Poll: How far will we get in the postseason next year?

[Otule's Glass Eye]

without DJO and Jae I dont know

[brewcity77]

Who knows? Between transfers, seeding, matchups, there are hundreds of variables.

I see us as a top 15-20 team and ranked most of the year after we're done in Maui. But as for once we're there...I'll get back to you in February or March.

[Otule's Glass Eye]

Who knows? Between transfers, seeding, matchups, there are hundreds of variables.

I see us as a top 15-20 team and ranked most of the year after we're done in Maui. But as for once we're there...I'll get back to you in February or March.

yep probably to early to ask this question

[Otule's Glass Eye]

Who knows? Between transfers, seeding, matchups, there are hundreds of variables.

I see us as a top 15-20 team and ranked most of the year after we're done in Maui. But as for once we're there...I'll get back to you in February or March.

But if we had the current roster minus DJO and Jae and our recruits were here and you had to make a decision today where would you put us?

[brewcity77]

But if we had the current roster minus DJO and Jae and our recruits were here and you had to make a decision today where would you put us?

It's not just the roster, though. What will our non-conference schedule be? Are we going to play a slate similar to last year, or will it be tougher, or will we pull a Cincinnati and play MATC 9 times? That will impact our seeding vastly.

In conference play, I think we'll be 11-7 and in the 5-8 range in the league. I suppose that usually translates to a 4-8 seed, since I doubt we end up playing the type of non-con that would hamstring us into a USF type seeding. But there's a big difference between a 4-seed and being the "favorite" in the first two rounds and being an 8-seed and facing one of the top teams in the country your second time out, assuming you get past a team that is likely just about as good as you are in the opener.

Current expectations would probably be 10-3 non-conference, 11-7 league, and 3 postseason wins between the two tournaments for a 24-12 final record, but that's all pure conjecture.

[wisblue]

As for next year's schedule, do we know that MU will be playing LSU at home, along with Wisconsin? I also assume that MU will be playing UWM and UWGB at home. Between those games and the Maui tournament, that should result in a decent overall OOC schedule.

Wasn't MU also supposed to be starting a home and home with USC soon? They weren't good last year, but it's still better than Mt. St. Mary's.

As for the Big East, do we even know for sure who is in the conference? We know that West Virginia is gone, but I don't think there has been a final decision yet about whether Pitt and Syracuse will be leaving a year early. Are any of the new teams entering for basketball as soon as next year?

[brewcity77]

LSU and UW are at home, UW-M at home, UW-GB on the road. Three games in Maui, so that leaves 7 open dates. I suspect at least 1 will be a high-major road game, probably the start of a 1-and-1.

We don't know how the Big East will play out yet, with 15 teams (don't believe there's a WVU replacement this year) that requires 4 mirror opponents to get to 18.

MSM wasn't a bad pick last year, they just had a crappy season. Based on what they were returning, they (along with Jacksonville and UNCO) should have been at least a bit better. I'll do a more thorough write-up in the coming weeks, but I have a few schedule hopes...I would say try for two high-major 1-and-1s starting on the road. If I were picking, I'd aim for mid-tier teams from the PAC-12 and SEC. I'd also try very hard for a 2-for-1 with Murray State starting at home. Lets them get the spotlight on Isaiah Canaan again as a senior. And by the time we go down there, he'll have graduated.

That leaves 4 games. If we can get a neutral-site game like Washington last year, great. If not, go for buy games with mid and low-major contenders. Norfolk State ended up being great for us, and taking chances against teams like Oral Roberts, Long Island, Weber State, LBSU, and Belmont looks good come Selection Sunday.

[Tugg Speedman]

LSU and UW are at home, UW-M at home, UW-GB on the road. Three games in Maui, so that leaves 7 open dates. I suspect at least 1 will be a high-major road game, probably the start of a 1-and-1.

We don't know how the Big East will play out yet, with 15 teams (don't believe there's a WVU replacement this year) that requires 4 mirror opponents to get to 18.

MSM wasn't a bad pick last year, they just had a crappy season. Based on what they were returning, they (along with Jacksonville and UNCO) should have been at least a bit better. I'll do a more thorough write-up in the coming weeks, but I have a few schedule hopes...I would say try for two high-major 1-and-1s starting on the road. If I were picking, I'd aim for mid-tier teams from the PAC-12 and SEC. I'd also try very hard for a 2-for-1 with Murray State starting at home. Lets them get the spotlight on Isaiah Canaan again as a senior. And by the time we go down there, he'll have graduated.

That leaves 4 games. If we can get a neutral-site game like Washington last year, great. If not, go for buy games with mid and low-major contenders. Norfolk State ended up being great for us, and taking chances against teams like Oral Roberts, Long Island, Weber State, LBSU, and Belmont looks good come Selection Sunday.

Brew,

The home non-conference schedule sounds much better next year.  If the conference schedule has more "marquee" Saturday games, and after consecutive sweet 16 appearances, can we make a run at the 2008 average attendance record of 16,200?

Thoughts?

[brewcity77]

Brew,

The home non-conference schedule sounds much better next year.  If the conference schedule has more "marquee" Saturday games, and after consecutive sweet 16 appearances, can we make a run at the 2008 average attendance record of 16,200?

Thoughts?

A ranked LSU would certainly help, UW will always draw at home, and if they tried to secure a 2-for-1 with Murray State, I think that would bring people in. But there are two main factors, first, how good will Marquette be, and second, what will those other 4 games be? For me, I'm the type of fan that would be psyched about the likes of Mercer, Iona, and Middle Tennessee (or trying to figure out next year's equivalents), but for most those names are no different than Centenary, Jacksonville, or Mississippi Valley State.

Adding another high-major or recognized mid-major buy game would help in terms of attendance, say a Nebraska, USC, Boston College, St. Louis, or Gonzaga, but those require paying back with road games, and in terms of the high-majors don't offer much more RPI payoff than a Iona would and in terms of the mid-majors offer far more risk of a loss than a low-major contender would.

If we have a good team and better luck with Saturday home games in the Big East, I see no reason why not, especially if we get another high-major home game that we don't yet know about. But I'll be honest, my focus is more on RPI, SOS, and how our scheduling will help prepare us for March. As long as we're drawing enough to be profitable, I'm far more concerned about how the number impacts our ratings than how it impacts our gate sales.

[79Warrior]

Who knows? Between transfers, seeding, matchups, there are hundreds of variables.

I see us as a top 15-20 team and ranked most of the year after we're done in Maui. But as for once we're there...I'll get back to you in February or March.

No way we are in Top 15-20. We lose the the two best players on the team and you think we are Top 20. When was the last time MU graduated two players of that caliber in the same year? I know many are hoping Taylor is all that, but I never expect much from incoming Freshmen players. It seems to me Jae and DJO are extremely tough to replace next year. I believe we will be a good team, but not the  Top 15.

[brewcity77]

No way we are in Top 15-20. We lose the the two best players on the team and you think we are Top 20. When was the last time MU graduated two players of that caliber in the same year? I know many are hoping Taylor is all that, but I never expect much from incoming Freshmen players. It seems to me Jae and DJO are extremely tough to replace next year. I believe we will be a good team, but not the  Top 15.

Like many, I think you are vastly underestimating what we are returning. Everyone gets down on Junior, but he will likely be even better, and his 2.1 A/T ratio was one of the best in the league. Vander is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation. Mayo and Wilson showed flashes of greatness and will have their opportunities expanded. And we may well have the best 1-2 center punch in the Big East. Then you add in a full compliment of bench players, which could be the most talented bench Marquette has ever had (four top-100 players in Juan, Steve Taylor, TJ, Jamail, as well as the rest).

But most important is that over the first four years, Buzz was working to get his defense implemented. We got some okay defense his first year, but that was largely because of four disciplined seniors. When they left, our defense declined steadily for 2 years before starting to show signs of life in the 2011 NCAAs. This year we had by far Buzz's best defense, and that without our most important defensive player in Otule for much of the year. Subtracting DJO we actually get better defensively. Who has better perimeter defense than we do with Blue, Mayo, DW, and an improving Cadougan? Up front, both Otule and Jamil are excellent shot-blockers. Our team will be built on a defense that is already in the top-25 in the country and will likely be even better next year.

Talk all you want about rebuilding, about how indispensable those two are, but don't forget that the Three Amigos were seen as even more indispensable at the time, that we had no leadership when Lazar left, and that we had no one to replace our best defender and NBA first-round pick in Butler, and we exceeded expectations each time. We will do the same next year and while we may not be flirting with the top-ten for most of the season like we did this year, I expect us to be ranked for pretty much the entire year. If we aren't ranked in the preseason, we certainly will be once we win at Maui.

[Tugg Speedman]

When was the last time MU graduated two players of that caliber in the same year?

I know many are hoping Taylor is all that, but I never expect much from incoming Freshmen players.

Three Amigos

Taylor is a Juco Transfer, not a Freshman.  That makes a difference.

[wojosdojo]

without DJO and Jae I dont know

We got a six seed after losing the three amigos. Think about the doubts people had then. This is what makes Buzz such a great coach here in the offspring. We are NOT NIT bound.