14 years ago today. Marquette goes to the Final Four

[MarquetteDano]

I bought my lone ticket from Kentucky fans who had great seats.  Their friend didn't show.  At halftime I remember saying to them that they would come back and the game was going down to the end.  And they quietly nodded but I felt they didn't agree.

Usually Wildcat fans are pretty cocky but I think they knew this wasn't their day.  It was ours.

[wadesworld]

ScopesnotSnopes to correct the record.

Of those 18 coaching years, 5 were rebuilding.  He also had two years with major injuries (this year OG and Hartmann and the Diener year for MU), but we will count those anyway.

13 years not rebuilding, made the NCAAs 9 times, NIT 3 times, one year no tournament. 

Other fun fact.  His teams have been knocked out by very good to great teams a number of times.

2003 knocked out by National Runner Up Kansas
2008 knocked out by Sweet 16 Stanford in OT
2012 knocked out by National Champions Kentucky
2013 knocked out by Final Four team Syracuse
2015 knocked out by Sweet 16 Wichita State
2016 knocked out by National Runner Up North Carolina

Holy Cross was 25-5 and had won 20 of 21 games coming into that game.  Damn good team.  Missouri, beat Kansas only two games earlier in the Big 12 tournament.  They were in the finals of the Big 12 tournament and lost by 2.  Playing very well. 

If you're going to rip on not running roughshod over Holy Cross and Missouri, then you must be wild over the wins over Pittsburgh and Kentucky where we were the underdog.

Welcome back James!

[ScopesnotSnopes]

Welcome back James!

David, not James.

Best April 1st joke in awhile and the anguish on his face while sucking you guys in, even better. 

Four of us here in Phoenix for the Final Four, including JD.  This is our third time at the event over the years.  Yesterday at breakfast I told him Scoop has a new member that will have his bestest friends knocking themselves over to say hello. 

He had two reactions.  WHY are you doing that?  After showing him some of my entries, his second reaction was a nice middle finger and a shaking of the head.

We then had a game of who would respond first and most often.  JD refused to participate, but the rest of us had our money on RealChili, Wadesworld, Smith, MU82 and Lenny.    Ryan had you, and he was the winner.

Told JD last night after the games one more entry was coming as homage.  He had to leave early this morning to get back to his family before heading to Augusta for the Masters.  I hate him sometimes.

In honor of all the players, coaches, big wigs he introduced us to yesterday, a name dropping was in order as a salute to him.  He will give me another finger for sure, but it was great.  Thanks JD!  Get well soon, your bros.


#Tom Crean  (very gracious with us, more a fan now than I used to be)
#Adam Morrison (he was so nervous before the game, needed win to get monkey off his back)
#Charles Barkley (amazing)
#Michael Slive (don't know who he is but JD said used to be top 2 or 3 most powerful NCAA guys)
#Jamie Dixon   (the meetings of the Jamies, talking So. Cal)
#Matt Painter (Purdue coach)
#Keith Urban
#John Stockton (Could still play)
#Dan Guerrero (UCLA Athletic Director)

Other people that were Athletic honchos whom I cannot remember.


Final Thoughts. Marquette represented well in Phoenix.  Tomorrow night will be head to toe in Marquette regalia.  Randomly ran into two guys in the lobby of the hotel last night with MU gear, neither attended our great university but we hit it off. At the Turner \ TBS party, another MU fan.  Several at the Keith Urban concert Friday night.  Too many fat Badger fans here and we had some fun with them, too.

[4everwarriors]

Yo, shout out, ai na?



Free Chicos 2017

[wadesworld]

David, not James.

Best April 1st joke in awhile and the anguish on his face while sucking you guys in, even better. 

Four of us here in Phoenix for the Final Four, including JD.  This is our third time at the event over the years.  Yesterday at breakfast I told him Scoop has a new member that will have his bestest friends knocking themselves over to say hello. 

He had two reactions.  WHY are you doing that?  After showing him some of my entries, his second reaction was a nice middle finger and a shaking of the head.

We then had a game of who would respond first and most often.  JD refused to participate, but the rest of us had our money on RealChili, Wadesworld, Smith, MU82 and Lenny.    Ryan had you, and he was the winner.

Told JD last night after the games one more entry was coming as homage.  He had to leave early this morning to get back to his family before heading to Augusta for the Masters.  I hate him sometimes.

In honor of all the players, coaches, big wigs he introduced us to yesterday, a name dropping was in order as a salute to him.  He will give me another finger for sure, but it was great.  Thanks JD!  Get well soon, your bros.


#Tom Crean  (very gracious with us, more a fan now than I used to be)
#Adam Morrison (he was so nervous before the game, needed win to get monkey off his back)
#Charles Barkley (amazing)
#Michael Slive (don't know who he is but JD said used to be top 2 or 3 most powerful NCAA guys)
#Jamie Dixon   (the meetings of the Jamies, talking So. Cal)
#Matt Painter (Purdue coach)
#Keith Urban
#John Stockton (Could still play)
#Dan Guerrero (UCLA Athletic Director)

Other people that were Athletic honchos whom I cannot remember.


Final Thoughts. Marquette represented well in Phoenix.  Tomorrow night will be head to toe in Marquette regalia.  Randomly ran into two guys in the lobby of the hotel last night with MU gear, neither attended our great university but we hit it off. At the Turner \ TBS party, another MU fan.  Several at the Keith Urban concert Friday night.  Too many fat Badger fans here and we had some fun with them, too.

Yup, it's official, welcome back to MUScoop James!

[real chili 83]

Off the lithium, eh? 

[Newsdreams]

Multiple personalities!

[tower912]

Or finding friends just like him.

[jesmu84]

Incredible

[rocket surgeon]

toldja guys scopes wasn't jams, but thanks for playin, ehehehyn'a?

[wadesworld]

toldja guys scopes wasn't jams, but thanks for playin, ehehehyn'a?

My best guess is James is such a good guy he found a random MU fan going to Phoenix, couldn't go to the Finals himself because he's off to Augusta...because, you know, it starts...well, Thursday, so he couldn't make...Monday night's Finals?...as reported by the formerly random stranger who is now his beer buddy, and made the drive to Phoenix to hook said beer buddy up with some awesome free Final Four tickets.  What a great guy that James is.

How many screennames has Chicoloops had?  Off of the top of my head this is number 3, but Mr. Snopes referenced 4 buddies there.  Snopes, Chicos, Hoopaloop, and...?  Which personality did I miss?

[B. McBannerson]

ScopesnotSnopes to correct the record.

Of those 18 coaching years, 5 were rebuilding.  He also had two years with major injuries (this year OG and Hartmann and the Diener year for MU), but we will count those anyway.

13 years not rebuilding, made the NCAAs 9 times, NIT 3 times, one year no tournament. 

Other fun fact.  His teams have been knocked out by very good to great teams a number of times.

2003 knocked out by National Runner Up Kansas
2008 knocked out by Sweet 16 Stanford in OT
2012 knocked out by National Champions Kentucky
2013 knocked out by Final Four team Syracuse
2015 knocked out by Sweet 16 Wichita State
2016 knocked out by National Runner Up North Carolina

Factually, not much to argue except 3rd year of rebuilding at Indiana.  Record looked roughly the same, but appears their Ken Pom was much better.  What are you using as criteria?

For laughs, add to your list for those knocked his clubs out by good or great teams.  Classic big time program goes to NIT and looked like they didn't want to be there.  Four or Five of these a year it seems.

2017 knocked out by NIT Runner Up Georgia Tech

[brewcity77]

Factually, not much to argue except 3rd year of rebuilding at Indiana.  Record looked roughly the same, but appears their Ken Pom was much better.  What are you using as criteria?

For laughs, add to your list for those knocked his clubs out by good or great teams.  Classic big time program goes to NIT and looked like they didn't want to be there.  Four or Five of these a year it seems.

2017 knocked out by NIT Runner Up Georgia Tech

I've avoided the obvious troll job, but the list of "knocked out by" is comical.

2003 Knocked out by a team that lost their next game.
2008 Knocked out by a team that lost their next game.
2012 Valid.
2013 Knocked out by a team that won one more game.
2015 Knocked out by a team that won one more game.
2016 Valid.

So 4/6 times, the team either lost their next game or lost the game after that. It's not like they were propelled to some incredible run by beating Crean.

This is why taking solace in losing to a team that goes deep (South Carolina, for example) makes no sense to me. You are still out and part of that "deep run" was your own team's failings.

Lost to national runner up Kansas. LOST TO NATIONAL RUNNER UP KANSAS?!? Are you effing kidding me? After that game, the only two options were national runner up or national champs. So basically, they beat Crean then maximized their possible failure.

What an inane argument.

[B. McBannerson]

So 4/6 times, the team either lost their next game or lost the game after that. It's not like they were propelled to some incredible run by beating Crean.

This is why taking solace in losing to a team that goes deep (South Carolina, for example) makes no sense to me. You are still out and part of that "deep run" was your own team's failings.

Lost to national runner up Kansas. LOST TO NATIONAL RUNNER UP KANSAS?!? Are you effing kidding me? After that game, the only two options were national runner up or national champs. So basically, they beat Crean then maximized their possible failure.

What an inane argument.

I wasn't making the inane argument.  Only stated that what was said was factually correct.

My view losing to someone that goes far is better than losing to someone that goes out early.  It helps to legitimize your exit, keeps you in the news because the media will talk about the teams they beat.  I felt a lot better watching SC beat Duke, beat Baylor go to the Final Four and damn near beat Gonzaga.  That was a team that hit its stride and losing to someone like St. Mary's or Dayton (also a 7 seed), would have felt much worse.  Don't think that is an inane argument, but maybe I am making it.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

David, not James.

Best April 1st joke in awhile and the anguish on his face while sucking you guys in, even better. 

Four of us here in Phoenix for the Final Four, including JD.  This is our third time at the event over the years.  Yesterday at breakfast I told him Scoop has a new member that will have his bestest friends knocking themselves over to say hello. 

He had two reactions.  WHY are you doing that?  After showing him some of my entries, his second reaction was a nice middle finger and a shaking of the head.

We then had a game of who would respond first and most often.  JD refused to participate, but the rest of us had our money on RealChili, Wadesworld, Smith, MU82 and Lenny.    Ryan had you, and he was the winner.

Told JD last night after the games one more entry was coming as homage.  He had to leave early this morning to get back to his family before heading to Augusta for the Masters.  I hate him sometimes.

In honor of all the players, coaches, big wigs he introduced us to yesterday, a name dropping was in order as a salute to him.  He will give me another finger for sure, but it was great.  Thanks JD!  Get well soon, your bros.


#Tom Crean  (very gracious with us, more a fan now than I used to be)
#Adam Morrison (he was so nervous before the game, needed win to get monkey off his back)
#Charles Barkley (amazing)
#Michael Slive (don't know who he is but JD said used to be top 2 or 3 most powerful NCAA guys)
#Jamie Dixon   (the meetings of the Jamies, talking So. Cal)
#Matt Painter (Purdue coach)
#Keith Urban
#John Stockton (Could still play)
#Dan Guerrero (UCLA Athletic Director)

Other people that were Athletic honchos whom I cannot remember.


Final Thoughts. Marquette represented well in Phoenix.  Tomorrow night will be head to toe in Marquette regalia.  Randomly ran into two guys in the lobby of the hotel last night with MU gear, neither attended our great university but we hit it off. At the Turner \ TBS party, another MU fan.  Several at the Keith Urban concert Friday night.  Too many fat Badger fans here and we had some fun with them, too.

Semesters in grad school will be spent analyzing this post.

[Galway Eagle]

I've avoided the obvious troll job, but the list of "knocked out by" is comical.

2003 Knocked out by a team that lost their next game.
2008 Knocked out by a team that lost their next game.
2012 Valid.
2013 Knocked out by a team that won one more game.
2015 Knocked out by a team that won one more game.
2016 Valid.

So 4/6 times, the team either lost their next game or lost the game after that. It's not like they were propelled to some incredible run by beating Crean.

This is why taking solace in losing to a team that goes deep (South Carolina, for example) makes no sense to me. You are still out and part of that "deep run" was your own team's failings.

Lost to national runner up Kansas. LOST TO NATIONAL RUNNER UP KANSAS?!? Are you effing kidding me? After that game, the only two options were national runner up or national champs. So basically, they beat Crean then maximized their possible failure.

What an inane argument.

This. I've been trying to figure out how to write this for awhile now.

[Lennys Tap]

Semesters in grad school will be spent analyzing this post.

Enough material for a doctoral thesis in Abnormal Psychology.