Making Our Schedule

[Marcus92]

I love Al, but treating him as a the oracle for how to run a basketball program nearly 40 years after he retired is silly.

No kidding. Marquette was still an independent when Al was coaching — unheard of for any major men's basketball program today. The Sagarin Ratings and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) hadn't been invented yet. Ken Pomeroy wasn't even born. Strength of schedule, meanwhile, was a purely subjective criteria applied by the writers who voted in the AP poll.

That said, I do think there's some worth in what he says about name schools.

Think LSU this year. A better-than-average basketball team (top 100), from a major conference, and known nationally for its football program. Marquette-LSU is a far more compelling matchup in the Legends Classic and draws more attention than similarly ranked teams (or even better ones) from lesser conferences. Evansville, Stony Brook or Iona just don't have the same clout.

[Herman Cain]

I love Al, but treating him as a the oracle for how to run a basketball program nearly 40 years after he retired is silly.

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

[GGGG]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

This doesn't surprise me.

[warriorchick]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

Especially 40 years after he last coached, because college basketball is exactly the same as it was in 1977.

[🏀]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

Yikes.

[Dawson Rental]

This doesn't surprise me.

I agree with this analysis.

[Dawson Rental]

I'd like to see us start a rivarly with Minnesota. Living in MN is part of the reason, but I also think they'd be a good fit for a rival, not too far to travel, lots of fans in both states.  It makes sense.

A nit pick.  We wouldn't be starting a rivalry with Minnesota, we'd be resuming one.  They were once a fixture on the schedule.

[dgies9156]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

In today's PC world, we couldn't have an Al. Given the way he ran our program and the willingness he had to "not know his place" and say what was on his mind, Marquette would be the king of probation. They would emasculate us today.

That said, the takeaway from this thread is that most of us would like to see Wisconsin, Notre Dame and at least two to three non-Badger BIG schools on our schedule.

We'd also like to see us play one or two other national teams from around the country. Syracuse, Loserville and Cincinnati would be nice. Some of us would also like to see us lay waste to the Hillbilly.

We hate the notion of playing Grambling-like schools. And, please, do not bring up playing UWM again.

[#UnleashSean]

Some of us would also like to see us lay waste to the Hillbilly.

That hillbilly who has outperformed the much higher budgeted Marquette may not be a good opponent to play. Unless you want to see the apocalypse on scoop. Actually let's play them. Scoop may come to an end.

[4everwarriors]

Crean sucks

[real chili 83]

ND sucks

[Herman Cain]

Especially 40 years after he last coached, because college basketball is exactly the same as it was in 1977.

I am confident our 1977 team could beat any of the recent national champions.

[tower912]

Al was a genius for his time.   He left when disco was huge, polyester leisure suits and perms on men were acceptable, we watched 3 channels and read the paper every day.  No shot clock, no 3 pt shot, 15 scholarships, no chat rooms or internet.    Geniuses can adapt, but he would no longer have a recruiting pipeline and fighting his players would have repercussions.

[dgies9156]

That hillbilly who has outperformed the much higher budgeted Marquette may not be a good opponent to play. Unless you want to see the apocalypse on scoop. Actually let's play them. Scoop may come to an end.

No.

If we lost to the Hillbilly, there would be NO, repeat, NO doubt whatsoever that Coach Wojo would be on the hot seat.

Talk about Hiroshima!

[warriorchick]

I am confident our 1977 team could beat any of the recent national champions.

Which set of basketball rules?  The one with the shot clock and the three-point line or the one without?

[Herman Cain]

Al was a genius for his time.   He left when disco was huge, polyester leisure suits and perms on men were acceptable, we watched 3 channels and read the paper every day.  No shot clock, no 3 pt shot, 15 scholarships, no chat rooms or internet.    Geniuses can adapt, but he would no longer have a recruiting pipeline and fighting his players would have repercussions.

Bernard Toone was a punk and he deserved it.

[Herman Cain]

Which set of basketball rules?  The one with the shot clock and the three-point line or the one without?

Either one. Butch was one of the 5 best college point guards ever. I am confident in a shot clock environment with Whitehead patrolling the middle , Butch and Bo would have a field day and we had plenty of good shooters, Rosenberger with a 3 point  would have really opened things up for Bo.

[Galway Eagle]

I am confident our 1977 team could beat any of the recent national champions.

The Anthony Davis Kentucky squad would wipe the floor with our squad.

[GGGG]

The Anthony Davis Kentucky squad would wipe the floor with our squad.

Interesting observation.  By and large, I think sports "progress."  Players, coaching, etc. gets better as time progresses.  OTOH, college basketball was a much different beast 20-30 years ago.  Players didn't leave for the pros until they ran out of eligibility, so the quality of the game was much better IMO.  Put it this way, an NCAA game looked more like an NBA game back then than it does now.  The college game now is way behind the quality of the NBA because a great deal of the talent has left.

That Marquette team was very experienced and very talented.  I don't think Kentucky would have wiped the floor with them.  Marquette's back court would have been too good to let that happen.

[dgies9156]

Interesting observation.  By and large, I think sports "progress."  Players, coaching, etc. gets better as time progresses.  OTOH, college basketball was a much different beast 20-30 years ago.  Players didn't leave for the pros until they ran out of eligibility, so the quality of the game was much better IMO.  Put it this way, an NCAA game looked more like an NBA game back then than it does now.  The college game now is way behind the quality of the NBA because a great deal of the talent has left.

That Marquette team was very experienced and very talented.  I don't think Kentucky would have wiped the floor with them.  Marquette's back court would have been too good to let that happen.

Remembering that team, the late Jerome Whitehead was and would still be a beast. Great player that could stand the test of any period. Bo Ellis probably would have spent his life in a weight room and had a physique more like the late Maurice Lucas by the time he was finished. Bernard Toone -- immensely talented and not sure what happened but something upstairs wasn't working.

Ulice Payne could have played now or then. Bill Neary would be a role player today as he was then. Craig Butrym probably needed some weight room work, and given what his son became as a UW football player, one could only imagine the kind of enforcer he would have been.

Our guards could win national title today! Butch was as good as anyone I've seen before or since. Jim Boylan was a perfect complement and I wonder whether the late Gary Rosenberger might have started if we had a three point line in 1977. A case could be made today that Rosenberger's shot was so good that there was no way Al could have kept him out of the line-up.

That said, the 1975-1976 team with Dr. Lloyd Walton and Earl Tatum might have fit today's environment even better. Both were incredible!

[ChicosBailBonds]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

[Lennys Tap]

In today's PC world, we couldn't have an Al. Given the way he ran our program and the willingness he had to "not know his place" and say what was on his mind, Marquette would be the king of probation. They would emasculate us today.

I can only imagine Al dealing with "bosses" like Scott Pilarz and Larry Williams while MU fans like Chico decried his "just win, baby!" philosophy and whined about him disrespecting his superiors. How fun would that have been?!

[MU82]

I agree with everything Al ever said and ever did. I think he is the definitive voice as to how to run a basketball program.

As one who disdains the use of teal, I thought you were being sarcastic here ... until I scrolled down and read your later comments.

All's I can say is, "Oy."

Even Al wouldn't agree with everything he ever said and did!

[Lennys Tap]

As one who disdains the use of teal, I thought you were being sarcastic here ... until I scrolled down and read your later comments.

All's I can say is, "Oy."

Even Al wouldn't agree with everything he ever said and did!

So are you saying Al would disagree with Al or are you disdaining the use of teal?

[dgies9156]

I can only imagine Al dealing with "bosses" like Scott Pilarz and Larry Williams while MU fans like Chico decried his "just win, baby!" philosophy and whined about him disrespecting his superiors. How fun would that have been?!

Al apparently dealt directly with the late Father John P. Raynor, then President of Marquette University.

Can you imagine Al going into Father Pilarz and telling him, "Father, you took the vow of poverty. I didn't" in response to Marquette compensation offer?

Father DiUilio would have chased Al off and been as effective in operating the basketball team as he was in closing Wisconsin Avenue. Yikes!