Maybe a little premature?? Does Greg McDermott predict Sweet 16 for Jays?

[tornado]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121013/BLUEJAYS/710139822

even some Creighton fans are saying this might be a jinx...



But here's the clincher....Coach McDermott also says.......
"Sweet 16.
“That's our goal,” McDermott said...“That's where we want to be.”...
It's happened for Xavier, happened for Gonzaga, happened for Butler.
I don't think we're any different ....."

...does he know that the Sweet 16 has also happened to Bradley, Wichita, UNI, and SIU lately...why absolutely no nod to his own conference mates?

[DoubleJayAlum]

http://www.omaha.com/article/2012101...JAYS/710139822

even some Creighton fans are saying this might be a jinx...



But here's the clincher....Coach McDermott also says.......
"Sweet 16.
“That's our goal,” McDermott said...“That's where we want to be.”...
It's happened for Xavier, happened for Gonzaga, happened for Butler.
I don't think we're any different ....."

He's saying it is a goal; he's not making a prediction. I don't see anything wrong with goal setting. Don't all schools/successful people set goals?

...does he know that the Sweet 16 has also happened to Bradley, Wichita, UNI, and SIU lately...why absolutely no nod to his own conference mates?

You are missing the context completely. He's talking about what it takes to try to shed the "mid major" tag and become a consistent, national program that gets the benefit of home and homes with BCS programs and top tier TV matchups. Xavier, Butler and Gonzaga have done that, while BU (ended up firing the coach that got them there and never made a return trip after the Sweet 16), WSU (coach that got them there left and haven't had an NCAA tourney win since), UNI (have not made it back to tourney since Sweet 16) and SIU (coach that got them there was fired) have not. It certainly wasn't a shot at any of the MVC schools who have gotten to the Sweet 16, as anyone but the most insecure and suspicious would certainly see.

Even if it this year's team doesn't get to the Sweet 16, I think most Creighton fans like that McDermott isn't afraid to talk about it. The reason this article was written in the first place is to contrast Mac with Dana - Dana would never talk about the Sweet 16 and always tried to downplay expectations. Mac, in contrast, isn't afraid to discuss the topic.

[LittleBrave]

http://www.omaha.com/article/2012101...JAYS/710139822

...does he know that the Sweet 16 has also happened to Bradley, Wichita, UNI, and SIU lately...why absolutely no nod to his own conference mates?

I'm sure he's aware of it. But these schools have not attained the kind of success that the schools he mentioned have had, and have not had the kind of national publicity either...maybe because of quotes like this where he fails to recognize teams in his own conference.

McDermott is probably also aware that even with Creighton's great success over the past 15 seasons or so, they have not reached the Sweet 16. I'd love to see it happen this year to add another Valley team to the list of teams that have made it in the last 10 years, as most fans of the Valley would also.

With the kind of talent the 'Jays have (lost only Young as key starter) and probably with the talent coming in, I expect CU to have no trouble winning 15 league games this year, and having a comfortable margin over the 2nd place team in the Valley.

[tornado]

but McDermott is not a newbie or naive -- surely he knows how his statements will appear in the press and appear to other fans....and even the writer of that article sees it and says...

"He said the words that you just don't utter in mid-October...Sweet 16.

..Now he's done it. He's raised the bar to a dangerous level."


Whe BU had a little fun with their MVC-Shuffle video - and people thought it was a bit presumptuous...this is no different...