I think the poster indirectly makes two good points. The first is that, at the end of the day, people care about what you did in the tournament, not so much the regular season. In some cases, like UT this year, that is measured by the fact that they got in. I'm not saying folks aren't disappointed in not getting further, but I think when you look back at this in a couple of years the season will be considered a great success because no one expected anything out of UT and you made the tournament.
And, as pointed out by me and many others on here, there is a stepping stone system usually in place such that the really good programs get measured by consistency in making it in and then in terms of Sweet 16's and Final Fours. Only time will tell if the momentum Pearl has generated will continue -- I think it will -- but you got to start somewhere and this year was one heckuva' good one.
Even though Florida similarly had very low expectations, once the ball got rolling (so to speak) I believe the standard for success became making the Sweet 16 because, oncie it was clear Florida would make the tournament, the fans and the media started viewing things in the context of the last 5 years' worth of early NCAA exits. Florida is a long way away from being thought of in the same breath as Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, and Duke. But Florida is probably well on its way to being thought of with the likes of Maryland, UConn, Villanova, and the like, and that ain't bad. It takes time and continued success to be viewed as big time.
The second indirect point is that UT cannot measure its status by how it did in the regular season against teams that advanced far into the tournament. It HURTS you to do this. Why? Look at the post -- the guy asks whether UT's twice beating Florida during the regular season means UT underachieved. Absolutely not!! You don't set the benchmark for UT's success by saying that, because it beat Florida twice in the regular season, it must get further in the tournament. Too many variables. For one, UT did run out of steam as the season ended. We Florida fans know all about that, trust me! Also, Florida got a pretty favorable draw and peaked at the right time whereas UT ran into a team that defended them well.
My point is that you need to look at the bigger picture and not deem your season a success or failure based on whether the regular season set you up for disappointment, but rather whether you made the tournament and, if you did, did you play well and make a deep run. The more times you make it, the more likely it is that you will get further and further and further. And the more times you make it and the further you get next time, the greater the program's image overall as seasons come and go.
I personally think UT is in a great spot to really become an annual contender for the tournament and, with it, some deeper runs.
