Geno's stock fell last night, no question about it. I've listened to him all year complaining about the soft mindset of his players and their inconsistency on the court, as though he's powerless to do anything about that. I've listened to his default refrain about how hard it is to win a national championship, as though he's trying to counter a media narrative more than anything else. And when he talks about the expectations of the program, and the pressure it puts on his players, I can't help but wonder why we don't also hear about the things he and his staff are doing to counter that.
The best thing Geno could do next year is establish with his players what their true goals are for the season. If they want to win a national championship, he should explain exactly what changes and sacrifices it will take from each of them to make that happen, and ask them if they really want to go there.
If they say yes, then they should commit to one another that failure simply is not an option, which will be a very good first step towards the mental adjustments that this group needs to make. From there, Geno should come flat out and say at some point that winning a national championship is the team's goal. That's what he did in 1994-95. No more beating around the bush. Do, or do not.
Alternatively, the team may decide it has more modest goals, and there would be no shame in that.
But right now Geno is trying to have it both ways and it's not working.