UCLA is #4. MU is not.

[DoctorV]

Muggs, is anything different about that than you thought going into the season?

We were picked to finish, what? Ninth? 10th? I'm hopeful we'll do better than that because I think that after the first 2 teams it's kind of a jumble. But I'm certainly not counting on being a top-2 or top-3 team. I believe Shaka when he talks about this not being an instant-gratification thing; I believe it so much I put it in my tagline.

So far, the only thing this team is guilty of is surpassing most realistic expectations. Not just the team, but a guy like Morsell. Here's a guy who averaged 9 points over 4 seasons. He comes out ridiculously blazing, averages 20+ for 4 games. Damn! We have us a stud! Except then he follows up his absurdly hot start with 7 games that show why he averaged 9 points over 4 seasons. I'm not gonna get mad at him or frustrated with him for being who he always has been. And Kolek ... he averaged 11 points on 40% shooting for a middle-of-the-pack A-10 team, but he was a big impact player in a few early games and all of a sudden he's Travis Diener.

They are who we thought they were, in other words.

Except they aren't because they've won more than we expected.

What are your expectations for conference season now that we've seen "enough"

[Goose]

Kolek is not going anywhere and he will have better days. He is 0 for December but is still difference maker. If we are going to make the NCAA, which I firmly believe, Kolek is going to be a big reason why it happens.

I have said it many times, this will be the worst Shaka team ever and I am very satisfied with a 8-3 NC record. Now it is time to steal some BE games and build a winning foundation.

This team is light years from UCLA and everyone should have known that prior to the game. That said, I would bet a lot a money we are going to look a lot more like UCLA in three years than the current team. There are much brighter days ahead for this program.

[brewcity77]

If this team ends up better in March than they are now, this could still be a fun ride. We started 1/15 from three with a lot of wide open misses. If that's even 4/15, we might've made a game of it. The defense was good enough, we just couldn't overcome that early deficit.

[Goose]

Brew

We cannot afford to have slow starts in any game. Tonight the guys were playing in a big time environment and they looked nervous to me. Getting ready to go to good start will happen and I hope that becomes a signature of this team. Thus far, not so much in that regard. Hopefully the cold shooting is out of their system.

[MuggsyB]

Muggs, is anything different about that than you thought going into the season?

We were picked to finish, what? Ninth? 10th? I'm hopeful we'll do better than that because I think that after the first 2 teams it's kind of a jumble. But I'm certainly not counting on being a top-2 or top-3 team. I believe Shaka when he talks about this not being an instant-gratification thing; I believe it so much I put it in my tagline.

So far, the only thing this team is guilty of is surpassing most realistic expectations. Not just the team, but a guy like Morsell. Here's a guy who averaged 9 points over 4 seasons. He comes out ridiculously blazing, averages 20+ for 4 games. Damn! We have us a stud! Except then he follows up his absurdly hot start with 7 games that show why he averaged 9 points over 4 seasons. I'm not gonna get mad at him or frustrated with him for being who he always has been. And Kolek ... he averaged 11 points on 40% shooting for a middle-of-the-pack A-10 team, but he was a big impact player in a few early games and all of a sudden he's Travis Diener.

I'll admit that I am biased but I still feel the sum of our parts and our potential is 5th.  In other words not much distinguishes 5-11 in our league.  We could be 5th or 11th imo.  Therefore, where do we need to improve so we can be on that 5, 6, or 7 line and a potential NCAA birth?

I also can't say I agree that our combination of guards aren't good enough to get us to where we need to be.  Granted it's been an abysmal few games for both Morsell and Kolek but they also have had really good games against quality clubs.  It's about Shaka trying to build their confidence back and focus on where they can score the ball in our offense.  It starts with those two guys and my take is if they slow down a touch, and see a few shots go down, they can get it back. 

They are forcing to a fault and to use a Yiddish word, Shpilkes. I'm not a great messenger for tranquility but they absolutely need to calm down.  You can see many times that both of them are uncertain where they want to attack and Kolek has zero confidence in his shot right now.  He knows the ball could shatter the backboard before it leaves his hand and that's a miserable place to be.  He's better than that, it's primarily a mental issue.

[MU82]

They are who we thought they were, in other words.

Except they aren't because they've won more than we expected.

What are your expectations for conference season now that we've seen "enough"

They have exceeded my expectations so far. We play hard every minute of every game; we have made some big plays (like Kolek's steal vs Ill and Kam's 3 at KS); Shaka is wringing everything he can out of them.

I haven't thought enough about the Big East season yet. I'm sure there will be a thread (probably many of them) in the week ahead and I'll come up with something, as will you and others.

I'm a realist, but I also like to be optimistic. I'm not as sure as Goose is that we're going to the NCAAs, but I do believe that it's possible this team can be better in February and March than it is today, and if so, it could be a fun finish.

But I plan to enjoy the journey, and I like the heart this group has.

[Big Papi]

UCLA was way more physical than us.  To be expected, men vs boys.

Lewis needs to take a closer look at how Jaquez Jr dominated today.  How about a few less 3s and try to score closer to the hoop. 

Kolek was a mess and needs more pine time.  Too easy to defend and his shooting is now in his head.

Way too many offensive rebounds.  I think Tony Smith said UCLA had 17 offensive rebounds and 19 second chance points.  Amazing it was as close as it was.

Elliott needs more minutes.  This team lacks experience and good outside shooting.  He provides both.

I'm ok with the number of 3s we take even with the obvious lack of quality 3 point shooters on the roster.  I am not ok with the kind of 3 point shots we took today.  They need to work for a better shot.
   

[DoctorV]

They have exceeded my expectations so far. We play hard every minute of every game; we have made some big plays (like Kolek's steal vs Ill and Kam's 3 at KS); Shaka is wringing everything he can out of them.

I haven't thought enough about the Big East season yet. I'm sure there will be a thread (probably many of them) in the week ahead and I'll come up with something, as will you and others.

I'm a realist, but I also like to be optimistic. I'm not as sure as Goose is that we're going to the NCAAs, but I do believe that it's possible this team can be better in February and March than it is today, and if so, it could be a fun finish.

But I plan to enjoy the journey, and I like the heart this group has.

Good answer, reflection is key. My answer would be I dont know.

Gun to my head I would guess 8-12, NET in the 70s and outside looking in.
I just haven't seen enough offensively to stretch to more than 8 conference win in a great conference.

However, I expect to be surprised!

[Boozemon Barro]

Any fan that thinks Marquette should perform as a tournament team needs their head examined. Those are not the expectations of this program. We should be greatful to be in a position to be on the bubble. I mean, seriously. NCAA lock? Conference championship contender? Get real. Not happening, ever.

[CountryRoads]

Any fan that thinks Marquette should perform as a tournament team needs their head examined. Those are not the expectations of this program. We should be greatful to be in a position to be on the bubble. I mean, seriously. NCAA lock? Conference championship contender? Get real. Not happening, ever.

This program or 2021-2022 team? Damn, Wojo really drove this program into the ground and slowly but steadily sucked the life out of the fan base for seven long years if this is now the general sentiment.

[fjm]

Just saying. Everyone hated Wojo for not making halftime adjustments.
Shaka made one that was apparent: Greg starting second half.

But there were 0 adjustments on JJJ. Dude just got every layup he ever wanted.

Koleks cross court passes have been exposed. Intercepted multiple times.

We all love kolek. Me too. But it's time for Stevie to get more min if kolek is still struggling.

Agree with Brew. Hit even 3-4 more 3's in the first half. Game changer.

Bad Shaka: lead cut to about 10-13. No Greg On the floor. We had 2 turnovers and 2 terrible OMP
Shots. Wrong personel.

[79Warrior]

Kolek is not going anywhere and he will have better days. He is 0 for December but is still difference maker. If we are going to make the NCAA, which I firmly believe, Kolek is going to be a big reason why it happens.

I have said it many times, this will be the worst Shaka team ever and I am very satisfied with a 8-3 NC record. Now it is time to steal some BE games and build a winning foundation.

This team is light years from UCLA and everyone should have known that prior to the game. That said, I would bet a lot a money we are going to look a lot more like UCLA in three years than the current team. There are much brighter days ahead for this program.

I do not see this team in the NCAA. I agree brighter days are ahead, but a year or two away.

[MuggsyB]

Just saying. Everyone hated Wojo for not making halftime adjustments.
Shaka made one that was apparent: Greg starting second half.

But there were 0 adjustments on JJJ. Dude just got every layup he ever wanted.

Koleks cross court passes have been exposed. Intercepted multiple times.

We all love kolek. Me too. But it's time for Stevie to get more min if kolek is still struggling.

Agree with Brew. Hit even 3-4 more 3's in the first half. Game changer.

Bad Shaka: lead cut to about 10-13. No Greg On the floor. We had 2 turnovers and 2 terrible OMP
Shots. Wrong personel.

Your last sentence really had me scratching my head.  Again, we wouldn't have won the game, but it went from 11 to 19 and ended any hope.  We had only one guy making shots for us and at the 15 min we trailed by 11.  I didn't get the O-Max substitution at all with that line-up

[tower912]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4K6osZqNaA

I appreciate his approach.   



8-3 in non-con.    Good stuff.    The real work begins.   

[willie warrior]

1.  MU is a young team.  Without a go to scorer. The exact same team they have been.  UCLA is grown men with lots of scorers.
2.  Got beat up on the boards.   
3.  Started slow.   
4.  Imagine how bad it would have been without Greg.   
5.  The style of play isn't going to change.   Pick and roll and dribble drive.  Pressure d trying for 32 deflections.   No amount of kvetching is going to change it.
6.  I thought Shaka played too much 3 guard offense tonight.   Gave UCLA a size advantage.  See:  rebounding.   OMP at least has the length to contest some shots and rebounds.
7.  Top 5 teams sit on crosscourt passes, TK.  So will conference opponents with detailed scouting reports.
8.  Be honest. No one thought MU would win this game.  You tried to talk yourself into it and did some whistling past the graveyard, but deep in your heart you knew.
9.   I appreciate this team never stops fighting.
10. 2 games in the 50's. 
11.  Good luck on your finals, men.

12. Noticed Kam was negative 18 when on the floor. Largest negative of all players. That must change.
13. 11 games played and no evidence of decent outside shooting, except for Greg. That alone is a killer when consistently getting your ass kicked on the boards.

[tower912]

When talking about this team preseason, I pointed out the lack of proven 3 pt shooting and wondered where we could get offense.   I was mocked for predicting games in the 50's.

Shaka wants his guys to fire without fear.  That much is obvious.   I firmly believe that will not change and he is doing it as much for next season as he is for this season.

Process, gentlemen.

[willie warrior]

You just hope they make adjustments for Xavier.
We will see how they stack up in the Big East.

We already know how we stack up against quality teams as well as how we stack up against Bucky.

[willie warrior]

Coming into the season, he and Kolek were the only two proven 3 pt shooters.

Kolek has proven only that he has the touch of a blacksmith when shooting outside of 5 feet.

[tower912]

He is in a helluva slump.  Listening to Coach Smart's press conference, it is clear he believes in TK and wants him on the floor.

[willie warrior]

What's most disappointing about tonight isn't even the putrid shooting minus Elliott.  It's more about taking quick shots and undisciplined overall play.  Very poor fundamentals in stretches that allowed them way too many 2nd shots.  We don't box out or go after rebounds with two hands.  We don't see the floor and over dribble constantly.  Our screens are sloppy and  all over the place which leads to poor offensive flow and no passing angles or spacing.

The only guy who played well offensively for UCLA tonight was Jaquez.  Now part of it may be the game was over in the first 10 mins but they shot like 36%. 

As for the coaching decisions tonight I can't say I was thrilled.  Early the game got away from us because of quick long shots and playing at a tempo that favored UCLA.  If they were fresh and had a game more recently they probably would have been up 35 after 20 mins.  You have to adjust based on your personnel.  We actually played solid h-c defense the first 8 mins.  As soon as it became a pseudo track meet it was over.

I also, and I think many scoopers would agree, don't understand why Kolek essentially played the entire game.  Especially after that beyond belief stretch with plenty of time left in the 2nd half.  He didn't have it and it was clear as crystal.  You play Elliot or Jones and move on to the next game after a mini break.   Needless to say we will have to play at a much higher level to have any chance of winning at Xavier.

Agree about Elliot, but Kolek adds more to the team than Jones

[willie warrior]

Kolek leads the team in assists (by a mile), steals and assist to turnover ratio. He's also the leading rebounder among our guards (God knows our front line needs help in that regard) and plays solid on ball defense. We only have one other PG (Stevie Mitchell). Like Kolek, so far he looks like a bad shooter - without as much of the other good stuff that Kolek brings.

Spot on Lenny. Kolek adds a lot. But his shooting is more than worrisome. Think he should slash and then shoot with less passes when doing that. Better chance to get to the line when he does that.

[willie warrior]

Kolek is not going anywhere and he will have better days. He is 0 for December but is still difference maker. If we are going to make the NCAA, which I firmly believe, Kolek is going to be a big reason why it happens.

I have said it many times, this will be the worst Shaka team ever and I am very satisfied with a 8-3 NC record. Now it is time to steal some BE games and build a winning foundation.

This team is light years from UCLA and everyone should have known that prior to the game. That said, I would bet a lot a money we are going to look a lot more like UCLA in three years than the current team. There are much brighter days ahead for this program.

My, great optimism, Goose. To look like UCLA, we need at least 2 more downtown shooters.

[mileskishnish72]

It must be tough going through life so angry about something as relatively unimportant as basketball.

Give him a pass. It isn't just basketball, it's Marquette basketball.

[Uncle Rico]

My, great optimism, Goose. To look like UCLA, we need at least 2 more downtown shooters.

Can Shaka-Deane find them?

[Goose]

Willie

Not crazy optimistic IMO. My point is we should be closer to what UCLA looks like than the current team and we sure better be in the path. I said it in April, MU spent a ton of money to hire an experienced and well know coach, and expectations should be high. Unlike some on here, I think they have exceeded expectations thus far this year. My prediction on making NCAA was not based off this team have crazy good talent.

Shaka should have a very good idea of what type of player needs to brought in next season. If brings the right guys, guys that remain get better, next year will look better than this year.