Hubris

[PGsHeroes32]

Well I'm known as Mr. Pessimism and while I think we could slide to Dayton we ain't getting left out.

Y'all need to simmer down.

[Class71]

apples to oranges.

Agree, since it really does not matter what any of use think or votes, only what the selection committee votes and we are not polling the selection committee.

[T-Bone]

Sweet fancy moses.

The most significant evidence that MU is NOT making the tournament is this thread .. it could only happen in the off-season.

I hear the committee reads scoop.

[Herman Cain]

Thinking that Marquette is going to make the tournament doesn't take nearly as much hubris as posting nude photos of your fellow Marines on social media even after you have been busted.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-united-photos-investigation/

I missed that news. Thanks for sharing.

[Babybluejeans]

Thinking that Marquette is going to make the tournament doesn't take nearly as much hubris as posting nude photos of your fellow Marines on social media even after you have been busted.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-united-photos-investigation/

They'd have done well to brush up on the classics. Medea and Lysistrata showed us thousands of years ago that we scorn women at our own peril.

Really ironic the keefe is the one talking about hubris.

Thread should have ended here.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

So wait, we had a "pathetic ooc strength of schedule and the amount of 300 + rpi buy games is beyond pathetic"...but you want more "pathetic buy games" to get us to some meaningless number of wins?

Hmm...

Nope u can ass- ume that if it fits ur agenda, but quite honestly i cannot imagine how a person of even average intelligence would think i was for that after what i had posted.

[Class71]

fjm

I am much more of a big picture guy. Play in at Dayton or NIT are both better than nothing. Much more interested in seeing positive trajectory next season than what happens this weekend. Hope they have success, but hoping for "real" success moving forward.

Ding, ding, ding you have the correct answer. Beating this horse one more time accomplishes nothing. Be disappointed if you wish but enough with ...

[Loose Cannon]

Nobody wants Marquette to Dance more than I. But I am astonished at the presumption of many that we are guaranteed a spot in the Tourney.

Frankly, there is a very real chance we won't hear our name called on Sunday. Today was important and we failed to answer the call. I want Marquette to make the Show but know that we might very well we disappointed.

I thought you were Uncertain.

[GoldenDieners32]

FINAL 4 BOUND

[wadesworld]

Nope u can ass- ume that if it fits ur agenda, but quite honestly i cannot imagine how a person of even average intelligence would think i was for that after what i had posted.

Huh?

[4everwarriors]

Might be in, but unless ya can finish its rather unsatisfiin', ai na?

[Goose]

4 ever

You are a wise man in many ways!!! Well said, my friend.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

This is all interesting but if someone could just tell me if I'm supposed to root for Xavier or Creighton tonight then I can stop reading.  I'm thinking Xavier because that means the Big East almost certainly gets 7 bids but if X makes the final do they move ahead of us in seeding?

BE is getting 7 bids.

We want Creighton. 

[Benny B]

Might be in, but unless ya can finish its rather unsatisfiin', ai na?

Depends on what's keeping ya from finishin'?

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

This thread, though.

Just got through it.  Some real gems in here.

Look guys, MU is in.  The thread really should have just ended after this:

Looking at facts and using deductive reasoning is not hubris. Yes there is a chance we could get left out. There's also a chance Nova could get left out. Now obviously their case is a lot more solid than ours but the point is you can't take the human element out of the decision. Of course, the human element could also mean we are sitting at 7 seed right now and are worrying for nothing.

Given that the human element of the committee is just as likely to overseed us as underseed us, all we are left with is the cold hard facts. The facts are:

Over 99% of bracketologists (including Lunardi, historically the most accurate) think that there are currently 7 or 8 teams between us and the bubble.

Included in those 7 or 8 teams is 4 teams who have already lost their last game. Ergo, they would be sacrificed to the NIT before us.

The top 4 teams on the outside of the bubble include 3 more sitting ducks. Meaning that 3 of the most likely candidates to take us out of the tournament cannot imporve their resumes any further.

To demonstrate how much distance there is between Marquette and the First Four Out, one simply needs to look at Illinois. A 17 win team, with a losing conference record from a weak B!G, with a worse RPI than Marquette, a KP score almost 40 points lowers, 5 less top 50 wins, a loss to Rutgers, and 2 losses to Penn State.

So given that there is only 1 team in the next four out that is still alive, and there are 4 teams behind Marquette that can't improve their resumes anymore, that gives us a pretty healthy buffer.

There are three teams in the Next Four Out that are still alive. Keep in mind that these are teams with resumes worse than Illinois, so they have a lot of distance to cover. I'm not sure any of them can catch Marquette without winning their conference tournaments.

So that leaves bid thieves. There are 6 conferences capable of producing bid thief from Marquette. At this point, four bid thieves would have to occur to push Marquette out. That number will go up if teams behind us like X, Vandy, Rhode Island, and K-State lose.

All this to say, the facts paint a pretty good picture. Yes there is a human element that can't be predicted. But we have set ourselves up in a pretty good position. Barring a lot of things going against us, we will either be in the tournament or one of the bigger snubs in tournament history.

It also worth noting that most of the teams that are still alive have very tall tasks today.  Sure, a couple may win, but by and large, most will lose.

Xavier vs. Creighton

Vandy vs. Florida

Georgia vs. Kentucky

K State vs. West Virginia

Cal vs. Oregon

TCU vs. Iowa State

UCONN vs Houston

At this point, pretty much worst case scenario for MU is the First Four.  I personally think we're safe from that barring some crazy circumstances, but if we get left out all together, this will go down as the biggest snub since the expansion to 68.  Why is that? Because some teams with vastly inferior resumes will have made it over MU. 

For those that think we won't make it - please list off the 32 AQ and 36 at larges that will make it over MU.  Take the time to actually study what is going on instead of throwing around negativity because that what you enjoy to do.  Please, for once, give us some real evidence as to why there are 36 more deserving at large teams.  Once you get to the final 10 or so, add some discussion as to why they are more deserving.  I'd absolutely love to see it.

[buckchuckler]

Anyone watch the WBC?  Boy, that DR team sure can hit!

[barfolomew]

Anyone watch the WBC?  Boy, that DR team sure can hit!

I agree, their all great hitters.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

People feel that the 20 win plateau is an important one , whether actual or psychological. 
Hopefully, all marquette fans know that mike broeker and the basketball office only scheduled marquette for 30 regular season games this year, despite the ncaa allowing us 31.  Would another victory help us right about now?  I sure think so.  This coupled with the pathetic ooc strength of schedule and the amount of 300 + rpi buy games is really beyond pathetic.  It is My hope that all mu alums reach out to our AD and mike broeker and express their dissatisfaction with the disservice they did for this team.

20 wins is a hellavu lot less important than RPI. And another game against a cupcake would have dropped our RPI. The scheduling wasn't bad this year. Some of our cupcakes underperfromed but that worst one, Howard, wasn't our decision.

[GoldenDieners32]

St Francis almost won their conference tournament

[brewcity77]

20 wins is a hellavu lot less important than RPI. And another game against a cupcake would have dropped our RPI. The scheduling wasn't bad this year. Some of our cupcakes underperfromed but that worst one, Howard, wasn't our decision.

And Howard is 2 wins away from joining us in the NCAA Tournament.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Frenns

For whatever reason this season I have seen more attacks than previous years.

Honestly, most of us are addicts. We are addicted to winning Marquette basketball. We've been in withdrawal for three long years. Now we are on the cusp of getting a hit of our favorite vice once again. Its human nature that some will rejoice because they know what they want is almost here. Others will lament because the long withdrawal keeps them from believing that is coming to an end. The hopeful group attacks the lamenters for bringing them down and introducing doubt. The lamenters attack the hopefuls as naive and bring false hope. The more it happens, the more personal the attacks.

Like you, I am a big picture person. The upward trajectory is what I want to see....more than the single milestone of making the NCAAs. But I'll admit that I've this year has tested me and I've been involved in some of the attacking. The closer we get to the goal, the more intense the attacks and its hard not to get sucked in sometimes.

We are on a good path and everyone should be invited to enjoy that hit of postseason Marquette basketball we've all been longing for. I just pray we make it, because if we somehow get snubbed and play in the NIT.....I can't imagine the debates of "NIT is progress, Wojo is on his way" vs. "NIT is crap, fire Wojo."

[GoldenDieners32]

TAMU

We will make the tourney this year I hope. Im like 75% convinced we are in

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

TAMU

We will make the tourney this year I hope. Im like 75% convinced we are in

Oh I'm way higher than that. Barring bid thief madness we are either in or will be one of the bigger snubs in tournament history.

[MerrittsMustache]

I went into this season believing that MU was an NIT team...and occasionally they still do look like an NIT team but, despite this season's ups and downs it appears highly likely that MU will be dancing. To go from 13 wins with basically an 8-man roster to making the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment and shows that MU is trending in the right direction. 10-seed, play-in game, it doesn't matter. MU will be there and that's what matters at this point.

Last year's team was better than Wojo's Year 1 team (thankfully!) and despite losing its best player, this year's team is better than last year's team. Wojo also appears to have improved as a coach over that time. Much like the team, he still has areas where he needs improvement but he's grown and I feel confident that he'll get there.

There were a lot of coulda, woulda, shouldas this season but no one can present a strong case against the notion that the program has improved greatly since Wojo took over.

[GoldenDieners32]

I went into this season believing that MU was an NIT team...and occasionally they still do look like an NIT team but, despite this season's ups and downs it appears highly likely that MU will be dancing. To go from 13 wins with basically an 8-man roster to making the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment and shows that MU is trending in the right direction. 10-seed, play-in game, it doesn't matter. MU will be there and that's what matters at this point.

Last year's team was better than Wojo's Year 1 team (thankfully!) and despite losing its best player, this year's team is better than last year's team. Wojo also appears to have improved as a coach over that time. Much like the team, he still has areas where he needs improvement but he's grown and I feel confident that he'll get there.

There were a lot of coulda, woulda, shouldas this season but no one can present a strong case against the notion that the program has improved greatly since Wojo took over.

Break out season next year. I think next year will be the first time we are ranked under Wojo