Well, we are both judging the program by performance. I'm saying it's better to look at the FancyStats and you are saying look at the results. Which I get, the results are what we want. I'm just saying when you have a coach getting good players and consistently putting out good teams, which Holtmann is, you give him the benefit of the doubt and don't run him off based on the results of a handful of games each season, which is what we are talking about with the tourney and the few games out of first place.
We are kinda saying the same things but let me ask a serious question to move this conversation forward:
For how long are you ok with good KenPom/Net/FancyStats (whatever) without league titles and/or S16+ in the NCAA?
Consider the comparison to Wisconsin this year. Most of the computers say that the Buckeyes are better and Wisconsin has just basically been lucky. Ok, suppose that UW beats two mediocre teams to get to the S16 then gets run off the court in the S16. Then, suppose that tOSU destroys their peer opponent in the first round then barely loses to a 1/2 seed in the second round.
In that scenario the computers would like tOSU's performance more and the Buckeyes would finish with a better KenPom/NET/FancyStats (whatever) ranking but Wisconsin would add another S16 to go with their league title.
My argument is that rankings from KenPom/NET/FancyStats are decidedly NOT the goal. They have their uses but they are a means not an end. The goals are league titles and S16+ NCAA performances.
In a given year or two or MAYBE three I'm ok with saying well computers say that tOSU was pretty good they just didn't win the league or make the second weekend basically because $h!t happens. I'm NOT willing to accept that indefinitely. At some point those good teams (per computers) need to actually accomplish something on actual basketball courts. If Holtmann can't do that then we need to try again and hope we find someone who can.
FWIW, I'm not completely convinced that we have reached that point yet but if we have yet another first weekend exit from the NCAA then we'll be getting close.
