2025-26 Big East Thread

[wadesworld]

Villanova is more safely in the tournament than Miami is right now.

Regardless, Villanova took a bunch of transfers with a first year coach and is safely in the tournament right now. When Shaka was in year one and did the same, we were all thrilled. Nova Scoop should be as well.

Not saying they shouldn't be.

[The Sultan]

I wish I could agree with you, but if they lose the conference tourney, they're sitting on the bubble for Dayton with their SOS (1-0 in Q2, nothing but Q3 and Q4 left). They are currently 49 in the NET but behind some current bubble teams like TCU, Santa Clara, San Diego State, and USC who are unlikely to get an auto bid.

I hope they make it but mid-majors like them are held to a higher standard by the P4 who actually run the selection process. Indiana State was 29 and missed the tourney, despite a 2-4 record in Q1 games at 6-2 in Q2.

Yeah, but if Miami wins out and loses in the conference tournament, I am pretty sure the committee will get them in somehow. But lose a game prior and lose in the conference tournament? No chance.

[rocky_warrior]

They're not even mid.

Clarity!  Clearly you should have said worse than mid, and the ensuing confusion would have been avoided.

[wadesworld]

You're arguing against a point I never made. Nobody said Miami was "mid," so building your response around that is a strawman. And honestly, it feels like you're being contrarian just for the sake of it rather than responding to what I actually wrote.  It's hard to have a good‑faith discussion when you keep responding to arguments nobody made. No wonder a lot of Scoop posters aren't exactly fans of you.

Oh no.  I really look for the approval of Scoopers!

I've already addressed all of your points.  They have 2 Q1 wins on the season.  They are squeaking by teams like Marquette and Xavier.  They've lost at home to Creighton.  They're simply a mid team.

[The Sultan]

Not saying they shouldn't be.

????

Then what was the point behind this post?

And one team is awful, the other is mid.

It feels like you are just being argumentative and not willing to understand context.

[wadesworld]

????

Then what was the point behind this post?

It feels like you are just being argumentative and not willing to understand context.

I understand the context.  The poster was pointing to two teams that were heavily built on transfers that played a fun game.  That's cool.  Xavier is absolute trash, and Villanova is a mediocre power conference team.  Personally, I think there are WAY better examples of teams that use transfers to point to as portal success stories.  Same deal with people who obsess with Gard's ability to land guys like Boyd or Tonje.  If Marquette wants to shoot to be Wisconsin, Xavier, or (this year's) Villanova, then I guess I have higher expectations than most.

[MUbiz]

Oh no.  I really look for the approval of Scoopers!

I've already addressed all of your points.  They have 2 Q1 wins on the season.  They are squeaking by teams like Marquette and Xavier.  They've lost at home to Creighton.  They're simply a mid team.

You haven't addressed all the points. The question is simple: if you're calling Villanova "mid," would you also call MUBB mid with a 21–5 record?

You keep dodging that because answering it honestly would expose how inconsistent your argument is.  Until you actually answer that, you're just talking around the issue — and that's where the intellectual dishonesty comes in.

[wadesworld]

You haven't addressed all the points. The question is simple: if you're calling Villanova "mid," would you also call MUBB mid with a 21–5 record?

You keep dodging that because answering it honestly would expose how inconsistent your argument is.  Until you actually answer that, you're just talking around the issue — and that's where the intellectual dishonesty comes in.

There's context to 21-5.  If our best win was an OT win over Wisconsin and we had 2 Q1 wins on the season, one of them being against Seton Hall?  1 win against an at large team?  And 12 of my 21 wins are Q3 or Q4 wins?  Absolutely.

I'll be happy to admit I'm wrong if they end up beating SJU/UCONN in either of their remaining games with them or in the BET, or if they can beat somebody good in the NCAAT.

But scheduling lightly and beating a bunch of bad teams doesn't make a team good, in my opinion.  They're mid.  Marquette would be mid.

For reference, the team that Scoop loves to claim only had "half" of a good year last year because of our lack of success over high level competition in the second half of the year last year had 6 Q1 wins and had 7 wins against NCAA Tournament teams last year.

[The Sultan]

For reference, the team that Scoop loves to claim only had "half" of a good year last year because of our lack of success over high level competition in the second half of the year last year had 6 Q1 wins and had 7 wins against NCAA Tournament teams last year.

They were ranked 8th on New Year's Day and unranked when the season ended. They only had half a good year.

[wadesworld]

They were ranked 8th on New Year's Day and unranked when the season ended. They only had half a good year.

Fortunately (or, I guess for last year's purposes), sports aren't played in half seasons.  Marquette has had a higher seed than they had last year 13 times in their history.  Last year was a solid season for MUBB.

[The Sultan]

Fortunately (or, I guess for last year's purposes), sports aren't played in half seasons.  Marquette has had a higher seed than they had last year 13 times in their history.  Last year was a solid season for MUBB.

Right. They were fairly evaluated over the course of their work over the entirety of the season. But anyone doing the most simple of analysis realizes that the season fell apart after the first of the year. One can both acknowledge that overall the season was good, but it definitely had a very good half and a very "mid" half.

[muwarrior69]

I understand the context.  The poster was pointing to two teams that were heavily built on transfers that played a fun game.  That's cool.  Xavier is absolute trash, and Villanova is a mediocre power conference team.  Personally, I think there are WAY better examples of teams that use transfers to point to as portal success stories.  Same deal with people who obsess with Gard's ability to land guys like Boyd or Tonje.  If Marquette wants to shoot to be Wisconsin, Xavier, or (this year's) Villanova, then I guess I have higher expectations than most.

I am sure everyone here would like to have Nova's mediocre 12-3 and 21-5 record after Marquette's name in the league standings.  I am sure everyone would be praising the success of RGV and that Shaka is a savant in evaluating talent. 

However, I agree the conference is mediocre this season and hope they all can turn things around, but Nova is not mediocre as they are winning the games they should win.

I also agree with you if Marquette wants to compete at the high major D1 level then anything less than having a chance to win a Natty is unacceptable. Otherwise what is the point.

[DFW HOYA]

I also agree with you if Marquette wants to compete at the high major D1 level then anything less than having a chance to win a Natty is unacceptable. Otherwise what is the point.

It's a little more complicated than that.

[muwarrior69]

It's a little more complicated than that.

How so?