Forde: 1st Year Coaches Who Are Being Crushed

[GoldenWarrior11]

In Pat Forde's weekly Minutes column, he lists several first-year coaches who, in his mind, are being absolutely crushed.  Check out who made his #3 and #4.

Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 10-15, 2-10 in the ACC. Their two league victories are at home by a total of five points. There have been plenty of closes losses, too – seven of them by three points or less. Boston College at Virginia Tech on March 2 probably qualifies as the ACC's Crummy Game of the Year. (However, let it be said that The Minutes was a fan of Williams' argyle sweater in school colors he wore last week. Purple and orange aren't a match made in designer heaven, but it wasn't bad.)

Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette. Williams' replacement in Milwaukee is laboring in his first season as a head coach. Wojo is a woeful 11-14, 3-10 in the Big East. Only win in the last month was over a Seton Hall team that is doing its own unraveling at the moment. Like Antigua, the former Mike Krzyzewski assistant is having to adjust to far more losing than he's accustomed to.

There you have it, Scoopers.  Buzz is better than Wojo.  At being crushed in 2015.   

[#UnleashSean]

Pretty dumb article. But I think Buzz has had the better season. He always manages to find a way to be competitive in games.

[wadesworld]

Pretty dumb article. But I think Buzz has had the better season. He always manages to find a way to be competitive in games.

VT has been competitive in far fewer games than MU has, and has fewer "decent" wins this season.

[#UnleashSean]

VT has been competitive in far fewer games than MU has, and has fewer "decent" wins this season.

I wouldn't go that far...

Heres a rundown of both teams. (overtime counts as close, no matter score at end)

Marquette good/bad:
(L) Ohio state - "decent 30 minutes"
(L) Nebraska-Omaha - Not going to say a thing
(W) Georgia Tech - Carlino went off
(L) Michigan state - "decent 30 minutes"
(W) Arizona State - Luke fisher looked like our hero, semi decent win
(L) Depaul - Awful Awful lose, almost as bad as omaha
(W) Providence - Great win for Marquette
(L) Xavier - Close game, decent team
(L) Georgetown (ot) - Close game, good team
(L) Seton Hall - Bad lose. Seton hall was a dumpster fire coming into marquette
(L) Butler (OT) - Good game, terrible last 10 minutes. Close

Good close games: 4 Losses
Wins against decent teams: 3 (Were going to count Arizona as decent here)
Bad losses: 3

Virginia Tech (Note, I haven't actually watched a game)
(L) Appalachian State - Lost by 2 - the equivalent of the Omaha game
(L) Penn state - Away, 3 points. Close lose against decent team
(L) Syracuse - Home, 2 points.
(L) Virginia - Home, 3 points
(W) Pittsburgh - Home 3 points ot
(L) Syracuse - Away, 2 points
(W) Georgia tech - Home, 2 points

good close losses: 4
Wins against decent teams: 2
Bad losses: 1

Both teams are fairly even in this regard. The only downside for Marquette is, they are overall a better team then Virginia Tech. Meaning Buzz Williams experience as a head coach has been able to help him get some close games against teams.

[wadesworld]

I wouldn't go that far...

Heres a rundown of both teams. (overtime counts as close, no matter score at end)

Marquette good/bad:
(L) Ohio state - "decent 30 minutes"
(L) Nebraska-Omaha - Not going to say a thing
(W) Georgia Tech - Carlino went off
(L) Michigan state - "decent 30 minutes"
(W) Arizona State - Luke fisher looked like our hero, semi decent win
(L) Depaul - Awful Awful lose, almost as bad as omaha
(W) Providence - Great win for Marquette
(L) Xavier - Close game, decent team
(L) Georgetown (ot) - Close game, good team
(L) Seton Hall - Bad lose. Seton hall was a dumpster fire coming into marquette
(L) Butler (OT) - Good game, terrible last 10 minutes. Close

Good close games: 4 Losses
Wins against decent teams: 3 (Were going to count Arizona as decent here)
Bad losses: 3

Virginia Tech (Note, I haven't actually watched a game)
(L) Appalachian State - Lost by 2 - the equivalent of the Omaha game
(L) Penn state - Away, 3 points. Close lose against decent team
(L) Syracuse - Home, 2 points.
(L) Virginia - Home, 3 points
(W) Pittsburgh - Home 3 points ot
(L) Syracuse - Away, 2 points
(W) Georgia tech - Home, 2 points

good close losses: 4
Wins against decent teams: 2
Bad losses: 1

Both teams are fairly even in this regard. The only downside for Marquette is, they are overall a better team then Virginia Tech. Meaning Buzz Williams experience as a head coach has been able to help him get some close games against teams.

DePaul on the road is a tougher game than Radford at home, so if you want to count DePaul as an "awful, awful los(e?) then I would consider Radford an awful, awful loss.

Beating Tennessee is much better than losing to Penn State, who is 3-10 in a worse conference than 6-7 DePaul is.  And losing by 4 at Xavier is a "better loss" than by 3 at Penn State.

By the time Seton Hall was a "dumpster fire" we beat them.  When we lost to them they were 14-6 and had beaten Villinova.  That certainly isn't a bad loss, especially since you didn't consider losing to 12-14 Wake Forest a bad "lose" for VT.

You have some pretty odd/interesting ways of selecting what is a "good close loss," what is a "bad loss," and what is a "good win."  It's hard not to be right when you qualify losses for 1 team as bad losses and then worse losses for the other team to be good close losses.  Hard to take you seriously when Seton Hall and DePaul are bad losses for Marquette but Penn State is a good close loss for VT and Radford and Wake Forest go unmentioned for VT.

Fact of the matter is that VT's best wins are at home against Pitt by 3 in OT and at home by 2 against Georgia Tech (who I wouldn't consider a good win at all, but you have them in there), while having 5 losses of 15+ points.  Their worst losses are Radford, Appalachian State, Wake Forest.  Marquette has 2 losses of 15+ points and both came with their best player either not playing at all or playing while concussed.  Their best wins are on a neutral floor against Tennessee (and Georgia Tech I guess) and home against Arizona State and Providence.  Worst losses are UNO and at Creighton.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I wouldn't go that far...

Heres a rundown of both teams. (overtime counts as close, no matter score at end)

Marquette good/bad:
(L) Ohio state - "decent 30 minutes"
(L) Nebraska-Omaha - Not going to say a thing
(W) Georgia Tech - Carlino went off
(L) Michigan state - "decent 30 minutes"
(W) Arizona State - Luke fisher looked like our hero, semi decent win
(L) Depaul - Awful Awful lose, almost as bad as omaha
(W) Providence - Great win for Marquette
(L) Xavier - Close game, decent team
(L) Georgetown (ot) - Close game, good team
(L) Seton Hall - Bad lose. Seton hall was a dumpster fire coming into marquette
(L) Butler (OT) - Good game, terrible last 10 minutes. Close

Good close games: 4 Losses
Wins against decent teams: 3 (Were going to count Arizona as decent here)
Bad losses: 3

Virginia Tech (Note, I haven't actually watched a game)
(L) Appalachian State - Lost by 2 - the equivalent of the Omaha game
(L) Penn state - Away, 3 points. Close lose against decent team
(L) Syracuse - Home, 2 points.
(L) Virginia - Home, 3 points
(W) Pittsburgh - Home 3 points ot
(L) Syracuse - Away, 2 points
(W) Georgia tech - Home, 2 points

good close losses: 4
Wins against decent teams: 2
Bad losses: 1

Both teams are fairly even in this regard. The only downside for Marquette is, they are overall a better team then Virginia Tech. Meaning Buzz Williams experience as a head coach has been able to help him get some close games against teams.

The loss to DePaul was awful because of how it happened.  It isn't awful if you just look at it as a loss, where DePaul has beaten other teams.  Yes, Carlino went off v Georgia Tech....did any Va Tech players go off for some of their wins?

MU did beat Tech on a neutral court, Va Tech beat them at home.

Va tech is ranked 220th in the RPI.  MU is at 142

[Dr. Blackheart]

Has it really come to which team is more horrid?  "Sucks the chrome off a trailer hitch" vs. "Sucks the enamel off the oven handle" are not options, people: Sucks is sucks.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Has it really come to which team is more horrid?  "Sucks the chrome off a trailer hitch" vs. "Sucks the enamel off the oven handle" are not options, people: Sucks is sucks.

There are levels of suckitude.

Now I know why you said worst team in 51 years....you're assuming all suckiness is the same.   Come on now Good Doctor.   

[Dr. Blackheart]

There are levels of suckitude.

Now I know why you said worst team in 51 years....you're assuming all suckiness is the same.   Come on now Good Doctor.    

Well, there are opinions and there are facts. The home losing streak and counting is a fact of 51 years. Does it really matter arguing hair thin margins of suckitude endlessly? I find that depressing. Feel free to have at it.  Let's hope the 51 year old home loss streak ends on Saturday.

[dgies9156]

Look, this is the worst sucitude since 1964. There is little worse than what we have experienced.

Hang on. Help is on its way. It will be there as fast as it can!

[Anti-Dentite]

All I know is that we suck and it sucks to suck.

[Shark]

MU SOS: 44
VT SOS: 96