Agree...and after watching some of the teams competing for their conference championships and to watch the fire and precision they play with -it further illustrates the uphill climb we have.If we have to sit around sweating out mid-major tournaments in hopes that we can back into the tournament by default, then we truly are desperate. And "the streak" has become meaningless.
We weren't just barely making it into the tournament for its first 30 years. We were competing for championships each year. We were relevant.
The streaks that really showed our consistency as a power have already ended...being ranked, every 4-year player competing in a Final Four, SEC banners, etc...are history. If we were a top 30 team, that would be different even while being an indictment of how far we've fallen.
The pride 8n making the tournament was not just being there but being a competitive threat. Just making a token appearance is so far removed from our legacy that, IMO, it doesn't really count. It's extremely embarrassing to hear all this pity focus from announcers obsessing over whether we'll "get in" instead of whether we'll win it all.
If we just want game experience, the WNIT is available. I'm more concerned with our getting back to relevance as an elite program than maintaining a meaningless streak unless we're prepared to prove we belong by winning at least two games.
Most concerning for a lot of fans is the lack of quality play on the court compared to these teams. Because yes, there are teams out there more talented than we are at the moment but not enough difference to explain the large chasm we see compared to these teams in execution.
Let’s hope Harper can turn this thing around.