Perspective

[Lennys Tap]

Last year was Marquette's best season in 10 years. Second best in 35 years. But it was hardly all "seashells and balloons". Here's a very small sampling of what Scoopers felt about their Warriors last December:

I guess we are due for a down year - Not an Alum

Simply not a real good team. I've wanted to be wrong for a month now, but the lads don't have quite enough to make it so - MU82

? .500 Big East season. I think it's going to be a long winter - Mileskishnish

Expectations are very different this year. Tourney bid is a big success - ErickJD08

Maybe coaching, maybe the talent not there.....MU will be forced to shoot jump shots all season - 79 Warrior

So this is our character revealed - 4th and State

The talent on our team is not at the same level as Florida. Not even close - ATL MU Warrior

This is just a small sample of some of the criticisms of our Elite 8 and Big East Champions last December. They are by no means the most vitriolic and, as a "snapshot" of where we were then, not altogether unfair or inaccurate. But the season doesn't end in December or January and giving up prematurely on teams coached by Buzz Williams has proven spectacularly foolish on multiple occasions. I'll wait until the body is cold.

[Marqevans]

Well done.

[APieperFan3]

[GOLF CLAP]

Great post.

[humanlung]

This is a message board.  There is no room for "perspective" here!

[MU82]

Last year was Marquette's best season in 10 years. Second best in 35 years. But it was hardly all "seashells and balloons". Here's a very small sampling of what Scoopers felt about their Warriors last December:

I guess we are due for a down year - Not an Alum

Simply not a real good team. I've wanted to be wrong for a month now, but the lads don't have quite enough to make it so - MU82

? .500 Big East season. I think it's going to be a long winter - Mileskishnish

Expectations are very different this year. Tourney bid is a big success - ErickJD08

Maybe coaching, maybe the talent not there.....MU will be forced to shoot jump shots all season - 79 Warrior

So this is our character revealed - 4th and State

The talent on our team is not at the same level as Florida. Not even close - ATL MU Warrior

This is just a small sample of some of the criticisms of our Elite 8 and Big East Champions last December. They are by no means the most vitriolic and, as a "snapshot" of where we were then, not altogether unfair or inaccurate. But the season doesn't end in December or January and giving up prematurely on teams coached by Buzz Williams has proven spectacularly foolish on multiple occasions. I'll wait until the body is cold.

Ouch.

I consider myself a voice-of-reason kind of guy, but reading what I said back then is a real eye-opener. I remember that before the conference season, I picked them to go 9-9 in league play. Wrong again!

Last year's evidence to the contrary, I still think I keep things in perspective pretty well. And I have to admit that I am concerned -- not loony "We're Doomed!" concerned, but concerned nonetheless -- about this team's many shortcomings.

One common theme on Scoop is that because something happened in the recent past -- early-season struggles causing great consternation, followed by significant improvement, followed by deep NCAA run -- it is destined to happen again.

I don't see that pattern playing out with this team ... but again, I hope I turn out to be very wrong!

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I think we are better than last year. Not saying the results will be, but I like this squad and this group of freshman is our most impressive in a while.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Hey now!

Nice to see I made an impression with my comment (which I still stand behind completely).  

I was pretty down after that Florida game, and even more down after the UWGB debacle which, ironically, I think Brew captured in his triumphant "I was right" post.  

Most of the time I try to be pretty even-keeled and supportive of our guys but every once in a while I guess I go the other way.  

FWIW, I think people are WAY too down on the team this year, so maybe I have learned from my past negativity.  

[GOO]

I think we are better than last year. Not saying the results will be, but I like this squad and this group of freshman is our most impressive in a while.

This team has not even starting to get it going yet. I expect a nice improvement come early to mid-January.  Now, maybe that won't be the case and it is an off season, but as of now, I expect to see a lot more out of this team... Too much talent, but it is taking a while to blend and get new comers experience.  The Point Guard is, has and will continue to be a concern and deficiency that will hold us back (but not prevent a good season).

[JakeBarnes]

I think that this team is lacking in paying me millions of dollars.  Looks like it's gonna be financially tough (Hopefully the opposite effect helps this prognosis as well)

[Lennys Tap]

Ouch.

I consider myself a voice-of-reason kind of guy, but reading what I said back then is a real eye-opener. I remember that before the conference season, I picked them to go 9-9 in league play. Wrong again!

Last year's evidence to the contrary, I still think I keep things in perspective pretty well. And I have to admit that I am concerned -- not loony "We're Doomed!" concerned, but concerned nonetheless -- about this team's many shortcomings.

One common theme on Scoop is that because something happened in the recent past -- early-season struggles causing great consternation, followed by significant improvement, followed by deep NCAA run -- it is destined to happen again.

I don't see that pattern playing out with this team ... but again, I hope I turn out to be very wrong!

1. I agree that generally you are a voice of reason poster.

2. Fans are always concerned when things don't go according to plan/hopes.

3. Nothing is destined, things can be coincidental - but don't ignore patterns.

[brewcity77]

I was pretty down after that Florida game, and even more down after the UWGB debacle which, ironically, I think Brew captured in his triumphant "I was right" post.

I know that thread was kind of douchey, but I really hoped it might help stem the tide of future panic on this board after a questionable loss or two. Clearly that hope was in vain.

I know the idea is that every team gets better through the season, but I'm not sure many teams have actually delivered on that idea more consistently than Buzz's teams. With the possible exception of his first team, which was undoubtedly impeded by the James injury, Buzz's teams have been consistently notably better near the end of the season than they were at the start.

Most of us thought the NIT would be a success in 2009-10, then the team just started winning and winning their way to the NCAAs as a 6-seed (admittedly overseeded and upset). Maybe one exception was 2010-11, when we lost every significant non-con test and only went 4-7 against ranked opponents in conference and tourney play, but we did peak in March while running to the semis of the BET and the Sweet 16. 2011-12 we had a great start before a 2-4 stretch in December and January, but went 15-4 after that, finishing second in the league and again reaching the Sweet 16. And of course there was last year's mass panic after the Florida blowout and the UWGB loss before the team put together a Big East title-sharing season and an Elite 8 run.

I know many have stressed that past results are not an indication of future success. But I am a believer that when you start to see a trend, there's nothing at all wrong with having faith in that trend until it is proven false. That's why I'm willing to buy in on a guy like Derrick who showed flashes in the first four games and has started to put it together consistently in the four games since. That's why I have faith that Gardner will find his free throw stroke, Buzz will figure out which freshmen are best suited to contribute come Big East play, Mayo and Wilson will find enough in the tank to get us the scoring we need to win, and a defense-first approach will win us games even if we need to slow down a bit to do it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

To borrow the silliness from another thread


The MU faithful are growing restless


(which can be said of every team that has expectations)

[Lennys Tap]

Hey now!

Nice to see I made an impression with my comment (which I still stand behind completely).  

I was pretty down after that Florida game, and even more down after the UWGB debacle which, ironically, I think Brew captured in his triumphant "I was right" post.  

Most of the time I try to be pretty even-keeled and supportive of our guys but every once in a while I guess I go the other way.  

FWIW, I think people are WAY too down on the team this year, so maybe I have learned from my past negativity.  

The Florida game was brutal. Based on that performance your statement was fair and accurate even. As were most of the other I quoted. My point was it's a long season and Buzz's teams have a history of being pretty good late (exception when DJ went down).

[ATL MU Warrior]

The Florida game was brutal. Based on that performance your statement was fair and accurate even. As were most of the other I quoted. My point was it's a long season and Buzz's teams have a history of being pretty good late (exception when DJ went down).

I completely agree.

[4th and State]

Last year was Marquette's best season in 10 years. Second best in 35 years. But it was hardly all "seashells and balloons". Here's a very small sampling of what Scoopers felt about their Warriors last December:

I guess we are due for a down year - Not an Alum

Simply not a real good team. I've wanted to be wrong for a month now, but the lads don't have quite enough to make it so - MU82

? .500 Big East season. I think it's going to be a long winter - Mileskishnish

Expectations are very different this year. Tourney bid is a big success - ErickJD08

Maybe coaching, maybe the talent not there.....MU will be forced to shoot jump shots all season - 79 Warrior

So this is our character revealed - 4th and State

The talent on our team is not at the same level as Florida. Not even close - ATL MU Warrior

This is just a small sample of some of the criticisms of our Elite 8 and Big East Champions last December. They are by no means the most vitriolic and, as a "snapshot" of where we were then, not altogether unfair or inaccurate. But the season doesn't end in December or January and giving up prematurely on teams coached by Buzz Williams has proven spectacularly foolish on multiple occasions. I'll wait until the body is cold.

I'm so glad you posted this.  It's funny how an Elite 8 made me forget all about the rough start we had last year.  With that said, I've been feeling better on how we've looked since the 2nd half of the ASU game, so hopefully we can get everyone's role figured out and start rolling starting this Saturday.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm so glad you posted this.  It's funny how an Elite 8 made me forget all about the rough start we had last year.  With that said, I've been feeling better on how we've looked since the 2nd half of the ASU game, so hopefully we can get everyone's role figured out and start rolling starting this Saturday.

Think about how precarious it is.  Vander misses that shot, we are one and done.  Davidson doesn't piss their pants, one and done.  A very fine line.  Imagine what the take would be here if that were the outcome?  A very fine line....indeed.

[MUSF]

Think about how precarious it is.  Vander misses that shot, we are one and done.  Davidson doesn't piss their pants, one and done.  A very fine line.  Imagine what the take would be here if that were the outcome?  A very fine line....indeed.

That's why it's important to not take a reactionary approach to every game.

That stated, more often than not, great teams, players, coaches, etc. come out on the positive side of your "very fine line". Luck favors the prepared.

[brewcity77]

That's why it's important to not take a reactionary approach to every game.

That stated, more often than not, great teams, players, coaches, etc. come out on the positive side of your "very fine line". Luck favors the prepared.

Very true. As easy as it is to say "if Vander missed that shot" it was the same shot he made a week before at St. John's. Maybe a better prepared Davidson team would have been defending against that specific playcall. Not to say they didn't play a great game, but the shot that beat them was one just about anyone who regularly watches SportsCenter saw less than 7 days earlier.

[Lennys Tap]

Think about how precarious it is.  Vander misses that shot, we are one and done.  Davidson doesn't piss their pants, one and done.  A very fine line.  Imagine what the take would be here if that were the outcome?  A very fine line....indeed.

For what I hope will be the last time, Davidson DID NOT piss their pants. They scored 1.25 points per possession down the stretch - 1-1 field goal (100%), 3-4 free throws (75%) and had one (1) turnover. We scored 11 points (3-3 from 3, 1-1 from 2) on our last four possessions (2.75 ppp). We were flawless. Had they been flawless, they would likely have held on (barely) - but there is a huge difference between pissing one's pants and flawless.

[4th and State]

Think about how precarious it is.  Vander misses that shot, we are one and done.  Davidson doesn't piss their pants, one and done.  A very fine line.  Imagine what the take would be here if that were the outcome?  A very fine line....indeed.

Yes, very fine line between winning and losing.  When a loss seemed imminent on that day I was consoling myself to how good we would be next year (this year) with most of our major pieces coming back, likely including Vander.  

 

[Goose]

Lenny,

I still have no idea of what to expect this season from the Warriors. In watching the impact freshmen across the country are having I have high hopes we see a lot of our young guys in upcoming months. Accepting a down season is easier if you can see bright spots for the future. I would play our Big 3 a ton moving ahead. Win or lose with those guys and get them real minutes.

[MuMark]

Well said Lenny....MU had to be perfect and they were but Davidson didn't give the game away
(other then 1 bad turnover) MU took it.

For what I hope will be the last time, Davidson DID NOT piss their pants. They scored 1.25 points per possession down the stretch - 1-1 field goal (100%), 3-4 free throws (75%) and had one (1) turnover. We scored 11 points (3-3 from 3, 1-1 from 2) on our last four possessions (2.75 ppp). We were flawless. Had they been flawless, they would likely have held on (barely) - but there is a huge difference between pissing one's pants and flawless.

[frozena pizza]

I think its fair to say Florida was more talented than us last year, although not by as much as that game would indicate.

I'm not sure last year's team would have won any of the games that we've lost this year anyway.  My concern is that we don't have as many opportunities for statement wins in the new conference as we have had in the past.

[tower912]

For what I hope will be the last time, Davidson DID NOT piss their pants. They scored 1.25 points per possession down the stretch - 1-1 field goal (100%), 3-4 free throws (75%) and had one (1) turnover. We scored 11 points (3-3 from 3, 1-1 from 2) on our last four possessions (2.75 ppp). We were flawless. Had they been flawless, they would likely have held on (barely) - but there is a huge difference between pissing one's pants and flawless.

Don't mess with his established narrative. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

That's why it's important to not take a reactionary approach to every game.

That stated, more often than not, great teams, players, coaches, etc. come out on the positive side of your "very fine line". Luck favors the prepared.

I agree.  It's a furthering of perspective.  It's a game, with many things happening in 40 minutes, all culminating to a final outcome, but ultimately a game.  In the NCAA tourney, however, only one team comes out "on the positive side" of that very thin line....great team or not.  Someone is going to lose, someone is going to win and often it's the smallest of things (a free throw missed in the first half, a missed block out, etc) that add up with all the great plays that make the difference.