Preseason polls are best considered for a few minutes and then put away until the end of the regular season.
On that day, boasting is allowed, perhaps required, if a team exceeded expectations. The Shockers got to do that last year on March 6 after beating USF to wrap up an American Athletic Conference title.
Before the standings are final, forget the votes. If a team waited for its source of motivation until the poll, it probably didn't put in the work necessary during the off-season.
The Shockers know all this, so they knew exactly what to say during Wednesday's virtual media day sessions for the American Athletic Conference.