ND/G-town postgame

[tower912]

Jay Williams just called MU the biggest sleeper in the Big East.    Believes they have every chance of being near the top all season. 

[🏀]

Near the top, but not in the upper echelon with Cuse and Louisville.

[Lennys Tap]

Near the top, but not in the upper echelon with Cuse and Louisville.

For a team that lost 2 pros and was picked to finish 8th I for one would be ecstatic with near the top.

[🏀]

For a team that lost 2 pros and was picked to finish 8th I for one would be ecstatic with near the top.

Just what they said.

[tower912]

Also big fans of ...Buzz....Blue....Gardner and Otule.... said if MU hits enough jump shots....

[GoldenZebra]

Keep on winning the games we are supposed to and we can finish in the top 5 of the BE. Win a couple on the road and its even better from there.

[BM1090]

Maybe I'm getting greedy, but I'll be disappointed if we don't get a double bye. I think MU is better than all teams not named Syracuse and Louisville, and about even with Cincinnati.

Top 4 should be the goal, in my opinion

[dwaderoy2004]

With 15 teams, what is the big east tournament format this year?

[JTBMU7]

14 teams since uconn isn't eligible. Schedule is posted here
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=35446.0

[TJ]

I don't want to sound like too much of a pessimist, but we are wildly inconsistent.  I hope we stay up near the top, but I honestly believe that we are just as likely to lose as win almost every game going forward.  Scoring 13 points in a half kinda drove that message home for me, no matter how well they rebounded in the second half.  I hope that's just chicken little talking and this team just keeps winning.

[Aughnanure]

I don't want to sound like too much of a pessimist, but we are wildly inconsistent.  I hope we stay up near the top, but I honestly believe that we are just as likely to lose as win almost every game going forward.  Scoring 13 points in a half kinda drove that message home for me, no matter how well they rebounded in the second half.  I hope that's just chicken little talking and this team just keeps winning.

+1.

[Benny B]

I don't want to sound like too much of a pessimist, but we are wildly inconsistent.  I hope we stay up near the top, but I honestly believe that we are just as likely to lose as win almost every game going forward.  Scoring 13 points in a half kinda drove that message home for me, no matter how well they rebounded in the second half.  I hope that's just chicken little talking and this team just keeps winning.

"Inconsistent" is the word that nay-saying fans of every top 25 team use to describe their team.  The only D-I teams that have been consistent this year are those that are consistently bad.

It doesn't matter how well you play the game or how good you look... the only thing that matters is what the scoreboard says when the clock hits 0:00.  Just ask Gonzaga.

[MU82]

Look at ND's schedule to date. They were 14-1 with only two wins against good teams -- and one of those was against a Kentucky team that obviously was overrated at the time. Now that their schedule has gotten just a little tougher -- and only a little, as UConn, St. John's, Rutgers and Georgetown can hardly be called great -- the Irish have wilted.

Notre Dame ... I'm not impressed with them at all.

[TJ]

"Inconsistent" is the word that nay-saying fans of every top 25 team use to describe their team.  The only D-I teams that have been consistent this year are those that are consistently bad.

It doesn't matter how well you play the game or how good you look... the only thing that matters is what the scoreboard says when the clock hits 0:00.  Just ask Gonzaga.

I don't know what to tell you.  The defense has been great so far, but I'm not sure what would happen against a really good shooting team that can make open threes.  We don't have a good offense - it hasn't looked good for more than small stretches of any conference game so far.  Call me a nay-sayer if you want, but I could see us just as easily finishing with 10 or 11 wins as I can see us with 12 or 13.  I'm glad they have been winning, I hope it continues.

[muguru]

I don't know what to tell you.  The defense has been great so far, but I'm not sure what would happen against a really good shooting team that can make open threes.  We don't have a good offense - it hasn't looked good for more than small stretches of any conference game so far.  Call me a nay-sayer if you want, but I could see us just as easily finishing with 10 or 11 wins as I can see us with 12 or 13.  I'm glad they have been winning, I hope it continues.

Keep in mind, to be fair to MU...according to Pomeroy MU has faced the toughest Defensive schedule in the country so far. That might have a lot to do with it. In Cincy, Pittsburgh, and Georgetown you have the 12th, 21st and 10th ranked Defensive teams in the country. That's pretty tough. Wait until MU plays Syracuse(7th), and Louisville(1st). It's no wonder MU's offense has looked ugly so far.

http://kenpom.com/[url]

[Goose]

Lot of basketball yet to be played. Glad we are getting some attention and hope it continues. Every game will be tough for us and if mentally tough enough things will be good.

[CTWarrior]

The defense has been great so far, but I'm not sure what would happen against a really good shooting team that can make open threes. 

I know what would happen.  Florida 82, Marquette 49.  Fortunately, there aren't many teams that are of Florida's quality this year.

Right now, its hard to say what we are.  The think I can say with some confidence that we're a team somewhere between 20th and 50th best in the country.  I hope we're closer to 20 than 50.   We are a very good defensive team, a very flawed offensive team, and an undeniably tough-willed team.  It seems we are destined to play a lot of close games and that our season's success will depend a lot on thins like a referee's call here, a clutch jumpshot there, etc.

[Henry Sugar]

I don't want to sound like too much of a pessimist, but we are wildly inconsistent. 

Counterpoint - An average team in college basketball has a point spread standard deviation of 15. An inconsistent team has a point spread standard deviation of 22. Marquette's point spread standard deviation is 8.

/math

[Golden Avalanche]

"Inconsistent" is the word that nay-saying fans of every top 25 team use to describe their team.  The only D-I teams that have been consistent this year are those that are consistently bad.

It doesn't matter how well you play the game or how good you look... the only thing that matters is what the scoreboard says when the clock hits 0:00.  Just ask Gonzaga.

Duke, Michigan, Kansas, Syracuse, and Arizona have been pretty consistent. (Unless, of course, losing only once in two months is now considered inconsistent)

Not to mention the 10 teams that have lost only twice in two months which seems to be a fairly consistent pattern of winning.

[TJ]

I know what would happen.  Florida 82, Marquette 49.  Fortunately, there aren't many teams that are of Florida's quality this year.

Right now, its hard to say what we are.  The think I can say with some confidence that we're a team somewhere between 20th and 50th best in the country.  I hope we're closer to 20 than 50.   We are a very good defensive team, a very flawed offensive team, and an undeniably tough-willed team.  It seems we are destined to play a lot of close games and that our season's success will depend a lot on thins like a referee's call here, a clutch jumpshot there, etc.

+1  That's basically what I was trying to say.

[Warriors10]

Counterpoint - An average team in college basketball has a point spread standard deviation of 15. An inconsistent team has a point spread standard deviation of 22. Marquette's point spread standard deviation is 8.

/math

3 games in overtime help lessen that point spread.

/numbersneedcontext

[Benny B]

Duke, Michigan, Kansas, Syracuse, and Arizona have been pretty consistent. (Unless, of course, losing only once in two months is now considered inconsistent)

Not to mention the 10 teams that have lost only twice in two months which seems to be a fairly consistent pattern of winning.

In this context, consistency is being used in reference to on-the-court play, not results.  Otherwise, I would inquire as to why you conveniently left Stephen F. Austin off your list of examples.

[Norm]

My only hope for this year's team is to make the NCAAs to keep that string alive. The team is wildly inconsistent on offense but their grit and determination make up for it. I don't care how they do it, or if they look ugly doing it, just make that dance and everything after that is just gravy. This is a bridge year to get to the incoming recruits that should bolster the roster for Gardner, Blue, Anderson, J Wilson, D Wilson, and Taylor next year.

[g0lden3agle]

3 games in overtime help lessen that point spread.

/numbersneedcontext

And the blow out loss to Florida would increase that point spread standard deviation.  You could argue that the sample size isn't big enough as a whole to take much from statistics like point spread std. deviation, but calling out 3 data points and saying that shows context and lessens Warrior's Path's point shows misunderstanding of the statistics he generated. 

A better way to attack the stat is to question if a lower std. deviation is actually a good thing.  Sure, it means you are generally losing/winning by the same general numbers, but there needs to be some sort of weighting applied to factor in the quality of opponent.  A close win against a superior opponent and a close loss against an inferior opponent would show small point spread std. deviation, but you could make the valid point that the team was inconsistent.

[TJ]

A close win against a superior opponent and a close loss against an inferior opponent would show small point spread std. deviation, but you could make the valid point that the team was inconsistent.

I'm not going to start doing a statistical analysis of the team, but this is true.