Oso planning to go pro
You left out a minor note that we were playing in C-USA and the GMC with Deane. Our losses were to teams like TCU, East Carolina, SLU, etc. Not UConn, Pitt, ND, etc. Deane also was about 20 years Buzz's elder and set in his way. Buzz has done a great job overall given everything, but has plenty of room to grow as a coach. He seems to be intelligent and does a bit of self-reflection, so I imagine he will improve quite a bit... he's only been here for 2.5 years.
And I do think there is a chance of that happening due to this year's freshman class being full of "misses." It's hard for a coach to be successful when an entire freshman class has performed below expectations. And just as MU took a big hit with the loss of Lazar this season, next year another top player leaves with Butler. If people couldn't figure out who was "the guy, the leader" this season, who is it next year? DJO by default?
Don't know about "melting down by MU nation", but I do know that our favorite team has had some melt downs recently. Louisville, ND, UConn.The posters on this board are passionate and want the team to win. "Bashing 19 year old kids"? Not sure what you mean by that. If people see a student athlete not playing well and critique it, is that "bashing"? If the Coach does not seem to be getting the job done up to the fan expectations and is criticized for some of his decisions, does that mean his popularity is at an all time low? Remember, that Coach is in one of the premier conferences and is getting paid huge dollars, so being critical of losses by the fan base goes with the territory.
Could you please explain these meltdowns you speak of? Louisville sucked, yes. It truly was a perfect storm though. That's a once in a blue moon finish. @ ND? So losing a lead on the road is unacceptable? With 20 minutes to play? So you bash getting outscored 14 in the 2nd half, but show no appreciation for being up 9 after the first 20? So he's a great coach for half the game, and a moron the other? And maybe he's not living up to SOME fans expectations because THOSE fans expectations are unrealistic. This team was projected bottom half of the league this year. They were last year, and look how they did. It was a pretty special year, definitely overachieved. Have you forgotten already? It's pretty unrealistic to expect the team to overachieve EVERY year.Get a f*cking grip. Have some perspective.
To answer your question as to who is the best of the next year's sophomores. The answer is Jamil Wilson. Further, we will probably start two sophomores next year, Vander and Wilson.
no melting here. actually got a few more inches of snow.
Finally, I disagree with the bolded. In fact, that's pretty much what MU has done in the Big East: overachieve. I believe in only one season did they finish worse than projected and that was when they finished 5th after being predicted to finish 4th. So, its not unrealistic in the slightest.
i have a grip and perspective. You tyry the same. MU has not leld leads in the 2nd half against Louisville, ND, and UConn. Three of the last 4 games played. Buzz is getting paid big dollars and we are starting to fade big time. I do not expect them to overachieve. I expect them to compete for BEast titles, get into the dance and ocassionally advance deep. None of that is happening. You get some perspective!
Quit being a crybaby. They lost some games. Welcome to the Big East. The bolded/underlined part makes absolutely no sense. You don't expect them to overachieve? Yet this team which was picked bottom half of the league (and if you look at it objectively....what a concept....is accurate given the huge number of new guys) you expect to not have a down year and still expect them to compete for the title this year? That's just silly. Unrealistic expectations. What coach could deliver on those expectations this year?My whole point is each team goes through cycles, peaks and valleys. Hell 'ole Roy had Carolina in the NIT last year. Every year there are traditionally strong programs in the NIT, IT HAPPENS. I mean....THINK!!!!! Your sense of entitlement is sickening.
I think that the "meltdowns" are a result of unrealistic expectations, and maybe those expectations are there because of last year's over-performing team. Because last year's team over-performed to such a great extent, some of us just assumed that this year's team would do the same. This year's team just isn't good enough, imho, and, doesn't have the "magic" of last year's team to exceed expectations.
With regard to significant D-1 playing time:DJO is a sophomoreCrowder is a froshOtule is a froshButler is a juniorCaddy is a froshBuycks is a sophomoreFulce is a sophomoreThen you have our traditional frosh and sophsIn essence, while we are graduating two players at the end of the year, we have no seniors on this team in the mold of the 3 Amigos and Hayward (that is not a knock on Butler or Fulce or any of the leaders on this team)Unfortunately, we won't get a full four years out of these guys. That is what happens when you have to rebuild your team when left with an empty bench and use JUCOs as filler to get you by until your main recruiting classes kick in. Most basketball teams take several steps back after a coaching change, the fact that we are a upper-middle-of-the-pack BE team during this period is a very good thing that we must not lose sight of.I think most of us realists are seeing this season turn out as expected. Lots of season left to play with lots of very winnable games. Next year is when the fun really begins because MU is in an overall talent upswing, albeit talent that requires seasoning. Get in any tournament and this team can potentially have a good ride.Also, the 3 Amigos were once young, inexperience players too. However, they had the benefit of having a senior on the team who was a pivotal part of a Final Four team.
I'll further that by saying that it is realistic if the "experts" continue to underestimate us year in and year out. There was no reason to predict MU as low as they were predicted last year, and this year was just as bad a prediction (even if our record doesn't show it yet). MU just needs to keep being consistent and let the "experts" underestimate us and tell the world that we "overachieve".
Sorry--I did not do the uinderscore. By the way Pal, when you cannot argue facts, start the namecalling whichnd buy your gobbledegook. Sorry. Now I will move on.
Really?You think losing four seniors (three of whom were 4-year starters no less) who accounted for 64% of the teams scoring the year before isn't a reason to predict a drastic drop off in performance?
I thought I adequately explained it above but let me repeat for you:1. We had returning player in Hayward who was equally as good (if not better) than Matthews was as a junior--and with similar development could be counted on to approximate Matthew's performance.2. We had a reserve in Butler who had demonstrated that he was among the best offensive players in NCAA--statistically speaking possibly better than McNeal. If he merely extended his stats when receiving the additional minutes made available by the departing seniors would approximate McNeal's performance.3. We had a returning PG in Acker who had demonstrated a high degree of proficiency (2.5 assist to turnover ratio and 38% 3FG%) against eight teams--5 of which were arguably as tough or tougher than any competition we were likely to face the following year.4. We had two first team JUCO AAs coming in in DJO and Buycks, who based on the typical performance of other first team JUCO AAs moving up to D1 level, should have been counted on to provide strong minutes, scoring and team contributions.Was I wrong on any of these assumptions? No.Were any of them unreasonable? I don't think so, but you'll have to tell me why you think so. Which ones were unreasonable? To address your point on what we lost--well, if we had lost 64% of our scoring, but had nobody on the bench set to move up, and no good recruits coming on board, perhaps you would have had a point. But as I saw it, we had a very strong core of returning players enhanced by a very strong recruiting class of replacements coming in.If you believe that any of my four assumptions were off base, I think its high time for you to explain why. Stop telling me who left the team. Tell me why you thought the players we had weren't capable of getting the job done. Tell me why you thought Hayward couldn't step up. Tell me why you thought Butler's offensive performacne would regress. Tell me why you didn't think Acker would continue to play well. I really want to know whether you really thought our returning and incoming players would regress and/or be busts, or whether you honestly didn't take a close look at them.Yes, I know exactly what we lost. The question is whether you knew what we had returning and what we had coming on board.
Do you also post under the name TJ? I wasn't talking to you,
t if you HONESTLY believe the above gibberish then by all means, please keep looking at your statistics and ignore real life where things like experience and leadership actually mean something.