So how bout those 24 or so games we have left?

[KenoshaWarrior]

It is tuesday which needs to be "Get Over it Day".  Yea we lost to the rodents, and that sucks wet hairy cat, yea we are 5-4.    For those of you guys who always go crazy over MU's "poor" early season schedule there is a reason why you schedule cupcakes.  
1.Builds Confidence in Team
2. Inflates record
3. Inflates ranking
4. 90 percent of Alumni/Fans start to believe.  
But besides the obvious scheduling differences and the 5-4 record we need to realize a few things

1. This is a Fan Website and fans either think two things  (O my god we suck again, O my god we are a NCAA title favorite) The truth is obviously somewhere in between.  
2. It hurts more when Bucky is playing well.  This is just the truth.  We all say that it is great that Bucky is playing well in regards to our RPI, but when it comes down to it hurts know that all media attention in the state is on Bucky.   Being a Marquette fan is a lot like being a fan of the Mexican Soccer team.   WE care, and we care a ton about basketball, just as mexicans care a lot about soccer.  Now here comes the USA who really only cares about football.  They have some success in soccer and little by little USA fans start cheering for USA soccer just because it fills in time.   Kinda like how basketball is just a fill in for football to most Bucky fans.  All the sudden USA beats Mexico and it hurts terribly because you know that it matters.  It matters a lot.  It sucks that they beat you in "Your" sport and because you dont have "Their" sport their aint crap you can do about it
3. Look for a really good conference season.
If their is one thing I know about Marquette, is that for some reason Marquette plays really well against good teams that are not "Big name" programs.  What i mean by that is that for some reason we have always struggled against Giant State football schools, and have performed really well against private schools.  Dont know why this is true, but it is.  

[T-Bone]

Nicely done. 

This is 5-4 with our losses against 2 top ten teams (regardless of how much you hate them), a loss to 1 team that has only one loss and that to a top ten team, the other loss came to a team that may get an NCAA bid and has two losses - to a ranked team and to a team that was in the sweet 16 last year (I know they're not close to the same team as last year).  Not worried.

This will be an exciting team to watch in a month - and this Saturday. 

For what it's worth at this time last year (statsheet numbers):
RPI 90, SOS 200 (12/8/12)
This year
RPI 91, SOS 69

I'm curious if anyone who has access to Ken Pomeroy and wants to take a look at the differences between the average age from this year (on a minutes per game basis). 

[KenoshaWarrior]

Might I add that we handed GW it's lone loss of the season

[4everwarriors]

So, if we're conference champs, does that mean the conference sucks or we're not as bad as it seems or perhaps the team has improved?

[Lennys Tap]

So, if we're conference champs, does that mean the conference sucks or we're not as bad ad it seems or perhaps the team has improved?

Yes

[Pakuni]

Wait .... they're even bothering to play the rest of the schedule?
Not sure I see the point. MU is already NIT-bound, but whatever.

[Let's Go Warriors]

Here's the thing:

I think almost everyone expected D. wilson to be at least getting 15 or so minutes by now.  His injury has obviously stopped that from happening.

The same for Mayo.  Who knows if he will ever contribute meaningfully this season.

STJR.  I expected him to be a major minutes guy by now.  His inury is causing MU to change is sub pattern and as much as Juan is a glue/hustle guy.  I would rather have STJR logging some big time minutes by now.  Allowing Gardner more time at the 5 with wilson at the 3.  Or even a small line up with STJR at 5, wilson at 4...  gives buzz alot of flexibility.  Something Otule and Gardner dont.

3 guys that were probably expected to be major parts of the rotation and we have no idea if they will be able to help or not at all this season.  I hope I am wrong but this team is missing some major impact players at this point.

[GOO]

Wait .... they're even bothering to play the rest of the schedule?
Not sure I see the point. MU is already NIT-bound, but whatever.

Exactly, I thought the season was over and we were not going to bother playing out the rest of the year.  It's news to me that we have more games, and 20+ more at that...  Based upon the comments of most (many?) here, I thought the season had ended.  Geez, I wish I hand't shredded my season tickets already. I guess that is what I get for getting my MU basketball news from fellow posters 

Seriously, this team has issues, but I expect to see a much improved team as we move forward.  Buzz proves it all the time.  Let him do it his way, as I have a suspect that he knows a little about basketball and what he is doing, despite some posters who think they know better here.

Be patient, improvement is coming. 

[bilsu]

The trouble with being 5-4 is that at best you can finish the non-conference season is 9-4. Last year with cancellation of Ohio St game we finished non-conference 9-3. Probably would of been 9-4, if carrier game was not cancelled. The question is whether this team has a chance to go 14-4 in conference again? This year the conference does not have Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Uconn & Cincy so in theory it should be easier to win 14 conference games. I do not think 8-5 and 10-8 will get us in the NCAA tournament. 9-4 and 10-8 will also not be good enough.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The trouble with being 5-4 is that at best you can finish the non-conference season is 9-4. Last year with cancellation of Ohio St game we finished non-conference 9-3. Probably would of been 9-4, if carrier game was not cancelled. The question is whether this team has a chance to go 14-4 in conference again? This year the conference does not have Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Uconn & Cincy so in theory it should be easier to win 14 conference games. I do not think 8-5 and 10-8 will get us in the NCAA tournament. 9-4 and 10-8 will also not be good enough.

The other problem is 14-4 in last year's Big East is a lot different than 14-4 in this year's version.

[KenoshaWarrior]

Are you telling me that 14-4 in conference does not get you into the tournament????

[MUfan12]

Are you telling me that 14-4 in conference does not get you into the tournament????

No kidding.

The league isn't what it was, but it didn't drop so far that 14 wins in conference won't get you in.

[Benny B]

Based strictly upon the collective "wisdom" around here, I expect the team to go 25-0 the rest of the way, which should be good for a 7-seed in the tourney.

[GOO]

Base strictly upon the collective "wisdom" around here, I expect the team to got 25-0 the rest of the way, which should be good for a 7-seed in the tourney.

Based upon reading this site this year, I don't expect us to win another game this year 

[The Equalizer]

No kidding.

The league isn't what it was, but it didn't drop so far that 14 wins in conference won't get you in.

Depends on who gets the 14-4 record and what place they're in. 

If DePaul is 14-4 and finishes in 4th place, the league only gets 3 teams in.

[raul]

I like the Mexican soccer analogy, as for being 5-4 it sucks. But I see MU in the tourney and the new BE will have at least 4 teams invited. So its not the end of the world and the future of MUBB and the BE looks very promising.