MUScoop
MUScoop => Hangin' at the Al => Topic started by: NotAnAlum on January 24, 2019, 10:55:01 AM
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This 6 game winning streak has been fun but I can’t help but be concerned that things are going to get a lot tougher from this point out.
First we have yet to play Nova or Butler. Nova looks much improved from the team that lost 4 times in the non-con. They handled Butler at Butler rather easily Tuesday night. Marquette’s 2 road wins have gone down to the last possession with the “Miracle in Omaha” being a game that MU really should have lost. And keep in mind that both wins are against teams at the bottom of the BE standings. MU’s only convincing W has been the 18 point beat down of X.
We’ll see Saturday if MU is really that much better than X or that was just a case of a young team with a new coach letting a road game get out of control. Someone mentioned that MU must learn to play with a “target on their back”. I don’t think we’ve even begun to see the pressure that will put on us. Carrying a ranking on the road is far more difficult than facing the same situation at home.
As it gets later in the season MU (and Nova) are going to be the only chances the rest of the BE teams are going to have for a signature win so I’d expect the road crowds to be extremely fired up when we play. These mental lapses, turn overs and scoring droughts that still seem to dog this team are going to result in momentum for the other team that we won’t be able to recover from.
Wojo has to find a way to keep our guys focused for 40 minutes. Ten minutes of the sloppy play we saw in the second half of last night’s game and the first half of Providence will doom this team to losses based on who we’re playing and where we’re playing for the rest of the season.
I don’t know how you get a team to make that leap but it better happen soon or the second half of the season could be not nearly as much fun as the first.
Edit: Paragraphs are your friend.
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+1
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Plenty of room for growth for sure.
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No argument. 17-3 (6-1) is great. But there is a stretch of conference road games coming up. We have to remind ourselves to not panic if the team loses a couple. Or a few.
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If you follow the advanced metrics out there, we have not played very well of late, especially on the offensive side of the ball. D has been solid to very good at times.
Playing on the road and vs good teams may finally expose some of our weaknesses unless things get turned around. I am a bit nervous that there might be an awakening coming soon, and it could be in Indy next Thursday.
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Paragraphs are your friend.
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Seems a bit peculiar to complain that our 17-3 record and no. 12 ranking haven't included enough blow outs. As many have pointed out the schedule gets tougher, but we have more time to prepare for games. Our defense has been very consistent, and that always puts in a position to win with the offensive potential we have. Rather than worry about where and when our next loss will happen, enjoy the longest conference winning streak in 7 years.
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Brother Not, are you serious?
This team has grown as the season went on. After a humiliating loss at Indiana, I see a snapback group that took on Loserville, K-State and The Red Rodent and handled them all. Sure, we're in Conference now and our road wins have not been blow-outs.
So What?
We find a way to win. I don't particularly care whether we win on an absolute last second shot or we have a convincing blow-out. It doesn't matter. What matters is we won. Sure, the 30-point blow-out makes it easier on my heart but it's about winning.
I don't disagree that this team has weaknesses. Brother Goose, an astute observer of all things MU Basketball, talked about some of those weaknesses in another thread. Still, we've impressed even the most cynical of fans when the season started.
We do have a target on our back. But the dudes on our team are playing wonderfully and, Brother Not, just enjoy the ride!
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The good news is we are where we are playing like this. When we improve, we will be that much better.
But the time is now. X on Saturday will be a huge challenge and a great test. We need the A game by all.
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No argument. 17-3 (6-1) is great. But there is a stretch of conference road games coming up. We have to remind ourselves to not panic if the team loses a couple. Or a few.
or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.
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or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.
Demand excellence.
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3-1 over the next 4 has us in good shape.
2-2 is alright.
1-3 is dicey
0-4 would be a disaster.
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or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.
Signed: guru
Great OP and I totally agree. I am thankful though that we got through the easy part without stubbing our toe. That’s huge. But if we have similar lapses against better teams we’ll be down 20 instead of the 9 we were down vs a team like Georgetown. The good news is we haven’t hit our ceiling. If we do that consistently we should win most of our remaining games
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This team should handily beat Xavier on saturday. Doesn't matter if its a road game or not MU has the matchup advantage at every position. The only way we lose is if Xavier realizes there season is over with a loss.
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Plenty of room for growth for sure.
I agree wholeheartedly that the team as a lot of growth to go, hope it happens. I do not think the team has played its best game yet or close to it. They easily could
be 4-3 in the league but got 2 wins at the buzzer. Need all 5 players to show up. Anim yesterday was horrible, need something from him and the turnovers from Joey
and Markus were to much. I am sure in high school, Joey did not pass much so this has to be new to his game. I expect given a summer to work on his faults, he will
be the most improved player like Sam. Next year if they all improve a tad, addition of McEven, Top 10 team is not far off. 11 more games to go, 7-4 would be pretty
good. X is very winnable, they do not have much O, have a 3 or 4 minute good run and can win the game that quickly. X does not have the fire power to come from behind. Butler has O so that game will be the most interesting. Win those games, then you have to be impressed.
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It looks like when Howard went down Sam took that as his time to shine. He has had great games now vs Georgetown,Depaul and Providence.
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Tough 4 game stretch for sure. 5 days off before St Johns at home will be nice
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Aside from Nova the team I'm most concerned about is Providence. If their high scoring freshman can pick up where he left off watch out.
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No easy games in the Big East. Not DePaul at home. Not Georgetown on the road. Might not be many great teams, but there aren't any awful teams either.
The most important game of the season is the next one, so let's go out and take it to Xavier early and keep the crowd out of the game. If we don't turn the ball over and we don't let them dominate the glass we'll have won 7 straight, 3 of them on the road. Whether that comes by 20 or by 2 in overtime from a 53 point individual performance, I could not care less.
PS No we didn't blow out Georgetown on the road and Xavier is probably better than Georgetown. You conveniently forgot to mention we were playing without our best player and 6th man.
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I completely disagree, and don't understand the panic.
MU's going to get everyone's best effort, that's the sign you're a good team. Will MU get tripped up by someone other than Nova? Probably, it's conference play, it happens. Is MU going to fall off the map (barring injuries)? Not a chance.
Are you guys worried about Xavier on Saturday? I get winning on the road in the Big East isn't a picnic, but MU's a far better team than X.
After MU goes to Butler, do you realize they don't get on a plane again for 3 weeks? That's unheard of in the middle of conference play. This is the friendliest conference schedule MU has gotten in the Big East that I can remember. First 4 games in February: revenge game with the Johnnie's at home, Nova at home on a Saturday afternoon, a tricky quick turn around Tuesday night game at DePaul (that's the trip up game people should be looking at), and then a 8 day break before Butler comes to Milwaukee.
Enjoy the ride, wins like last night are MU cashing checks and building equity. Time to deposit another check Saturday afternoon.
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The upcoming game AT Butler next Wednesday is already giving me nightmares...NOTHING good ever happens to this program at Butler..I have not, and will never forget an 18 point halftime lead only to gag it away. I agree with others though, clean up the turnovers and the sky is the limit for this team.
They have beaten the teams they should have beaten without playing anywhere close to an "A" game. That's because...as I have stated many times...it comes down to talent more often then not. If you are more talented then the teams you are playing, you can get away with not playing your best game. That has been the case for MU thus far...they simple have more talent.
No the more talented team does not always win(See @ IU and @ SJU), but a vast majority of the time, talent will win out in the end, and it certainly gives you a "cushion" to not play your best and still win, like MU has.
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Brother Not, are you serious?
I am serious but I am enjoying the ride. They have made strides from the IU game. I want to believe that if we played the same IU team or the same KU team with our current experience level we'd do better. That is what I want to believe. But then I see some of the same lapses in the last 2 home games with the main difference being we're at home and the level of competition isn't strong enough to make us pay for those lapses.
Maybe that's the way this team will work. They'll find a way to win at the end whether its last place Providence at home or 3rd place SH or Butler in front of a hostile screaming crowd. I guess I'm just more wary than confident based on the last few games.
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I completely disagree, and don't understand the panic.
MU's going to get everyone's best effort, that's the sign you're a good team. Will MU get tripped up by someone other than Nova? Probably, it's conference play, it happens. Is MU going to fall off the map (barring injuries)? Not a chance.
Are you guys worried about Xavier on Saturday? I get winning on the road in the Big East isn't a picnic, but MU's a far better team than X.
Thank you Brother Dish.
+1000
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Thank you Brother Dish.
+1000
I agree. Expect more losses of course, but this team is not only extremely skilled and well-balanced, but also very resilient. Wojo & Co have shown they can win when the going gets tough.
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I am serious but I am enjoying the ride. They have made strides from the IU game. I want to believe that if we played the same IU team or the same KU team with our current experience level we'd do better. That is what I want to believe. But then I see some of the same lapses in the last 2 home games with the main difference being we're at home and the level of competition isn't strong enough to make us pay for those lapses.
Maybe that's the way this team will work. They'll find a way to win at the end whether its last place Providence at home or 3rd place SH or Butler in front of a hostile screaming crowd. I guess I'm just more wary than confident based on the last few games.
Our last three games were a 1 possession road win without our best player, and favorite for BEast POY, and a pair of double digit home wins, where we trailed for about a combined 2 second half minutes. Maybe its just because DePaul is DePaul, but I was never really worried that we would piss away the W last night. We've played down to our competition, hardly the first team to do that. I expect all 4 of the next 4 games to be close, and our record in close/crunch time speaks for itself. Enjoy the ride, we've earned it after the last few years of bubble watch.
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We do have a target on our back. But the dudes on our team are playing wonderfully and, Brother Not, just enjoy the ride!
I agree with your whole post but really liked this part.
It is good to have a target on your back. Other teams should see us as a team to beat to make their season better.
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Let say they go 4-1 in remaining home games, and 3-3 in remaining road games. There will be losses, so in that scenario, they end up 13-5 in BE play prior to BE Tournament. Probably most would except those results and consider it a successful pre-tournament record. Win an additional road game and its 14-4 and that should exceed any expectations. The team is in a position to please many fans.
The two teams worried about are Butler, with Jordan Tucker playing well and Nova, both home and away.
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Yes, from a competition standpoint the schedule gets harder (from a timeline standpoint its certainly easier) but no one on our remaining schedule is tougher than teams we played in non-conference. We've got plenty of talent and grit to go win the whole league, so sit back and enjoy it and don't let a loss here or there get ya down.
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This team has defied the odds in close games and I think the trend will continue. Other than 'Nova, there is not one team on the remaining schedule that should scare the boys. From what I have seen of the competition, they should fare very well the remainder of the season. I thought BE would be soft, but it is really soft. Barring injury I would think 7-4 would be the worst that could happen.
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I completely disagree, and don't understand the panic.
MU's going to get everyone's best effort, that's the sign you're a good team. Will MU get tripped up by someone other than Nova? Probably, it's conference play, it happens. Is MU going to fall off the map (barring injuries)? Not a chance.
Are you guys worried about Xavier on Saturday? I get winning on the road in the Big East isn't a picnic, but MU's a far better team than X.
After MU goes to Butler, do you realize they don't get on a plane again for 3 weeks? That's unheard of in the middle of conference play. This is the friendliest conference schedule MU has gotten in the Big East that I can remember. First 4 games in February: revenge game with the Johnnie's at home, Nova at home on a Saturday afternoon, a tricky quick turn around Tuesday night game at DePaul (that's the trip up game people should be looking at), and then a 8 day break before Butler comes to Milwaukee.
Enjoy the ride, wins like last night are MU cashing checks and building equity. Time to deposit another check Saturday afternoon.
Yep.
Road games are always tough, but we are definitely better than both X and Butler. And both are quite beatable on their home courts. Butler has lost home games to Dayton (lol) and GTown, while X has home losses to both Hall and PC.
We will very likely lose a couple here and there, but this team shows no signs of going on a tailspin, home or away.
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Something I've noticed is that I don't get as anxious as I used to. At the beginning of the season I always had this sense of dread that we were going to blow a lead. I think it was just the reality that if this season didn't go well, it likely meant another multi-year rebuild. Was not looking forward to it. Over the last few games, I don't get anxious anymore. Even when Providence took a lead or DePaul cut it to 4, I never felt like the game was in jeopardy. In our two blow out losses, you could tell from the opening bell that it wasn't our night. Every other game besides Kansas? Our team takes care of business during winning time.
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Something I've noticed is that I don't get as anxious as I used to. At the beginning of the season I always had this sense of dread that we were going to blow a lead. I think it was just the reality that if this season didn't go well, it likely meant another multi-year rebuild. Was not looking forward to it. Over the last few games, I don't get anxious anymore. Even when Providence took a lead or DePaul cut it to 4, I never felt like the game was in jeopardy. In our two blow out losses, you could tell from the opening bell that it wasn't our night. Every other game besides Kansas? Our team takes care of business during winning time.
Agree, and I suspect it has something to do with our two best players being juniors. Cuts down on the out of nowhere head-scratchers....
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We have a second Hauser. They know how to win games, and other players are figuring it out too.
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I am worried about the poor first half offense and epidemic of turnovers-------but:
This team has had many different guys step up when needed----a huge improvement.
This team plays pretty good defense----a huge improvement.
We may stumble for a game or two, or our sloppy play may jump up and bite us for a game, but I am much more confident in our chances in any game this year rather than having to hope for a crazy barrage of threes.
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Maybe if we get tougher with our TO rate that might wash the tougher schedule.
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Nova remains the team to beat, nothing has changed.
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I think this team is about 90% of what I thought they would be this season. On the upside, Theo has outperformed my expectations by leaps and bounds, Matt has been seat belted to the bench and Wojo is playing the guys that give MU best chance to win big minutes. On the downside, I was expecting more from Morrow/Bailey and their half court offense is worse than I expected it to be.
To me, all I care I about is winning. I do not think the record matches the talent level, but I do not care this season. I'll enjoy the ride and hope they keep winning.
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I think this team is about 90% of what I thought they would be this season. On the upside, Theo has outperformed my expectations by leaps and bounds, Matt has been seat belted to the bench and Wojo is playing the guys that give MU best chance to win big minutes. On the downside, I was expecting more from Morrow/Bailey and their half court offense is worse than I expected it to be.
To me, all I care I about is winning. I do not think the record matches the talent level, but I do not care this season. I'll enjoy the ride and hope they keep winning.
I actually think our half court offense is pretty good with the exception being some turnovers. I think where we're a lot worse than I thought we would be is in transition. I'm not a numbers nerd so I don't know if the numbers support this, but we seem to be awful in transition. When commit to slowing things down to take care of the ball and get into a half court game rather than trying to speed up and turning the ball over a lot I think the offense has been pretty good. Getting to the free throw line has been a much bigger part of the half court offense than I expected.
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Something I've noticed is that I don't get as anxious as I used to. At the beginning of the season I always had this sense of dread that we were going to blow a lead. I think it was just the reality that if this season didn't go well, it likely meant another multi-year rebuild. Was not looking forward to it. Over the last few games, I don't get anxious anymore. Even when Providence took a lead or DePaul cut it to 4, I never felt like the game was in jeopardy. In our two blow out losses, you could tell from the opening bell that it wasn't our night. Every other game besides Kansas? Our team takes care of business during winning time.
The wins in the noncon helped a ton—once we had the wins over UL, KSU, and UW in hand, my anxiety has gone way down, as we had a cushion that meant that if we dropped a game here or there it wouldn’t be the end of the world. That might be the result of lower standards based on the last few years, but it has made it easier to stomach when they are down.
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After all, Wojo has never been able to win 7 Big East games in a row...
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Marquette is 17-3, bit the record does not match the talent. 90% of your expectations . What were your expectations? How good do you think the talent is?
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OK, when do we take the mantle from Nova....where we expect to beat everybody road or home. I want that.
Nova didn't beat everybody but for the past few years, for any given BE game they were expected to win...because they were GOOD!
I want that at MU. King of the hill...dare you to knock me off.
So maybe next year? or maybe...by the end of this year?? ;D
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Marquette is 17-3, bit the record does not match the talent. 90% of your expectations . What were your expectations? How good do you think the talent is?
I for one, do not think they are playing above their talent level at all...I have been beating the drum for awhile that this team is VERY talented. To be honest(and yes losses happen), looking back at how they got their doors blown off at IU and at SJU and with the way those two teams have performed since, makes me even more angry than I was originally. I get maybe losing one of those games, but they should have never lost both. All in all, there isn't much to complain about with being 17-3 and not(yet...hopefully not this year) having one of those WTF games where MU loses to someone they have no business losing too in conference.
Cut down on the turnover's...and this teams potential is limitless.
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Something I've noticed is that I don't get as anxious as I used to. At the beginning of the season I always had this sense of dread that we were going to blow a lead.
I feel the same. Even when the last two teams came back on us following halftime, I had zero doubt we were going to win.
Never had that feeling the last 4 years.
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Tower
The record surpasses the talent pool by a wide margin. I felt, and still feel, in a normal year that this a bubble team. As for my 90%, that was not 90% of meeting expectations, it was how I feel about the talent. One guy surprised me on upside and couple on downside. I never felt PT was going to be an issue. Some thought too much talent and not enough minutes, I did not have that concern.
To sum it up again, I felt and feel, a decent, not great talent level on the squad. On the bright side, their record is all that matters. They stole some games and I love that. That said, I still am not making travel plans for second week of NCAA just yet.
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I like that it’s about to get tougher, bring it.
One thing I’ve noticed this year that seems a lot different than years past is that everytime Marquette seems to be in trouble it doesn’t feel overly concerning or insurmountable. I’ve rarely gotten very nervous that they won’t come back and win the game (obvious exceptions apply). The team just appears to have that quiet confidence- when it gets rattled it seems to find a fairly quick way to bounce back and take control again.
Maybe that’s due to lesser competition (DePaul and Providence games for example) or hopefully it’s due to the much improved defense. There have been offensive droughts, but every time a bad scoring stretch happens I look at the score and think to myself “boy we aren’t behind by as much as we should be, the other team is in trouble soon” or “the lead is shrinking but we will pull away real soon.” It happened in the second half v Providence and again late in the depaul game most recently, but feels like it’s been happening all year
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I feel the same. Even when the last two teams came back on us following halftime, I had zero doubt we were going to win.
Never had that feeling the last 4 years.
I'm not there yet. Hopefully I will be soon.
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muguru
This teams potential is limitless? I am excited with record and ranking, but also realistic. I do not think you would be saying that if they were 14-6 right now. Honestly, we are 17-3 and I love it, but probably could or should be 14-6. I'm jumping on the record bandwagon, but still keeping tabs on how the talent stacks up against the top teams in the country.
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I’m about as pleased as you can be with their record, but also think we have a lot yet to prove. Still feel like talent-wise we are closer to a 5/6 seed than a 3/4, but having eked out a few games we probably shouldn’t have, think we could still get to that upper limit.
I’m expecting us to drop a few games over the next few weeks, which is fine. We’ve eliminated most of the really damaging potential losses, so a few Ls shouldn’t hurt.
On the other hand, we’ve gone a few games without fully clicking on both ends, so I also think we are due for a couple laughers in our favor at some point.
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Goose, I thought you were saying the same thing as guru. Thank you for the clarification. I was expecting 22-24 wins, top 3 in the Big East, 5 seed. The difference between your expectations and what has happened is mental toughness. An unexpected ability to grind out wins in close games. And improved defense. Which is great. But I agree that there are still clearly weaknesses.
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If this year is the year we've crossed the threshold of being at the top of the conference rather than the middle/bubble, then the next key to becoming Nova-like is consistency. We should have high expectations with all the key players returning next year, but what happens after that? Can Wojo, showing what he's done with Markus and Sam, attract big-time shooters who are able to step up and replace them right away? I think he can, as the team wins more and gains more recognition. That will be a big key to continued success.
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Seems a bit peculiar to complain that our 17-3 record and no. 12 ranking haven't included enough blow outs. As many have pointed out the schedule gets tougher, but we have more time to prepare for games. Our defense has been very consistent, and that always puts in a position to win with the offensive potential we have. Rather than worry about where and when our next loss will happen, enjoy the longest conference winning streak in 7 years.
I remember being really optimistic going into the game against Cincy (1992-93) when we were 17-2. We lost and finished the season 20-8 with a first round losses in conference tournament and NCCA tournament (Oklahoma St). However, the biggest disappointment was beating Jacksonville to go to 22-0 and then waking up the next morning to find out Chones went pro. We finished 25-4.
I am still really optimistic about going undefeated at home this year. I want to go 2-0 on this road trip, but will be satisfied with a split. I am hoping to go at least 25-6 in regular season. However, as you can see from above 17-3 does not guarantee end of season success.
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I remember being really optimistic going into the game against Cincy (1992-93) when we were 17-2. We lost and finished the season 20-8 with a first round losses in conference tournament and NCCA tournament (Oklahoma St). However, the biggest disappointment was beating Jacksonville to go to 22-0 and then waking up the next morning to find out Chones went pro. We finished 25-4.
I am still really optimistic about going undefeated at home this year. I want to go 2-0 on this road trip, but will be satisfied with a split. I am hoping to go at least 25-6 in regular season. However, as you can see from above 17-3 does not guarantee end of season success.
While there are no guarantees in basketball, I think it's safe to say that Markus wont go pro between now and Saturday. If a great start to the season only makes you think about disappointments 20+ years ago you gotta start living more in the moment.
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Tower
The mental toughness and the shorter bench has surprised me. I did not think we had nine deep talent, but was worried he would go that deep. I expected 20-21 wins and bubble team. Again, the weakness of BE has even surprised me. I thought it would be down, but not this bad.
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I felt, and still feel, in a normal year that this a bubble team.
We've overachieved, and maybe we should be 14-6, but even if Wisconsin, Creighton, and Georgetown had been losses, we're still comfortably a tourney team.
I think your definition of "normal year" is something you could reevaluate. Between more players going pro early and 68 teams in the field, what constitutes a bubble team is dramatically different. 2-3 good non-conference wins and a .500 or better record in a top-5 league is a virtual lock.
Our resume is way ahead of anyone on the bubble, but even at 14-6 with the losses above, there's a significant difference between us and teams like Florida, Cincinnati, Temple, Arizona, and other bubble teams.
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Brew
I really hope this is not the new normal of college ball. The drop off from last year to this year is big time. I do not ever remember a year that such a small margin between 10-40 in the country.
Also, I am curious for those that were very high on this year’s squad and what they think, record aside. To me, they look almost exactly as I expected. Record wise they have blown me out of the water, overall talent, not so much.
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We've overachieved, and maybe we should be 14-6, but even if Wisconsin, Creighton, and Georgetown had been losses, we're still comfortably a tourney team.
I think your definition of "normal year" is something you could reevaluate. Between more players going pro early and 68 teams in the field, what constitutes a bubble team is dramatically different. 2-3 good non-conference wins and a .500 or better record in a top-5 league is a virtual lock.
Our resume is way ahead of anyone on the bubble, but even at 14-6 with the losses above, there's a significant difference between us and teams like Florida, Cincinnati, Temple, Arizona, and other bubble teams.
Agree. Bubbles are super soft as a rule now.
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Brew
I really hope this is not the new normal of college ball. The drop off from last year to this year is big time. I do not ever remember a year that such a small margin between 10-40 in the country.
Also, I am curious for those that were very high on this year’s squad and what they think, record aside. To me, they look almost exactly as I expected. Record wise they have blown me out of the water, overall talent, not so much.
Biggest noticeable improvement is the defense. I thought we'd improve from awful to mediocre, but we've been a legitimately good defensive team.
Offensively, they look pretty much as I expected.
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Eagle
The D is definitely better, especially against mid level talent opponents. Fortunately, until NCAA most of the opponents will fall into that camp. Would like to see them shutdown St. John’s and ‘Nova over next couple of weeks. That will be measuring stick to me.
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I for one, do not think they are playing above their talent level at all...I have been beating the drum for awhile that this team is VERY talented. To be honest(and yes losses happen), looking back at how they got their doors blown off at IU and at SJU and with the way those two teams have performed since, makes me even more angry than I was originally. I get maybe losing one of those games, but they should have never lost both. All in all, there isn't much to complain about with being 17-3 and not(yet...hopefully not this year) having one of those WTF games where MU loses to someone they have no business losing too in conference.
Cut down on the turnover's...and this teams potential is limitless.
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/0b4245009f24e22b1e7b2dd50292fdde/tenor.gif?itemid=8726786)
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Brew
I really hope this is not the new normal of college ball. The drop off from last year to this year is big time. I do not ever remember a year that such a small margin between 10-40 in the country.
Also, I am curious for those that were very high on this year’s squad and what they think, record aside. To me, they look almost exactly as I expected. Record wise they have blown me out of the water, overall talent, not so much.
Markus: Better
Sacar: Equal
Theo: Better
Joey: Equal
Sam: Equal
Ed: Equal
Joe: Worse
Cain: Worse
Bailey: Equal
Wojo: Better
Defense: I expected better, but it has been better than I expected.
Offense: Turnovers are an issue. When MU doesn't turn the ball over, about what I expected.
Rebounding: Better. Until recently
Issues I see: Wearing Markus out. The bench is not contributing enough. Theo's recent run of attempting to block or alter every shot near the rim has led to poor rotations, him out of position, and a lot of offensive rebounds for opponents. He is going to need to find a balance. Joey is playing too many minutes for a freshman. Hopefully, he is able to get some rest next month. Chartouny has to contribute consistently. Matt Heldt is going to have to get some minutes when MU is getting beat up on the defensive boards.
The individual players are about what I expected. Due to the improved defense and the mental toughness, the TEAM is slightly better than I expected. There is still 11 games to go and so much that I have enjoyed can easily go astray. We have already seen that with Markus's back. I am not kidding myself that this team can win it all. I believe that the poll rankings more accurately reflect this team's accomplishments than do the NET rankings. Because, as you say, the gap between 10 and 40 is not that great.
But I now see proof of concept with Wojo. Theoretically, next year's team is going to be even better.
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The polls have us as a top 12 team. The computers have us a team in the mid-30s. I think the truth of the matter is somewhere in the middle. But we have put together a top 12 resume to this point. And if we are a mid-30s team that can put together the resume of a top 12 team...I'd much rather have that than the reverse.
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While there are no guarantees in basketball, I think it's safe to say that Markus wont go pro between now and Saturday. If a great start to the season only makes you think about disappointments 20+ years ago you gotta start living more in the moment.
This topic made me think about disappointments. I was not thinking about it before this. Markus will not go pro, but a season ending injury to him or either Hauser might have a similar effect. As the coaches say the focus is always on the next game.
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This 6 game winning streak has been fun but I can’t help but be concerned that things are going to get a lot tougher from this point out.
First we have yet to play Nova or Butler. Nova looks much improved from the team that lost 4 times in the non-con. They handled Butler at Butler rather easily Tuesday night. Marquette’s 2 road wins have gone down to the last possession with the “Miracle in Omaha” being a game that MU really should have lost. And keep in mind that both wins are against teams at the bottom of the BE standings. MU’s only convincing W has been the 18 point beat down of X.
We’ll see Saturday if MU is really that much better than X or that was just a case of a young team with a new coach letting a road game get out of control. Someone mentioned that MU must learn to play with a “target on their back”. I don’t think we’ve even begun to see the pressure that will put on us. Carrying a ranking on the road is far more difficult than facing the same situation at home.
As it gets later in the season MU (and Nova) are going to be the only chances the rest of the BE teams are going to have for a signature win so I’d expect the road crowds to be extremely fired up when we play. These mental lapses, turn overs and scoring droughts that still seem to dog this team are going to result in momentum for the other team that we won’t be able to recover from.
Wojo has to find a way to keep our guys focused for 40 minutes. Ten minutes of the sloppy play we saw in the second half of last night’s game and the first half of Providence will doom this team to losses based on who we’re playing and where we’re playing for the rest of the season.
I don’t know how you get a team to make that leap but it better happen soon or the second half of the season could be not nearly as much fun as the first.
Edit: Paragraphs are your friend.
Does Wojo call a to when we get sloppy? Rarely
Does Wojo bench Markus or Joey for tos? No
The only guys he benched for that are Cain and Bailey. The sloppy play we all are concerned about are the responsibility of the coach
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I'm not worried about the margins of victory, especially on the road. It seems in recent years there are a lot more close conference games and upsets. Look at #1 Tennessee's last two games; 3 point home win against mid table Alabama and 5 point away win against last place Vanderbilt.
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Does Wojo call a to when we get sloppy? Rarely
Does Wojo bench Markus or Joey for tos? No
The only guys he benched for that are Cain and Bailey. The sloppy play we all are concerned about are the responsibility of the coach
Wojo gets 4 timeouts to use. Have you not been watching? When the team has started slow in the second half he's always used a very quick timeout, and they usually respond. You can't take a timeout every time the team goes 3 possessions without scoring. You'll be out of timeouts at halftime.
Wojo doesn't bench Markus or Joey for the same turnovers he does for Cain and Bailey because Markus and Joey provide a lot more for the team than Cain and Bailey do right now. If Bailey turned the ball over in the Georgetown game well into when he was playing effective basketball Wojo would not have benched him. If Cain comes in, doesn't shoot open looks (or misses open shots), gets lost on defense, and then turns the ball over guess what? He's going to the bench.
Every coach at every level of basketball will give his better players longer leashes than his worse players. It's simple common sense. DJ Wilson is not going to be given the same opportunity to perform as Giannis is. Kevon Looney is not going to be given the same leash as Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. Alex O'Connell is not going to be given the same opportunity as Zion Williamson. It's absolutely insane to suggest that a coach who doesn't give every single player the same treatment for the same mistake is the cause of any team sloppiness.
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The polls have us as a top 12 team. The computers have us a team in the mid-30s. I think the truth of the matter is somewhere in the middle. But we have put together a top 12 resume to this point. And if we are a mid-30s team that can put together the resume of a top 12 team...I'd much rather have that than the reverse.
With a gap like that, the truth is always somewhere in between. That said, I think we have some intangibles the put us closer to 12 than the mid-30s: experienced leadership, multiple shooters. And we have lots of experience playing - and winning - close games (UL, UW@M, Creighton, GTown). Confidence heading into the final minutes is huge when there are so many close games these days.
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Sound logic, wades. Consider who you are debating with.
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Wojo gets 4 timeouts to use. Have you not been watching? When the team has started slow in the second half he's always used a very quick timeout, and they usually respond. You can't take a timeout every time the team goes 3 possessions without scoring. You'll be out of timeouts at halftime.
Wojo doesn't bench Markus or Joey for the same turnovers he does for Cain and Bailey because Markus and Joey provide a lot more for the team than Cain and Bailey do right now. If Bailey turned the ball over in the Georgetown game well into when he was playing effective basketball Wojo would not have benched him. If Cain comes in, doesn't shoot open looks (or misses open shots), gets lost on defense, and then turns the ball over guess what? He's going to the bench.
Every coach at every level of basketball will give his better players longer leashes than his worse players. It's simple common sense. DJ Wilson is not going to be given the same opportunity to perform as Giannis is. Kevon Looney is not going to be given the same leash as Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. Alex O'Connell is not going to be given the same opportunity as Zion Williamson. It's absolutely insane to suggest that a coach who doesn't give every single player the same treatment for the same mistake is the cause of any team sloppiness.
Disagree. Team sloppiness is the coach's responsibility to correct
Whether it be by time outs substitutions etc.
Yes I have been watching. Your example of a time out in the second half is not a good one. Many of the slop occurs early in the gsme.
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Disagree. Team sloppiness is the coach's responsibility to correct
Whether it be by time outs substitutions etc.
Yes I have been watching. Your example of a time out in the second half is not a good one. Many of the slop occurs early in the gsme.
So your suggestion is he uses all 4 timeouts he has for the entire game early on in the first half?
I, for one, am glad he had a timeout remaining at the end of the Creighton game. And has had ones left when we've started the second half poorly against Seton Hall and DePaul. Etc.
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Sound logic, wades. Consider who you are debating with.
Spoken like a true worshiper of all things Wojo. I should know better than to offer any criticism of the architect of Duke of the midwest
After all, groupthink is sacred
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Spoken like a true worshiper of all things Wojo. I should know better than to offer any criticism of the architect of Duke of the midwest
After all, groupthink is sacred
So all the pollsters that put us #12 in the nation have groupthink as well?
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So your suggestion is he uses all 4 timeouts he has for the entire game early on in the first half?
"What's wrong with that?"
(http://archive.jsonline.com/Services/image.ashx?domain=www.jsonline.com&file=104439564_Mike%20Deane%202.jpg&resize=)
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Seems a bit peculiar to complain that our 17-3 record and no. 12 ranking haven't included enough blow outs. As many have pointed out the schedule gets tougher, but we have more time to prepare for games. Our defense has been very consistent, and that always puts in a position to win with the offensive potential we have. Rather than worry about where and when our next loss will happen, enjoy the longest conference winning streak in 7 years.
Of all who have commented so far, this aligns most with my thinking. (Though I also agree with what TAMU, wades, tower and others have said, too.)
It doesn't mean we have no flaws or weaknesses, or that we are guaranteed anything, but it has been a very enjoyable season so far, and I'm not sure why some folks are so worried about what could have happened or what might happen ... except that we're fans - fanatics - and that's how we roll.
So much talk about games we "should have lost." There was 1 game that one could argue we "should" have lost - Creighton - and I thought it took nuggets the size of grapefruit that, when they gave us an opening, we took it. (Even if Wojo's play wasn't as good as Ners' would have been.) Creighton made the mistake of giving a very good team a second chance, we tied it up, and we totally controlled the OT.
Otherwise, the close games weren't anything different than what is happening to ranked teams all around the country ... except for the fact that, unlike other ranked teams, haven't lost any of them. I would think that would be cause for celebration, not consternation. That's a tough-minded attitude, talent, playmaking ability at winning time, and good coaching. I want all of those things in March.
Wojo gets 4 timeouts to use. Have you not been watching? When the team has started slow in the second half he's always used a very quick timeout, and they usually respond. You can't take a timeout every time the team goes 3 possessions without scoring. You'll be out of timeouts at halftime.
Wojo doesn't bench Markus or Joey for the same turnovers he does for Cain and Bailey because Markus and Joey provide a lot more for the team than Cain and Bailey do right now. If Bailey turned the ball over in the Georgetown game well into when he was playing effective basketball Wojo would not have benched him. If Cain comes in, doesn't shoot open looks (or misses open shots), gets lost on defense, and then turns the ball over guess what? He's going to the bench.
Every coach at every level of basketball will give his better players longer leashes than his worse players. It's simple common sense. DJ Wilson is not going to be given the same opportunity to perform as Giannis is. Kevon Looney is not going to be given the same leash as Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. Alex O'Connell is not going to be given the same opportunity as Zion Williamson. It's absolutely insane to suggest that a coach who doesn't give every single player the same treatment for the same mistake is the cause of any team sloppiness.
Thanks for explaining how coaching works to a joyless mope who, rather than celebrate a national title, would complain that Wojo should have won the championship game by 8 instead of 6.
Just let a game end with Wojo having no time-outs available because he burned them all in the first half, and hear the whining from the likes of joyless willie.
Joylessness ... what a lousy way to go through life.
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Spoken like a true worshiper of all things Wojo. I should know better than to offer any criticism of the architect of Duke of the midwest
After all, groupthink is sacred
17-3. Complaining. Sure, there are things that can be tightened up. But you are consistent. S16-S16-E8, and you were complaining. You be you, Willie.
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17-3. Complaining. Sure, there are things that can be tightened up. But you are consistent. S16-S16-E8, and you were complaining. You be you, Willie.
Should really change his name to willie worrier. Or Whinier.
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We have a second Hauser. They know how to win games, and other players are figuring it out too.
Could we get the Hauser's to adopt another son? Maybe Jalen Johnson?
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I feel like the other intangible that we're not discussing in the amount of playing time both Markus and Sam got as underclassmen. these 2 got about as much big east experience in 2 years as Otule got in 6. They are battle tested, and have seem it all before. That is not typical for 2 jr starters.
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17-3. Complaining. Sure, there are things that can be tightened up. But you are consistent. S16-S16-E8, and you were complaining. You be you, Willie.
Seems Sillie.
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bump......I think we got through it ok.....
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bump......I think we got through it ok.....
Since this post was made we lost 1 game by 1 point.
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Since this post was made we lost 1 game by 1 point.
Fire Wojo
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We've certainly done better than I expected since this thread started. That said, we still have three road games against decent opponents remaining, so I wouldn't say we are out of the woods yet.