This team needs to figure a bunch of stuff out

[Golden Avalanche]

Taken one by one, your analysis of each team could end up being correct. But collectively, to expect all of them to underperform while Marquette excels, well, it seems unrealistic.

Any fan of any other Big East school could do a similar team-by-team review and say, "Marquette has not looked good. Marquette still has problems at PG so they'll underperform. Marquette has issues. Marquette's defense is good but offense too reliant on a few undependable players. Marquette isn't scary regardless of the overhyped preseason ratings. Marquette is dangerous but Duane Wilson's injury already has hurt their situation."

In other words, we see what we want to see.

I'd agree with that which is why I never wrote, anywhere, that I expected all nine teams to underperform whilst at the same time expected Marquette to excel. Again, never wrote that. Never.

What I did write is that I feel a record like 15-3 is doable. Not probable. Not likely. Not absurd. But doable. And doable because every other team has some serious weaknesses. Cream will rise like Georgetown did last year after dropping their first two and it's a doable possibility that cream will be Marquette. In fact, based upon the recent successes of all the teams, Marquette is one team where it seems most doable they could rise to the top. Doable.

As to your last line, it's funny to be painted as a blind optimist when so many here have repeatedly painted me as a Buzz hater who's happy as a pig in the mud when Marquette loses.

[MUSF]

Taken one by one, your analysis of each team could end up being correct. But collectively, to expect all of them to underperform while Marquette excels, well, it seems unrealistic.

Any fan of any other Big East school could do a similar team-by-team review and say, "Marquette has not looked good. Marquette still has problems at PG so they'll underperform. Marquette has issues. Marquette's defense is good but offense too reliant on a few undependable players. Marquette isn't scary regardless of the overhyped preseason ratings. Marquette is dangerous but Duane Wilson's injury already has hurt their situation."

In other words, we see what we want to see.

"We see what we want to see" could also be applied to the sky is falling crowd. They want to extrapolate our conference record based solely on our performance without considering the performance of the other BEast teams. Most of the other teams in conference have significant short comings as well. Some, like Creighton, have probably under-performed more than MU.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Let's not forget that SDSU is ranked top of the nation in opponent's per game, opp. FG% and opp. 3P%. It is possible that we have a good team who just struggled to score against an elite defense. Not all is lost!

[MU82]

I'd agree with that which is why I never wrote, anywhere, that I expected all nine teams to underperform whilst at the same time expected Marquette to excel. Again, never wrote that. Never.

What I did write is that I feel a record like 15-3 is doable. Not probable. Not likely. Not absurd. But doable. And doable because every other team has some serious weaknesses. Cream will rise like Georgetown did last year after dropping their first two and it's a doable possibility that cream will be Marquette. In fact, based upon the recent successes of all the teams, Marquette is one team where it seems most doable they could rise to the top. Doable.

As to your last line, it's funny to be painted as a blind optimist when so many here have repeatedly painted me as a Buzz hater who's happy as a pig in the mud when Marquette loses.

OK, no insult intended.

And certainly no insult intended by my last line. Because we really do see what we want to see. All of us. Including me.

[NavinRJohnson]

A couple things I find funny, though entirely predictable, from this thread and others as I take a closer look...last year at about this same time, MU was 5-3 coming off a loss to UWGB for Heaven's sake. A home win against UW-Madison was their crowning achievement. They had lost to a decent Butler team, and were obliterated by Florida. Anyone see any similarities?

Of course given those monumental and completely unprecedented struggles, I can only assume that the same people currently lamenting his departure, were ripping Vander Blue up and down for his inconsistency early in the year. Sounds familiar.

I won't go back and look, but safe to say that team suffered from the same apathy, lack of toughness, leadership, couldn't shoot, etc. that we are hearing about this year.

This team may not pull it together the way last year's did, but there is every reason to believe that they will. As I've said before, new guys, and old guys doing new things. It takes some time.

[ATL MU Warrior]

A couple things I find funny, though entirely predictable, from this thread and others as I take a closer look...last year at about this same time, MU was 5-3 coming off a loss to UWGB for Heaven's sake. A home win against UW-Madison was their crowning achievement. They had lost to a decent Butler team, and were obliterated by Florida. Anyone see any similarities?

Of course given those monumental and completely unprecedented struggles, I can only assume that the same people currently lamenting his departure, were ripping Vander Blue up and down for his inconsistency early in the year. Sounds familiar.

I won't go back and look, but safe to say that team suffered from the same apathy, lack of toughness, leadership, couldn't shoot, etc. that we are hearing about this year.

This team may not pull it together the way last year's did, but there is every reason to believe that they will. As I've said before, new guys, and old guys doing new things. It takes some time.

Well, when you put it like that I feel pretty good about this year so far, although I have never been overly worried.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

A couple things I find funny, though entirely predictable, from this thread and others as I take a closer look...last year at about this same time, MU was 5-3 coming off a loss to UWGB for Heaven's sake. A home win against UW-Madison was their crowning achievement. They had lost to a decent Butler team, and were obliterated by Florida. Anyone see any similarities?

Of course given those monumental and completely unprecedented struggles, I can only assume that the same people currently lamenting his departure, were ripping Vander Blue up and down for his inconsistency early in the year. Sounds familiar.

I won't go back and look, but safe to say that team suffered from the same apathy, lack of toughness, leadership, couldn't shoot, etc. that we are hearing about this year.

This team may not pull it together the way last year's did, but there is every reason to believe that they will. As I've said before, new guys, and old guys doing new things. It takes some time.

Well said.

This ain't new, guys.

[MU82]

A couple things I find funny, though entirely predictable, from this thread and others as I take a closer look...last year at about this same time, MU was 5-3 coming off a loss to UWGB for Heaven's sake. A home win against UW-Madison was their crowning achievement. They had lost to a decent Butler team, and were obliterated by Florida. Anyone see any similarities?

Of course given those monumental and completely unprecedented struggles, I can only assume that the same people currently lamenting his departure, were ripping Vander Blue up and down for his inconsistency early in the year. Sounds familiar.

I won't go back and look, but safe to say that team suffered from the same apathy, lack of toughness, leadership, couldn't shoot, etc. that we are hearing about this year.

This team may not pull it together the way last year's did, but there is every reason to believe that they will. As I've said before, new guys, and old guys doing new things. It takes some time.

By this time last year, Marquette actually was 5-2 and was getting ready to play (and impressively defeat) Wisconsin. The UWGB loss happened later and dropped our record to 7-3.

So while I agree that it is too early to judge this team, it isn't out of line to have healthy concerns about legitimate issues. Of course, one person's healthy concern might be another's "We're Doomed!"

Those who are sure we're doomed seem irrational. But it also isn't completely rational to simply assume that just because something happened last year -- bad or good (or both) -- the pattern automatically will repeat.