I hate to break it to the board, but.....

[duanewade]

This team is really talented and going to win a lot of games this year!!!

I know this is in direct contradiction to the funeral procession of constant negative posts about the outlook of this year's team.  The board's propensity to group think, while acting as if they are the majority, when they are in fact a very small minority of Marquette's total fan base reminds me of Twitter in many ways. 

Somehow having a roster of many new players, with some of them being relatively young is a problem unique only to Marquette and not to just about every other participant in Div. I Basketball.  And since "we" believe only Marquette has these problems then we should all be very pessimistic about the outlook of this year's team.

In reality, like Buzz's teams, this roster if full of players with the potential to flirt with NBA rosters someday. 

Kolek - Is really good and reminds me some of Steve Nash in that he keeps his dribble even under the basket while constantly looking for his shot or for someone to break open to pass to.

OMP - Has an amazing body as he's a legit 6'8 with guard and forward skills.  He'll provide a lot of matchup problems.

Oso - Is very long and smart with a very high ceiling.  He's also very muscular with wide shoulders and is already a physical presence and he's still only 19.   

Morsell/Lewis/Kuath - All very talented and proven and will be impact players all season.

Mitchell/Jones - Are not as good as they will be, but are going to collectively contribute to many victories this year.  Mitchell is a very smart player that plays within himself although he doesn't dazzle you with athletic ability.  Jones is very clever and smooth with the basketball and finds ways to create separation to get his shot off.

Greg Elliot - Not a huge fan of his as he's always falling down and hurt.  However I acknowledge his ability to positively impact some games as he has a little bit of Vinny Johnson "Microwave" in him. 

Other players like Joplin and Ellis probably won't see as much action this year.  Joplin mostly because of the talent in front of him right now.  Ellis might be the team's most talented player but hopefully he doesn't get frustrated and works to improve his basketball IQ and discipline this year so he can possibly take over Morsell's role next year.  I like Itejere's talent also and think it was a smart decision for him/us to redshirt. 

SIUE had a lot of team speed and quickness and contested every shot.  They were a reflection of their coach and came out fighting.  As mentioned before we'll always get opposing player's best games as we play in an NBA arena that tends to bring out extra gumption from opposing players.  This was a great first test for us as we got challenged and still answered the bell.

I like this team now and expect us to beat Illinois at home and compete and win many, many games this year! 

Too bad our home court atmosphere won't be as dynamic this year due to lingering Covid worries, a sluggish economy and the damage from past left wing political statements made by last year's team... I personally know this kept some people from renewing their tickets.

Go Marquette!  It will be fun to watch a team continue to get better and win all year long instead of showing early flashes and religiously collapsing by February. 

[mileskishnish72]

Like your optimism, but that's Illinois coming in, not SIU, and certainly not SIUE.

[MuggsyB]

This team is really talented and going to win a lot of games this year.!!!

I know this is in direct contradiction to the funeral procession of constant negative posts about the outlook of this year's team.  The board's propensity to group think, while acting as if they are the majority, when they are in fact a very small minority of Marquette's total fan base reminds me of Twitter in many ways. 

Somehow having a roster of many new players, with some of them being relatively young is a problem unique only to Marquette and not to just about every other participant in Div. I Basketball.  And since "we" believe only Marquette has these problems then we should all be very pessimistic about the outlook of this year's team.

In reality, like Buzz's teams, this roster if full of players with the potential to flirt with NBA rosters someday. 

Kolek - Is really good and reminds me some of Steve Nash in that he keeps his dribble even under the basket while constantly looking for his shot or for someone to break open to pass to.

OMP - Has an amazing body as he's a legit 6'8 with guard and forward skills.  He'll provide a lot of matchup problems.

Oso - Is very long and smart with a very high ceiling.  He's also very muscular with wide shoulders and is already a physical presence and he's still only 19.   

Morsell/Lewis/Kuath - All very talented and proven and will be impact players all season.

Mitchell/Jones - Are not as good as they will be, but are going to collectively contribute to many victories this year.  Mitchell is a very smart player that plays within himself although he doesn't dazzle you with athletic ability.  Jones is very clever and smooth with the basketball and finds ways to create separation to get his shot off.

Greg Elliot - Not a huge fan of his as he's always falling down and hurt.  However I acknowledge his ability to positively impact some games as he has a little bit of Vinny Johnson "Microwave" in him. 

Other players like Joplin and Ellis probably won't see as much action this year.  Joplin mostly because of the talent in front of him right now.  Ellis might be the team's most talented player but hopefully he doesn't get frustrated and works to improve his basketball IQ and discipline this year so her can possibly take over Morsell's role next year.  I like Itejere's talent also and think it was a smart decision for him/us to redshirt. 

SIUE had a lot of team speed and quickness and contested every shot.  They were a reflection of their coach and came out fighting.  As mentioned before we'll always get opposing players best games as we play in an NBA arena that tends to bring out extra gumption from opposing players.  This was a great first test for us as we got challenged and still answered the bell.

I like this team now and expect us to beat Illinois at home and compete and win many, many games this year! 

Too bad our home court atmosphere won't be as dynamic this year due to lingering Covid worries, a sluggish economy and the damage from past left wing political statements made by last year's team... I personally know this kept some people from renewing their tickets.

Go Marquette!  It will be fun to watch a team continue to get better and win all year long instead of showing early flashes and religiously collapsing by February. 

Tremendous optimism!  It's conceivable we had a dud game and can find a way to get our act together.  A bit concerned about 11/15. 

[Its DJOver]

Could have sworn that we already knew Shaka didn’t have “it” when he missed on Leon Bond.

[Herman Cain]

This team is really talented and going to win a lot of games this year.!!!

I know this is in direct contradiction to the funeral procession of constant negative posts about the outlook of this year's team.  The board's propensity to group think, while acting as if they are the majority, when they are in fact a very small minority of Marquette's total fan base reminds me of Twitter in many ways. 

Somehow having a roster of many new players, with some of them being relatively young is a problem unique only to Marquette and not to just about every other participant in Div. I Basketball.  And since "we" believe only Marquette has these problems then we should all be very pessimistic about the outlook of this year's team.

In reality, like Buzz's teams, this roster if full of players with the potential to flirt with NBA rosters someday. 

Kolek - Is really good and reminds me some of Steve Nash in that he keeps his dribble even under the basket while constantly looking for his shot or for someone to break open to pass to.

OMP - Has an amazing body as he's a legit 6'8 with guard and forward skills.  He'll provide a lot of matchup problems.

Oso - Is very long and smart with a very high ceiling.  He's also very muscular with wide shoulders and is already a physical presence and he's still only 19.   

Morsell/Lewis/Kuath - All very talented and proven and will be impact players all season.

Mitchell/Jones - Are not as good as they will be, but are going to collectively contribute to many victories this year.  Mitchell is a very smart player that plays within himself although he doesn't dazzle you with athletic ability.  Jones is very clever and smooth with the basketball and finds ways to create separation to get his shot off.

Greg Elliot - Not a huge fan of his as he's always falling down and hurt.  However I acknowledge his ability to positively impact some games as he has a little bit of Vinny Johnson "Microwave" in him. 

Other players like Joplin and Ellis probably won't see as much action this year.  Joplin mostly because of the talent in front of him right now.  Ellis might be the team's most talented player but hopefully he doesn't get frustrated and works to improve his basketball IQ and discipline this year so her can possibly take over Morsell's role next year.  I like Itejere's talent also and think it was a smart decision for him/us to redshirt. 

SIUE had a lot of team speed and quickness and contested every shot.  They were a reflection of their coach and came out fighting.  As mentioned before we'll always get opposing player's best games as we play in an NBA arena that tends to bring out extra gumption from opposing players.  This was a great first test for us as we got challenged and still answered the bell.

I like this team now and expect us to beat Illinois at home and compete and win many, many games this year! 

Too bad our home court atmosphere won't be as dynamic this year due to lingering Covid worries, a sluggish economy and the damage from past left wing political statements made by last year's team... I personally know this kept some people from renewing their tickets.

Go Marquette!  It will be fun to watch a team continue to get better and win all year long instead of showing early flashes and religiously collapsing by February. 

I agree with this analysis.

[rocky_warrior]

I'm really not sure if I preferred wildly negative duanewade, or this new wildly positive duanewade. 

Maybe duanewade is like cowbell, "fellas -- you're gonna want that cowbell on the track!"

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Somehow having a roster of many new players, with some of them being relatively young is a problem unique only to Marquette and not to just about every other participant in Div. I Basketball.  And since "we" believe only Marquette has these problems then we should all be very pessimistic about the outlook of this year's team.

No one has ever said it's unique to Marquette. It is true about this year's team and no it is not true about every other participant in Div. I Basketball this season.

Of the 240 teams who have played a basketball game so far this season, Marquette ranks 237th in Experience per KenPom (his ranks don't populate until teams play their first game). That's the 1st percentile. We are younger and more inexperienced than almost 99% of every other D1 team that has played a game. That's not an excuse, just a fact. Inexperienced teams tend to be inconsistent and make more mistakes than experienced ones. It doesn't mean that we will be bad this season but I do think it means that we will be better at the end of the season than we are now and that if the majority of the core returns that we will be better next season than we are this season.

[Jockey]

This team is really talented and going to win a lot of games this year.!!!

I know this is in direct contradiction to the funeral procession of constant negative posts about the outlook of this year's team.  The board's propensity to group think, while acting as if they are the majority, when they are in fact a very small minority of Marquette's total fan base reminds me of Twitter in many ways. 

........

That is something I have thought for a long time on Scoop.


As to the rest of your post, I love the optimism even if I don't agree with all of the takes.

I think our guard rotation will be pretty good as we get into the season.

The center rotation will be OK. Lots of blocks, but will worry about foul trouble there almost every game. Pts/Rebounds per game will be at least as good and probably better than the Theo era.

The forward rotation is what has me worried. Justin should be OK if he stops pretending to be a ball-handler. Needs to get the ball in the low post more often, but should be close to a double-double guy. O-Max was my biggest disappointment of the game and Joplin isn't near ready yet.


Teas defense and half court offense will be the issues.

[TallTitan34]

I'm really not sure if I preferred wildly negative duanewade, or this new wildly positive duanewade. 

Maybe duanewade is like cowbell, "fellas -- you're gonna want that cowbell on the track!"

Have to admit I was expecting the complete opposite when I clicked the thread.

[MUUWUWM]

Optimism is not reality. Just hope to see improvement as the year progresses.

[Galway Eagle]

Duh fuq? This is a sign the apocalypse is imminent

[tower912]

I hope you are right for a change.

[dgies9156]

I'm not going to recopy Brother Duane's entire comment but I share the optimism.

How many of you went into a class and struggled with your first examination? You learned very quickly what the professor expected and adapted your classroom performance to prevailing expectations.

Our team is no different. Yes, they had teaching (aka, practice) sessions and yes, Bowie State amounted to a practice test. But last night was the first quiz of the term and we passed. Might have been a B-/C+ effort but we learned what it took to succeed. I'm looking for much improvement Friday evening.

Some things I saw:

 -- Oso was exciting. He rode the back end of the Wojo bench last year. This year he is an integral part of our rotation. The improvement this year over last year, including strength and stamina, justifies the effort Wojo put into recruiting him.

 -- Morsell shows he may be the real deal. Not a big fan of Dickey Simpkins but he did make a point during the broadcast that Morsell was looking to be more than a one dimensional player that he was at Maryland. Morsell showed what he can do and I'm looking for big things from him this year.

 -- Kurath is getting there. Fear he could be a Theo V2.0. Let's hope he is more.

 -- Mitchell shows enormous promised. Kid has poise for a guy playing in his first NCAA D1 game.

 -- Kolak is better than almost all of the Wojo era transfers. Love his passing skills and his shooting will come around.

 -- Greg Elliott will be fine when he joins this group.

Again, I would caution everyone from making conclusions of a single game. Including me 

[MU82]

Why do you hate to break that to the board?

[rocky_warrior]

-- Kurath
 -- Kolak

Hm, clearly we need more time with this team, those players don't exist 

[Galway Eagle]

Hm, clearly we need more time with this team, those players don't exist 

What do you mean? They're on our bench next to Justin Fields!

[StillAWarrior]

Hm, clearly we need more time with this team, those players don't exist 

I've never referred to the online roster as many times as I did during last night's game. Frequently heard in my living room:  "Wait a minute...who is that?"

[tower912]

I was looking closely for numbers.

[genious expert]

I've never referred to the online roster as many times as I did during last night's game. Frequently heard in my living room:  "Wait a minute...who is that?"

My wife had the roster up on her phone almost the whole game and I saw a few people sitting around us did too lol

[StillAWarrior]

I was looking closely for numbers.

It absolutely didn't help that Lewis changed his number and his hair.

[Hards Alumni]

Have to admit I was expecting the complete opposite when I clicked the thread.

"aw shiet, here we go again"

[ATL MU Warrior]

Some things I saw:

 -- Oso was exciting. He rode the back end of the Wojo bench last year. This year he is an integral part of our rotation. The improvement this year over last year, including strength and stamina, justifies the effort Wojo put into recruiting him.

Oso was physically pushed around last night.  He is bigger and stronger and did some good things for sure, but he is going be be abused a lot this year and will be a detriment to defense and rebounding unless he gets a lot tougher.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

This team is really talented and going to win a lot of games this year!!!

I know this is in direct contradiction to the funeral procession of constant negative posts about the outlook of this year's team.  The board's propensity to group think, while acting as if they are the majority, when they are in fact a very small minority of Marquette's total fan base reminds me of Twitter in many ways. 

Somehow having a roster of many new players, with some of them being relatively young is a problem unique only to Marquette and not to just about every other participant in Div. I Basketball.  And since "we" believe only Marquette has these problems then we should all be very pessimistic about the outlook of this year's team.

In reality, like Buzz's teams, this roster if full of players with the potential to flirt with NBA rosters someday. 

Kolek - Is really good and reminds me some of Steve Nash in that he keeps his dribble even under the basket while constantly looking for his shot or for someone to break open to pass to.

OMP - Has an amazing body as he's a legit 6'8 with guard and forward skills.  He'll provide a lot of matchup problems.

Oso - Is very long and smart with a very high ceiling.  He's also very muscular with wide shoulders and is already a physical presence and he's still only 19.   

Morsell/Lewis/Kuath - All very talented and proven and will be impact players all season.

Mitchell/Jones - Are not as good as they will be, but are going to collectively contribute to many victories this year.  Mitchell is a very smart player that plays within himself although he doesn't dazzle you with athletic ability.  Jones is very clever and smooth with the basketball and finds ways to create separation to get his shot off.

Greg Elliot - Not a huge fan of his as he's always falling down and hurt.  However I acknowledge his ability to positively impact some games as he has a little bit of Vinny Johnson "Microwave" in him. 

Other players like Joplin and Ellis probably won't see as much action this year.  Joplin mostly because of the talent in front of him right now.  Ellis might be the team's most talented player but hopefully he doesn't get frustrated and works to improve his basketball IQ and discipline this year so he can possibly take over Morsell's role next year.  I like Itejere's talent also and think it was a smart decision for him/us to redshirt. 

SIUE had a lot of team speed and quickness and contested every shot.  They were a reflection of their coach and came out fighting.  As mentioned before we'll always get opposing player's best games as we play in an NBA arena that tends to bring out extra gumption from opposing players.  This was a great first test for us as we got challenged and still answered the bell.

I like this team now and expect us to beat Illinois at home and compete and win many, many games this year! 

Too bad our home court atmosphere won't be as dynamic this year due to lingering Covid worries, a sluggish economy and the damage from past left wing political statements made by last year's team... I personally know this kept some people from renewing their tickets.

Go Marquette!  It will be fun to watch a team continue to get better and win all year long instead of showing early flashes and religiously collapsing by February. 

Archman^tm is impressed with your word count.

[Newsdreams]

I hope you are right for a change.

If you really look at his post it was more of a political statement.

[Newsdreams]

Hm, clearly we need more time with this team, those players don't exist 

Cousins!