The Stupidity On This Board Is Amazing

[TallTitan34]

Let me preface this by saying this message is only directed toward a small group of fans.  Not everyone.

Buzz Williams is on the verge of taking his FIRST Marquette team to the NCAA tournament and people on here are giving him directions to Arkansas.  Others say the season is over and they wont go to a NIT game if thats where we end up. 

We finished tied with UCONN and Villanova in Big East play: teams with established coaches in Wright and Calhoun and more talented players.  I think we can agree it would be stupid for these teams to dump their established coaches, but people here want to dump Buzz with a team of all of his players for the first time? Reality check people: even the best teams in college basketball don't make the tournament every year.  Syracuse, UCONN, North Carolina, Arizona, and others all missed the tournament recently.  Should they have fired their coaches?

If we were to end up in the NIT, some of you won't go to the games because that's beneath you?  I've seen tons of threads saying the team doesn't have heart.  Well it seems to me some of you people gave up on this team and nothing says that more than refusing to go to a NIT game. 

What the hell kind of fans are you?

[Markusquette]

Exactly.  Well said.  I've been thinking about a lot of the same points all year, and it's true.  Greedy fans expecting a lot.

[muguru]

Let me preface this by saying this message is only directed toward a small group of fans.  Not everyone.

Buzz Williams is on the verge of taking his FIRST Marquette team to the NCAA tournament and people on here are giving him directions to Arkansas.  Others say the season is over and they wont go to a NIT game if thats where we end up. 

We finished tied with UCONN and Villanova in Big East play: teams with established coaches in Wright and Calhoun and more talented players.  I think we can agree it would be stupid for these teams to dump their established coaches, but people here want to dump Buzz with a team of all of his players for the first time? Reality check people: even the best teams in college basketball don't make the tournament every year.  Syracuse, UCONN, North Carolina, Arizona, and others all missed the tournament recently.  Should they have fired their coaches?

If we were to end up in the NIT, some of you won't go to the games because that's beneath you?  I've seen tons of threads saying the team doesn't have heart.  Well it seems to me some of you people gave up on this team and nothing says that more than refusing to go to a NIT game. 

What the hell kind of fans are you?

An extremely passionate one thank you very much! Perhaps you are satisfied with mediocrity. I frankly am not. I want MU to be one of those perennial NCAA teams. Uw has been, no damn reason MU can't be either. I'm not on the fire buzz bandwagon, but something wasn't right with this team this year, and he didn't seemingly do anything to try to fix it either. Everyone is responsible for this craptacular season.

[JD]

An extremely passionate one thank you very much! Perhaps you are satisfied with mediocrity. I frankly am not. I want MU to be one of those perennial NCAA teams. Uw has been, no damn reason MU can't be either. I'm not on the fire buzz bandwagon, but something wasn't right with this team this year, and he didn't seemingly do anything to try to fix it either. Everyone is responsible for this craptacular season.


AGREE 1000%

Some kids play sports just to get the juice box and dinosaur snacks after the game.  To some, winning is the only thing that matters!

[ChicosBailBonds]

Exactly.  Well said.  I've been thinking about a lot of the same points all year, and it's true.  Greedy fans expecting a lot.

Years ago Hank Raymonds made a statement about our previous coach.  He said:

"It looks like the cycle from some years ago is repeating," Raymonds said.

"It's back; he's created a monster."


With success comes changing expectations, right or wrong, that's what happens.  People got down on TC at the end of his tenure because he wasn't taking the "next step" or equaling another Final Four (oh, and because some folks didn't like him).  Fair or unfair, that's how fans are.  This is Buzz's first year with his players, but a lot of fans who were concerned about hiring someone so green to coach MU in the Big East are going to question some of the results.  Comes with the territory, especially when you take a risky gamble on a hire.

Hopefully it all works out.  MU still has a good shot to get into the tournament.  What's been frustrating this year is the inconsistency, the substitutions, what seems to be lack of intensity at times, and overall play that makes you scratch your head in the basketball IQ department.  Let's all hope that do to inexperience, but never underestimate the expectations that some folks have after going to the NCAA 5 straight years.

[willie wampum]

An extremely passionate one thank you very much! Perhaps you are satisfied with mediocrity. I frankly am not. I want MU to be one of those perennial NCAA teams. Uw has been, no damn reason MU can't be either. I'm not on the fire buzz bandwagon, but something wasn't right with this team this year, and he didn't seemingly do anything to try to fix it either. Everyone is responsible for this craptacular season.

The whole season hasn't been craptacular, but the ending most certainly was.

And if MU ends the season as a worse team than the one that began, then Buzz will deserve every barb directed his way.  

Is anyone on MU improving?

[TallTitan34]

Please enter reality and realize YOU CAN'T MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR.  The top schools in the country can't even do that yet you want Marquette too?

[JTBMU7]

A lot of people predicted 9-9 for this team. Won some good ones, lost some bad ones, pretty much ended up where we all reasonably thought we would.

Tied with UCONN and NOVA, that should put everything in perspective as to how tough this year is in the BE...

Proud of the team this year, wished for better record, but we're still in the discussion, so let's quit whining and go win 2 in NYC.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Please enter reality and realize YOU CAN'T MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR.  The top schools in the country can't even do that yet you want Marquette too?

Doesn't help when 75 miles to the west, a school that didn't go to the NCAA tournament for 54 straight years is about to go to the NCAAs for their 13th straight year and could get a #2 seed if they win tomorrow....this for a team that is "SLOW AND WHITE"...right Another84?   13 straight years, that might as well "NCAA tournament every year"

[JD]

Please enter reality and realize YOU CAN'T MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR.  The top schools in the country can't even do that yet you want Marquette too?

Yeah, your right, your probably right.  We're all dumb for having expectations.  I mean trying to get two wins against less than sub-par teams (compared to marquette) shouldn't be that hard.  But your right!

[77ncaachamps]

Please enter reality and realize YOU CAN'T MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR.  The top schools in the country can't even do that yet you want Marquette too?

That doesn't change the outcome of the Louisville game.
That doesn't excuse the 2nd half leads that were blown.
That doesn't exonerate the head coach - who is richly paid - and his assistants from creating and adjusting defensive schemes that effectively work.

WE KNOW THAT which you so purposefully placed in caps.

It's the unsavory taste of seeing a team beat a ranked opponent away then flounder in their last two, when you know they can win those games, that sucks the most.

[g0lden3agle]

The whole season hasn't been craptacular, but the ending most certainly was.

And if MU ends the season as a worse team than the one that began, then Buzz will deserve every barb directed his way.  

Is anyone on MU improving?

Otule has developed a lot over the last few months, as has Cadougan.  Some of the guys who needed to be the cornerstone of this team (DJO, Buycks, Crowder) all seem to take turns disappearing for minutes/halves/games at a time.  Makes it hard on a team when you never seem to know who the go to guy is for any given game/situation.

[rocky_warrior]

Certainly a disappointing end to the season, especially after the UConn win.  It seems some/many here got caught up in the fact that Marquette has always had double digit wins in the BE, and though we should always be there.  I admit, I thought we would this year too.  But alas, it didn't happen.

The way the regular season ended was disappointing.  Still a chance in the post-season, though I have to say the guys aren't giving me a lot of confidence.   As much as others want to blame Buzz, I still like him, and believe a lot of the losses this year are on the players. In every game they had a chance to execute, and didn't.  Yes, perhaps Buzz could have had a better plan, or taught some things better in practice, but for the most part he did OK.  He's still a great recruiter, and I think a decent coach.

Also - I'd like to point out to those that think he isn't integrating HS players well, that Cadougan, Otule, Blue, Garner, Erik Williams, and Jones all played a number of minutes today, and made significant contributions to the team.  76 minuted for non-jucos today.  It wasn't enough to win, but showed promise that they are all developing as players.

That's my rant, and I'm sticking to it.

[willie wampum]

Otule has developed a lot over the last few months, as has Cadougan.  Some of the guys who needed to be the cornerstone of this team (DJO, Buycks, Crowder) all seem to take turns disappearing for minutes/halves/games at a time.  Makes it hard on a team when you never seem to know who the go to guy is for any given game/situation.

I've been a Cadougan backer, but the more I see him play, the less sure I am that he's a good enough ball handler to be the starting PG next year.

[madtownwarrior]

We finished tied with UCONN and Villanova in Big East play: teams with established coaches in Wright and Calhoun and more talented players.


Great - we are happy to tie for 11th because UConn and Villanova finished there too...

[rocky_warrior]

Great - we are happy to tie for 11th because UConn and Villanova finished there too...

Not happy.  But proof that talented players, and proven coaches doesn't mean that you automatically end up at the top of the BE.  If it can happen to them, it can happen to us, and it doesn't mean anything is "wrong".  Except, we lost too many games of course.

[g0lden3agle]

I've been a Cadougan backer, but the more I see him play, the less sure I am that he's a good enough ball handler to be the starting PG next year.

His ability to distribute the ball to the right places at the right time in such a way that it leads to rhythm shots has really started to present itself recently.  If he can gain some confidence with his handle he will be a nice little piece for a couple years.

[cheebs09]

Certainly a disappointing end to the season, especially after the UConn win.  It seems some/many here got caught up in the fact that Marquette has always had double digit wins in the BE, and though we should always be there.  I admit, I thought we would this year too.  But alas, it didn't happen.

The way the regular season ended was disappointing.  Still a chance in the post-season, though I have to say the guys aren't giving me a lot of confidence.   As much as others want to blame Buzz, I still like him, and believe a lot of the losses this year are on the players. In every game they had a chance to execute, and didn't.  Yes, perhaps Buzz could have had a better plan, or taught some things better in practice, but for the most part he did OK.  He's still a great recruiter, and I think a decent coach.

Also - I'd like to point out to those that think he isn't integrating HS players well, that Cadougan, Otule, Blue, Garner, Erik Williams, and Jones all played a number of minutes today, and made significant contributions to the team.  76 minuted for non-jucos today.  It wasn't enough to win, but showed promise that they are all developing as players.

That's my rant, and I'm sticking to it.

Agree with everything you say here rocky.

[muguru]

We finished tied with UCONN and Villanova in Big East play: teams with established coaches in Wright and Calhoun and more talented players.


Great - we are happy to tie for 11th because UConn and Villanova finished there too...

EXACTLY!!! I don't get that people try to use that excuse with everything...."well every team struggles on the road", or..."even the best teams lose at home sometimes, and now this one??

What people fail to realize is I personally(and I am sure many others don't either) could care less what other teams do. I care about what Marquette does. I hold them to higher standards than I do anyone else. So just because Nova and UCONN finished 9-9, does NOT excuse MU finishing 9-9 IMO.

Those "other" two 9-9 teams are also going ot be playing in the NCAAs next weekend. MU likely won't be.

[TallTitan34]

It is good to have expectations but they have to be realistic.

[hdog1017]

I find it hard to be happy with the direction this program is heading.  We've been, at best, a first weekend of the NCAA Tournament out since 2003.  There is nothing that leads me to believe that we are close to anything better this year.  This program has been running in place for a long time.  

[TallTitan34]

Those "other" two 9-9 teams are also going ot be playing in the NCAAs next weekend. MU likely won't be.

One of those 9-9 teams missed the tournament last year with far better talent than we have and a hall of fame coach.

[muguru]

One of those 9-9 teams missed the tournament last year with far better talent than we have and a hall of fame coach.

You apparently didn't read what I just said......I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT UCONN OR NOVA OR ANYONE ELSE DOES. Just because they missed the NCAAs last year does not in any way excuse MU missing it this year IMO. I'm glad they missed it....they are not Marquette.

[lab_warrior]

We finished tied with UCONN and Villanova in Big East play: teams with established coaches in Wright and Calhoun and more talented players.

Stunningly, this likely means that UConn and Villanova aren't very good either?

[madtownwarrior]

I find it hard to be happy with the direction this program is heading.  We've been, at best, a first weekend of the NCAA Tournament out since 2003.  There is nothing that leads me to believe that we are close to anything better this year.  This program has been running in place for a long time.  

Ding ding ding - a very average team at best since 2003...

and trending downward this year...