The most telling part about tonight.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It is not just point guard....we have NO athletes who can play basketball in the Big East. We are slow, weak and cannot shoot. Put Jason Kidd on his prime on this team and it would still stink. To think they will be better next year is foolish.

Will agree to disagree on the athlete part.  The shooters, agree....but that's also been a bugaboo for the last number of years.  I think they will be better next year based on getting stronger, more experience, etc. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The only area I haven't seen improvement in that concerns me is rebounding. Henry and Luke do about everything you could ask them to do but our guards are terrible at it. Not sure how to fix it.

[1SE]

I disagree.    JJ and Duane played overall solid games.  (Duane's grandmother died last week and I am willing to chalk X up to that) Heldt is making real progress.   Cohen has shown flashes of really good play, but is struggling the last couple of weeks.   It looks to me like the freshmen who have played big minutes are hitting a freshmen wall.    It looks to me like Wojo is fighting the fight that Buzz fought his last year in not knowing what he was going get on a given night from most of his team.    And finally, the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.   And the best thing about young coaches is that they (hopefully) learn what they don't know and become better coaches.

Great.  How about that guy that's supposed to be a lottery pick?  How about the 7 footer everyone on this board last year thought would be NBA caliber by the end of the season?  Lot's of thing wrong with the phony cowboy but he took JFBs and Jae's and hell, even Buycks and turned them into association-level players.  And you're getting excited that JJ had a very average BE guard game... What recruit is going to be impressed by how Wojo is developing talent? And what do you think the product will look like when we're recruiting top-100 instead of top-10 classes? 

[GGGG]

Great.  How about that guy that's supposed to be a lottery pick? 

The guy who is MU's leading scorer and rebounder?  He is literally the least of our concerns.  The absolute least.

EDIT:  Matt V. was tweeting last night that he thought he played a bit hurt last night too.  Shin from last Saturday.

[tower912]

There are few things that I agree with Chico about.   One was how good this team was going to be.   The second is that you have to give a coach some time.   He likes 5 years.   OK.   We are in year 2 of a ground-up rebuild.   What I expect to happen is that Wojo is going to learn how to be a better coach.    Sliding one chair over is a bigger leap than I think he expected.   I expect for all of the young guys on the team to learn from this year's whuppin and use it as a motivational teaching tool in the offseason, getting serious in the weight room and about their shooting.   I expect that Wojo is going re-evaluate the types of players he has been targeting and whether or not they can become physical enough to compete in the Big East. 

I, too, worry that Henry's presence and progress and the results of a team with him on it will negatively affect recruiting.    But that can't be helped now.   

[CTWarrior]

Only problem I'm having with jumping on the optimism train, look at how last years freshmen are playing this year. Duane and Sandy have both regressed in season.

I agree that Sandy seems to be going in the wrong direction.  I don't agree about Duane, though.  He had a couple bad shooting games, but I think his overall game is getting better.

Right now, we don't have that PG who is a QB that runs the show, outside shooting or that 6-9 athletic gorilla that intimidates, grabs rebounds and defends the lane.  Oh, and we're pretty inexperienced on the floor and on the bench.  That's a lot of stuff we need.

[1SE]

The guy who is MU's leading scorer and rebounder?  He is literally the least of our concerns.  The absolute least.

EDIT:  Matt V. was tweeting last night that he thought he played a bit hurt last night too.  Shin from last Saturday.

I'm not worried about HE, per say, but if I was a top-5 recruit looking at how coaches develop me into as a high of a pick as possible I'm not thinking Wojo has done a great job with his first go at it. 

[GGGG]

I'm not worried about HE, per say, but if I was a top-5 recruit looking at how coaches develop me into as a high of a pick as possible I'm not thinking Wojo has done a great job with his first go at it. 

I think the bigger issue is that HE's experience shows you why lottery recruits should go to a team with more talent around them.  Even though his playing time would be cut by a quarter or a third, he would likely look much more efficient playing on MSU or UK.

[crazyfannyboy54]

As I watch I wonder how this board feels how Henry would fit in Bluegrass Blue just a thought..

[Golden Avalanche]

As I watch I wonder how this board feels how Henry would fit in Bluegrass Blue just a thought..

Why would anyone give a $hit what Henry looks like in other colors? Just a thought.

[MU82]

How about the 7 footer everyone on this board last year thought would be NBA caliber by the end of the season?

Who is "everyone"?

A few posters, most of them overly optimistic folks with good intentions, thought Luke could be an NBA player. The vast majority of Scoopers have never considered Luke to be NBA caliber and have said so.

Oh, and he's not 7 feet tall.

Ah, but who needs facts? They just get in the way of a perfectly good nonsensical rip-job.

[1SE]

Who is "everyone"?

A few posters, most of them overly optimistic folks with good intentions, thought Luke could be an NBA player. The vast majority of Scoopers have never considered Luke to be NBA caliber and have said so.

Oh, and he's not 7 feet tall.

Ah, but who needs facts? They just get in the way of a perfectly good nonsensical rip-job.

The "6 foot 11 incher" just doesn't roll of the tongue the same way.  Don't really care to go back and read through all those threads to name names but certainly more than a few regular scoopers were talking up Fishy's NBA potential.  But either way - has he developed much over last year? 

[MU82]

The "6 foot 11 incher" just doesn't roll of the tongue the same way.  Don't really care to go back and read through all those threads to name names but certainly more than a few regular scoopers were talking up Fishy's NBA potential.  But either way - has he developed much over last year?

I am not going to get into a debate with a person who is looking to pick a fight with everybody, who never posts unless he has reason to rip -- I don't recall seeing your brilliant analysis after the Providence game -- and who uses "un-facts" to support his arguments. You're not worth it.

I merely will correct your inaccuracies and will serve as a voice of reason to counterbalance those who think the program is doomed.

[ATWizJr]

They are freshmen. FRESHMEN. Having half your scholarship players be freshmen is terrible for immediate production but great for future growth. This team will be much improved next season. As some famous guy said, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." I seem to recall that guy being a pretty good coach.

Wasn't that during a time when frosh were ineligible to play varsity basketball?  If so, the quote takes on an entirely different meaning.

[bilsu]

Right now, we are seeing a young team and a young coach learning what it is to play in the Big East.    Our bigs are thin, have slow feet, and don't elevate.    And other than the slow non-jumpers, we are undersized and skinny at every position.   So, they are learning what they are going to need to do in the offseason from a physical/skill development perspective.    Theoretically, the coaching staff is learning what they are going to have to do from a recruiting (hint, more athletes, particularly widebodies and big switchables, please), teaching, and game prep standpoint.   Perhaps Wojo is realizing he needs to shuffle his staff.    If they are FAILING to learn, then they have failed.

Right now I am watching the Badgers play Penn. St. They also have a lot of young players. Since we beat them they have improved and we have not.

[tower912]

Right now I am watching the Badgers play Penn. St. They also have a lot of young players. Since we beat them they have improved and we have not.

Improved Gard play. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Wasn't that during a time when frosh were ineligible to play varsity basketball?  If so, the quote takes on an entirely different meaning.

Not when he said the quote. Frosh were eligible at the end of als career

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos and I are on the same page.  Must be a result of being students during the Dukiet years.

Those were some piss poor years....ugh

[ChicosBailBonds]

Right now I am watching the Badgers play Penn. St. They also have a lot of young players. Since we beat them they have improved and we have not.

They also have three juniors that played in the national championship game last year.  They have WAY more experience than we do. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Here's my thing....say last night the shot doesn't go in?  Say he misses the FT and we win in OT?  Say we make our free throws down the stretch?  We're all saying....phew, got lucky, but a win is a win and we move on.  Nothing else.

Think about that for a second.

[jesmu84]

Here's my thing....say last night the shot doesn't go in?  Say he misses the FT and we win in OT?  Say we make our free throws down the stretch?  We're all saying....phew, got lucky, but a win is a win and we move on.  Nothing else.

Think about that for a second.

Agreed. No one would have reacted to a poorly played game, but the loss itself is worth blowing everything up, apparently.

It's funny because we could just as easily have lost several other 1 possession games this season.

[naginiF]

LOL.  You are a young one if you think this is rock bottom.  Try going to MU during the late 1980's.

+1.....'88

Plus, the benefit of being older is t have some perspective on time and the impact of one bad game or season - in 4 years from now it isn't going to matter.  just like you don't fire your financial advisor after one bad quarter.  AND - you don't get too emotional when a coach can't make 18-21 yr olds do exactly what he wishes.

[1SE]

I am not going to get into a debate with a person who is looking to pick a fight with everybody, who never posts unless he has reason to rip -- I don't recall seeing your brilliant analysis after the Providence game -- and who uses "un-facts" to support his arguments. You're not worth it.

I merely will correct your inaccuracies and will serve as a voice of reason to counterbalance those who think the program is doomed.

Is Wojo doing a good job of developing his players?  Seems like a pretty reasonable question.

[1SE]

Is Wojo doing a good job of developing his players?  Seems like a pretty reasonable question.

On the two most interesting projects of note (Fish and Dwil)

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/duane_wilson_847093.html

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/luke_fischer_881676.html

basic numbers slightly up over last year (I'm sure some of the stat heads have the advanced numbers - but my guess is the same).  BUT how inflated are this year's numbers by the cupcakes?  By the end of the season will they be any better?  Should they be better? 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Is Wojo doing a good job of developing his players?  Seems like a pretty reasonable question.

I would say Duane, Fisch, Wally, and JJJ are all better than last year. Sandy was better but has really fallen off this last month. The others are freshmen.