5-4

[NavinRJohnson]

Just a quick update for all the hand wringers out here....the combined record of the teams that beat MU is now 38-3,with those 3 losses coming at the hands of #1 Arizona, Creighton, and Miami.

If you want to throw GW into the mix, the combined record is 47-4,with the one additional loss obviously coming to MU.

Currently, OSU is ranked #3, UW-Madison #4, SDSU #24, and ASU NR.

[tower912]

Don't confuse the chicken littles with the idea that the teams that beat MU are good. 

[MU82]

Just a quick update for all the hand wringers out here....the combined record of the teams that beat MU is now 38-3,with those 3 losses coming at the hands of #1 Arizona, Creighton, and Miami.

If you want to throw GW into the mix, the combined record is 47-4,with the one additional loss obviously coming to MU.

Currently, OSU is ranked #3, UW-Madison #4, SDSU #25, and ASU NR.

Just a quick update for all the blue-and-gold-glasses wearers out here ... the combined record of the teams that MU beat is now 22-34. If you want to throw GW out of the mix, the combined record is 13-33.

Currently, Grambling, Southern, GWash, IUPUI, New Hampshire and Fullerton haven't quite cracked the rankings.

Hey, I'm just having some fun. The tale to this season has yet to be written. Here's hoping it's a good one!

[jsglow]

I'm still of the opinion that we're building for success.  I think the game that disturbed me the most was New Hampshire.  We looked terrible.  When returning from our own western trip (plus Bucky), I was very impressed with how we looked against IUPUI.  I think we'll be okay.  Really looking forward to success against New Mexico.

[mu03eng]

Just so you don't accuse me of being insufficeintly positive about Buzz, let's just use his figures:

2009: 5th 
2010: Tie for 5th
2011: 9th
2012: 2nd
2013: Tie for 1st.

I don't think there was much difference in strength of non-conference schedule between 2011 and 2013.  2011 we played Duke, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt and Wiscsonsin in non-conference and wound up with the worst record we had since joining the Big East. 2013 we played Butler, Florida and Wisconsin and had the best finish. 

Not a lot of difference in non-coference schedule.  Big difference in conference standing.

I suspect that conference standing has more to do with a) our players and b) the opposition than non-conference scheduleing. 

Despite four very challenging NCAA-calibre teams in 2011, we still finished in a tie for 9th.  Despite only two tournament worthy teams in 2012, we finsished 2nd. 

I'm not making any statment about Buzz or Crean or comparing the two--I'm merely questioning the premise that the type of teams played in non-conference has any bearing on how you play in conference. 

According to the numbers there is a difference between 2011 and 2013.  Relative to the rest of Division 1 our 2011 non-con was 198th best, 2013 we're sub-100(schedule isn't finished yet).

[The Equalizer]

According to the numbers there is a difference between 2011 and 2013.  Relative to the rest of Division 1 our 2011 non-con was 198th best, 2013 we're sub-100(schedule isn't finished yet).

Still, in 2013 we really only played 3 tough teams (Butler, UW and Florida), yet finishd first. In 2011 we played 4 tough teams (Vandy, UW, Duke and Gonzaga) and finished tied for 9th.

The argument was that it's the tough teams that get us ready for conference play--if so, then 2011 should have been our high-water mark, 2012 our low point, and 2013 somewhere in between.

The data show that scheduling a lot of tough non-conference games to prepare teams is way overstated.

[NavinRJohnson]

You are who your record says you are, and who you are after 10 games is in no way necessarily who you are after 30 games.

[MU82]

You are who your record says you are, and who you are after 10 games is in no way necessarily who you are after 30 games.

Truer words have never been spoken. (Except perhaps, "I slit the sheets, the sheets I slit and on the slitted sheets I sit." Right, Navin?)

[NavinRJohnson]

Truer words have never been spoken. (Except perhaps, "I slit the sheets, the sheets I slit and on the slitted sheets I sit." Right, Navin?)

Ummmmm...hello...."Lord loves a workin' man. Don't trust whitey. See a doctor and get rid of it"

[MU82]

Ummmmm...hello...."Lord loves a workin' man. Don't trust whitey. See a doctor and get rid of it"

The ashtray, the paddle game, the remote control, and that's all I need. ... And these matches.