Its about to get a lot tougher

[NotAnAlum]

This 6 game winning streak has been fun but I can't help but be concerned that things are going to get a lot tougher from this point out.

First we have yet to play Nova or Butler.  Nova looks much improved from the team that lost 4 times in the non-con.  They handled Butler at Butler rather easily Tuesday night.  Marquette's 2 road wins have gone down to the last possession with the "Miracle in Omaha" being a game that MU really should have lost.  And keep in mind that both wins are against teams at the bottom of the BE standings.  MU's only convincing W has been the 18 point beat down of X. 

We'll see Saturday if MU is really that much better than X or that was just a case of a young team with a new coach letting a road game get out of control.  Someone mentioned that MU must learn to play with a "target on their back".   I don't think we've even begun to see the pressure that will put on us.  Carrying a ranking on the road is far more difficult than facing the same situation at home.

As it gets later in the season MU (and Nova) are going to be the only chances the rest of the BE teams are going to have for a signature win so I'd expect the road crowds to be extremely fired up when we play.  These mental lapses, turn overs and scoring droughts that still seem to dog this team are going to result in momentum for the other team that we won't be able to recover from. 

Wojo has to find a way to keep our guys focused for 40 minutes.  Ten minutes of the sloppy play we saw in the second half of last night's game and the first half of Providence will doom this team to losses based on who we're playing and where we're playing for the rest of the season. 

I don't know how you get a team to make that leap but it better happen soon or the second half of the season could be not nearly as much fun as the first.

Edit: Paragraphs are your friend.

[TallTitan34]

+1

[jsglow]

Plenty of room for growth for sure.

[tower912]

No argument.   17-3 (6-1) is great.    But there is a stretch of conference road games coming up.   We have to remind ourselves to not panic if the team loses a couple.   Or a few.   

[IrwinFletcher]

If you follow the advanced metrics out there, we have not played very well of late, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  D has been solid to very good at times.

Playing on the road and vs good teams may finally expose some of our weaknesses unless things get turned around.  I am a bit nervous that there might be an awakening coming soon, and it could be in Indy next Thursday.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Paragraphs are your friend. 

[Its DJOver]

Seems a bit peculiar to complain that our 17-3 record and no. 12 ranking haven't included enough blow outs.  As many have pointed out the schedule gets tougher, but we have more time to prepare for games.  Our defense has been very consistent, and that always puts in a position to win with the offensive potential we have.  Rather than worry about where and when our next loss will happen, enjoy the longest conference winning streak in 7 years.

[dgies9156]

Brother Not, are you serious?

This team has grown as the season went on. After a humiliating loss at Indiana, I see a snapback group that took on Loserville, K-State and The Red Rodent and  handled them all. Sure, we're in Conference now and our road wins have not been blow-outs.

So What?

We find a way to win. I don't particularly care whether we win on an absolute last second shot or we have a convincing blow-out. It doesn't matter. What matters is we won. Sure, the 30-point blow-out makes it easier on my heart but it's about winning.

I don't disagree that this team has weaknesses. Brother Goose, an astute observer of all things MU Basketball, talked about some of those weaknesses in another thread. Still, we've impressed even the most cynical of fans when the season started.

We do have a target on our back. But the dudes on our team are playing wonderfully and, Brother Not, just enjoy the ride!

[Daniel]

The good news is we are where we are playing like this.   When we improve, we will be that much better.   

But the time is now.  X on Saturday will be a huge challenge and a great test.  We need the A game by all. 

[JakeBarnes]

No argument.   17-3 (6-1) is great.    But there is a stretch of conference road games coming up.   We have to remind ourselves to not panic if the team loses a couple.   Or a few.

or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.

[1SE]

or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.

Demand excellence.

[1SE]

3-1 over the next 4 has us in good shape.

2-2 is alright.

1-3 is dicey

0-4 would be a disaster.

[NickelDimer]

or we never lose again. Ever. For all time.

Signed: guru

Great OP and I totally agree. I am thankful though that we got through the easy part without stubbing our toe. That's huge. But if we have similar lapses against better teams we'll be down 20 instead of the 9 we were down vs a team like Georgetown. The good news is we haven't hit our ceiling. If we do that consistently we should win most of our remaining games

[HowardsWorld]

This team should handily beat Xavier on saturday. Doesn't matter if its a road game or not MU has the matchup advantage at every position. The only way we lose is if Xavier realizes there season is over with a loss.

[BCHoopster]

Plenty of room for growth for sure.

I agree wholeheartedly that the team as a lot of growth to go, hope it happens.  I do not think the team has played its best game yet or close to it.   They easily could
be 4-3 in the league but got 2 wins at the buzzer.  Need all 5 players to show up.  Anim yesterday was horrible, need something from him and the turnovers from Joey
and Markus were to much.  I am sure in high school, Joey did not pass much so this has to be new to his game.  I expect given a summer to work on his faults, he will
be the most improved player like Sam.  Next year if they all improve a tad, addition of McEven, Top 10 team is not far off.  11 more games to go, 7-4 would be pretty
good.  X is very winnable, they do not have much O, have a 3 or 4 minute good run and can win the game that quickly.  X does not have the fire power to come from behind.  Butler has O so that game will be the most interesting.  Win those games, then you have to be impressed.

[HowardsWorld]

It looks like when Howard went down Sam took that as his time to shine. He has had great games now vs Georgetown,Depaul and Providence.

[HammerScreen]

Tough 4 game stretch for sure. 5 days off before St Johns at home will be nice

[muwarrior69]

Aside from Nova the team I'm most concerned about is Providence. If their high scoring freshman can pick up where he left off watch out.

[wadesworld]

No easy games in the Big East.  Not DePaul at home.  Not Georgetown on the road.  Might not be many great teams, but there aren't any awful teams either.

The most important game of the season is the next one, so let's go out and take it to Xavier early and keep the crowd out of the game.  If we don't turn the ball over and we don't let them dominate the glass we'll have won 7 straight, 3 of them on the road.  Whether that comes by 20 or by 2 in overtime from a 53 point individual performance, I could not care less.

PS No we didn't blow out Georgetown on the road and Xavier is probably better than Georgetown.  You conveniently forgot to mention we were playing without our best player and 6th man.

[Dish]

I completely disagree, and don't understand the panic.

MU's going to get everyone's best effort, that's the sign you're a good team. Will MU get tripped up by someone other than Nova? Probably, it's conference play, it happens. Is MU going to fall off the map (barring injuries)? Not a chance.

Are you guys worried about Xavier on Saturday? I get winning on the road in the Big East isn't a picnic, but MU's a far better team than X.

After MU goes to Butler, do you realize they don't get on a plane again for 3 weeks? That's unheard of in the middle of conference play. This is the friendliest conference schedule MU has gotten in the Big East that I can remember. First 4 games in February: revenge game with the Johnnie's at home, Nova at home on a Saturday afternoon, a tricky quick turn around Tuesday night game at DePaul (that's the trip up game people should be looking at), and then a 8 day break before Butler comes to Milwaukee.

Enjoy the ride, wins like last night are MU cashing checks and building equity. Time to deposit another check Saturday afternoon.

[muguru]

The upcoming game AT Butler next Wednesday is already giving me nightmares...NOTHING good ever happens to this program at Butler..I have not, and will never forget an 18 point halftime lead only to gag it away. I agree with others though, clean up the turnovers and the sky is the limit for this team.

They have beaten the teams they should have beaten without playing anywhere close to an "A" game. That's because...as I have stated many times...it comes down to talent more often then not. If you are more talented then the teams you are playing, you can get away with not playing your best game. That has been the case for MU thus far...they simple have more talent.

No the more talented team does not always win(See @ IU and @ SJU), but a vast majority of the time, talent will win out in the end, and it certainly gives you a "cushion" to not play your best and still win, like MU has.

[NotAnAlum]

Brother Not, are you serious?

I am serious but I am enjoying the ride.  They have made strides from the IU game.  I want to believe that if we played the same IU team or the same KU team with our current experience level we'd do better.  That is what I want to believe.  But then I see some of the same lapses in the last 2 home games with the main difference being we're at home and the level of competition isn't strong enough to make us pay for those lapses.
Maybe that's the way this team will work.  They'll find a way to win at the end whether its last place Providence at home or 3rd place SH or Butler in front of a hostile screaming crowd.  I guess I'm just more wary than confident based on the last few games.

[dgies9156]

I completely disagree, and don't understand the panic.

MU's going to get everyone's best effort, that's the sign you're a good team. Will MU get tripped up by someone other than Nova? Probably, it's conference play, it happens. Is MU going to fall off the map (barring injuries)? Not a chance.

Are you guys worried about Xavier on Saturday? I get winning on the road in the Big East isn't a picnic, but MU's a far better team than X.

Thank you Brother Dish.

+1000

[Markusquette]

Thank you Brother Dish.

+1000

I agree. Expect more losses of course, but this team is not only extremely skilled and well-balanced, but also very resilient. Wojo & Co have shown they can win when the going gets tough.

[Its DJOver]

I am serious but I am enjoying the ride.  They have made strides from the IU game.  I want to believe that if we played the same IU team or the same KU team with our current experience level we'd do better.  That is what I want to believe.  But then I see some of the same lapses in the last 2 home games with the main difference being we're at home and the level of competition isn't strong enough to make us pay for those lapses.
Maybe that's the way this team will work.  They'll find a way to win at the end whether its last place Providence at home or 3rd place SH or Butler in front of a hostile screaming crowd.  I guess I'm just more wary than confident based on the last few games.

Our last three games were a 1 possession road win without our best player, and favorite for BEast POY, and a pair of double digit home wins, where we trailed for about a combined 2 second half minutes.  Maybe its just because DePaul is DePaul, but I was never really worried that we would piss away the W last night.  We've played down to our competition, hardly the first team to do that.  I expect all 4 of the next 4 games to be close, and our record in close/crunch time speaks for itself.  Enjoy the ride, we've earned it after the last few years of bubble watch.