The Season that Might Have Been or the Season that Never Was?

In heroic fashion, Blaise Threat drained an 18-foot jumper with under a second to go, to beat Portland State, in Saturday's game at the Dee Events Center. It was the kind of moment that reminds us why we love sports. The Dee's sparse crowd erupted with excitement and for a brief moment, we disregarded the frustrations of this disappointing season and all enjoyed a special moment. Just like any true purple-blooded Wildcat, I thoroughly enjoyed and celebrated the win.

However, later that evening, after the excitement of moment wore off, the thought came to me: if we need last second heroics to beat the Portland State Vikings at home, we're in trouble. Likewise, if our high water mark this season is beating Idaho State, we're in big trouble, and additionally if we are dropping games at home to the likes of Sacramento State and getting curb stomped by Eastern Washington at the Dee, we are, well... as my pre-teen daughter would put it, we're cooked.

The men's basketball season has been a massive disappointment and spectacular failure by any measure. If you would have told me at the start of the season, that we would only have four conference wins heading into the last weekend of the season, I would have thought you crazy. I'll be the first to admit. I was dead wrong about this team. Even through the non-con schedule, I thought we would still have a chance to contend for a conference title. Instead, we as fans have endured watching possibly the worst Wildcat team to ever wear the purple and white.

The Cats are currently ranked 303rd on KenPom. You read that right. We are in the 300s. Until now, I've never seen the Wildcats sink to the dreaded basement of college basketball. The issues with this team are many. In fact, other than Blaise Threatt killing it and some impressive play by underclassmen, there isn't much that has gone right this season. The most passionate and very vocal contingent of Wildcat fans are quick to cast blame to the man in charge. Mr. Eric Duft.

On the surface it makes sense. Team trending down, so many close losses, failure to improve throughout the season... Sounds like a coaching issue. But something just doesn't seem to add up.

That narrative doesn't really pass the smell test. I feel like if that were true, Duft would have lost the locker room. But instead, you see guys that are loyal to him, play hard for him, and keep fighting in spite of losing again and again and again. That tells me, that for better or for worse, the team is still behind him and totally bought in.

Look, I know it isn't popular to stand up for Duft right now, and I do think he should be held accountable for how this season has gone, but let's not forget the enormous contribution he has made to the men's basketball program and consequently Weber State University and the greater Ogden community over the past 19 years. It is looking more and more like he is not the man for the head coaching job at Weber State. But let's not tear him to pieces here. Duft has been an integral part of many winning seasons in Ogden, and we'd do well to give him a little more grace. The man has essentially given two decades of his life to this team. That's all I'm going to say about Coach Duft.

If it could go wrong, it has gone wrong for the Wildcats this season...

• Blaise Threatt getting sick and missing two winnable games early in the season
• Miguel Tomley suffering some unknown medical issue that ends his season (2nd leading scorer on team).
• Dyson Koehler suffering a season ending injury (3rd leading scorer on team).
• Ever shifting staring lineups.
• Slow starts to seemingly every conference game - seems like we are routinely down 10 halfway through the first half.
• Losing so many close games - Unable to execute in crunch time (the Wildcats have lost 13 games by 9 points or less).

Has this been the perfect storm of terrible misfortune, or are the Wildcats just plain ol' bad this season? Is this the season that might have been, or the season that never was?

Let's say Threatt never got sick. Let's say that Tomley and Koehler were still playing. Let's say that Duft was able to decide a solid starting 5. How many, if any, more wins would the Wildcats have cranked out?

1/16 - Montana (lost by 4)  - I have little doubt that if Threatt would have played in this game, the Wildcats would have won. Montana did not play particularly well. They only shot 40% from the floor. Threat would have scored his usual 15-20 and the Cats would have won this game.

1/30 - Idaho (lost by 8) - The fist game after Tomley's announcement of leaving the team for medical reasons. No doubt this would have been a very emotional game for the team. Despite inconsistent play at times, Tomley was one of the leaders on the team. I think there is good chance the Cats pull this one off if Tomley plays.

2/8 - Idaho State (lost by 5) - Always an emotionally charged game. You know Tomley would have brought the juice against his former team, and Koehler would have provided the senior leadership needed to stay cool under pressure in a rivalry game. We have our guys, we win this game, no question.

2/20 - Sac State (lost by 3) - All due respect to our friends in the City of Trees, but the Hornets are terrible. Like really really bad. We have no business losing to them with or without our top guys.

There it is. If the gods of good basketball fortune would have favored the Cats a little more this season, we realistically would have won about 4 more games. Maybe we squeak out one or two more but for sake of argument, lets settle on four more wins. That would put the Wildcats at 8-7 in conference, tied with Portland State and Idaho State for 3rd in conference.

Even if injuries and sickness were avoided, and even if the ball bounced our way a few more times, we would still be a highly flawed team, with barely over a .500 record, and likely headed for a 2nd game exit in the conference tourney. Underwhelming at best. Crushing disappointment at worst.

The Season that might have been or the season that never was? You decide.

It is sad to see the men's basketball team going through the lowest of lows this season. Weber State University and the men's basketball program need to take major steps to ensure this team heads in the right direction going forward.