mu season tix holders should be embarassed...

[tomahawkchop]

get better. Four remaining non-conference cupcakes gives Crean a chance to right the ship heading into the BE.

Unfortunately, nothing can really be learned from beating the cuppycakes of the basketball world. 

LOVE THE AVATAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mu_hilltopper]

get better. Four remaining non-conference cupcakes gives Crean a chance to right the ship heading into the BE.

Not sure how playing 4 cupcakes will right the ship.  We are what we are.

Every year, I think of how ever could you replace player X or Y, and the answer is, the guys on the team get 10% better each year.

At this point, I'm not sure that's the case.  It's hard to say if anyone on the team is measurably better than they were last year.  DJ has a high bar to cross .. McNeal has "more" flashes of quality, but is still turns the ball over as much as last year .. Wes hasn't blossomed.  Ooze has had a few good games .. he's definitely better.  Fitz, Lott, and Burke are about the same.

The only two guys on the team that can get better and right the ship with growth are Cubillan and Lazar.  They've got some unknown upside, and we're all optimistic.

By and large, though, this team will struggle to be as good as they were last year, which, as I keep reminding, we played 15 games vs. quality RPI < 90 teams, and won only 5 of those 15 quality games.  Of course, the BE won't be as dominating this year.

[spiral97]

I have VERY high hopes for cubillan.. he has very promising flashes and seems fairly steady and high energy throughout.. his ball control is excellent and attitude is "bring it'.

I have fairly high hopes for Barro too.. he has had a few very good games and seems to have regressed slightly the past few games.. he was powering his way through the forest of hands and arms to put the ball in the hoop.. the last two games seems like he's trying to avoid the contact again and snake through.  if he gets that fearlessness back and consistency he'll be a great presence for us down low.

further, I have high hopes for the sophomores yet too.. I think DJ needs to become a little more grounded and the three as a whole need to accept the burden of being leaders.

I agree about Lazar.. just not sure if it'll happen til late in the season or over the summer.. he seems daunted by the action going on in the court yet.. he needs to let it come to him rather than force stuff..  Much the same with blackledge except he seems to be having trouble getting off the bench at all.

fitz could get a little better methinks but it might be too little too late by the time he does.  I keep hoping he'll have a breakout perimeter game in the OOC but his chances are growing fewer.  I am happy with his rebounding effort improvement.

[Eye]

3. Some guy sitting in Racine who never went to either UW or Marquette is going to be a Badger fan.

That's the biggest problem with college basketball in this state. MU has 40-plus years of tradition, while Wisconsin-Madison has been above-average for 10 years, yet everyone in this state is ga-ga over them. Too many people in this state are mind-numbed robots in regards to college basketball, believing everything the liberal-leaning, Madison-biased media tells them.

[The Lens]

I just don't understand how 4,000 UW fans at the BC is a bad thing.  IMHO the best part about the game is the interaction with all the red.  At Buck Bradleys before there were plenty of great barbs traded.  The highlight was when some redneck walked in with the greatest Kentucky Waterfall this side of Talledaga and everyone waited to see his alegiance...on the back of his black leather jacket was a huge Bucky...MU fans thought typical and every UW fan thought "the price we pay for winning the popular vote in WI. 

At the game, the guy who sits behind me, who has not missed one MU game this year, showed up in UW red (his wife an MU grad). He was greeted by the A$$ Hole chant (I jumped in too).  The best part is the students who did this probably were at the Raynor Library during Delaware State when this guy was cheering for MU but he still took in stride.  That's what makes it great.

I understand home court...but when MU was playing well we completely drowned out the red...it was only when the tides turned that the red could be heard.  By then, they earned it.

[muhoosier260]

agreed damon, the razzing was something that is just too much fun. it sucked to have the UW fans be obnoxious when the badgers were going on runs (most the game) but it was fun for the fans, it made the MU fans cheer with pride