Let's stop with the Izzo references. They are outright silly. It is not about one game; heck, it is not even about one season. Izzo has two S16, an E8, and a FF in his last 4 years alone. He has done a great job recruiting, by leaps and bounds above UI. He has the program on a strong foundation. He was undefeated, having the No. 1 team in the nation. Lost away to Iowa... wow, BIG DEAL!
We missed the tournament the last 2 years, and still have not recruited a single top-100 HS PG or C the last 4 years. If it was just about this game, or even this season with injuries, but everything else was on a strong foundation (recruiting, prior performances), it would be a totally different story.
We are not missing 5 of our top 8 players. We are missing 3 of our top 8 players, specifically Abrams, Thorne, and Black. But it is not this game or the outlook of this season that is the problem. I think it is the future outlook of this program. Even if Abrams, Thorne, and Black all return, and we do make it to the NCAA tournament next year, we are still without a top-100 PG or C with Abrams, Thorne, Nunn, and Hill all graduating next season. Unless you get a top ranked recruiting class with multiple difference makers at key positions (PG and C) who will be able to immediately contribute, you are still looking at positional gaps moving forward.
I still think Grove survives 2016. But he better hit a recruiting home run with some top ranked difference makers in 2017. He won't be able to wait 2-3 years to reap the benefits of 2017 recruiting. It is not just about making the tournament next year (as we did 3 years ago). It is about building a program that makes the tournament every year.
Te'jon Lucas is a pretty good start. Also guys like JCL, Jordan and finke have shown tons of promise to be able to potentially fill in the gaps if they keep improving. Also, kipper Nichols has a chance to help that as well. It's not like the cupboard will be bare after next year. And a run to the tourney with as a deep a team as we could have will help bring in more recruits too.
And these aren't comparisons of Groce to izzo so let's not act like it is. The point is that every coach struggles when they lose important pieces especially if it's three.