HOW FAR HAS ETSU BASKETBALL FALLEN?

Yes, it’s early. But the early returns of the 2020–21 Buccaneers are sluggish.

There are two dirty little secrets concerning the East Tennessee State men’s basketball team this season.

The first is we don’t know who these guys are.

The second is the 2020–21 Buccaneers will not be as good as last season.

Mind you, regression was almost assured this season even if Wake Forest had kept Danny Manning, leading to the chain of events that saw Steve Forbes, Bo Hodges, Davien Williamson, and Patrick Good leave the Buccaneers.

After starting 1–2, however, the question is how much of the bleeding can be stopped and how fast.

A strong season of 20 victories and perhaps an NCAA Tournament berth and for the most part, ETSU keeps chugging along and takes another step at establishing themselves as a mid-major powerhouse.

Continue to play like they did in the Gulf Coast Showcase, and the Bucs’ success of the Forbes era was fun while it lasted.

A slow start hasn’t necessarily been something the Bucs aren’t used to. Three years ago the Bucs opened up with an 18-point loss to Northern Kentucky and started 3–3.

This was somewhat forgotten when ETSU then reeled off 20 victories in their next 21 games, including a 13-point victory in their rematch with NKU prior to Christmas.