Buzz Is Right,...

[4everwarriors]

this team isn't very good. Having observed them for 3/4 of the season, the lack of talent is obvious. And for that, he's responsible.

[mileskishnish72]

Probably not one of our greatest teams - guess we're getting kind of spoiled, since they are in the top 20. That's probably Buzz's fault, too?

[only a warrior]

I'll take this over the Majerus/Dukiet teams I had to watch as an undergrad. 

[tower912]

This team is ranked.    A testament to hard work and coaching.   The problems haven't changed.   Lack of elite shooting, lack of great leadership.       It is a team of what are historically role players who haven't fully made the next step to being 'the guy'.    The guy is the one who can demand the ball and make the play that stems the other team's run, even in their building.    The guy doesn't pout when he doesn't get the ball but keeps working so that there is no choice BUT to give him the ball.   The guy wants to guard the opponents best scorer and stop him.   All of the players are talented, but all seem to have a hole in their game.
    This is Buzz's first team without JUCO's.    It is his deepest team and the first one with all of the positions defined.   His instinct when things have gone wrong in years past was to play small and fast.   He hasn't done that much this year.   His loyalty to his upperclassmen is a double edged sword, and an issue that may be more relevant next year.   
Ah, well, still ranked, still fighting, still probably going to make the tournament.    Just a team with flaws. 

[Avenue Commons]

I thought for sure this would be a rebuilding year. Instead, we are in the Top 20 and could make the NCAA tournament. Ill take it.

[MarquetteDano]

I thought for sure this would be a rebuilding year. Instead, we are in the Top 20 and could make the NCAA tournament. Ill take it.

Yup. We are missing one shooter and one elite point guard on this team.  For a "down" year I'll take it.

Better than having Mickey D's all over the court and not make the tourney ala UNC & UCLA recently.

[Goose]

My biggest issue with this team is the laziness in passing and at times seems like no urgency. We are not good enough to be at high level at all times. Our turnovers are often because of lazy passes or stupid decisions. I'll give Buzz credit because everytime some counts them out he finds a way to come back strong. He will need all of that the rest of the way or it could be a long month for the fella's.

[We R Final Four]

The only reason this team is ranked is the favorable schedule. If we played our 2nd half of the schedule first, we wouldn't be #18.

[CTWarrior]

My biggest issue with this team is the laziness in passing and at times seems like no urgency.

+1

Two biggest problems yesterday were turnovers (most of which were caused by lazy passes) and not controlling the defensive boards.  That's not necessarily a talent issue.  Also, we go long stretches where we settle for jump shots early in the shot clock.  We can get better.  As a matter of fact, last night hurts most because we played a hot team, ranked 15th, on the road, played poorly and still only lost by 8.  The doesn't reflect a lack of talent to me.

As for the general topic, I thought we were a bubble team going into the season and we seem to at least be safely in the field.  That is not bad for a transition year.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

There is plenty of talent on this team. The problem is the lack of leadership. We really needed Jamil to step up and be our go-to guy and he just hasn't done that. Junior isn't a vocal leader and simply isn't good enough to just lead by example. Vander doesn't seem to have the personality to lead (even though he's taken a big step forward with his game). Moving forward, the concern isn't that we won't have enough talent on the roster to win, its that we won't have the Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, Lazar Hayward, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder-type of leadership that we have enjoyed in the past.

Jamil needs to do some soul searching this off-season because you can't expect the void of leadership to be answered by the likes of Deonte Burton, Duane Wilson, or JuJuan Johnson.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I thought for sure this would be a rebuilding year. Instead, we are in the Top 20 and could make the NCAA tournament. Ill take it.

My sentiments exactly

[Stretchdeltsig]

Junior seemed to have no sense of urgency yesterday.  The whole team played slow in the second half.  What happened to Marquette's aggressive offense?

[hairy worthen]

this team isn't very good. Having observed them for 3/4 of the season, the lack of talent is obvious. And for that, he's responsible.

Buzz is responsible of course. So what are you saying? Every team goes through rebuilding years. See NC and Kentucky. As of now the team is competing for a Big East title and ranked 18. I bet you would have taken that if someone offered it in December after the FL game.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Fourth game in eight days, with two of these MU's two toughest conference road games...with this one with two days in between on one day's rest. MU actually won the second half...and played pretty good defense despite the 24-9 points off turnover lay ups...and the free throw discrepancy. 

Despite the brain cramps by the guards and coach which happen, Buzz's teams seem to bounce back and he seems to make the adjustments.  This bunch has no star players but they have experience and moxie. The pieces are there, and their toughest opponents they have at the BMO-BC.  Good place to be.

[4everwarriors]

Here I'll be more specific and then y'all can rip away:
1. Lack of team quickness, sans Blue. Everyone else is stuck in neutral.
2. Lack of shooters---guards, forwards--- it don't matter.
3. Donut defense---nothin' in the middle
4. Other than Blue and Taylor the roster is made up of mid-major talent.
5. Very weak backcourt---point guard position, I mean, really?
6. Entire team needs to grow a pair and realize the game is 40 minutes long.

[KenoshaWarrior]

Holy Crap.  We lose a game on the road by 8 to the 15th ranked team in the country and all the sudden "We arent very Good"  "We suck" "NIT"

this is ridiculous!!

[Warriors10]

Lost to a top 15 team, in our conference, on the road...

[MUfan12]

Here I'll be more specific and then y'all can rip away:
1. Lack of team quickness, sans Blue. Everyone else is stuck in neutral.
2. Lack of shooters---guards, forwards--- it don't matter.
3. Donut defense---nothin' in the middle
4. Other than Blue and Taylor the roster is made up of mid-major talent.
5. Very weak backcourt---point guard position, I mean, really?
6. Entire team needs to grow a pair and realize the game is 40 minutes long.

I can't disagree with any of this. And to think, the returning talent is commonly given as a reason why the freshmen won't play next year.

[tower912]

Here I'll be more specific and then y'all can rip away:
1. Lack of team quickness, sans Blue. Everyone else is stuck in neutral.
2. Lack of shooters---guards, forwards--- it don't matter.
3. Donut defense---nothin' in the middle
4. Other than Blue and Taylor the roster is made up of mid-major talent.
5. Very weak backcourt---point guard position, I mean, really?
6. Entire team needs to grow a pair and realize the game is 40 minutes long.

1.   Wilson is quick, Mayo is quick, Juan is fine for his size, Otule is fine for his size.   The only ones truly below normal for quickness are Cadougan, Lockett and Gardner.
2.    Agreed.    Big problem
3.   Otule is doing fine in the middle.    The problem is more on the switches on the perimeter, leading to a collapse into the lane to stop penetration, leading to a kick-out for a wide open 3 with too long a distance to cover for a good recovery.
5.  Junior and Blue had bad games last night.    Saturday at home, they will probably both do well.
6.    L E A D E R S H I P

[MtAiryGoldenEagle]

Holy Crap.  We lose a game on the road by 8 to the 15th ranked team in the country and all the sudden "We arent very Good"  "We suck" "NIT"

this is ridiculous!!

....business(fandom) as usual.

[tower912]

Holy Crap.  We lose a game on the road by 8 to the 15th ranked team in the country and all the sudden "We arent very Good"  "We suck" "NIT"

this is ridiculous!!

I'm not sure anyone said NIT.   These are the same criticisms after a loss.    This is clearly a team with flaws.    We see them more because we are so committed to the team.    It also has strengths, but last night MU did not play to its strengths. 

[hairy worthen]

Here I'll be more specific and then y'all can rip away:
1. Lack of team quickness, sans Blue. Everyone else is stuck in neutral.
2. Lack of shooters---guards, forwards--- it don't matter.
3. Donut defense---nothin' in the middle
4. Other than Blue and Taylor the roster is made up of mid-major talent.
5. Very weak backcourt---point guard position, I mean, really?
6. Entire team needs to grow a pair and realize the game is 40 minutes long.

Don’t you have a rotten tooth to deal with or a Mercedes to buy?  The team is ranked 18th currently second in the Big East. They must be doing something right. The remaining road games are more than winnable and their toughest remaining games are at home.

Lets see how the season plays out. It would be very difficult to argue that the program is going in the wrong direction. If a rebuilding year has us in the top 25, and near the top of the big east standings, I will take that every time.

[nyg]

Here I'll be more specific and then y'all can rip away:
1. Lack of team quickness, sans Blue. Everyone else is stuck in neutral.
2. Lack of shooters---guards, forwards--- it don't matter.
3. Donut defense---nothin' in the middle
4. Other than Blue and Taylor the roster is made up of mid-major talent.
5. Very weak backcourt---point guard position, I mean, really?
6. Entire team needs to grow a pair and realize the game is 40 minutes long.

#5 PG position.  Junior capable and has his moments, heck he leads MU in SoGs on this board.  For those of you with MU blinders on regarding Derrick Wilson as next year's point guard, just think of this.  In 11 BE games, he has six points on one for 16 shooting, his only shot made being a three pointer.  That is just brutal.

Everything else is just argumentative, the team is nationally ranked, but the PITT game is just huge. 

[Coleman]

Team with flaws? Yes. 18th best team in the country? Probably not.

NCAA team? Very very likely yes.

That is all I was hoping for at the beginning of this season. Color me impressed thus far.

[hairy worthen]

Team with flaws? Yes. 18th best team in the country? Probably not.

NCAA team? Very very likely yes.

That is all I was hoping for at the beginning of this season. Color me impressed thus far.

Agree, but they are not far off from 18th best. Have you watched college basketball this year. Lot of crap out there.