Great McGuire stuff

[Goose]

Glow

I think the two guys are more alike than you think.

[Herman Cain]

Amen Brother Goose.

We had one game against the University of Tennessee where it was 12-0 before Tennessee got the ball across the mid-court line. Given the speed at which we played basketball in those days, that's almost half of a half.

We played a deliberate offense because there was no shot clock and no three-point line. We slowed our opponents down. And, yes, we did at times play down to our opponents, as was evident in 1976-1977, when we lost seven games on a schedule nothing like what we had today.

Actually I would say the 76-77 schedule was much harder than today. A lot of ranked teams and the ones that weren't ranked were very solid. Very few true cupcakes.

[Lennys Tap]

There is a humongous difference brew.  With Al, that was the real deal.  Buzz, not so much.

Al was absolutely the real deal. But had he been allowed to leave for the Bucks job when he wanted to I'm sure many (not me) would have thought otherwise. Buzz is no Al, but IMO the evidence suggests that he's the real deal too.

[brewcity77]

Buzz is no Al, but IMO the evidence suggests that he's the real deal too.

I think with Buzz it's a bit of both. The Buzz that truly loves his players, loves the people that helped him get where he is, and cares about Buzz's Bunch? I think that's the real deal.

But the institutional loyalty, the showmanship, I think that's a front. I don't think it's coincidence he left under acrimonious circumstances from his last two jobs, and don't imagine his departure from Va Tech when it comes will be any better.

That's probably largely human nature, and I'm okay with it.

[jsglow]

Glow

I think the two guys are more alike than you think.

100% disagree.  Let's leave it at that.

[manny31]

I think if you could some how normalize the eras they would closely resemble each other. No hard data to present but institutional loyalty really isn't even a thing anymore vs in Al's day it was taken for granted, at least compared to today.

[NCMUFan]

If Buzz wasn't going to give it his 110% because he felt the new BEAST somehow didn't measured up to the old, then it was time for him to leave.

Time has shown that although not the same, the new BEAST is just as competitive as the old. 

Nice not having to worry about it splitting up because of football.
Also, except for the rivalry, who misses Louisville.  I need to wash just thinking about them.

But like Al, Buzz was a hard working, self made man.  Al's hiring at MU from Belmont Abbey is a good story in itself.

[Goose]

jsglow
Seriously curious on why you feel that way? Buzz was not Al, by a wide margin, but many similarities IMO. I get accused of living the Al era, but I think Buzz had some modern day tendencies.

[Goose]

Herman
The '76-'77 season was definitely a very good schedule. Al played a ton of cupcakes over the years, but his last season was a very good schedule. Add in, the mid level teams looked at MU game like a NC game. There was serious target on the program's back the latter years of Al's time at MU.

[rocket surgeon]

Herman
The '76-'77 season was definitely a very good schedule. Al played a ton of cupcakes over the years, but his last season was a very good schedule. Add in, the mid level teams looked at MU game like a NC game. There was serious target on the program's back the latter years of Al's time at MU.

  yes sir goose-and if i may add-i think the refs had a hair for al as well.  they hated being shown up by him, but that was al just being al.  he left it all out there.  he might have been one of the first coaches to dare the refs into giving him a "T" just to fire his guys up.  remember the "T" he got for motioning with a choke, hold telling his players, k-state was tightening up but the ref thought it was at him?