Sporting News yearbook has MU at 21...

[ecompt]

sixth of six BE teams in Top 25. Midwest edition has Jordan Taylor on cover with inset photo of DJO.

[77ncaachamps]

Seems more realistic. Jae's a beast, but Jimmy was the heart and soul of last year's team.

I'll be happy with that ranking. Still makes us a darkhorse for the Elite Eight and beyond.

[Urban_Legend]

The College Basketball Magazines which come out this early are usually the worst.  Think about how much has changed since it was printed (see Drummond to UConn).

[bilsu]

Seems more realistic. Jae's a beast, but Jimmy was the heart and soul of last year's team.

I'll be happy with that ranking. Still makes us a darkhorse for the Elite Eight and beyond.

Assumimg 21 is correct, you should not expect to make the sweet 16. Of course the sweet 16 never includes the top 16 teams.

[brewcity77]

The Sporting News Preseason rankings have Marquette ranked #21 in the country.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-09-02/sporting-news-preseason-top-25-north-carolina-kentucky-ohio-state/slide/21#photo

Here's what they had to say about Buzz's 2011-12 team:

When other coaches call their players "kids," they can almost get away with it. If Buzz Williams were to try, it would be a joke. He has only men. Look around at Darius Johnson-Odom, Jae Crowder and Vander Blue. They look like they've been shaving since kindergarten. The Golden Eagles are tough and physical and, if they had a reliable big man or a true point guard, would be as serious a threat as anyone to prevail in what looks to be another brutal Big East season.

[BubbaWilliams]

A #21 ranking is enough to get a good amount of national attention, but still low enough to not be considered a serious threat, which means we can keep the "underdog" label. I like it.

[g0lden3agle]

When other coaches call their players "kids," they can almost get away with it. If Buzz Williams were to try, it would be a joke. He has only men. Look around at Darius Johnson-Odom, Jae Crowder and Vander Blue. They look like they've been shaving since kindergarten. The Golden Eagles are tough and physical and, if they had a reliable big man or a true point guard, would be as serious a threat as anyone to prevail in what looks to be another brutal Big East season.

I think by the end of the year we'll be able to look back and laugh at predictions that we don't have reliable big men or a true point guard.  Junior setting up Gardner for easy buckets is going to be a staple of this team for the coming years.

[brewcity77]

I think by the end of the year we'll be able to look back and laugh at predictions that we don't have reliable big men or a true point guard.  Junior setting up Gardner for easy buckets is going to be a staple of this team for the coming years.

I think Otule's going to surprise a lot of people. His reverse pivot, left-hand finish looked really good. You can tell he's been working a lot on his offense and being able to finish with both hands. I think he could be an 8 ppg/6-7 rpg type of guy this year. With Davante coming off the bench to give some extra offense, we could have a very potent duo at the 5.

[tower912]

I'm expecting a double/double average out of the 5 and a 10/5 out of Junior.   

[bilsu]

I also think it was beneficial that Otule and Cadougan were on the same pro am team. They got a lot of playing time together. Cadougan has a good understanding on where to deliver the ball to Otule. Dwight, not being a true point guard, was not as good as Cadougan delivering the ball to the right place.
I expect DJO and Crowder to be improved, but I think Otule and Cadougan will show even greater improvement.

[mug644]

I'm expecting a double/double average out of the 5 and a 10/5 out of Junior.   

With the high expectations for DJO and the belief that Jae will be consistently productive, that would sure point to a solid season. And, it seems feasible to me.

The key question I have is what happens when Junior is not on the floor?

[BrewCity83]

The key question I have is what happens when Junior is not on the floor?

First guy past midcourt either goes to the hole or jacks up a three.

[mug644]

First guy past midcourt either goes to the hole or jacks up a three.

Makes perfect sense, and is probably Buzz's plan. And maybe the team will adjust to Davante running the point.

[Marqus Howard]

There's no way Vander has been shaving since Kindergarten.

I still think he looks like Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air...

[brewcity77]

With the high expectations for DJO and the belief that Jae will be consistently productive, that would sure point to a solid season. And, it seems feasible to me.

The key question I have is what happens when Junior is not on the floor?

In all seriousness, that's probably the most important question for this team right now. Can one of our more experienced guards, like DJO or Vander, transition over to the point? Will we put the primary ball-handling duties in Jamil Wilson's hands? Can one of the freshmen, either Derrick Wilson or Mayo, step up to give us a reliable 8-12 mpg?

I honestly don't know the answer. The two things I'm sure of, this is why Buzz wants a point guard in every class, and we're missing Reggie Smith right now. Actually, there's a third thing. Buzz usually has a pretty good grip on his team. As much-maligned as Buycks was last year, he did a pretty good job stepping in at the point. If we were really that bad off, I have a feeling Buzz would have plucked a JUCO guy for the last scholarship. Maybe someone not as good as we might be accustomed to, but reliable enough to hold the fort for those extra minutes when Junior's on the bench. That he spent his summer getting after 2012 guys tells me that he feels pretty good about what he's got for 2011.

[bilsu]

With the high expectations for DJO and the belief that Jae will be consistently productive, that would sure point to a solid season. And, it seems feasible to me.

The key question I have is what happens when Junior is not on the floor?

When Diener got hurt we did not have another guard who could bring the ball up against the press. On our team the forwards can handle the ball. Therefore, Cadougan not being on the floor probably slows down the offense, but it is not a disaster.