The Bonnies: 2020-2021 Season Thread

[Bill Russell]

Our guys are working their rears off in preparation for this seemingly elusive season.

Let’s try to keep general thoughts, observations, predictions, etc. here, and then individual game threads will develop organically when/if the season happens.

 

[WestEndStench]

I've had a difficult time allowing myself to get excited for anything sports-related since March. I haven't even thought much about the newcomers at all or the current state of our roster.

However, coming across a few still photos of some of our guys back in the RC all while I watched live baseball last night moved the needle a little bit for me. This country will need to do a total 180, starting pretty much today, if college basketball has a chance in 2020.

Anyways, if our game 1 starting lineup is anything but the following, I guess it will be a welcomed surprise (assuming all are healthy):

Lofton
English
Welch
Winston
Shoon

The Bannedwagon reports that this is the deepest team since the '72 Virigina Squires. I'm skeptical.

 

[Bill Russell]

However, coming across a few still photos of some of our guys back in the RC all while I watched live baseball last night moved the needle a little bit for me.

That’s what Bonas08 said.

The Bannedwagon reports that this is the deepest team since the '72 Virigina Squires. I'm skeptical.

As is the case most years. Last season, they were convinced Schmidt would need to hire theoretical physicists to figure out the rotation.

 

[SBUnfurled]

We're paired with Duquesne, GW, Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, and Saint Louis for home/away.

Dayton, George Mason, La Salle, and VCU will come to the RC and we'll be at Davidson, Fordham, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

 

[Bona03]

I like the balance. We have 3 tough H-H and 2 easier ones. The Home and road games are also kind of even, its nice having Dayton and VCU at home. I am betting on La Salle or GW being the Rochester game.

 

[brownindians85]

Prognostications? Assuming there is a season? We finally get the two big guns at home and better make the most of it. Since it's highly unlikely we see anything in the form of organized college athletics this year, I'll give it a go since there's nothing to jinx.

Home opponents: 3-1, with a loss probably to UD. I think they have our number and they're just good. VCU not as big a gun this year.

Away opponents: 2.5-1.5, any of the non-Fordham could take us but I think we've been good on the road under Schmidt and only a bad outing somewhere puts us .500

H/H opponents: 7-3, GW and SJU won't be that good. SLU will be physically tough. Richmond and Duquesne are balanced inside/outside and that's always a problem for us. I lean 7-3 because it would be a tough sweep at the RC.

O/U at 12.5 wins. I didn't see enough last year to think 14-4 on the table. This still isn't close to the 2018 squad. My bet would be a 1 game improvement to 12-6.

 

[SBUnfurled]

I like the balance. We have 3 tough H-H and 2 easier ones. The Home and road games are also kind of even, its nice having Dayton and VCU at home. I am betting on La Salle or GW being the Rochester game.

I am betting no Rochester game. There almost certainly won't be fans at these games, which is the reason we play there.

 

[agoo]

I don't like playing Saint Louis twice, but the rest of the schedule looks solid. If it happens.

 

[Community Bank 3Pt Tee]

St Louis and Richmond are the consensus top 2. By a pretty wide margin. The fact the league thought we were worth scheduling each of them twice is, to me, a good sign. I see several opportunities in conference for wins in the top 2 quads as i expect there will be upwards of 8 teams in the top 100.

Purely spit-balling here but:
Quad 1 opportunities- at St Louis, at Richmond, at Duquesne, at Davidson, home vs St Louis, home vs Richmond
Quad 2 opportunities: At Umass, home vs Dayton, at Rhode Island, home vs VCU

Some jumping around between 1 and 2 could happen, but having 10 of 18 games in conference be against the top 2 quads would be a luxury we haven't been afforded since the 2016 season. How we do with it is another question.

I tend to agree with BI85's assessment that we havent seen enough out of last year's team to think we'll be much more than maybe 12-6. 12-6 with that schedule would put us in the NIT conversation depending on how we did OOC. That said- IF all of the following things happen maybe we would be in 14-4 territory:

Osun develops more of an O presence and stays out of foul trouble; AJ and Winston both hone in the skills we saw 20% of the time at least 75% of the time, Lofton consistently scores aggressively in addition to his distribution, Welch continues to develop at the rate he did between his first year and last year, Adaway Creal, (or someone else) provides that energy/spark of tough defense we need, all of our guys toughen up and dont get rag dolled, someone/anyone turns into an explosive option.

Lot's of ifs. Too bad it wont happen.

 

[Bona03]

I am betting no Rochester game. There almost certainly won't be fans at these games, which is the reason we play there.

Good point, I let myself get into normal mode for a minute

 

[Bona84]

What is normal mode?

 

[sbu79]

What is normal mode?

I believe it's a tautology

 

[res]

I believe it's a tautology

I get it. Well played.