Is MU BB program an underacheiver, or overacheiver, since 1985?

[dgies9156]

I agree about the 86 UNC game being a tipping point.   Most insane atmosphere I ever experienced at the MECCA.   Ours for the taking.  Found a way to lose.     The UNC loss still hurts me more than the Louisville loss last year.   

I was at that game and see it a bit differently. MU was a an "aging" program that reminded me of a once stunning woman with a few pounds and wrinkles you didn't see 10 years prior. We played out of our minds that day and probably way over our heads.

Sure we lost, but it is not like we lost a game we should have won. Perhaps in retrospect we would have been a different program if we beat UNC, but the the more interesting game was a year later when we opened the Dean Dome and almost beat them there.

We already were on the downslide. What that game did was reinforce the notion that Majerus was not ready for prime time and that we needed a new coach. Unfortunately, Hank and the penny pinchers were in charge. That's why we got Dukiet and 10 years of malaise.

I hope Al is chewing Father Raynor's ear off in the Maurice Lucas Room up in heaven.

[4everwarriors]

Can't minimize the fact that UNC played an ACC game the day before at home and then travelled to MKE for the Sunday afternoon game vs. MU. I know we beat Dayton on Sat., but it certainly didn't involve travel.

Had Al continued coaching Marquette, I have no doubt, ESPN, weather, facilities, ugly girls, and all the other excuses for not winning, would not have pertained to the Warriors. McGuire would have kept reloading the machine. But, his retirement, coupled with the administration not having a f*ckin' clue that basketball was their meal ticket, sent the program in a slow downward spiral.
Hank was the wrong guy. Rick, who I worked side by side with for a summer, was the wrong guy. Dukiet, a think I'm gonna barf. Cords, righted the ship with KO and then put a hole in its bow with Deane.
As for his hire of Crean, I applauded it at the time. Seemed" to have hit a home run. Can't really blame Bill for not uncovering the phony, self-centered, jackass during the interview process. Thankfully, he left MKE.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Can't minimize the fact that UNC played an ACC game the day before at home and then travelled to MKE for the Sunday afternoon game vs. MU. I know we beat Dayton on Sat., but it certainly didn't involve travel.

Had Al continued coaching Marquette, I have no doubt, ESPN, weather, facilities, ugly girls, and all the other excuses for not winning, would not have pertained to the Warriors. McGuire would have kept reloading the machine. But, his retirement, coupled with the administration not having a f*ckin' clue that basketball was their meal ticket, sent the program in a slow downward spiral.
Hank was the wrong guy. Rick, who I worked side by side with for a summer, was the wrong guy. Dukiet, a think I'm gonna barf. Cords, righted the ship with KO and then put a hole in its bow with Deane.
As for his hire of Crean, I applauded it at the time. Seemed" to have hit a home run. Can't really blame Bill for not uncovering the phony, self-centered, jackass during the interview process. Thankfully, he left MKE.

He was still a homerun hire, whether you like him or not.  We aren't in the situation we are in today (which is a DAMN GOOD SITUATION) without him.  A lot of self-centered, jackasses in this world that get a lot of things accomplished at the end of the day.  A lot of really nice, kind, giving souls that end up ruining everything.

[wildbillsb]

Depending on the day and the "everything," my wife would place me in one camp or the other.

[Goose]

The UNC game matters because the wind was completely out of the sail after that game. Without a doubt the single greatest crowd in my lifetime was at MECCA that day. All 11,052 of us were hoping to regain the magic and us "seasoned" fans left with our dobbers down. I can live to be 110 and never have a more roller coaster of emotions at a game. If we won that game I truly believe our program would have regained a relevant role.

I will say again to any fan that was not there you missed an almost surreal moment in MU history. I have seen almost every great win or loss since 1968 and can say that day was an important date in program history. I can say even morec so now that every "old-timer" on here remembers the day as well.


Tower---Agree on the ND games as well.

[4everwarriors]

Yeah, remember the UNC game here very well also. Pops Sims and crew couldn't salt away Daugherty and the boys. Mark of a really good team to basically turn it up a couple of notches in the last 5 minutes. Majerus was no match for Dean Smith as well.
MU's watershed moment, in my opinion, centered around the recruitment of Joe Wolf. Had he been a Warrior, I feel our program would have remained relevant and prime time recruits would have been interested. Certainly, Rick's loss of Wolf to the Tarheels magnified each of his coaching and recruiting errors.

[Goose]

4everWarriors--If we get Wolf things would have been much different. Two kick in the balls by UNC in short period of time altered our program more than most will ever know.

[mug644]

I too was at the UNC game at the Mecca. Still can't believe that we didn't win. My memory has it that Pop Sims turned the ball over at mid court 2 or 3 times in the last minute, but I doubt it was just him. Plus I assume Kenny Smith must've stepped up his defense. I don't recall what got us the solid lead in the game--defense? hot offense?--but do know that we were absolutely in a great position to win it.

My recollection of the next year was that we were up by 12 or so at halftime, in the Dean Dome, only to totally wilt in the second half.

[bilsu]

I was there also. I think we went up 10 and North Carolina called time out. Our players were jumping around celebrating like the game was over. Of course the fans were to. Once you start celebrating the edge is gone. That was the big difference between Dean and Majerus. Dean knew and got his players to believe the game was not over. Majerus let his players celebrate. Although not as obvious the thing that turned the Loiusville game this year was Louisville's bigmen fouling out. I think that was the focus of Buzz's game plan. Take it to the Louisville bigmen and we did that very well and I think they both fouled out and the mission had been accomplished.  Once they were gone we fell apart against Louisville's smaller lineup and lost the war. Again the difference in experience of coaching. Pitino did not think the game was over, but we did. How do I know Buzz thought the game was over. He put Erik Williams in. Louisville scored and Erik missed on a drive to the basket and the rout was on.