A Rational Assessment

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

So let's think about what happened tonight rationally for a moment:

1) We lost our starting point guard 4 minutes in.
2) We shot 42% from the field.
3) We were outrebounded by 20.
4) We basically played a lineup of 6'6" guys or smaller for half the game against a team with frontcourt heights of 6'7", 6'9", 6'11", and 7'3".

Yet we were in this game until about a minute left against the soon-to-be #1 team in the country.

Do we have issues we need to figure out?  Absolutely.  We need to figure out the point guard situation and squeeze a little more depth out of our bench.  But we still have THREE 1000 point scorers to work with, 2 of whom will be NBA draft picks in June. 

Yeah, it's unlikely we go 3-0 over the next 3 games.  But if we take 1 of them and win 1 game in NYC, is that really any different than most of us expected overall on this season?  That'd put us at 25-8 heading into the NCAA Tournament, and probably with a 5 or 6 seed.  And hopefully by then we'll have adjusted as far as we possibly can to being without James. 

It's not like we're trotting Marcus Jackson out at point guard down the stretch here.  It's going to take some work, but I think for us to throw the towel in completely on this team right now is a mistake.   

[SCdem@MU]

Exactly what I've been saying.

But apparently running around screaming that the sky is falling is in fashion these days no matter what the issue is.

[77ncaachamps]

SC and the Gen., agreed.

MU still has a lot of game in them.

Just need to bear down, play to their strengths, and hope it goes their way.

But it's heart-breaking to not see DJ out there with his classmates, Jerel and Wes, and finish what they started...TOGETHER.

[MarquetteVol]

But it's heart-breaking to not see DJ out there with his classmates, Jerel and Wes, and finish what they started...TOGETHER.

I can't agree more. It just won't be the same without DJ. We'll survive and I am optimistic we will win some big games yet. But, none of it will feel right without DJ being a part of it.

The sky isn't falling but this breaks my heart. Not for me, but for DJ and his teammates. These guys have given everything they have to MU for four years. They deserve better. As Buzz says, though, our character will be revealed. If this isn't a test of character then I don't know what is.

[LON]

I blame this on the economy.

[NavinRJohnson]

I am hopeful, but not optimistic. The positive is that they have some time to prepare for life without DJ for the upcoming games that they simply did not have within the game last night. Hopefully, that will help, but I'm not sure how anyone can look at Price's 36 points, and the rebounding nightmare from last night (an area where James will be severely missed that I think people aren't yet fully appreciating), and say we're going to do anything the rest of the way.

We may win a couple games, but the real disappointment comes from where we were at 6:00 last night to were we were at 6:15...I believe we lost about three seeding positions (which assumes a win last night), and went from a Sweet 16, maybe more, to a one win, maybe one and done team. The lack of size and depth we have been able to cover for the most part became that much more pronounced.

I have been arguing James' importance to this team for four years now, and I would be happy to be wrong. I will be very surprised if I am though. I will hope for the best while expecting the worst.

[GO_MU02]

I blame this on the economy.

I blame Tom Crean.

[jos7287]

I blame Canada

I am going to wear DJ's jersey the rest of the season though.  .

[TJ]

We need to take one of the road games and beat Syracuse.  No reason we can't do that.

Also, I would be extremely disappointed by a 5 or 6 seed.  This team deserves at least a 4 seed, if not a 3.  That assumes that we don't go 0-5 to finish the season of course, but I don't think that will happen.

[jaybilaswho?]

I blame this on the economy.

I blamed Fr. Kelly

[MDMU04]

You have to consider that the NCAA selection committee seeds teams based on their expected success and ability to win games in the NCAA tournament.

2 years ago when Jerel hurt his thumb and ended his season, the team got shafted and wound up with a #8 seed.  That team finished 10-6 in the Big East and won a Big East tournament game.

This team is not deep enough to overcome the loss of DJ and make a tournament run, and the seed that they are given in the NCAA tournament this season will reflect that fact.

It's a really sobering thought.  This team has done everything asked of them this season, and they deserve a #3 seed.  But they won't get it without their starting PG.  I would be shocked if the selection committee gives them anything better than a #6.

[3Mer]

You have to consider that the NCAA selection committee seeds teams based on their expected success and ability to win games in the NCAA tournament.

2 years ago when Jerel hurt his thumb and ended his season, the team got shafted and wound up with a #8 seed.  That team finished 10-6 in the Big East and won a Big East tournament game.

This team is not deep enough to overcome the loss of DJ and make a tournament run, and the seed that they are given in the NCAA tournament this season will reflect that fact.

It's a really sobering thought.  This team has done everything asked of them this season, and they deserve a #3 seed.  But they won't get it without their starting PG.  I would be shocked if the selection committee gives them anything better than a #6.

eeeh ... +1

[79Warrior]

I can't agree more. It just won't be the same without DJ. We'll survive and I am optimistic we will win some big games yet. But, none of it will feel right without DJ being a part of it.

The sky isn't falling but this breaks my heart. Not for me, but for DJ and his teammates. These guys have given everything they have to MU for four years. They deserve better. As Buzz says, though, our character will be revealed. If this isn't a test of character then I don't know what is.

Marquette is not deep enough to lose their starting point guard. You can rationalize all you want, but this team w/o James will not win @UL or @Pitt.

[The Man in Gold]

I blame the curse of George Thompson.  It has been foretold that no PG shall pass him on the all-time scoring list.

Consider that our last PG breaks his hand on a tackling dummy just short of passing Brute Force.  Now our current PG breaks a foot in a freak non-contact play.  *knocks on wood the Jerel does not play any point this season.

[RawdogDX]

We are now starting a 5'7 pg who can't drive, shoot or defend.  We have a team where no one over 6'6 contributes and our starting line up just lost 4 inches.  We went from a team wiht a shot at a final four to a team that i'd be amazed if we get out of the sweet 16.  We don't suck but we are not a top 10, 15 or 20 team without james.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

You have to consider that the NCAA selection committee seeds teams based on their expected success and ability to win games in the NCAA tournament.

2 years ago when Jerel hurt his thumb and ended his season, the team got shafted and wound up with a #8 seed.  That team finished 10-6 in the Big East and won a Big East tournament game.

This team is not deep enough to overcome the loss of DJ and make a tournament run, and the seed that they are given in the NCAA tournament this season will reflect that fact.

It's a really sobering thought.  This team has done everything asked of them this season, and they deserve a #3 seed.  But they won't get it without their starting PG.  I would be shocked if the selection committee gives them anything better than a #6.

Was it that bad? I thought we were a #7 seed? An 8? We got shafted more than I remember.

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

Burn the gold jerseys. They're cursed.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Was it that bad? I thought we were a #7 seed? An 8? We got shafted more than I remember.

It was a 7 the year McNeal got hurt, and an 8 last year.

On that note, we have awful luck with the selection committee's seeding. Hopefully they don't hose us too much this year.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

It was a 7 the year McNeal got hurt, and an 8 last year.

On that note, we have awful luck with the selection committee's seeding. Hopefully they don't hose us too much this year.

Thought it was a #5 last year ...

[TJ]

We don't have to get shafted.  The best way to prevent it is to win some games in the next 2 weeks and show that this team can still compete at a very high level.  It's not going to be easy, but it's not impossible either.  Mo Acker needs to step up (hitting two shots was a good start) and the rest of the team needs to rise to the challenge with him.  Go into Louisville and show everyone that this team is still capable of amazing things.

[MDMU04]

It was a 7 the year McNeal got hurt, and an 8 last year.

On that note, we have awful luck with the selection committee's seeding. Hopefully they don't hose us too much this year.

The year Jerel McNeal got hurt was 2006-07.
http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/men_s_basketball/2006

In 2006-07, we were seeded #8 in the East Region and played #9 Michigan State in the 1st round.  It was ugly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament:_Qualifying_Teams

We were a #6 seed in last year's NCAA tournament.  We played #11 Kentucky in the 1st round and lost to #3 Stanford in the 2nd round.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament:_Qualifying_Teams

[Warrior4Ever]

I blame it on Dick Vitale for talking about Duke during a Marquette-Uconn game.

[CTWarrior]

The positive is that they have some time to prepare for life without DJ for the upcoming games that they simply did not have within the game last night.

That works both ways.  UConn didn't prepare to play against us without James.  Future teams will pressure us more the length of the court, look to post up their guards, stuff they couldn't get away with against James.  Last night was probably a bad example, since there was no need to take advantage of an Austrie/Acker matchup low since 6-5 Hayward was guarding 7-3 Thabeet.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

The year Jerel McNeal got hurt was 2006-07.
http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/men_s_basketball/2006

In 2006-07, we were seeded #8 in the East Region and played #9 Michigan State in the 1st round.  It was ugly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament:_Qualifying_Teams


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament:_Qualifying_Teams

Whoops. I messed that one up. We were a 7 during James' freshman year when we played Alabama