Bulldog mentality

[cheebs09]

A down Big East with a down Marquette (at least compared to last year).  This has become the norm for Marquette Hoops though.  We ain't who we once was.

I'm not ready to say this team is worse than last year. It seems some of the stats would indicate the opposite.

[wadesworld]

A down Big East with a down Marquette (at least compared to last year).  This has become the norm for Marquette Hoops though.  We ain't who we once was.

I'm confused.  Is this a down Marquette, or is this the current norm?

[GoldenEagles03]

I'm not ready to say this team is worse than last year. It seems some of the stats would indicate the opposite.

Stats be damned. Last years team started 5-0 with very similar opponents.

Wins against Illinois and West Virginia compared to losses against Purdue and Mississippi State. Darryl is the biggest difference as many of us thought he would be.

Justin can be replaced, but you can't replace what Darryl brought with Freshman and offensively limited Sophomores. Darryl was the best defender on the court at all times and was a 3 level scorer.

[MDMU04]

They had a chance to grow from Tuesday where they failed to hold a lead late on the road.

Now they failed to hold a lead late with a pro-Marquette crowd on a neutral court.

Nothing makes me confident they will hold a lead at home against a team that traditionally doesn't make mistakes.

A win last night would have meant 5-1 because Utah is terrible. Now with the loss they will have to scratch and claw just to hopefully avoid 3-3. They better find a better way to grow!

Past performance does not guarantee future results, and progress is not linear.  Blowing leads in November guarantees nothing with regard to future outcomes, especially with a team that can't really put more than 3 upperclassmen on the floor at the same time.

[GoldenEagles03]

I'm confused.  Is this a down Marquette, or is this the current norm?

You want me to just copy/paste it?

A down Big East with a down Marquette (at least compared to last year).

It is a down Big East and a down Marquette compared to last year. Reality is this is who Marquette has been for 10 years. So in other words, this season has started as expected which is a typical Marquette start, but it is down from last year.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Stats be damned. Last years team started 5-0 with very similar opponents.

Wins against Illinois and West Virginia compared to losses against Purdue and Mississippi State. Darryl is the biggest difference as many of us thought he would be.

Justin can be replaced, but you can't replace what Darryl brought with Freshman and offensively limited Sophomores. Darryl was the best defender on the court at all times and was a 3 level scorer.

Justin can be replaced but Darryl can't?  That's ridiculous.

[GoldenEagles03]

Past performance does not guarantee future results, and progress is not linear.  Blowing leads in November guarantees nothing with regard to future outcomes, especially with a team that can't really put more than 3 upperclassmen on the floor at the same time.

The "we're young" excuse doesn't work with me. Teams find ways to succeed with young teams every year.

Regardless of age, if you get opportunities, you should be able to find ways to grow from them and find success that you previously did not.

[Viper]

As an aside, every time they cut to a grumpy looking old guy in MU gear, I was giggling trying to figure out which scooper it was.

haha, same here. Sultan? TSmith34? MU82? Oh, that's gotta be 82!

[panda]

Stats be damned. Last years team started 5-0 with very similar opponents.

Wins against Illinois and West Virginia compared to losses against Purdue and Mississippi State. Darryl is the biggest difference as many of us thought he would be.

Justin can be replaced, but you can't replace what Darryl brought with Freshman and offensively limited Sophomores. Darryl was the best defender on the court at all times and was a 3 level scorer.

Who replaces Justin ?

[GoldenEagles03]

Who replaces Justin ?

The combination of OMax and Joplin has done it's part replacing his points and rebounding.  They've done well enough.

Morsell attacking the basket and spearheading a defense while also being able to shoot from outside and score 20 on any given night is what they miss from the guard position.

Kam can score 20 but he doesn't defend and has become a 3 point chucker to put it nicely.

[Viper]

Last night's game is indicative of where the program is currently. Look, we haven't come close to winning an NCAA tournament game in 10 years - the college landscape has changed a lot since then. 

This is not the type of program that competes for conference championships. We don't sweep the DePauls of the world, or any other team for that matter. We're not becoming Villanova, Creighton or Xavier anytime soon.

But what we do have now are 9-10 guys who play their butts off every night. Shaka gets it - no more one-and-dones or high four star players with their eye on turning pro. Instead, we've got a squad that is fun to watch, playing hard, & committed to the team aspect of the game. You're always going to at least be in it against middle-tier SEC or B1G teams playing this way.

We're like a spunky Horizon League team, trying to hit above our weight. You string together a few seasons like this with everyone on the same page, and perhaps a magical Loyola Chicago-type run materializes. Isn't that better than bashing your head against a wall trying to become Villanova? We ain't going to out-talent the better teams in our conference or college basketball. This is the new model.

now I'm depressed. We're like a spunky Horizon League team? I'll step out on the ledge now.

[panda]

The combination of OMax and Joplin has done it's part replacing his points and rebounding.  They've done well enough.

Morsell attacking the basket and spearheading a defense while also being able to shoot from outside and score 20 on any given night is what they miss from the guard position.

Kam can score 20 but he doesn't defend and has become a 3 point chucker to put it nicely.

Cmon - those two have not remotely come close to replacing Justin.

[tower912]

haha, same here. Sultan? TSmith34? MU82? Oh, that's gotta be 82!

None of those guys were there.

[GoldenEagles03]

Cmon - those two have not remotely come close to replacing Justin.

Huh?

They are the 2 leading scorers on the team.

25.6 Points Per Game
10.4 Rebounds Per Game
1.2 Steals Per Game
50% from the field
39% from 3
18 made 3's in 5 games

That's definitely picking up the load and then some.

[MU82]

haha, same here. Sultan? TSmith34? MU82? Oh, that's gotta be 82!

1. I'm Mr. Happy.

2. I didn't make the trip. I had to sit in my basement listening to the police scanner because there was supposedly a live shooter at a Charlotte shopping mall, and I was worried that would affect Marquette's enrollment.

[panda]

Huh?

They are the 2 leading scorers on the team.

25.6 Points Per Game
10.4 Rebounds Per Game
1.2 Steals Per Game
50% from the field
39% from 3
18 made 3's in 5 games

That's definitely picking up the load and then some.

You have a screw loose if you think those two are seamless replacements for Justin.

I don't care about the buy game performances from those two. Between the Purdue and msst game, omax has been on a milk carton and jop shot lights out in one of the four halves.

[Pakuni]

I'm not ready to say this team is worse than last year. It seems some of the stats would indicate the opposite.

Which stats are those?

[jfp61]

You have a screw loose if you think those two are seamless replacements for Justin.

I don't care about the buy game performances from those two. Between the Purdue and msst game, omax has been on a milk carton and jop shot lights out in one of the four halves.

You can't replace Justin. Period. Virtually no coaches can and the few that could do it out of shear luck and ability to recruit top 5 guys to Duke.

All of that out of  the way, the most likely player to replace Justin was and is still Oso. Especially in terms of overall impact. Always has been.

[MU82]

You have a screw loose if you think those two are seamless replacements for Justin.

I don't care about the buy game performances from those two. Between the Purdue and msst game, omax has been on a milk carton and jop shot lights out in one of the four halves.

This. Obviously. Plus, even if 2 guys replaced 1 (and they didn't), it affects depth.

Not sure why some want to diminish the contributions of the All-Big East forward who was, by far, the best player on our team in 2021-22. It's so weird, and wrong. We'd be significantly better with JL all season, and we'd be 5-0 right now.

I understand that he's gone and isn't coming back. And I wouldn't bring him up again if people like GE03 would stop trying to justify their takes by diminishing Lewis.

Morsell did have a great first 4 games last season, though, and we sure could have used that Morsell against Purdue and Miss State. The Morsell who averaged 12 ppg the rest of the way, and who got benched by Shaka several times ... we miss him, too, but less.

[MDMU04]

The "we're young" excuse doesn't work with me. Teams find ways to succeed with young teams every year.

What part of 'past performance does not guarantee future results' don't you understand?  We're 5 games into the season.  There's plenty of time for these guys to improve and find ways to succeed, as you put it.

And being young isn't an excuse, it's a fact.  And unless you expect Shaka to build his team through the transfer portal, something which he's repeatedly shown no interest in doing, it's something the team is going to need to deal with at some point until the recruiting classes balance out.  Expecting incoming freshman and sophomores who played limited roles last year to go out and perform individually and together like upperclassmen is unreasonable.

BTW, you posted this last December:

I know most don't like to look ahead because first and foremost is getting better this year, but someone's gotta do it!

Darryl and Kur will be gone. Justin could very well go pro. Greg has already been in College 5 years, will he want to stay a 6th?

That leaves us with:

1. Stevie (Diminished role as season progresses)
2. Emarion (Limited Role)
3. Joplin (Limited Role)
4. OMax (Diminished role as season progresses)
5. Kolek (Major role)
6. Kam (Major role)
7. Oso (Major role)
8. Keeyan (Redshirt)

Incoming are 2 guards Sean Jones and Chase Ross.

Stevie, Emarion, Kolek, and Jones all are best used as a PG and it's hard to see any of them sharing too much time on the court together. There are some solid returning pieces, but arguably more question marks than this year and of those 10 names only Oso is a real post. 

Seems like ever since...you know...let's just say 2014, we've been stuck in an endless cycle of rebuilding.

On the bright side, Justin and Greg could decide to stay and I trust Shaka to often utilize the transfer portal, but for a fanbase desperate to get back to relevance in March this is a reminder to be patient.

Interested to hear some other input. Concerns? Optimism? Encouragement? General thoughts?

Go Marquette!

[GoldenEagles03]

This. Obviously. Plus, even if 2 guys replaced 1 (and they didn't), it affects depth.

Not sure why some want to diminish the contributions of the All-Big East forward who was, by far, the best player on our team in 2021-22. It's so weird, and wrong. We'd be significantly better with JL all season, and we'd be 5-0 right now.

I understand that he's gone and isn't coming back. And I wouldn't bring him up again if people like GE03 would stop trying to justify their takes by diminishing Lewis.

Morsell did have a great first 4 games last season, though, and we sure could have used that Morsell against Purdue and Miss State. The Morsell who averaged 12 ppg the rest of the way, and who got benched by Shaka several times ... we miss him, too, but less.

Nobody is diminishing Justin's value, just stating how important Darryl was.

Guards game, always will be.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Sean Jones had some really nice drives and finishes, but in 13 minutes, he had 0 assists (to his credit, 0 TO's as well).  If you want a Markus Howard type running your offense, or BEING your offense, stick SJ in there right now.

But if you want someone to run the offense, distribute the ball and get everyone involved, TK is the guy.

Sean was a +6 in 13 minutes.  Got MU the lead.  Tyler hits his shots when Sean was in the game penetrating the paint and creating space.

Stevie (-9) and Tyler (-7) weren't going to get assists against zone. Sean went out and lead dissipated.

[The Sultan]

You want me to just copy/paste it?

A down Big East with a down Marquette (at least compared to last year).

It is a down Big East and a down Marquette compared to last year. Reality is this is who Marquette has been for 10 years. So in other words, this season has started as expected which is a typical Marquette start, but it is down from last year.

Then why don't you pack the season in early and just head to bed like you did last night?  It will save you a lot of angst and will save us from reading your chicken-littling- all at once!  A true win-win.

[Elonsmusk]

I'm talking overall record.

Baylor is a loss. Wisconsin is probably a loss.

Notre Dame and Georgia Tech are coinflips. If they lose either of those 2, they are 6-5 nonconference at best.

(6-5)(9-11) is a 15-16 sub .500 record.

We will beat Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Quite frankly I think we beat Wisconsin by 10.

Some serious overreaction going on,
On Scoop. People can't conflate the 7 years of meh under Wojo with Shaka. FFS we finished 97th in Year 2 of Wojo. I think I this years team will finish around 40 in KenPom

[GoldenEagles03]

We will beat Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Quite frankly I think we beat Wisconsin by 10.

Some serious overreaction going on,
On Scoop. People can't conflate the 7 years of meh under Wojo with Shaka. FFS we finished 97th in Year 2 of Wojo. I think I this years team will finish around 40 in KenPom

Georgia Tech's speed and zone will cause problems for our limited offensive skill.  Hope some of Kam's 30 footers fall or it'll be another close game that could go either way.

Notre Dame should be winnable, but it is a road game so maybe not. Wisconsin is just Wisconsin so probably not.