Season predictions

[SMUPonyFan]

I predict we lose both games to Fresno, mainly due to Ely, and the fact SMU cannot win a big game to save its life. I predict we also lose one other WAC game.

Regular season record: 18-10
WAC Tourney: we win the first, unless we play Tulsa or Fresno, then we lose in the second round. That puts us at 19-11. NO POST SEASON BIRTH...AGAIN. S#%T

What is the problem with this team. I don't see why we have already lost 7 games. Is it the coach? Is it the lack of post play? Is it injury? Is it court leadership? I don't get it.

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[PK]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are starting at least two, maybe three true freshman. Voc who is a true PG is out for the season due to injury. Where is this expectation that we are going to win the WAC coming from??? Hancock can't do it by himself. The team is in a building stage and the younger guys are actually coming along faster than one would normally expect.

[Bballer]

Hancock (SR)
Ross (JR)
Lowe (SO)
Niemi (SR)
Simpson (FR)

That is one fish.

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Ponies to the NCAA Tourney in 2002!

[PK]

Thanks Bballer....you're right of course. I was thinking of Castro and Isham....they don't start, but they do get a substantial amount of PT for fish. That's because they are GOOD players, but they are still just now getting experience at the college level just like Simpson is. Lowe is only a SO and is also still learning. Niemi, although a SR, is not really dominant at his position although I think he is playing better this year than he did last year. Ross of course is outstanding, but even with him and Hancock in there, the team is still having to adjust to the learning curve of the freshmen. The freshmen are having to play because they are better than some of the other JR's and SO's. That is not meant to be a putdown on anyone...just reality.

Overall, I think this team is getting better every game and will finish strong unlike last year's team that unravelled at the end of the season.

[rogershealy]

Hey, if you call yourself Pony Fan... why dont you act like one. Be optimistic. Because of people like you, SMU has very few true fans.
SMU IS GONNA WIN THE WAC.

[DiamondM]

Rogers,

I am the biggest "cheerleader" around and generally dislike negative posting, but Ponyfan's comments were pretty mild. Showing frustration and trying to figure out the areas where improvement is needed -- i.e. constructive criticism -- is not the same as not being a fan.

(Geez, alert the media, I just defended a "negative" post.)

[DiamondM]

And predicting 2 losses to Fresno State and only 1 more is actually pretty optimistic. Questioning Ponyfan's loyalty for predicting a 19-11 finish at this point in the season is pretty silly, if you ask me. It's way better than I think anyone could have realistically predicted at the start of the season.

[SMUPonyFan]

I stand by my post. I do not think it is negative at all. I stated some facts...SMU does not win big games. Rogers, when was the last big game we won?
-We have gone 0-5 against TCU the past three years.
-We our record against Tulsa the past three years is 1-4, I think.
-Our record against Fresno the past three years is...0-5, I think.
-We lost to Tennessee twice, Tech once, OU once...all were big games for us. So that is a statement, WE CANNOT WIN BIG GAMES.

I think my prediction for the finish of the season is realistic, if not lenient to SMU.

I am trying to figure out what is wrong with SMU's team. Maybe we are young, but then what was our excuse last year, or the year before that?

SMU does have few true fans, but I am one of them. That is why I am putting my time into SMU basketball by posting this message. The rest of the <I>fans</I> don't even bother.

The truth hurts Mr. Healy, but you must face it.

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[rogershealy]

well...we have come very close to winning big games.
-last year IN Tennessee
-last year at TCU
-this year vs. Texas Tech
-this year at Baylor

so, one of these days, its gonna be us. So you need to realize that most of the so called "BIG GAMES" we lose, are still pretty close games. AND DONT MENTION THE IOWA GAME.

[Pony_Fan]

I think we'll go 18-12 or 17-13.. maybe. I think Charleston says 15-15 for a .500 record...Toss up games with La Tech, Nevada, and at UTEP. We were lucky to pick up the wins at SJST and La Tech ..but good last second wins nonetheless. There is a lot of parity in this league and anybody can beat anyone..I think Tulsa is the best team (right now) with FS/UH very close at 2nd. It's all about matchups. - Davis KILLED us last game and it was a joke. That's just poor coaching..sorry.

I think people got really frustrated with the last couple of years and the expectations. There is NO reason in my mind why we should have not gone to the tourney one of those years. We deflated both years terribly...We had plenty of talent which wasn't developed..I hope these young guys get better and better each year. I think Simpson will..but Sasser, in my opinion, never got better..almost worse. Sasser took the team on his back and played 1-5 bball. This year there are moments where Hancock does the same thing. His pts are good but the team concept is lost. I watch a lot of college hoops and we just dont pass the ball enough -period, nor do we have anyone who can hit the 8ft jump shot on a reg basis. Q is the closest but hasn't been on lately.

I hope we have a good showing against FSU but ELY will eat us up. Nevada would be a good win since they beat up Fresno.

[SMUPonyFan]

Rogers,

I am tired of having the reputation of being the team that almost won every big game we played. Fact is, we were winning TCU and Tennessee and blew it. We also blew the double OT game against Tulsa three years ago. Didn't we blow the TCU game this year too. Almost winning doesn't count for anything. I could understand if we dropped one or two of those games, but it is time we start winning all of them.

You should not be satisfied with a team of this caliber finishing seasons where they have in the past.

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[Charleston Pony]

I predicted BEFORE this season started that we'd be a .500 team. With road wins at La Tech & San Jose, I now feel we could be 17-15 when all is said & done (includes a 1st round win in WAC tourney before bowing out). If we can win at either Fresno or Nevada, I might feel even better about what this team can accomplish.

[Charleston Pony]

make that 16-14 (not sure how where those 2 extra games came from...too early in the morning to be doing this) I like the fact that this year's team seems to be improving as the season progresses.

Look for the big guys to get some minutes off the bench against Ely & Fresno. We'll have to throw a lot of bodies (and fouls) at him to slow Ely down. Forinash has played some of his best ball against Ely in the past.

[Kiper]

I say we split with Fresno this year. I don't know if we'll win tonight or when they come here, but we're going to split.

[Pony_Fan]

Maybe we can use the "Hack a Shaq" method? Use Smith and Forinash..