Go on record before the drama starts

[ChicosBailBonds]

Wow. Your Tanned Tommy Man Love is showing

You were saying?      

[tower912]

I think Henry is going to be very good.      I just don't understand how anyone can predict that a team with.....

(A) 10 scholarship players.
(B) 3 of whom are taller than 6'6
(C) 5 of whom are freshmen
(D)  off of a 13-19 team that lost a lot of scoring and rebounding
(E) with two freshman point guards, one of whom was not a point guard in high school

....is a second weekend of the tournament team.   Pure homerism.   I would never predict those kind of things for a team that wasn't MU, unless it was another one of Kentucky's ridiculous freshman classes.    Too many things have to go right along with no injuries to Luke, Henry, Duane, or Traci for this team to sniff the big dance.    I hope this gets thrown in my face as the worst prediction ever in 4 months.   But for now, I am going not going to set the bar too high.

Halloween!   I only wish I could predict lottery numbers this well.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I just re-read the first few pages of this - very interesting thread - we should do it every year.  Here is what I took away

1. We didn't know yet how much experience would trump talent/potential (except for a few)
2. The trajectory of improvement throughout the year was probably the biggest miss -- the magnitude was somewhat expected - we just all thought we would catch that March lightning in a bottle by peaking late
3. We broadly didn't meet the most pessimistic 'call' - I didnt see a lot saying NO Postseason
4. There were a lot bringing up their concerns about 16/17 pretty early -- saw a few worried about what happens when HE leaves

For all those bumping the thread -- we arent going to the CBI or NIT so your partial credit prize was not having to watch the CBS selection show and worry about MU's seed (great prize).

Lot's of work to do for next year -- go Wojo.

[jsglow]

Went back and saw that I expected the NIT.  Missed that by a DePaul home loss probably.  Not going to harp on that individual game because we won more than our share of super close ones too.  The three highlights for me had to be winning NYC, beating Bucky, and the great GTown finish.  Far too many low lights, especially at home, for my taste however.

I made it to 17 games.  Chick got to 18.  For the first time in several years we didn't do an annual road-trip.  We also skipped the DePaul 'home' game.  I would have enjoyed Vegas on TV and/or in person but it wasn't to be.  Last year at this time I was pumped about Henry and the rest of the Frosh.  This year, not so much.  I guess we'll see what Wojo pulls off to relight the fire.

[JakeBarnes]

Went back and saw that I expected the NIT.  Missed that by a DePaul home loss probably.  Not going to harp on that individual game because we won more than our share of super close ones too.  The three highlights for me had to be winning NYC, beating Bucky, and the great GTown finish.  Far too many low lights, especially at home, for my taste however.

I made it to 17 games.  Chick got to 18.  For the first time in several years we didn't do an annual road-trip.  We also skipped the DePaul 'home' game.  I would have enjoyed Vegas on TV and/or in person but it wasn't to be.  Last year at this time I was pumped about Henry and the rest of the Frosh.  This year, not so much.  I guess we'll see what Wojo pulls off to relight the fire.

It was a tough pill to swallow to have the season go the way it did. To be frank, I've felt exhausted...it's the opposite of the year for TBW with Jimmy. Lost a lot of close games and got hit hard in others.

I truly believe that a PF grad or signing goes a long way into making me feel pretty good about next year. If Markus Howard comes here, I've even more stoked. The team was young, but it's a hell of a foundation to build from. Next year is a tourney team. Unfortunately we have a lot of time to mull over that fact with the offseason.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Went back and saw that I expected the NIT.  Missed that by a DePaul home loss probably.  Not going to harp on that individual game because we won more than our share of super close ones too.  The three highlights for me had to be winning NYC, beating Bucky, and the great GTown finish.  Far too many low lights, especially at home, for my taste however.

I made it to 17 games.  Chick got to 18.  For the first time in several years we didn't do an annual road-trip.  We also skipped the DePaul 'home' game.  I would have enjoyed Vegas on TV and/or in person but it wasn't to be.  Last year at this time I was pumped about Henry and the rest of the Frosh.  This year, not so much.  I guess we'll see what Wojo pulls off to relight the fire.

The amount of spots taken by conference auto bids really hurt.  Those of us saying NIT team, probably would have nailed it if so many conference champions hadn't lost in their tourney.  It is funny reading some of the NCAA hopefuls in this thread....fandom does crazy things to logic and people's brains.   

[JakeBarnes]

The amount of spots taken by conference auto bids really hurt.  Those of us saying NIT team, probably would have nailed it if so many conference champions hadn't lost in their tourney.  It is funny reading some of the NCAA hopefuls in this thread....fandom does crazy things to logic and people's brains.

The double edged sword of fandom: the highs are higher, but the lows sure do feel low.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The double edged sword of fandom: the highs are higher, but the lows sure do feel low.

Yup, though I have found that age mellows out the highs and lows quite a bit. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The double edged sword of fandom: the highs are higher, but the lows sure do feel low.

Amen.

[Benny B]

I don't feel bad about how I felt about this team.  I overestimated the development of some of the returning players, but mostly, I completely missed the mark on both 3pt. shooting and T/O expectations.

In short, Henry lived up to expectations, which I had anticipated would have a two-pronged benefit: both Fischer and Henry would have more favorable matchups and better looks at the hoop and our guards would have more wide open looks from the perimeter.  As it turned out:

1) The needle didn't actually move at all on Fischer's FG%, FGA, PPG or APG.
2) As a team, MU had fewer 3PA's (1 less per game, on average) and fell 50 bps on team 3P% year-over-year.

Moreover, MU had three* guys (JJJ, HC & SCIII) whose individual 3P% was better than the NCAA average, yet collectively, they had a mere 6.5 attempts per game; Henry - on the other hand - had nearly half as many attempts as those three combined (3.2) despite shooting 28.8%.  NCAA team average was 20 3PA per game, MU only attempted 17.3.

(*excluding Sacar who had 5 attempts on the season)

My opinion is simply that the game plan at the beginning of the season was not executed.  Henry put up some gaudy stats, but unfortunately, the guys around him didn't improve.  Why?  I have no clue... whether that's on Henry, his teammates or the coaching staff, I have no opinion, but it certainly wasn't the result I was expecting.

As to the T/O's... I simply expected them to be somewhere near where they were last year (12.5) or at least the NCAA average (12.7); as it turned out, only 23 teams in all of D-I had more T/O's per game than Marquette (14.7).  Though somewhat mitigated by the fact MU ended #29 in the country in SPG, two fewer T/O's per game all but covers the differential in the Creighton, DePaul and Belmont losses.

[brewcity77]

Yup, though I have found that age mellows out the highs and lows quite a bit.

Yup. Even 5 years ago I was a lot more bummed out by the highs and lows. Pushing 40, I just take it as it comes. Honestly, my hope is just to see Marquette win a title in my lifetime. Not sure that will happen, but no sense in getting overly worked up. Not worth the stress.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Yup. Even 5 years ago I was a lot more bummed out by the highs and lows. Pushing 40, I just take it as it comes. Honestly, my hope is just to see Marquette win a title in my lifetime. Not sure that will happen, but no sense in getting overly worked up. Not worth the stress.

At 40, the sweater vest arrives in the mail, it shrinks in the wash, and the midriff is tighter. Every loss, every empty student seat, every obscene cheer becomes a personal offense. The crocheted seams bust out one after the other with each and every yeast encapsulated beer. The good old days of Dukiet become more fondly remembered.  TC's and Buzz's personality disorders become quaint.  And then you die.

But $2 pitchers at Caff's with a game ticket followed by a Marquette special with extra onions, cheese and sour cream provide the Bittersweet Symphony needed to again reup on your season tickets every June.

[LloydsLegs]

Yup. Even 5 years ago I was a lot more bummed out by the highs and lows. Pushing 40, I just take it as it comes. Honestly, my hope is just to see Marquette win a title in my lifetime. Not sure that will happen, but no sense in getting overly worked up. Not worth the stress.

I always assumed that you were class of 77 or just repping the championship year in your monicker (clearly not focusing on the context of what I'm sure have been dozens of posts about your MU history etc). Kind of took me aback - put MU BBall history in perspective for you to say that MU had not won in your lifetime.

[brewcity77]

I always assumed that you were class of 77 or just repping the championship year in your monicker (clearly not focusing on the context of what I'm sure have been dozens of posts about your MU history etc). Kind of took me aback - put MU BBall history in perspective for you to say that MU had not won in your lifetime.

Born in '77, been using that moniker before I even got to Marquette

They did technically win in my lifetime, but as I was only 35 days old on the day Al wept and we cut down nets at the Omni, it's not exactly the freshest of memories for me.

[Groin_pull]

Yup. Even 5 years ago I was a lot more bummed out by the highs and lows. Pushing 40, I just take it as it comes. Honestly, my hope is just to see Marquette win a title in my lifetime. Not sure that will happen, but no sense in getting overly worked up. Not worth the stress.

I feel ya. I used to live and die with every MU win and loss. Now, not so much. Heck, I don't even watch every game that's available to me. Too many other things to do. Does that make me a bad fan/alum? Maybe, but I can live with that.