The game is to decide who the 11th seed in the NCAA tournament will be, it’s reality. You can spin it however you like, you usually do. It isn’t called a “playin” game for no reason. I guess to you a lose to ASU would mean progress has been made.
Don’t get me wrong, still plenty to be excited about.
Let me give you a brief history lesson:
In 1951 the Ncaa tournament was expanded to 16 teams
1953 22 teams
1953 to 1974 22 to 25 teams (Yes it varied)
1975 32 teams
1979 40 teams
1983 53 teams
1985 64 teams
2001 65 teams
2011 68 teams
I recall in 1979 there were people telling the fans of teams 33 to 40 that 'if you lose your first game it will be as if you didn't make it'.
And in 1985 there were people telling the fans of teams 54 to 64 that 'if you lose your first game it will be as if you didn't make it'.
And so on and so forth every time the field has expanded there were curmudgeons waiting to say you didn't belong to be there because you wouldn't have qualified under the old format. But those people were idiots.