Marquette as The Next Nova - revisited

[MU82]

The two things that stood out to me in Norlander's article about Shaka (https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2023-ranking-every-ncaa-tournament-first-round-game-from-no-1-to-32/) were ...

The headline:

A perfect pairing: How Shaka Smart quickly changed the trajectory of Marquette and the Big East

And the final sentence:

The most exciting part for the program and its fan base: This is only Phase 1 of what might be a perfect pairing that lasts a decade or more.

Last season I started a topic saying that maybe, just maybe, Marquette could be The Next Nova. I didn't say it was imminent, and I didn't say we'd be able to replicate everything Nova did (such as win 2 natties in 3 years). What I said was that our alma mater has the resources, the commitment and the coach to be the standardbearers in the Big East and an annual name on the national stage.

What I was really doing was asking: If Villanova could do it, "Why not Marquette?"

I got some pushback, and that's OK, because the whole thing was meant to be a conversation starter. Scoopers I respect said that Marquette hadn't done anything to even be mentioned in the same breath as Villanova, and that it was unrealistic to think Smart could come close to Wright's accomplishments. Reasonable takes, because Wright was that good and had built so strong a program, while Shaka had proven nothing yet at Marquette (or at his only other P6 stop before that). Of course, less reasonable Scoopers screamed that Marquette was closer to being DePaul. (But hey, ignorant mopes are gonna be ignorant mopes.)

Ten years ago, Nova capped a three-year run that included no NCAA tournament wins and finishes of 9th, 13th and 7th in the Big East; while Marquette capped a three-year run of second-weekend advances with a BEast title and Elite Eight appearance. There undoubtedly were NovaScoopers wondering why their team couldn't be as accomplished as Marquette. The point of this paragraph isn't to claim that what happened 10 years ago has a single damn thing to do with what's happening now; it's to illustrate that nothing is guaranteed or forever and that change is constant.

Anyhoo, we all know what happened after 2013: Jay did Jay things, Buzz did Buzz things, and Wojo did Wojo things ... and soon enough, we were light years away from being Nova.

Well, Jay ain't walking back through that door, and Shaka's gonna be at Marquette for awhile, and we're the best team in the Big East, and Nova lost in the NIT, and we have a good chance to have a long NCAA tournament run. And barring a bunch of defections, we'll be running the whole thing back next season.

Obviously, we need to accomplish something in the NCAA tournament to really take The Next Nova step. But I still maintain that with the coach and framework we have in place, we can be to the Big East what Nova was for most of a decade. And FWIW, Norlander seems to be saying it, too.

Let's see if this NCAA tournament is when the needle really gets moving.

We Are Marquette!

[BLWarrior91]

Excellent post, MU82.

[Goose]

82

I hope everyone on scoop always believed we could be the next Nova. There is not any doubt in my mind can be the next Nova. Winning NC's is not easy, but that is hard to predict or promise, but being the top team in the BE for an extended period of time is definitely attainable, imo.

If I did not think that was possible I never would have been so hard on the program during the previous seven years. IMO, the goal has always been to be elite and it looks like they are trending the right direction.

[rgoode57]

I have no idea whether or not MU can become the dominant team in the BE.  That's a tall order given that UConn, X, etc are all trying to do the same thing. But, what I do know is that MU has the right coach in place to make it happen if it van be done. Whether they become the dominant team in th conference or not, they will certainly be a strong contender in the BE as long as Shaka is there.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I'd rather be the next version of Marquette.  Plus I'm tainted from becoming the next Nova after everyone here told me Wojo was following Jay's path to a T.

[BLWarrior91]

I'd rather be the next version of Marquette.  Plus I'm tainted from becoming the next Nova after everyone here told me Wojo was following Jay's path to a T.

If Wojo was following Jay's plan he clearly didn't read it properly.

[NCMUFan]

Let's win our first NCAA tournament game in a decade.

[Silent Verbal]

Jay Wright's retirement came at the perfect time for Marquette.  He was a stud coach and it would've been hard for any program to pass Nova while he was at the helm.  Fortunately, Nova may have made a bad hire (though it's still too early to determine that) and Marquette has a chance to take the spot as top dog in the conference.

I do wonder what's in store for Nova.  They've been the class of the new Big East since its inception, but with the ascension of MU, UCONN, and Xavier, and the possible hiring of Pitino at St. John's, they could be in danger of becoming a middle of the pack team if they're not careful.  They've always been a solid basketball school, but their recent success can be attributed almost solely to who their coach was and not some longstanding tradition as a blue blood.

I'd also like to add:  Nova and Wright gave the Big East a ton of credibility and basically saved the conference's bacon when Marquette and Georgetown crapped the bed over the last decade.

[BrewCity83]

I've always believed that Marquette could become the next Nova, (or the next Duke, for that matter), but I wasn't confident that we'd be able to find the right coach to get us there.  Now I believe that the stars have finally once again aligned and it's starting to happen.

[lawdog77]

If Wojo was following Jay's plan he clearly didn't read it properly.

[Bo Ryan's Massage Therapist]

Jay Wright was 34-14 in the NCAA tournament in the 20 years he was at Nova with four final 4s and two titles.   I get the basis of the post but Wright is a once in a lifetime coach.

[willie warrior]

82

I hope everyone on scoop always believed we could be the next Nova. There is not any doubt in my mind can be the next Nova. Winning NC's is not easy, but that is hard to predict or promise, but being the top team in the BE for an extended period of time is definitely attainable, imo.

If I did not think that was possible I never would have been so hard on the program during the previous seven years. IMO, the goal has always been to be elite and it looks like they are trending the right direction.

Absolutely. I have been saying for years that there is no excuse for MU's performance over the last 8 or so years. They have first rate facilities, an excellent conference and good resources. Just a lack of the right leader. There were plenty on this board offering up excuses under the Wojo regime and why we should have lower expectations, including accepting that Wojo was the guy.

[DoctorV]

Win Game 1.

That's the first step.

[RubyWiscy]

I don't know much about MU gaining NOVA success. I do know that my life mantra has become "Win anyway!" That attitude can take a person and a program a long way.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Sadly, most don't remember that Nova achieved Marquette level success. 

[Mu8891]

Let's win on Friday... AND Sunday...
And go from there ! 

[Galway Eagle]

Sadly, most don't remember that Nova achieved Marquette level success.

Teal? From 2009-22 they blew Al's best years out of the water. I know it's blasphemy but 2 FF + 2 titles is much better than 1 RU + 1 title

[Dr. Blackheart]

Teal? From 2009-22 they blew Al's best years out of the water. I know it's blasphemy but 2 FF + 2 titles is much better than 1 RU + 1 title

You do know that MU won the NIT (which was as prestigious back then as the racist and stodgy elite NCAA), beating Pistol Pete and Dr. J. Finished 2nd in 1967 in the aforementioned NIT thread. Was the 2nd highest ranked team for a decade only behind UCLA. 

So, yeah MU two national championships and two national runners up games under Al.

[Galway Eagle]

You do know that MU won the NIT (which was as prestigious back then as the racist and stodgy elite NCAA), beating Pistol Pete and Dr. J. Finished 2nd in 1967 in the aforementioned NIT thread. Was the 2nd highest ranked team for a decade only behind UCLA. 

So, yeah MU two national championships and two national runners up games under Al.

This has been debunked by comparing records and rankings of the two fields. A very prestigious tournament sure, just as prestigious? Nope. If it was just as prestigious why'd we get invited at unranked 14-8 but not the NCAA? why'd we stop going after losing to SIU and improving our regular season win percentages? Why was the field in 1970 filled with more unranked teams with more losses?

Yay we had rankings, Nova did that and has way more hardware for 13yrs.

[muwarrior69]

Well, until we start having respectable runs in the NCAA over the next few seasons; then we can start comparing us to the success Nova has had.

Winning the Conference is a good start so far.

[lawdog77]

This has been debunked by comparing records and rankings of the two fields. A very prestigious tournament sure, just as prestigious? Nope. If it was just as prestigious why'd we get invited at unranked 14-8 but not the NCAA? why'd we stop going after losing to SIU and improving our regular season win percentages? Why was the field in 1970 filled with more unranked teams with more losses?

Yay we had rankings, Nova did that and has way more hardware for 13yrs.

[lawdog77]

This has been debunked by comparing records and rankings of the two fields. A very prestigious tournament sure, just as prestigious? Nope. If it was just as prestigious why'd we get invited at unranked 14-8 but not the NCAA? why'd we stop going after losing to SIU and improving our regular season win percentages? Why was the field in 1970 filled with more unranked teams with more losses?

Yay we had rankings, Nova did that and has way more hardware for 13yrs.

Find a 10 year span where Nova was ranked in the final poll at
14,6,2,7,5,3,11,2,1,8

[The Sultan]

Find a 10 year span where Nova was ranked in the final poll at
14,6,2,7,5,3,11,2,1,8

Rather have multiple championships.

[Galway Eagle]

Find a 10 year span where Nova was ranked in the final poll at
14,6,2,7,5,3,11,2,1,8

This isn't about rankings. If it was Wojo should be getting a heck of a lot more credit for 2019 & 2020.

For better or worse March success rules CBB, Jay Wrights March success was objectively better than us under Al.

[lawdog77]

Rather have multiple championships.

who wouldnt., but Galway said Nova had our rankings. Our overall record blew them put of the water