In 17 years of coaching Bruce Weber has had two losing seasons: 07-08 at Illinois and 14-15 at Kansas State.
Illinois 2007-2008
Record: 16-19, 5-13 (Tied for 9th in Big Ten - went 3-1 in B1G Tourny)
Finished at 104 in the RPI
Roster Comments:
* Team had two Senior contributors - both were big men. They were 2 of the top 3 scorers on the team.
* Had a PG that averaged 4.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, and 2.2 topg
* Had only one guard that scored in double figures
Season Comments:
* Difficult non-con. Team went 8-5.
* Played a ranked Arizona team at a neutral site game and lost a close one.
* Lost to two low to mid-major teams. (Miami (OH) and Tenn St)
* 4 of their 5 non con losses were nail biters.
* Had 8 total conference wins (including regular season & tournament)
* 15 of their 19 losses were close games (within 10 points)
* Team averaged scoring 63.6 points per game.
Kansas State 2014-2015
Record: 15-17, 8-10 (Finished 8th in Big 12 - went 0-1 in Conference Tourny)
Currently 95 in the RPI
Roster Comments:
* Team had two Senior contributors - both were big men. They were 2 of the top 3 scorers on the team.
* Had a PG that averaged 4.5 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 topg
* Had only one guard that averaged in double figures
Season Comments:
* Difficult non-con. Team went 7-6.
* Played a ranked Arizona team at a neutral site and lost a close one.
* Lost to two low to mid-major teams (Long Beach St & TX Southern)
* Lost four non-conference games by 4 points or less.
* Had 8 total conference wins (including regular season and tournament)
* 10 of their 17 losses were close games (within 10 points)
* Team averaged 63 points per game.
Commentary: Many of our fans have been concerned about Bruce's history repeating itself at Kansas State. In my opinion it appears that we may be going down a similar track. There are many parallels between the 07-08 season at Illinois and the 14-15 season at Kansas State. The parallels go beyond just a quick glance of the records, but carries through to the makeup of each teams roster, the style of play on the court, and the types of games they lost and the manner in which they lost them.
Reason For Hope (at least for next season): You knew there was going to be a positive spin at some point.
In 2008-09 the Ilini rebounded. There record improved to 24-10. They went 13-1 in the non-conference. They finished tied for 2nd in the Big Ten. They were a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament (no where close to the bubble). They were upset in the first round of the dance, so the haters can still hate, but overall in was a major improvement over the previous season. IF Bruce is on the same path as he was at Illinois - Next season is looking up.
Illinois 2007-2008
Record: 16-19, 5-13 (Tied for 9th in Big Ten - went 3-1 in B1G Tourny)
Finished at 104 in the RPI
Roster Comments:
* Team had two Senior contributors - both were big men. They were 2 of the top 3 scorers on the team.
* Had a PG that averaged 4.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, and 2.2 topg
* Had only one guard that scored in double figures
Season Comments:
* Difficult non-con. Team went 8-5.
* Played a ranked Arizona team at a neutral site game and lost a close one.
* Lost to two low to mid-major teams. (Miami (OH) and Tenn St)
* 4 of their 5 non con losses were nail biters.
* Had 8 total conference wins (including regular season & tournament)
* 15 of their 19 losses were close games (within 10 points)
* Team averaged scoring 63.6 points per game.
Kansas State 2014-2015
Record: 15-17, 8-10 (Finished 8th in Big 12 - went 0-1 in Conference Tourny)
Currently 95 in the RPI
Roster Comments:
* Team had two Senior contributors - both were big men. They were 2 of the top 3 scorers on the team.
* Had a PG that averaged 4.5 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 topg
* Had only one guard that averaged in double figures
Season Comments:
* Difficult non-con. Team went 7-6.
* Played a ranked Arizona team at a neutral site and lost a close one.
* Lost to two low to mid-major teams (Long Beach St & TX Southern)
* Lost four non-conference games by 4 points or less.
* Had 8 total conference wins (including regular season and tournament)
* 10 of their 17 losses were close games (within 10 points)
* Team averaged 63 points per game.
Commentary: Many of our fans have been concerned about Bruce's history repeating itself at Kansas State. In my opinion it appears that we may be going down a similar track. There are many parallels between the 07-08 season at Illinois and the 14-15 season at Kansas State. The parallels go beyond just a quick glance of the records, but carries through to the makeup of each teams roster, the style of play on the court, and the types of games they lost and the manner in which they lost them.
Reason For Hope (at least for next season): You knew there was going to be a positive spin at some point.
