Conference championships are won on the road.

[MU82]

12-6 in a down BE with the best team Wojo has ever had...would be a monumental disaster because 12-6 is NOT winning them the BE, not even close.

Oops ... you took a wrong turn and missed the Daily Dose of Doom Thread on the Superbar.

Because we surely are doomed.

Doomed, I say!!!

[1SE]

Didn't see the game so don't know how much was "Hero Ball" - but we're still clearly living and dying by Markus. I think we're good enough elsewhere that that wouldn't have to be the case.

"Ok" to lose this one, but the way we lost this and IU are tough. Winning on the road against a good team (anyone) is the last thing we need to see from this team. Without it grade is still an incomplete.

Are we 1-4 on BE opening nights now under Wojo? Some tough draws, but always sucks to start conference on the wrong foot.

[TheyWereCones]

My thoughts after tonight:

- I wanted to see Wojo more fired up for this game.  The way Mullen has his team assembled, it's like they are ready to throw a punch from the moment they walk in the gym (case in point, Ponds shoves John and their bench almost clears).  Point is, they were way more fired up than us today.  They were tougher, and if there were ever a time when I would be ok with Wojo getting a T, this was the game.  Probably 8 minutes or so into the second half, I was actually hoping for it.  I'm not saying the officials cost us the game, but it was really one-sided for most of it, and we just folded.

- I don't mind the fact that we lost on the road, but I'm tired of being embarrassed.  Being on the receiving end of the "this is the biggest win against a ranked team in x years" types of comments sucks.  Can't we at least make it a game?

- At the beginning of this year, there was a lot of talk about Wojo having a good problem with so much depth.  I'm not sure how deep we really are.  I feel like we have an established 7-man rotation.  Cain & Bailey have potential, but as of today they are completely hit or miss, and lately it's a lot of the latter.  Heldt isn't going to play much at all for the rest of the year.  Elliott's injury hurts.  I like having 12 guys because the minutes always work themselves out like they are this year.

- I think we take it to them in Milwaukee just like a repeat of last year.  Wish this wasn't our first BE road game but so be it.

- Joey is a stud and I want to see more of our offense go through him.  When he cuts down on turnovers, he'll start scoring 20 a game (if he gets the ball...see below).

- There was one guy politely complaining about Markus trying to do too much after the Buffalo win when his first half was awful, and got roasted by other posters.  I understood where he was coming from.  Yes, he can go into NBA Jam mode at any point, but when he doesn't have it, he does NOT do a good job of finding other ways to contribute, get other people shots, etc.  I think he needs to grow the most in this area.  Ponds scores almost as much as him but also leads the conference in assists.  Markus seems so one-dimensional.  It's an amazing dimension when he's on, but if we are literally going to win or lose as Markus goes, then we will not go far in the BE tournament or the NCAA tournament, because against good competition, he's just not going to be able to single-handily carry us for the multiple wins in a row required to win a tournament on a neutral floor.

- I've really grown to despise St. John's under Mullen.  I hate the way they play and I hate losing to them.  They reach, they climb our back on every post entry pass, and if the refs are never going to set the tone that those things are going to get called, it turns into playground ball, and I feel like every road game against them ends up like that and we do not play well in playground ball type of games.  Unfortunately I think the game tonight is going to end up as their most impressive win this season.

- Surprised at how little Sacar is contributing on offense this year.  Thought he'd score 10 a game and that's just not happening.  Especially lately, when he drives it seems like he rarely finishes.  Plus his free throws (ugh).

- Joe & Ed are both coming along and seem to be getting more and more comfortable which is great for us long-term.

- Despite the loss, it's fun to be back in the rankings and be in the national discussions and actually (hopefully) competing for a BE title.

- Lastly, this team's ceiling will be determined by how much less reliant we become on Markus as the year goes on.  If others step up and he learns to better incorporate others, the ceiling is high.  If not, we may finish as high as 12-6 in the BE but I don't see much happening after that.  Teams with one main star don't tend to do much outside of Kemba Walker that one year.  Look at Trae Young's team last year (who everyone is comparing Markus to).  Expect us this year to be just like Oklahoma last year unless we adjust.  Everyone looks at Sam to be the #2 man, but I think by year end that's Joey and Sam will be our #3.  Against athletic teams who keep him from shooting 3s, he is a non-factor on offense whereas Joey can post up, drive, etc.  So I'm anxiously awaiting when Joey has firmly planted himself into that role and everyone takes notice.

[brewcity77]

Honest question, how many Big East wins do you guys think we need to be a lock for the Tournament?  With how the league is this year, do we need to finish 11-7 or better?

10 would make us a lock. 9 might be enough. A combination of 10 league & BET games would be a lock.

[tower912]

11-2 in non con with wins over Wisconsin, K-State, Buffalo, and Louisville means that 10 are enough.

[cheebs09]

I'm curious why we've gone away from Sam posting up in the short corner. He did that a lot last year with a lot of success. It was a good way to get him going without relying on open looks from 3.

It may be due to Theo's increased usage on offense plus the additions of Joey and Ed. That was a nice part of our offense last year, but I haven't seen us go to it often this year.

[tower912]

You know what?? Screw you...leave me alone. I have HIGH expectations for the program...the fact you are totally okay with mediocrity, is your prerogative. Just because I(and others) don't share that view or have such low expectations, is no reason for you to attack me.

12-6 is not mediocrity or low expectations.

[tower912]

I wonder if spending the night in NYC on NYE had anything to do with the energy level?

[dgies9156]

First off, Brother Tower's analysis was spot on, as always. Nice job Bro!

Second, my biggest concern has been that we're getting too much offense from Markus. I'm delighted for how good he is and what he's done for us, but there's going to be nights where things just aren't what they're supposed to be. Last night's 8 points was People's Exhibit 1. I can guarantee you what Len Elmore said last night will be the basis for how other BEast team play us: "Don't let Howard beat you!"

At some point, the rest of the team will have to step up, as they did in the first half vs. Buffalo. Joey kinda did, for awhile but we have to get consistently more offense from the Hausers, Theo/Ed and Sacar.  Or else, we may make the tournament, but we'll be there for a cup of coffee.

Third, one can tell in the first few minutes of any game what kind of night it is going to be. The sense I had last night was we were working way too hard for baskets that should have fallen comparatively easy. Five minutes or so in and you knew this was going to be a tough night. I won't say we lost our poise, because I don't think we did, but there definitely was something missing. I was glad to see us work the ball inside but geez, their defense was tough and we did not seem to have answers.

Hopefully, this will not happen again.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

12-6 in a down BE with the best team Wojo has ever had...would be a monumental disaster because 12-6 is NOT winning them the BE, not even close.

Why do you basically only show up when they lose?

What a whiny turd.

[mu03eng]

I tend to agree that this was largely matchup driven, but the road woes are concerning.  At some point you have to outperform your competition on the road to advance and move on, and we just can't seem to get that dome.

Road woes?? We've played two true road games, both very difficult places to play against quality teams that played their best games of the season. If we lose on the road against DePaul or Georgetown I'll say there is something to the road stuff but there just isn't enough info to be concerned at this point.

[Warrior1969]

we did get enough offense from the rest of the team tonight, see morrow, and JC and Joey.  It was Sam and Markus who let us down.  The three main guys playing there first BE road game played great (EM,JC, JH)  The rest of the team with all the BE experience pretty much sucked!

[skianth16]

Markus had a bad game tonight. He's had a few this season, and he'll probably have a few more. That happens with every good shooter. If you refuse to look at his history of doing well against good opposition, let the season play out and see if you still think he can't play against good opposition.

I'd agree that this happens with shooters from time to time, but Markus has balanced his game out this year, scoring a lot more from inside than in prior years. Last night he was 0-7 on 2PFG and 2-8 on 3PFG. He wasn't just cold shooting; he couldn't convert from the paint either. Having added versatility in his scoring abilities should help him contribute on the cold shooting nights, but he seems to be either on or off so far this year.

For me, Sam's inability to show up when Markus is struggling is the biggest concern heading into conference play. Last year Sam seemed a lot more confident offensively and was able to put the team on his back at times. We haven't seen that kind of  game from him yet this year, though. I think he's still capable of big games and will earn a few more SOTGs, and I think that all begins with him finding a way to get last year's confidence back.

[Its DJOver]

I'd agree that this happens with shooters from time to time, but Markus has balanced his game out this year, scoring a lot more from inside than in prior years. Last night he was 0-7 on 2PFG and 2-8 on 3PFG. He wasn't just cold shooting; he couldn't convert from the paint either. Having added versatility in his scoring abilities should help him contribute on the cold shooting nights, but he seems to be either on or off so far this year.

For me, Sam's inability to show up when Markus is struggling is the biggest concern heading into conference play. Last year Sam seemed a lot more confident offensively and was able to put the team on his back at times. We haven't seen that kind of  game from him yet this year, though. I think he's still capable of big games and will earn a few more SOTGs, and I think that all begins with him finding a way to get last year's confidence back.

Agree that Sam has been off for stretches this year (8 shots in 37 minutes is not enough for him), but I don't think it's a confidence issue, I think it's a spacing/personnel issue.  Last year, Sam was the second biggest guy we had on the court, and had 2 elite three point shooters around him, so it was easier to post up and get him an iso possession.  Loss of Rowsey, addition of Ed/Joey makes it harder for him to post up, and harder for the team to spread the floor.  Sam/Wojo need to adapt, and get him more touches.

[CTWarrior]

Road woes?? We've played two true road games, both very difficult places to play against quality teams that played their best games of the season. If we lose on the road against DePaul or Georgetown I'll say there is something to the road stuff but there just isn't enough info to be concerned at this point.

While I agree it is too early to get bent out of shape about how we played on the road, but in those two games we lost handily to two teams who on paper we should be better than (or at least as good as).  While losses in those games is not a big deal at all, two non-competitive losses is some cause for worry.

[GGGG]

Agree that Sam has been off for stretches this year (8 shots in 37 minutes is not enough for him), but I don't think it's a confidence issue, I think it's a spacing/personnel issue.  Last year, Sam was the second biggest guy we had on the court, and had 2 elite three point shooters around him, so it was easier to post up and get him an iso possession.  Loss of Rowsey, addition of Ed/Joey makes it harder for him to post up, and harder for the team to spread the floor.  Sam/Wojo need to adapt, and get him more touches.

Sam also can't create his own shot with any consistency.  His brother seems to have more ability in this area.

[muguru]

12-6 is not mediocrity or low expectations.

It's not?? Well this is a down BE, and I doubt 6 wins wins the BE regular season championship..MU was picked for second in the conference by the Coaches..if 12-6 doesn't even garner them second...isn't that playing below expectations?? This is Wojo's best team in 5 years....the BE is down...if not this year...when??

[MU82]

Road woes?? We've played two true road games, both very difficult places to play against quality teams that played their best games of the season. If we lose on the road against DePaul or Georgetown I'll say there is something to the road stuff but there just isn't enough info to be concerned at this point.

I agree with this. Let's assess our "road woes" after we actually play a few road games.

As for those who say we weren't "ready to play," we had the lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half and were down by 4 with 2 minutes to go. Ponds came down and hit two Rowsey-length 3s, Sam missed a 3 and -- bing, bang, boom -- we were on our heels.

Not excusing it. We didn't play well. But it happens.

Thankfully, it's happened only a few times all season against a tough schedule. I'm still thinking 12-14 BEast wins. I know anything short of us winning 20 of our 18 BEast games crushes the likes of guru, but I'll be quite satisfied with the 12-14 BEast wins I think we'll get.

[muguru]

Why do you basically only show up when they lose?

What a whiny turd.

Whatever...why are you and so many others always so "no big deal" after losses?? You might lead the parade in that area to be honest. It honestly makes me sick to see so many "so called fans" here after every single loss, just blowing it off like it's no big deal and "on to the next one". Where is the passion?? I guess most just aren't all that competitive, which is fine, I'm just not that way.

[GGGG]

I agree with this. Let's assess our "road woes" after we actually play a few road games.

As for those who say we weren't "ready to play," we had the lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half and were down by 4 with 2 minutes to go. Ponds came down and hit two Rowsey-length 3s, Sam missed a 3 and -- bing, bang, boom -- we were on our heels.

Not excusing it. We didn't play well. But it happens.

Thankfully, it's happened only a few times all season against a tough schedule. I'm still thinking 12-14 BEast wins. I know anything short of us winning 20 of our 18 BEast games crushes the likes of guru, but I'll be quite satisfied with the 12-14 BEast wins I think we'll get.

What annoyed me by those Ponds' three point shots at the end of the half was that Cain did not get up into him, but just stuck up his arms.  I don't know if that is what he was told to do, but I just think you have to run the guy off the line at that point.  Those shots turned what could have been a 2 to 3 point game at half, to an 8 point game. 

[tower912]

Sam was never explosive.  Sometimes, it appears to me he has not yet recovered fully from his hip.  More importantly, with Joey next to him, Sam is being guarded by the smaller, quicker forward, as opposed to the taller, slower forward.

[GGGG]

Or maybe he has completely recovered from his hip and this is just how he is.

[MU82]

What annoyed me by those Ponds' three point shots at the end of the half was that Cain did not get up into him, but just stuck up his arms.  I don't know if that is what he was told to do, but I just think you have to run the guy off the line at that point.  Those shots turned what could have been a 2 to 3 point game at half, to an 8 point game.

The first one I think surprised Cain. It was from way out there, and I just don't think he expected it. The second one, yep, should have expected it. Of course, if Cain commits a foul out there, he's a dope, but yes he should have challenged it.

[tower912]

I watched those two shots and contemplated why, in the metric used by TAMU, Cain is the worst defender on the team.  And I experienced clarity.

[Its DJOver]

Whatever...why are you and so many others always so "no big deal" after losses?? You might lead the parade in that area to be honest. It honestly makes me sick to see so many "so called fans" here after every single loss, just blowing it off like it's no big deal and "on to the next one". Where is the passion?? I guess most just aren't all that competitive, which is fine, I'm just not that way.

Probably the same reason that you're "no big deal" after a win.

Why comment when they win?? I expect them to do that...ergo, I am not surprised or shocked when they do. You play to win the game.

This was a game that a lot expected to lose.  I don't think anyone is happy with the way we played, but the L was expected.  There were quite a few "so called fans" rightfully pissed after the DePaul loss last year.  There were quite a few "so called fans" pissed after the second half of the Kansas game.  Just because other people don't kick and scream the way you do after every loss does not mean that they care less than you.