Mike and Mike

[jesmu84]

On the Mike and Mike show, along with Dickie V on the phone, talked in length about how good Marquette is as well about how they are likely flying under the radar with teams like pitt, uconn, louisville, etc in the same conference.  Dickie V stated we are definite contenders.  One of the Mikes stating he was very impressed with our execution on the road against a desperate team, especially late in the game.

nice to get even a little exposure nationally.

[StillAWarrior]

nice to get even a little exposure nationally.

Man, maybe we've gotten spoiled, or maybe I'm just getting old, but I just don't get this attitude.  We're a top 10 team, have been ranked pretty much all year (two weeks out in the AP, one week out in the Coaches poll), and have been as high as 8 twice this year...Two of our players (at least) are nominated for national awards...One of our players is getting a lot of play for the BEast player of the year...Our coach has been featured on more than one website with some glowing press...ESPN did an article on Lazar...etc, etc, etc.

I just don't know where this "we don't get any respect" attitude comes from.  Do I think we get as much respect as Louisville or Memphis?  No.  But after the year we've had and the press I've been seeing here in Cleveland, I can't imagine someone saying, "nice to get even a little exposure nationally."  We've had a hell of a lot of national exposure this year.  Ten years ago I could go weeks without hearing anything about Marquette other than a score scrolling across the bottom of ESPN.

[Ball2003]

I agree with StillAWarrior. When Marquette was in C-USA, they never got talked about because if the conference was mentioned at all, it was to talk about Cincy or Louisville.

Now that they are in the Big East, and playing the kind of fast-paced, high-flying basketball that makes the highlight reels on a nightly basis, Marquette is getting as much respect as they deserve. I have heard people like Jay Bilas and Andy Katz give Marquette a lot of praise, calling our guards the unquestioned best in the country. I've heard national TV commentators during other Big East games say that you could plug all three Marquette guards into first-team All-Big East.

Are they getting the attention that UConn (especially Thabeet) and Pitt (especially Blair) are? No, because they haven't done as much as those teams. They also don't have a guy that is a lock to be a top-five draft pick like Blake Griffin or Stephon Curry (although McNeal is moving his way up just about everyone's draft board).

Believe me, if Marquette wins 3 or their last 4, everyone will be talking about them.

[VegasWarrior77]

To be the man you have to beat the man!  Ultimate respect is earned and a win Wednesday is the first step!  GO WARRIORS!

[4everwarriors]

And we owe this all to Tommy Crean.

[jesmu84]

I more was referring to positive publicity.  Yes, Bilas has occassionally mentioned something positive about us, and there have been a few various articles about Lazar, Buzz, etc.  But for the most part front page, national news has been "overrated" or "untested" stuff.  Heck, even on Saturday, 3/4 of the gameday team picked GT to win the game.  I do understand why we don't get in the same sentence as Duke, UNC, Louisville, etc.  But it's nice to see us getting some good stuff where a majority of people will see/hear it.  Agreed on us winning a majority of the last 4 games = more talk.

ps. enough with the Crean talk.

[GoldenWarrior]

I think our media coverage has been adequate this year.  ESPN loves the top 3 or 4 teams in the country + Duke all year long, so those are the one's you hear about all the time every year and we aren't quite there... yet.

Ball2003:  Stephon Curry is not at all a lock to be a top 5 draft pick in the NBA... I strongly disagree with that assessment.

[ErickJD08]

Man, maybe we've gotten spoiled, or maybe I'm just getting old, but I just don't get this attitude.  We're a top 10 team, have been ranked pretty much all year (two weeks out in the AP, one week out in the Coaches poll), and have been as high as 8 twice this year...Two of our players (at least) are nominated for national awards...One of our players is getting a lot of play for the BEast player of the year...Our coach has been featured on more than one website with some glowing press...ESPN did an article on Lazar...etc, etc, etc.

I just don't know where this "we don't get any respect" attitude comes from.  Do I think we get as much respect as Louisville or Memphis?  No.  But after the year we've had and the press I've been seeing here in Cleveland, I can't imagine someone saying, "nice to get even a little exposure nationally."  We've had a hell of a lot of national exposure this year.  Ten years ago I could go weeks without hearing anything about Marquette other than a score scrolling across the bottom of ESPN.

The "we don't get any respect" attitude is cus its there.  Being ranked eighth is fine, but we are there because the pollsters kinda have to put us there with out looking ridiculous.  "Respect", in my eyes, is not Dickie V talking about us, its what the polls show.  Polls show respect for the program, players, and performance.  And when all these yahoos come out and say "Who has Marquette beat?" when we were 9 and 0 in the BE, it shows a lack of respect for the players, program, and they are knocking the 9 and 0 performance.  Then they turn around and throw up MSU, Memphis, and UCLA (before they couldn't give them a high ranking).  Pollsters have no respect for our players or program.

[StillAWarrior]

The "we don't get any respect" attitude is cus its there.  Being ranked eighth is fine, but we are there because the pollsters kinda have to put us there with out looking ridiculous.  "Respect", in my eyes, is not Dickie V talking about us, its what the polls show.  Polls show respect for the program, players, and performance.  And when all these yahoos come out and say "Who has Marquette beat?" when we were 9 and 0 in the BE, it shows a lack of respect for the players, program, and they are knocking the 9 and 0 performance.  Then they turn around and throw up MSU, Memphis, and UCLA (before they couldn't give them a high ranking).  Pollsters have no respect for our players or program.

Sorry, I still disagree.  I will happily concede that some teams get too much respect (Memphis, Louisville, Duke, etc.), but I really can't complain about the respect given to Marquette.  I find it funny how all of us fans spent the early part of the season talking about how favorable our schedule was because we played some of our easier games in the Big East early, culminating with what we expected to be our five hardest games at the end.  But then as soon as anyone else said "who have they played" some people got all indignant.  As I said, we've been ranked pretty much all year -- mostly in the top 15.  While I might quibble about a spot or two here or there, I just can't argue with a straight face that we don't get any respect.

[ErickJD08]

Sorry, I still disagree.  I will happily concede that some teams get too much respect (Memphis, Louisville, Duke, etc.), but I really can't complain about the respect given to Marquette.  I find it funny how all of us fans spent the early part of the season talking about how favorable our schedule was because we played some of our easier games in the Big East early, culminating with what we expected to be our five hardest games at the end.  But then as soon as anyone else said "who have they played" some people got all indignant.  As I said, we've been ranked pretty much all year -- mostly in the top 15.  While I might quibble about a spot or two here or there, I just can't argue with a straight face that we don't get any respect.

I agree with you for the most part.  But when you are 9 and 0 in the hardest conference in America, the "who have you beat" talk is a little weak. 

[StillAWarrior]

I agree with you for the most part.  But when you are 9 and 0 in the hardest conference in America, the "who have you beat" talk is a little weak. 

When we were 9-0 in the BEast, we were ranked No. 8 in both polls.  The teams ahead of us were UCONN (20-1), Oklahoma (21-1), UNC (19-2), Duke (19-2), Louisville (17-3), Pitt (19-2), and Wake (17-2).  I really have a hard time with the argument that we weren't getting any respect.  Perhaps one could argue for another spot or two, but those rankings really don't scream "lack of respect" to me.  And I also totally understand the who have they beat questions.  I knew the team was good, but I was also waiting to see how the team would look when they played the top of the league -- still am.

We'll have to agree to disagree, because I think that any claim that this team is underrated, doesn't get any respect or doesn't get any national exposure is ridiculous.  For the record, I'm not saying they are overrated or get too much respect -- I think they're treated fairly.

[bilsu]

When we were 9-0, people always looked ahead to the last five games and wondered how we would survice that. Who we played at that point did not compare to who we were going to play. Unfortunitly, when we beat Uconn it will be down played, because they no longer have Dyson.

[krocheck]

When we were 9-0, people always looked ahead to the last five games and wondered how we would survice that. Who we played at that point did not compare to who we were going to play. Unfortunitly, when we beat Uconn it will be down played, because they no longer have Dyson.

I've been worried a little about that too.  "Oh they beat UConn, but UConn was down a star player and MU has a home winning streak."  We have to pick up a road win before we start getting more attention.

Keith

[Tribby]

I've been worried a little about that too.  "Oh they beat UConn, but UConn was down a star player and MU has a home winning streak."  We have to pick up a road win before we start getting more attention.

Keith

Let's actually beat UConn before we start complaining about not getting enough respect for beating UConn...

[muwarrior69]

I agree let's beat Uconn before we start complaining we don't get respect. It's all demographics. If MU had 10 million alumni buying Budweiser and Viagra like the large state schools we would be talked about 24/7.

[CTWarrior]

What, exactly, have we accomplished that the say, the 20th best team in the country wouldn't have accomplished?

Go 2-2 in our decent non-conference games (N-Dayton, at Tennessee (not really neutral), at NC State and home vs. Wisconsin) - I think the 20th best team would expect to go at least 2-2 in those games

Split a home and home against Nova, with the victory closer than the loss - though not always, that would be most likely outcome for the 20th best team in the country
Sweep Georgetown - not always, but again the most likely result for the 20th best team
Sweep DePaul - definitely
Beat West Virginia at home - yes
Take 3 out of 4 in road games against ND, Providence, USF and Rutgers - I think a 3-1 record in those games would be expected of the 20th best team in the country, though most would expect to split the ND/Providence pair and sweep the other two
Win home games against St. John's, Seton Hall, Cincinnati - yes

If you look at us objectively and not like the big MU fans that we are, you can see why we are viewed the way we are by some people.  We will earn respect by splitting the next four games.  I think the 20th best team in the country would expect to go 1-3 over our last 4.