Marquette Elitism?

Dr. Blackheart is back for more, this time looking at the concept of Marquette Elitisim -- topical given the ongoing 'Buzz Williams to NAME A SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY' speculation that is driving many fans completely bonkers.

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Marquette University is one of only 12 basketball programs that have made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier. Over the past five Big Dances, these teams have won two national championships, reached five Final Fours, thirteen Elite 8’s, and twenty-six Sweet Sixteens. Every team but one has at least a Sweet 16 finish. Six of these teams had three Sweet 16 finishes or better (including Xavier the last three in a row), and three others had two Sweet 16’s or better. The Sweet 16 outlier? I think we know the painful answer to that question—even despite the presence of (then) four future NBA players.

As a result, the MU fan base has morphed itself into a group of tortured artists, doubting every good win, over-analyzing every close loss (which have been many), and agonizing over every freak injury, missed Jim Burr call, or Buzz rumor or decision. However, the fact that MU has now made the NCAA Dance every year it has been a member of the Big East is amazing, and a sure sign of a great program.

Three in a Row…

Buzz Williams and Hank Raymonds are the only MU head coaches in history who have made the NCAA’s their first three seasons at the helm. Both inherited a strong returning group of players, but Buzz’s journey was tougher due to the roster/recruit turnover when Tom Crean left for Indiana. Previously, I reviewed Dan Hanner’s blog piece which singled out Buzz’s performance among the up and coming coaches hired 2-3 years ago. It was also pointed out that many MU coaching alums drew note in Hanner’s blog piece—a strong sign of MU’s elite coaching tree.
So, taking some liberty with Pomeroy’s statistics (meant to be reflective of a current season, but consistent enough in methodology and statistical ranges to use here for discussion purposes across the past three seasons), I compiled Pomeroy averages on overall ratings (Pythagorean), offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and the difference between the two to compare all D1 teams. This can provide a relative measuring stick on how well Buzz’s Warriors rank versus the elite programs.

So let’s take a look at MU over these trio of years versus other top teams.

• Buzz’s teams rack-up as #23 on the overall rating tote board, or 7th in the Big East with ND on our heels. The Top 25 summary clearly shows who the consistently elite teams are, and that the Big East dominates.
• Offensively, MU’s offensive efficiency ranked a superb #9 nationally, third in the BE and just behind the Badgers who are sixth nationally.
• Defensively, MU is 52nd nationally (only Top 25 Overall teams are shown) and 9th in the BE. Clearly a weak link when talking elite.
• On offense-defense differential, MU’s +21.2 positive gap ranks 19th, tied with Georgetown and our future foe Xavier.
• X Outlook: Offensively, MU is slightly better than Xavier. The X-Men are a better defensively. The gap is a wash as is the Vegas line. Will MU finally break-through to the Sweet 16? Rob shows that teams who play good defense are the ones who advance deep. However, for the first time in five seasons, MU has a post-presence advantage in the NCAA, so I am predicting a MU win on Friday and a long-deserved Sweet 16 trip after a season sweep of Syracuse on Sunday.
  

3 Year Kpom Pyth Rank	Team/2011 Seed	3 Year Off. Eff. AVG.	3 Year Def. Eff. AVG.	O VS. D Gap
1	Duke 1	120.3	87.9	32.3
2	Kansas 1	118.8	88.1	30.7
3	Syracuse 3	116.9	90.2	26.6
4	Pittsburgh 1	117.8	91.2	26.6
5	Purdue 3	111.3	87.1	24.3
6	West Virginia 5	115.0	90.1	24.9
7	Ohio St. 1	118.7	91.4	27.3
8	Texas 4	113.7	89.4	24.2
9	Brigham Young 3	116.2	91.8	24.4
10	Louisville 4	113.1	89.1	24.0
11	Wisconsin 4	117.3	92.8	24.4
12	Washington 7	114.0	91.1	22.9
13	Kentucky 4	114.1	89.8	24.4
14	Missouri 11	114.1	90.8	23.2
15	Villanova 9	115.4	92.9	22.5
16	Connecticut 3	112.9	89.5	23.4
17	North Carolina 2	114.3	90.2	24.1
18	Clemson 12	111.6	90.6	21.0
19	Michigan St. 10	112.3	90.7	21.6
20	Xavier 6	113.3	92.1	21.2
21	Georgetown 6	113.9	92.7	21.2
22	San Diego St. 2	111.2	90.3	20.9
23	Marquette 11	115.7	94.6	21.2
24	Kansas St. 5	112.0	91.2	20.8
25	Notre Dame 2	119.0	97.3	21.7

Let’s Go (Marquette)!

So, is MU an elite program today or is it a qualified stepping stone? Consecutive NCAA appearances say yes. Coaching tree says yes. Offensive efficiency says yes. History, financials, facilities and attendance say yes. Recruiting says close. NCAA finishes and defense say not yet. Will Buzz continue to build his legacy at MU? The Elite Tag tipping point will be decided this weekend.

Let the hand wringing begin.

One night engagement: The LeDaryl Billingsley Festival

Tonight Marquette (6-2) hosts its second buy game in as many outings when it welcomes Texas A&M Corpus Christi to the Bradley Center.

Texas A&M CC is coached by former Tulane head coach Perry Clark. If you are looking for a reason to have a bit more interest in tonight's game, that's the hook: Perry Clark is the man who delivered what became a crucial blow to the Mike Deane era at MU. How so, you ask? Clark wooed Chicago's LeDaryl Billingsley to Tulane after the power forward had verbally committed to MU. Billingsley went on to average 11 points and six rebounds per game during his career at Tulane, which spanned the 1997-98 season through the 2000-2001 campaign. As as a senior he averaged 18 points and 9 boards per game and was a second team All-Conference USA selection.

Had Billingsley signed with MU he would have joined Brian Wardle, DeMarcus Minor, Greg Clausen and John Mueller as freshmen. With Cordell Henry arriving on campus the following year, Mike Deane was thisclose to having what might have been one of the best young groups in Conference USA. In the end Billingsley decided against MU, DeMarcus Minor left for a productive career at Baylor (don't forget about the loss of Alton Mason as well) and Mike Deane's fate was sealed.

Perry Clark -- Marquette hero or villain?

Enjoy the game. Gametime is 8pm CT, broadcast on Sports32, DirecTV 639, 540 ESPN, or you can follow along with the Game Tracker.

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Recaps and memories associated with coach Raymonds. Enjoy

• Rosiak's story is story is PHENOMENAL. There's a photo gallery, a letter Raymonds sent to former players, and four videos. Frankly, the Journal-Sentinel did a great job with their coverage.
• Michael Hunt says Raymonds was a great coach and greater human being.
• The JS Editorial calls Raymonds a Marquette Legend.
• George Thompson on Raymonds
• Jim Boylan on Raymonds
• Rick Majerus on Raymonds
• Doc Rivers on Raymonds
• Other reaction to Raymonds' passing, including Cords, Wade, Crean, Buzz, Bo Ellis, and Father Wild. All those links above are from the JS. Kudos to the Journal-Sentinel.
• The MUAD has their own coverage, including their own set of videos. You can also submit condolences/thoughts to Raymonds' family.
  

More Tributes to Maurice Lucas

Plus other news from around the Internets...

Peter Vecsey has a wonderful, six-page feature about Maurice Lucas. It is well worth the time to read.

Rosiak called a number of former teammates and some coaches, including Bo Ellis, Dave Delsman, Rick Majerus, and Tom Crean.

If you're interested, Lucas' foundation is taking donations.

More season previews are starting to roll in. Luke Winn from SI looks at the BE and gives some props to Butler AND Johnson-Odom:

Breakout Candidate: Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette

The Golden Eagles have two breakout candidates in their first year without Lazar Hayward: senior forward Jimmy Butler, a Scott Hattieberg-like character in college hoops (beloved by tempo-free statheads for his 128.5 ORating, unknown to average fans) ... and Johnson-Odom, a junior who could emerge as one of the league's best all-around guards. He's already one of the nation's most accurate three-point shooters (at 47.4 percent), and is developing into a formidable, physical perimeter defender. If he learns to finish more effectively around the rim, he'll be a star.

Jimmy F. Butler also makes SI's list of the Top 10 BE players.

Jeff Goodman drops some whispers from the nation's scrimmages. Good production from Davante Gardner and Buycks? Sign me up.

In other news, BE presidents and athletic directors are meeting today. Expansion is definitely a possibility. We'll be watching all of this carefully, and listening for any spooky music.

Going around to former players, Maurice Acker was drafted into the NBA D-League with the 5th pick in the 8th and final round. Acker will probably end up matching against his longtime pal, Jerel McNeal, who is also in the D-League. Good luck, Maurice and Jerel.

Watch some videos

Episode 11 of Marquette Revealed looks at DJO.



Speaking of MU legends, Rosiak had a great feature on Hank Raymonds. Let's appreciate Coach Raymonds while we still can. Watch the video from a few weeks ago. We missed this one, but it's great.

News and Notes on Marquette Hoops

UPDATED

Marquette Madness is just three days away and the intensity for the program is building. Here are a few updates for your Tuesday morning.

The Marquette Tribune takes an in-depth look at the university's financial commitment to the men's basketball program. The article is laden with facts and figures -- and be sure to click on the informative graphics which provide useful detail about the expenses associated with Division I athletics. A corollary to this article is our blog on the topic from earlier this year, which are reflective of my comments in today's Tribune piece.

In other news, Andy Katz did a story on Marquette. It's all about how Marquette is tabbed in the fourth tier but the team continues to overachieve. Mark it down now... MU finishes 5th-7th in the BE, makes the tournament, and loses their first game (probably on a last second shot, dammit).

Marquette has unveiled episode 7 of their Marquette Revealed series. This one looks at Boot Camp and it's the best one yet.

On the recruiting front, star shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison will announce his decision on Thursday per ZagsBlog. The timing is curious from a Marquette perspective -- Harrison was (is?) scheduled to visit for the Madness festivities this weekend.

Moving on to another 2011 target, reports indicate that highly coveted shooting guard Nick Faust has eliminated Marquette and will decide between Villanova, Maryland and FSU later this month.

Regardless of the decisions Faust and Harrison make, the primary need for the program in 2011 remains acquiring talented size across a number of positions, not necessarily more guards. Buzz appears to be on track to meet that need that to this point.

As far as we know 6'8" Texan Jarion Henry is still considering MU, along with 6'8" combo forward Mike Shaw and 6'9" post man Trey McDonald, among others. Earlier reports had all three of these guys at Madness later this week, along with a few underclassmen. While not scheduled to be at Madness, MU is recruiting 6'7" wing Rodney Hood as well. Hood visited MU earlier this month.

In the category of "that.....was....awesome" former MU coach and class act Hank Raymonds visited the Warriors last night.

Rivals shows the love for Jimmy F. Butler, slotting him in as the nation's 27th best player. I'm sure he'll get a plaque for that.

Marquette Media Update

UPDATED

Today's Must Read Items

First things first, if you missed it, check out the Recruiting Update below. Tim's update was like tasty, tasty crack. Posted after the article yesterday, it looks like Mike Shaw will be at Madness. Marquette's chances seem strong based on the article, but honestly, we are puzzled by the info they put in about Shaw's academics. By the way, there are 12 more test dates for the ACT/SAT during this academic year.

After recruiting, your second stop needs to be this great article about Marquette legend Hank Raymonds. Getting only minimal coverage, Coach Raymonds was diagnosed with a brain tumor over the summer. At 86 years old, Raymonds may not have a lot of time left on this earth. Let's cherish him a little more, because he's one of the true Marquette legends.

Updated with news from Rosiak - your third must-read of the day is his update on Boot Camp, which includes discussion of the schedule, boot camp, foot injuries, and Jamil Wilson petitioning the NCAA (not happening).

Moving on, we'll catch up on Marquette news from around the Internets.

News from Marquette

Madness is in two weeks. Let's restate that. COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS HERE AGAIN OFFICIALLY IN TWO WEEKS. I swear these offseasons get longer and longer. Surprisingly, there is very little info on Marquette's website.

After Madness, Marquette is holding Walk-On Tryouts on Oct 18th. You've got to be a current student, email Brad Autry, and get cleared in advance. Good luck unseating The Wild Rumpus. I heard on the "Internet" Frozena killed a guy last year.

Can't make it to Madness? Hit up the Fish Fry / Haunted Hoops event on Oct 22nd. Marquette has online registration or a PDF version. Reception is at 5, scrimmage starts at 7. Kids of all ages can wear their costumes.

MU release their Marquette Revealed - Episode 5 earlier this week. I've liked other videos, but this one was weak. However, supposedly more access is forthcoming and has been restricted so far due to NCAA regs. Eventual end product will consist of two, 30-minute HD TV shows, which will include some of the video in the webisodes and other footage as well.

Going to be on campus tonight for family weekend? Buzz is speaking tonight, for the second year in a row. It'll be in the Monaghan Ballrooms of the Alumni Memorial Union at 6 pm. Check the link for more details.

Marquette Players that Play for Money

People in Portland seem to be pretty psyched about Wesley Matthews.

Catch up on some results of Dominic James playing in Bulgaria. His team just lost the first leg of the EuroCup Qualifying Round (78-74), with James chipping in 10 pts and 6 assists. A few days ago James went for 17 pts, 7 rebounds, six assists in a victory. That second link is worth reading just for the translation, even if their English is better than my Bulgarian.

Other random news

Dick Enberg's play, "Coach: The Untold Story of College Basketball Legend Al McGuire", is going to be both at Belmont Abbey and Indiana University in October. Now, before you freak out about Crean and Indiana and why-the-hell-do-you-keep-using-Marquette-stuff-at-Indiana-when-it's-Indiana-it's-Indiana, Enberg got his masters and doctorate degrees from IU. okay, fine.

Buzz was quoted in this DeCourcy article about how thin the margin is in the BE.

The Racine Journal Times is asking who should be the first inducted into the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame (scroll down). Stupid, but go vote for either Jim Chones or Jim McIlvaine. If you want to.

Finally, attendees at Marquette games this year will see a brand-spanking new scoreboard. Here's the fact sheet. Both the Marquette link and the Journal-Sentinel article also include some short video clips.

PS - Donate to Al's Run. People that don't donate like kids getting sick. What kind of monster are you?

Friday Media Updates

Anything happen in the world of basketball last night?

Well, there's been plenty of action in the Marquette Universe, so here are some links that you may or may not have seen.

First things first, don't forget that the Warrior Day Golf Outing is coming up on Monday, July 26th. This is the third annual outing, and the coverage is starting to bloom as Journal-Sentinel gives a great story about Bo and the event. Here's a PSA about the event to get you ready. Take a vacation day... it's summer!



Buried in the story is also a note about Coach Hank Raymonds being ill. Our prayers are with you, Coach.

As many of you know, Vander Blue was part of the US team that won a gold medal in the U18 FIBA Championship. Want to go deeper on Vander's performances? Stellar Villanova blog Villanova By the Numbers gives some more detail on the entire tourney. Check out his initial view here, and then his recap of the USA-Canada game and the championship game against Brazil. Honestly, the early view of Vander's offensive performance has some questions. Despite some efficient shooting in the final game, his offensive rating numbers were sub-par, which was most likely impacted by a higher number of turnovers. Buzz will cut those turnovers down, but if Vander isn't making the floor early that may be a good indication why.

Rosiak also had more on Jamil Wilson, with a follow-up interview of Jamil and Buzz.

Speaking of roster turnover, there's a new walk-on. Dave Singleton is a 6'3 guard that played two seasons at High Point University under current MU Director of Basketball Operations Bart Lundy. He will sit out in 2010-11 and have two seasons of elibility left. Checking out his bio from High Point, Singleton does not appear to be your typical walk-on. As one poster on MUScoop said, this is exactly the type of player we wish was around when Diener broke his hand. One wonders if there might be a scholarship in Singleton's future.

On former MU players, follow the efforts of McNeal and James in this MUScoop thread.. In addition, former player Mbao is transferring to Marshall. We wish the very best luck to Yous.

If you are around Milwaukee the next few weekends, check out the Milwaukee Summer Pro-Am, which was initiated by IWB. The team rosters are a who's who of former Marquette and other local Wisconsin players. Here is the detailed schedule of games. The first set of games are this Saturday, concluding with a championship game at The Al on August 8th. Very cool, especially if you're jonesing for a little MU hoops action.

Finally, GoMarquette.com launched a revamped website. Go click around and spend some time. Start with the Men's Basketball Page, and maybe the rosters.

Go Marquette