Bianco felt a little warmth under his seat after last season when he missed the regionals, and instead of the Stansbury "do nothing" approach, MB proceeded to get rid of an assistant coach. Then, he went out and got one of THE top assistant coaches/recruiters anywhere in the country in Cliff Godwin, who has made his presence immediately known on the recruiting trail. Look at how well they recruited last year, and last I checked their early class is top 3 this year. This move and the overall willingness to adapt has bought Bianco quite a bit more time, IMO. I talk regularly to a former OM player that is back in Oxford finishing his degree as a g/a. He said Godwin is VERY similar in many ways to Dan McDonnell...
That said, I haven't heard any ridiculous "expectations" from them this year. They've mostly been alot like us. Cautiously optimistic, although for different reasons(pitching depth vs our youth/hitting). IF Bianco managed to miss the regionals AGAIN this year and next year, making it 3 in a row, while also having some of the most talented players kicked off/transfer out, then IMO the comparison to Stans becomes much more valid.
He's also made 9 tourneys, with 4 Sweet 16s, in 11 years. While he should have made Omaha at least once, it still isn't a very comparable to Stansbury's situation with us...