Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Leaving Las Vegas - What did We Learn?

Leaving Las Vegas, we had played our seventh game of the season.  Seven can be a very lucky number in Las Vegas.  Unfortunately, for the Broncos, it wasn't the lucky seven. 

It was the seven where you're close to winning your bet, the odds tilting in your favor and then, with one roll of the dice - or with MBB, a possession or two - boom, done.

Ten point losses to good teams isn't bad.  Respectable.  For SCU fans, coaches, and players "R" was NOT what they wanted and NOT what they were playing for.  It was a "W."

No settling.  "R" does not punch NCAA bids.

So, what did we learn in Las Vegas and how did this translate on the floor since returning?

We learned we have an "RPI" problem to address and it's not the NCAA RPI I'm talking about.  It's our Reliability to Potential Index.  Huh?  What's that?

It's our ability to consistently play to our Potential that earns us more respect and in the future more "W's." 

Maybe this sounds funny or bogus, but IMHO it cuts to the heart of the changes and growing pains we are seeing on the court.

Potential is really hard to measure.  

Is taking # 9 ranked Arizona to the final three minutes before losing our top potential?  Was our 18 point second half deficit, that we cut to 4 against Vanderbilt, our top potential?  

Are the recent losses to Irvine and SJS, where we shot 34% & 28% for the game, our downside potential?  

I'm sure the coaches and players are wrestling with this identity crisis and working hard to determine our "RPI."

Las Vegas gave us a double RPI bump.  Both our Reliability Potential Index and our NCAA RPI rose; due to the strength of schedule against a top ten ranked opponent.  

Since leaving Las Vegas, we've given back some of the R and P cred we earned.  

How do you coach this Forrest Gump* identity?  

How do you coach against it?  Opposing teams have to respect what we did in Las Vegas and our potential to beat anyone, but also know our Achilles Heel - prove we can beat them from the 3pt line.

I can assure you, season ticket holders and fans didn't know they were going on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride when they bought their tickets.

But, here we are...

Searching to find our real "RPI"... growing pains.  It's both great and hard to watch.  Beautiful at times and painfully awkward at others.  

Going national isn't easy.  Twenty years of angst bubbling for everyone involved. 

When?  Not this year.  

We'll get there when our "RPI's" both internal and NCAA are going in opposite directions.  

That means we're playing consistently to our potential and our NCAA RPI rating drops into the 50-75 range; NCAA tourney bid worthy.

That day will be a truly beautiful thing!

* "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."

*  SCU RPI - Reliability to Potential Index - How often we perform to our Potential

*  NCAA RPI = Relative Performance Index - Used by the NCAA Selection Committee