Best four year stretch to have attended MU outside of Al? (basketball success)

[Galway Eagle]

We're in a pretty great stretch here but don't forget the young adults graduating started their MU years with a sub .500 bball team. So it got me wondering what the best 4 years would've been to go to MU for enjoyable basketball. Here's the contenders:

Currently, the seniors saw the school make a necessary change, get some life their sophomore year, go on a tear their junior year with the double championships, but ultimately flame out in 32. This years had some ups and downs but juries still out.

08-12, top 10 team that was derailed with injury. Still saw some tournament success as an upper classmen.

09-13, I'm biased here but a shockingly good freshman year, then 3 straight second weekend runs with a big east championship.

01-05, two unreal years of Wade, plus half a season of great basketball in 05 before injury, sandwiched around a horrific post FF slump. CUSA championship and FF.

92-96, your freshman year was the rebirth of MUBB, see a sweet 16, Great Midwest championship, a disappointing but fun run to the NIT finals and a 4 seed year with a conference tournament championship.

93-97, pretty much same as above but your senior year ends the brief rebirth MUBB had and people have alluded to that being felt around campus.

77-81, the first couple years would've been fun but you see a heck of a regular season (not a great March), then the last sweet 16 we'd have for a long time, but by the time you're graduating we've lumped into the tournament and missed it entirely. 

Thoughts? I'm just trying to distract from the last game disaster.

[MarquetteVol]

I can confidently say it was not my four years at MU (97-01). At least by the end you could see some glimmers of hope emerging. But my senior year was capped off with Reece Gaines and Louisville winning in either 2OT or 3OT, and then celebrating shirtless on the scorer's table.

[wisblue]

As a season ticket holder (never an MU student) I would nominate 05-09. Not as much postseason success as we would have liked but the first four years in the Big East had many great games and entertaining teams.

[MUfan12]

05-09 would have been fun with the big three. Sure, not a ton of tournament success but some really great BE games to be at.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Everything looks better than my 4 year stretch in the Dukiet era from 1987 - 1991.
Although I got two seasons of Kevin O'Neill rebuilding so I saw hope by graduation.

[tower912]

84-88 may have been the nadir.    At least we had cheap beer and lots of bars.

[Norm]

84-88 may have been the nadir.    At least we had cheap beer and lots of bars.

Worst 4 year stretch at MU post WWII was '87-'88 to '90-'91.

[tower912]

At least there was hope at the end of 87-91.

[4everwarriors]

73-77 end of thread, that is all, aina?

[Scoop Snoop]

Worst 4 year stretch at MU post WWII was '87-'88 to '90-'91.

One of my nieces was at Marquette then. Her standard reply to anyone asking how the team looked was "they're rebuilding". 

[MDMU04]

01-05, two unreal years of Wade, plus half a season of great basketball in 05 before injury, sandwiched around a horrific post FF slump. CUSA championship and FF.

I'd go one season earlier, the 00-01 team through the 03-04 team.  That 04-05 team started off hot but they wound up being pretty bad, they didn't even finish the conference slate .500.  And the way that season ended was pretty embarrassing.  The 00-01 team had some pieces and they were good enough to sweep Cincinnati and almost beat Louisville in 3 OT at home in Denny Crum's last year.

I had public speaking class with D Wade my freshman year (00-01), while he was still ineligible.  His first speech was about basketball and he showed what must have been whatever recruiting highlight video he had put together during part of it.  Had a feeling right then that the next couple years were going to be pretty fun.

[Pepe Sylvia]

05-09 were my years, was a pretty good time. Still mad about that Stanford loss.

[Daniel]

73-77 end of thread, that is all, aina?

Well, those are EXACTLY the years I was about to post.   

[JustinLewisFanClubPres]

I was 03-06. Got the final four, 2 meh years, and the freshman year of the 3 amigos. All in all, pretty fun and 2 distinct eras of MU greats.

[BLWarrior91]

2001-05. Two years of Wade and a FF

2005-09.  The Three Amigos, Big East beginnings, four straight tourneys.  09 team was a legit FF team until James got hurt.

2009-13.  Four straight tourneys, two S16s and an E8.  Buzz's high point.

2019-24.  School made the right right choice to move on from Wojo and Shaka has great success from the start.

[mileskishnish72]

Why is artificial intelligence excluded in this thread?

[The Thing]

I was there 86-90. It's a wonder people from that era are even still fans.

[lawdog77]

I was there 86-90. It's a wonder people from that era are even still fans.

i was there 86-90. The only thing worse in 86 was the drinking age change, which occurred Sep 1, 1986.

[Hards Alumni]

I'd go one season earlier, the 00-01 team through the 03-04 team.  That 04-05 team started off hot but they wound up being pretty bad, they didn't even finish the conference slate .500.  And the way that season ended was pretty embarrassing.  The 00-01 team had some pieces and they were good enough to sweep Cincinnati and almost beat Louisville in 3 OT at home in Denny Crum's last year.

I had public speaking class with D Wade my freshman year (00-01), while he was still ineligible.  His first speech was about basketball and he showed what must have been whatever recruiting highlight video he had put together during part of it.  Had a feeling right then that the next couple years were going to be pretty fun.

Ha, he was in my English class Freshman year in 00.  First day we went around the class and had to tell what our majors and aspirations were.  He went first and said he was going to be an NBA player.  Class sort of snickered since he wasn't even playing at the time.  Well he proved everyone wrong.  Dwyane was in a couple of my small groups.  Extremely nice dude.

[Skatastrophy]

I bet that if you look at marquette season ticket holders and fans participating in mubb's online community their years of attending MU overlap with the years MU was successful. Lifetime MU fandom is won with wonderful undergrad memories.

In the same vein that I bet we lost years of lifetime MU fans under Wojo.

[rocky_warrior]

73-77 end of thread, that is all, aina?

Doc, you gotta' work on reading the WHOLE question, or answer...  "Outside of Al".

[Jay Bee]

I was '93-97. Not bad, I guess. Running down Wisconsin Ave after beating Kentucky as a frosh was great. The NIT run was unexpectedly wonderful, including the S Fla game at the MECCA.

Frosh year, remember McIlvaine walking in front of me and almost looking like he was going to trip every few steps... but those older kids were great when I was a frosh.

Had Crawford in a class. Potty-mouth!

[Hards Alumni]

I bet that if you look at marquette season ticket holders and fans participating in mubb's online community their years of attending MU overlap with the years MU was successful. Lifetime MU fandom is won with wonderful undergrad memories.

In the same vein that I bet we lost years of lifetime MU fans under Wojo.

I'm not sure I agree.  For as much as Wojo is disliked around here he was a good guy at the University.  He had multiple 20+ win seasons and had us in a lot of positive conversations. 

Many people saw the weaknesses in his coaching, but I don't think he was disliked.  He had a lot of good players and put guys in the NBA.

I think most people around here would take Wojo over some of older coaches.

[MuggsyB]

2000-2004.  I had a lot to do with our success. 

[Galway Eagle]

This threads made me realize the only non Al players to make four ncaa tournaments are the 3 amigos, Lazar, Cubillian and Junior.

Am I right about that? 6 guys total who weren't Al's guys.