So I have seen LU play at least 3 games every year since 1962, I had a good streak 70 through 80 (when I moved out of town) when I only missed 1 home game. Lots of ups and downs...and looking back the one thing I want to keep is the game day atmosphere we have created. The nice thing about that is we the fans control that. So I am really hoping that in a year where all we might see is marginal improvement which means less publicity on a local, regional and national scale...probably no really exciting games such as the Dance etc. that people keep going to games. If all you are looking for is a significantly winning team you may be disappointed. but if you come to really root for the kids who have chosen to come to LU..to watch and root for their improvement and embrace the pain of losing as a natural biproduct of a losing season and focus on the effort etc...LU basketball never fails. If we can embrace our team during difficult years we may separate ourselves as a mediocre school even in mediocre years.....and help us overall...I remember some of the lean years when there was NO one at the games and you felt sorry for the kids on the floor.That has changed, the good years got us to a good spot . lets not let it slip away...

Love the sentiment. To expect to be an elite program after just a few good years may be unrealistic, but keeping the team full of good kids, good coaches, and a fun environment to watch basketball should be the goal. That Harvard game was a blast...and I fear every time there is an ugly loss that the student fan section will bail on the team. They stayed pretty strong last year, which was obviously not good, and that was great.

The programs I watch to judge ourselves against are Butler, Marquette, Bradley, St. Louis, Davidson, Richmond, and DePaul. A little bit Gonzaga, a little bit Wright State.

Only Marquette also has a National Championship. Only Gonzaga also has a Final Four and Sweet 16 in the past six years. We were below all those teams last year, and have a chance to be above 4 or 5 of them this year.

As for worrying about the student/fan turnout, we're facing mostly more interesting opponents than we have for many years. Having any A-10 teams on our home schedule while we were in the MVC was a highlight-- being in the A-10 has put 8 A-10 schools on our home schedule, and given us the opportunity to get neutral site games against top 50 teams. As we're in a new conference, we still haven't developed regular conference rivals quite yet. I expect the Dayton game or the home St. Louis game might start some rivalries in the conference. It's harder to go on road trips, sure, but it's more fun to go to Pittsburgh or St. Louis than any possible MVC trip... that's just a fact.

I subscribe to Kareem Abdul Jabars newsletter...and he always has something useful ....here is a quote from an piece he was doing on a Harry Chapin song...might be analogy or two for LU fans
Kareem’s Daily Quote
It's got to be the going not the getting there that's good.

Harry Chapin, “Greyhound”

One of the most important lessons Coach Wooden taught us when I was at UCLA was that winning was not our ultimate goal. Becoming our best selves—both on and off the court—was the goal. Winning was a by-product of that commitment. To him, winning was a hollow accomplishment if we weren’t good men as well as good players. It wasn’t enough to earn victory, we had to deserve it. That teaching made him a great coach—and it made him a greater man.

Most of what Coach Wooden taught us was meant to be applied to our daily lives as much as it was to our daily practice. For him, sports wasn’t the endgame, it was a training ground to be better people. Because of those lessons, I learned to enjoy the practices, the drills, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotel rooms, the camaraderie of teammates, and the interaction with fans as much as the competition. The championships were also nice, but when I look back, no nicer than any other part of the journey.