I can see both sides. 20 wins would be a great step in the right direction. Nobody can dispute that. At the same time  I don’t think the predictions were out of line after the non-conference.

Only Fordham had a better non-conference record, and unlike Fordham our strength of schedule was legitimate. We may not have been playing world beaters (other than Kentucky), but they were mostly strong mid-majors. The top teams in the conference really struggled too.

Dayton had a tough schedule, but basically lost to anyone they played that had a pulse. VCU lost to Jacksonville. St. Louis picked up good wins over Memphis and Providence, but offset them with losses to Iona and SIU-Edwardsville. Richmond went 0-2 against Colonial teams. St. Bonaventure had a losing record against an easier slate than we faced. Davidson topped Richmond by going 0-3 against CAA teams.

Looking at things on Christmas Day, the conference seemed to be wide open and we were playing as well as anyone. Despite that, I don’t think anyone was going further than to say the Dukes were a dark horse to win the conference. Even as disgusted as I am with the last two games, I still think that’s true. When we’re playing well we can beat anyone in the league. It’s a long shot because winning the tourney takes three straight wins even in the best case scenario; and we don’t seem to be able to string together multiple good games. I don’t think those early predictions were out of line though.