Bilas on Marquette

[tower912]

Or you can say that we are 9-5 on the road/neutral.   5-4 on the road in-conference.    I would take that every single year. 

[MUMac]

How about both of you are right?  In my view you both are.

Consider the following.  All NCAA games are on neutral or semi-neutral courts.  Not home games for MU.   In the last 5 games MU played away from the Bradley Center against sure fire NCAA teams, we lost four and won one.

At Georgetown  lost 73-70
At Syracuse  lost 73-66
At Notre Dame lost 76-59
At Cincinnati lost 72-61
At UCONN  won 79-64  (honestly, would anyone have said they were a sure fire NCAA team as of last week?)

If we believe West Virginia is a sure fire selection to the dance, then we would be 2-4 with a win 61-60.

So that data lends to Bilsu's concern.  He's not saying we are going to lose, in my opinion.


On the other hand, if you don't view things from a home vs away perspective, then the confidence should be soaring after MU's wins over a number of NCAA teams

Louisville at the BC
Georgetown at the BC
South Florida at the BC (assuming USF gets in)
Wisconsin at the Kohl
Washington at a neutral site (assuming they get in)


I say you're both right, and there are arguments to support both positions.

I veiw it from how MU has been playing.  The Cincy game is the outlier, because MU had it handed to them early and often.  Never in the game.  That is the only game in the BE that can be said.

[statnik]

How about both of you are right?  In my view you both are.

Consider the following.  All NCAA games are on neutral or semi-neutral courts.  Not home games for MU.   In the last 5 games MU played away from the Bradley Center against sure fire NCAA teams, we lost four and won one.

At Georgetown  lost 73-70
At Syracuse  lost 73-66
At Notre Dame lost 76-59
At Cincinnati lost 72-61
At UCONN  won 79-64  (honestly, would anyone have said they were a sure fire NCAA team as of last week?)

If we believe West Virginia is a sure fire selection to the dance, then we would be 2-4 with a win 61-60.

So that data lends to Bilsu's concern.  He's not saying we are going to lose, in my opinion.


On the other hand, if you don't view things from a home vs away perspective, then the confidence should be soaring after MU's wins over a number of NCAA teams

Louisville at the BC
Georgetown at the BC
South Florida at the BC (assuming USF gets in)
Wisconsin at the Kohl
Washington at a neutral site (assuming they get in)


I say you're both right, and there are arguments to support both positions.

But those were all away, and our record on neutral courts is pretty good this year, a couple of those games against bubble or tourney teams.

[Hoopaloop]

Or you can say that we are 9-5 on the road/neutral.   5-4 on the road in-conference.    I would take that every single year. 

That includes games played in Nov, Dec.  I'm more interested in what we've done lately and against good teams.  We've lost 4 of 5 on the road. 

But those were all away, and our record on neutral courts is pretty good this year, a couple of those games against bubble or tourney teams.

Yes, but some NCAA games are less neutral than they appear.  When we played Washington in New York, that was a true neutral game.  Playing the Paradise Jam, those were truly neutral games.   We've seen over the years playing Stanford in So. Cal or Utah State in Boise that they were anything but neutral court games.

[Hoopaloop]

We are one game away from looking very bad against Cincy. I do not know where your confidence comes from.

You were omniscient.

We're now 1-5 in our last 6 games away from the BC against NCAA caliber teams.  2-5 if we think the Mountaineers are going to get in. 

[NavinRJohnson]

You were omniscient.

We're now 1-5 in our last 6 games away from the BC against NCAA caliber teams.  2-5 if we think the Mountaineers are going to get in. 

Outside of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country, I guess I'm curious who isn't.

[Hoopaloop]

Outside of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country, I guess I'm curious who isn't.

Wisconsin is 3-2 in their last 5 against NCAA teams away from the Kohl


Would have to look up the others.  I'm a bit more concerned that we got smoked in three of the last four.  ND, UL, UC.  We have a big drop off after our two studs.

[NavinRJohnson]

Wisconsin is 3-2 in their last 5 against NCAA teams away from the Kohl

Yippy Skippy. They also lost @Iowa, lost at home to Iowa, OSU, and MSU. how is that better?

[Hoopaloop]

Yippy Skippy. They also lost @Iowa, lost at home to Iowa, OSU, and MSU. how is that better?

The NCAA tournament is about playing on neutral or semi-neutral courts.  How have they done lately in those conditions?  Fairly well.  We haven't. 

[NavinRJohnson]

The NCAA tournament is about playing on neutral or semi-neutral courts.  How have they done lately in those conditions?  Fairly well.  We haven't. 

Lol! They're 3-2. MU is 2-3. That one game difference is staggering.

[wadesworld]

Wisconsin is 3-2 in their last 5 against NCAA teams away from the Kohl


Would have to look up the others.  I'm a bit more concerned that we got smoked in three of the last four.  ND, UL, UC.  We have a big drop off after our two studs.

Uhh...they beat Indiana (minus a very important player, as you have pointed out here) on a neutral court.  They beat Ohio State.  Lost at Michigan State.  2-1 overall, 1-1 true road, 1-0 neutral.  Then how far back are we counting?  At Iowa, at Minnesota, at Penn State, at Illinois are the 4 previous to those games.  None of them are going to the NCAA.  Then win at Purdue, loss at Michigan.  Those were early January.  So you're not interested in December, but you're interested in early January?  It's March.  If you don't want to look at December, then early January is probably just as irrelevant in terms of how a team is playing.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

You were omniscient.

We're now 1-5 in our last 6 games away from the BC against NCAA caliber teams.  2-5 if we think the Mountaineers are going to get in.  

I was wondering last night what was the last time we beat a ranked team on the road. I'm not saying we haven't done it lately, maybe we have, but I can't remember...

[MUMac]

I was wondering last night what was the last time we beat a ranked team on the road. I'm not saying we haven't done it lately, maybe we have, but I can't remember...

Wisconsin.

[Hoopaloop]

Uhh...they beat Indiana (minus a very important player, as you have pointed out here) on a neutral court.  They beat Ohio State.  Lost at Michigan State.  2-1 overall, 1-1 true road, 1-0 neutral.  Then how far back are we counting?  At Iowa, at Minnesota, at Penn State, at Illinois are the 4 previous to those games.  None of them are going to the NCAA.  Then win at Purdue, loss at Michigan.  Those were early January.  So you're not interested in December, but you're interested in early January?  It's March.  If you don't want to look at December, then early January is probably just as irrelevant in terms of how a team is playing.

Let's look at just February then.  2-1 for Wisconsin.  MU 1-3 with all three being blowouts.  The one win against a UCONN team in disarray.  If you want to count WVU, then 2-3 but not sure they are in the tournament. 

[MUMac]

Let's look at just February then.  2-1 for Wisconsin.  MU 1-3 with all three being blowouts.  The one win against a UCONN team in disarray.  If you want to count WVU, then 2-3 but not sure they are in the tournament. 

So your premise is all the NCAA looks at is Neutral/Road records?  Solely against NCAA teams (and you arbitrarily determine WVU is out and UCONN was in disarray, but IU is fine without Jones?  O K, that doesn't smack of a chico's agenda) Really?  Hanging your hat on that one?

[NavinRJohnson]

So your premise is all the NCAA looks at is Neutral/Road records?  Solely against NCAA teams (and you arbitrarily determine WVU is out and UCONN was in disarray, but IU is fine without Jones?  O K, that doesn't smack of a chico's agenda) Really?  Hanging your hat on that one?

No doubt. What the heck is the point? If the argument is that MU is not going to win the NC or even go to the Final Four, I'm not sure many would disagree. In The last 6 weeks, they lost 3 road/neutral games - their only losses in that time period...@ND, @UC, and vs. UL. Frankly, I don't know why they should even bother to show up for their first round game. Meanwhile, Wisconsin also has 3 losses, but only one of those came on the road against NCAA teams, and somehow that's betters? In the odd and arbitrary hooplaloop basketball world, it's as if a loss to a bad team or at home didn't even happen. How stupid.

Oh BTW, Syracuse just lost on a neutral court to that same UC team that beat MU. Put a fork in 'em!

[jmayer1]

Let's look at just February then.  2-1 for Wisconsin.  MU 1-3 with all three being blowouts.  The one win against a UCONN team in disarray.  If you want to count WVU, then 2-3 but not sure they are in the tournament.  

Maybe you should quit predicting who will be in and who will be out, you're awful at it.

Let's go OSU!!!!

[MUMac]

Let's look at just February then.  2-1 for Wisconsin.  MU 1-3 with all three being blowouts.  The one win against a UCONN team in disarray.  If you want to count WVU, then 2-3 but not sure they are in the tournament.  

You confuse me.  A couple of weeks back, you were "hoopin" an old thread (I know, that's redundant), touting ND's win over WVU at ND.  Throwing it in my face to prove that ND is an awesome team and I was wrong about them.  Yet, you don't believe their next game against MU at WVU means anything.  Is that because MU won?  

Try to be consistent man.  

BTW, why haven't you been "hoopin" that old thread as the ND losses mounted?  

[tower912]

I've got MU at 9-6 road/neutral for the year.   I will take that every single year.   

[TedBaxter]

Complaining about a 25-7 team that finished alone in 2nd place in the Big East is downright comical.  When was the last time MU had as high as a 3 or even 4 seed in the NCAA's? Was it 2003?

[Silkk the Shaka]

Complaining about a 25-7 team that finished alone in 2nd place in the Big East is downright comical.  When was the last time MU had as high as a 3 or even 4 seed in the NCAA's? Was it 2003?

Not that you don't already know, but the best seed we've had since Wade graced the hallowed halls of MU is 6. This year we're virtually assured a 3/4 seed yet we got a bunch of hairy wet cats in this joint menstruating up a storm before the real games are even played. High comedy indeed.