Author Topic: Should we be satisfied? (Read 4211 times)

warrior_rugby15 · « **on:** March 22, 2011, 09:32:24 PM »

After watching Buzz making his rounds on ESPN today (Mike and Mike, Scott Van Pelt, PTI), the team sendoff, reading the message boards boards, the atmosphere around campus and the Spanish O'Donnell's video. It feels like we are satisfied with just only getting to the Sweet 16, and not advancing any further.

I think that with the match up we had in our bracket this weekend, we should have made it to the Sweet 16. We faced a team in Xavier that had similar matchups with us (not much depth), and a team who we beat earlier in the year in Syracuse.

I don't want to be negative, because we have had enough already this year, but they way everyone is feeling, I just don't like it. Maybe its just me, but I am only satisfied when the trophy is in the bag.

What's everybody else's thoughts, or opinions?

Doris Burkes Thong · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2011, 09:44:15 PM »

I agree with this. And like I said in another thread with all this media hoopla and Buzz being all over the t.v. you gotta think this takes away from your focus and preparation some. Plus, it's human nature for kids to not have as much of a chip on their shoulder when everyone wants to put a mic in their face and say great things about them. Meanwhile, Roy Williams and the boys are back home preparing and you're not seeing them on t.v. Why? Because they expect to make the Sweet 16 every year and it's business as usual for them. So yeah I'll be surprised if MU comes into the UNC game with as much focus and intensity as they had this past weekend in Cleveland. In fact, I think we'll see a very focused and determined UNC team. MU will have to play a really good game to beat them.

#MUBB · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2011, 10:35:50 PM »

Honestly I feel as though the fans are more satisfied than the players. From all the interviews after the Cuse game and early this week, the players insist they are still hungry for more. They will be ready to play on Friday and I won't be surprised coming away with a W.

Niv Berkowitz · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2011, 10:40:52 PM »

Fans are satisfied. Players/coaches aren't. Media is doing what they do - feed off the hot underdog that made the sweet 16. And if that team has a coach that talks funny, shoots from the hip, and does things differently...yeah, he (and the team) are going to garner attention. It's called TV-101.

Markusquette · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2011, 10:42:50 PM »

Quote from: MU PoopScoop on March 22, 2011, 10:35:50 PM

Honestly I feel as though the fans are more satisfied than the players. From all the interviews after the Cuse game and early this week, the players insist they are still hungry for more. They will be ready to play on Friday and I won't be surprised coming away with a W.

Yes the players are hungry. I want to win more as a fan... who doesn't? It's more about being realistic. Looking over the whole season, if you asked me if I would be satisfied with making the sweet sixteen during the middle of BE play, I would say yes. Of course now that we're in the sweet sixteen, we want to go on and win more games.

I will be surprised if we win vs. UNC. I won't be surprised that the reason we might win is because of our style of play and if we go all out and play great, but it's going to be a "fight" just like the last few games. There's a fine line between being satisfied with where we did get and being dissatisfied where we didn't. It's different when you're a top team where fans are expecting a final four run. I'm just enjoying the moment and hoping for the best each game.

tower912 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2011, 05:40:38 AM »

I want to win. If we lose this weekend, it will be to one of two really good teams. It will be in the second weekend. I will be sad, but I won't stew over it more than about 10 minutes. Playing with house money right now.

Tugg Speedman · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2011, 05:50:56 AM »

Quote from: Doris Burkes Thong on March 22, 2011, 09:44:15 PM

I agree with this. And like I said in another thread with all this media hoopla and Buzz being all over the t.v. you gotta think this takes away from your focus and preparation some.

I listened to Buzz's show with Homer on Monday (highly recommended ... the special guest with Buzz was L. Hayward).

Buzz said the team had all of Monday off to go to class and get ready for missing the rest of the week. All they were doing Tuesday was some film and a light workout.

So, no it does not take away. Nothing much was happening anyway.

GGGG · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2011, 07:54:58 AM »

Quote from: tower912 on March 23, 2011, 05:40:38 AM

I want to win. If we lose this weekend, it will be to one of two really good teams. It will be in the second weekend. I will be sad, but I won't stew over it more than about 10 minutes. Playing with house money right now.

This is where I am. As long as we don't get our asses handed to us, I am proud of what this team has accomplished. Back in 1994, I felt similarly after losing to Duke in the Sweet 16.

HoopsMalone · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:01:44 AM »

To take over a program and lose your 2007 and 2008 class for the most part, this is a great accomplishment. You really have to keep Buzz's starting point in context to really appreciate this and how excited he was to take this JUCO team this far.

I have come down from my high now that it is Wednesday. I think we are in a deceptively strong position right now. I think Kentucky and UNC got their seedings based on being storied programs. Both of those teams are beatable. OSU is tough, but they won a lot of close games it seems in the Big Ten. Our position gets stronger because these hot shot freshman on these teams might take it easy on us.

Remembering how tough this season was makes the Sweet 16 a season to remember. But, if you consider what we all thought in August, we shouldn't really be satisfied yet as fans.

GGGG · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:16:00 AM »

UNC got their bid because they won the ACC regular season. I think the ACC has a pretty soft underbelly though...much softer than the BE.

However, Ohio State deserves all the accolades. They only lost twice all season, on the road to top 15 teams, and looked incredible on Sunday. Not saying that they are going to roll, but they look pretty damn good.

[Mu]EngiNerd · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:16:05 AM »

I don't think the players are satisfied... I think they want to show this whole country what marquette basketball is capable of.

UNC is over rated... just because they have fantastic athletes doesn't make them a great team.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.

Stuckin1977 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:25:28 AM »

Quote from: tower912 on March 23, 2011, 05:40:38 AM

I want to win. If we lose this weekend, it will be to one of two really good teams. It will be in the second weekend. I will be sad, but I won't stew over it more than about 10 minutes. Playing with house money right now.

Agreed, playing with house money right now. Sure, I looked at our first two match-ups and thought we had a good shot at winning both, but in March you never know what's going to happen. If we win on Friday, fantastic, bring on Ohio State. If we lose, I'll still call it a successful season.

I find it very interesting that two wins in March can stack up pretty well against 14 losses in November-early March

GGGG · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:32:04 AM »

Quote from: [Mu]EngiNerd on March 23, 2011, 08:16:05 AM

UNC is over rated... just because they have fantastic athletes doesn't make them a great team.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.

Why do you get the impression UNC doesn't play well as a team? Honestly as I have watched them throughout the season, they have gotten *better,* especially since Drew left the program. That doesn't mean that we can't win - their final two performances in the ACC tournament weren't stellar and Washington gave them a run.

NersEllenson · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:46:11 AM »

If you took a poll on Scoop before the season started and said: Would you be satisfied with the 2010-2011 team if it made a Sweet 16 appearance?

I believe the results would have been about 99% - resounding Yes. Just to put it in context. As Tower said, we are now playing with house money. I don't expect the players to be satisfied, nor the coaching staff. They are proud of their accomplishment, but wanting more. Loved the answers DJO, Jimmy and Jae gave after the Syracuse win..particularily DJO when asked about being in a region with: UNC, Kentucky, and OSU..

he said something to the effect: "Hey, we belong here. We are good players too. We work too hard, to not be here. While all those teams are great teams and programs - so are we."

Warriors10 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:48:14 AM »

Its just excitement because for the last 5 years we have been oh so close.

GGGG · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:51:53 AM »

Quote from: Ners on March 23, 2011, 08:46:11 AM

If you took a poll on Scoop before the season started and said: Would you be satisfied with the 2010-2011 team if it made a Sweet 16 appearance?

I believe the results would have been about 99% - resounding Yes.

Hell, I think it would have been 99.5% before the BE tournament began.

NersEllenson · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:52:49 AM »

Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on March 23, 2011, 08:51:53 AM

Hell, I think it would have been 99.5% before the BE tournament began.

Good point!

MerrittsMustache · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:58:23 AM »

Quote from: Ners on March 23, 2011, 08:46:11 AM

If you took a poll on Scoop before the season started and said: Would you be satisfied with the 2010-2011 team if it made a Sweet 16 appearance?

I believe the results would have been about 99% - resounding Yes.

I disagree. I actually think it would be more in the range of 70/30 coming into the season. Justified or not, there were a lot of people with VERY high expectations for this team. Had you asked the question heading into the Big East portion of the schedule, I think it would be closer to 80/20.

NersEllenson · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2011, 09:42:28 AM »

Quote from: MerrittsMustache on March 23, 2011, 08:58:23 AM

I disagree. I actually think it would be more in the range of 70/30 coming into the season. Justified or not, there were a lot of people with VERY high expectations for this team. Had you asked the question heading into the Big East portion of the schedule, I think it would be closer to 80/20.

Not sure I agree here Merritt - I just don't think many fans had Elite 8 expectations this year..I'm a fanboy and said I could possibly see the team getting to the Sweet 16 this year...an Elite 8 absolutely would have exceeded my highest expectations for this year...which makes me have to be satisfied with a Sweet 16! Hell, we haven't been in a Sweet 16 since 2003!

tower912 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2011, 09:44:13 AM »

Not to sound like MUAvenue with the shoulder injuring back pat, but I always thought we had a high ceiling, just wasn't sure if we could get there. I said before the Duke game that we could lose both games in KC and still be a very different, very dangerous team by the time March arrived. Buzz mentioned that we were the second youngest BEast team. The fact is that coming into the season we had only 4 guys with >100 minutes of D1 experience. One of them was Fulce. Getting all of the new guys on the same page took time. Hence the inconsistent regular season. Junior and Otule have developed. We aren't the same team we were in November. We have reached what I thought was our absolute maxed-out ceiling. This is awesome right now. For the next 72 hours, I hate UNC with an all consuming passion.

GoldenWarrior · « **Reply #20 on:** March 23, 2011, 09:50:46 AM »

I think fans are more satisfied than the team actually is. As a fan base, most people didn't have us going to the sweet 16 and now we are, so this team in most people's eyes has outperformed and gotten us to a satisfying place. However, in regards to the team, I believe that the tournament in some respects is like a drug in that once you have a taste the only thing you want is another taste... we've gotten a taste of success in the tournament and now this team is starving for more... or so I hope

shoothoops · « **Reply #21 on:** March 23, 2011, 12:41:16 PM »

Why not wait until the season is over to evaluate the season?

muwarrior87 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 23, 2011, 12:50:45 PM »

To me, the second weekend of the tournament is always the starting point as far as my yearly hopes for MU go. Once we get there, I always want us to continue on, but based on where this program currently is and based on our recent tournament performances, being one of the last 16 teams playing is definitely satisfying. I think we as fans always want to go farther and see the team win it all but I can't say I'll be disappointed with a Sweet 16 exit.

krocheck · « **Reply #23 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:01:32 PM »

For me to be 100% satisfied with the season I have always wanted one of two things:
1) Big East Tournament Championship
2) Sweet 16 run

I want to go further in the tournament, but I won't be moping around after Friday's game in the event of a loss as much as I would've been if we lost to Syracuse. I think we can beat UNC, so let's do it!!

Keith

brewcity77 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 23, 2011, 09:29:07 PM »

Quote from: tower912 on March 23, 2011, 09:44:13 AM

Not to sound like MUAvenue with the shoulder injuring back pat, but I always thought we had a high ceiling, just wasn't sure if we could get there. I said before the Duke game that we could lose both games in KC and still be a very different, very dangerous team by the time March arrived. Buzz mentioned that we were the second youngest BEast team. The fact is that coming into the season we had only 4 guys with >100 minutes of D1 experience. One of them was Fulce. Getting all of the new guys on the same page took time. Hence the inconsistent regular season. Junior and Otule have developed. We aren't the same team we were in November. We have reached what I thought was our absolute maxed-out ceiling. This is awesome right now. For the next 72 hours, I hate UNC with an all consuming passion.

Right there with you, tower. I never doubted that we had Elite 8 potential, even when we were at our lowest. There's not a team in the nation that we can't beat on our day, though to beat tOSU would definitely take a kismet-level of things going right.

Before the season, I expected Sweet 16, and will be proud and pleased regardless of what happens, even though a loss to UNC would certainly sting. But I certainly don't think that we're capped out. I think we're playing our best ball right now and while consistency has been a problem, all it takes for us to be playing next weekend is two consistently good games with quality gameplans. I don't expect it, but I wouldn't be shocked if we were all making plans as to where we were going to watch the next game come Sunday night.

News:

'23-'24 SOTG Tally

Big East Standings

Recent Posts

Please Register - It's FREE!

Next up: The long cold summer

Author Topic: Should we be satisfied? (Read 4211 times)