What are the realistic expectations for men's basketball

[Lance Harbor]

The reason I say that is because of the five he put out on the floor in the two exhibition games. Starting later today, every game counts and we can?t afford to drop any of these early games if we want to do anything this year. It?s time to start the dynamic trio with Stapleton and Holman. Once Ado gets back, start him. It?s not rocket science on the five that give us the best chance to win.

Injured?

[louisvilledawg]

I still think NIT should be about the expectation this season. I know Howland has his 3 year jump, but i think MSU will be a four year gig where it jumps dramatically.

I (having not watched the nebraska game or the exhibition) think the starting 5 should be lamar, q, tyson, holman, ado.

Have Stapleton and Nick weatherspoon come off the bench for a spark.

I know (i think) Ado is out for this game so i say give Datcher a start. I shitted on that guy all last season, but apparently he's greatly improved, so let the boy play.

Looking forward to an exciting (but turbulent) season!

[MCsMGs]

The reason I say that is because of the five he put out on the floor in the two exhibition games. Starting later today, every game counts and we can?t afford to drop any of these early games if we want to do anything this year. It?s time to start the dynamic trio with Stapleton and Holman. Once Ado gets back, start him. It?s not rocket science on the five that give us the best chance to win.

I understand where you're coming from...I just don't think what we have seen represents what this team is gonna look like by the time conference play starts.

[MCsMGs]

I know Howland has his 3 year jump, but i think MSU will be a four year gig where it jumps dramatically.

I think you're probably right on this observation. Having to bring in that large class has left us without any seasoned leadership and we're having to work with a lot of inconsistent play.

[CarolinaDawgs]

Maybe, but they aren't inside players. I may be old school but to me good basketball starts in the paint. I haven't seen anythiing there to really get excited about since BEFORE we ran Stans off.

You mustve missed Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier single handedly win titles at UCONN

[msujan]

Absolutely! Some seem to forget that big men tend to develop slower and that Herard has only been playing basketball since he was in high school. He has big time skills and athleticism. He has huge upside. Once he develops his footwork and figures out how and where he needs to be(especially on defense), he's gonna be a beast... It's just gonna take more time.

I commented to friends last year that Herard was going to be good next year (?17-?18). I saw improvement in that season and am expecting much more this year.

[BulldogBacker]

I commented to friends last year that Herard was going to be good next year (?17-?18). I saw improvement in that season and am expecting much more this year.

I think we will have SEC quality players at 5 positions, with 3-5 SEC level players on the bench. We are still thin in the post, at 4 and 5. We may have the best 1,2 players in the SEC at the 1 and 2. We have a good team player at the 3, in Stapleton who may be the leader of this team. I think ado, Herard, and Holman will all play well, with Ado being the defensive presence we have needed. We will once again be a perimeter oriented team, but better defensively. I think we win 20-23, with a 50:50 chance at the Big Dance, and 95% chance at the NIT. This team should hit the floor with the NCAA Tournament as their goal.