In preparation for the many fantasy baseball teams I am in this year, I have been reading a few of ESPN's Diamond Debates. Since fellow Tribune writer Tim Kraft and I tend to disagree on, well, most everything, I thought a little Court Clash could be fun. That's what I'm calling it. I don't care if you like it. I'll go first.
With this season now over, how good will the men's basketball team be in 2009-'10?
Bullock: I think Marquette will be better than most people think it will be. Some of these guys that are coming in as part of coach Buzz Williams' first recruiting class will surprise people. The way I see it, Williams will throw those freshmen into the fire during the non-conference season, try out about 174 different lineups and then, in the end, the Golden Eagles will churn out another 20-win season.
Kraft: It's hard to believe Marquette will have any success next year because inexperience will plague this team. Williams will enter his second season as head man but won't have his three "assistant coaches" on the floor in Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal. Also, it's going to be the same old Marquette basketball unless 7-footer Liam McMorrow jumps into the lineup and gives Marquette a post presence for the first time since (pause) anyone…anyone? I think they'll be a scrappy team that won't be taken lightly, but in the end they'll fall short of their bid for a fifth consecutive 20-plus win season.
How competitive will the rest of the Big East teams be?
Kraft: The Big East is the Big East and you'd have to think they'll be a powerhouse again. Next year, the competitiveness of the Big East will rely on who stays and who goes. Big men such as Georgetown's Greg Monroe and Notre Dame's Luke Harangody have the chance to come back to school and help rejuvenate their teams after a rough 2008-'09 season.
Bullock: That last sentence should start with an "if." The departure of marquee players will be the story of the Big East next season. Terrence Williams, Sam Young, Levance Fields and Jeff Adrien are all seniors, while Monroe, DaJuan Summers, DeJuan Blair, Earl Clark and Hasheem Thabeet will all likely be drafted. The Big East won't be nearly as talented as this season.
Does no Krystal Ellis mean there is no point in watching the women's basketball team next season?
Bullock: I know she tanked big time at the end of the season, but I can't help but forget how talented vintage (read 2006-'07, 2007-'08) Ellis was. Angel Robinson may have better point skills than Ellis, but the sophomore will never be able to fill it up like the school's all-time leading scorer.
Kraft: You would think that losing the all-time leading scorer would change things for the worse for any program, but again, Nick, you are wrong. This year was obviously frustrating for the women's team, but with Ellis gone, the team can focus on distributing the ball and look for balanced scoring. I think you'll see a new and improved Golden Eagles squad next season.
Has Terri Mitchell lost her touch?
Kraft: This is a tough call because her team is simply too inconsistent. They blew big leads but mounted comebacks of their own. They played close with nationally ranked teams all season but bowed out early of the Big East Tournament to last-place Cincinnati. I'm going with NO simply because there is an obvious respect between Mitchell and her players. This season slipped away from Mitchell, but when her players performed well, they never failed to mention Mitchell and the positive influence she was day in and day out.
Bullock: Two-straight seasons of no NCAA Tournament appearance? Check. Benching her best player during what she claims to be a meaningful WNIT run? Check. YES, Mitchell has lost it. The days of a top-25 Marquette women's squad are gone, and if she isn't careful, Mitchell may soon be gone too.