[CapitolHillCard]

A few thoughts to add to the many other good posts in this thread

1. The team is clearly doing better and against better competition.  The PAC-12 is ranked third overall and will send 6-7 teams to the dance.  There is one excellent team and many good teams. Seven teams in top 50ish (Cal is 51) and ten in top 100.

2. The cupboard is hardly bare for team. We return 3 out of 5 starters, including our first and third leading scorers. We should get back our top reserve (Rosco Allen) who should start and fills a position of need.  We have our best recruiting class in a decade. The best of our recruits are in positions of need (Travis, Humphrey). We will be deeper, talented, and have lots of experience.

3. My sense is O'Toole has made a difference, and that is a good sign for Dawkins. Hiring good assistants and putting them in position to do good things is an important part of a head coach's job.

4. I think Dawkins has improved as head coach generally. He may not yet be a great X&Os coach, but he is much better than he was. I recognize that is somewhat faint praise, but, hey, it is at least praise.

5. We can go 1-3 in the last 4 games and we would still make the Dance, provided those losses don't include losing to Utah at home.  At this point, avoiding bad losses is much more important for us than great wins. That said, we will have much more post-season success if we have a little momentum going into NCAAs.

6. This is not a top 16 team nationally. We may catch fire and make the sweet sixteen, which would be really wonderful, but I don't think it accurate to say that this team will have underperformed if it loses in the second round.

7. Barring a total, late season collapse - we lose every remaining game and don't make the Dance -- Dawkins is coming back. 

[CapitolHillCard]

A few thoughts to add to the many other good posts in this thread

1. The team is clearly doing better and against better competition.  The PAC-12 is ranked third overall and will send 6-7 teams to the dance.  There is one excellent team and many good teams. Seven teams in top 50ish (Cal is 51) and ten in top 100.

2. The cupboard is hardly bare for team. We return 3 out of 5 starters, including our first and third leading scorers. We should get back our top reserve (Rosco Allen) who should start and fills a position of need.  We have our best recruiting class in a decade. The best of our recruits are in positions of need (Travis, Humphrey). We will be deeper, talented, and have lots of experience.

3. My sense is O'Toole has made a difference, and that is a good sign for Dawkins. Hiring good assistants and putting them in position to do good things is an important part of a head coach's job.

4. I think Dawkins has improved as head coach generally. He may not yet be a great X&Os coach, but he is much better than he was. I recognize that is somewhat faint praise, but, hey, it is at least praise.

5. We can go 1-3 in the last 4 games and we would still make the Dance, provided those losses don't include losing to Utah at home.  At this point, avoiding bad losses is much more important for us than great wins. That said, we will have much more post-season success if we have a little momentum going into NCAAs.

6. This is not a top 16 team nationally. We may catch fire and make the sweet sixteen, which would be really wonderful, but I don't think it accurate to say that this team will have underperformed if it loses in the second round.

7. Barring a total, late season collapse - we lose every remaining game and don't make the Dance -- Dawkins is coming back.