Take It To The Bank

[Lennys Tap]

Levels we haven’t seen since Al doesn’t = Al’s level.

I understand and concede that. Al levels are unreachable given the landscape that is college basketball today. Crean and Buzz levels are what I rooting for Wojo to surpass. That's what those "in the know" predicted in 2015 according to your post. He's got a ways to go, wouldn't you say?

[Galway Eagle]

I understand and concede that. Al levels are unreachable given the landscape that is college basketball today. Crean and Buzz levels are what I rooting for Wojo to surpass. That's what those "in the know" predicted in 2015 according to your post. He's got a ways to go, wouldn't you say?

Villanova is currently laughing at your statement that it's unreachable. It's unlikely to reach but give me the option of 67-77 success under Al or Villanovas last 10 years I'd take Villanova every day and not even hesitate. And as much pride as you old timers have in Al you're lying if you say otherwise

[dgies9156]

I understand and concede that. Al levels are unreachable given the landscape that is college basketball today.

Bulls*it!!!!!!

It can happen if there is a commitment to make it happen. It means the right people in the right places with the right team.

I admit, it is harder today given the diversity of teams in college basketball. But it is possible. If Duke can do it. If Villanova can do it. Forgodssake, if UConn can do it, we can do it too.

I hope Wojo is the right guy. A point guard and a deep run into the NCAA and I might be convinced. Al didn't win everything every year, but we were a contender every year and we were in the discussion.

Chick is right, I don't see an "A" grade for our team until we make the Final Four again!

[Herman Cain]

Villanova is currently laughing at your statement that it's unreachable. It's unlikely to reach but give me the option of 67-77 success under Al or Villanovas last 10 years I'd take Villanova every day and not even hesitate. And as much pride as you old timers have in Al you're lying if you say otherwise

I would take our days with Al over Nova's current stretch. We were the clear number 2 program after the incredible UCLA program . The top teams in that period were also much more powerful on a relative basis than they are today, which further supports MU's greatness. Not taking anything away from Jay Wright and Company but we were just at a different level . We struck fear into the hearts of our opponents.

[Galway Eagle]

I would take our days with Al over Nova's current stretch. We were the clear number 2 program after the incredible UCLA program . The top teams in that period were also much more powerful on a relative basis than they are today, which further supports MU's greatness. Not taking anything away from Jay Wright and Company but we were just at a different level . We struck fear into the hearts of our opponents.

You realize since 2009 alone they have more final fours and championships than us in 101 years of basketball...

Can't fix stupid

[Pakuni]

You realize since 2009 alone they have more final fours and championships than us in 101 years of basketball...

Can't fix stupid

Championships, yes. Final Fours, no.

[Galway Eagle]

Championships, yes. Final Fours, no.

Sorry had a few beers tonight. My bad

[wadesworld]

I understand and concede that. Al levels are unreachable given the landscape that is college basketball today. Crean and Buzz levels are what I rooting for Wojo to surpass. That's what those "in the know" predicted in 2015 according to your post. He's got a ways to go, wouldn't you say?

I agree. He has a long way to go. And I am rooting for Wojo to surpass the success Crean and Buzz as well. Which I think starts this year. I think Wojo adds a quality lead guard this offseason and we’re a top 4 BE team that graduates only Matt Heldt. I expect a team that hovers around the top 25 throughout the year and the following year is a top 15 team. I have confidence from this year forward we will be worrying about what our seed is and not whether we get into the NCAA Tournament.

[Lennys Tap]

I agree. He has a long way to go. And I am rooting for Wojo to surpass the success Crean and Buzz as well. Which I think starts this year. I think Wojo adds a quality lead guard this offseason and we’re a top 4 BE team that graduates only Matt Heldt. I expect a team that hovers around the top 25 throughout the year and the following year is a top 15 team. I have confidence from this year forward we will be worrying about what our seed is and not whether we get into the NCAA Tournament.

Hope you're right. If so, all Marquette fan are in for a special stretch.

[MU82]

I agree. He has a long way to go. And I am rooting for Wojo to surpass the success Crean and Buzz as well. Which I think starts this year. I think Wojo adds a quality lead guard this offseason and we’re a top 4 BE team that graduates only Matt Heldt. I expect a team that hovers around the top 25 throughout the year and the following year is a top 15 team. I have confidence from this year forward we will be worrying about what our seed is and not whether we get into the NCAA Tournament.

I agree with this, and I definitely hope for it.

Is it "possible" that we'll ever get back to Al level? Technically yes, but realistically no, and just about everybody understands that. The landscape is so different, it's almost like two different games.

Come join us, young Joseph. We are Marquette!

[Floorslapper]

I agree. He has a long way to go. And I am rooting for Wojo to surpass the success Crean and Buzz as well. Which I think starts this year. I think Wojo adds a quality lead guard this offseason and we’re a top 4 BE team that graduates only Matt Heldt. I expect a team that hovers around the top 25 throughout the year and the following year is a top 15 team. I have confidence from this year forward we will be worrying about what our seed is and not whether we get into the NCAA Tournament.

Top 4 Big East team for next season looks like about a Top 40 team.  No Big East team other than Nova even projected in Top 25 per the Value Ad numbers.  Good news is that we are at 26, and per value add should finish 2nd in conference WITHOUT a grad transfer lead guard.

I'll be pleased if Wojo can reach the levels of success of Crean.  I don't expect he'll be able to reach Buzz levels, because I just don't believe he is a good in-game coach.  We will win with talent - good news is Wojo has done well in that department in identifying and landing players who could all contribute and play. 

But, the hyperbole of suggesting we can approach Duke or the 70s with Wojo as coach is absurd.  I don't see anything in the last 4-years that leads me to believe he can juice a few extra wins out of a team through pure X's and O's, strategy, in-game adjustments.

[DCHoopster]

Top 4 Big East team for next season looks like about a Top 40 team.  No Big East team other than Nova even projected in Top 25 per the Value Ad numbers.  Good news is that we are at 26, and per value add should finish 2nd in conference WITHOUT a grad transfer lead guard.

I'll be pleased if Wojo can reach the levels of success of Crean.  I don't expect he'll be able to reach Buzz levels, because I just don't believe he is a good in-game coach.  We will win with talent - good news is Wojo has done well in that department in identifying and landing players who could all contribute and play. 

But, the hyperbole of suggesting we can approach Duke or the 70s with Wojo as coach is absurd.  I don't see anything in the last 4-years that leads me to believe he can juice a few extra wins out of a team through pure X's and O's, strategy, in-game adjustments.

Until he signs a Top 20 kid or Top 50 kid not from Wisconsin, he will flounder.  Al signed Top 10 kids and Coach K top 5 kids, and this year 3 of them.  Needs a break through kid, to bad on Grimes, he would have been huge.  Running to Texas all the time, it is great MU likes to spend money on fuel.  That is for sure.

[Its DJOver]

I'll be pleased if Wojo can reach the levels of success of Crean.  I don't expect he'll be able to reach Buzz levels, because I just don't believe he is a good in-game coach.  We will win with talent - good news is Wojo has done well in that department in identifying and landing players who could all contribute and play. 

But, the hyperbole of suggesting we can approach Duke or the 70s with Wojo as coach is absurd.  I don't see anything in the last 4-years that leads me to believe he can juice a few extra wins out of a team through pure X's and O's, strategy, in-game adjustments.

Agree that Wojo isn't as good of an in game coach as Buzz, but he has shown improvement, which I think is very important.  His first year here, a lot of the time the offense was whatever Carlino or Duane could get by themselves.  Same his second year with Henry.

The fact that he is riding the hot hand more, shows his development in this area. Riding Sacar against CU, then coming back the next game and running multiple set plays for Sacar.  Still too much hero ball with AR and MH this year, but significantly less than we had when Carlino was here.  If Wojo continues to improve his in game adjustment (he's behind Buzz, but ahead of Crean IMO), he could become an above average in game coach in a coupe of seasons. 

[Silkk the Shaka]

Until he signs a Top 20 kid or Top 50 kid not from Wisconsin, he will flounder.  Al signed Top 10 kids and Coach K top 5 kids, and this year 3 of them.  Needs a break through kid, to bad on Grimes, he would have been huge.  Running to Texas all the time, it is great MU likes to spend money on fuel.  That is for sure.

K only recently started stacking his classes with one & dones. McD's AA's yes, but it wasn't always 3-4 top 5/10 players per class. That was 30 years down the road.

[Golden Avalanche]

People praising Buzz Williams' in-game coaching either have an agenda or an extremely selective memory.

[tower912]

People praising Buzz Williams' in-game coaching either have an agenda or an extremely selective memory.

Disagree.    Buzz was a better in-game coach than either Crean or Wojo.    Perfect?   No.    Came up with some good stuff?    Absolutely.    Especially in the E-8 run.    End game defense against Butler... showed Brad something he had never seen before and wasn't on tape.   

[Golden Avalanche]

Disagree.    Buzz was a better in-game coach than either Crean or Wojo.    Perfect?   No.    Came up with some good stuff?    Absolutely.    Especially in the E-8 run.    End game defense against Butler... showed Brad something he had never seen before and wasn't on tape.   

Cool. You picked one good adjustment. Select 10 more and then put it up against the 10-15 times he failed to make adjustments whilst his team lost double digit leads in the second half.

None of these coaches are great. None of these coaches are terrible. Claiming either side of that coin definitively reeks of an agenda or purposely ignoring half of the evidence.

[Its DJOver]

Cool. You picked one good adjustment. Select 10 more and then put it up against the 10-15 times he failed to make adjustments whilst his team lost double digit leads in the second half.

None of these coaches are great. None of these coaches are terrible. Claiming either side of that coin definitively reeks of an agenda or purposely ignoring half of the evidence.

So a coach has to bat 1.000 in order to be good?  No one said Buzz was perfect, but IMO and many others he is better than both Wojo and Crean.  Wojo is getting better, which is why I think he can eventually be a better in game coach than Buzz, but right now, Wojo's resume of in game adjustments is not as good as Buzz's.

[tower912]

Cool. You picked one good adjustment. Select 10 more and then put it up against the 10-15 times he failed to make adjustments whilst his team lost double digit leads in the second half.

None of these coaches are great. None of these coaches are terrible. Claiming either side of that coin definitively reeks of an agenda or purposely ignoring half of the evidence.

We basically agree, but view it differently.  I don't think Buzz was great.  I would grade him as a B-BC.  Crean a D.  Wojo C- incomplete.  IMO, of the 3, Buzz was better. 

[Pakuni]

People praising Buzz Williams' in-game coaching either have an agenda or an extremely selective memory.

Buzz's coaching in the early going was rough, at best. I'll never forget how Brian Gregory of all people coached circles around him when MU played Dayton at the Sears Centre in Buzz' first year. And, at the risk giving Chico's reason to gloat, Stew "The Legend" Morrill made him look bad in the first game of the tourney that year.
But Buzz learned and got better every year, and is a solid (not great) in-game coach today.

Although the critics don't care to admit it, Wojo is on a similar trajectory. He's gotten better, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to do so. And remember, he arrived at MU with less coaching experience and less head coaching experience than Buzz.

[Goose]

I never thought Buzz was an in game coach. Actually thought he was very weak. He brought other skills to the job.

[bilsu]

No.

Look what his brother did as a frosh.

Then look at their respective rankings.

Then look at JayBee's LNH post: http://latenighthoops.com/joey-hauser-advanced-stats-adidas-uprising/#.WtSkMi7waUk

If healthy he'll likely be BEast freshman of the year

Love Sam, but if he was on Villanova as a freshmen he would of hardly played. The same goes for this year's freshmen. They played a lot more than they would have, if they were on a top 10 team. They got great opportunities, because the team was not great.

[willie warrior]

Sorry had a few beers tonight. My bad

Yeah, you are right. Can't fix stupid.

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

I never thought Buzz was an in game coach. Actually thought he was very weak. He brought other skills to the job.

I thought one of his best in game attrtibutes was lengthening games down the stretch when we were trying to pull off a comeback in the final minutes. Fouling, substitutions, use of timeouts, play calling, etc in those scenarios were very solid imo.

[Floorslapper]

Cool. You picked one good adjustment. Select 10 more and then put it up against the 10-15 times he failed to make adjustments whilst his team lost double digit leads in the second half.

None of these coaches are great. None of these coaches are terrible. Claiming either side of that coin definitively reeks of an agenda or purposely ignoring half of the evidence.

.

How about this:  With a team of 7 scholarships players and none over 6'6", Buzz decided to play at a slow tempo all season and played at 284th in country.  Shorten the game.  Smart.

Please just try to make ONE good point here Jersey guy.

Buzz's results speak for themselves.  Your continued hate for Buzz is comical, while trying to suggest Crean and Wojo are comparable coaches.