Marquette better not get sticker shock

[NateDoggMarq]

The last 2 times to the tourney MU has been a victim of Sticker shock.  What I mean by this is that MU got a little scared of the name on the front of that Jersey and let the other teams tradition dictate the beginning 5 minutes.  MSU is a classic example.  They were a terrible team last year who was seeded much to high and the minute that Crean and company saw that name in the bracket they let the hype get to them.  In fact every pundit in the nation had MU losing last year and because of that they came out tight and let expectations dictate the game.  Against Alabama same thing, as most predicted that Bama would win that game and they were right.

KENTUCKY IS NOT A GOOD TEAM!!!!  They lost to Gardner Webb, San Diego, Houston, and to Vandy by literally 41 points.   But I dont like the matchup purely on the name alone.  That name Kentucky on the front of the Jersey is likely to scare a lot of kids regardless of how good your team is.  We all know that Kentucky is probably not as good as Butler, Drake, St. Marys, or Kent State but when you play those teams, you are only playing those teams, your not playing The Ghost of Rupp, Big Blue, the Wildcat and all that stuff that makes Kentucky basketball. 

My predicition is that this game will not be close.  Marquette will either win by 15 plus points or lose by 15 plus points after a terrible first half.

[HarveysWallbangers]

This the first time since Crean has been coach (Tulsa, HC, Ala.,MSU) that I've liked our draw.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The last 2 times to the tourney MU has been a victim of Sticker shock.  What I mean by this is that MU got a little scared of the name on the front of that Jersey and let the other teams tradition dictate the beginning 5 minutes.  MSU is a classic example.  They were a terrible team last year who was seeded much to high and the minute that Crean and company saw that name in the bracket they let the hype get to them.  In fact every pundit in the nation had MU losing last year and because of that they came out tight and let expectations dictate the game.  Against Alabama same thing, as most predicted that Bama would win that game and they were right.

KENTUCKY IS NOT A GOOD TEAM!!!!  They lost to Gardner Webb, San Diego, Houston, and to Vandy by literally 41 points.   But I dont like the matchup purely on the name alone.  That name Kentucky on the front of the Jersey is likely to scare a lot of kids regardless of how good your team is.  We all know that Kentucky is probably not as good as Butler, Drake, St. Marys, or Kent State but when you play those teams, you are only playing those teams, your not playing The Ghost of Rupp, Big Blue, the Wildcat and all that stuff that makes Kentucky basketball. 

My predicition is that this game will not be close.  Marquette will either win by 15 plus points or lose by 15 plus points after a terrible first half.

And you know this how?  That is the "sticker shock" comment?   

While you're there telling us about who Kentucky lost to, they also beat #2 seed Tennessee once and lost to them by 3 points.  They also beat Vanderbilt.  They also beat Arkansas.  The lost to North Carolina by less than 10.

They are more than capable.

[NateDoggMarq]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

[SoCalEagle]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

Nate, you USED TO BE a positive guy who cheered the team to victory and I considered you to be a fan of the program.  Now you make comments about Marquette "wetting their pants" and, when you should be excited about the Big Dance, you bring up the team's poor performances from the past. 

What's up with you, man?  Seriously, I don't understand you and wonder if you are still a fan.  Are you rooting for us to lose so you can say "I told you so?" 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

No, I just don't buy into your "Kentucky is not a good team" comment.  At one point in the season, yes they were not good, but that changed.

You know what, at one point in the season the Houston Rockets were barely .500 and now they've won 22 straight.

Now, I'm not suggesting Kentucky is that good, but the point is that Kentucky is a lot better now then they were when they started.  They have a new coach and it takes time for players to adjust (see Mike Deane's first year).

This will be no walk in the park. They are one of the proudest programs in the country. 

I also don't buy into your sticker shock analogy.  How was MU sticker shocked to play Alabama when that season they played #1 UCONN among other teams?  It was a wonderful game and MU came up short.  I went to the next game where Alabama led championship finalist UCLA in their backyard.  Final score was 62-59.  They were tied at half.  They trailed 60-59 with nineteen seconds left.  They missed a 3 pointer at the buzzer to go to overtime.

You make it sound like we lost to some bad team or something.  Come on. 

[SoCalEagle]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

You make it sound like we lost to some bad team or something.  Come on. 

Chicos I guess some guys just look at the negatives in life.  Like I said, Nate USED TO BE a postive fan.  In the last couple of years, for some reason, he has turned negative.  Go figure. 

[mugrack]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

[NateDoggMarq]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

Nate, you USED TO BE a positive guy who cheered the team to victory and I considered you to be a fan of the program.  Now you make comments about Marquette "wetting their pants" and, when you should be excited about the Big Dance, you bring up the team's poor performances from the past. 

What's up with you, man?  Seriously, I don't understand you and wonder if you are still a fan.  Are you rooting for us to lose so you can say "I told you so?" 

So Cal I am still one of the biggest fans of the MU program, it is just frustrating that this team has not lived up to expectations the last couple years.  I am a firm believer that the regular season counts as almost nothing in comparison to the NCAA tourney and it has been 5 long grueling years since we have won a game.   
I guess with success comes the expectancy of more success and in my eyes we have not achieved it.  we have had some great individual accomplishments in the regular season but when it comes to the biggest game of the year (The tourney) we have lost 2 games where we were the higher seed.  A lot of my negativity started with that Bama loss because the team was so good and than forced to play a SEC team in the first round.  I dont care what anybody says....Playing an SEC An ACC, a Pac10, team in the first round of a tournament is tough especially ones  in the 7-12 range as those are teams that play in a big conference so they obviously have big time players, yet they might have underachieved during the year so its like playing with fire.  When you play a Mid Major you know what you are going to get, you are getting a team that has one or 2 athletes who is most likely going to chuck 3's all day.

I firmly believe that if MU played mid Majors the last two years we wouldnt have been in awe of the teams.

Marquette will win this game, I am more confident than any other time this year, but I dont know how I am going to handle another first round exit.  I really dont!!!

[NavinRJohnson]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

Nate, you USED TO BE a positive guy who cheered the team to victory and I considered you to be a fan of the program.  Now you make comments about Marquette "wetting their pants" and, when you should be excited about the Big Dance, you bring up the team's poor performances from the past. 

What's up with you, man?  Seriously, I don't understand you and wonder if you are still a fan.  Are you rooting for us to lose so you can say "I told you so?" 

A lot of my negativity started with that Bama loss because the team was so good and than forced to play a SEC team in the first round.  I dont care what anybody says....Playing an SEC An ACC, a Pac10, team in the first round of a tournament is tough especially ones  in the 7-12 range as those are teams that play in a big conference so they obviously have big time players, yet they might have underachieved during the year so its like playing with fire.  When you play a Mid Major you know what you are going to get, you are getting a team that has one or 2 athletes who is most likely going to chuck 3's all day.

I firmly believe that if MU played mid Majors the last two years we wouldnt have been in awe of the teams.

Well then which is it. Those teams are good/have big time players, or MU was in awe of them?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Nate, each to his own I guess.  I don't know how last year we didn't meet expectations when expectations radically changed when McNeal went down.  Let's face it, we were an 8 vs a 9.  The only difference is one gets to wear home uniforms and the other doesn't.  It's a 50-50 game that gets you the #1 seed next round.


I would recommend compartmentalizing then if you're going to ignore the regular season.  I look at it as 3 seasons.  Non-Conference, Conference, Post-Season (Conference tourney and NIT/NCAA).

The Post-Season is always the biggest crap shoot...where do you play, who do you play, etc.  You're shooters are off by 5%, could mean you're going home.

I don't know how that wipes out what was done the previous 5 months but for some people it does.

[SoCalEagle]

Nate, I appreciate fans who are objective, sometimes even critical, because I learn a lot from them.  Often, they point out things that I just don't see or understand.  So negative comments about the team, in general, don't bother me. 

What I don't understand is why you, in particular, have become overly negative.  You were at MU during a time of Round Ball Resurgence.  And after you graduated, the team moved into the Big East and has held it's own against great competition.  These are reasons to celebrate, but for some reason you post when the team is going through a rough patch, or you make comments PRIOR TO A GAME about how poorly you expect the team to play. 

A suggestion: Be as objective and as critical as always.  However, forget the "predictions" about MU playing poorly or "peeing their pants" when they take the floor.  If they play like crap and lose on Thursday, feel free to come to this board and express your opinion (you'll probably have a lot of company).  But if they win, don't come here and say how easy Kentucky was, and "predict" that they will get "pee their pants" against Stanford. 

[RawdogDX]

The last 2 times to the tourney MU has been a victim of Sticker shock.  What I mean by this is that MU got a little scared of the name on the front of that Jersey and let the other teams tradition dictate the beginning 5 minutes.  MSU is a classic example.  They were a terrible team last year who was seeded much to high and the minute that Crean and company saw that name in the bracket they let the hype get to them.  In fact every pundit in the nation had MU losing last year and because of that they came out tight and let expectations dictate the game.  Against Alabama same thing, as most predicted that Bama would win that game and they were right.

KENTUCKY IS NOT A GOOD TEAM!!!!  They lost to Gardner Webb, San Diego, Houston, and to Vandy by literally 41 points.   But I dont like the matchup purely on the name alone.  That name Kentucky on the front of the Jersey is likely to scare a lot of kids regardless of how good your team is.  We all know that Kentucky is probably not as good as Butler, Drake, St. Marys, or Kent State but when you play those teams, you are only playing those teams, your not playing The Ghost of Rupp, Big Blue, the Wildcat and all that stuff that makes Kentucky basketball. 

My predicition is that this game will not be close.  Marquette will either win by 15 plus points or lose by 15 plus points after a terrible first half.

Yeah ok, we play in the big east and compete against programs with proud traditions on a weekly basis and the players all freak out when they see the name on a jersy.  Have you watched MU play?  We always start out down 14 to 6 or so.  It doesn't matter who we are playing.  Not saying it's a good thing, but to think it has to do with the name on the jersey seems like extremely weak logic. 

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

Chico: are you already setting up how good kentucky is just in case of a loss???

Don't we have a resident pool of MU fans who tell us that every Big East game is a fight and we shouldn't expect to just walk into the building and win? Presumably, these people are talking about the likes of Rutgers and Seton Hall along with Georgetown and Pittsburgh.

I wonder why that changes in the NCAA Tournament. There's more talk of how we should beat teams in 3 days then there is over the last 3 months. These team has shown flashes of greatness and flashes of mediocrity. I'm not sure any team should be taken lightly, regardless of the name on the front of their jerseys.

[ErickJD08]

NateDogg...
I am just as disappointed as you are with the last two visits to the Dance but lets put this into perspective.  Two years ago, our boys were just freshmen.  And they really blew it.  Last year, MSU was a solid (not great) team and we didn't have our best player, McNeal.  This year I think our boys will put their stamp on MU.  Don't think UK is not decent though.  They run on guards two.  The basic difference is that our guards are better slashers and their guards are better shooters.  Especially from the FT line.

[RawdogDX]

NateDogg...
I am just as disappointed as you are with the last two visits to the Dance but lets put this into perspective.  Two years ago, our boys were just freshmen.  And they really blew it.  Last year, MSU was a solid (not great) team and we didn't have our best player, McNeal.  This year I think our boys will put their stamp on MU.  Don't think UK is not decent though.  They run on guards two.  The basic difference is that our guards are better slashers and their guards are better shooters.  Especially from the FT line.

Best first post in a long time.  Well reasoned, easy to understand, positive but not homer sounding.  Welcome to the board Erick.

[ChicosBailBonds]

[romey]

Who cares if the glass is half empty or half full - just finish your beer and let's order another round!!!

[SoCalEagle]

Chicos, is that a test for Nate?   

[NateDoggMarq]

The amazing part is it looks like an Irish Car bomb without the beer
and lets face it the shot is the best part!!!

[CTWarrior]

Whenever Marquette plays a team for the first time, it seems you can tell whether or not we're going to win pretty quickly just by seeing what kind of team the other team has.  Even if we fall behind, if the other team isn't dominating the boards and in our face everywhere, I feel good that we're going to win.

I've only seen Kentucky once or twice, so I don't have a good feel for how they match up with us, but I think we will know early how this game is going to go.   (Sometimes, what looks like excellent quickness doesn't look so quick when matched up with us.  But when it does, and there is interior strength to go along with it, we're in trouble.)