They are reminders of seven regular season Mid-American Conference championships, seven league tourney crowns and seven NCAA Tournament bids earned during a 19-year stretch starting in 1981. They spur debate about whether the greatest moment in program history was the Sweet Sixteen run in 1990 or the improbable journey to the 2001 Maui Invitational championship game after upsetting No. 4 Kansas and No. 3 UCLA on back-to-back nights before falling short against top-ranked Duke.
Players talked openly about a third straight 20-win season, pursuing their first league title in 18 seasons, celebrating their first NCAA tourney win since 1990 and, yes, even adding a banner or two to the dusty collection.