Dickie V's Comment

[APieperFan3]

(keep in mind...I think Dickie V is more of a sideshow clown than an NCAA 'analyst' but...)

He was talking about Mason Plumlee's stretch of double-doubles. And having one against Marquette.

Then went on to say that Marquette is a great team, and would be on top of many of the conferences in the nation if they werent in the Big East.

I'm sure he didnt catch any of the USF game; but still some nice pub for MU b/c you know there are tons of viewers watching UNC/Duke.

[willie warrior]

My son and I met Dickie V. at the tournament in KC last fall. he did take time to talk to us.

He definitely is a Duke shill, as well as college basketball shill, and can get annoying when he is calling a game, but I believe he is legitimately a good guy.

[Windyplayer]

I love the guy. He's done so much for college basketball. Yes, he can be over the top some times and is bias toward Duke, but he's been doing this for a long time and his passion for the game has never waned. You gotta respect that.

[JWags85]

I love the guy. He's done so much for college basketball. Yes, he can be over the top some times and is bias toward Duke, but he's been doing this for a long time and his passion for the game has never waned. You gotta respect that.

I just am sick of his constant biases and the fact that I don't know how much he knows about CBB overall.  You get a guy like Bilas who does his HW and has pointed commentary about each team.  Vitale just yells the same buzz words about the leading stats guys on each team.  Its plug and play.  And I'm pretty tired of his repeated 2-3 sentences about Al McGuire he inserts into every Marquette segment.  If he and Al were as close as he likes to say, he should have more than a story about Al being a character and how he beat him once when he was at Detroit.

When Duke was making its run last night, it was more or less unlistenable.  Vitale was have a stroke.

[Canadian Dimes]

i agree with JWags85...u can be passionate about something but that does not mean u are any good at it.  Vital was bearable in the 80's ...he is terrible today

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I am starting to warm up to Hubert Davis. You can tell he does his homework, especially when compared to that a-hole Digger Phelps. Vitale...I neither like nor dislike him. His enthusiasm is good. His bowing at the altar of certain coaches is loathsome

[tower912]

But he raises an interesting point for discussion.    What would our record be if we were in other conferences?    Which takes the question out to the next level...would we rather have our team in the BEast or have the EXACT same players and coach in the A10 or MVC and be 20-4 right now?

[HoopsMalone]

Vitale should work in a 3 man team.  1 play-by-play, a smart commentator, and him providing the energy.  The constant yelling is a bit much, but he does have something to offer.

[wildbill sb]

Vitale should work in a 3 man team.  1 play-by-play, a smart commentator, and him providing the energy.  The constant yelling is a bit much, but he does have something to offer.

Good point, Hoops.   If the shrill shill has to be part of the broadcast experience, at least have ESPN dilute his participation somewhat. I find the clown so distracting, my mute button is in constant use.

[mug644]

Tower 912 wrote: "But he raises an interesting point for discussion.    What would our record be if we were in other conferences?    Which takes the question out to the next level...would we rather have our team in the BEast or have the EXACT same players and coach in the A10 or MVC and be 20-4 right now?"

No doubt in my mind, I want us where we are, in the BEast with an imposing conference schedule that keeps the pressure on all season, regardless of whether we are playing the first place team or the sixteenth place team.

I hate the stress of these season's but I love the tension.

[wojosdojo]

(keep in mind...I think Dickie V is more of a sideshow clown than an NCAA 'analyst' but...)

He was talking about Mason Plumlee's stretch of double-doubles. And having one against Marquette.

Then went on to say that Marquette is a great team, and would be on top of many of the conferences in the nation if they werent in the Big East.

I'm sure he didnt catch any of the USF game; but still some nice pub for MU b/c you know there are tons of viewers watching UNC/Duke.

what part of the game... I must have missed it and want to catch it

[bilsu]

Most of you are not old enough to remember the announcers before Dick Vital. He brings so much more color to the game than they did. Yes, he does this by talking, but you cannot continuously talk without irritating some people. Believe me you would not want to go back to the old style.

[mug644]

Most of you are not old enough to remember the announcers before Dick Vital. He brings so much more color to the game than they did. Yes, he does this by talking, but you cannot continuously talk without irritating some people. Believe me you would not want to go back to the old style.

You mean announcers like Al McGuire? He talked way too much, but he had wisdom (both basketball and life) and humor that Vitale can't even sniff at.

[brewcity77]

Tower 912 wrote: "But he raises an interesting point for discussion.    What would our record be if we were in other conferences?    Which takes the question out to the next level...would we rather have our team in the BEast or have the EXACT same players and coach in the A10 or MVC and be 20-4 right now?"

Of course, it's all sake of argument, but if we aren't where we are (Big East) then we most likely don't have the same players, though we could probably have the same coach. But the simple truth is our conference does help recruit guys like DJO, Crowder, Blue, Cadougan, Gardner, etc. Does the highest profile Wisconsin recruit in ages come to Milwaukee if we aren't in the Big East? Do all those other guys come from North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia if we aren't in the Big East? Likely not.

But my guess is you put "EXACT" in caps because you wanted to play devil's advocate of us having the same guys. While I think we would probably be atop the A-10, MVC, Horizon, C-USA, or pretty much any other mid-major conference, and I also think there's a good chance we'd be ranked in the top 10-15 of the country, I don't think it'd prepare us as well for close games. As difficult as it is to see us lose leads against Louisville, Notre Dame, and UConn, those games should help prepare us better for March. Buzz hasn't made it pay off yet, but I think we are close to breaking through that glass ceiling. If we first play a Syracuse-type team in March, do we hold on for the win? If we fall behind like we did last night, are we ready to make a comeback if we haven't faced the challenges of the Big East? I'm not so sure.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else either. This conference will continue to help us recruit, and will continue to make it easier for us to get into the Dance. If we have a bad season, we can still get in based on our strength of schedule, whereas playing in a smaller conference (like Memphis) could keep us out because there just aren't the quality of wins and opposition.

[AlumKCof93]

Dickie V is to what college basketball what Ron Santo was to baseball broadcasts.  Both had enthusiasm, but did little research (in Santo's case, none) between broadcasts.  Dickie V loves Duke and knows everthing about him which is why he talks about them during every broadcast regardless of who's playing.  He also makes is a point to talk about coaches moreso than players b/c he knows the coaches.  The reason why he thinks Marquette is so good is b/c he saw us play Duke.  I doubt he's seen us play since.

[tower912]

Of course, it's all sake of argument, but if we aren't where we are (Big East) then we most likely don't have the same players, though we could probably have the same coach. But the simple truth is our conference does help recruit guys like DJO, Crowder, Blue, Cadougan, Gardner, etc. Does the highest profile Wisconsin recruit in ages come to Milwaukee if we aren't in the Big East? Do all those other guys come from North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia if we aren't in the Big East? Likely not.

But my guess is you put "EXACT" in caps because you wanted to play devil's advocate of us having the same guys. While I think we would probably be atop the A-10, MVC, Horizon, C-USA, or pretty much any other mid-major conference, and I also think there's a good chance we'd be ranked in the top 10-15 of the country, I don't think it'd prepare us as well for close games. As difficult as it is to see us lose leads against Louisville, Notre Dame, and UConn, those games should help prepare us better for March. Buzz hasn't made it pay off yet, but I think we are close to breaking through that glass ceiling. If we first play a Syracuse-type team in March, do we hold on for the win? If we fall behind like we did last night, are we ready to make a comeback if we haven't faced the challenges of the Big East? I'm not so sure.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else either. This conference will continue to help us recruit, and will continue to make it easier for us to get into the Dance. If we have a bad season, we can still get in based on our strength of schedule, whereas playing in a smaller conference (like Memphis) could keep us out because there just aren't the quality of wins and opposition.

I completely agree with you.   If we were in the A-10 or MVC, we would not have the same players.    I, too, would rather battle college basketball's best night in and night out and have some maddening losses than be a big fish in a small pond.    Vitale said we would be near the top of a lot of other conferences.    Maybe some thing that is preferable.   I don't.   But it is worth discussing. 

[tower912]

Also, assuming we get in, our bracket is going to be easier than the  the 7 games we played prior to last night. 

[mug644]

Here's a new twist on this discussion: if you're current Depaul or Rutgers, would rather be in a smaller, less competitive conference. Truth is, MU is holding its own in the BEast and it's easy to say it is a good fit. But what of Depaul, who joined at the same time as us. Would they rather be elsewhere?

[tower912]

Rutger's stays because of football.   DePaul, because of the Chicago market.   

[mug644]

Rutger's stays because of football.   DePaul, because of the Chicago market.   

That's from the perspective of the conference. Yes, the BEast would like them in.

From the point of view of Depaul and Rutgers, though, might they wish they were somewhere else? (I'm guessing that the answer might be different for the two schools.)

[tower912]

No, RUTGERS wants to stay because of football.    Weren't they a school theoretically being courted by the Big #.    They want their football team to stay in a BCS conference.  DePaul....man that could be a 5 page thread on its own.   

[BrandonA]

No, RUTGERS wants to stay because of football.    Weren't they a school theoretically being courted by the Big #.    They want their football team to stay in a BCS conference.  DePaul....man that could be a 5 page thread on its own.   

Careful, after talking with some BE alum out here on the East Coast, they feel the same about Marquette as they do Depaul regardless of MU's success.  The traditional Big East alum would just a soon have us both out of the conference in order to beef up football.

[texaswarrior74]

Getting back on topic.....

dookie V is tiresome at best....and his head is so far up K's arse that it is hard to listen to.

I am certain that were he alive today, Al would come up with a gem to describe his bias towards dook.

I always loved when Al chided that other huge tool, Billy Packer, by asking if his last name was spelled P-ACC-ker....


On the other hand, Bilas is knowledgeable and refreshing to listen to....the dookies hate him because he refuses to show bias to them and against UNC....I have always thought that he wishes he had gone to UNC because he sees through the hype surrounding K and dook....even last night when asked where the best place to watch a UNC-dook game was and he replied Carmichael Auditorium which is where UNC played before the Dean Dome was built....and where the UNC women now play.

[brewcity77]

Here's a new twist on this discussion: if you're current Depaul or Rutgers, would rather be in a smaller, less competitive conference. Truth is, MU is holding its own in the BEast and it's easy to say it is a good fit. But what of Depaul, who joined at the same time as us. Would they rather be elsewhere?

I'm not sure about Rutgers, but I think DePaul is best off staying in the Big East. There's no doubt that it's a tough road to get back to prominence. But look at the surroundings. Great traditional rivals in Marquette and ND. And while they may be Chicago, let's be honest, they are hardly a dominant player in the market. They'd be unimpressive in C-USA or the MVC as well, but just like us, they can use the Big East to recruit their way back to contention. DePaul needs to succeed to regain Chicago's attention. And succeeding in the Big East is worth a lot more than any amount of mid-major success would get them. If Purnell can get them to the middle of the Big East, competing with the likes of MU and ND, that will bring back the fringe DePaul fans. If they can compete for the top four, that will get the attention of all of the city's basketball fans. But if they do that without their traditional rivals in the likes of even the Horizon, will anyone notice or even care? Does anyone in Chicago care about UIC? DePaul may be in the gutter now, but their best hope to regaining any real prominence is staying right where they are, in the best basketball conference in the country.

[texaswarrior74]

FWIW...

I've never seen another board anywhere that gets as derailed as this one does.....if you want to start another discussion....start another thread....can we stay on topic just once?

Mods where are you?