After its opening loss to NAU, I admit the first thing that crossed my mind was a 10-win season and a winless Pac-10 record for the ASU men's basketball team this year.
They reaffirmed that belief when they lost to Portland State a few games later.
But since then something has clicked for this budding team.
Maybe new coach Herb Sendek is starting to get his message through. Maybe the young guns just needed to get out early-season jitters.
Maybe it was both.
But regardless of what sparked the vast improvement, ASU has now flexed enough muscle for fans to get genuinely excited about the season.
Granted, I still think they're a year away from competing for a spot in the Big Dance, but that doesn't mean they won't give some clubs a serious run this year and perhaps even steal a few big games.
This team is proving it's not going to go down quietly, especially against any opponent foolish enough to look past it.
