I do think frequently to myself (at times) that there's some guys who might be pretty good and if they can return a lot of this team next year, they might have a shot to contend in the conference. But again and I feel like I say this every year, but it's a roster of what ifs and too many what ifs for me to feel confident in projecting out success.
IF Adams stays
IF Larrier stays
IF Gilbert gets healthy
IF Vital, Whalley, Diarra and Carleton can continue to develop
IF the freshmen are a little better than we expected
IF Sid Wilson can be good as advertised
They still lack REAL size down low. The front court is so raw at this point. Having a dedicated PG (TWO!) will actually help, but Gilbert hasn't shown that he's at all capable of staying healthy. Larrier could be an interesting late-bloomer, but I haven't seen anything more form him than that he is what he is. Adams is a good player and can flat out score. He should score even more... but he's not a knock down shooter. Doesn't seem to really be a leader. And honestly I dunno... I don't think he's anywhere close to being ready to be a pro, but i'm not sure how much college ball is in his future as he just *comes off as* (not saying he actually is) disinterested all the time.
And after that you just need soooo many dominos to fall.
