It's hard to believe.

At this time last season, the women's basketball team and coach Terri Mitchell were in the midst of an improbable run to a WNIT championship.

Mitchell was at her peak, having transformed a middling team built around a lone standout (guard Krystal Ellis) into a cohesive unit capable of extraordinary postseason success. Few teams get the chance to end their seasons with a win. Entering the offseason, the Golden Eagles had more momentum than a drunk rolling downhill.

They were going to retool. They were going to be better. They were going to make the NCAA Tournament.

What happened to that?

It's barely been a year, yet the women's basketball team might be Marquette's biggest disappointment since Louis Bennett. And you know what? The majority of the blame goes to Mitchell.

In 2006, on the heels of a run to the WNIT championship game, Mitchell signed a contract tying her to Marquette through the 2012-'13 season. Since then, the Golden Eagles' win totals have dipped each year, from 26 in 2006-'07, to 21 in 2007-'08, and down to 17 this season.

Apologists may point to injuries — like the torn ACL forward Jocelyn Mellen suffered just five games into the season — as adequate explanation for the team's belly flop this year. But in Mellen's place emerged freshman forward Jessica Pachko, who ended up averaging 8.9 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles.

Sure, Marquette might have been better with both Pachko and Mellen, but every team deals with injuries to a certain extent. The problem was Mitchell's inability to settle upon a cohesive lineup at any point this season.

Think about it — 12 different Golden Eagles started for Mitchell this season. Twelve. What happens when Mitchell needs to decide what she wants at a fast food joint? I'm convinced she's the reason for the long lines at Marquette Place.

And what was with Mitchell's use of Ellis this year? Yes, knee troubles probably meant she needed to be rested more than usual. And sure, her numbers (12.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.6 rpg) were down. But why is Marquette's all-time leading scorer on the bench during the closing seconds of one-point losses to Villanova on Feb. 10 in the regular season and Illinois State on March 26 in the postseason?

"I didn't think Krystal was playing her best basketball. I was looking at the statistics and where she was shooting at that point," Mitchell said after the 46-45 loss to Villanova. "I put Courtney (Weibel) in to shoot the three…(Villanova has) to respect her because they know she's going to shoot it."

Really? Villanova respects the abilities of Weibel, a 23.3-percent shooter from the 3-point line more than Ellis, who tallied 1,940 career points at Marquette? I'm not buying it.

At times, it seemed like Marquette's only offense was the old Angel-Robinson-runs-into-a-crowd-and-throws-the-ball-at-the-backboard play. Judging by Robinson's shooting percentage during the Golden Eagles' last four games (31.7 percent) and their record in those games (1-3) it might be time to retire that one.

Listen, I'm not calling for Mitchell's head on a silver platter here. I'm not even necessarily saying she's on the coaching "hot seat." But you have to admit, the Golden Eagles did less with more this year.

Now Ellis is gone, leaving Marquette to establish a new identity. The Golden Eagles won't have the advantage of momentum this offseason, and Mitchell isn't looking quite as smart.

It's a cliché, but man — a year makes a big difference, doesn't it?