MU #18 team of the past decade

[HoopsMalone]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/222628-college-basketballs-top-25-of-the-last-decade#page/1

Great step, now let's build on that this decade with Buzz.

[MUFan11]

Bucky was 12th...Shows how good college basketball is in the state of Wisconsin considering people outside the state don't think much of it.

Pretty cool slide show

[HoopsMalone]

Bucky was 12th...Shows how good college basketball is in the state of Wisconsin considering people outside the state don't think much of it.

I agree that is pretty impressive considering the population in Wisconsin. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Crazy, I could have sworn we had a mediocre decade based on the chirpings here. 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Crazy, I could have sworn we had a mediocre decade based on the chirpings here. 

C'mon dude... do you really have to poke at the bee hive like that?

[ChicosBailBonds]

C'mon dude... do you really have to poke at the bee hive like that?

Absolutely, especially when it comes from another source, and a credible one at that.  The hope is somewhere, sometime, somehow, the light goes on their heads and the only way that will happen is if that light is universally on and they can't avoid it.  These people are in a cave, a very dark cave with no light.

[Cooby Snacks]

Absolutely, especially when it comes from another source, and a credible one at that. 

Smh @ Bleacher Report being a credible source.  Here is the esteemed author of that piece's bio:

Craig Meyer
I'm a lifetime sports junkie from Louisville, Kentucky, who spends a fair portion of the year in New England as a student at Boston University. I have always seen sports as an outlet for true passion and as a grand stage for true artistry at its finest.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Absolutely, especially when it comes from another source, and a credible one at that.  The hope is somewhere, sometime, somehow, the light goes on their heads and the only way that will happen is if that light is universally on and they can't avoid it.  These people are in a cave, a very dark cave with no light.

Fair enough.

I'm afraid this thread is going to devolve quickly.

Have fun everybody.

[mu_hilltopper]

I have no idea how we are ranked higher than a number of those teams 19 and up.  I'd trade records/Dances with a number of them.

[HoopsMalone]

I have no idea how we are ranked higher than a number of those teams 19 and up.  I'd trade records/Dances with a number of them.

Right.  Georgetown, Villanova and Pitt were surprises to see behind us.  Though, Wade was that special and his time at MU is remembered a lot more based on his NBA success.  Not many other schools can say that they have an All-NBA player as their alum, especially with the skip college generation dominating the NBA right now.

[Dr. Blackheart]

MU is 19th over last decade in Top 25 AP rankings.  Also, ahead of Georgetown and Memphis.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/rankings/report_most_in_the_top/2000-2001

Over the past 62 years, MU is the 14th all-time highest ranked school  (oh, for the dark Dukiet years or MU would be Top 10).  So, at 19 vs. 14, does that make the Crean/Buzz combo "underachieving" by 36%?   

http://statsheet.com/mcb/rankings/report_most_in_the_top/1948-1949

[ChicosBailBonds]

Smh @ Bleacher Report being a credible source.  Here is the esteemed author of that piece's bio:

Craig Meyer
I'm a lifetime sports junkie from Louisville, Kentucky, who spends a fair portion of the year in New England as a student at Boston University. I have always seen sports as an outlet for true passion and as a grand stage for true artistry at its finest.

If you don't like Bleacher Report, there are many others (ESPN, Sporting News, SI, etc) that say the same thing

[bilsu]

In the 10 year period there are only 8 teams that made the final 4 more than once.

4 times North Carolina and Michigan St.
3 times Florida Kansas and UCLA
2 times Maryland, Uconn and Duke
1 time 17 teams

[NCMUFan]

The key is consistency.  While some teams may have stellar exceptional years, other years they may be bad.  Hence over a long decade time period, a consistent good team such as Marquette will be ranked pretty high.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

The hope is somewhere, sometime, somehow, the light goes on their heads and the only way that will happen is if that light is universally on and they can't avoid it.

Chicos, let me explain to you one last time.

I haven't seen many posters claim we didn't experience some success under Crean. I'm not sure who you're arguing with. We all can't stand the guy because he's a phony, success manual reading, posing, self-tanning, D-list celebrity chasing douche bag. He always was and he always will be. Given his track record, I'm even convinced he married his wife because she was from a well-known family. He's that big of a dick.

Nothing you say can change this. You can keep citing his record. Keep talking about DWade. Keep talking about "players swearing by him" (a total stretch), but at the end of the day he's still going to be the same absolute tool he was when he left here. And I don't care how he left...I'm just glad he did. It's almost as if you are in denial about this. WE DON'T LIKE HIM! It has nothing to do with his record!

[ATL MU Warrior]

Chicos, let me explain to you one last time.

I haven't seen many posters claim we didn't experience some success under Crean. I'm not sure who you're arguing with. We all can't stand the guy because he's a phony, success manual reading, posing, self-tanning, D-list celebrity chasing douche bag. He always was and he always will be. Given his track record, I'm even convinced he married his wife because she was from a well-known family. He's that big of a dick.

Nothing you say can change this. You can keep citing his record. Keep talking about DWade. Keep talking about "players swearing by him" (a total stretch), but at the end of the day he's still going to be the same absolute tool he was when he left here. And I don't care how he left...I'm just glad he did. It's almost as if you are in denial about this. WE DON'T LIKE HIM! It has nothing to do with his record!

There people around here that don't like Tom Crean?  I never noticed. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, let me explain to you one last time.

I haven't seen many posters claim we didn't experience some success under Crean. I'm not sure who you're arguing with. We all can't stand the guy because he's a phony, success manual reading, posing, self-tanning, D-list celebrity chasing douche bag. He always was and he always will be. Given his track record, I'm even convinced he married his wife because she was from a well-known family. He's that big of a dick.

Nothing you say can change this. You can keep citing his record. Keep talking about DWade. Keep talking about "players swearing by him" (a total stretch), but at the end of the day he's still going to be the same absolute tool he was when he left here. And I don't care how he left...I'm just glad he did. It's almost as if you are in denial about this. WE DON'T LIKE HIM! It has nothing to do with his record!

Plenty of posters say we didn't have success PRN, you just aren't paying attention.  Just in the last month alone, so please don't pretend it's not there and not there OFTEN.

We get it, he's a tool..to suggest I haven't noticed those feelings from you and SOME others would put me in a vegetative state...guess what, there were other tools also like KO...an even bigger tool.  But there is a cottage industry developed toward this guy.  Fun to watch, a study is psychosemantics if I ever saw one.

[HoopsMalone]

Underacheiving is subjective.  If you think that the Al years are the standard of what MU should be, then we have not lived up to it every year.  I think most people would consider this a good decade, but I would personally like to see a better one for the "teens" (if that is what you call 2011-2020?).  MU has invested in coaching and facilities.  We also are in the best conference we have been in.

[Lennys Tap]

Plenty of posters say we didn't have success PRN, you just aren't paying attention.  Just in the last month alone, so please don't pretend it's not there and not there OFTEN.

We get it, he's a tool..to suggest I haven't noticed those feelings from you and SOME others would put me in a vegetative state...guess what, there were other tools also like KO...an even bigger tool.  But there is a cottage industry developed toward this guy.  Fun to watch, a study is psychosemantics if I ever saw one.

Please name the "plenty" to whom you refer. If you cite me as an example I'll point to several posts to prove you wrong. For what it's worth, PRN summed up my opinion of Tom Crean to a t.

[NersEllenson]

Absolutely, especially when it comes from another source, and a credible one at that.  The hope is somewhere, sometime, somehow, the light goes on their heads and the only way that will happen is if that light is universally on and they can't avoid it.  These people are in a cave, a very dark cave with no light.

Just because I think (and many others) that Buzz is a better coach, recruiter, and person than is Tom Crean - that doesn't mean we don't recognize the decade of 2000-2009 as being a successful period of MU basketball.  We had a once-in-a-program player in D-Wade that catapulted us to the Final Four, and a total of 7 appearances in the NCAA.  Granted we haven't really gone anywhere in 6 of those 7 NCAA appearances, but there was still a level of consistency sans the 2 NIT seasons after the Final Four Season.  Tom Crean deserves credit for his role in this, just a Buzz Williams does.  My personal belief is just that Buzz has a higher ceiling than does Tom Crean - time shall tell - and I put Buzz's ceiling quite high..I believe he can be an elite-level coach/recruiter.  Tom Crean on the other hand, I'd say is a good coach, and good recruiter..and right now I'd say Buzz has a bigger upside than TC.

[bamamarquettefan]

Guys, know I'm a pollyanna, but the ranking is absolutely deserved.  For the fans that insist that only a Final Four is a successful year, bilsu has pointed out that only 8 teams made it more than once, so even if that were your only criteria, we'd rank between 9th and 25th along with the other teams who have made it once.

As I pointed out before, we are one of only 11 teams that have made the tournament the last 5 years running.  Think about that for a second, that includes teams with easy chances for automatic qualifiers.

As Dr. Blackheart points out, MU ranks 19th based on AP rankings.

What criteria can you possibly use to NOT have Marquette right around where he ranks them?  Sure you can argue under one method that a few teams are ahead or behind, and using another method that it's other teams that are ahead or behind, but the bottom line is I think some of our fans are spoiled by success and just don't realize that more than 300 teams would gladly trade with us for our last 10 years.

Now Buzz, take us one step further!

[NersEllenson]

Guys, know I'm a pollyanna, but the ranking is absolutely deserved.  For the fans that insist that only a Final Four is a successful year, bilsu has pointed out that only 8 teams made it more than once, so even if that were your only criteria, we'd rank between 9th and 25th along with the other teams who have made it once.

As I pointed out before, we are one of only 11 teams that have made the tournament the last 5 years running.  Think about that for a second, that includes teams with easy chances for automatic qualifiers.

As Dr. Blackheart points out, MU ranks 19th based on AP rankings.

What criteria can you possibly use to NOT have Marquette right around where he ranks them?  Sure you can argue under one method that a few teams are ahead or behind, and using another method that it's other teams that are ahead or behind, but the bottom line is I think some of our fans are spoiled by success and just don't realize that more than 300 teams would gladly trade with us for our last 10 years.

Now Buzz, take us one step further!

+1 to all the above...what is sad is that the Big 3 held so much promise, and we had the Jerel injury sophomore year, and then the Dominic injury senior year.  Really believe the Big 3's senio year + Lazar and Jimmy were an Elite 8 level team>>I think that is the area some MU fans have regarding the frustration over our post season performances in the decade of 2000-2009

[mu_hilltopper]

Guys, know I'm a pollyanna, but the ranking is absolutely deserved.  For the fans that insist that only a Final Four is a successful year...

Um.  No one does that.  If you said "win a game in the NCAAs" then many would agree.

And everyone has a sliding scale.  Except UK, UNC, Kansas, Duke fans.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Please name the "plenty" to whom you refer. If you cite me as an example I'll point to several posts to prove you wrong. For what it's worth, PRN summed up my opinion of Tom Crean to a t.

OMG.  Are you serious.  Everything from people bitching about the Final Four because we lost big to KU, to the team was terrible except for one year and ONLY because of Wade (as if Novak, Diener, Merritt, etc didn't exist), to people bitching about the Big 3.

You are living in a cave if you don't think there have been people here constantly saying we were mediocre or "just good enough" (I love that comment).

[NersEllenson]

OMG.  Are you serious.  Everything from people bitching about the Final Four because we lost big to KU, to the team was terrible except for one year and ONLY because of Wade (as if Novak, Diener, Merritt, etc didn't exist), to people bitching about the Big 3.

Chicos - The reality is that in the 2003-2004 season, we had Novak, Diener and Merritt we lost to TCU in the first round of the CUSA tourney, and were an NIT team that finished 19-12.  Sure Robert Jackson was important, but D-Wade was the X-Factor that took us on the Final Four run.  Every player returned, other than Wade and R-Jack and we were a shell of the 2003 team in 2004...we didn't beat 1 ranked team in all of 2003/2004 season.  Same story in 2004/2205 with both Novak and Diener - no wins over a Top 25 team, and first round loss to TCU in C-USA tourney.  We lost Merritt, but still had Chapman, Townsend as holdovers from the Final Four Team. It almost defeats your central argument about the quality of coach that Tom Crean was - as once he lost Wade, he couldn't get his team back to the NCAA with 2 future NBA'ers in Novak and Diener (or Merritt), or Townsend, Chapman, and any of his additional recruits...all while playing in the C-USA.