Fitting End

I’m in a place where I can talk about it. There was some hard core denial, to be sure; by 11 pm Saturday I was still perched in front of the TV waiting for Lazar and Co. to come bounding onto some court . . . somewhere. But now I realize what a fitting end last Thursday evening’s loss was for the 2009-2010 Golden Eagles.

All year long the second half was a different story from the first for MU. The kinds of errors they made during the second half of many games this season are the kinds of mistakes you chalk up to youth. “Aw, they’re young, they’ll be more mature and composed next season.” Only problem is that this team was made up of seasoned vets; most of the rotation were upperclassmen and three of MU’s starting five were seniors. Still, the turnovers, missed free throws and surrendered leads happened time after time.

I hate to blame DJO for fumbling the ball out of bounds on Marquette’s second to last (and potentially game-winning) possession. Doing so would be like blaming Favre for Minny’s Championship Game loss – yes, he committed the final error, helped the opposition drive the last nail into the coffin – but too many other variables before that played into the team’s demise. DJO (who is young and can grow to be a better player next year) is as much at fault as every other Eagle who took the floor (including, unfortunately, Buzz).

Maybe if the team hadn’t spent so much time at the barbershop (did you see those crazy cuts?) and more time practicing free throws, the outcome would have been different. OK, I liked seeing the guys do something different for the tourney; it meant they knew how special it was. If only their play had reflected that, too. I digress. Simply put, MU let a 15-point lead disappear. Yes, it’s March Madness and that happens; but this team that prepared itself by pulling out close games all year should not have had to do the same last Thursday.

What’s worse is how badly MU could have potentially pummeled New Mexico. Sure, it’s all speculation, but one of my brackets had MU in the Elite Eight (one of many, may I note). My mouth watered at the prospect of knocking off Big East foe West Virginia, thus avenging an early season beating and making an underrated team one of the last 8 standing.

Again, that’s all a waste of time to consider now. It was a good ride. And, hey, Marquette has some young kids coming up and still on the roster. They’ll be better next year.

Jinx. . .Now Can MU Buy a Tourney Spot?

While reading through my last blog* prior to posting, I thought to myself, “Self, are you jinxing Marquette here? I mean, they still have one game left.” My confidence was so high in the Golden Eagles closing out the season with a win on Senior Day, I quickly dismissed my thought.

Three days later, as I sat transfixed by another dagger-to-the-heart shot at the end of regulation and watched MU sputter in OT, I couldn’t help but feel at least partially responsible. Turns out, I should have listened to myself when debating my last blog post; I’m actually quite smart.

Guess the buzz from the Louisville lashing hadn’t yet worn off. I mean, how could I have posted such a thing, when I witnessed every crest, dip and curve in MU’s roller coaster ride of a season? I had to know that shot would happen; in fact, with 16 seconds remaining following Lazar Hayward’s selfish 3-point attempt, I did. Of course Marquette would miss two opportunities at a rebound after a wild 3-point attempt by Notre Dame; and of course the last desperation shot before the buzzer would fall for the loathed Irish.

With the season in the history books, the question again presents itself: Is Marquette worthy of an at-large berth? Head-to-head play aside, Marquette deserves to dance more than Notre Dame.
In the wild Big East, isn’t an 11-win season (good for fifth in the conference) enough for an at-large berth? Looking at quality wins, Notre Dame just edges MU and finished the year on a four-game winning streak, include big victories over No. 16 Pitt and No. 13 Georgetown. The Irish finished sixth.

Marquette, however, beat Georgetown, as well, in addition to UConn and Louisville (which just knocked off No. 1 Syracuse). MU also came much closer to beating Villanova twice (72-74, 76-78) than ND did once (72-90). Almost, however, still doesn’t count.

Marquette versus Notre Dame is quite the conundrum for the selection committee. It seems to me, though, that Marquette put a better overall season together, overcoming a tough, tough start (1-3 against four ranked Big East teams) to finish tied for fifth overall in the conference (tied with Louisville, which they beat). Fifth overall in the toughest conference in the country.

If my last post taught me anything, I’m declaring Notre Dame a lock for an NCAA tourney berth. With only the Big East tournament left, no way they don’t make it. None.


* See: “Care to Dance?” Posted March 3, 2010.

Care to Dance?

In one evening, the speculation surrounding the Marquette Golden Eagles Men’s basketball squad transformed from whether or not the team will even make the NCAA Tournament, to where it will be seeded. Yes, the preseason pick to be 12th in the Big East showed up to play versus Louisville last night and may have locked up the bid that was theirs to earn.

So many times this season the Golden Eagles failed to take advantage of opportunities; other times, they seemed to try their darndest to give games away. The ‘Nova loses fall into the first category; missed free throws at the end cost MU those games. Pittsburgh sure looked tough two weeks ago at the Bradley Center, but Marquette was certainly in it. But silly turnovers and frequent missed free throws (both at critical stages of the game) made me think I was watching the Marquette high school team that competes just down the road from campus.

Those three OT victories in a row were no doubt impressive . . . but did they all have to come down to an extra period? Against Cincinnati, MU gave up a 13 point lead prior to halftime and fought to stay in the game for most of the second half. They built a 4-point lead – significant in this close a game – with about 6 minutes left, but later needed Lazar Hayward’s last-second tre to force OT. Versus St. John’s, the team shot a putrid 34.4%, and a few days later couldn’t buy a rebound from Seton Hall.

The bottom line? Marquette won each game, despite its struggles. It wasn’t pretty – they should have won at least two (if not all) of those contests in regulation – but you can’t say enough for the mettle the team showed in pulling each game out. Um, oh, yea, those games were all on the road, too.

In order to make the tournament, the Golden Eagles needed to start closing out games.

Check.

To make noise in the tournament, they need to follow the blue print they laid out during the last four games (in particular, Tuesday evening’s jaunt against Pitino’s crew). Marquette’s not big, but the intensity and skill with which they played last night could earn them an upset or two in the Big Dance.