Expectations for this season

[Henry Sugar]

I feel like there is a subtle buzz about the team that is building.  We're going to start the season ranked.  DJO has been making some waves this summer, and may be the preseason POY, and most recently there was the Vitale mention about us having a big, big year.

Based on zero analysis, my personal opinion is that this is the year MU makes the leap.  My definition of "the leap" is:

• ranked almost all season
• contention for top four spots in the league
• relatively high NCAA seed (4-5 or better)

I can see DJO tearing it up and the Predator being better and more consistent.  Jamil Wilson being a great third player, plus a much more experienced Otule, Vander, Junior.  Gardner (TFON) being in better shape so that he plays long stretches, and Jamil Jones making modest contributions.

However, since I can be a big ol' Eeyore when it comes to MU, I can't help but think that something is off.  Jamil Wilson is a giant question mark.  Otule, Vander, and Junior may continue to be terrible offensively.  I'll believe a freshman contributes when a freshman contributes.  And then there's the defense, where I will continue to believe Buzz's defensive scheme is crap until the data improves.

And yet, there's still this belief MU makes the leap.  So my question is for others... what are the expectations for this season?  Half-full?  Half-empty?  Somewhere in the middle?

[DCWarriors04]

While I can understand questions still lingering about Vander and what he can bring to the court on the offensive end, how can you say Junior and Otule could continue to be terrible offensively? I'll agree that for the first half of the year neither of them was great from the offensive end, but as the season went on one could argue that they found their offensive roles, especially Junior.

[Skatastrophy]

I have a gut feeling that DJO isn't going to take over this year like people expect him to.  He's been so good as the 2nd option, but I think if we make the jump it'll be because someone else takes over and DJO can continue to play as a 2nd option.

I thought the same thing about JFB and I was wrong.  I hope that I'm wrong again this year

[Silkk the Shaka]

12-6 or better in conference, with a top 6 or better finish, improving as the season wears on
Win 2 games in the Big East Tournament
Sweet 16 return with an outside chance at an Elite 8 birth

2012/2013 is when I feel we finally make the DEEP run, challenging for the conference title all season, getting a top 3 seed in the tournament, and making the Elite 8 with relative ease with a toss-up game for the Final 4.

If Buzz stays after a run like this, he'll start pulling in recruiting classes loaded with 5 and 4 stars on a consistent basis.  If DJO or Crowder can make the NBA, we'll have our pick of the JUCO litter as well (not that we pretty much don't already, it will just become even easier).  I really feel like the next two years could launch this program into the stratosphere.

[jeffreyweee]

I see us being much more portent offensively this year and playing very similar defensively - if not a little better with Otule being able to play more, crowder learning the system better and junior continuing to get his quickness back.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Beat Wisconsin!!

[Badgerhater]

MU will win some games and it will also lose some games, but it will win more than it loses.  It will also win some games it should not have won and lose some that it should have won.  Some guys will score lots of points in some games, less in others with certain guys consistently scoring more than others.  Some players will overachieve, others will disappoint, while the majority will play within their expectations.  Fans won't show up for most early season games, but will sell the place out for the really big games.  Buzz will yell himself hoarse at most games and sweat profusely while wearing gaudy suits.

[bilsu]

Last night I watched the NCAA MU/Xavier game. First time I rewatched it and I particularly played attention to individual players.

Comments on returning players:

Crowder made some very good defensive plays.
Cadougan played a lot and also did a very good job. He is a better defensive player than he looks like he should be. Hustles hard on defense and uses good positioning to offset opposing players quickness.
DJO stunk and then exploded. We need DJO to be consistantly good.
Vander played very little.
Otule/Gardner combination was respectable.

Based on watching that game. How good we are we depends mostly on how consistant Crowder and DJO are. We will not win, if they are both having down games. While I expect Otule/Gardner combination to be improved, I think we are over estimating their overall effectiveness. I think Cadougan easily replaces Buyckes at point, but I do not see where we will have someone as good as Cadougan to come off the bench to replace starter Cadougan. We need Blue to play hard and not do things that hurt the team. Jones did not play in game, unless he got in in last minute.

Players no longer on team:

Butler as expected played very well in game.
Fulce barely played
Buyckes was respectable.
Williams played and was effective.

Newcomers:

We know Wilson will replace Butler, but it will be hard to equal Butler's expereince, ability to draw fouls, play defense and hit key shots.
Derrick Wilson presumably is the replacement for Cadougan at back up point. I do not expect him to be as good as Cadougan was, but who knows.
Anderson needs to replace Fulce/Williams. He has the talent, but needs strength and experience.
We need another outside shooter and hopefully either Mayo or Jones can supply this.

I think the team had a lot of distractions last year that effected play. Hopefully, that is all behind us.

My prediction would be a 6th place finish in Big East.

[We R Final Four]

Last night I watched the NCAA MU/Xavier game. First time I rewatched it and I particularly played attention to individual players.

Comments on returning players:

Crowder made some very good defensive plays.
Cadougan played a lot and also did a very good job. He is a better defensive player than he looks like he should be. Hustles hard on defense and uses good positioning to offset opposing players quickness.
DJO stunk and then exploded. We need DJO to be consistantly good.
Vander played very little.
Otule/Gardner combination was respectable.

Based on watching that game. How good we are we depends mostly on how consistant Crowder and DJO are. We will not win, if they are both having down games. While I expect Otule/Gardner combination to be improved, I think we are over estimating their overall effectiveness. I think Cadougan easily replaces Buyckes at point, but I do not see where we will have someone as good as Cadougan to come off the bench to replace starter Cadougan. We need Blue to play hard and not do things that hurt the team. Jones did not play in game, unless he got in in last minute.

Players no longer on team:

Butler as expected played very well in game.
Fulce barely played
Buyckes was respectable.
Williams played and was effective.

Newcomers:

We know Wilson will replace Butler, but it will be hard to equal Butler's expereince, ability to draw fouls, play defense and hit key shots.
Derrick Wilson presumably is the replacement for Cadougan at back up point. I do not expect him to be as good as Cadougan was, but who knows.
Anderson needs to replace Fulce/Williams. He has the talent, but needs strength and experience.
We need another outside shooter and hopefully either Mayo or Jones can supply this.

I think the team had a lot of distractions last year that effected play. Hopefully, that is all behind us.

My prediction would be a 6th place finish in Big East.

Dwight Buycks.

[TJ]

I am expecting a middle of the road year myself.  Hope I'm wrong.  I know nothing about Jamil so I expect little, and that has a lot to do with my expectations - if he comes in great that'll be a big boost. 

[T-Bone]

I thought the same thing about JFB and I was wrong.  I hope that I'm wrong again this year

And Lazar.  (at least for me)

[tower912]

Cadougan to emerge as a leader, solving the PG problem that plagued us last year.  
DJO to average around 18 a game.
Crowder around 14.
JWilson around 14.
Gardner to play more minutes but probably won't average more than 17 mpg.
Otule to emerge as a defensive force.
Blue to be better but still not good enough to stop the kvetching here.  
Jones to not make the leap we are hoping for.
Mayo or Anderson gets double digit minutes.  

For this board to implode and ooze gloom and apocalyptic rhetoric after every loss and less than blowout win.  
Complaints about Buzz's ......rotations/defensive philosophy/free throw coaching/haircut.

[BubbaWilliams]

Since there is no NBA, I expect MU to take the sportsworld by storm. Win our preseason tourney, ranked in the top 25 all year, make it to the BE Championship, another sweet 16 bid, and show China how its done and whoop up on G Town in an all out brawl.

[GGGG]

Here is what I expect will occur:

...as mentioned by others, Junior will really take hold of the point guard position
...Crowder really steps up and becomes an all around beast
...DJO will also improve, but to the extent that many would expect
...Jamil will have us worried early in the season, but will figure out his role and be just fine.
...Otule will be what Otule has been
...Gardner will be markedly improved
...One of the freshmen will nail down a spot in the rotation and will make a significant impact.
...Blue will still drive the board as whole crazy.

[kmwtrucks]

I will be disappointed if we lose more then 2 games out of Conf, I don't have a feel for the Big East yet. So I will make my prediction for that on Jan 1.  Beat LSU, Win the Paradise Jam and beat all the other people we should beat, Then get at least 1 of WISC, VANDY, WASH.  If we lose to all 3 I would be disappointed.  If we beat 2-3 and get tripped up by one of the 7 or so quality 100-150 RPI guys I would still be OK with that.

[brewcity77]

I expect DJO to be just as good as expected. I think he will have a season similar to Wade's junior year. I think Crowder will be a solid second option. I also think we have enough depth to be a top-10 type team and Big East challenger.

That said, injuries could kill us. And it wouldn't have to be a star. Cadougan or Otule missing time could be very damaging, and with only 11 scholarship guys, it wouldn't take many injuries before we needed meaningful minutes from freshmen.

If we're healthy, a top-3 seed and challenging for the Big East is possible. If not, we could struggle to make the tourney.

[MU B2002]

My expectation is no transfers. 

[Stretchdeltsig]

It seems like Henry Sugar is very negative about Marquette's season.  I believe Marquette will be a tough competitor throughout the year and will compete into the NCAA tournament.  I expect Marquette to play every game to win.  No, we won't win every game, but, we have the talent and the coaching to compete in every game.  In Buzz I trust

[MUMac]

As always, I am excited about the season.  I think this MU team may be the most balanced team MU has had in some time.  By balance, I mean playing with a true 1-5 and not having to play undersized most of the game.

I also believe that we will see a Frosh make the BE rotation and be a key contributer.  Maybe two Frosh will be ready by BE play.

I expect Crowder will have some awesome plays and some fouls that drive Buzz crazy.  He will get into foul trouble when he shouldn't.  I am hopeful, though, that Buzz get's to him like he did to Zar.

I have not studied the other BE schools enough to throw a realistic number as to where MU will finish.  I do believe, though, we have the potential to be there at the end and be ranked fairly high at points during the season.

[Dr. Blackheart]

I am a big believer in experience in BE play, especially with such tough road games. Seven of the teams that finished above MU put more experience on the floor, with Seton Hall being the only more experienced team than MU who were lower in the standings (but a victor over us). Of course, UCONN was the exception, but they were very experienced with the ball in Walker (star power). Six of those teams got a lot younger.  While MU was middle of the pack on experience, eight players had played little in the BE or not at all.  All of our projected starters next year will have started games in major conferences.  That is a big difference.

Another big difference is point guard, where we have one. Junior came on strong at the end of last year, and finished with 4 of the top 11 individually offensively efficient games for the season. If he improves his shot, look out as he will earn his #47 RSCI rating.  His distributor skills made the catch and shoot archers better: DJO and Jae. Wilson and JJ will also hang on the perimeter, unlike Jimmy, which will help Junior be more effective.  Otule and DG provide a varied post-presence. Blue, Mayo and Anderson can bust the seams.  Jae and JW are excellent passers, and JW can play Point Forward to provide a tough match-up on offense (and is athletic enough to guard a 1-2 like Jimmy). As is Buzz’s M-O, MU will be very good offensively.

Athletically, MU can be a great defensive team, but is the scheme there? I think for the first time, Buzz has the players to fit his philosophy.  D Wilson will be a tough addition at point, and Junior’s quickness is way improved. Can Vander dominate this season?  We know Otule is a space eater in the post, and is a great shot blocker. Will DJO and Jae improve on rotations? Can this team play together to win the close ones with defense? IF they do, they can be Top 10.

I have MU in the mix for Top 5 in the BE.  I see Syracuse, Louisville, Pitt and UCONN ahead of the Warriors as they are experienced, and have match-up depth.  The Warriors have a star in DJO to take over games.  Keys for MU are defense, bench play (who is the bench scorer), and depth (injuries, experience).  This team needed adversity to come together last year, but will continuity be the glue this season?

[Goose]

Elite 8 is my prediction. Ton of talent and some great NCAA experience last year. Might be a special season.

[Skatastrophy]

I expect DJO to be just as good as expected. I think he will have a season similar to Wade's junior year.

You just made me ROFL!  I love DJO, but there's no chance he'll be a top 5 draft pick in the NBA.  Get real!

[brewcity77]

You just made me ROFL!  I love DJO, but there's no chance he'll be a top 5 draft pick in the NBA.  Get real!

I never said he'd be a top 5 pick in the NBA. I don't think he will be. But I do think he can averaged 20+ ppg, 3+ apg, and 4+ rpg. I don't know that he'll match Wade's numbers, but I think he can be a second-team All-American and would have a shot at first team if not for so many lottery-type players returning.

And there's no connection between draft pick level and NCAA success. Jerel was a second-team AA and didn't get drafted. Some other guys do virtually nothing in college and are lottery picks. Don't confuse DJO's draft position with his potential for Marquette as a senior. The two are only vaguely related. I could see DJO making second-team AA, even first-team, and still being a second-round draft pick. I don't think he has the same NBA potential, but he has immense NCAA potential as a senior.

EDIT: I also think based on reports, he could be a dominant, game-changing type of player that takes over in the clutch for us. I've loved DJO's potential since he arrived and really think he could be the guy that lifts us back to the Elite 8, possibly even the Final Four. That won't make him a top-5 pick, but he could possibly finish as Marquette's #2 all-time scorer in just 3 years. I think that would be pretty Wade-like.

[GGGG]

brew I just don't think DJO has the overall athleticism to take a game over like Wade did.  Even now, Wade looks so smooth but still looks like he is moving 100 times faster than his opponent.  DJO takes awhile to get going sometimes.  Good shooter...explosive at the rim...but not the type of guy you can give the ball to regularly and say "OK...we need a basket."

This is why I think we may not see more than marginal improvement from DJO this year.  I think players make great strides when they go from an "experienced role player" to an "experienced core player" - that is why I am expecting big strides from the likes of Junior and Davante.  I think what you saw of DJO last year is basically what he is.

[bilsu]

I think we could see a very good improvement from DJO. Each year a player should get more consistant. His sophomore year he avarged 13 points and I think if you actually did the calculation he probably averaged 10 points in one half and 3 points in the other. Last year he was a little bit more consistant in his game, but also had times when he did not score alot for periods of time. I think he will average between 18 and 23 points a game.