Biggest Marquette "what if"s

[real chili 83]

What if Blondie never retired.

[MU82]

What if I had been a good Jew and had attended an Ivy League school instead of Jezzy U?

(Aw, who am I kidding? I couldn't even have gotten into the Harvard of the Midwest.)

[79Warrior]

54 is davante. He was thrown out of a game because his elbows moved faster then his hips.

Jerome Whitehead is the correct answer.

[Dish]

The modern era answer is obvious...what if MU isn't invited to join the Big East.

The Dean Smith 4 corners what if is #1 for overall importance.

[Lennys Tap]

The modern era answer is obvious...what if MU isn't invited to join the Big East.

The Dean Smith 4 corners what if is #1 for overall importance.

Lots of great "what ifs" mentioned here, but the one that dwarfs them all is What if Al didn't take early retirement. We all agree that MU is no Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina but when Al hung them up we were the #2 program in the country behind only UCLA. Al was 49. 49!!!!At that time Dean Smith was 47. He coached 20 more years through the 1997 season. If Al stays through, say 1995, (adding 18 years to his 13 year run) there's no Hank, Rick, Dukiet or KO eras. Through the mid 90s we likely win multiple national championships. Settling for the likes of Deane, Crean, Buzz or Wojo never happens. Nearly all of Scoop embraces what some now deride as "Just win, baby". Maybe we're even still the Warriors! Seashells and balloons.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Lots of great "what ifs" mentioned here, but the one that dwarfs them all is What if Al didn't take early retirement. We all agree that MU is no Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina but when Al hung them up we were the #2 program in the country behind only UCLA. Al was 49. 49!!!!At that time Dean Smith was 47. He coached 20 more years through the 1997 season. If Al stays through, say 1995, (adding 18 years to his 13 year run) there's no Hank, Rick, Dukiet or KO eras. Through the mid 90s we likely win multiple national championships. Settling for the likes of Deane, Crean, Buzz or Wojo never happens. Nearly all of Scoop embraces what some now deride as "Just win, baby". Maybe we're even still the Warriors! Seashells and balloons.

Al had nothing left in the tank. He was mentally done with coaching or he would have taken another job, even after his failed foray into business. His broadcasting career lasted almost as long as his coaching career, where he could be the philosopher, street observer, game analyst, story teller and champion of the greatest era of the game.

To me the question would have been then, what if Al didn't leave?  As great as he was for Marquette, he was greater gone. He would have become a burnt out, fired coach at Marquette. His genius was timing.

[MUDPT]

Trank has a tool where you can go in and change results to see where your tournament chances would change. Here's the link for 2009:

http://barttorvik.com/teamcast.php?year=2009&team=Marquette

I also stumbled across the 86 UNC game on Youtube.  Crazy NC played a game the night before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfYXBQUrY1A

[4everwarriors]

The Warriors also played the day before, 'cept at home, hey?

[dgies9156]

I also stumbled across the 86 UNC game on Youtube.  Crazy NC played a game the night before.

Was at that game. Our guys played their hearts out. UNC was a better team.

UNC came to Milwaukee because Dean Smith promised every recruit a chance to play near home, if possible.  So we got UNC.

In the end, UNC was better coached and more poised than we were. An incredible win for the Tar Heels at a very hostile Milwaukee Arena.

As to Al, I agree with Brother Lenny that Al would have adapted to the new realities of college ball, just as Dean Smith and Coach K did. Had he stayed, I am confident we would have had multiple NatChamps. Maybe Al was burned out and maybe, just maybe, he was tired of dealing with the MU bureaucracy of the time. That and the discussion of the role of basketball among some professors at the time.

[Archies Bat]

I will go a little off the board...What if Walter Downing had not listened to his girlfriend?

While he did end up at Marquette, and was decent, but landing him initially would have created more buzz right after Doc came, and they would have been able to play together.

[MUcookie30]

The one I always think about is Embiid.  If only Luc Mbah a Moute enjoyed his time in Milwaukee, I think Joel is a golden eagle and a buck.

[Nukem2]

The one I always think about is Embiid.  If only Luc Mbah a Moute enjoyed his time in Milwaukee, I think Joel is a golden eagle and a buck.

Unfortunately, Moute hated MKE. 

[Newsdreams]

If Crum had been hired as coach

[Nukem2]

LeDaryl Billingsley......Mike Deane might still be around.....   

[dgies9156]

If Crum had been hired as coach

Probably cost too much!

[GoldenWarrior11]

What if Tom Crean had not been selected/hired as HC at Marquette?  Quin Snyder, Barry Collier and Tom Davis were all mentioned as possible candidates at the time.  If a coach like Collier is hired, not only does Butler likely not go down the path of incredible success it has (including eventual Big East invitation), but also, Marquette may not go on Final Four run and - in turn - not get into the Big East.  Marquette likely stays in C-USA until 2005, then moves to the A-10 with Saint Louis. 

[MU82]

What if Majerus had been able to have the same mind-set when he took the reins at Marquette as he had after he had gotten "refreshed" by his stint with Nellie and the Bucks?

[muwarrior69]

Jerome Whitehead is the correct answer.

...actually what if the clock had run out.

[Newsdreams]

What if Majerus didn't have a towel available...

[Dawson Rental]

What if MU had kept football in the 60's?

The doors would be shuttered, once MU went bankrupt.

[WarriorDad]

Lots of great "what ifs" mentioned here, but the one that dwarfs them all is What if Al didn't take early retirement. We all agree that MU is no Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina but when Al hung them up we were the #2 program in the country behind only UCLA. Al was 49. 49!!!!At that time Dean Smith was 47. He coached 20 more years through the 1997 season. If Al stays through, say 1995, (adding 18 years to his 13 year run) there's no Hank, Rick, Dukiet or KO eras. Through the mid 90s we likely win multiple national championships. Settling for the likes of Deane, Crean, Buzz or Wojo never happens. Nearly all of Scoop embraces what some now deride as "Just win, baby". Maybe we're even still the Warriors! Seashells and balloons.

Remember that Al tried to leave MU once, and MU blocked him from leaving.  Something tells me it isn't guaranteed if he stayed in coaching he would have stayed at MU.  An entire generation was able to see him as an analyst which he did great at.  Going out a winner, I would not want it any other way for Al. 

[WarriorDad]

The doors would be shuttered, once MU went bankrupt.

No.  Did Temple go bankrupt?  Fordham?  The football program was not throwing off that much cash, this is absurd.

[bilsu]

Most of the clear answers have been listed, but I'll add Vander Blue comes back for his senior year.

I find this one interesting. Had Vander stayed and MU had another great season, would Buzz still be here?

[GGGG]

Trank has a tool where you can go in and change results to see where your tournament chances would change. Here's the link for 2009:

http://barttorvik.com/teamcast.php?year=2009&team=Marquette

I also stumbled across the 86 UNC game on Youtube.  Crazy NC played a game the night before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfYXBQUrY1A

Just looked it up.

Not only played a game the afternoon before, but they played #3 Duke to open the Dean Smith Center.

[GGGG]

What if MU had beaten #1 UNC on Jan 19, 1986?

Honestly, not all that much different than what ended up happening.