The apocalypse is here.

[mu_hilltopper]

Our buddy Gery wrote a positive entry on Marquette.  Clearly, the end of the world is near.

http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=10119

01/11/2007: Marquette's victory most impressive

BY GERY WOELFEL

If you turned on your radio Thursday and listened to any sports talk show in our area, two topics dominated:
1) The Bucks trading Steve Blake to Denver for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge; and 2) The Brewers introducing their prized off-season acquisition, pitcher Jeff Suppan, to the media.

They were good conversational pieces, for sure. But there was another topic that flew under the radar when, on most days, it would have been the numero uno discussion. And that was Marquette's surprising and ever-so-impressive 73-69 victory over Connecticut.

It wasn't huge just because UConn is ranked 24th in the country; it was huge because MU coach Tom Crean's crew won on the Huskies' homecourt. The Huskies lose on their own floor about as often Donald and Rosie have a kind word for the other. UConn had reeled off 31 consecutive wins at home before losing to MU, including the last 14 at Gampbel Pavilion.

Yet, while beating the Huskies on their homecourt had to be immensely gratifying to WarriorNation, there was another notable aspect to the game: the stunning play of junior center Ousmane Barro.

Barro has had a non-descript career at MU. But against UConn, he was a tower of power. Barro recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Making Barro's performance even more amazing was that he thoroughly outplayed highly-touted UConn frosh Hasheem Thabeet. The latter had three points and three rebounds.

NBA scouts have been keeping a close eye on Thabeet. Some of them are convinced Thabeet could be a lottery selection if he decides to turn pro after the season. Those same aforementioned scouts haven't been saying anything about Barro. They might now.

[tonyreeder]

A more telling sign of the apocalypse would be the day the "Ooze" plays one minute of basketball in the NBA.   Great game and love the way he's playing this year but you need to show more range from outside of 6 inches to play in the NBA.

[DoubleMU0609]

but you need to show more range from outside of 6 inches to play in the NBA.

Didn't you see his shot from the free throw line?  I vote he called the bank. 

[Warrior1969]

Its a long shot but he has another year and a half to work om a face the basket shot.  It could happen?

[RawdogDX]

He'll be 2nd team all big east next year, i've been saying it for months.

[rocky_warrior]

Ahem....Woefel free zone??? 
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=13.msg40#msg40

[ChicosBailBonds]

A more telling sign of the apocalypse would be the day the "Ooze" plays one minute of basketball in the NBA.   Great game and love the way he's playing this year but you need to show more range from outside of 6 inches to play in the NBA.

How many people uttered those same words about Steve Novak his junior year?  About Chris Crawford his junior year?  About Travis Diener his junior year?  About Amal McCaskill his junior year?

NO one and I mean NO ONE here or anywhere was saying those guys would play in the NBA during the first few months of their junior years and yet they all are or did.

Hell, how many internet "experts" last year said Alando Tucker is a tweener and would likely not be drafted in the NBA?

Perhaps we should wait and see.  The odds are long but no one here knows if Barro will be able to play or not in the NBA.  If he works very hard and continues to improve, he might get a look or two.  A longshot for sure, but as my example above illustrates, MU has cranked out a lot of those long shots in the last ten years.

[tonyreeder]

we shall see Sporty Sports.    I would argue the players you mentioned had far more skills and versatility than the Ooze will ever have.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Ahem....Woefel free zone??? 
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=13.msg40#msg40

can one moderator ban another moderator?  And could that banned moderate then un-ban himself?  Looks like you guys need to have another roadtrip.   

MODIFY:  I will sponser your roadtrip only if you take bad, two party out of state checks.....

[spiral97]

Ahem....Woefel free zone??? 
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=13.msg40#msg40

can one moderator ban another moderator?  And could that banned moderate then un-ban himself?  Looks like you guys need to have another roadtrip.   

Yes rocky.. I believe this calls for another roadtrip.. and an additional 18 bottles of beer minimum per day... first we have to debate whether or not to bother.. then we need to figure out how to do it.. then we need to sleep on it a bit.. then we... yes definitely another roadtrip.. might I suggest the weekend of January 21st in.. oh.. say.. the ugly city of Pittsburgh?    I believe Ziggy said something about sponsoring our airfare and hotel...  (and if he didn't we could modify his post to do so) 8)

[ChicosBailBonds]

we shall see Sporty Sports.    I would argue the players you mentioned had far more skills and versatility than the Ooze will ever have.

In hind site that is easy to claim, what I want to know is why if that was the case so many people weren't saying those guys were a lock in January of their junior years?  Answer is simple...because they weren't.

PS  No longer SportySports.  I'm the other guy over there linking to other sites around the internet that is deemed "ok" but don't dare link to a Marquette basketball blog because that's the end of the world.