SCU Men's Basketball - Season Outlook - Can we RISE?

Let's just get it out there.  

As season ticket holders and fans, we're not thinking so much about the regular season, but HOW we can get to the post season?

After 20+ years of post season Ground Hog Day, we need to have the spell broken. 

Coach Keating's new program mantra is R-I-S-E... For him, maybe that's the metaphor for resuscitation of a program that was operating below the poverty level for a D1 basketball team.

For us, it means elevate and compete at the top of the WCC and earn NCAA or NIT bids.  We've won two post season tournaments, the CIT and CBI, that were great for our athletes to experience, but largely invisible for "amping" up our program.

Let's face it, the odds of NCAA at-large bids are lower than the U.S. Congress approval rating...

Looking at our schedule, my guess is that an 18-12 record would be a pretty good season, but not post season worthy.

To R-I-S-E from 18-12, we will need to beat BYU, Pepperdine, and St. Mary's at least once and finish 3rd in the WCC.  

At 21-9 we might be NIT worthy.  

The HOW to an NCAA bid on top of the above, is to knock off Arizona or Providence/Evansville(all NCAA teams) in the Wooden Legacy AND make the WCC tourney finals.  Now that would make all our season ticket holders RISE.

At the end of the day, there's only one sure bet:  beat Gonzaga OR BYU in the WCC tourney final game.  I say BYU because some prognosticators have picked them to win the league.

Our team is healthy, bigger, faster and even though young, have more experience than in the past few years at key positions.  We can actually defend the paint and have shooters that can take pressure off Jared Brownridge.  

Tonight marks the start of what we hope is the new Santa Clara Men's Basketball program, blessed by the Blue Ribbon committee and more funding from Father Engh and the Trustees.

Can we R-I-S-E?

I know this.  If we do, the season ticket holders and fans will "rise" with a standing ovation and a campus will be re-ignited and re-energized with true SCU spirit....