Finishing with a flourish

[Jockey]

https://twitter.com/T_Oglesby22/status/1620993965142188033

Just one more guy trying to jump on my AA prediction for Kolek.

[Elonsmusk]

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3454743/update-the-logs-...-marquette-and-villanova-just-gave-example-number-578291-of-why-life-is-too-short-to-bet-the-under

Good find..that is a bad beat for sure.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3454743/update-the-logs-...-marquette-and-villanova-just-gave-example-number-578291-of-why-life-is-too-short-to-bet-the-under

Someone somewhere had five or six figures riding on that half court shot by Kam.

[muwarrior69]

Tyler postgame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSr09GTW6No

[MU82]

the Garden is not a friendly place for us.

Again, folks need to stop projecting past failures on this season's Marquette team. How many times does this team have to show Scoopers that what happened last year or 4 years ago or 15 years ago doesn't mean squat.

It wouldn't surprise me one iota if this season's team absolutely crushes it at MSG.

This just in: The 2022-23 Marquette Shakas are really quite good.

[Shooter McGavin]

Villanova was desperate. We got their best, most focused effort of the year. This game was their opportunity and now it's gone. The team, despite just being out of synch most of the first half, stood up and slammed the door shut late in the second half.

Every game can't be a masterpiece. Winning like that (which is necessary to be great) is a skill this team is learning.

Agree with this fully.  Defense kept us in it the whole game and the offense was just enough to get us a nice win over a Villanova team that wanted to win badly.  Glad we are done with them.  But agree with others that think they could get on a roll now that they are healthy with Moore back.  Definitely a possible stumbling block in the Big East tournament. 

[5DollarPitcher]

5.  Was amused by Shaka speak for 'play harder.' (under 8 timeout)  Hey, it worked.

It was not even remotely "play harder". He gave actionable instructions. Gimmicky - maybe. But words that actually had an actionable goal associated with them.

His predecessor literally had a timeout where he said, verbatim, "play basketball". This was not that.

[Dish]

I think you're wrong this time, Dish. Butler's really bad, and we're really good. And I'm going to that one, so I sure hope you're wrong.

Of the options presented, the highest probability of a loss is at Butler. MU isn't losing any of the other options presented.

I'm not saying MU will even lose that game, but analytically there's no spot that's tougher from the group Topper presented than at Butler.

[ChuckyChip]

Villanova -

4-0 vs. St. John's and Georgetown
0-7 vs. Everyone Else

[muwarrior69]

Again, folks need to stop projecting past failures on this season's Marquette team. How many times does this team have to show Scoopers that what happened last year or 4 years ago or 15 years ago doesn't mean squat.

It wouldn't surprise me one iota if this season's team absolutely crushes it at MSG.

This just in: The 2022-23 Marquette Shakas are really quite good.

When they win at the Garden I'll be convinced, but I am optimistic that this team can surprise me. We'll see. Gutsy win tonight.

[PointWarrior]

During the game, I was thinking about how .. every season, every team .. seems to lose a game they're supposed to win.   For 34 minutes, it sure seemed like tonight was the night.

So .. Butler?  @Gtown?  DePaul? @Butler? STJ?

Fine COLE showing here..

[PointWarrior]

Again, folks need to stop projecting past failures on this season's Marquette team. How many times does this team have to show Scoopers that what happened last year or 4 years ago or 15 years ago doesn't mean squat.

It wouldn't surprise me one iota if this season's team absolutely crushes it at MSG.

This just in: The 2022-23 Marquette Shakas are really quite good.

COLE is hard to shake....

[We R Final Four]

1.  MU had less action going to the basket than any game I can remember this year.  And Nova doesn't block shots. 
2.  A whole lot of possessions without paint touches.
3. MU's defense forced a lot of turnovers.  Probably saved the game
4.  OMax, OMG.   Missed you tonight.
5.  Was amused by Shaka speak for 'play harder.' (under 8 timeout)  Hey, it worked.
6.  I was also amused by Stevie talking to the Nova bench.  Stevie?   A couple of stellar defensive plays during the late run.
7.  Rumors of Kam's demise were greatly exaggerated.
8. TKo wants the ball.
9.  Just a weird, no flow grind.
10.  But an ugly win is far better than a loss.

11. And we did it all without Keeyan! If Kam didn't go.....he was next off the bench.

[PointWarrior]

I am just happy Kam was able to convince the trainers to take the hip brace off and let him play the game tonight...

[Ellenson Guerrero]

Fine COLE showing here..

Can someone explain what COLE stands for?

[warriorchick]

Can someone explain what COLE stands for?

Cult of Low Expectations

[JakeBarnes]

100% at Butler.

Can't agree with this. I'm finally going to Hinkle. So looks like they're gonna have to win the whole damn thing.

[MU82]

Of the options presented, the highest probability of a loss is at Butler. MU isn't losing any of the other options presented.

I'm not saying MU will even lose that game, but analytically there's no spot that's tougher from the group Topper presented than at Butler.

I actually feel really good about beating Butler quite handily. Twice.

[DoctorV]

I actually feel really good about beating Butler quite handily. Twice.

Eh... Hinkle is a tough spot, and Butler plays Marquette well.

Marquette will win, but I agree that it'll be the most difficult of the expected wins now that Nova at home is out of the way.

Also, second to last game of the season will have some added cache and pressure

[JakeBarnes]

Eh... Hinkle is a tough spot, and Butler plays Marquette well.

Marquette will win, but I agree that it'll be the most difficult of the expected wins now that Nova at home is out of the way.

Also, second to last game of the season will have some added cache and pressure

I'm starting to feel that the pressure will only be with our fans. It does not seem to register with this team lately.

[GoldenEagles03]

Shaka mentioned right away what some of us noticed.  This team didn't seem to be having fun, they were tense, they needed to take a breathe.

Good stuff from him here and glad the guys were able to relax.

https://youtu.be/McCYuzKN_hM

Edited: 94Warrior has pointed out this is my 1977 post and I just wanted to stamp it somehow.  Milestone!

[LAZER]

Eh... Hinkle is a tough spot, and Butler plays Marquette well.

Marquette will win, but I agree that it'll be the most difficult of the expected wins now that Nova at home is out of the way.

Also, second to last game of the season will have some added cache and pressure

Butler sucks. Not worried about them.

[MU82]

Eh... Hinkle is a tough spot, and Butler plays Marquette well.

Again with the past?

Butler is really bad. This Butler team doesn't know squat about how the Butler team from years ago played Marquette. And this Marquette team is really good. This Marquette team doesn't give a hoot about what happened years ago.

But if we insist on history somehow mattering today ... just 2 years ago, a bad MU team run by a bad coach went into Hinkle and beat a bad Butler team by 16 points. And just 2 years before that, a good MU team went into Hinkle and beat a mediocre Butler team by 18 points.

Butler just lost at Hinkle to Seton Hall, a team we've handled twice, by 21 points. Eleven days earlier, Butler lost at Hinkle to Creighton by 21 points.

So if history really is a guide, I'm thinking we win at Hinkle by somewhere right around 21 points.

[DoctorV]

"History is not the past but a map of the past, drawn from a particular point of view, to be useful to the modern traveller"

Since when has the past not mattered?

As I said before tonight's game, we used to say "Marquette plays Villanova tough!" and now we will say "Villanova plays Marquette tough!"

Times are changing, respect the future while not losing track of the past.
I was right, Villanova almost stole that one from a Marquette team that is way better than them, playing at home.

Shaka is here, and it's great, and that's why we can now say Villanova plays Marquette tough- it's an ode to our new head coach who is 4-0 against them.
For years, it was a compliment that Marquette actually played Jay Wrights Nova tough.

As for Butler, they have a good new head coach too, and they will play with pride in their home arena. We've seen it before in the past, and we will see it again this season.

Looking into the past isn't a bad thing. Shaka has done it all, but in the past Coach Wojo owned Wisconsin and Shaka can't beat 'em, a travesty!
See how it works.

Sure the past is the past, but lessons everywhere

[JakeBarnes]

Defense up to 61 on kenpom