It’s Time to Think Bold

[Viper]

I'm not saying Gard is a bad coach, nor am I saying whether he is or isn't better than Shaka.

But he has won a grand total of 3 NCAAT games, never reaching the second weekend, in 8 seasons since getting to the S16 twice with Bo's players. Perhaps even more damning: He went 1-3 vs. Wojo in the same span.

Gard has made amends from his head-to-head vs Woj going 4-1 vs Shaka. Gard is what he is, imo. They'll never climb the mountain to its peak, but RED wont crater like MU has either. Unless Gard has a 20 loss season upcoming, I'll rank him better than Shaka. (scoop is Vegas, right? This stays here 😉) Gard seems like a stale, boring guy. But, he's adapted to the portal and NIL. Oddly, he's adapted whereas their football team is just now changing to the current roster development era. Hopefully our HC adapts too. To endure a season such as this, arss kickings such as last night is just uncalled for at Marquette. If one didn't know better, you'd think we are a MEAC school.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

ESPN piling on.

Shaka Smart is a long way from his 2011 Final Four run with VCU. The current slide by Marquette, a team that started the season ranked 46th on KenPom, is the extreme opposite of the success he has enjoyed.

Picked to finish fifth in the Big East's preseason poll, injuries and the sudden departure of Zaide Lowery (8.1 PPG) have played a role in the Golden Eagles' slow start. But Smart's team has also failed to show proficiency on either end of the court. Marquette is currently one of the worst offensive (152nd in adjusted offensive efficiency) and defensive (92nd in adjusted defensive efficiency) high-major teams in the country. And there are no signs of immediate improvement for a program that has already suffered losses to Maryland and Georgetown. Marquette would need a kind of miracle to finish the season strong.

[Newsdreams]

ESPN piling on.

Shaka Smart is a long way from his 2011 Final Four run with VCU. The current slide by Marquette, a team that started the season ranked 46th on KenPom, is the extreme opposite of the success he has enjoyed.

Picked to finish fifth in the Big East's preseason poll, injuries and the sudden departure of Zaide Lowery (8.1 PPG) have played a role in the Golden Eagles' slow start. But Smart's team has also failed to show proficiency on either end of the court. Marquette is currently one of the worst offensive (152nd in adjusted offensive efficiency) and defensive (92nd in adjusted defensive efficiency) high-major teams in the country. And there are no signs of immediate improvement for a program that has already suffered losses to Maryland and Georgetown. Marquette would need a kind of miracle to finish the season strong.

It is well known espn hates MU

[burger]

I can almost see "pity" in ESPN's eyes.....Not hate....Sounds like they are fearful that we are "stuck" with Shaka.....

[Hards Alumni]

It is an interesting question. Gard seems to take players that are not superstars and somehow make a good team out of them every year. He is always putting a competitive team on the floor. Shaka was doing that too - mostly with players he did not recruit - until this year. Now, with only players he did recruit, Shaka's product doesn't look so good. I am a fan of Shaka - mostly - but this year has me wondering. And, the failure to get end-of-game shots on close games (3 times now?) is driving me crazy. Something tells me Gard's teams would have gotten those shots.

Oh man, you should talk to my UW friends.  What is happening to us this year, I've heard them complain about the exact same things.