Trent Lockett from ASU to transfer to MU?

[bamamarquettefan]

I'd say all of us who are still on this page blogging about basketball this long after MUs season - and even college basketball - has ended are in a pretty tiny minority of the fan base that fills the Bradley Center - much less watches on TV.

So yes, of those of us who care enough to still be posting I believe most think 2014 is on course to be our best year in some time.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

I didn't want to post this at the time of Otule's injury for obvious reasons,  but a 6th year could be a MONSTROUS blessing in disguise. In essence, MU traded away some success this season for potentially a title in 2014.  As it stood, Otule was taking the last spot on a roster that desperately needed to add a center with Ox being the ONLY center.  It's possible Buzz could have landed a blue chip freshman center, but when was the last time that happened?  Instead,  MU now has a 6'11" 265ish 6th year center with a 7'5" wingspan. Otule in 2014 is a key piece to the puzzle of title dreams.....2014 is now FULLY LOADED!

[Norm]

I didn't want to post this at the time of Otule's injury for obvious reasons,  but a 6th year could be a MONSTROUS blessing in disguise. In essence, MU traded away some success this season for potentially a title in 2014.  As it stood, Otule was taking the last spot on a roster that desperately needed to add a center with Ox being the ONLY center.  It's possible Buzz could have landed a blue chip freshman center, but when was the last time that happened?  Instead,  MU now has a 6'11" 265ish 6th year center with a 7'5" wingspan. Otule in 2014 is a key piece to the puzzle of title dreams.....2014 is now FULLY LOADED!

That assumes Otule will be healthy in 2014, which is definitely not a given with his injury history.

[strotty]

The 2013-14 team could very well be Final Four worthy. They would start the year in the top 10, at least, with seniors in Jamil Wilson, Vander Blue, Davante Gardner, and a sixth year Chris Otule. Not to mention a 23-year-old junior in Todd Mayo.

Next year will be fun, but 2 years from now Marquette could very well contend for a No. 1 seed and a Final Four.

[4everwarriors]

Evan Eschmeyer, who had bad feet, spent 6 years at Northwestern and was a star in Year 6.

Like all Mildcats, however, he never was on an NCAA tourney team.

Just one example. There are lots of reasons a non-NBA prospect would want a sixth year. A free Master's degree ranks pretty high on that list.

Eschmeyer played in the Association.

[chren21]

The 2013-14 team could very well be Final Four worthy. They would start the year in the top 10, at least, with seniors in Jamil Wilson, Vander Blue, Davante Gardner, and a sixth year Chris Otule. Not to mention a 23-year-old junior in Todd Mayo.

Next year will be fun, but 2 years from now Marquette could very well contend for a No. 1 seed and a Final Four.

Who is running the point in '14??   That is the key to going from a top ten team to a team that will be ranked #1 at some point that year and will be in the discussion for a national title.  We need a top 50 point guard. 

[MU B2002]

Duane Wilson.

[Lacrosse218]

Derrick Wilson will be a Junior and I think will run a solid point and play solid D, he may not score a lot, but the 2014 team won't need that from him.

[avid1010]

Derrick Wilson will be a Junior and I think will run a solid point and play solid D, he may not score a lot, but the 2014 team won't need that from him.

i hate this belief.  we may not need a point guard that scores, but we certainly need one capable of scoring.  he has a long way to go before he can even be played at the end of game, let alone, running the team for the majority of it. 

[murara1994]

i hate this belief.  we may not need a point guard that scores, but we certainly need one capable of scoring.  he has a long way to go before he can even be played at the end of game, let alone, running the team for the majority of it. 

Good thing he has over 2 years to improve then.

[Norm]

Talk of a national title 2 years from now is way too premature in my opinion. Let's see what they look like next year. Will people step up to fill the huge void left by the departures of DJO and Crowder? Will the team mesh together? Will they stay healthy? Will someone transfer out? Will Buzz be here in 2 years? Lots of basketball and needed development to take place before we start talking titles.

[MuMark]

+1....fans are ridiculous in predicting this kind of stuff.

One little fact working against our "National Championship". It's only happened once without a burger boy on the roster and we don't have any.

Let's see how Blue, Mayo and Jamil handle increased responsibilities before we start predicting anything.

Talk of a national title 2 years from now is way too premature in my opinion. Let's see what they look like next year. Will people step up to fill the huge void left by the departures of DJO and Crowder? Will the team mesh together? Will they stay healthy? Will someone transfer out? Will Buzz be here in 2 years? Lots of basketball and needed development to take place before we start talking titles.

[Tugg Speedman]

+1....fans are ridiculous in predicting this kind of stuff.

One little fact working against our "National Championship". It's only happened once without a burger boy on the roster and we don't have any.

Let's see how Blue, Mayo and Jamil handle increased responsibilities before we start predicting anything.

Burton has a reasonable chance to be a burger boy and would be on the team in two years.

Should we start making the banner now?

[GGGG]

Talk of a national title 2 years from now is way too premature in my opinion. Let's see what they look like next year. Will people step up to fill the huge void left by the departures of DJO and Crowder? Will the team mesh together? Will they stay healthy? Will someone transfer out? Will Buzz be here in 2 years? Lots of basketball and needed development to take place before we start talking titles.

This board can be funny.  We have a subset of people who believe that players can barely improve.  (Derrick Wilson).  And another subset that predict revolutionary improvement to the point where we are in the Final Four.

I personally believe that we will be about where we were this year in 2014.  It comes down to talent and with the one and dones, we might not have enough of it.

[Henry Sugar]

I think the comment about National Championship is being taken out of context.  From Pudner, it's a 15% chance, which is a pretty small chance.  For example, once Marquette made the S16, they had a 15% chance of making the Final Four but only a 2% chance of being champs.  Even the 15% chance is probably overstated.

The way I think about it is that MU will be better than this year and in contention for a two seed or maybe even a one seed.  If things hold/barring injuries*, Marquette will have three Top 100 seniors and a Top 100 junior, plus Gardner/Otule/Mayo as upperclassmen.  That's a talented, tall, deep, and experienced team, even without considering the three Top 100 players that will be sophs or frosh.  Compared to this year, it will be better on all four categories, so I do think it's reasonable to expect the team in two years to be at a higher level than this year.

*big assumption

[MarsupialMadness]

I think we need to see how the conference shake ups effect seeding.  Traditionally, if you won the BEast, you got a 1 seed.  Last year we were 2nd, and the 1st place team is gone.  While we may not be the favorite, I think we have a chance to win the BEast next year, in turn giving us a 1 seed.  Then, if we have a 1 seed, I would say we have a great chance of making the Final Four.
get to the Final Four. 

[Goose]

If everything falls into place we are going to be stacked in two years. No doubt if everyone improves as expected and the new guys can play as advertised the team two years from now will be aiming at FF as realistic goal. This years team was step two in the process in my opinion and future very bringht providing nothing crazy happens.

[Golden Avalanche]

If everything falls into place we are going to be stacked in two years. No doubt if everyone improves as expected and the new guys can play as advertised the team two years from now will be aiming at FF as realistic goal. This years team was step two in the process in my opinion and future very bright providing nothing crazy happens.

I understand being optimistic but sentiments like this seem ludicrous considering we don't know what will happen in the program over the next three months, much less the next 30 months.

Short memories are the norm for society today but do the tragicomic events of ten days ago not register any more for one of the prime players?

[79Warrior]

Talk of a national title 2 years from now is way too premature in my opinion. Let's see what they look like next year. Will people step up to fill the huge void left by the departures of DJO and Crowder? Will the team mesh together? Will they stay healthy? Will someone transfer out? Will Buzz be here in 2 years? Lots of basketball and needed development to take place before we start talking titles.

+1.

[Goose]

Golden
Agreed completely. I mentioned that all has to go perfect to make this happen. There are a ton of things that have to go right for that team to be stacked but it is fun to think about in the meantime. Plenty can happen between now and then and a lot probably will happen.

[MU82]

Eschmeyer played in the Association.

Yes, for about 10 seconds. He was drafted in the second round, hardly played, bounced around and quit.

Eschmeyer was a non-prospect until he became a star in his 6th season.

[bamamarquettefan]

I think the comment about National Championship is being taken out of context.  From Pudner, it's a 15% chance, which is a pretty small chance.  For example, once Marquette made the S16, they had a 15% chance of making the Final Four but only a 2% chance of being champs.  Even the 15% chance is probably overstated.

Yes, thanks for that context.  The excitement for me is that if the team stays basically in tact for 2 years, we will have enough potential to HOPE for a national title, and I believe that would make 2014 only the 12th time that Marquette has had enough to REALISTICALLY talk about a national title.  The other years were 1939, 1955, 1971-78 and 2003.  Now obviously we only won the title one of those 12 years, but the other 80+ years there was no chance of a title.  (no offense to the 1970 NIT title, great accomplishment, but we didn't play a single ranked team that year and it wasn't until Chones came the next year that we weren't good enough to have a shot.

Of course that means it is more depressing when it doesn't happen, and we could get knocked out right away like Chones-Meminger in 1971, etc., or seeing that Roy Williams just had us figured out somehow in 2003, etc.

But the point is there are years like 2010 where just making the tournament is a huge accomplishment and cause for celebration, and in 2011 where just making the Sweet 16 was an enormous and unexpected accomplishment, and then you look at 2014 and say making the Sweet 16 might legitimately be a disappointment that year, like 1971.  The sample size of the average progression of players from freshman to sophomore to junior to senior is enough to indicate a real possibility of making a run in 2014 - and I think that's worth getting excited about even though it will probably end like it does for 344 of 345 teams - with a loss at some point.

[MarsupialMadness]

I think the comment about National Championship is being taken out of context.  From Pudner, it's a 15% chance, which is a pretty small chance.  For example, once Marquette made the S16, they had a 15% chance of making the Final Four but only a 2% chance of being champs.  Even the 15% chance is probably overstated.

It all depends on matchups, and I don't see how MU only had a 15% chance of making the final four once they were in the sweet 16.  They only had to win two games, one against a lower seeded team and one against a team we had already beaten (and also a lower seed).  I would think our chances of winning both of those games were better than 15%.

[Dawson Rental]

i hate this belief.  we may not need a point guard that scores, but we certainly need one capable of scoring.  he has a long way to go before he can even be played at the end of game, let alone, running the team for the majority of it. 

I agree.  He clearly cost us the game at Wisconsin this year.

[Dawson Rental]

The sample size of the average progression of players from freshman to sophomore to junior to senior is enough to indicate a real possibility of making a run in 2014 - and I think that's worth getting excited about even though it will probably end like it does for 344 of 345 teams - with a loss at some point.

Only 342 of 345 teams now thanks to the NIT and CIT.