The effect of expectations on a season for a fan

[Lord Ash]

Howdy all,

Well, like everyone else, very sad at how a season of great promise ended in a very tough (and abrupt) fashion, and very sorry to see some GREAT seniors move on (along with, most likely, a very talented freshman that we didn't get to see as much as we could have.)

It is interesting to me how watching this season felt, as a fan, compared to watching last season.

Last season we had so few expectations. No one was sure what we were getting from Brian (and those who were "sure" were sure it wasn't anything too positive.) Nolan was showing signs of improving, but no one knew he would just blow up last year. Kyle was Kyle and Jon was Jon, but the rest of the team was a real question mark, especially the two new kids, Mason and Dre.

And lo and behold, we had a pretty great season. Won our preseason tourney, undefeated at home, 30+ wins, beat Carolina couple of times, won an ACC title, lost a few heartbreakers on the road but what can you do. And, of course, won a national title:) And the season felt like a LOT of fun from start to finish... lots of ups, a few downs, but overall a real fun ride that no one could have possibly expected at the start of the year.

Fast forward to this year... and talk about a difference in fan expectations! With Kyrie coming in, and Nolan and Kyle returning, and the arrival of Seth to the rotation, and the assumed-development of Mason, every Duke fan had, in their hearts, dream of a national title! Magazine covers, pundits crowing... there were sky-high expectations.

And then came Kyrie's injury, which threw things off track a bit.

Yet the season still went on, and went awful well. Won our preseason tourney, undefeated at home, 30+ wins, beat Carolina couple of times, won an ACC title, lost a few heartbreakers on the road but what can you do. In fact, sounds a lot like last season!

And yet our expectations were so different, and so was the fan feeling among the Duke fans that I knew. Everyone had a different feeling... almost like a waiting for something, an unsettledness, a "Oh lord I hope we win a title and I hope we don't lose this chance!" instead of the "Wow, we are doing pretty well, who would have figured?" from the year before.

I found that my enjoyment of this season of basketball was not quite the same as last year, and I can't help but think it was all about expectations. This year was a BIG one, as far as expectations, and everyone knew it. Even at the end of last year I marveled to my wife how much fun the season was, because no one could have expected it, and how this upcoming season (2010-2011) might not be fun at all, but just nerve-wracking.

On that note, I am looking forward to next year, where Duke will feature SO many unknowns and, to be frank, where Duke fans will not have to be "burdened" with such high expectations.

Sorry to see Nolan and Kyle go, they'll be missed... at least until Kyle comes back to hang his jersey, and Nolan comes back to coach!:)

[kong123]

I can completely relate to the fact that "expectations" can destroy an otherwise great season. I have said it many times, in Hansbrough's freshman season, the 2006 team exceeded expectations. We enjoyed their success and didn't fall apart when the lost. Last year, the team fell way short of the preseason expectations. This year, we started out on a high, then fell way down, and then finished the season on a much better note. Seeing these kids succeed after so much negativity is the best part about this season. Next year, if everyone returns, we again will have National Championship expectations. Anything short will be a disappointment. Its sad. Both programs have spoiled the respective fans and now we seem to dwell on the negatives instead of the positives. Last week, a member on this board and I shared a few PM's that revolved around next years teams. I mentioned that it was sad that both teams were in the sweet sixteen and we are already talking about next year.

How do we put these expectations aside and simply enjoy the moment? I think internet forums make college basketball more of a year around hobby than it was in the past. With so much talk, expectations can only rise.

I understand what you guys are going through. Even though I am a UNC fan and I ultimately could not stand another Duke championship, I still feel for you guys. Its a cruel ending to an up and down season. As in life, things change for the worst before you can prepare yourself. Don't be too hard on your team.

[oldnavy]

I woke up this morning and the sun was coming up, God has blessed us with another day! Life is good, but I am a little sad about saying goodby to Nolan and Kyle. I will miss them as much as any Duke players I can remember! Thanks guys for a great 4 years, and best of luck.

Last year was a nice surprise. This year may seem like a let down, but it was a very VERY good year. Expectations due tend to change the way you feel. It just goes to show us all, that nothing in life is guaranteed and that we need to enjoy each day in its fullest!

[Tjenkins]

I agree with you guys, a sad ending.

I wasn't sitting on my couch screaming, just sat there shaking my head, knowing it was slipping away and feeling sad for the seniors,especially Nolan Smith, since he had one of the worst games of his career. But he and Singler are champions, that's what I'll remember years from now, not this loss.

I could second guess Coach K and our players,but that was an Arizona won because they were better in that game, sometimes it's just not your night.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I am no sadder this morning than I am any year that we don't win the National Championship. That's the beauty of always expecting us to win it! I'm disappointed, but I appreciate the ride we've had this year and I've enjoyed every delicious moment since Countdown to Crazieness on October 15th!

Wait till next year! We've got Austin Rivers coming in!:cool:

[AsiaMinor]

Ozzie, I just love you.

[Buckeye Devil]

My expectations were not reaching the Final 4 let alone winning another N/C. I thought UCONN was the best team in the bracket, or at least playing the best at the right time. Nevertheless, the second half was disappointing to the extreme. It's bad to lose and play well, but that was not the case last night.

I am pretty sure that during one cut-away to Coach K after Nolan missed a free throw (I think) that the camera caught him turning his head to Collins and say, "it's just one of those nights."

[mkirsh]

I think expectations weigh on the players as well. Last night, Arizona was loose, having fun, and generally playing with a "nothing to lose" attitude. That underdog mentality is very powerful, and (both fortunately and unfortunately) Duke rarely gets to use it. Probably our best 3 games in the past 2 years where Baylor and WVA last year, and UNC in the ACCT this year, all games where many "experts" predicted us to lose and we could play with the extra chip on our shoulders. Brad Stevens the other day was saying "it was great that everyone said we were real life Hoosiers last year, keep calling us Cinderalla this year, we will use it" or something to that effect. Not saying I want the team to underperform in the regular season, but would love for the players to be able to let loose and be a little more aggressive without the burder of high expectations.

[dukebluesincebirth]

Nice post by Lord Ash and I appreciate this thread. Some say expectations are just resentments waiting to happen. When they aren't met, this usually leads to blame. It's always been difficult for me to know how to control my expectations for Duke basketball. In a perfect world, I would promise myself at the beginning of each season: "Your only expectation for this team is to play their hardest each and every game." That would be very healthy and realistic. Duke's supreme success has made it hard for me to accept this as a yearly expectation, and I always begin to expect more. I always believe that a team coached by K has the chance to go all the way-that's how successful K has been. And sometimes, on days like today, I'm extremely let down. But I have to ask myself, would I want it any other way? Would I rather be rooting for a mid-major team who is decent each year and overjoyed at the accomplishment of reaching the Sweet 16 or Elite 8? Would I rather not ever have real dreams of winning it all, thus never being let down like today? Days like today absolutely suck, but I'll be careful what I wish for.

[moonpie23]

my VERY positive expectations turned south when kyrie was hurt, and then they were replaced with trepidation. So i wasn't quite as high as i possibly could have been for the fall last night....it still hurt...

sigh.....

[weezie]

Even though I am a UNC fan and I ultimately could not stand another Duke championship, I still feel for you guys...Don't be too hard on your team.

OK, we won't. We love our team. It's OURS. We don't fret about your team and their psychology. Just give us a little break today.

[Reddevil]

Yep - guilty. The expectations made it quite a bitter pill. It could have been worse. A buzzer beater loss would've hurt more. There's still one thing that sticks in my craw though. Carolina is still in it. Anyone but carolina!..........and KY...........and UConn.......

[Bojangles4Eva]

High expectations are bad for fans, but I think even worse for players. Its times like this I wish I were more educated in the world of performance psychology. While I think they would maintain composure better in high pressure situations than I ever would, they are still just college students. I wonder at times how much our performance last night was affected by fan/media expectations. When we started to go down, was part of our mental tailspin a panic response caused in part by these expectations? If KI didn't come back and there were less media hype would we have been more mentally prepared for what happened in the 2nd half, maybe more similar to last years team mentality?

Please don't insinuate by that last part that I am questioning bringing back KI for the NCAAT, because I back our coaching staff and Irvings decision 100%

I'll give one future expectation though.....1990: Duke gets routed by UNLV by 30, next year wins championship......1993: Duke gets dominated in 2nd round by Cal, thanks to 14 dimes by future NBA star Jason Kidd, next year makes championship game....2009: Villanova manhandles Duke in sweet 16, next year wind championship.....

I think the tea leaves show next year bodes well for us.

[Reddevil]

I think the tea leaves show next year bodes well for us.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Expectations remember?

[BlueHeaven]

I think you're on to something here and possibly the reason for my completely glum mood this evening. I was so pining to go back to back. I was already making plans to go to Houston. (Maybe that should go in the "my fault" thread). I am more sad today than I was happy last year, and I think it's because of my high expectations for the team. I am also always sad to see the seniors leave. I know I'll feel better in a couple of days, and I am glad to have others with whom to commiserate, but it sure stings.

Can't wait for next year and the prospect of a fresh start. Isn't it nice that we have enjoyed so much success for so long, we are disappointed to get knocked out at the level most programs would feel blessed to get to. It's all in your perspective.

Go Duke!

[Jderf]

I understand what you guys are going through. Even though I am a UNC fan and I ultimately could not stand another Duke championship, I still feel for you guys. Its a cruel ending to an up and down season. As in life, things change for the worst before you can prepare yourself. Don't be too hard on your team.

Kong. This post worries me. It almost appears as if you have been developing something that is very harmful to a healthy rivalry: empathy. I think you're spending too much time around here :D.

[wsb3]

Many good thoughts on the thread. Very true about expectations. I know one of my favorite seasons was 2000, when the mass exodus of players left Durham early and all summer I heard so much crap about how bad we were going to be. I never envisioned a Final Four year. We lost one ACC game all year. We won Season and Tournament Championships and we beat our rival twice.

Last night was one of those nights and reminded me somewhat of how we played WV last year in the national semi final. Some nights exceed your expectations as a team and turn magical. Sadly Arizona had that last night.

Win, lose, or draw I love DUKE.

[Newton_14]

Great post LA. I want to add one thing. I think a bigger issue than expectation is "entitlement". That is a very dangerous thing. People referring to a 32 Win season as a "failure" is one example of that.

We are extremely fortunate. For the past 26 years, the accomplishments of this program is through the roof. 20 Sweet 16's, 11 FF's, and 4 National Titles. Incredible. That leads to expectations, which unfortunately for some transitions into entitlement.

Sorry, but it is not our God-given right to win 30 games, make every Final Four, and win every National Title. We should cherish the fact that we have a program that compete's for those things on a yearly basis, and enjoy the ride each and every season brings. We should not however, feel entitled to achieve those lofty goals on a yearly basis. Some of us remember the early to mid 70's, and the early 80's, when making the NCAA tournament was a pipe dream most of the time. Like K said about that 110-63 drubbing at the hands of Ralph Sampson and UVA in the first round of the ACC Tourney, "Here is to never forgetting that".

This team took us on a great journey, rocked Cameron with a thrilling win over the Heels (the best experience ever for me in Cameron), won the ACC, made the Sweet 16, and ran into a buzzsaw. You tip your hat to Arizona, cry for our Seniors, and like Ozzie said, start dreaming of Austin Rivers dropping 30 on hated rivals.

October 15th, 2011 cannot get here fast enough. Go Duke!

[Duke76]

My expectations were not reaching the Final 4 let alone winning another N/C. I thought UCONN was the best team in the bracket, or at least playing the best at the right time. Nevertheless, the second half was disappointing to the extreme. It's bad to lose and play well, but that was not the case last night.

I am pretty sure that during one cut-away to Coach K after Nolan missed a free throw (I think) that the camera caught him turning his head to Collins and say, "it's just one of those nights."

I saw the same thing and it was clear. And it is still clear, nothing at all went our way, the balls bouncing, the refs calls. From the minute that 40 foot shot that Williams made at the end of the half, to Curry getting hurt, blood on the arm of Kyle that caused him to be out for 3 minutes to them scoring on every possession for a five minute stretch to us not scoring at all during the same stretch in the same time period.

The basketball gods were simply not with us during this end of the yr run. Every team needs it to get to the promised land at the end of the yr. Our boys played as hard as they could, they didn't quit, it just wasn't meant to be.