How's This for Expectations

[WuDrWu]

We're going to the Final Four.

Our guys play defense like few teams in the country. It's a soft year. We have a ton of senior leadership and a lot of good stories. We've got a great coach. We have passionate fans that WILL travel. We have intriguing match up possibilities. Mason, Butler, VCU....Wichita State.

And we have the size and physical talent to compete with almost any team. I understand we can lose to a lot of teams, and I won't dismiss the chance we can be one and done. Heck, at least 32 teams will be 1 and done.

But if our guys play D like they've played most of the year and especially in the tournament, if Carl, Jake and Ehimen make layups, if Cle gets back to his old self, if we just get the usual good defensive play from DWill, Tekele and Mal, if Fred and Ron can give us a spark off the bench and just a couple of Baker, Wiggins, Mal, Cle, Fred or DWill can get hot from 3 (I know that sounds like a lot, but is any of those things a stretch at all?) I think we can go long....really long.

We can lose any game, but so can almost anyone in the tourney. I'm going to be out in front on this one. How about you?

Why not us?

#WatchUsGoToTheFinalFour

[Capitol Shock II]

I agree and have been thinking that...just didn't have the courage to post it.

[CBB_Fan]

Like always with the NCAA tournament, it will come down to matchups. There a lot of teams I think we match up very well against. Teams like Butler (no PG), Louisville (better version of VCU/Bradley), or Ohio St. (one dimensional) could be good for us. If we face a team with a really hot hand (ala Odum, McDermott, Ryan), we can lose early, and we would struggle to beat a great zoning team like Syracuse.

[1972Shocker]

I agree. Don't know how far we will get, but I think we will play well this year. No good reasons, juss an inkling.

[shoxlax]

Perhaps another game with the Bluejays this year?

[SubGod22]

I've always thought we could play with any team in the country. Doesn't guarantee victory, but it gives us a shot to win against anyone. Why not us?

[pie n eye]

If we can find a way to put the ball in the basket more consistently then sure, why not us? Scoring and fouls are the two things that concern me.

[SubGod22]

And having Baker back is going to help tremendously. Not to sell anyone else short, but he's a guy who is a threat from deep, handles the ball well, isn't afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack, will rebound and can D up. That's a hell of an addition for the postseason.

And I might as well talk about the development of FVV. I feel more comfortable with him in the game right now than DWill. He's smooth, smart, can shoot and more importantly, loves to penetrate and create for others. That's exactly what I want out of my PG.

This team can be so damn good. And the future is damn bright. Immediate and long-term.

[rrshock]

We're going to the Final Four.

Our guys play defense like few teams in the country. It's a soft year. We have a ton of senior leadership and a lot of good stories. We've got a great coach. We have passionate fans that WILL travel. We have intriguing match up possibilities. Mason, Butler, VCU....Wichita State.

And we have the size and physical talent to compete with almost any team. I understand we can lose to a lot of teams, and I won't dismiss the chance we can be one and done. Heck, at least 32 teams will be 1 and done.

But if our guys play D like they've played most of the year and especially in the tournament, if Carl, Jake and Ehimen make layups, if Cle gets back to his old self, if we just get the usual good defensive play from DWill, Tekele and Mal, if Fred and Ron can give us a spark off the bench and just a couple of Baker, Wiggins, Mal, Cle, Fred or DWill can get hot from 3 (I know that sounds like a lot, but is any of those things a stretch at all?) I think we can go long....really long.

We can lose any game, but so can almost anyone in the tourney. I'm going to be out in front on this one. How about you?

Why not us?

#WatchUsGoToTheFinalFour

I like that idea and I like that hash tag.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Agreed. Potential is definitely there. The Detroit game showed what this team can do if they're not subjected to a Valley defense and Valley refs.

[WuDrWu]

Well to be fair, Detroit didn't subject us to any defense, but our "stuff" is very effective against first time opponents.

Ron Baker is a big time difference maker (for those of you that refuse to pay attention) and makes the team better, a lot better I believe, than they already were, and even that was pretty good.

[AZ Shocker]

Final Four here we come!!!! Selection Committee.....please don't match us up with other mid-majors in the first round. That's just chicken~**** and lame to help fulfill your tv contract. Let us go after the big dogs in the first round and see what a certain Cinderella can do from America's Heartland!!!!!!!!

GO SHOCKS!!!!!!!!

[shockmonster]

If we have several players who hit shots, we'll win several games. We've done it before this year.

[MadaboutWu]

Thanks for broaching this discussion WuDrWu. Two related factors that will make it tough is lack of tourney experience and how we have handled success this year.

The bright lights get very hot if you make it out of the first weekend. Just entering the top 25 has tended to make the team a bit complacent. What happens when they see themselves endlessly looping on Sportscenter and on the cover of SI. I don't mean this as negative as it sounds. It's a tough issue for anyone to handle and our guys don't have much experience with it.

But that said I believe this team has a very high ceiling and could go on an amazing run.

[GoShockers89]

I expect nothing but hope for everything this postseason. The year is already a success and we are playing with house money from here on out.