Depaul Stands Alone In First Place In The BE At 3-0

[Tugg Speedman]

Their first 3-0 start ever in the BE (old or new).

Now I know why it's -10 outside ... hell has frozen over!

[RubyWiscy]

I don't know wether to laugh or cry.  It just makes no sense. Something is very wrong with the world right now.

[Dawson Rental]

I called it just after Christmas.  Yeah, I did.  Well, not here, but I told my wife.  She was watching Oprah Winfrey Network at the time, so maybe she didn't hear it very well, but I said it.  It might have seemed like I was kidding, but no, I really meant it.

[Texas Western]

Good news for DePaul and the Big East. Hopefully they have a nice year and get that new arena built. In the long run it helps us. Marquette DePaul rivalry was a very good one back in the day.

[Galway Eagle]

Good news for DePaul and the Big East. Hopefully they have a nice year and get that new arena built. In the long run it helps us. Marquette DePaul rivalry was a very good one back in the day.

was it? My perception is that there've only been a handful of years where both teams were actually really good.  I would love for them to be good as that means we get a Notre Dame level rivalry (hopefully) again in conference but was the Depaul rivalry ever as competitive?

[Dawson Rental]

was it? My perception is that there've only been a handful of years where both teams were actually really good.  I would love for them to be good as that means we get a Notre Dame level rivalry (hopefully) again in conference but was the Depaul rivalry ever as competitive?

Just as competitive, maybe a smidgen more so.  The big difference is in terms of duration.  The DePaul thing was a bright flash that burned out quickly.  The ND rivalry is eons longer.  The other big difference is that Al and the Meyers truly liked each other.  Digger was a dick and Al did not like him.  MU fans took the hint, and poured the abuse on.  ND also always seemed to have a hatchet man, Laimbeer was the best example...

[Coleman]

was it? My perception is that there've only been a handful of years where both teams were actually really good.  I would love for them to be good as that means we get a Notre Dame level rivalry (hopefully) again in conference but was the Depaul rivalry ever as competitive?

Depaul's glory days were post-Al but there were years when MU and DePaul both fielded good teams in the late 1970s

[Galway Eagle]

Depaul's glory days were post-Al but there were years when MU and DePaul both fielded good teams in the late 1970s

Ya those were the handful of years I was referring to. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Shoulda still won that game. Have it away at the end.

Give this thing with DePaul a few weeks. They'll be back in the basement

[#UnleashSean]

Shoulda still won that game. Have it away at the end.

Give this thing with DePaul a few weeks. They'll be back in the basement

I hope not. At this rate Marquette would only have 1 bad loss on record.

[bamamarquettefan]

Agreed - thought overcoming two losses.outside the top 200/was hard to overcome. I was thrilled that Creighton upset Oklahoma, but had them outside the top 100 to start the year and do believe they likely finish last in the beast. Iin other words, we canNOT lose to them.

[Dr. Blackheart]

"It takes a ...point guard"...

[GooooMarquette]

Depaul's glory days were post-Al but there were years when MU and DePaul both fielded good teams in the late 1970s

Correct.  Maybe about five years where both teams went to the NCAAs.  For the other hundred years or so, one team was typically much better than the other.

The data don't support the theory that a good DePaul helps MU.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

And St. John's at 0-3?

[MU82]

"It takes a ...point guard"...

Yep, Garrett has become a very nice player.

[Lennys Tap]

Good news for DePaul and the Big East. Hopefully they have a nice year and get that new arena built. In the long run it helps us. Marquette DePaul rivalry was a very good one back in the day.

Maybe it's because we both recruit Chicago, maybe it's just a coincidence, but Marquette and DePaul are rarely good at the same time. Our post Al demise coincided with their revival. Their most recent dive to the bottom has occurred during our 2nd most successful stretch in program history. There is no evidence that DePaul being relevant helps us.

[brewcity77]

And St. John's at 0-3?

That's such a Steve Lavin thing to do. Get everyone's hopes up with a solid non-con, then drop a Cleveland Steamer on their chest as soon as the excitement builds.

[JoeSmith1721]

I actually think this will end up hurting DePaul in the long run. Barring something miraculous, they aren't going to make the tournament this year and finishing somewhere in the middle of the Big East will probably give Purnell a few more years of safety as the HC. I'm pretty sure we can all agree he isn't going to help "save" the program and they need to move on and look for someone new.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

That's such a Steve Lavin thing to do. Get everyone's hopes up with a solid non-con, then drop a Cleveland Steamer on their chest as soon as the excitement builds.

His recruiting has saved him the past. This year's class was weak and next year's class is looking like a swing and a miss....this is not a sustainable career plan

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I actually think this will end up hurting DePaul in the long run. Barring something miraculous, they aren't going to make the tournament this year and finishing somewhere in the middle of the Big East will probably give Purnell a few more years of safety as the HC. I'm pretty sure we can all agree he isn't going to help "save" the program and they need to move on and look for someone new.

You know your program sucks when a middle of the Big East finish saves the coach's job for at least another year.

[brewcity77]

His recruiting has saved him the past. This year's class was weak and next year's class is looking like a swing and a miss....this is not a sustainable career plan

I wonder, if St. John's flames out and misses the tourney this year, do they can Lavin? I know he had the health issues, but has had 5 years and his best results mostly came with someone else's recruits, despite him recruiting well early on, they haven't had the same results on or off the court the past few years. I have to think someone like Dan Hurley could kill it at that job.

[Tugg Speedman]

Maybe it's because we both recruit Chicago, maybe it's just a coincidence, but Marquette and DePaul are rarely good at the same time. Our post Al demise coincided with their revival. Their most recent dive to the bottom has occurred during our 2nd most successful stretch in program history. There is no evidence that DePaul being relevant helps us.

If we can go back in a time machine to 1978 and make Mark Aguirre chose MU over DePaul.  How much would the world have changed?

[Texas Western]

Maybe it's because we both recruit Chicago, maybe it's just a coincidence, but Marquette and DePaul are rarely good at the same time. OTur post Al demise coincided with their revival. Their most recent dive to the bottom has occurred during our 2nd most successful stretch in program history. There is no evidence that DePaul being relevant helps us.

I think it is true that Marquette and DePaul historically have reach the apex of their strength at different times. I think it is more a coincidence and circumstances related. In this case I think the circumstances are such that if Depaul did well it would  benefit the Big East in general and by virtue of that accrue to us in a small  way. This year the Big East is strong on a relative basis. The ten teams and double round robin format  allows for the natural development of rivalries which get more intense when every team is viable. Case in point this year, we are obviously look to exact some revenge on DePaul.

The reality is that recruiting in the Chicago market has an element of corruption, and until that changes, it is unlikely that DePaul will rise to the level of their prior success.  They are demonstrating that they are competitive and hopefully they can sustain it in the future ( except when playing us)

[Texas Western]

If we can go back in a time machine to 1978 and make Mark Aguirre chose MU over DePaul.  How much would the world have changed?

Would that have caused Terry Cummings to come to Marquette?

[Tugg Speedman]

Would that have caused Terry Cummings to come to Marquette?

That's what I'm wondering ... If Aguirre chose MU, would Terry Cummings, Teddy Grubbs, et al followed him to MU?  (how about Isiah?) Or would Aguirre have been a one-oft to MU?  If Aguirre chose MU, how different would things have been for MU and Depaul?

Side question, suppose that in the spring of 1977 Al knew about this HS junior Phenom named Mark Aguirre and he was leaning hard toward MU.  Would that have changed his thoughts on retirement?  If Al did not retire, would all of the names above came to MU?  Would a second NC within 5 years been a possibility?

This post is sounding like a new series for the SyFy channel ... the time traveling basketball recruiter!