Admit it. When the season began, the expectation for the '14 - '15 season were elevated by our successes in '13 - '14. However, we are Cyclone fans, so we tempered our enthusiasim with the reality of the competition level of the Big 12. Then "it" began. A creeping feeling of something really special was going to happen, and that the Cyclones might just find a way to have a "break out" year. Then the T.V. people began to pay attention to our early season successes. Gradually, the drum beat began to get louder and louder with Game Day and Game of the Week recognition. We became the darlings of the the pundits, and we could not get enough of the Kool Aid. Even a couple of set backs didn't seem to diminish the rush we were having. The team began to have highlight moments, and the miraculous comebacks to win "whet our appetites" for more. Even a butt kicking by Baylor at home didn't end the rush of expectations. With a 2nd Conference Tournament title in two yrs., we were primed for the big time. The pundits were jumping on the bandwagon, and we were, too. We couldn't get enough of the projections for a high finish in the NCAA Tournament, and the national recognition of our players and Coach. Everything was a blur, and we didn't see the truck in front of us. All of a sudden, the accolades and the come from behind victories were swept away and we were left crushed on the side of the NCAA highway. I will leave the postmortem for others to analyze and pontificate on, but we should have seen this coming. Until the team has repetitive tournament successes, and learn to deal with the accolades and hype of the media, and not allow those forces to take away their focus and commitment to winning, we will continue to find a way to fail. I know, this is very obvious at this point, but did you find yourself anywhere it the progression of these expectations? The team and coaches need to learn how to finish and win games, and forget about the T.V. highlights. Just a thought.
