Who do we want to win tonight?

[Hoopaloop]

he will be in hiding until the tan one pulls off another big win.  He doesn't play when tommy loses.

Care to reconfigure your comment?   Last night was an easy pick for me.  Wisconsin is our rival, Indiana is not.  Now, from my perspective, IU is a rival of Purdue, so that added complexity to it.  Because Wisconsin was higher in the standings, my hope was for IU to give them another loss.  However, considering IU hasn't won there since 1998, the outcome was not surprising.

If you would like to talk about anything else, please feel free to contact me.  Or you can simple obsess about what I will or will not do.

[Hoopaloop]

I was neither born nor raised in Wisconsin. The only time I lived there was my 4 years at MU. And I absolutely think if TC becomes the next Bobby Knight at IU after winning 5 NCAA games in 9 years at MU (4 of them in one year) it means MU was a stepping stone job. I think that because it's logical. Try it, you may like it.

I find it most illogical for any number of reasons.  Rick Majerus leaving after 3 years to an asst job in the NBA sounds like stepping stone.  Kevin O'Neill leaving after 5 years to go to a non basketball school in a football conference known for women's hoops not only sounds stepping stone, it puts it in major bright lights.

If a guy is here for 9 years and didn't leave after the Final Four run but rather stayed another 5 years makes MU a stepping stone, then that is some backass logic when you consider what TC's predecessors did.


The Marquette Tribune wrote an article that I stumbled up this morning about Crean.  The author's work and the subsequent comments were refreshing to see that maturity comes along for a number of MU fans sooner than those here on this board.  It's been 4 years, move on.  We are in a much better spot because of Crean then without him.  Including having Buzz Williams who Crean hired.

Relevant article   http://marquettetribune.org/2012/01/26/sports/leave-crean-alone/

[Silkk the Shaka]

The Marquette Tribune wrote an article that I stumbled up this morning about Crean.  The author's work and the subsequent comments were was refreshing to see that maturity comes along for a number of MU fans sooner than those here on this board clearly written by Hoopaloop. 

Relevant article   http://marquettetribune.org/2012/01/26/sports/leave-crean-alone/

Sounds a bit like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I find it most illogical for any number of reasons.  Rick Majerus leaving after 3 years to an asst job in the NBA sounds like stepping stone.  Kevin O'Neill leaving after 5 years to go to a non basketball school in a football conference known for women's hoops not only sounds stepping stone, it puts it in major bright lights.

If a guy is here for 9 years and didn't leave after the Final Four run but rather stayed another 5 years makes MU a stepping stone, then that is some backass logic when you consider what TC's predecessors did.


The Marquette Tribune wrote an article that I stumbled up this morning about Crean.  The author's work and the subsequent comments were refreshing to see that maturity comes along for a number of MU fans sooner than those here on this board.  It's been 4 years, move on.  We are in a much better spot because of Crean then without him.  Including having Buzz Williams who Crean hired.

Relevant article   http://marquettetribune.org/2012/01/26/sports/leave-crean-alone/

uh, there's one comment.  based on the praises of crean, it's either you or Dodds.  but theres...no...between...words, so that rules out dodds.

[Lennys Tap]

I find it most illogical for any number of reasons.  Rick Majerus leaving after 3 years to an asst job in the NBA sounds like stepping stone.  Kevin O'Neill leaving after 5 years to go to a non basketball school in a football conference known for women's hoops not only sounds stepping stone, it puts it in major bright lights.

If a guy is here for 9 years and didn't leave after the Final Four run but rather stayed another 5 years makes MU a stepping stone, then that is some backass logic when you consider what TC's predecessors did.

Rick certainly wasn't dreaming of being an NBA assistant when he took the MU job, nor was KO planning on using MU to get a shot at his dream job at Tennessee. Rick was young, unprepared and overwhelmed by the entire experience. He wanted out and was seeking anonymity and sanctuary. Kevin was being self destructive Kevin (he's admitted as much) when he left MU in a huff.

TC was the antithesis of KO. He received the money, facilities and committment from MU that Kevin never did. He left anyway, and made it clear that nothing Marquette could offer could change the fact that MU was a stepping stone to It's Indiana, It's Indiana. The only reason he stayed 9 years is that it took that long for him to be offered an upgrade.

A "stepping stone" is something one uses to move to the next level (Crean) not to move laterally or take a step back (Kevin and Rick). To understand my logic presupposes you understand that definition.

[Lennys Tap]

The Marquette Tribune wrote an article that I stumbled up this morning about Crean.  The author's work and the subsequent comments were refreshing to see that maturity comes along for a number of MU fans sooner than those here on this board.  It's been 4 years, move on.  We are in a much better spot because of Crean then without him.  Including having Buzz Williams who Crean hired.

Relevant article   http://marquettetribune.org/2012/01/26/sports/leave-crean-alone/

Hard to take anyone seriously who writes:

"Crean made Wade.....There's no chance Wade would have become the player he currently is if he went to Illinois State or DePaul."

God makes guys like Wade, Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard, Rose, Chris Paul, Carmelo, etc. No matter how kind and deferential these players are to their former college or high school coaches the truth is the players did much more for their coaches than vice versa. All these players would be stars regardless - not so with all the coaches. Anyone with only a passing knowledge of the game knows this.

[Hoopaloop]

I will kill a few birds with one response to you guys.

uh, there's one comment.  based on the praises of crean, it's either you or Dodds.  but theres...no...between...words, so that rules out dodds.

Comments section.     I'm an engineer, forgive my prose for saying comments when there was one comment as I was thinking of the comments section.  What does "...no...between...words" mean as I see no kind of reference to that in the article.  Please explain.  I didn't write a damn thing.  Found the article today.  Looks to me like the comment (not comments  ) were written yesterday according to the date stamp.  Isn't there already a poster named Gomarquette on the Dodds board?  Did he write it?

A "stepping stone" is something one uses to move to the next level (Crean) not to move laterally or take a step back (Kevin and Rick). To understand my logic presupposes you understand that definition.

Then your logic makes even less sense.  Having someone use a school to get a better job (Crean) hardly paints the school in a bad light when they are bailing for a lateral program or even a step back.  Only someone without logic would think the stepping stone situation you describe is a bad thing and the lateral \ step back move is not more damaging or something you should have truly been worried about.

"Crean made Wade.....There's no chance Wade would have become the player he currently is if he went to Illinois State or DePaul."

God makes guys like Wade, Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard, Rose, Chris Paul, Carmelo, etc. No matter how kind and deferential these players are to their former college or high school coaches the truth is the players did much more for their coaches than vice versa. All these players would be stars regardless - not so with all the coaches. Anyone with only a passing knowledge of the game knows this.

Generally agree, we're talking God given talent for the players you mentioned.  However, the player in question, Mr. Wade, seems to disagree with you and gives more than enough ammunition to the writer.  Mr. Wade has said he is the player he is today because of Crean and other coaches.  No one here is going to disagree with you that there is God given talent, but how many other players have there been out there that had God given greatness but didn't fulfill it because they didn't have a coach, parent, etc to drive them?  A significant number.  If Mr. Wade believes TC helped make him, who are you or any of us to doubt Mr. Wade?  Lest I forget this is the group of fans that dis on our most famous alum with great frequency, so this might be a notion you don't understand.



In the end, Crean's biggest mistake was beating Kentucky and Ohio State this year.  If they lost those two games but hung on to beat Minnesota and Nebraska, they would have the exact same record.  By beating those two clubs, expectations ratcheted up, but they upset two much better teams (partly because of his coaching because they certainly don't have better players than UK or OSU).  They've lost some games because their talent isn't there at all positions.  They'll make the NCAA Tournament this year and I challenge you to find an expert in college hoops that said they would.  If there are some, it will be a few.  They are overachieving this year and next year they get a real point guard (they don't have one), some beef at power forward.  Plus they get to push out two guys that shouldn't be playing Big Ten basketball, certainly not as starters, because of their lack of talent.

[Hoopaloop]

Buzz should call Tommy with some tips on beating Wisconsin in Madison.

Tommy has trouble beating Bo.  Then again, maybe Tommy can come up with some tips for Buzz to beat Mike Brey.  What I saw Saturday afternoon isn't going to cut it.

[bilsu]

Tommy has trouble beating Bo.  Then again, maybe Tommy can come up with some tips for Buzz to beat Mike Brey.  What I saw Saturday afternoon isn't going to cut it.

I think timing is everything. Indiana played well early in season and Notre Dame was learning play without Abromitus. Notre dame is now adjusted to playing without Abromitus and MU is still adjusting to playing without Gardner.