I guarantee we make it to the 2nd week of the tournamnent. With the way we played in the overall year not just the last 2 weeks we should get no lower than a 6 seed. 6 plays an 11 which means we should win that pretty easily. Then we would play the 3 seed which is what we would have been having james still playing and the 3 seeds look like favorable match ups only because every team with a big guy this year will be getting 1 seeds. I.E. North Carolina, Uconn, Pitt, Oklahoma (depending on how they finish). I dont see us losing the first weekend and maybe we can get a elite 8 game, barring a upset of the 2 seed. What do you guys think. Even though we have lost 3 in a row, there is still HEART on this team and we should not give up if they dont give up
Your optimism is great, but watching this team play in the half court set offensively the last two games has been nothing short of excruciating. I love MU hoops as much as anyone, but if this team wins one game it will be a major accomplishment.
Quote from: bradforster on March 05, 2009, 02:32:44 PM
Your optimism is great, but watching this team play in the half court set offensively the last two games has been nothing short of excruciating. I love MU hoops as much as anyone, but if this team wins one game it will be a major accomplishment.
Are you kidding me? Yeah its a losing streak and it sucks, but this team has battled against three top ranked teams. Two likely number one seeds and one number two seed. Three TOP EIGHT teams in the country! Their first round game will likely be against a fringe top 25 team, who I think they will take care of. The 2nd round game will be no gimme but it will be against a lower level opponent than MU has seen in the last three games.
Exactly Eagle thats what i'm trying to say. There is absolutely no reason why this team cannot make the sweet 16. We could have also lost the 3 games with james.
I tend to agree with you but I want to hold off my opinion until I see how this team performs against Syracuse. We definitely won't see a team in the first two games of the the tourney like we have the last three games; so I want to wait and see how the "DJ-Less" squad performs against that next tier of teams (i.e. Syracuse and our first and/or second round opponents in the BE tourney).
Quote from: MUEagle1090 on March 05, 2009, 02:52:37 PM
The 2nd round game will be no gimme but it will be against a lower level opponent than MU has seen in the last three games.
Unless of course they get bumped down a line to a 7 seed...in which case, the teams they have seen the last three games (at least a couple of them) may well be exactly who they play. There is only 4 No. 1 seeds to go around. Entirely possible only 1 BE team will get one.
It's great that MU will play a lower level team, but guess what? Marquette is now a mid tier to lower level team. An opening round loss is certainly not out of the question.
MU2323--I guess you didn't see our game with 11 seed KY last year. Game not descided untill the last min when WES made all the foul shots
Very true Navin. Let's hope they pull off this one and then possibly a game in the BET. I think MU would be looking at a five seed in that case and I think sweet sixteen would be very realistic.
Another point I want to make, Even if they face a 2 seed in the second round, they have already proven that they can be competative against these teams when playing in hostile environments. I would expect no less when facing the same caliber, or a little lesser caliber team on a neutral court
Yes, this team might very well get to the Sweet 16 if the match ups are right, but how can you "guarantee" anything?
Quote from: The Wizard of West Salem on March 05, 2009, 03:38:40 PM
Yes, this team might very well get to the Sweet 16 if the match ups are right, but how can you "guarantee" anything?
A Sweet Sixteen "guarantee" means about as much as saying one win would be a "major accomplishment."
Hopefully we draw a Big Ten team, then we could feel confident.
Wow i wish i could sign up for a guaranteed Sweet 16 run right now. ;D I'm hoping the OP is right about this one!
For a team that plays 6 guys, and has absolutely no interior presence, it would be a major accomplishment to win a game. Marquette has how many NCAA wins on its resume since the final four run? ONE! And that was a struggle against a team that probably didn't deserve to be in the field.
love the optimism, but if we get a 5, 6, 7 seed or wherever I guarantee that a lot of basketball analysts and even Vegas puts us as the underdog and we'll be first round upset prediction.
You know what you guys are all probably right, what was i thinking.... First round exit
It will all come down to who we are matched up against...if they have a deep bench odds are we will not get very far.
Quote from: bradforster on March 05, 2009, 04:36:13 PM
For a team that plays 6 guys, and has absolutely no interior presence, it would be a major accomplishment to win a game. Marquette has how many NCAA wins on its resume since the final four run? ONE! And that was a struggle against a team that probably didn't deserve to be in the field.
+1
Unfortunately.
Quote from: bradforster on March 05, 2009, 04:36:13 PM
For a team that plays 6 guys, and has absolutely no interior presence, it would be a major accomplishment to win a game. Marquette has how many NCAA wins on its resume since the final four run? ONE! And that was a struggle against a team that probably didn't deserve to be in the field.
Agreed. It is natural to hope for the best, but the reality is this team is essentially done as far as the post season goes for all the reasons you stated.
I doubt we win a game, and I'm usually a huge optimist for this team. But looking at Marquette's resume, here are the wins we have against tournament-bound teams:
Over Wisconsin, at home, by 3 in December
Over Villanova, at home, by 7 in the conference opener
Over West Viriginia, at home, by 22 in a real stinker by a very up-and-down WVU team
Sure, our wins on the road at ND and Gtown are impressive, but they are not against tournament teams. I'm starting to agree with the naysayers... we really don't have a marquee win at all.
We would need a really good match-up to stand a chance at getting to the second weekend. Otherwise, we will fold to a lot of potential 3-5 seeds out there.
I think Saturday's game against Syracuse will show a bunch about how well the team might do in the tournament(s). The last 3 games, without James, against top teams in the country, just didn't show how we'll be in early rounds against lesser quality opponents. I don't expect us to get to the elite 8 (although I had hoped we would with James), but matchups could help us get to the sweet 16. I also think that these last 3 games have toughened us up, which might help us in the long run. (Then again, I fear that they've also tired us out, which might hurt in the long run.) So, the roller coaster, blast of a season continues. Let's hope for a couple more high points before it inevitably ends.
GO MU!!!
If we beat Syracuse and get a first round BET win, I think we hang on to a 5 seed. However, if we lose to Syracuse and the first round Big East tournament game and our seed takes a big hit. Hopefully, we avoid the 8-9 game. I rather have an 11th seed than be in the 8-9 game.
Looking at the possible 2 and 3 seeds right now(basing off of Lunardi) there's not many of the teams that really scare me or make me feel that Marquette would be blown away by. The 2's are MSU, Memphis, Kansas, and Louisville. MSU, Kansas, and Memphis don't really impress me much and Marquette hung with Louisville for 38 minutes. The 3's are Villanova, Wake, Duke, and Washington. Duke and Wake I think would be really tough but Washington and Villanova not so much. Don't get me wrong these are all really solid teams but on a neutral court I think Marquette can beat 6 of the 8.
38 minutes doesn't make a complete game and with no bench time we get tired,
i think Buzz's ignoring the bench will hurt us at the end of games
Its all about matchups. Lets see what the brackets are before we make any guarantees. If we don't have to face Pitt, UConn or Louisville, North Carolina or Oklahoma, I would think we would have a chance of winning.
I love this team like everyone else, but I am also a realist. How many of you would pick MU on Saturday if the game were at the Dome or on a neutral court? The only reason the Eagles have a shot on Saturday is the Senior Day emotional boost. Marquette is at a disadvantage in most categories heading into this match-up, and the half court offensive sets have been abysmal the last two and a half games. I feel like I am watching a Big Ten team now. I understand that's sacrilegious, but that's what I've seen this past week. In the heart and determination department, I give this team a 10. In the basketball IQ and talent department, it's closer to a 5 or 6. That's not going to win games in the tournament. I sure hope I am wrong, but I can only gauge my opinion on what I have seen in the last two and a half games. I understand the Louisville game was close, but the Cards were so horrific in the first half, most good teams would have had at least a 10 point lead on them at the intermission. Louisville was horrid, and still had the edge.
The guys just need a big confidence booster with a win against Syracuse. If we lose that, then we are a team that didn't win a regular season game without James. If we win, then we are a team that had to make a tough transition against three potential No. 1 seeds their first three games without James but then beat a ranked team to finish out.
The offense is ugly, but we can score points. The key will be if we draw teams we can stop. A big man that we can't stop, or even a big point guard, will really be a bad matchup.
If we play aggressive offense and can get to the charity stripe we will make a run in the tournament.
If the refs 'Let them play' then we are screwed.
At least we won't see any BE teams in the first weekend. That's a plus.
Quote from: reinko on March 06, 2009, 08:15:22 AM
At least we won't see any BE teams in the first weekend. That's a plus.
Ahh the benefits of playing in one of the biggest and best conferences in the country. We don't have to face one of our own right away.
All I can guarantee is that Cincinnati players cannot count to 16.