After looking at the schedule I honestly expected this team to be 11-1 at this point. There were no quality teams besides Louisville really. If Utep was to play Utah Valley again I do think we beat them and San Jose St. However we lost and can’t get those back. CUSA is much improved this year vs last year. Liberty is back to being Liberty in the years they were always in the NCAA and upsetting 5 seeds. La Tech, M. Tennessee and W. Kentucky are all formidable. Utep is probably on par with those 3, I’m not so sure if we are on Liberty’s level this year. I have Utep finishing 4th and going 12-6 or 11-7 in conference. This will at least give us another good position to make a run at a Conference USA Tournament Championship, but we’ll probably have to go through a liberty team that will be squarely on the bubble and intent on getting revenge for last year.
Realistic Expectations for Mens Basketball after Pre Season
- Thread starter nattybry
- Start date
I don’t really think it matters if they are 12-0 or 0-12 at this point because I don’t think the schedule is hard enough to get an at large. At the end of the day they have to win the Conference Tournament.
I think your breakdown is spot on. I can see the Miners as a 3-5 seed in the Conference Tournament.
I think it’s a realistic expectation for them to win the conference tournament and make the NCAA. Kevin Kalu has really developed, Bynum can score, Frazier can too. I think Camper needs to create shots for others, he’s a bit of a ball hog.
I like this roster, I don’t think there is a juggernaut in the conference, I think the talent is comparable to other teams in CUSA, and I am of the opinion that Golding needs to have this team ready to win it or he needs to move on.
My question is, where does Golding need to finish to keep his job? Top 5?
I think your breakdown is spot on. I can see the Miners as a 3-5 seed in the Conference Tournament.
I think it’s a realistic expectation for them to win the conference tournament and make the NCAA. Kevin Kalu has really developed, Bynum can score, Frazier can too. I think Camper needs to create shots for others, he’s a bit of a ball hog.
I like this roster, I don’t think there is a juggernaut in the conference, I think the talent is comparable to other teams in CUSA, and I am of the opinion that Golding needs to have this team ready to win it or he needs to move on.
My question is, where does Golding need to finish to keep his job? Top 5?
In the NCAA tournament.
Bronzeing’s contract goes through the 2025-26 season. It’s very rare for a coach to work through their “lame duck” year.
If he gets an extension for a top 5 finish and no NCAA tournament, that’s all you need to know about the quality and commitment of this program.
If he gets an extension for a top 5 finish and no NCAA tournament, that’s all you need to know about the quality and commitment of this program.
This is the year of the Miners ...
Golding has to win CUSA and make the tournament or this year will be his last year.
So, with that in mind, we can not accept losing as an option. This team has the talent to get there, its now a coaching job to motivate his team to play like a champion every night. This team likes to run and should be winning their games in the 80s .
Just sayin.
from Hollywood, its going to be a fun ride winning all these games..
Golding has to win CUSA and make the tournament or this year will be his last year.
So, with that in mind, we can not accept losing as an option. This team has the talent to get there, its now a coaching job to motivate his team to play like a champion every night. This team likes to run and should be winning their games in the 80s .
Just sayin.
from Hollywood, its going to be a fun ride winning all these games..
By retaining most of his players from last year’s team, and now entering his fourth season, my expectations of Fool’s Golding is for him to win the CUSA Tournament and make the NCAA Tournament. Anything less would be a complete FAILURE of the season, and should be relieved of his coaching duties thereafter.
Assuming Liberty only loses let’s say 2 games in conference and goes into the tournament at 27-3 for example they absolutely will be on the bubble. Of course that’s a big if and also depends on how Kansas St. ends up and if M. Tennessee, La Tech, and W. Kentucky remain in the top 100 and if Utep gets there as well.
I agree about Camper. He’s best when he lets the game come to him. At times he tries too hard to generate offense one on one and he can be terrible when he forces things. IMO, he’s our 4th best option to put points on the board, behind Frazier, Bynum and Barnes. Camper’s defense and athleticism are stellar, though, so he needs to be on the court.
In answer to your question, Golding should have to go to the tournament to keep his job, but that won’t be the reality.
To me, what's interesting is that most others years UTEP would be the favorite to win CUSA with this team. However, the top 4 or 5 teams all seem to have comparable rosters. It's going to be tough, but if Golding doesn't win the CUSA tournament he has to go. If we're going to the MWC, we need to have the expectations of a a MWC team.
Yep. Also, I expect the "lower" tier teams to be competitive as well. SHSU wad picked third in the preseason, and has a bunch of guys back from last year. NMSU beat UNM at the Pit. Both Jacksonville and Kennesaw have some talent on their rosters. There is more balance this year in CUSA, so it will be a challenge.
I agree with what the expectations should be for UTEP, I just think we all know how Senter operates. If Golding does stick around next year, he for sure is going to have many more spots to fill than this year's veteran team. I don't have much confidence he can recruit enough talent to be competitive in just one year, but that is the challenge for all the teams at this level.
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I've said this before: while winning the conference tournament is more important, winning the regular season title is more impressive. For that reason I'm good if Golding wins the conference regular season or the tournament title. Anything less, however, and he should be canned, even if he were to only lose the regular season title by one game and lose the tournament final in overtime.
