I have a few thoughts. I think it is very fair to level some criticism towards the head man because it is just natural to do so. These guys get paid big bucks to coach and they all know that.
On one hand, I agree that we could and should all be a bit disappointed. We had a TON of momentum early last year, and to this day, I still don't know what really happened that caused us to lose the team. I also know that the guys who left, sans Noi for pro reasons, went down a level of competition. Davis is doing very well but I know Yuat was kicked off UCF and Kaden is not doing too much at UT El Paso. Before that mass exodus, we were a top 15 team.
Last year out of the way, You could make the argument we should have been in the tourney anyways. Same with Dixon's first year. I remember a horrible call at WVU coliseum on Jalen Fisher that changed that game and probably knocked us out of the tourney.
If you don't see a clear rise in level of play vs our putrid 2000s then idk what to tell you. But I also understand a demand for more. Rankings wise, Dixon is recruiting better here than he ever did at Pitt, sans a class or two. Our young guys are very talented and should get better. I like this upcoming class. Maybe Obannon will actually come in and play like a 5 star.
Seeing how some programs(Tech) come out of nowhere, it is easy to fall victim to the comparison game. Jamie was once that coach at Pitt that Beard is at Tech. Jamie is a great coach. He can certainly be better too. He has been markedly different since 2014ish. IDK why. Hopefully he can dig deep and pull a rabbit out of the hat this year but again, I have given this year a pass and so far we have actually exceeded my expectations.
The coming 2 years are very important. I will not react much this year except in surprise if we pull off a nice run and make the tourney.
Also, the money argument is kinda weird to me...I know people on here donate, but that's just it: a donation. Most boosters are generally wrong. We elect politicians that suck all the time, many people are overpaid, but only coaches somehow get this flak. I always thought that argument is lame. Ultimately, universities will make decisions that they see fit.