My Lingering Concern with This Team

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Let me start by saying that I think we are better than last season (when fully healthy) and if everyone is good to go come the first first round we will be making a deep tournament run. So save your COLE slaw.

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023. Winning 11/12 was awesome, most of those wins were in dominate fashion, and making the BET finals without Kolek is praiseworthy...but of our 14 wins in 2024, exactly 0 of them were over teams that will earn higher than a 10 seed in the big Dance.

A lot of that is beyond our control. The Big East is three elite teams, two truly atrocious teams, and a bunch of meh in the middle. We've only had 4 games against elite teams in 2024 and 3 of them were against the #1 team in the nation. Additionally, three of them we were without our All-American PG...and the one that wasn't against the top team in the nation we were also missing our future NBA draft pick center and had two rotation players puking between timeouts.

We know that we can dominate bubble teams and worse. We know that we can't beat the best team in the country with a hobbled roster. We don't where the divider line between those two extremes is. I really would have appreciated a chance to play some other top teams during the past few months and I definitely would have liked a chance  to play these last three games against elite teams with a healthy Tyler Kolek. We got robbed of some great games.

Ah well, f#ck em and win anyway

[Johnny B]

To long didn’t read

[rocky_warrior]

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023.

Glad I'm not the only one that noticed.  I think MU is a great team, but depending on how the bracket shakes out, there is a possibility the last NCAA tourney team they beat was in Dec.

Fortunately, the only thing they can do now is play the games ahead of them.

[MuggsyB]

Let me start by saying that I think we are better than last season (when fully healthy) and if everyone is good to go come the first first round we will be making a deep tournament run. So save your COLE slaw.

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023. Winning 11/12 was awesome, most of those wins were in dominate fashion, and making the BET finals without Kolek is praiseworthy...but of our 14 wins in 2024, exactly 0 of them were over teams that will earn higher than a 10 seed in the big Dance.

A lot of that is beyond our control. The Big East is three elite teams, two truly atrocious teams, and a bunch of meh in the middle. We've only had 4 games against elite teams in 2024 and 3 of them were against the #1 team in the nation. Additionally, three of them we were without our All-American PG...and the one that wasn't against the top team in the nation we were also missing our future NBA draft pick center and had two rotation players puking between timeouts.

We know that we can dominate bubble teams and worse. We know that we can't beat the best team in the country with a hobbled roster. We don't where the divider line between those two extremes is. I really would have appreciated a chance to play some other top teams during the past few months and I definitely would have liked a chance  to play these last three games against elite teams with a healthy Tyler Kolek. We got robbed of some great games.

Ah well, f#ck em and win anyway

I think you can probably say that about every top 30 team outside the B12 and SEC conferences.  My concern is Tyko and our overall health.  We can't play a different  schedule or pretend Tyko has played  in a month. 

I think when we are healthy we're right there among the best teams in tbe country and earned a 2 seed for a reason.  The fact is this is somewhat of a crapshoot TAMU.  I don't see this year much differently than last year when two teams, literally didn't play anyone remotely great before the tournament, and made it to the F4.  It's about taking care of business Thurs/Fri and playing as close to our top level as possible Sat/Sun.  If we get to the 2nd week we have as good a chance as anyone minus UCONN. 

[Tyler COLEk]

I don't see this as much of a concern rather than a grade of incomplete. Marquette has played four games against elite teams this calendar year. Three of those games they didn't have Tyler Kolek. The other they got beaten up in Hartford.

Since the rough stretch in January, MU was very good against the middle of the conference. They also played well in six games without their best player—better than expected, most would agree.

For me, not so much as a worry as a "plenty left to prove."

[JakeBarnes]

I mean, if the Creighton game was 2 days later, we have an "elite" win in 2024. Seems like a weirdly arbitrary line.

I'm more concerned on health and a pinch on depth. The metrics support that our team is a top 20 offense and defense.

We've beat top teams when they were at full strength (Kansas, illinois, creighton). Strong games against other top teams outside of the game in Hartford.  Won the games we should have and the team grew a lot with the injuries.

[Shooter McGavin]

I think people are starting to jump ship who were calling a championship run a few weeks ago.  Or at least making excuses why it won’t happen.  It gets real in a one and done scenario. 

I think we’d all take a sweet 16 so we can feel better about the program. But this season will not be a true success or a game changer without at least an elite eight.  Their top ten ranking all year will mean little if they don’t prove it when it counts.

Get healthy. And kick some ass.  Kolek your banner is waiting if you lead your team in March. 

[PointWarrior]

Let me start by saying that I think we are better than last season (when fully healthy) and if everyone is good to go come the first first round we will be making a deep tournament run. So save your COLE slaw.

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023. Winning 11/12 was awesome, most of those wins were in dominate fashion, and making the BET finals without Kolek is praiseworthy...but of our 14 wins in 2024, exactly 0 of them were over teams that will earn higher than a 10 seed in the big Dance.

A lot of that is beyond our control. The Big East is three elite teams, two truly atrocious teams, and a bunch of meh in the middle. We've only had 4 games against elite teams in 2024 and 3 of them were against the #1 team in the nation. Additionally, three of them we were without our All-American PG...and the one that wasn't against the top team in the nation we were also missing our future NBA draft pick center and had two rotation players puking between timeouts.

We know that we can dominate bubble teams and worse. We know that we can't beat the best team in the country with a hobbled roster. We don't where the divider line between those two extremes is. I really would have appreciated a chance to play some other top teams during the past few months and I definitely would have liked a chance  to play these last three games against elite teams with a healthy Tyler Kolek. We got robbed of some great games.

Ah well, f#ck em and win anyway

Was out to dinner tonight and had the same thought.  Only "impressive" win in conference was Creighton at home all the way back to December.  But even worse  - their "big wins" were 11/14  (Illinois) and 11/21 (Kansas) and the later may not be as impressive as once thought.  While a lot of Q1 wins, not much quality wins the last 3 months.

Hopefully this does not matter in the tourney, but if they lose early, many will say they be over-rated/seeded.

[MUfan12]

The conference backloaded the schedule and Marquette ended up having to play UConn home and (basically) away, and Creighton away short-handed.

Of the list of concerns this is below FT shooting for me.

[rocket surgeon]

good points, but I didn't really see the 'lingering concern" unless it was not beating an elite team.  that's fine and all, but WHY haven't we beaten elite teams more often?

   my lingering concern has more to do with finding that player(s) who can pull us out of midgame shooting slumps.  the go to guy who can stop the bleeding before the game is on life support.  the go to plays, whatever.  all teams go thru these to some extent or another, but it seems ours are killers. 

last night, it was the beginning of the game.  with our defense playing as well as it was, uconn's shot's just not dropping...if we shoot 40-45% or more, we are off and running.  we cannot play to the other teams play.  we should have used that period of UConn weakness to put our boot on their necks.  put the pressure on them. you know UConn is going to come back, but having to recover from a 10-15-20 point deficit takes a toll 

the night before-providence-we have a 15-16 point lead evaporate because of that dreaded slump.  opposing teams capitalize on every missed shots or turn over and...wtf??

with our stifling defense, we can and should win/beat elite teams by minimizing the offense slumps.

oh yeah, and free throws do matta!!  they are points on/off the board   
   

[MUDPT]

The conference backloaded the schedule and Marquette ended up having to play UConn home and (basically) away, and Creighton away short-handed.

Of the list of concerns this is below FT shooting for me.

This is where I’m at too. If we look at Torvik:
Since Jan 1, 11th best team (St. John’s is 15)
After Butler, 7th best team
Since Tyler’s injury, 27th best team

Really none of the home games were close between Butler and UConn (maybe St. John’s). Our slide in 2019 happened came after a bunch of close wins (Creighton, Seton Hall, Nova, Georgetown), that they couldn’t pull out a second time. This team is completely different in my opinion.

[Judge Smails]

To long didn’t read

Poor English.  I do not understand what you are trying to communicate.

[dgies9156]

Let me start by saying that I think we are better than last season (when fully healthy) and if everyone is good to go come the first first round we will be making a deep tournament run. So save your COLE slaw.

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023. Winning 11/12 was awesome, most of those wins were in dominate fashion, and making the BET finals without Kolek is praiseworthy...but of our 14 wins in 2024, exactly 0 of them were over teams that will earn higher than a 10 seed in the big Dance.

A lot of that is beyond our control. The Big East is three elite teams, two truly atrocious teams, and a bunch of meh in the middle. We've only had 4 games against elite teams in 2024 and 3 of them were against the #1 team in the nation. Additionally, three of them we were without our All-American PG...and the one that wasn't against the top team in the nation we were also missing our future NBA draft pick center and had two rotation players puking between timeouts.

We know that we can dominate bubble teams and worse. We know that we can't beat the best team in the country with a hobbled roster. We don't where the divider line between those two extremes is. I really would have appreciated a chance to play some other top teams during the past few months and I definitely would have liked a chance  to play these last three games against elite teams with a healthy Tyler Kolek. We got robbed of some great games.

Ah well, f#ck em and win anyway

Geez, you could have said the same thing about our 1977 team. And we all know where that ended up!

[tower912]

54-16 over the last two seasons.  My only concern is health.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Yes, the last time MU was 100% healthy was December 30, 2023. In fact, that was the one and only game since Texas that MU was fully healthy. One game since December 6.

Said another way, next man up determines MU's fate. The minutes have been there.  My lingering question is who steps up? The answer in the NCAAs for magical runs is usually always a surprise.

MU is limping to the finish line and absolutely needs the bench. Shaka believes in his guys and his system and passed on the portal.  It's go time.

[Goose]

I do not disagree that MU has not beaten a top tier team in 2024 and that is not a major concern to me. As TAMU noted, they had four chances and the one time the team was healthy was a very bad performance. That said, I think there are far more positives going into the tournament, provided TK is healthy, than last year. Every guy is going to be given an opportunity to step up and I think they are ready. If the team is healthy, I like their chances for a deep run.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Dr B I agree. We’re actually working through a lot of adversity pretty well. We’re a stronger team today than 12/30.

It all comes down to health at this point.  We’re top half of the top 25 without Tyler—probably top ten with.  Good enough to have a chance but health and some good luck are needed for it all to come together. 

[Scoop Snoop]

I do not disagree that MU has not beaten a top tier team in 2024 and that is not a major concern to me. As TAMU noted, they had four chances and the one time the team was healthy was a very bad performance. That said, I think there are far more positives going into the tournament, provided TK is healthy, than last year. Every guy is going to be given an opportunity to step up and I think they are ready. If the team is healthy, I like their chances for a deep run.

Goose, I have stated a number of times that I really do not like post-game comments that begin with the word "If "(followed by imagining that something(s) in the game had turned out differently) and concluding with "we would have won". With that said, I find myself tempted to do just that regarding Kolek's absence. Kansas fans know the feeling.

I agree that our chances of a deep run are good, but how do you define that? Anything short of a SS will be a disappointment to me and I will consider an EE as  solid success. I think we have the talent, but I see two chinks in our armor. The first is our problems with big, beefy opponents. We will almost certainly be up agaist some in the tourney. The other is that we do not have a deep bench. Sean's abscence is rarely mentioned anymore, but "if" (he hadn't had the ACL injury,)"we would be in a better position". Damn! I broke my own rule.

[Boston Warrior]

My concern is health

Kolek is not 100%
Mitchell is not 100%
Ross is not 100%

Jones is worn down
Oso is worn down

UConn and Iowa state for example do not look hurt or worn down…

To be a final four team that is the challenge

[Elonsmusk]

Yes, the last time MU was 100% healthy was December 30, 2023. In fact, that was the one and only game since Texas that MU was fully healthy. One game since December 6.

Said another way, next man up determines MU's fate. The minutes have been there.  My lingering question is who steps up? The answer in the NCAAs for magical runs is usually always a surprise.

MU is limping to the finish line and absolutely needs the bench. Shaka believes in his guys and his system and passed on the portal.  It's go time.

Do you feel portal players are less likely to get injured?  Not sure why it's relevant to bring up passing on portal players?

The fact MU has been fully healthy just 1 game since December 6th, and managed to fight its way to a 2 seed is proof positive of Shaka's system.

[We R Final Four]

MU didn’t set their schedule. You play who is next. This team is ready for March madness.

[MU82]

I don't see this as much of a concern rather than a grade of incomplete. Marquette has played four games against elite teams this calendar year. Three of those games they didn't have Tyler Kolek. The other they got beaten up in Hartford.

Since the rough stretch in January, MU was very good against the middle of the conference. They also played well in six games without their best player—better than expected, most would agree.

For me, not so much as a worry as a "plenty left to prove."

Totally agree. This is the right take. Like everybody in the field, really, we have plenty left to prove.

I think people are starting to jump ship who were calling a championship run a few weeks ago.  Or at least making excuses why it won’t happen.

Not sure who is "jumping ship" among those who really have believed in this team all season. I'm sure not.

Sure, one can look at discussing a fairly serious injury to our All-American as "making excuses," and injuries to other key players as "making excuses." But they are also facts. Take away any team in the country's best player/players - yes, even mighty UConn - and we'd see how they'd do. Indeed, when many people talk about UConn's season, they point out that they were without Castle when they lost to Kansas and that Clingan got hurt during their loss to Seton Hall. Those were "excuses," I guess, but also facts.

We haven't beaten a great team since 2023. Winning 11/12 was awesome, most of those wins were in dominate fashion, and making the BET finals without Kolek is praiseworthy...but of our 14 wins in 2024, exactly 0 of them were over teams that will earn higher than a 10 seed in the big Dance.

TAMU, I know what you're saying, and again it's a fact. But it's definitely not a "concern" of mine. There have been some pretty long stretches during which teams like Nova, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, even Butler, were playing like solid tournament teams.

For example, when we played Nova on 1/15, they had won 5 of 6 games, including at Creighton, and were on the fringe of the top 25. When we played at Butler on 2/13, they had won 5 of 6, with their loss being a close game at UConn, and bracketologists had them as a solid NCAAT team. Then Nova and Butler had the misfortune of running into Marquette, and you could say neither ever really recovered from losing to us.

Like everyone else here, I'm hoping Kolek is close enough to 100% to play like he was playing before the injury - when he was the best PG in America. I hope Oso's leg is OK. I hope Stevie can do Stevie things. If those three can play like we all know they can play, I love - not like, but love - our chances of a deep run. Throw in Kam being one of the best scorers in the country over the last month or so, and we have the recipe for NCAAT success.

Any champion also will have had some good fortune along the way in terms of shots going in, shots not going in for the opponent, matchups, really good teams losing before you have to face them, staying healthy, etc. Obviously, we're all hoping we're among the fortunate in those categories; one might say we're overdue for a few breaks!

I'm glad you started this thread, TAMU, because I actually feel even better about our heroes having written this response.

We Are Marquette!

[tower912]

MU didn’t set their schedule. You play who is next. This tram is ready for March madness.

And let's ride this tram all the way to the top of the mountain.

[MUfan12]

The injuries have been primarily in the backcourt where the depth was. If Shaka would have taken a guy in the portal it almost certainly would have been in the frontcourt.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think this team *can* go 6-0. That doesn't mean I think they *will* go 6-0.  It's all about match-ups. Let's see what the draw looks like and hope for some upsets before the second weekend.