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I think your breaking the season down into component parts is a good way to look at things. I would simply add that perhaps the importance of each segment grows from least important (OOC play) to most important (at least in determining who goes dancing in our 1-bid league)-the conference tournament. As much as I want us to get back to the dance, my immediate goal is to finish 1st in the regular season, to secure, at a minimum, an NIT bid. Notwithstanding PS’s dreadful conference tournament record, the vagaries of what can happen in a 3-day tournament shouldn’t necessarily render a successful regular season a failure. So, I say goal #1 is finish first in the regular season conference standings. If that happens, then it’s survive and advance in the conference tournament.

Agreed, but as much as the NCAA Tournament or bust is the ultimate goal it should not be the only focus of success. Having the whole season rest on a crapshoot of 3/4 games and blowing off what happens in the other 30+ games is not really logical. I do get that we can't full claim success until we accomplish the goal of getting to the NCAA Tournament, but I view the season as three different portions to measure success, as I think many others do in some way, shape or form. 1) Non-conference play - This year we entered conference play with a NET rating in the 70s and only had losses to really good USF and Ohio State teams, which I consider extremely successful. Of course, the negative was a brutally bad start to Monmouth (who is good, but does not excuse the start) and some poor late-game execution against Pittsburgh. I would say I would give us a B+ for what we did in non-conference play leading into conference play. 2) Conference play - We are still very early in this process, but so far we have been pretty solid minus some late-game shakiness against Drexel and even a little against Northeastern. It remains to be seen what we do here, but so far so good. 3) Conference Tournament - This is where we can get the ultimate reward and I get why everyone wants it to be the end all be all, but to me it is like the final exam to our season. We can't have a A or B+ season without accomplishing what we want, but it doesn't just become an "F" season because we performed poorly in my opinion. Also, if we make the NCAA Tournament this year we might actually be able to be a 13 or 14 seed (with our NET ranking) where an upset could be a remote possibility (I know UMBC won as a No 16 seed, but that may not happen again for a while). That seeding would be based on the strength of our regular-season. If we can win the regular-season title (which is still very far away as a goal), we can at least clinch a shot at playing in the NIT even if we fall short in the conference tournament. To me this would also be a good step for our program (the other postseason tournaments have some entertainment value, but I am done giving them much meaning as steps forward for the program). Again, we all want the same thing but I would rather hold ourselves to higher standard all year long then only focusing on winning the 3/4 games in our conference tournament. As fun as that will be when the time comes, and it will happen at some point in my lifetime. Also, in your post I think you make it sound like I am referencing resources, funding, budget and other parts of the building process. I know those are important, but I am only focusing on things we can accomplish on the court that give us confidence to continue to build and be better as a program. NET rankings based on performance, upsets, KenPom rankings based on performance, conference-record and non-conference success are the part that I am focusing on in this conversation. Of course, the other aspects are a whole different conversation that could take up a lot of space on this board too. I am not trying to dismiss the importance of accomplishing a trip to the NCAA Tournament, I just get annoyed when it is the only measure anyone wants to use. I hope we all post after these games and are enjoying this season because we get excited when this team wins in the regular-season too, and I think that is true.

While I can't argue with you, I'll take Skerry over PK, Hunt, or any other coach heading back to Truax.....If Skerry can get shooters and passers, and then impress upon them his style of defense and rebounding, it's a winning formula. I would cringe at Spiro's post game interviews with Skerry where we would lose, while out-rebounding the other team, but have 3 assists.....And rather than ever mentioning spacing, ball movement our outside shooting, Skerry would provide his canned answers that "we need to guard & defend better," when the real issue was offensive style and skill. He was (and perhaps still is) such a one trick pony, to a fault, and it carried over to his recruiting, much to our detriment. Skerry is a defensive whiz. If he commits to finding scorers, shooters, and passers, and then imparts his defensive style, we will win. This year is the first year I have ever heard Skerry say things like....."I was proud of the ball movement" or "we are going to shoot 3s" etc. Maybe he and his staff have FINALLY connected the dots...... I graduated in 1994. It's been heartbreaking to see how utterly pathetic our teams have been the last 25 years. In my mind this season has already been a smashing success as the team is a joy to watch. You could see it the first game against Albany where those of us in the chat were like, "who is this team...".....I've had more pleasure watching these guys share the ball, shoot lights out, not need to rely on one specific player (like a gary neal, fobbs, martin, JB, etc.), while the rest of the team was awful, each and every night. I realize there is more to be done, but after having sand kicked in our faces for 25 years, it's great to see a team win, in some cases dominate, and do so in a way that is beautiful basketball.

I appreciate your thoughts regarding building a program that is solid beyond the goal of conference championship. You talk about strong foundations, so that we can be good for years going into the future, etc. These are worthy and noble goals. You mention this is a Skerry issue because he is the coach now....which is true. I suggest you remember that he has had over a decade to get this done and he has not accomplished this goal. The team is having a very good year thus far. If any coach coaches long enough, that coach is bound to have one good year, if only by accident. I will wait for ongoing proof before acting as this is that magic moment that Towson becomes Gonzaga. It is fun to watch this squad but there is still quite a bot to prove. Skerry teams have set a low bar to get Towson fans excited about.

I know I am probably nitpicking a little much, but if we were a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament (meaning we won the regular-season) I would consider the season a success before the conference tournament started. If we lose anywhere in the tournament it would be a bitter disappointment, but it would not make the whole season a failure. I agree that out of three phases of the season I listed the conference tournament is the most important, but they all build off each other. Hypothetically if we had somehow beaten Ohio State and San Francisco we would have a NET ranking good enough to get us an automatic bid going into conference play. If we finished first and lost three or less games in conference play that bid still might be in play. That would lessen the importance of the conference tournament. My overall point is I would like the raise the standards on those different phases of the season and the overall quality of our program's level of play for the season so we don't have to only rely on a conference tournament to define success. This season is a good small step in that direction. Call it "pie in the sky" if you will, and it probably is now, but I find it more important to build a team where this is a possibility than one that can win in the conference tournament. Sometimes you can control when a No. 8 seed (or any other team) shoots out of their mind and knocks you. The one point where I will completely agree with TuTigers2012 is we have to play better in the conference tournament. That is a Pat Skerry issue now because he is the coach, but it has been an every coach issue at Towson since I have been here (with a couple of exceptions where we maxed where we belonged). My final point is good mid-major programs take care of business the whole season and let the chips fall where they may. That is the place I want to get to.

I understand this sentiment, and believe me making the NCAA Tournament is the most important goal for everyone here. However, the NET rankings, KenPom rankings, playing well in non-conference play, being a regular-conference contender annually and putting a quality team that can compete in games like the Ohio State matchup earlier this year are all examples of how you build a sustainably successful program. I don't want to make the NCAA Tournament and wait another 30 years for another. I want to build this into a consistently successful program that we can get excited about year in and year out. That is why some of these other steps are just as important as success in the conference tournament, which can be a crapshoot and does not always produce a deserving winner. The road to building a successful basketball program is not nearly as daunting as doing so in the current football landscape. I am hoping this year can not only yield a trip to the the NCAA Tournament, but also act as a foundation for future success. I do realize that making the NCAA Tournament is the most important step in this process, but the other building blocks are huge parts of it and acting like everything is a zero-sum game for mid-majors is somewhat short-sighted. Hopefully, this conversation will be pointless and we will all be celebrating a trip to the NCAA Tournament in March, but as many of us have said there is a long way to go. It has been a fun year so far, and hopefully that continues.

Seems like a good get for both football & MBB. Gives some geographic balance to go along with the northernmost members of the conference. Also gives the conference a footprint in NJ, FWIW. Fun fact, with the addition of Monmouth, the CAA, in terms of football and basketball, now will have a member institution in everyone of the original 13 colonies, except…? Class, for extra credit, can anyone answer this question?