NIT

[bilsu]

Because Henry rebounds and nobody else we have is any good at that.  I don't know about anyone else, but that is 90% of my concern about not having him next year.  We're a poor defensive team and a poor rebounding team now.  While Henry wasn't much of a defender, at least he ended possessions by grabbing rebounds on opponents misses.  Imagine our current shoddy defense with a lot more put backs against us.  If we find a rebounding PF I think we can be better next year.

Henry does not rebound against physical teams. Look at last games against Villanova and Xavier. That is my only hope that Henry stays. He goes to combine and NBA scouts tell him he has not demonstrated he can handle physical players, so he returns since his draft stock is lower than expected.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Luke won't transfer.

Duane won't transfer down to a mid-major.

JJJ has worked hard to be in a position to be one of the go-to-guys next year.

Duane would also burn a year of eligibility. If he transfers, it'll be after next year if he is in a position to be a grad transfer. Duane is going nowhere. Luke and JJ are going nowhere.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I don't think anyone is happy with this season but take a step back and look at the progress. Wojo inherited a crap roster that was a last place team in a power conference. Four of the seven scholarship players on that roster from last year are gone. We had FOUR SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS RETURNING FROM A TERRIBLE TEAM. Enter one of the youngest teams in the country. What did they do? Added 7 wins overall and 4 conference wins. We went from one of the worst power conference teams in the country to a possible NIT team in one year. We were 4-14 in the Big East last year. The Big East got better. We went 8-10. In one year. With 6 new players on the roster.

The entitlement on this board is unbelievable. Is it frustrating to maybe miss any postseason play for the 3rd consecutive year? Hell yeah it's frustrating. But we went from terrible to average in one year. The only other team to do that, oddly, was Virginia Tech. It's irritating given that we were an E8 team 4 seasons ago and coming off of a run of sustained success, but we're clearly back on the upswing. Maybe Wojo ends up not working out in the end but the program is obviously trending back in the right direction. It doesn't happen overnight.

For unnatural carnal knowledges sake

+1

[4everwarriors]

Hard to get wood over anythin' less than the Tourney for those of us who experienced the Al years. And yes, we are capable of woodies, just so you know. None da less, I'm figurin' on a bid to da NIT. Hopin' Wojo gets 'em up enough to consummate a couple wins, ai na?

[bilsu]

I want a post season bid of some kind, because I love watching our young players play. It is also a long time to our first game next season and I hate the offseason, especially once recruiting is done. I do think we have a chance to make the NIT, but not based on our RPI. It is based on whether the NIT values having Big East teams in their tournament. If that is important for their image than MU and Creighton are in the NIT. If it is more important to pick the best remaining teams than Creighton & MU will not get a bid. MU has another plus in that the NIT might want Henry, in the hope he is playing in their final 4. I think the Vegas 16 is more likely and I will be very tempted to go to Vegas. Vegas 16 would be more fun than NIT, but NIT could save me a lot of money.

[drewm88]

Ahh shows how much I pay attention to the CBI. Thanks for the correction.

Roughly as much attention as it deserves.

[79Warrior]

This is really depressing. People here truly believe that one player makes this entire program and he is unreplaceable. Hank is damn good. Best player we have. He is not unreplaceable.

I am not saying he makes the entire program not that he is irreplaceable. But, unless we get another PF this team is not going to make the strides upward that some people think. We are too small and Luke is a foul fest. Everyone will have to be much improved for this team to get to the Top 4 in the BE.

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

Roughly as much attention as it deserves.

Loyola Chicago won the CBI last year. The 2015 CBI "Final Four" was Loyola, Louisiana-Monroe, Seattle U, and Vermont. That tells you everything you need to know.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

CBI.  Cupcake Bowl
Gracias,no

[Herman Cain]

Hopefully we are invited to the NIT.  There are going to be some quality teams in the field and if we do well it will be a benefit to the program. The other events have more downside than upside in my view and I think we should respectfully decline those. Let the guys finish up the academic year strong and get an early start on the weights and skills improvement.

[77ncaachamps]

What frustrates me the most about Hank is the same statistic he leads this team in: rebounding.

He SHOULD BE a double-double guy.

But he enjoys shooting the .288 3PT% three-pointer so much, it was sad to see an MU team struggle on the glass and lose games because their best rebounder is favoring the arc over the 5 footer.

[brewcity77]

What frustrates me the most about Hank is the same statistic he leads this team in: rebounding.

He SHOULD BE a double-double guy.

But he enjoys shooting the .288 3PT% three-pointer so much, it was sad to see an MU team struggle on the glass and lose games because their best rebounder is favoring the arc over the 5 footer.

He does shoot the three too much, but he is shooting 35.9% (14/39) from beyond the arc in the past 13 games. He's also shooting slightly fewer threes during that time (3.0, previously 3.3 per game).

[MU82]

I am not suggesting that Wojo get fired. Far from it. But Marquette needs to take stock of the performance of its most valuable asset. Like it or not, Marquette's national reputation is largely predicated on the performance of its men's basketball team.

A lack of success on the hardwood is a very real issue for the strategic aims of the institution.

If this was GE Capital Indonesia the Country Director wouldn't get fired straight away but he also wouldn't last through 8 quarters of subpar performance.

Marquette invests heavily in the Men's Basketball Program because it has paid significant returns. Everyone accepts cyclical dips but I think it is fair to ask if we are witnessing an aberration or a trend.

If we take a hard look at where we are at as a program the future portends more of the same:

- We lose our best player
- We likely lose upper classman talent this off season
- We continue to have a roster with gaping skills deficits
- We remain inexperienced
- Our fan base is defecting in droves
- We can't even get on FS1 consistently


If this was a strategic business unit of GE Capital I guarantee that CT would be asking some tough questions because the shareholders have expectations of performance. I see no reason why Marquette should not have the same standards of excellence.

Personally, I don't see things getting better. Next year could be even worse. I think it is fair for the University to ask current management to stop at the Six Sigma Tollgate.   

Even if I agree with everything here -- and I don't, but I agree with much of it -- there isn't anything I can do about it.

I have learned over the years to stop worrying about crap I can't control. I also have learned over the years to not get any kind of self-worth from the doings of a college basketball team.

I was proud to say I went to Marquette even during the Dukiet years. Did I puff out my chest a little more in 2003 and 2013? Yes I did. But I still knew it was only basketball, not real life.

So I'll let others take "a hard look" at this stuff. I just know that sports are cyclical. We'll be good again. And then almost surely bad again after that.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I'm borrowing Spillproof's list of games with #1 seeds and adding games featuring other NIT contenders:

Stephen F. Austin vs. Houston Baptist (Autobid)
Hampton vs. Savannah State (Autobid)
Akron vs. Bowling Green (Autobid)
Weber State vs. North Dakota (Autobid)
New Mexico State vs. UMKC (Autobid)
San Diego State vs. Nevada (Autobid)
Hawaii vs. UC Santa Barbara (Autobid vs. potential at large)
Texas Southern vs. Southern University (Autobid)
Long Beach State vs. UC Irvine (Two potential at larges, probably want Long Beach State to win)
Texas A&M-CC vs. Sam Houston State (Potential at large)
Richmond vs. Dayton (potential at large)
Memphis vs. Tulsa (potential at large)
Fresno State vs. Colorado State (potential at large)
Davidson vs. St. Bonaventure (potential at large)
Alabama vs. Kentucky (potential at large)
LSU vs. Tennessee (potential at large)
Georgia vs. South Carolina (potential at large)

Good News
Stephen F. Austin kills Houston Baptist
Hampton destroys Savannah State
Akron beats Bowling Green
Weber State sneaks past North Dakota in OT
New Mexico State wins over UMKC
San Diego State defeats Nevada
Hawaii routs UC Santa Barbara
Long Beach State over UC Irvine
Richmond bows out to Dayton
Alabama embarrassed by Kentucky

Bad News
Texas Southern upset by Southern (Why did Big Chris let us down Jay Bee?) Another spot gone
Texas A&M-CC snuck past Sam Houston State
Memphis destroys Tulsa
Fresno State gets past Colorado State
Davidson beats St. Bonaventure in OT (might push them past us)
LSU womps Tennessee
Georgia upsets South Carolina

The autobids did well tonight. 7/8 of them advanced. The other NIT bubble teams unfortunately did well tonight. Davidson beating St. Bonaventure's might push them past us, and LSU/Georgia winning guarantees that they won't fall behind us.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Tomorrow's games with NIT implications:

Stephen F. Austin vs. Texas A&M-CC (Autobid vs. Potential At Large
Hampton vs. South Carolina State (Autobid)
Akron vs. Buffalo (Autobid)
Weber State vs. Montana (Autobid)
New Mexico State vs. CSU Bakersfield (Autobid)
San Diego State vs. Fresno State (Autobid vs. Potential At Large)
Hawaii vs. Long Beach State (Autobid vs. Potential At Large)
Memphis vs. Tulane (Potential At Large)
Davidson vs. VCU (Potential At Large)
LSU vs. Texas A&M (Potential At Large)
Georgia vs. Kentucky (Potential At Large)

[tompopsicle]

+1

The Big East was also a lot better this year than last.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Henry does not rebound against physical teams.

You are nearly reaching Ners levels in pounding a dead (and inaccurate) horse.

[GGGG]

Henry does not rebound against physical teams. Look at last games against Villanova and Xavier. That is my only hope that Henry stays. He goes to combine and NBA scouts tell him he has not demonstrated he can handle physical players, so he returns since his draft stock is lower than expected.

In the four regular season games v. X and Nova, he averaged 7.0 rebounds.  If he only played those four games, he would have still been Marquette's rebounding leader and tied for seventh in the Big East.

Are we done with this stupid talking point now?

[Jay Bee]

If MU makes the NIT but has to play TX Southern I will cry.

[Loose Cannon]

It's hard for me to square some of the depressing comments with the few posters that at the beginning of the season predicted 20 or more Wins.  Please don't play the "If Game", things happened the way they happened. (No Injuries). For me I'm enjoying my sandwich and hoping for a better menu next year.

Oh, if those predicted 20 win posters would like to raise their hand, please do.

[brewcity77]

If MU makes the NIT but has to play TX Southern I will cry.

Big Chris NBA vs Big Hank NBA?

[dgies9156]

It's hard for me to square some of the depressing comments with the few posters that at the beginning of the season predicted 20 or more Wins.  Please don't play the "If Game", things happened the way they happened. (No Injuries). For me I'm enjoying my sandwich and hoping for a better menu next year.

Oh, if those predicted 20 win posters would like to raise their hand, please do.

OK, I kinda thought they would win 20+ and make the NCAA tournament. I plead guilty and tell the world I see things with blue and gold Warrior glasses.

Objectively, we had too many freshmen and still lacked depth. Anim did not come along as fast as I suspected he would and for most of the season we were seven or eight deep. The Xavier game exposed the fact we were winded, especially when St. john's pressed us harder than they should have.

Bad news was Henry was not Jabari Parker. Bad news was our freshmen were freshmen and made a lot of mistakes that I blindly thought they would not make. The good news is we probably found ourselves a point guard in Traci Carter. Hanni looks like the real thing and between Hanni and JjJ, we appear to have a strong offensive basis for next year.

To be objective, we're improving and I feel pretty good that we should be a tournament team next year. Should Henry come back, looooook out! Wojo is growing with a team that's young and if his recruiting prowess continues, we're well set.

[Earl Tatum]

As mentioned Henry doesn't rebound against physical teams. Luke is becoming a non-factor.
SO, JUST GET ME 2 OR 3 BIGS WHO CAN REBOUND, REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY STARS BEHIND
THEIR NAME. Don't know where but find them.Other teams do.

[GGGG]

As mentioned Henry doesn't rebound against physical teams.

And, as mentioned, that just isn't true. 

The guy's the leading rebounder in the BE and his accomplishment is diminished by his own fan base.  Very, very strange.

[GGGG]

Oh by the way, Angel Delgado, finished #2 to Henry in BE rebounding.  He only got 27 rebounds v. X and Nova in the four BE conference games he played them.  So he did worse than Henry did against those teams.

Do you think the Seton Hall fanbase is lamenting that only gets easy rebounds?