Wojo’s replacement.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I'd rather lose by 20 as a 12 seed than as a 5. Being a 5 actually made this worse.

That doesn't make sense to me. So you'd rather of us had been bad all season?

And FFS, can we PLEASE leave off with the "help is coming next year"? I've been hearing that refrain for four years. This year's team had a BE POY and 1st team AA, a 2 team BE selection, a multi-week BE FOW, a 21 year old 4-star "freshman" and a 4-star transfer PF. Not to mention a bunch of three-star depth.

That wasn't me saying "we didn't have good enough players, help is coming." We had good enough players to win with this season. I'm saying we will have even better players next season.

Any decent varsity HS coach could have led this team to a 20 pt first round loss.

That second half was the worst coached half of college basketball I have ever season. I don't know if Wojo was just blinded by the lights or gave up or what. But it was completely uninspired.

I don't think the first sentence is true. Maybe for a single game. But all the experts preseason said we had a roster that was good enough to be just outside the top 25. Wojo led that group to a 5 seed and put together the 17th best resume in the country. I don't think that means Wojo is great, but I don't think it means he was bad either. Today? He was bad, no way around it. Definitely goes into the file as a massive red flag.

[Mike Deane's Seat Belt]

How much is he being paid...i'm Guessing 99.99% here have no idea but just make that statement.

Hes making just under 2 mill a year last i checked

[1SE]

No, that's not how it works. By that logic all coaches would get to a point where they only way they avoid a "step backwards". You have to work within the realities of a roster. Year 4 was a rebuilding year, always was going to be a rebuilding year. We lost three starters to graduation, most programs that do that don't have as good of a season the following year. Despite it being a rebuilding year, we were in the bubble conversation all season. Wojo's first year was a rebuilding year too, they had a losing record. That's progress.

No reason year 4 should have been a rebuilding year - Wojo should have been able to put the pieces together for a team in his 4th year. IMO that years is actually the biggest indictment to his tenure.

And yes, if you're Jay Wright you can take a step backwards. I'll let it slide.

But if the pinnacle of your career is getting blown out as a 10 seed then no, you don't get to take a step back as a high-major coach in a team with a top-10 college BB budget. 

[skianth16]

what coach wouldn't be lining up to take a job where the previous coach won 84 games in the previous 4 years, went to 2 NCAA tournaments, had his team ranked in the top 10 late in the season and was fired?  It's the kind of situation every coach dreams of being in.

Let's bring in Jon Harris to work with our bigs. Shake up the assistant ranks.

Can't ignore that Wojo steered that top 10 ship into a 1-6 iceberg to finish the season unranked.

[NickelDimer]

So Stan isn't part of game planning? Isn't part of the in game coaching you hate? Interesting

A) being a head coach you have a completely different influence over the team (but you know that and you like to play dumb). B) you assemble your own staff so it would result in wholesale changes on the staff

[Cheeks]

Adding elliot is a far cry from making a tourney run.  Hes no better than a sacar or bailey.  We need another true nba level player again.  Juco transfer or not.  We put a lot of players in the league during the buzz era and quite a few more that had their shots and didnt pan out

We did a lot of other things in the Buzz era, too.  Sorry, university has said that crap is over.

Maybe we can go down to the corner NBA store and pick up a guy.

Look, everyone knows we need to get more athletic, including Wojo.  Our incoming recruits continue to go in that direction.

We have been bridesmaids on some kids in recruiting, but you keep at it and make additional strides.

You guys that want to fire him, we immediately take several big steps backward because the university is not going to let just anyone come in to play.  Not sure why this little nugget is not seared into everyone's brain at this point.  Buzz blew that, torched the university bad and left a very bad taste and embarrassing shitburger for the school.  They aren't going back to that scenario.

[curbina]

Fact. Wojo is one and done!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

No reason year 4 should have been a rebuilding year - Wojo should have been able to put the pieces together for a team in his 4th year. IMO that years is actually the biggest indictment to his tenure.

No reason? So Wojo can control when the players he inherited graduated? Year 4 was always going to be a rebuilding year given the makeup of the roster.

[CleanishProgram]

what coach wouldn't be lining up to take a job where the previous coach won 84 games in the previous 4 years, went to 2 NCAA tournaments, had his team ranked in the top 10 late in the season and was fired?  It's the kind of situation every coach dreams of being in.

Let's bring in Jon Harris to work with our bigs. Shake up the assistant ranks.

OK lets see Wojo's powerpoint. Let's see what he expected of himself. Wojo set the "budget," shouldn't he own it? Does every decision have to be made with no risk? Are you an actuary?

There are obviously better coaches out there who would agree that 5 years is a sufficient amount of time to demonstrate some postseason success. And I'm sure they wouldn't mind making millions of dollars.

"Who are the candidates guys???" Literally anyone can win nothing. I think I have reached the point where I cant stand Wojo's stupid face.

[nyg]

ESPN is wrong.  He played.  2 minutes official box score

Great, that will help the young fellow going into next season.  Glad he saw the court. 

[1SE]

No reason? So Wojo can control when the players he inherited graduated? Year 4 was always going to be a rebuilding year given the makeup of the roster.

Wojo knew he was going to have a small team in year four. He swung and missed on two PF grad transfers. Had we landed one of them we probably would have made the NCAA that year (or if we just wouldn't have lost to DePaul at home). I'd say that's on Wojo. No one was expecting we were going to the FF that year, but we should have made the tournament.

At any rate, I give credit to you and Cheeks for at least coming on here and defending Wojo after that debacle. That takes grit. But the truth of the matter right now we have a coach that might get us to the tournament 50% of the time and maybe once a decade we'll win a game or two. If that's the kind of program you are happy enough with MU having, that's great, but it's hard to see how Wojo ever gives us much more than that.

I mean what even happened today? Was he blinded by the bright lights? Did he have a mid-game stroke and lose the ability to reason or speak? Does he go into some kind of induced paralysis?

He wasn't prepared. His players weren't prepared. And he didn't make a single meaningful second half adjustment. In the biggest game of the year. His final exam. F.

[willie warrior]

fans gotta stop putting up with this crap. stop showing up to games. let them know we ain't happy. stop donations. if this performance isn't the tipping point then I guess we are fine with a below average program

That is an understatement

[Mutaman]

Don't know what's worse, watching that debacle or reading Chico's posts. Close call.

[curbina]

Has anyone ever thought that Chico just might be Wojo?

[Cheeks]

Hes making just under 2 mill a year last i checked

Sean Miller making $4M, not in tournament
Bob Huggins making $3.6M, not in tournament
Larry Krystoviak making $3.4M, not in tournament
Archie Miller making $3.2M, not in tournament
Shaka Smart making $3.1M, not in tournament
Gregg Marshall (everyone's flavor of the year the last few years, making $3M, not in tournament
Avergy Johnson making $2.9M not in tournament
Frank Martin, $2.9M, not in tournament
Brad Underwood, $2.7M not in tournament
Cuonzo Martin, $2.7M not in tournament
Steve Alford, $2.7M....not even coaching and not in tournament
Mike Anderson, $2.6M, not in tournament

And on and on and on.

[CleanishProgram]

Sean Miller making $4M, not in tournament
Bob Huggins making $3.6M, not in tournament
Larry Krystoviak making $3.4M, not in tournament
Archie Miller making $3.2M, not in tournament
Shaka Smart making $3.1M, not in tournament
Gregg Marshall (everyone's flavor of the year the last few years, making $3M, not in tournament
Avergy Johnson making $2.9M not in tournament
Frank Martin, $2.9M, not in tournament
Brad Underwood, $2.7M not in tournament
Cuonzo Martin, $2.7M not in tournament
Steve Alford, $2.7M....not even coaching and not in tournament
Mike Anderson, $2.6M, not in tournament

And on and on and on.

Can you go back through and point out which of these coaches have less tournament wins than Woeful Wojo?

[1SE]

Cheeks and TAMU, I'm curious. What grade do you give Wojo for the season?

I'd give him 4 tests, non-con (20%), 1st half con(20%), 2nd half con (20%), post-season (40%).

Non-con was pretty good. IU loss sucked, but beating bucky and two other highly ranked teams at home. "A-"

First half of Con was very good. SJU loss on the road acceptable although don't love the blow out "A-"

Second half of Con. Losing to SJU again at home not great, but ok. Right the ship, but then the wheels come off D+

Post-season. Beating SJU is good vindication. But getting the doors blown off in the NCAA the end. "D-"

That adds up to a straight C. Woo-hoo!

[willie warrior]

We did a lot of other things in the Buzz era, too.  Sorry, university has said that crap is over.

Maybe we can go down to the corner NBA store and pick up a guy.

Look, everyone knows we need to get more athletic, including Wojo.  Our incoming recruits continue to go in that direction.

We have been bridesmaids on some kids in recruiting, but you keep at it and make additional strides.

You guys that want to fire him, we immediately take several big steps backward because the university is not going to let just anyone come in to play.  Not sure why this little nugget is not seared into everyone's brain at this point.  Buzz blew that, torched the university bad and left a very bad taste and embarrassing crapburger for the school.  They aren't going back to that scenario.

I would submit that the last 7 games from Wojo has been the embarrassing crapburger you should refer to.

[Warrior_2002]

Sean Miller making $4M, not in tournament
Bob Huggins making $3.6M, not in tournament
Larry Krystoviak making $3.4M, not in tournament
Archie Miller making $3.2M, not in tournament
Shaka Smart making $3.1M, not in tournament
Gregg Marshall (everyone's flavor of the year the last few years, making $3M, not in tournament
Avergy Johnson making $2.9M not in tournament
Frank Martin, $2.9M, not in tournament
Brad Underwood, $2.7M not in tournament
Cuonzo Martin, $2.7M not in tournament
Steve Alford, $2.7M....not even coaching and not in tournament
Mike Anderson, $2.6M, not in tournament

And on and on and on.

Not sure if you're using this to defend Wojo or not but half those coaches have better resumes and are in a down year and will be back performing better than Wojo or took over programs recently and also will be better than Wojo.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Wojo knew he was going to have a small team in year four. He swung and missed on two PF grad transfers. Had we landed one of them we probably would have made the NCAA that year (or if we just wouldn't have lost to DePaul at home). I'd say that's on Wojo. No one was expecting we were going to the FF that year, but we should have made the tournament.

Not one talking head, expert, preseason bracketology, metric, etc had us making the tournament that season.

At any rate, I give credit to you and Cheeks for at least coming on here and defending Wojo after that debacle. That takes grit. But the truth of the matter right now we have a coach that might get us to the tournament 50% of the time and maybe once a decade we'll win a game or two. If that's the kind of program you are happy enough with MU having, that's great, but it's hard to see how Wojo ever gives us much more than that.

It doesn't take grit. Just a cool head. I'm pissed about the loss, but I can look at the season as a whole and see it was a good season overall. I can see where we improved and that the trend line is up. I grade on the whole season, not just the tournament. Tournament is a chance to move up or down half a letter grade, we moved down.

I mean what even happened today? Was he blinded by the bright lights? Did he have a mid-game stroke and lose the ability to reason or speak? Does he go into some kind of induced paralysis?

He wasn't prepared. His players weren't prepared. And he didn't make a single meaningful second half adjustment. In the biggest game of the year. His final exam. F.

I didn't have a problem with the game plan going in. Murray State is a bad three point shooting team. They are an elite 2 pt shooting team. We tried to take the two away by leaving them open for three. It worked, they were bad inside the arc in the first half, but they made every damn three. Then as we are making our run, Markus gets called for a phantom foul, Ed gets called for a phantom foul, and Joey/John pick up their 2nd each. Snowballs from bad to catastrophe. He didn't make the right adjustments at half and our fate is sealed. The second half is about the worst I've seen out of Wojo ever. Definitely gets a red flag on his record.

[WolfganghisKhan]

Zero tourney wins in how many years? /End argument

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Cheeks and TAMU, I'm curious. What grade do you give Wojo for the season?

I'd give him 4 tests, non-con (20%), 1st half con(20%), 2nd half con (20%), post-season (40%).

Non-con was pretty good. IU loss sucked, but beating bucky and two other highly ranked teams at home. "A-"

First half of Con was very good. SJU loss on the road acceptable although don't love the blow out "A-"

Second half of Con. Losing to SJU again at home not great, but ok. Right the ship, but then the wheels come off D+

Post-season. Beating SJU is good vindication. But getting the doors blown off in the NCAA the end. "D-"

That adds up to a straight C. Woo-hoo!

B. Was a a B+ before today.

[willie warrior]

Has anyone ever thought that Chico just might be Wojo?

No, chico is mazzaburger

[Mike Deane's Seat Belt]

Maybe most of us have too high of expectations for this program.  Perhaps we really are a glorified mid major and would be better off in the horizon league


I will say this i will never talk crap about a mid major conference from here on out.  My justification for picking mu today was "they dont play anybody" all season.  Well insert foot in mouth

[willie warrior]

Sean Miller making $4M, not in tournament
Bob Huggins making $3.6M, not in tournament
Larry Krystoviak making $3.4M, not in tournament
Archie Miller making $3.2M, not in tournament
Shaka Smart making $3.1M, not in tournament
Gregg Marshall (everyone's flavor of the year the last few years, making $3M, not in tournament
Avergy Johnson making $2.9M not in tournament
Frank Martin, $2.9M, not in tournament
Brad Underwood, $2.7M not in tournament
Cuonzo Martin, $2.7M not in tournament
Steve Alford, $2.7M....not even coaching and not in tournament
Mike Anderson, $2.6M, not in tournament

And on and on and on.

More excuses