What would it take for Buzz to reach Al

[Dawson Rental]

Are you kidding me? Adolph Rupp was a bigot, pure and simple. The first African American basketball player in the SEC was Perry Wallace. He played for Vanderbilt from 1966 to 1968 after being an incredible ballplayer at Nashville Pearl.

Rupp was the New York Yankees of the SEC. About the last team to integrate in the mid 1970s. Everybody else recruited African Americans in the SEC before Rupp did!

Coincidentally, in 1973, Kentucky was the last state to approve the thirteenth amendment.  After Alabama.  After Mississippi.  108 years after the Civil War.

[Dawson Rental]

Think Al would've stayed if he could have just been a coach not an AD as well back then?

Al would have been fine with not being the AD, except that the extra job got him extra money that MU needed to pay to keep him.  I believe that Hank was the assistant AD, as well, and probably did the majority of the AD's job.

[real chili 83]

I am ok with Al being "our" icon.  Eff the media.

Coaches that have been around the game a while have more than enough respect for Al, Hank, and Rick. That's good enough for me.

[Lennys Tap]

Knight won three championships...made five final fours (would have been six IMO but I think one of his better teams bowed out in the E8 after the Alan Henderson injury in '93)...and won 11 conference titles.  Oh and a gold medal back in '84 during an era when that wasn't exactly a given.

Al is *our* icon.  And there aren't many coaches who retired 35 years ago who are still mentioned nearly everytime that their team is broadcast nationally.

Scott May's broken arm cost Knight another likely championship in 1975. IIRC it also cost him what would have been the first of back to back undefeated seasons.

[bilsu]

Scott May's broken arm cost Knight another likely championship in 1975. IIRC it also cost him what would have been the first of back to back undefeated seasons.

I believe UCLA had back to back undefeated season.

[GGGG]

I believe UCLA had back to back undefeated season.

He means that they would have been undefeated in '75 to go along with their one in '76.

And Lennys I forgot about that as well.

That '93 team beat the Fab Five Michigan team that lost in the Final that year twice.  And IMO was better than the North Carolina team that ended as champion.

[Galway Eagle]

He means that they would have been undefeated in '75 to go along with their one in '76.

And Lennys I forgot about that as well.

That '93 team beat the Fab Five Michigan team that lost in the Final that year twice.  And IMO was better than the North Carolina team that ended as champion.

We all know that often times the best team doesn't win the tournament.  If it did it would've been MU vs UCLA in the Championship game in 1971.  So we can cut the who was better in a certain year because the fact is they weren't better when it counted.  But seriously how awesome would that match up have been in 71? 

[willie warrior]

You know, Buzz is doing pretty good as a coach, but to compare him to Al is just crazy. Different time/era. The game has changed quite a bit. Al came in when the program was not good. Buzz picked up with what O'Neil and then Crean had built. One could argue that it was more difficult to make the dance in Al's day, especially as an independent. They only took 16 teams back then and later went to 32 I believe. And the NIT was much more prestigious then, than now.

Of course, now it is more difficult to land the blue chippers than back in the day, because of so many more D1 teams. When Buzz wins the Big dance, gets a runner up, recruits studs with Al's regularity and has about a 6 to 8 year run like Al did, then we can say he is Al2. Not many compare to Al--he was one of a kind-always will be remembered for putting MU near the top.

[Lennys Tap]

One could argue that it was more difficult to make the dance in Al's day, especially as an independent. They only took 16 teams back then and later went to 32 I believe.

Actually, through most of Al's career it was much harder for  CONFERENCE teams to make the tournament, not independents. Until 1975, only conference champs qualified, leaving lots of great teams at home. In year two of opening up the tournament (1976), Indiana beat conference rival Michigan in the title game and the handwriting was on the wall - the advantage to being independent was gone, the NIT was dead and all teams would be moving towards the idea of joining a conference.

Also, the NCAA was taking 24 (not 16) teams when Al started at MU.

[hoops12]

"IF" he stays and wins at a high level, he will be thought of in the same way as Al. "IF" he wins a national championship, makes it to a final four or two, and stays for a long period of time......he will become a legend. Buzz, in a very short period of time, has accomplished an awful lot. A different era, but "IF" he stays and becomes the all-time winningest coach by a big margin, he may go down in history as Marquette's greatest coach. Only time will tell. One thing I know for sure, I'm sure glad he is at Marquette!

[bilsu]

We all know that often times the best team doesn't win the tournament.  If it did it would've been MU vs UCLA in the Championship game in 1971.  So we can cut the who was better in a certain year because the fact is they weren't better when it counted.  But seriously how awesome would that match up have been in 71? 

or 1972, if chones did not leave during the seson.

[Galway Eagle]

Think if UCLA had beaten NC state in 2x OT in 74 we would've won the title?

[Sunbelt15]

We all know that often times the best team doesn't win the tournament.  If it did it would've been MU vs UCLA in the Championship game in 1971.  So we can cut the who was better in a certain year because the fact is they weren't better when it counted.  But seriously how awesome would that match up have been in 71? 

That's bad logic to me. When MU wins the CHIP there will be no one that can tell me that another team is better. If they are better, why aren't they on the podium accepting the trophy. The game is about wins, not stats. Better teams find a way to win.

[Galway Eagle]

That's bad logic to me. When MU wins the CHIP there will be no one that can tell me that another team is better. If they are better, why aren't they on the podium accepting the trophy. The game is about wins, not stats. Better teams find a way to win.

In the pros sure but definitelly not in college.  Do you really think that the KU team that lost to UNI wasn't as good? Or the mizzou team that lost to Norfolk? In college you can get hot when others are not and outwork them. In the pros the whole best of 7 prevents that. 

[Eldon]

In the pros sure but definitelly not in college.  Do you really think that the KU team that lost to UNI wasn't as good? Or the mizzou team that lost to Norfolk? In college you can get hot when others are not and outwork them. In the pros the whole best of 7 prevents that. 

And that's why we love the tourney

[Galway Eagle]

And that's why we love the tourney

Totally agree, you have to show up or shut up as opposed to taking rests. 

[Sunbelt15]

Totally agree, you have to show up or shut up as opposed to taking rests. 

Don't you mean show up and make noise? If you're quiet, you're out.

[Galway Eagle]

Don't you mean show up and make noise? If you're quiet, you're out.

Meant to say put up or shut up.