RF2044
Living Legend
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Appreciate this, but here are more facts.
- Ultimately, the goal is to compete for a national title. Despite us winning only once, having a top 4 seed makes you a legitimate contender most years. We have not been a top 4 seed since the 2014 tournament.
- There have been exactly 1 team to win the championship as an 8 seed or worse. We have been a #8 seed or better exactly once in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments (2019 - 8 seed).
- There have been exactly 7 teams to make the final four as a 10 or 11 seed since the field expanded since 1985. That's 7 times in nearly 40 years. Not very likely.
- Prior to 2014-15 (again, 10 season span), we had 10 seasons of 10+ losses in 40 years -- since 1983-84. From 2014-15 to present, we have had 10 loss seasons each year.
- Additionally, our winning percentage each of those years was sub .650 every single time - including sub .600 6 times. In the 10 years that we had 10 losses in that 40 year span, our winning percentage was: .750, .737, .600, .686, .657, .639, .636, .594, .667, .688. Meaning just ONCE -- 1996-97, when Winfred Walton (RIP) was ineligible and we had a historically young team - did we not have a .600+ winning percentage. That has happened SIX times in 10 years.
It has been a decade of mediocrity. And historic mediocrity at that. If you are telling us that Jim Boeheim was responsible for this, and we should temper expectations of consistent winning at that level, I would retort "Why?". We are resourced to win at a high level.
The demise is not exaggerated. We have been historically bad comparative to our program's history. And we have been average at best for a decade in a league that has, for the most part, been relatively mediocre as well.
I am hopeful Autry gets this rolling. But do not downplay how bad the last 10 years have been. 2-3 runs in the NCAA Tournament don't change anything.
Great post.
And to what you outlined, I'd add that a few postseason runs mask / cloud the way that many perceive the generally subpar performance a couple of those seasons. In particular, there are at least three teams that barely made the NCAA tournament that went on post-season runs that far outshot their seeding.
For many fans / posters, the "fun" / positivity of those postseason runs has supplanted the frustration of the 13+ loss season that preceded it.
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