WisBlue wants to know

[tower912]

Is this the high water mark for MU this season?   A fair question that we could spend pages on in the ranking thread.  Or we could discuss it here.


My question is this...  Why the surprise?  MU was a consensus top 15 team (nitpickers, go crazy.  Consensus means 'most thought')   The starting line up is experienced and versatile.  The only real unknown is how fast the bench would develop.   Please elaborate on what you expected out of the first 8 games versus what happened.


The next three games are going to be tough, no doubt.   This may be the high water mark for the season ranking.   Nothing to do but sit back and enjoy.

[Skatastrophy]

We're frauds. All downhill from here.

[tower912]

MU can be very, very good and still lose 2 out of 3.

[PGsHeroes32]

I'm gonna tentatively say yes it is(there's only so much higher to go) but decent chance we are right back here in a couple weeks

I've already said many times I fully expect to lose Wednesday. But I also expect to beat Bucky Saturday. So that 1-1 week shouldn't have us drop too much.

Then if we can beat Dayton on the road. I could see us being right back at 5 come the 12/16 poll(without looking at other teams paths)

Beyond that we will have to go on another big BE winning streak imo to get back to 5 if we lose to Dayton(or god forbid Bucky)

[Its DJOver]

Rankings wise, maybe, maybe not.

I'd counter by asking how much rankings matter?  At times, rankings depend more on what other teams do than what you do.  Does anyone really think we went from being a top 10 team to a top 5 team by beating Stonehill and Western Carolina? We had a soft week while a lot of other top teams had a gauntlet, now it's our turn.   

In terms of, "is this the high point for the season?", I would certainly hope not. We've done the peak in December thing before and Feb/March were not a lot of fun.  Even if the last game of the season is an L, I'd like the high point to be in March, or hopefully April.

[CountryRoads]

Is this the high water mark for MU this season?

Sure as hell hope not. Unless we have a historic year, there will be some bumps in the road. Next 3 games very tough. BigEast "sucks" this year but road games will still be difficult and frustrating. Sold out crowds, teams giving us their best shot, etc.

For better or worse, Shaka has built a program that is judged in March. We will barely remember this week when the tournament rolls around.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

No.

Number 1 in April, duh

[Uncle Rico]

Yes

[WearGold]

We'll be 4-6 point dogs on Wednesday ... the game is more "must win" for Iowa State at home ... the exact opposite for MU vs WI Saturday ... we'll be favored and it's more "must win" for MU. Dayton? See first reference above. Interesting that these next 3 games may be MU's last best shot at top 10 wins for the season.

[MU82]

We'll be 4-6 point dogs on Wednesday ... the game is more "must win" for Iowa State at home ... the exact opposite for MU vs WI Saturday ... we'll be favored and it's more "must win" for MU. Dayton? See first reference above. Interesting that these next 3 games may be MU's last best shot at top 10 wins for the season.

Till the 2 DePaul games, anyway.

[TallTitan34]

I'd counter by asking how much rankings matter?

In my opinion, being ranked absolutely matters in terms of national exposure.

The actual number you are ranked really doesn't matter much.

[K1 Lover]

In my opinion, being ranked absolutely matters in terms of national exposure.

The actual number you are ranked really doesn't matter much.

I agree with this. Plus, it's nice knowing Marquette has been ranked for 36 weeks in a row now -- the 7th highest streak among NCAA teams currently (source). We actually would've been 6th highest, if not for UConn BARELY holding on and getting ranked 25th this week...

[TallTitan34]

We actually would've been 6th highest, if not for UConn BARELY holding on and getting ranked 25th this week...

They have a brutal stretch coming up which may knock them out.

[StillWarriors]

In my opinion, being ranked absolutely matters in terms of national exposure.

The actual number you are ranked really doesn't matter much.

I have to believe it adds some gravitas on the recruiting trail when you are consistently ranked and in the national discussions on a regular basis.

[PGsHeroes32]

I agree with this. Plus, it's nice knowing Marquette has been ranked for 36 weeks in a row now -- the 7th highest streak among NCAA teams currently (source). We actually would've been 6th highest, if not for UConn BARELY holding on and getting ranked 25th this week...

It actually is 6th.

Arizona is very much out of the rankings now

[brewcity77]

I agree with this. Plus, it's nice knowing Marquette has been ranked for 36 weeks in a row now -- the 7th highest streak among NCAA teams currently (source). We actually would've been 6th highest, if not for UConn BARELY holding on and getting ranked 25th this week...

We'll move up to 5th after they lose to Baylor.

Shaka also has the second longest ranked streak in Marquette history. He can tie Al if he can just keep us ranked until January 6, 2031.

[Pepe Sylvia]

We'll move up to 5th after they lose to Baylor.

Shaka also has the second longest ranked streak in Marquette history. He can tie Al if he can just keep us ranked until January 6, 2031.

Lol hell yeah. Must've been pretty good times on 70's Scoop.

[mileskishnish72]

Shaka also has the second longest ranked streak in Marquette history. He can tie Al if he can just keep us ranked until January 6, 2031.

2031?!?! Holy crap, Brew, how many weeks did Al do (I assume they don't count offseason weeks)?

[wisblue]

2031?!?! Holy crap, Brew, how many weeks did Al do (I assume they don't count offseason weeks)?

You do have to take into account that in the 60's and 70's tpp ten teams rarely lost. There was nothing even remotely resembling the parity that exists today. And because MU was an independent their schedule was not always as strong as the teams in the major conferences.

[wisblue]

Is this the high water mark for MU this season?   A fair question that we could spend pages on in the ranking thread.  Or we could discuss it here.


My question is this...  Why the surprise?  MU was a consensus top 15 team (nitpickers, go crazy.  Consensus means 'most thought')   The starting line up is experienced and versatile.  The only real unknown is how fast the bench would develop.   Please elaborate on what you expected out of the first 8 games versus what happened.


The next three games are going to be tough, no doubt.   This may be the high water mark for the season ranking.   Nothing to do but sit back and enjoy.

You asked me to elaborate on what I expected out of the first 8 games versus what happened, so I will give you an elaborate response?

First, you asked "why the surprise?". Not sure where you get the idea that I was "surprised" that MU started the season 8-0 and what that has to do with the question of whether #4 is the highest MU will be in the voted polls this season.

As for my preseason expectations, as with most years, my expectations before the team has played a game are pretty loose. I've watched college sports long enough to know that you never know for sure what a team will be like until you see the team in action. That is even more true in the age of free agency. You never know how teams with several incoming transfers are going to gel. And even if you think you know what your team might be like, it's very difficult to know how that will translate into wins and losses unless you pay a lot more attention than I do to what other teams are doing.

Preseason rankings can give some clues as to what others ('the consensus") expect, but we also know that that consensus is often way off. There's usually a pretty big difference between the preseason rankings and the NCAA seed list.

With that perspective in mind, when I looked at MU's OOC schedule I thought they would be pretty well positioned going into the conference season if they could go 4-2 in the games that figured to be competitive. If I had rated those 6 games in order of expected difficulty I would have thought:

1. @ ISU
2. Purdue
3. Wisconsin
4. @ Dayton
5. @ Maryland
6. Georgia

So, going 3-0 in the first 3 games was not exactly a surprise, and didn't change my overall expectation for the season. it was a great start, but I thought the next 3 would be more difficult than the first 3. Now with the injuries those 3 look even more difficult.

I should also add that I do not really concern myself with the details of those voted polls, especially this early in the season. I agree with the posters who say that there is some value to being rated in the top 25 because the team's scores appear scrolling on TV screens and in apps showing "top 25". But I generally don't get involved in debating how much a team should fall or rise each week.

Once the season gets further along, I will pay attention to the NET because that will give some clues as to where a team might fall in NCAA seeding.

So, I hope that helps answer your question. BTW, I don't think that some discussion about what the future holds precludes "enjoying the ride". For many people that kind of discussion and anticipation is an important part of the enjoyment

[tower912]

You and I seem to be writing at cross purposes.
  I wasn't asking you, specifically.  I was asking universally, based on what you had written in the ranking thread.   'Why the surprise' was directed at, well, those who were surprised MU was doing so well this season.  Again, a universal question designed to generate discussion.

Thank you for the rest of your detailed response.

 

[wisblue]

You and I seem to be writing at cross purposes.
  I wasn't asking you, specifically.  I was asking universally, based on what you had written in the ranking thread.   'Why the surprise' was directed at, well, those who were surprised MU was doing so well this season.  Again, a universal question designed to generate discussion.

Thank you for the rest of your detailed response.

 

Whether you were asking me specifically or universally, you were asking me because I am part of that universe.

So, I responded.

[brewcity77]

2031?!?! Holy crap, Brew, how many weeks did Al do (I assume they don't count offseason weeks)?

Al's record continued into Hank's tenure, but it was 166 consecutive weeks ranked in the top-20 (didn't change to 25 until 89-90, I believe).

[Goose]

Many of those 166 weeks were top ten. This is going to be a tough record to break.