MU is ranked 25 on AP This Week. What If ...

[Tugg Speedman]

MU is ranked 25 on AP 25 this week.

http://www.whas11.com/sports/Louisville-Cardinals-new-AP-number-1-186810741.html

What if ...

Jake makes his shout at UWGB?

We played and lost to tOSU on the Aircraft Carrier.

Clarke misses his shot for Butler?

---------

How would any/all of these "what ifs" changed our ranking?

[tower912]

If our only two losses were to tOSU on the carrier and Florida on a neutral floor, we would have been ranked sooner.

[RideMyBuycks]

I'd look to minnesota's ranking of 10th IF those shots had fallen. Their loss to #1 duke at a nurteral site would match up against our loss to state, and their away loss to Indian would be comparable to our loss at Florida. Though I doubt we would actually be #10 since we were unranked going into the year...

[RideMyBuycks]

If our only two losses were to tOSU on the carrier and Florida on a neutral floor, we would have been ranked sooner.

@Flo-ryda

[TheGym]

What if Junior shot didn't go down, would we be getting any votes?

[LloydMooresLegs]

3-2 in 5 last possession games (Butler, UWGB and 3 BE).  We are where we should be, I think.

[MUMonster03]

1. I think we would have been ranked last week.

2. Hard to say, it would have been a quality loss to a high ranked team but not much was expected out of us to start with so if we kept it close to couldn't hurt.

3. This is the most loaded speculation of our schedule since a win against Butler changes our next two opponents. Are you speculating that we still win our next two games and are MAUI champs? Or do we have the same fate as Butler losing in the championship?

If we win the MAUI and UWGB then we are probably in the mid teens right now.

If we played Illinois tough and still got blown out by Florida and the OSU loss then probably low teens if not a little higher than we are now. That Florida loss was bad.

[RushmoreAcademy]

What if Junior shot didn't go down, would we be getting any votes?

This.   Or what is Georgetown sinks all three free throws and we lose in OT?  Seems like the good and bad have about evened out so far.... or at least we've had enough good luck to not be saying what if too much.

[RideMyBuycks]

3-2 in 5 last possession games (Butler, UWGB and 3 BE).  We are where we should be, I think.

I agree, but the luck hasn't been on our side with these...carigan's shot was the only one that fell in our favor. Butler (a prayer) and Pitt hit buzzer-beaters, while Jake's didn't fall. Uconn is the only game that we should be nervy about. Gtown wasn't as close as the score indicated.

If jakes shot had fallen, or Clark's had not we would be looking at a 15+ ranking (assuming we win the rest in Maui)...which is why I hate hypotheticals. It's like a fictional choose your own adventure book

[JakeBarnes]

Hey guys... we're ranked!  Remember after GB when rankings felt so far away?  Let's not what if and just enjoy that this team is gonna play lots of close games but has developedthe character to know how to win them.

[brewcity77]

If we won Maui and Green Bay, we would have been ranked since Nov 26. I think we probably would have checked in around #20 after Maui. We might have dropped out after the Florida loss, but would have climbed right back in after beating Wisconsin. Right now if we were 14-1 I think we'd be ranked #12. Still see us behind Ohio State but ahead of Creighton.

[Avenue Commons]

All games have a few woulda coulda shouldas.

But Butler was a heart breaker. Great, but lucky, shot.

[Goose]

It is what is...lets enjoy it. Had serious doubts we would be ranked at point this season as recently as three weeks ago. Buzz gets his boys to play.

[Dawson Rental]

What if Mitch McGary came to Marquette?

What if Buzz went to SMU?

What if the Big East hadn't fallen apart?

[🏀]

What if Jesus said 'unnatural carnal knowledge it." and never bothered to resurrect?

[Tugg Speedman]

What if Mitch McGary came to Marquette?

What if Buzz went to SMU?

What if the Big East hadn't fallen apart?

Go ahead and start threads on those questions.

The question in this thread is how much do those three games matter for our ranking.

Here is my take.

* Loss to tOSU
* If we beat Butler (Clarke's shot does not go in), we would have still been 2-1 in Maui.  Either lost to UNC or Ill.  So our record is the same.
* If Jake hit the shot at UWGB ....

So if all three things above happened.  We would have been ranked for the first time last week.  This week we would be closer to 20 instead of 25.  

[jsglow]

Agree with Goose.  25th is just fine.  Well on our way toward another NCAA asuming everyone stays healthy.  

Win Wednesday; compete to win on the road Saturday.  Repeat weekly until Selection Sunday where I'll keep my fingers crossed that we get assigned a venue that allows warriorchick and me to road trip.

[jficke13]

[...] keep my fingers crossed that we get assigned a venue that allows warriorchick and me to road trip.

Is it just me or are do we *always* seem to get put in a hard venue to get to?

[Bocephys]

Is it just me or are do we *always* seem to get put in a hard venue to get to?

It comes with the territory of being a very western Midwest team.  We're the easiest to send west.  That's my theory at least.

[jsglow]

2 years ago Cleveland, last year Louisville.  Can't complain about that.

[BM1090]

2 years ago Cleveland, last year Louisville.  Can't complain about that.

I can complain when you factor in that we played Xavier in Ohio and Murray State in Kentucky. It worked out for us though

[wardle2wade]

2 years ago Cleveland, last year Louisville.  Can't complain about that.

We also got sent to San Jose in 2010, and it's a host city again this year... I doubt the committee would send us that way again.  My early guess?  Kansas City.

[jsglow]

I can complain when you factor in that we played Xavier in Ohio and Murray State in Kentucky. It worked out for us though

Last year against Murray we had the entire arena cheering against our one section of gold.  Very tough environment; VERY sweet win.  Priceless 3 days with my daughter.

[MU82]

What if ...

The sports information directors masquerading as coaches got their heads out of their keisters before voting in the ESPN poll?

For all the abuse sportswriters get for their AP votes, the coaches' poll is a real joke. At least the media cast their own votes. It's a well-known fact that many coaches don't even bother voting in their poll. They "delegate." And I don't blame them. Buzz & Co. are far too into their own teams. The coach at BC or Arkansas could give a rat's rear about what Wyoming and St. Mary's are doing. They don't even read a paragraph about schools not in their own leagues, and, again, I don't blame them.

ND is embarrassed at home by a UConn team we beat and yet they fall only four spots to 20 while we are tied for third in others receiving votes -- tied with a Wisconsin team we beat handily and behind Georgetown, who we also beat and who got crushed by a Pitt team we also beat. ND, Wisconsin and Georgetown all well behind us in RPI, too.

I know these rankings don't "matter." But I do want to have Marquette's score in the scroll and to maybe have a highlight or two shown on SportsCenter. So yeah, it ticks me off when the SIDs or administrative assistants who cast these coach votes are dopes.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I know these rankings don't "matter." But I do want to have Marquette's score in the scroll and to maybe have a highlight or two shown on SportsCenter. So yeah, it ticks me off when the SIDs or administrative assistants who cast these coach votes are dopes.

I agree w/ the majority of your post, but if all you're worried aobut is MU's score showing up in the scroll, you will get your wish this week. We are 25 in ESPN poll and 28 in the Coaches Poll. While neither mean anything, the ESPN is the more important one because your highlights show up on ESPN, your score is shown on the front page of the ESPN CBBALL page and your score is on the scroll at the bottom of all ESPN channels.