So Marquette is stumbling home like a frat brother after an all-night kegger, which wouldn’t be such a terrible thing, except for tiny one problem.
Sobering up for final exams.
Not even the emotion of Senior Night was enough to carry the Golden Eagles against Syracuse. So now, even the most fanatical Marquette fan must be concerned. Four games without Dominic James have netted nothing but losses and a suddenly bleak outlook for a once-bright season.
Because suddenly the Eagles, who once sported a 20-2 record, could finish with six straight defeats.
Yes, the Eagles are the fifth seed in the Big East Tournament. And yes, they’re guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But all that really means is that they’re guaranteed two more games.
You want to believe in Marquette’s ability to turn things around. You want to think that Buzz Williams can wave a magic wand and make all the troubles go away. Or that guts, a commodity the Eagles own in spades, will be enough to get them through. Yes, you want to have faith in Marquette.
But at this point, faith may be all that’s left.
The Eagles are 3-6 in their last nine games. Their defense has slipped noticeably, a direct result of James’ absence. And at times, Marquette looks just plain tired. That’s the danger of having a short bench, forcing your starters to play so many minutes for so much of the season.
On top of all that, as tough as Marquette’s schedule has been lately, things get no easier come tourney time. There’s a reason someone coined “survive and advance.”
All the Big East’s fifth seed gets Marquette is a second-round matchup against Georgetown or St. John’s. And if it’s Georgetown, you know the Hoyas would relish some payback against a Marquette team that swept both regular-season games. Nor would St. John’s be a cakewalk in what would be a default road game.
As for the NCAAs, expect a dramatic drop in Marquette’s seeding. Two weeks ago, the Eagles were looking at a top-three seed. Now, you can make the argument that they’ll be seeded no higher than fifth, and if the Selection Committee feels particularly punitive, they could fall all the way to eighth. In other words, prime upset territory.
An optimist – and on a team coached by Williams, you’ve no choice but to be one – would look at the situation as an amazing opportunity. Just think, after all this, how much sweeter the victory will be. Just think how a Final Four run now, in the face of so much adversity, will be the stuff of legend. And at the home of Al McGuire, legends are part of the script.
Yes, that’s how the optimists will see it, and Marquette’s only option is to listen and believe. Because lately, reality bites.
Riding the Wave
You’ve got two more chances to catch the Milwaukee Wave at home during its inaugural Xtreme Soccer League season, and Wave spokesman Matt Schroeder reports that more than 4,700 people are expected for Sunday afternoon’s key game against Detroit.
The Wave and Detroit are both 8-6 heading into the XSL’s home stretch, so the season’s final six games will decide the title (the league doesn’t have a playoff tournament). Technically, Chicago (at 7-9) and New Jersey (6-8) are still in the race, but you’d have to favor Milwaukee or Detroit at this stage.
That’s why the next 10 days are so important. Milwaukee hosts Detroit 2 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Cellular Arena, then plays at Detroit on March 20. Sweep those two games and the Wave can do everything but order the champagne.
As for the business side of things, Schroeder says that even though the poor economy hasn’t made things easy, the Wave and the XSL have positioned themselves well for long-term success. When the Major Indoor Soccer League dissolved in the summer of 2008, Milwaukee, Detroit, New Jersey and Chicago set up the XSL with a more efficient power structure centered on the league office, thus removing a lot of financial burden from individual teams.
“All the growing pains that other leagues are experiencing,” Schroeder says, noting the Arena Football League’s suspension of operations and the NBA offering loans to its franchises, “because of the restructuring we did last summer, we already did that work. We didn’t have to do it as a matter of desperation. We did it as part of a plan.”
So even though times are tough, Schroeder says the Wave is in good shape for the foreseeable future.
“We feel good about where we’re at,” Schroeder said. “We feel it’s a model that’s going to succeed.”
Paging the Packers
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports has thrown together a list of the NFL’s best remaining free-agent bargains, as well as some potential busts.
So how often do you think the link has been e-mailed to Ted Thompson?
Green Bay’s best match from the list looks like former Buffalo Bills linebacker Angelo Crowell, who can play in the 3-4. He topped 120 tackles in 2005 and ’07, but is available after missing all of 2008 because of a serious knee injury.
The good news: Crowell seems like a fine risk-reward proposition for the Packers. But he’s drawing interest from Baltimore and Tampa, with no sign of an aggressive pursuit by Green Bay.
Yeah, I think I’ve seen this movie before.
Only Three?
From John Heyman of Sports Illustrated comes this eye-opening prognostication by Brewers catcher Jason Kendall.
“Barring injury, he’s going to win three Cy Young awards,” Kendall said, and he wasn’t talking about former Brewer CC Sabathia. No, Kendall’s high praise was reserved for current Brewer Yovani Gallardo.
Greg Maddux – the man history will remember as the steroid era’s best non-cheating pitcher – only won four Cys, by the way. So no pressure, right Yo?
“He’s pretty good with predictions,” was Gallardo’s response. “So hopefully, he’s right about one more.”
Tune in every Tuesday morning during the 6 o’clock hour when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault. And don’t forget to check out our new fitness column, Training with Tim.
