65 team previews in 65 days: Marquette

[jesmu84]

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/65-college-basketball-teams-in-65-days-marquette-golden-eagles

[brewcity77]

Big East Coast Bias had their Marquette preview podcast this week. I couldn't find the link, but it's available on Apple Podcasts. Audio is a bit erratic, though.

[WarriorDad]

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/65-college-basketball-teams-in-65-days-marquette-golden-eagles

Marquette fans are starting to question if he'll deliver?   

[Herman Cain]

Same authors take on Creighton.

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/65-college-basketball-teams-in-65-days-creighton-bluejays

[WhiteTrash]

Marquette fans are starting to question if he'll deliver?

Right? That "started" a few years ago. Big fan of Wojo but this is the make or break year.

[MU82]

Marquette fans are starting to question if he'll deliver?

Many started the day he was hired. Once The Great Shaka Smart got away to Texas, where he is a shaka-riffic 50-50, nobody except the ghost of Al could possibly meet expectations.

But yes, pretty much everybody acknowledges that this season (and next?) will seal Wojo's fate.

[dgies9156]

pretty much everybody acknowledges that this season (and next?) will seal Wojo's fate.

This year will decide whether the burers get turned on and next year will decide whether Wojo is a long-term fit for us. If we win and go past the first week in the NCAA, we're going to get the interest of the five-stars. Otherwise, Wojo will have problems.

[MU82]

This year will decide whether the burers get turned on and next year will decide whether Wojo is a long-term fit for us. If we win and go past the first week in the NCAA, we're going to get the interest of the five-stars. Otherwise, Wojo will have problems.

I think this is accurate.

I don't claim to be "in the know" about the inner workings of Marquette administration. Just based on everything I've read here and elsewhere, Lovell and other honchos love Wojo. So unless this season is a disaster (I'm talkin' even worse than Buzz's final season), I would expect Wojo to get one more year.

[TedBaxter]

Wojo has built this program differently from what a lot of people think should be done.  I'm very happy with how things are going right now.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Win Every Day, hey?

[JWags85]

Reags is a very good CBB writer and has always been very fair to MU, especially being a Cincy/X guy. He was very high on Hauser last year before people saw what he could become and has spoken glowingly about Wojo’s offense. He’s spot on here

[🏀]

Reags is a very good CBB writer and has always been very fair to MU, especially being a Cincy/X guy. He was very high on Hauser last year before people saw what he could become and has spoken glowingly about Wojo’s offense. He’s spot on here

Reags college basketball coverage is literally the only thing worth reading on Barstool. Guy has to get to a legit outlet sooner than later.

[fjm]

Wojo has built this program differently from what a lot of people think should be done.  I'm very happy with how things are going right now.

Couldn’t agree more. For all the vesties yelling we need JUCO’s and we need to win NOW! I think that this has been a solid rebuild. It is built for sustained run.

Could have gone balls to the wall on transfers and JUCOS and made the tourney 2 of 5 years. But the team we have right now is built for long term success. I’d rather have that than short bursts.

[Its DJOver]

Same authors take on Creighton.

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/65-college-basketball-teams-in-65-days-creighton-bluejays

I realize that there'll likely be a log jam in the 4-8 spots or so in the Beast, but if you expect a team to finish 7th and still be on the bubble, would the conference as a whole really be facing a "down year"?  Having the top 30-40% of the league be considered "locks', and the next 30-40% be "bubble teams" sounds like a pretty strong year for any power conference.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I realize that there'll likely be a log jam in the 4-8 spots or so in the Beast, but if you expect a team to finish 7th and still be on the bubble, would the conference as a whole really be facing a "down year"?  Having the top 30-40% of the league be considered "locks', and the next 30-40% be "bubble teams" sounds like a pretty strong year for any power conference.

It depends on your definition of bubble. Personally, I think there are six NCAA tournament caliber teams in the Big East with another one or two that could make the NIT, so 8/10 in postseason contention would seem like a pretty good year.

But what if I told you that the top two teams look like 3-5 seeds and the other four look like 9-12 seeds? And the two NIT teams are more NIT hopeful then NIT lock. Starts to seem like kind of a down year. I think this second scenario is what the BEast is facing this season.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Couldn’t agree more. For all the vesties yelling we need JUCO’s and we need to win NOW! I think that this has been a solid rebuild. It is built for sustained run.

Could have gone balls to the wall on transfers and JUCOS and made the tourney 2 of 5 years. But the team we have right now is built for long term success. I’d rather have that than short bursts.

While I agree with you, I need to actually see the team perform before I'm ready to declare this to be a solid rebuild. Also, using JUCOs and transfers doesn't necessarily mean that the team wouldn't be built for a sustained run.

[Its DJOver]

It depends on your definition of bubble. Personally, I think there are six NCAA tournament caliber teams in the Big East with another one or two that could make the NIT, so 8/10 in postseason contention would seem like a pretty good year.

But what if I told you that the top two teams look like 3-5 seeds and the other four look like 9-12 seeds? And the two NIT teams are more NIT hopeful then NIT lock. Starts to seem like kind of a down year. I think this second scenario is what the BEast is facing this season.

As much as the tourney is a crapshoot, if the conference as a whole gets 5+ bids, with 2+ S16 and at least 1 E8, I think it would be a great year considering the combined talent lost from a year ago.  I also think that scenario is entirely possible.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

As much as the tourney is a crapshoot, if the conference as a whole gets 5+ bids, with 2+ S16 and at least 1 E8, I think it would be a great year considering the combined talent lost from a year ago.  I also think that scenario is entirely possible.

That's exactly why I don't use tournament results to judge the quality of a season

[Its DJOver]

That's exactly why I don't use tournament results to judge the quality of a season

It shouldn't be the only barometer, but it should be a factor in considering overall success of the year.  For example, in the ACC, I think Florida State had a better season than UNC, despite being only .500 in conference because of their E8 run.  Did they have a better season than Virginia? IMO, no, but the E8 over round of 32 is more than enough to vault them over UNC in my eyes despite finishing 2 games worse in conference.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

It shouldn't be the only barometer, but it should be a factor in considering overall success of the year.  For example, in the ACC, I think Florida State had a better season than UNC, despite being only .500 in conference because of their E8 run.  Did they have a better season than Virginia? IMO, no, but the E8 over round of 32 is more than enough to vault them over UNC in my eyes despite finishing 2 games worse in conference.

Not for me. UNC was a top 10 team last season. Florida State was more like top 35.

[Its DJOver]

Not for me. UNC was a top 10 team last season. Florida State was more like top 35.

I can understand if you don't want to place more emphasis on tourney games, but why would you place zero emphasis?  FSU finished two game behind UNC in conference.  They then won two more tourney games, and all three teams they beat were better than Lipscomb.  If games in November are the same as games in early March, why would games in late march have zero effect on the success of a season?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I can understand if you don't want to place more emphasis on tourney games, but why would you place zero emphasis?  FSU finished two game behind UNC in conference.  They then won two more tourney games, and all three teams they beat were better than Lipscomb.  If games in November are the same as games in early March, why would games in late march have zero effect on the success of a season?

I'm not placing zero emphasis on them. Even with their tournament wins FSU was only about a top 35ish team in the country.  Even with their early exit UNC was a top team in the country.

You're ignoring non conference and conference tournament games. Include those and UNC wins in a landslide.

Also
UNC SOS of 1
FSU SOS of 49

[fjm]

Not for me. UNC was a top 10 team last season. Florida State was more like top 35.

 I think that this is one of the most important things about defining success. It happens in all sports. What is success this year? Is making the tournament as a 3 seed ranked 9th in the country, but losing in the round of 32 to a very hard mid major that makes a deep run to the elite eight success? Is being 25th in the country all year long, getting a 6seed But making the elite eight is successful season? Or let’s say pigs fly, and our defense comes through, we are a two seed, ranked fourth in the country and lose in the first round like Virginia last year?
Or what if we just barely sneak in, we’re nine seed, but we going to run to the elite eight!
Someone put it up on the poll, what is success this year?

I guess what I’m saying is there are many people here that would complain or be excited about any one of those scenarios. Success is a very fickle thing to Define.

[Its DJOver]

I'm not placing zero emphasis on them. Even with their tournament wins FSU was only about a top 35ish team in the country.  Even with their early exit UNC was a top team in the country.

You're ignoring non conference and conference tournament games. Include those and UNC wins in a landslide.

Also
UNC SOS of 1
FSU SOS of 49

This is not a hill that I'm going to die on, but if we're going to directly compare them, this might be worth mentioning.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=400986179

Also this:

That's exactly why I don't use tournament results to judge the quality of a season

sounds like you're putting zero to very little emphasis on them.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This is not a hill that I'm going to die on, but if we're going to directly compare them, this might be worth mentioning.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=400986179

Also this:

sounds like you're putting zero to very little emphasis on them.

I put the exact same emphasis on them that I do on all games when evaluating which team had the better overall season.

[MU82]

I guess what I’m saying is there are many people here that would complain or be excited about any one of those scenarios.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[TheREALwrk]

Reags college basketball coverage is literally the only thing worth reading on Barstool. Guy has to get to a legit outlet sooner than later.

Disagree on both fronts:

1. PFT is hilarious and always worth the read.

2. Reags basketball coverage is great and he is the only one doing it for barstool and reaching a large audience. Would bet Barstool pays pretty well and grants him freedom to do what he wants.

[Herman Cain]

It depends on your definition of bubble. Personally, I think there are six NCAA tournament caliber teams in the Big East with another one or two that could make the NIT, so 8/10 in postseason contention would seem like a pretty good year.

But what if I told you that the top two teams look like 3-5 seeds and the other four look like 9-12 seeds? And the two NIT teams are more NIT hopeful then NIT lock. Starts to seem like kind of a down year. I think this second scenario is what the BEast is facing this season.

So where do the Johnnies fit in your analysis.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So where do the Johnnies fit in your analysis.

3rd. Could see them as high as a six seed, could see them as low as missing the postseason. They have good pieces but I'm not sure how they fit together yet. They will also be going through an identity shift. As Jay Bee noted in another thread, they were great on defense and terrible on offense last season. This season their defense is bound to get worse with Keita as the only possible rim protector, so the offense will need to improve leaps and bounds. Could they? Absolutely. Will they? We will see.