Monday's game...

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

Mondays game is pretty big, if we beat Georgetown that would give us at least a 2 game cushion over everyone in the conference except Syracuse. I also think a road win at Georgetown makes us a lock for the tournament.

This week has a chance to be a very big week, two very tough games but also two winnable games. I think when all is said and done we will come out of this week 1-1, but if we somehow come out of it 2-0 we are going to be in very good shape to be looking at a decent seed come March which is far more than we were expecting months ago.

[MU_Iceman]

Mondays game is pretty big, if we beat Georgetown that would give us at least a 2 game cushion over everyone in the conference except Syracuse. I also think a road win at Georgetown makes us a lock for the tournament.

This week has a chance to be a very big week, two very tough games but also two winnable games. I think when all is said and done we will come out of this week 1-1, but if we somehow come out of it 2-0 we are going to be in very good shape to be looking at a decent seed come March which is far more than we were expecting months ago.


Are you serious?? A "lock" for the tournament?? They were a lock several games ago. This is the 1st place team in the Big East and yet our own fans still doubt them. That to me is maddening. Always has been. Still no one believes in this team. I will agree with you on ONE thing, and that is the importance of tomm's game. That to me, will determine not whether they will get a good seed(and speak for yourself when you say more than WE expected several months ago), but whether or not they have a legitimate shot of winning the Big East. That's what i want...a BE title. They already currently have a two game lead over everyone else for a top 4 seed, so I'm not particularly worried about that, it's the title I want!

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

If you look at all the bubble watch and tournament prediction pages everyone has us listed as a team that should be in but is not a lock. There is certainly no shame in that whatsoever at this point in the season. If we were to lose out I think there is a chance that we would miss the tournament. Therefore we are not a lock.

Iceman I understand you are over the top with your enthusiasm, however to say that I am doubting this team is ridiculous, some of us are just realistic and realize we have a very tough week ahead of us and expecting 2-0 is probably not realistic given how this year has gone. It's certainly possible and I definitely wouldn't say it's unlikely, but I also wouldn't say it's likely.

[MU_Iceman]

If you look at all the bubble watch and tournament prediction pages everyone has us listed as a team that should be in but is not a lock. There is certainly no shame in that whatsoever at this point in the season. If we were to lose out I think there is a chance that we would miss the tournament. Therefore we are not a lock.

Iceman I understand you are over the top with your enthusiasm, however to say that I am doubting this team is ridiculous, some of us are just realistic and realize we have a very tough week ahead of us and expecting 2-0 is probably not realistic given how this year has gone. It's certainly possible and I definitely wouldn't say it's unlikely, but I also wouldn't say it's likely.

Okay, first of all, I use my own eyeballs to judge whether MU is a lock or not. They are. Have not looked at a bubble watch page all year, and that's why....they have no idea what they are talking about generally anyway. The odds of MU losing out are higher than DePaul winning the NCAA tournament...if you get my point. It ain't happening. As far as this week...I won't say I'm expecting 2-0, but if they go 1-1 I will be disappointed. They are better than Georgetown, and Pitt is at home(they are better than them too), where MU has the nation's 4th longest home court winning streak. Not too mention the "juice" that should be in the arena in celebration of the '03 Final Four team.

[GOMU1104]

Marquette is going to make the tournament...whether we use the phrase "should be in" or the term "lock," that is up to interpretation, I guess.

When it comes to the term "lock," my standard is, as follows...if a team loses out, would they still make the tournament? If they would...then they are a "lock."

Its probably to strict and there are probably holes in that standard, but generally...that is what I consider a "lock."

[CaribouJim]

I don't think MU is a lock yet - look at the talented teams, more talented than MU, that have gone into funks losing 2-3 games in a row. MU has 5 road games left and the 3 home games are not locks by any means. I still say MU has to win 3 games to control their own destiny and be considered a "lock".

[mutpm]

Based on what is realistic to happen the rest of the way, MU is a lock. Even if they go 4-4 and lose in the BET, they are in. Where it gets interesting is if they go 2-6 and lose game 1 at MSG. Does the committee take a 10-8 Big East team that has lost 7 of 9? Should that happen, I think most of us will be sweating a little on selection Sunday. Since 2-7 is a possibility, albeit a small one, I wouldn't call MU a 100% lock.

[mufan2003]

Several good points made. Most all MU fans are expecting an 8th straight NCAA Tourney appearance at this point. Technically, though, we have 8 more league games and could technically lose all 8. Odds of that happening? .01%?

I agree with Iceman to a certain extent, we should be thinking aggressively in terms of winning the Big East regular season title. We have Syracuse at home, not on the road, and last time I checked, we are pretty damn good at the BC. We could lose tomorrrow, to Pitt, @Villanova, home against Syracuse and Notre Dame and even @ St. Johns. But we can win all of those games as well. Big stretch coming up here for Marquette. I don't know how MU will do, but I have no doubt the mindset of the players and Buzz is to win every game they play and I am certain they are eyeing a Big East regular season title.

[AlexJesswein]

Playing with house money on Monday.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

The only game left on the schedule that I feel we have less than a 50/50 shot of winning is Syracuse. Otherwise I think the rest are either toss ups or favor MU.

[Nukem2]

The only game left on the schedule that I feel we have less than a 50/50 shot of winning is Syracuse. Otherwise I think the rest are either toss ups or favor MU.
Those games the last week of the season at the RAC and the Garden could be very difficult games. SJU could be hard to handle in the Garden.

[Markedman]

Georgetown game defintely not a toss up...we will be an underdog in that game by any objective measure.

Doesn't mean we can't win but it will be an upset if we do.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Are you serious?? A "lock" for the tournament?? They were a lock several games ago.

Marquette is not a lock, and I'm close to as optimistic about this team as you are. But saying they are a lock is simply silly. If we lose out, we miss the tournament. I'm honestly not sure ANY team in the country is a lock right now. In the Big East, maybe Syracuse and Louisville are locks, but I think they probably both need 1-2 more wins to really be locked in to an at-large.

In the entire country, I would say these teams are close to being locks, but all could use 1-2 more wins to truly be locks: Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, Miami, Duke, Louisville, and Syracuse. That's it. Those 8 are the only teams I could see losing out and still likely making it. Not Kansas, not Gonzaga, not Ohio State, Arizona, or anyone else. Like BW4P said, being a lock means you can lose out and still get in. If Marquette finished 17-14 (8-10) they'd miss the tournament. Won't likely happen, we should be in, but there is still some work to do. I think if we win any 3 games we move to lock status. We're close, but not there yet.