X-acto knife

[ATL MU Warrior]

There is a reasonable argument to be made for Wisblue's concerns and you laid it out well. I'm chalking it up to a mid season slump.  If MU keeps playing this way his concerns will be validated.  The schedule getting harder in February would not be one of my concerns, however.  My concern right now would be returning to their previous level of play, Kam especially.  My optimism for this year is very much anchored to him being an efficient all-American.  He needs help however.  The bench does need to develop and contribute.  The rest of the starters need to keep doing their pert as consistently as possible. 

Maybe other teams are gelling and MU has reached its ceiling.  I just don't think so.  Lots of games left to play.  They should improve over the course of this season like all the other good teams.  We will see.

I think the main advantage to the current retain and develop strategy is that we have a natural advantage early in the season as we have players that have been in the system and played together for multiple years. Teams that bring in a lot of transfers will likely get much better over the course of the season.  I don't know that we will...maybe so, but I think our ceiling is higher relative to other teams earlier in the season than later. 

[jesmu84]

I probably lean more toward wisblue opinion vs others.

That said, responses to his posts (which were seemingly logical/rational) vs responses to brew (despite having similar viewpoints) is interesting.

[Uncle Rico]

I think the main advantage to the current retain and develop strategy is that we have a natural advantage early in the season as we have players that have been in the system and played together for multiple years. Teams that bring in a lot of transfers will likely get much better over the course of the season.  I don't know that we will...maybe so, but I think our ceiling is higher relative to other teams earlier in the season than later.

Marquette under Shaka hasn't gotten better as the season has gone along is an interesting take

[ATL MU Warrior]

Marquette under Shaka hasn't gotten better as the season has gone along is an interesting take

Not what I meant. Do we get better to the degree that transfer-laden teams do?  Will we this season? These are open questions and just a cursory look at our KenPom numbers seems to overwhelmingly point to the fact that we have not.

[Uncle Rico]

Not what I meant. Do we get better to the degree that transfer-laden teams do?  Will we this season? These are open questions and just a cursory look at our KenPom numbers seems to overwhelmingly point to the fact that we have not.

Marquette was 76 entering the 22-23 season.  11 to 13 last year, 19 on January 15.  This year started at 22 and are 15

[muwarrior69]

Would you rather that I list all of the teams that the NIT has ranked higher than MU plus a few that have moved up significantly while MU has dropped?

Is NIT rank different than the NET rank?

[tower912]

ATL MU, I think you are getting g at the notion that MU'S continuity was a benefit earlier in the year, as other teams lacked it.  Now, after half the season, it is less of an advantage as other teams are coming together.

Fair.

[warriors141]

I think the main advantage to the current retain and develop strategy is that we have a natural advantage early in the season as we have players that have been in the system and played together for multiple years. Teams that bring in a lot of transfers will likely get much better over the course of the season.  I don't know that we will...maybe so, but I think our ceiling is higher relative to other teams earlier in the season than later.

I'm on agreement on this. Other teams are starting to gel. Last years team had a rough stretch too but figured it out to end the season. Hopefully this years team does too.

Kam getting on track I think is the biggest thing. It is unfortunate that pg options besides him are virtually nil as I think that could take some pressure off. I think the staff was banking on Norman development and/or Sean jones return, neither of which has happened. Knowing what we know now, a serviceable pg from the portal would have been helpful

[Scoop Snoop]

ATL MU, I think you are getting g at the notion that MU'S continuity was a benefit earlier in the year, as other teams lacked it.  Now, after half the season, it is less of an advantage as other teams are coming together.

Fair.

That's the way I read it.

What surprised me in the past 3 games, DePaul and Xavier more so than Georgetown, was what I thought was a lack of confidence, of being rattled and then making poor decisions. Note that this is an entirely subjective comment. Xavier's performance accounted for the lion's share of our problems yesterday, but I think the self-inflicted problems and errors were well above average.  We had "nervous Nellies" on the court sometimes.

[GoldenEagles03]

I'm on agreement on this. Other teams are starting to gel. Last years team had a rough stretch too but figured it out to end the season. Hopefully this years team does too.

Kam getting on track I think is the biggest thing. It is unfortunate that pg options besides him are virtually nil as I think that could take some pressure off. I think the staff was banking on Norman development and/or Sean jones return, neither of which has happened. Knowing what we know now, a serviceable pg from the portal would have been helpful

Some fun numbers.

Currently are 15-3, 6-1 through 18 games.
2023-2024 was 13-5, 4-3 through 18 games.
2022-2023 was 14-4, 6-1 through 18 games.
2021-2022 was 12-6, 3-4 through 18 games

Started 0-3 in BE play in 2021-22 won the next 7. Largest regular season BE win streaks below...

Won 6 BE games in a row this year
Won 8 BE games in a row last year
Won 6 BE games in a row in 2022-23
Won 7 BE games in a row in 2021-22

Surprised to see the largest BE regular season win streak at just 6 in 2022-23 seeing they went 17-3.

[Shooter McGavin]

I think the main advantage to the current retain and develop strategy is that we have a natural advantage early in the season as we have players that have been in the system and played together for multiple years. Teams that bring in a lot of transfers will likely get much better over the course of the season.  I don't know that we will...maybe so, but I think our ceiling is higher relative to other teams earlier in the season than later.

I agree with you. But I still think there is room for improvement with Shaka's retain and develop model for this season and future seasons.  Now, this is predicated on getting the right players.  The freshman likely will get better. Their development along with Kam getting out of his funk are how this team improves and reaches a high ceiling. 

It does concern me that the entire sophomore class seems to be lost.  They simply do not contribute enough to give me hope that they will succeed like Kam, Stevie, Tyler, Chase, Ben, Oso, and Omax did at a similar stage in their careers. They are a weak link in the chain and could lead to a lower ceiling this year and certainly next year. 

[ATL MU Warrior]

Here's where I am coming from.

I recall us being in the top 10 in offensive efficiency per KenPom earlier in the season. We are currently 24th. That feels like a significant drop and I'm guessing if you were to look at other Top 20-30 teams you would not find another team with a similar decline.

Perhaps this is bad thinking since:

1) early season numbers are based, in part, on the prior season (I think...I am hardly an expert on this). 

2) I could be way off on thinking we were a top 10 offense early on and/or that we are the only such team with a significant decline. 

3) the only team I obsessively follow is Marquette so maybe there are other teams out there with similar pattern

[BM1090]

Would you rather that I list all of the teams that the NIT has ranked higher than MU plus a few that have moved up significantly while MU has dropped?

I do want to clarify something since I'm definitely among those pushing back.

I agree we are not playing at the level we need to right now and we need to play better to make a march run and earn a top 2-3 seed.

But it feels like you're assuming we won't play better. We had similar stretches the past two years and both times the team figured it all out and had a great year.

The staff and the guys deserve our trust and optimism until they prove they don't.

[The Sultan]

I do want to clarify something since I'm definitely among those pushing back.

I agree we are not playing at the level we need to right now and we need to play better to make a march run and earn a top 2-3 seed.

But it feels like you're assuming we won't play better. We had similar stretches the past two years and both times the team figured it all out and had a great year.

The staff and the guys deserve our trust and optimism until they prove they don't.

Exactly.

[wisblue]

Is NIT rank different than the NET rank?

Nope, just a typo.

[wisblue]

I do want to clarify something since I'm definitely among those pushing back.

I agree we are not playing at the level we need to right now and we need to play better to make a march run and earn a top 2-3 seed.

But it feels like you're assuming we won't play better. We had similar stretches the past two years and both times the team figured it all out and had a great year.

The staff and the guys deserve our trust and optimism until they prove they don't.

I am not making that assumption.

I think that all of my comments about the future have been prefaced with something to the effect that "if MU doesn't play better"..".

[Newsdreams]

Nope, just a typo.

And here I thought that Shaka had rejected the NET

[MU82]

I probably lean more toward wisblue opinion vs others.

That said, responses to his posts (which were seemingly logical/rational) vs responses to brew (despite having similar viewpoints) is interesting.

brew is generally optimistic about Marquette basketball, so when he uses statistics and observations to point out stuff such as troubling trends, it makes me go, "Hmm."

wisblue usually articulates glass-half-empty views - he calls them "realistic" - and admits to basing much of his viewpoint on the eye test. So when he simply articulates his latest glass-half-empty view, it makes me go, "Ho-hum."

It doesn't mean I think that wisblue is a bad fan or that he doesn't make many valid points. I certainly agree we haven't played great most of the conference season. But after a while, it becomes a "blue who cries realistic" kind of thing.

But hey, I tend to be more of an optimist, and I definitely have learned to give Shaka the benefit of the doubt.

I, for one, welcome wisblue's insights and hope he continues posting them. I also hope he knows he'll sometimes get pushback from a base of diehard Marquette basketball fans, especially when we have a first-place team.

[romey]

What I try to do is read a post and determine the merit/pluses/minuses irrespective of he author.  I feel when you do that you have a better ability to evaluate without bias.

[GoldenEagles03]

Anybody hear anything about Chase's injury?

I sat next to somebody at the game that was telling me he sustained a serious thumb injury against DePaul.

I hadn't seen or heard that anywhere until today.

I guess the person I sat next to maybe, possibly, knew something.

https://x.com/BenSteeleMJS/status/1882970803983298635?t=LZRN6tx6-Sc-8LlCBZIf_A&s=19