How Big of a Rivalry is MU/ND really?

[rocky_warrior]

I do not recall the incident of which you speak. 

So you were very near the incident, but have no recollection.  Sure tower.  Lemme guess, you also hadn't yet learned that pouring beer on someone is "alcohol abuse" - even if it's d@mn funny, directed towards digger, and talked about for decades 

[T.V. Diener 34]

My room mate is as hardcore ND as they come....I actually had to watch the game somewhere else because if we would've watched it together, I'm sure we would have come to blows and that's not exaggerating by any means.  He still hasn't said a word to me yet since the game ended.  That being said, I still absolutely HATE the badgers.  If I had to choose between a W over them or a W over ND, I'd take a win over Wisconsin any day of the year.  Unless it was this year....when we swept em both!  Ring out ahoya

[AlumKCof93]

My Dad went to ND and I was a big fan of theirs growing up.  I never understood why people disliked as they represented the best of college, great school, clean program and graduated all their players.
It wasn't until I went to MU that I realized why people disliked them so much.  Some of the fans are nuts, including those that went to Marquette.  But I still don't hate them and they wouldn't make my top 10 of rivals.  I have no problem with Brey or the rest of their players outside of Harangody, who I genuinely dislike.  I'd rather beat these teams due to either their slimy coaches or dirty players.

1) Louisville (Hate Pitino)
2) Pitt (Hate Fields and Len Elmore)
3) Syracuse (Boeheim and Devendorf)
4) Cincinnati (Huggins residue)
5) UConn (Calhoun needs some anger mgmnt courses)
6) Seton Hall (Gonzalez is a dirt bag)

Favorite other Big East school;
1) Villanova (like Wright and his players.  Good solid program)

[MUinCO]

I disliked ND just like any MU alum in good standing, but it wasn't until their football team was here at the Air Force Academy that I truly learned to despise their fans. 

Especially the ones that obviously didn't go there.  Jerks in green and gold capes, face paint, disparaging and rubbing the final score to some of the most cordial fans in sport.  Military retirees, veterans, and active duty just shook their heads and didn't say a word back to those jacka$$es. 

ND fans may have tried to pin the classless label on our guys visiting their arena last night, but we all know the truth.  I know I do.

[deerchaser]

MUinCO, I don't understand the classless comments.  The one thing I saw that may have ticked some people off was the jump and fall to the ground that the Amigos pulled off on the way off the court.  Even then the arena was clearing out fairly quickly so it didn't seem like that big of deal as there were very few people even looking at the court (I barely caught it).  The one that really gets me is the call that "We Are Marquette" was classless.  This is a cheer that simply shows pride in our team.  There is no disparagement to anyone else and is simply a pride thing.  To call that classless indicates that an opposing fan is expected to sit on their hands and watch the game silently.  I dunno but that kind of defeats the purpose of being a fan.

[MR.HAYWARD]

I would agree that Digger is a huge Pompous ass.  I remeber in the 70' he used to wear a full length fur coat.  I also was at a golf course once and saw him buying golf balls in the pro shop.  He walks up to the counter, I am like 15 feet away looking at a shirt or something and he says.  "I need to get some golf balls"  The young girl probbaly 17-20 working a summer job say "Ok' what kind do you want?"  And i do not know if he did it bacuse his dog just died or his insecurity gave him the need to intimidate the girl, but he pounds the counter (and in his best think psyco bobby knight)  just goes beserk..."I ONLY PLAY THE BEST"   the girl like completely shaken and afraid  and trying to smile, says "ok what are those" or something like that.  he pounds the counter agaisn and screams it even louder.  At that time the head pro who was ont he other side of the shop and obviously had not seen him come in runs over there puts his hand on her shoulder guides her away and says "iwill take care of it"  he reches under the counter and pulls out a dozen Pro v1's.  Digger goes into nice guy mode and the Pro is effusive in his apologies.  digger turns around and walks by me on his way out,  I wish i had stopped him and let him know what he was.

with that said he was one hell of a coach had ND really rolling for a while depsite their lack of NCAA success, his teams did beaoce much less strong as time went by I think he lost some of his fire and became more concerned with digger than his ball club.

[CTWarrior]

I was student '79-'83 and despised them Doc Rivers from half court to win it on the saturday before the start of the second semester - freakin' awesome.  Great rivalry throughout the 70's as well.

I was a student exact same four years.  We had great success against ND, as we beat them our freshman through junior years (including Doc's three point bomb), but we blew a lead late at home our senior year which kept us from the four year sweep.

I always thought ND, DePaul, Dayton and Louisville were our biggest rivals and were the games I most looked forward to since they were the best teams we played year in and year out while I was there.  I'm not from Wisconsin so the UW game didn't mean much to me back then.

[AZWarrior]

Its a good day whenever Notre Dame gets beat.

Its a great day when its Marquette doing the beating!

BTW - My favorite MU tee shirt: "Notre Who?"

[tower912]

Beer was cheap back then and it is possible that someone near me found a better use than consumption for their barley pop.   

[romey]

I was a student exact same four years.  We had great success against ND, as we beat them our freshman through junior years (including Doc's three point bomb), but we blew a lead late at home our senior year which kept us from the four year sweep.

I always thought ND, DePaul, Dayton and Louisville were our biggest rivals and were the games I most looked forward to since they were the best teams we played year in and year out while I was there.  I'm not from Wisconsin so the UW game didn't mean much to me back then.

Clarification - no 3 point shot in college until - what was it '86?

[war1980rior]

I'd look it up before believing me, but I seem to recall the three pointer came in the season NC State (Sidney Lowe, etc...) won the Championship.  '83 or '84?

[CTWarrior]

Clarification - no 3 point shot in college until - what was it '86?

Of course you're right.  Rivers hit a 30-35 footer at the buzzer to beat ND my sophomore year, which would have been January 1981, but it was only a two-pointer.

[77fan88warrior]

Clarification - no 3 point shot in college until - what was it '86?

I believe the 85-86 season was the first season for the three. I believe this because Pop Sims was the same age as myself and he was excited about the 3 pointer before his Soph season. This  was in spite of the fact that he wasn't a very good outside shooter his freshman year.

[romey]

The reason I think it was around 86 was that indiana won the NCAA championship then I think and Keith Smart was on fire beyond the three.  Someone has to know how to check this????

[bma725]

The reason I think it was around 86 was that indiana won the NCAA championship then I think and Keith Smart was on fire beyond the three.  Someone has to know how to check this????

The three pointer came in to college ball in 1980, when the Southern Conference decided to adopt the NBA line as a three point line.   From 1980 - 1986, it was up the individual conferences(or independent teams) to decide if they wanted the three pointer or not.  Back then, conferences had a lot more freedom so you would see things like the 17 foot three point line in the ACC in 1983, and some conferences having shot clocks while others did not.

The first season with an NCAA official line was the 1986-87, the year Indiana won the title.  Having said that, it was not Smart that was on fire from three.  He only attempted 1 3 pointer, and he missed it.  Steve Alford was 7 for 10 from beyond the arc, no one else on IU attempted a three pointer.

http://www.suathletics.com/Sports/basketball/mbasket/2006/indimb87.asp

[tower912]

David Rivers' buzzer beater was from the left wing in January 85.   My dad brought me back to school and I had got a ticket for him in the student section as a birthday present.    Sharing a beer with your dad while watching an exciting game in person is one of the great joys in life.   Crappy ending.

[Sir Lawrence]

David Rivers' buzzer beater was from the left wing in January 85.   My dad brought me back to school and I had got a ticket for him in the student section as a birthday present.    Sharing a beer with your dad while watching an exciting game in person is one of the great joys in life.   Crappy ending.

Doc Rivers:  January 10, 1981 buzzer beater to beat ND

David Rivers:  January 12, 1985 buzzer beater to beat MU