[BJWilliams]

With the first practice coming this weekend and the opener soon after, I thought I'd check the pulse of Flamefans and see just how well you all think we do. keep the discussion civil and no RD (Jeff Meyer just for you PH) References or is this Coach Layer's last season references please...(btw there is nothing on the record stating he has already been extended so that is the only time I will mention it)

[Purple Haize]

With the first practice coming this weekend and the opener soon after, I thought I'd check the pulse of Flamefans and see just how well you all think we do. keep the discussion civil and no RD (Jeff Meyer just for you PH) References or is this Coach Layer's last season references please...(btw there is nothing on the record stating he has already been extended so that is the only time I will mention it)

For starters you can't self Jeff Meyer
Secondly, you were the one who rather haughtily told over the off season me that he HAD been extended. So now you are saying either he hasn't or you don't know.

[thepostman]

you're well on your way of being foe'ed my friend!

And I say 19 wins

[Purple Haize]

you're well on your way of being foe'ed my friend!

And I say 19 wins

Foe me? Well Foe YOU!

[flamehunter]

BJ - Why do you mention controversial topics and then say "Don't bring them up"?

I think we will do well to have a winning season. Around 17 wins.

[olldflame]

We had what by any standard was an awful regular season last year, playing without Burrus all year and Gielo and JVP for much of the early season and with a bunch of newcomers playing key roles. We still won more than 10 games BEFORE the BSC tournament run and ended up with 15. Why would anyone predict that we would be WORSE......... MUCH WORSE this year with 6 seniors and everything lined up for a successful season? I just don´t understand the negativity sometimes. I´m the only one so farwho has said 20 plus wins. That´s only 5 more than last year. Less than 15 would be a huge disappointment.

[BJWilliams]

1) to PH, I don't recall mentioning anything about it and that is my only other comment on the matter
2) I brought them up because I know somehow or another it could potentially come up and we end up going back down that trail again and Id rather not give checkmate a reason to come up with his 49th (or 50th) username and drag the same skeleton out he always does

As for the topic at hand, I am of a view that 20 is not out of the realm of possibility. 30 would be a MAJOR longshot as far as the regular season goes (since we have I think 31 regular season games) With a max of 35 prior to the NCAA tournament should we make another title run, we could maybe hit 30 there

[TIMSCAR20]

I am not going to weigh in on any predictions on numbers since I cover the team but I will say that the season's outlook is much brighter than this time last year as Oldflame accurately conveyed to us above.

BJ 30 wins? I don't know if any Big South team has ever won 30 games. I'd have to check on Winthrop during the Marshall era but even those teams didn't get to 30 I don't believe. Really good SEC, Big Ten and ACC teams traditionally get to 30 wins. I applaude your enthusiasm though.

[BJWilliams]

I dont think we will hit 30 SCAR...I said maybe 30 if we run all the way to the NCAA Tournament (where we probably will be in the first four again) and an almost unblemished run through the Big South (which I don't see happening either). I think 20 is a more realistic number

[lynchburgwildcats]

You are on some powerfully potent illegal drugs if you think this team will win 30.

[BJWilliams]

30 is a longshot shuk, as I said above...it would take going all the way to the Big South Championship game (and probably winning it) plus going undefeated in the Big South and probably throw in an upset or two in the non-conference...and even then we may only max at 29 if we go to the Big Dance

[thesportscritic]

You are on some powerfully potent illegal drugs if you think this team will win 30.

+1

[bballfan84]

i think we get about 15 games this year...prob a .500 record..i havent seen the schedule but those include victories over a couple non D1 schools..which is pretty weak in my opinion

[Schfourteenteen]

Let's light a tree on fire to remind everyone that forest fires are bad.

15-20 should be the expectation at this point IMO.

[olldflame]

I agree that 15 to 20 is a realistic expectation if somewhat cautious, and I would say 18 or 19 is far more likely than 15. 20 to 22 is not a stretch at all IMHO.

Would someone who voted under 10 wins care to explain why you think we will be that bad? I honestly don´t see where you get it. I would say the same if you picked 10 to 15 because you are still essentially saying that with an easier schedule we will be worse this year than last.

[Purple Haize]

We were 10-20 going into the BSC Tournament. So saying we have a 5 game improvement which isn't shabby, puts us as 15-15. That's a pretty realistic expectation. Could we go 17-13 maybe. 20 wins? That would double our win total from last year. I'm not sure if you add the weakened SOS, and experience combined with what other BSC schools have make that realistic. Run the table and go with a 30 win season.....stay away from the blue meth!

[Sly Fox]

I see us in the Low 20s barring major injuries like we experienced early last season.

[olldflame]

I see us in the Low 20s barring major injuries like we experienced early last season.

While it would be tough to win 20 unless we remain healthy, I do think we have the depth and experience to handle the loss of a player or 2 better than any LU team in recent memory.

[flamesfan30]

15 wins. ill believe this team will remain healthy and win games when they actually do it.

[TDDance234]

15 wins. ill believe this team will remain healthy and win games when they actually do it.

That's where I plant my feet. 15-17 wins, with a win in the Big South Tournament.

[VAGolf]

We'll win 10. 15 is a longshot. There's an NAIA team on that schedule that will give us a run too. Last year's tournament run was awesome, but it was also a miracle. And miracles are lovely, but I don't bet on them.

[TIMSCAR20]

We'll win 10. 15 is a longshot. There's an NAIA team on that schedule that will give us a run too. Last year's tournament run was awesome, but it was also a miracle. And miracles are lovely, but I don't bet on them.

Hitting a 94 foot shot at the buzzer to win a game is a miracle. Winning 4 games in a winner take all scenario is NOT. Again, I am not going to get into prediciting the amount of wins since I cover the team, but what I can say for sure is that teams that are loaded with upper classmen and coming off of a tournament championship usually have good seasons.

The fact is that this team figured out how to score more, got comfortable with each other's abilities and inabilities and had a belief in one another. That's what won the championship, not a miracle. This team was scoring about 50 ppg at the beginning of the year. They finished the season avg nearly 70 and scored in the high 80s against the best team in the league in the final and most important game of the season.

[BJWilliams]

We'll win 10. 15 is a longshot. There's an NAIA team on that schedule that will give us a run too. Last year's tournament run was awesome, but it was also a miracle. And miracles are lovely, but I don't bet on them.

Hitting a 94 foot shot at the buzzer to win a game is a miracle. Winning 4 games in a winner take all scenario is NOT. Again, I am not going to get into prediciting the amount of wins since I cover the team, but what I can say for sure is that teams that are loaded with upper classmen and coming off of a tournament championship usually have good seasons.

The fact is that this team figured out how to score more, got comfortable with each other's abilities and inabilities and had a belief in one another. That's what won the championship, not a miracle. This team was scoring about 50 ppg at the beginning of the year. They finished the season avg nearly 70 and scored in the high 80s against the best team in the league in the final and most important game of the season.

Hitting a 94 foot shot IN GENERAL is a miracle (just ask Allyson Fasnacht). This team, with almost all of the same players coming back, is not regressing 5 games in one year.

[Purple Haize]

Hitting a 94' shot is like going to the bank for me. It's why they call me MONEY! (80's Reebok commercial anyone )

I think SCAR hit on something and that is chemistry. I'm not sure how good the teams chemistry was last year until they went to the beach. It was even mentioned in Langs Pulitzer level previews. To me, that's the difference between a 10 win season with this team or an 18-20 win season. If you don't have crazy good talent, which we don't, good coaching and good chemistry can make up for a lot.

[Chris Lang]

And I can't stress enough how manageable the non-conference schedule is:

Three non-DIs.
Only "sure loss" road game is at Virginia.
Howard at home
Furman, picked 10th in the 11-team SoCon, on the road
UNC Wilmington coming off a bad season without its only double-digit scorer from a year ago, at home
Two extremely winnable neutral-site games in Texas
Toughest games are at W&M, at Delaware, vs. Western Carolina (picked third in SoCon), vs. Princeton (probably will be picked 1 or 2 in Ivy)

I'd be a little surprised if the Flames make it to the Big South slate with fewer than eight or nine wins.

Biggest issues to me are a lack of guys who can get to the rim other than Sanders and a big question mark in how much LU will get offensively out of the five spot.