Gottlieb gives MU an "A" grade for the year

[Badgerhater920]

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/columns/story?columnist=gottlieb_doug&id=4054883


Marquette: A When healthy, they were outstanding. Who knows what would have happened had Dominic James not broken his foot.

[{Juggernaut}]

Could you copy the article to the blog for all of us poor folks!!

[Pakuni]

Why does he hate Marquette so much?

Seriously, though, how does the guy go from repeatedly calling Marquette overrated to calling MU outstanding?
Make up your mind, already.

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

That was the only Marquette mention in the whole article.  The rest is long, had formatting problems b/c of the billions of logos, and is clearly biased because it didn't give Indiana an F.

[LON]

That was the only Marquette mention in the whole article.  The rest is long, had formatting problems b/c of the billions of logos, and is clearly biased because it didn't give Indiana an F.

I heard they're on "Double Secret Probation," whatever that is

[Badgerhater920]

Can we tell you the truth for a minute?

The NCAA tournament was one big letdown.

With the lack of Cinderellas, the lack of games like Nova/Pitt, the Final Four city and setup, and the third-lowest rating in finals history, this tourney was average at best.

One of the major things missing in Detroit was a centrally located hotel for the coaches to gather in the lobby and see old adversaries and friends alike. At the Final Four, "Great season, Coach!" is the easiest way to greet any logo-shirted polo- and slacks-wearing coach whom you don't really know.

Since there was no real lobby-wrangling this year (also missing was the "all-lobby team," guys who managed to be in every conversation), we're breaking down the teams who really had a great season.

The biggest problem with the NCAA tournament has been that it sometimes creates an illusion about the whole season. When those illusions are wiped away, these grades remain.

Here are the grades for the schools from the top six conferences and some of the best mid- and high-majors.


 Duke: B The problem is not with the chorus, but with how the song ends. Once again, an ACC tourney championship and 30 wins leave Duke fans with an empty feeling. What happened to Greg Paulus? Miles Plumlee? Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler were stars, but were they too good, such that they will now decide to leave?

 North Carolina: A+ Simply the best when healthy and focused.

 Wake Forest: B It ended ugly, and there are more questions than answers. However, considering its youth, expectations and the overall win total, Wake had a good year.

 Virginia: F Coach gets fired … enough said. Sylven Landesberg is a major talent.

 Maryland: B The Terps beat the two teams in the NCAA tournament, but they also got blown out more than any other high-major in the NCAA tournament. If you consider the pressure on Gary Williams and his team to perform and the fact that their overall talent is not that good, this was one heck of a year.

 Florida State: A Leonard Hamilton went from the hot seat to an extension. Toney Douglas carried the Noles to their first ACC title game, and they had Wisconsin way down in the NCAAs but lacked the knowledge of how to turn the knife and finish it off.

 Miami: C- Miami was good enough to be in the NIT but failed nonetheless. It might have been a different year had Jack McClinton not been ejected from the Ohio State game in December.

 NC State: D There are strong rumors that Sidney Lowe will leave for the NBA, and no one will stop him. NC State is a point guard away from being much more competitive, and only John Wall can save this water-filled ship.

 BC: C It beat Duke at home and UNC in Chapel Hill, but BC had plenty of ugly losses and was trounced in the Dance by USC.

 Virginia Tech: C This year's version of the Notre Dame team from a couple of years ago. The Hokies lost five buzzer-beaters, which should mean things will go their way next year … or so I'm told. Malcolm Delaney is a stud, Jeff Allen got suspended at the wrong time, and A.D. Vassallo took a while to get going.

 Georgia Tech: F Only the economy and Derrick Favors saved Paul Hewitt. Next year should be much better. Well, it better be.

 Clemson: C In with a bang and out with a whimper. It's Clemson basketball.


 UConn: A- Amid distraction and a major injury (remember when the Huskies tried to downplay it?), UConn was a terrific defensive team. If only the Huskies had an offense …

 Louisville: A- Louisville won the Big East and reached the Elite Eight. The ending was not what the Cardinals had hoped, but it was a darn solid year.

 Marquette: A When healthy, they were outstanding. Who knows what would have happened had Dominic James not broken his foot.

 Villanova: A+ Nova reached the Final Four and beat Pitt twice, including in the Elite Eight.

 Syracuse: B A ton of talent, but it gave us more memories than consistency. If they all come back and play hard, watch out.

 West Virginia: C With some early injuries, a steady diet of home losses and an early tourney exit, this was a very average year for a Bob Huggins team. Next season, they could be special.

 Pitt: B+ A great year by anyone else's standards, but Pitt did not win the Big East regular season or tournament. It also did not get to the Final Four. The Elite Eight was great, but it was below the hopes of this group.

 Georgetown: F How can this team beat Memphis at home, win at UConn when the Huskies were at full-strength and then proceed to stink the rest of they year only to beat Nova on the road late in the season. Inexplicable.

 Notre Dame: C The Irish were badly overrated from the start, but they did trounce Louisville and fight their way to the NIT Final Four.

 Rutgers: F It's a tough league, no doubt, but the mixture of young and old did not work.

 St. John's: D Considering they lost Anthony Mason Jr. before the conference season started, and they beat ND and Georgetown (twice), the Johnnies were at least respectable in the end.

 Cincinnati: C Mick Cronin gets a ton out of the Bearcats, but they need more scoring.

 South Florida: D The Bulls were respectable in an unwinnable situation.

 Seton Hall: C This was the best of the Big Least teams. The Pirates beat the bottom teams and lost to most of the top.

 Providence: C Five 1,000-point scorers, but it lacked the ability to get it together on the road enough to make the Dance.

 DePaul: F Jerry Wainwright could be the only man in America who loves this recession.


 Indiana: D At least they played hard.

 Illinois: B Considering no one thought much of this team talent-wise (except Demetri McCamey ), the Illini had a solid year and legit help is on the way -- finally.

 Iowa: D They're still tough to beat at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but the style is death to watch. Losing Jake Kelly does not help.

 Penn State: A+ The Nittany Lions not only saved Ed DeChellis' job but also changed the culture of the program. Thirty-seven student-filled busses later, the NIT champs can't wait for … basketball season next year?

 Purdue: A- Injuries derailed most of the Elite Eight hopes, but Purdue won the Big Ten tourney and played well in the Dance. Oh, and everyone is back yet again next year.

 Michigan State: A+ No need to waste words. This was a terrific season with a rushed 20 minutes versus the best team in the land.

 Michigan: B It took only two years to do what Tommy Amaker never did. Plus, the Wolverines beat Clemson in the NCAA tourney and took a large step this year.

 Wisconsin: B Considering how they began both the regular season and the Big Ten schedule, Badger fans will take a two-game NCAA tournament appearance, if they have any brains.

 Minnesota: B- Their record is a bit deceiving, and they finished with a thud, but there's plenty to feel good about in Minneapolis.

 Ohio State: C Superior talent. Without a point guard and with several players playing for next year, Thad Matta did as well as could be expected, considering the monster OSU has created.

 Northwestern: A The Cats were relevant in March. Craig Moore will be missed.


 Oklahoma: A A bit overrated in terms of overall talent, Oklahoma would have won the Big 12 had Blake Griffin not suffered a concussion.

 Oklahoma State: A Travis Ford finally got the high school All-American out of Byron Eaton and put the fire in James Anderson. Sometimes, a near-miss in the Dance is a good thing.

 Nebraska: C The heartbreak kids of the Big 12. They played really hard but lacked size and the ability to score when it mattered.

 Iowa State: D Craig Brackins was great, but the youth, combined with the loss of Wesley Johnson, buried OSU in the league.

 Kansas: A After losing almost the entire team from the previous year, the Jayhawks won the league for the fifth straight time. 'Nough said.

 Kansas State: B The Wildcats were more than respectable without their two studs from the previous year. Things are looking up for K-State.

 Missouri: A Mizzou enjoyed an Elite Eight run and won the Big 12 tourney. Heck, how did it get trounced by rival Illinois? Who cares? Missouri improved and became a very good team.

 Colorado: F Competitive to the end, CU might finally do something next year. But it's hard to care. Colorado is digging a hole that will be hard to come out from.

 Texas: B- Without a point guard, the Horns were not too bad by the end of the year. This team was flawed, but those flaws should be gone by next season. Look out.

 Texas A&M: B Another year, another tourney win. The arena is full, the practice facility is plush (and finished), and the Aggies are no longer the diamond in the rough waiting to be discovered.

 Baylor: B Sure, the Bears did not share the ball or guard any better than the year before. But they did get to the NIT, which makes this just the second Baylor team ever to go to back-to-back postseasons.

 Texas Tech: D One win in the Big 12 tourney does not erase the fact that Tech had little regard for defense or shot selection for most of the year. The Red Raiders should improve next year, but by how much?


 UCLA: C- Darren Collison's returning actually hurt the overall chemistry, as Ben Howland never truly figured out how to use Jrue Holiday. While a second-round exit versus Nova in Philly is nothing to sneeze at, the way the Bruins were beaten and the overall discontent could hurt more than the previous three Final Fours helped.

 USC: B- Despite premier talent in a league lacking such skill, USC didn't have focus and cohesion all year. The second season provided a second life for Tim Floyd's crew. Once again, he appears to benefit by losing his most talented player because of the Trojans' brief spurt of quality play. Do not worry; more help is on the way.

 Arizona: C Winning in the tourney cures all ills, but losing to ASU thrice doesn't. Let's be honest: If not for a weak bubble, this is an NIT team that probably gets bounced because of a lack of desire. Losing by a million to Louisville in the Dance leaves a bad taste, too.

 Arizona State: B Visions of grandeur aside, ASU had a darn good season with one great player, one very good player and some guys who could make shots. Oh, and it beat Arizona three times, which makes for a great year in Tempe.

 Stanford: D It started with a bang and ended with a thud, and Johnny D was not left with much inside help. He should have held onto Miles Plumlee, who never helped Duke.

 Cal: A After finishing ninth in the league last year and losing its top two players to the NBA draft, Cal once again became a player in the Pac-10. Nobody is really sure how the Golden Bears shot so well, but playing a tinge of defense did not hurt.

 Oregon: F Sure they were young, but Tajuan Porter and Joevan Catron regressed. With essentially everyone back, paying Mike Dunlap $400K to fix this mess is possible.

 Oregon State: A After going winless in conference play last year, OSU won plenty this season, and then it won the CBI. This was change for the better.

 Washington State: A While the record and NIT performance were mediocre, the Cougs made the postseason yet again despite losing their top two players from last year. Klay Thompson is a star, and Taylor Rochestie had more memorable moments than most in his last go-round. Tony Bennett will be missed, but not underappreciated.

 Washington: A Despite the early Dance exit, Lorenzo Romar captured the school's first outright regular-season conference crown since 1953. With Jon Brockman gone, things still look bright, as Abdul Gaddy will play with Isaiah Thomas next season (thanks, Lute).


 Kentucky: D The NIT … for Kentucky? That's a D. Jodie Meeks was amazing at times, but not having a point guard was the Wildcats' undoing.

 Florida: D Maybe Billy D should have taken the Magic job a few seasons ago. The Gators' defense was very average, and so was their decision-making in key games. Kenny Boynton will make them legit again.

 Tennessee: B With seven new players, this was not a bad team by year's end. Bruce Pearl's squad could not shoot, but the Vols bought into his intensity and gave him everything he asked for … except more makes.

 South Carolina: C If not for their two buzzer-beaters (Florida and Kentucky), what did the Gamecocks really accomplish?

 LSU: A Won the SEC. Won a tourney game.

 Mississippi: D Chris Warren's knee injury and Andy Kennedy's arrest came in one 24-hour swoop that killed what could have been a very solid season.

 Mississippi State: B- Somebody had to win the SEC tournament, even if it looked like nobody wanted to do it.

 Arkansas: F How in the heck did the Razorbacks beat Texas and Oklahoma and almost nobody else after that? Maybe they should have met Georgetown in the "what happened to you?" game.

 Auburn: B Jeff Lebo saved his job, and the Tigers were fun to watch when they got healthy.

 Alabama: C- All things considered, the Tide's record was not awful. But the program had better talent than the results indicate. Anthony Grant was a great hire, and JaMychal Green should help that transition.

 Georgia: F Again, how did this team beat Florida?

 Vanderbilt: B- Solid as ever, Dores coach Kevin Stallings never lets fans feel cheated.

BEST OF THE REST

 Memphis: A+ The numbers and wins were a little fictitious in terms of the level of competition, but Memphis was a terrific club, considering the decline in true talent this year.

 Gonzaga: B- The Zags were called a Final Four candidate several times, but they never showed the toughness to win against the biggest of big boys. Very skilled and incredibly dominant at its level, Gonzaga asks to be held in higher regard; thus, it is also held to a higher standard.

 Xavier: A The Musketeers picked up a win at LSU and won the A-10 championship without great point guard play. If they could have just hit a shot in the second half against Pitt in the NCAAs, they might have reached Detroit.

 Butler: A- Considering what was lost, the season was fantastic because of tremendous youth.

 Dayton: B+ Despite having little, if any, outside shooting, Dayton was strong, athletic and mentally tough when it needed to be.

 BYU: A- Without Trent Plaisted (left for the draft after last season), BYU shared the regular-season championship with Utah and New Mexico. Coach Dave Rose has been unbelievable. Now, if he could just get his guys to relax in the NCAA tournament …

 Utah: B+ From a home loss to Southwest Baptist to the NCAA tournament -- there's a reason Jim Boylen is a hot name.

 San Diego State: B+ Had they not dealt with early suspensions, the Aztecs might have been in the NCAAs and Arizona could have been in the NIT.

 Saint Mary's: A Will anyone on that committee admit that they were wrong? Oh well, Stephen Curry versus Patty Mills was great in the NIT.

 Utah State: A They lost their all-time leading scorer from last year and still won 30 games. How in the world does Stew Morrill's phone not ring?

[bamamarquettefan]

I give him credit for the comment.  The guy was adament MU was overrated at No. 8 when healthy.  I disagreed with him, but I think most of you on this blog agreed with that basic statement.  But to come back and acknowledge that they could have been at least Sweet 16 with a healthy Dominic is fair.

He also said right before Dominic broke his foot that if MU one 4 of their last 5 he would admit he had been wrong and they were a top 8 team.  I thought that was a high bar.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Utah State: A They lost their all-time leading scorer from last year and still won 30 games. How in the world does Stew Morrill's phone not ring?


Because Doug, it does ring and he says no.  He's told Arizona no, Wazzu no, UNLV no over the last decade.  He's a Utah guy, a mormon and he's not leaving for any place not named BYU.

[madtownwarrior]

playing in a crap league and a horrible out-of-conference schedule helps get to to 30 wins too...

[ChicosBailBonds]

playing in a crap league and a horrible out-of-conference schedule helps get to to 30 wins too...

Very true, then again they gave us in the mighty Big East all we could handle until the final seconds of the game.

[4everwarriors]

Very true, then again they gave us in the mighty Big East all we could handle until the final seconds of the game.

It's the stuff legends are made of.

[NotAnAlum]

Chico's you obviously adore Morrill and he may be a very good coach but nothing that he did in the game against MU showed me anything.  His team came in with 30 wins and was like 26th in the polls.  That's only 5 places behind MU.  In a game that was effectively a home game for Utah St he played us close but couldn't pull off the upset against a team that was really feeling the effects of altitude in the second half.  His team didn't do anything that surprised MU.
If that game against us is supposed to prove that this guy is a great coach I don't see how you can't claim even more for Buzz.  Against Mizzou Buzz was playing a team 10 slots ahead of him in the polls, a team that later beat the 6th ranked team rather easily.  He didn't have the home crowd that Utah St had and his team still battled back down further to a much better team.
   

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I smell a Stewie the Legend directv ad for next march coming up.   

[CTWarrior]

Utah State: A They lost their all-time leading scorer from last year and still won 30 games. How in the world does Stew Morrill's phone not ring?


Because Doug, it does ring and he says no.  He's told Arizona no, Wazzu no, UNLV no over the last decade.  He's a Utah guy, a mormon and he's not leaving for any place not named BYU.

He's also going to be 57 in a couple months, and that's a bit too long in the tooth to be taking over at a big-time job.  A guy like him is probably right where he ought to be.  Not everybody feels the need to maximize earnings and exposure.  If he and his family are happy where they are, and he makes a very nice living doing something he loves in a place he is comfortable with complete job security, what is the incentive for moving on?  Sounds like a guy with regular guy priorities (as opposed to sports priorities).

There is something about the business of sports and the competitive nature of athletes/coaches in general that makes them different from me.  The need to earn every last dollar when you're already making enough money to insure your grandchildren are set for life.  People are always surprised when a guy like Kirby Puckett eschews more money to stay where he is already wealthy and genuinely adored.  That's a decision I would make every time.

[NavinRJohnson]

I agree with him on Marquette and the tournament overall...

This will forever be the year of what might have been. Even without James, MU was good. With him, they were really good.

I found the tournament overall to be a bit of a snooze. I'd maybe give it a C+. The + just because overall it is a great event, and it had some moments, but not a very compelling year.

[Eye]

38 and some-odd minutes into the Missouri game, I'd have agreed with an A. The last 1 and some-odd minutes of the Missouri game drops it to a B in my book. Have to close the final exam better to get an A.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chico's you obviously adore Morrill and he may be a very good coach but nothing that he did in the game against MU showed me anything.  His team came in with 30 wins and was like 26th in the polls.  That's only 5 places behind MU.  In a game that was effectively a home game for Utah St he played us close but couldn't pull off the upset against a team that was really feeling the effects of altitude in the second half.  His team didn't do anything that surprised MU.
If that game against us is supposed to prove that this guy is a great coach I don't see how you can't claim even more for Buzz.  Against Mizzou Buzz was playing a team 10 slots ahead of him in the polls, a team that later beat the 6th ranked team rather easily.  He didn't have the home crowd that Utah St had and his team still battled back down further to a much better team.
   

That's one way to look at it, then again just a week before we took a Final Four team to the last seconds, we took a Sweet 16 team to OT, and we lost on the road to an Elite 8 team by 4 points.  So were we really playing that badly at the end?  I don't think so.

I don't adore Stew, I just think that a lot of Midwest and East coast fans have little clue as to some of the pockets of basketball out west.  It's why I laughed when so many were predicting double digit wins.  We got damn lucky to win that game, damn lucky. 

[OneMadWarrior]

Personally, I love Gottlieb. Beano Cook, Gottlieb, and Colin Cowherd are my favorite ESPN personalities, its no coincidence either that they frequently appear on each others shows. Their abreasive nature is what makes them compelling.

[Eye]

I also like Gottlieb more than the average viewer. He was the only guy to have the guts to tell the truth, that U of A plainly and simply choked away the '05 Elite 8 game against Illinois.

[Guy Fieri's Dad]

gottlieb is a half wit most of the time.

[Murffieus]

Gottlieb knows his BB.

Grade is correct (A)-----however MU gets an A+ for intensity and effort!

BTW------I don''t see where we missed DJ-----in the 5 games before UCONN (DJ's last 5 games and we lost 2 of them)-----he was 39% FGs, 19 treys, 44% FTs and 2- assist to TO ratio (in short he was regressing).

Meanwhile as a starter and in six games we lost to Top 10 teams after DJ went down, Acker hit 44% on treys and had a 2.5 to 1 assist/TO ratio-------in addition to that, others stepped up into DJ's opportunities.

[GOMU1104]

Gottlieb knows his BB.

Grade is correct (A)-----however MU gets an A+ for intensity and effort!

BTW------I don''t see where we missed DJ-----in the 5 games before UCONN (DJ's last 5 games and we lost 2 of them)-----he was 39% FGs, 19 treys, 44% FTs and 2- assist to TO ratio (in short he was regressing).

Meanwhile as a starter and in six games we lost to Top 10 teams after DJ went down, Acker hit 44% on treys and had a 2.5 to 1 assist/TO ratio-------in addition to that, others stepped up into DJ's opportunities.

Murf, you really need to stop pushing this agenda.


You obviously have a lot bball knowledge/experience, and I respect that...but cmon.


Nobody in their right mind belives that MU was a better team without DJ.  You can continue to push these stats all you want, but anyone who watched the games can see that we missed DJ.


Who stepped up into DJ's opportunities, as you say??  It was obvious that Wes and Jerel pressed down the stretech, and didn't have kind of opportunities to score, the way they did when DJ was running the point.


Realistically, Acker is a 10-15 mpg backup.