First, let me state that nothing I am about to say is directed at anyone on this board. I do not question anyone's dedication or desire to see the Sycamores do well. Everyone on this board bleeds blue and while we all disagree on things, we all share a common thread that holds us together.
With that being said, some of us have to calm down and take a deep breath. Was yesterday's game a thing of beauty? No, was it a win, yes. Was winning the important part, yes. I know many of us want/hope to see us play well every night, but it won't happen. Teams struggle at various points in a season, and they usually struggle on the road. It happens. Would you have rather of been St. Louis last night, who went on the road to Duquesne (a team at the bottom of the A-10) and had to come from behind to win by four on the road? Would we have been better served by taking the place of #12 UMASS, who went on the road and lost? Or how about Cal, who was undefeated in the Pac 10 before last night, losing on the road to USC (who by the way was winless in the conference before last night). These things happen every night in college basketball. No matter how bad you think Loyola is (they aren't that bad by the way) or how good you think State should be, the fact is road wins are like gold. Doesn't matter how big the win was, they are all valuable so you put them in your pocket and you move on.
I bring this up because some of us seem to forget we are 15-4 on the year, and 6-1 in the conference. In the years I have been a student, now alum and fan of State, we have never started that well. Instead of "awesome we are 6-1", all I seem to hear is "yea the conference sucks this year" and "yea but we have not beaten any of the top teams in the conference". News flash, in any other year, we are the TOP TEAM in the conference.
Emerson said it best, "life is a journey, not a destination". This year has been tremendous, and all we seem to focus on is the negative. Imagine how tiring this must be to the players to win roughly 75% of your games and all you hear is "yea, but". This season will be over before you know it, and we need to celebrate it at least a little bit along the way.
I am not saying don't point out things that we can't improve on, or things that drive you nuts with the team. What I am saying is don't get so caught up in the destination (NCAA tournament bid?) that you miss out on the journey. It has been quite an enjoyable ride so far.
FYI - IF, big IF, we keep winning, we will be very much in the thick of the at large talk. Every week that goes by more and more teams play their way OUT of the conversation. It is a battle of attrition, where you must out last the other teams. Perfect example, Arkansas. After they beat Kentucky in overtime (and narrowly lost to Florida in OT earlier that week) many had Arkansas in. However, they have lost two in a row and are now 1-4 in the SEC with some tough games to come. Will they make it, who knows, but my point is that things can change rapidly in a week or two.
Win, win, win, win, any way we need to anywhere we need to. If we keep doing that, we will be fine. Just make sure you take a few minutes to enjoy each one of them! They aren't guaranteed!
With that being said, some of us have to calm down and take a deep breath. Was yesterday's game a thing of beauty? No, was it a win, yes. Was winning the important part, yes. I know many of us want/hope to see us play well every night, but it won't happen. Teams struggle at various points in a season, and they usually struggle on the road. It happens. Would you have rather of been St. Louis last night, who went on the road to Duquesne (a team at the bottom of the A-10) and had to come from behind to win by four on the road? Would we have been better served by taking the place of #12 UMASS, who went on the road and lost? Or how about Cal, who was undefeated in the Pac 10 before last night, losing on the road to USC (who by the way was winless in the conference before last night). These things happen every night in college basketball. No matter how bad you think Loyola is (they aren't that bad by the way) or how good you think State should be, the fact is road wins are like gold. Doesn't matter how big the win was, they are all valuable so you put them in your pocket and you move on.
I bring this up because some of us seem to forget we are 15-4 on the year, and 6-1 in the conference. In the years I have been a student, now alum and fan of State, we have never started that well. Instead of "awesome we are 6-1", all I seem to hear is "yea the conference sucks this year" and "yea but we have not beaten any of the top teams in the conference". News flash, in any other year, we are the TOP TEAM in the conference.
Emerson said it best, "life is a journey, not a destination". This year has been tremendous, and all we seem to focus on is the negative. Imagine how tiring this must be to the players to win roughly 75% of your games and all you hear is "yea, but". This season will be over before you know it, and we need to celebrate it at least a little bit along the way.
I am not saying don't point out things that we can't improve on, or things that drive you nuts with the team. What I am saying is don't get so caught up in the destination (NCAA tournament bid?) that you miss out on the journey. It has been quite an enjoyable ride so far.
FYI - IF, big IF, we keep winning, we will be very much in the thick of the at large talk. Every week that goes by more and more teams play their way OUT of the conversation. It is a battle of attrition, where you must out last the other teams. Perfect example, Arkansas. After they beat Kentucky in overtime (and narrowly lost to Florida in OT earlier that week) many had Arkansas in. However, they have lost two in a row and are now 1-4 in the SEC with some tough games to come. Will they make it, who knows, but my point is that things can change rapidly in a week or two.
Win, win, win, win, any way we need to anywhere we need to. If we keep doing that, we will be fine. Just make sure you take a few minutes to enjoy each one of them! They aren't guaranteed!