses

 

[Hump4Hoops]

I have not seen a single early bracketology that even has us in the tourney.

Lunardi has us in the first 4 out, and that's the best I've seen. Is a 7 or better an unrealistic expectation?

 

[Drebin]

“Tear down the Hump and expand the Dude.” -State fans after we lose by single digits at Rupp arena against a ranked Kentucky team

I can't be sure about this, but I think there may be a good chance that this is hyperbole.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Provide something to ***** about between football and baseball **

 

[Seinfeld]

That’s where I am. I mean, with this roster, I feel like our expectations should be a team that hangs around the Top 25 all year and a stress free NCAA tourney bid.

Knowing all too well how our basketball program works, though, I’ve got a good idea about how this season will play out.

Player X is inexplicably ineligible to start the year
Start the season 6-1 and fans are cautiously optimistic
Drop 2 and fans are bummed
Finish non-con around 11-3 and fans are cautiously optimistic again
Lose to OM by 20 and fans are pissed
Player Y mysteriously held out for 2 weeks
Trade SEC wins for a couple weeks in front of 4k at the Hump
Lose a heartbreaker to KY
Go on a mini-run to make a push towards the NCAA bubble
Need 2 SEC tourney wins to be comfortable about an NCAA bid, so we win 1
Squeak in to the NCAA, lose first weekend to a 300-student private college that goes 28-35 from 3
7 players enter the portal, Isaac Stansbury declares for the draft

 

[DAWG61]

First 4 out isn't a bad starting point if that's our outside perception. Barely exceed that and we're in. I expect better than that though I expect us to be somewhere around a 6-8 seed.

 

[Lettucexxxx]

I expect us to lose 3 close games before SEC play. 3 games that would have certainly kept us off the bubble. I think we will be close to 500 in league play. I expect us to have to win 2 in the SEC tournament to make the dance.

….This has pretty much been the results for Ben’s entire tenure , regardless of talent or lack there of

 

[KentuckyDawg13]

Utter disappointment per usual

As others have stated, Sweet 16 talent. Hopefully, the new crew gels and they tear it up. Could be an amazing year.

 

[curseddawgs]

Lunardi had us in until Stewart left. We added Rocket and Shakeel Moore in the weeks following. Jon Rothstein at CBS had us 34 in his preseason top 45. I think the national consensus is that we could be very good but the lack of sleep roster continuity is what is giving pollsters doubts

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

3-5 seed Sweet 16. We actually have some good scoring coming back.

 

[mcdawg22]

A building of excitement with some quality wins only to be washed away by a bad loss. Wash rinse repeat.

 

[ll Martain ll]

This team had too much turnover (the irony) to justify high expectations—talent on paper is cool, but hopefully they gel as a team. My expectations stop at hopeful they are at least a fun team to watch.

I could see anything from deep run in the NCAA to barely finishing above .500.