Good news.

[mviale]

This team gets better every year and looking forward to jae and djo's senior seasons.  Vander, junior, ewill, devante, jamail and otule will be better.  We have reinforcements in jamil Wilson, Juan Anderson, Dave singleton, Todd mayo and Derrick Wilson.  Future is bright....

[Skatastrophy]

Good News

Jesus is risen?

[wojosdojo]

As far as the team getting better, I hope your werent going by record, because over the last 4-5 years our record has gotten worse each year. However I don't think we lose 15 games next year.

[ChicosBailBonds]

This team gets better every year and looking forward to jae and djo's senior seasons.  Vander, junior, ewill, devante, jamail and otule will be better.  We have reinforcements in jamil Wilson, Juan Anderson, Dave singleton, Todd mayo and Derrick Wilson.  Future is bright....

Honest question...did you think the team was better this year than last year?

[karavotsos]

yes.

[DaCoach]

Honest question...did you think the team was better this year than last year?

IMHO no. Part of that is attributable to the loss of the 3 starting seniors and failure to have a seasoned PG. Our defense was 5 points worse while scoring only improved 2.7. Last year we had a TO margin of 4.39. This year it dropped to 1.33. No question our defense was much better last year and our guard play deteriorated.

[Buzz's Tin]

This team was in no ways better than last years team. Last years team and the year before were way better than this years team. No questions asked. If you think otherwise, then you're stupid. This was one of our weaker teams and we made it the farthest we've been since 2003...

Cheers to a great, exciting season and hopefully many more to come! Go MARQUETTE!

[Stretchdeltsig]

Every Marquette team is different.  Loved the scrappy, hard play of this team.  We need more shooters.  Couldn't believe how the whole team had trouble shooting last night.  Suggest Buzz hire an assistant coach that specializes in teaching shooting mechanics.  Similar to a batting coach in baseball.  Love Marquette basketball.  Can't wait til next year.

[Tulsa Warrior]

This was the most important season in the Buzz Williams Era.  Making it to the NCAA and to the Sweet 16 was huge for the future trend of the program.  The national PR and the fact that Williams has publically made a commitment to being here long term has set the stage for a new golden era.  There is now a nationally recognized college basketball brand that is indentified with Marquette and Buzz. (last night not withstanding)  Marquette is preceived as a special place, with a coach who has a unique personality that is a cross between Al McGuire, Abe Lemons and Rainman.

[NickelDimer]

This year's team's A game vs last year's team's A game and I'd take this year's team.  The biggest problem this year was consitency.

[Warrior_2002]

I would totally say last year's team mainly because I actually felt we had on-court leadership from Lazar.  This team was just so inconsistent.  I think they needed the extra effort to win games and still lost a bunch.  Plus, 11th in a weaker (but spread out) big east?  Come on, you have to say last years team was better.  That is not to say this team doesn't have more POTENTIAL than last year's team.  The future looks bright.

[PaintTouches]

Like previous posters said, this year's team had a higher ceiling than last year's, but didn't have the experience/wherewithal/mentality to put it together for long stretches of the season. Higher ups, but much lower lows.

To put it another way, if this year's team played last year's team in a 7 game series, I'd bet the bank on Zar and the boys. In a tournament style loser goes home, I'd take this year's team.  

[ChicosBailBonds]

Thank you for the answers...I was hoping mviale would also respond because of his comment "this team gets better every year".

I agree with most of the sentiment here (not Kravatos).  Higher ceiling, absolutely.  More talent top to bottom, absolutely.  Better team?  Don't think so.  Maybe it was youth, inexperience, trying to gel all these new parts together.  Next year I believe they will be a better TEAM, meaning a cohesive unit.

[mviale]

Yes, next year will have a better record.  Book it.

[tower912]

Thank you for the answers...I was hoping mviale would also respond because of his comment "this team gets better every year".

I agree with most of the sentiment here (not Kravatos).  Higher ceiling, absolutely.  More talent top to bottom, absolutely.  Better team?  Don't think so.  Maybe it was youth, inexperience, trying to gel all these new parts together.  Next year I believe they will be a better TEAM, meaning a cohesive unit.

Of all the times for you not to harp on your recurring theme of college basketball being a guard's game.    This team's success/failure was directly related to inconsistent  guard play and point guard play in particular.   Buycks line last night?   The twenty minutes that weren't embarrassing had Cadougan playing really well.     Macro, we did not have a guard on this team, other than DJO,  who could get his own shot or make a catch and shoot 3.    

[mviale]

On some of those Junior drives to the basket, I wish he would dish or pass out to the perimeter. 

[Blackhat]

Some very frustrating points during this season.  Some very awesome points during the season. We witnessed some very poor defense, and occasionally some very good defense.   I was happy to see us finish relatively strong and our help d got a little better.  

We lost more this year but we were very inexperienced....loved seeing Cadougan, Otule, E Williams, Gardner, Blue develop and take a step this year....NEED to recruit more length as UNC showed us, but what's new?   Really want to see where Buzz can take this program.

[mviale]

Really want to see where Buzz can take this program.

+1 It doesnt feel like a one and done. I think we will see some more sweet 16s and more.

[Avenue Commons]

Here's better news:

"I have now completed three seasons as head coach at MU. I have worked under three different contracts," Williams told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after his third season at Marquette ended at 22-15. "I anticipate, if I can sleep between now and open of business on Monday, that on Monday we'll begin to work on the fourth contract.

"Is it gonna happen Monday? I don't think so. I can tell you this: From the bottom to the top... I have great confidence in (Marquette). I think they feel the same way about me. And no amount of money, no years of service, no anything else that goes into a contract means more to me than that."

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20110326_92_0_NORMAN126359

[connie]

Some very frustrating points during this season.  Some very awesome points during the season. We witnessed some very poor defense, and occasionally some very good defense.   I was happy to see us finish relatively strong and our help d got a little better.  

We lost more this year but we were very inexperienced....loved seeing Cadougan, Otule, E Williams, Gardner, Blue develop and take a step this year....NEED to recruit more length as UNC showed us, but what's new?   Really want to see where Buzz can take this program.

An accurate summary of a confounding and ultimately enjoyable season that I hope to appreciate more after the hangover dissipates.

[Stronghold]

This year's team's A game vs last year's team's A game and I'd take this year's team.  The biggest problem this year was consitency.

Definitely.  The team this year is more talented.  The problem is the experience Cubillan and Acker brought at the guard positions were priceless for us last year. 

[Pakuni]

We lost more this year but we were very inexperienced....loved seeing Cadougan, Otule, E Williams, Gardner, Blue develop and take a step this year....NEED to recruit more length as UNC showed us, but what's new?   Really want to see where Buzz can take this program.

The good news about length is that Jamil Wilson (6'7" with a 7' wingspan) and Juan Anderson, while not post players, are very long for their position, and Class of 2012 recruit Jamal Ferguson is very long (6'3" with a 6'10" wingspan), so we're getting there.
It would be great to land a Henson-type, but those guys don't exactly grow on trees.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yes, next year will have a better record.  Book it.

I would hope so, it would also be the first time in the Buzz era that he would improve his record.  He needs to do that by year 4.  I certainly would hope we have a better record, because that hasn't been the case from years 1 to 3.  Need to start going the other way.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Of all the times for you not to harp on your recurring theme of college basketball being a guard's game.    This team's success/failure was directly related to inconsistent  guard play and point guard play in particular.   Buycks line last night?   The twenty minutes that weren't embarrassing had Cadougan playing really well.     Macro, we did not have a guard on this team, other than DJO,  who could get his own shot or make a catch and shoot 3.    

I don't disagree at all with that....our guard play was absolutely the biggest reason for our inconsistent play.  No disagreement from me at all. Doesn't that get back to recruiting philosophy and coaching, however?  When you load up with "switchables" and don't have many of those types of guards left on the roster, where does that fall?

[tower912]

 DJO's 3 pt shooting regressed.   Buycks, though his 3pt % was solid, never looked comfortable at the one.    No one envisioned Blue not being able to shoot.     Jamail Jones can shoot the 3.   Jamil Wilson is rumored to be the best player in practice (many people whispering), Singleton the top guard (ok, just one guy whispering).    Derrick Wilson, Todd Mayo, and Juan Anderson are all reputed to be able to shoot the 3.    I look at that collection and think we will again have an extremely athletic team.   They just have to hit their open shots.    And somebody is going to have to be able to create their own.    When you are in one of your anti-Buzz moods, you disparage switchables.   I look at next year's roster and see 9 guys (counting Singleton) who have the potential to get their own shot.    I see 8 who have the potential to hit the 3.    I can live with that philosophy.