Neither the Marquette Golden Eagles nor UW Badgers went as far in their conference tourneys as their fans would have liked, but now they can lay a solid groundwork for the future in the NCAA tournament.
Many thought Marquette had a chance to win the Conference USA tournament and perhaps earn a very high seed in the NCAA. They forgot that the Golden Eagles' win over Cincinnati during the regular season was at the Bradley Center, not in the hometown of the Bearcats.
{INSERT_RELATED}Even though Bob Huggins' team was not on its actual home court on Saturday, the players did get to sleep in their own beds the night before. So they did have home court advantage.
The Badgers' first round elimination by Iowa disappointed a lot of fans. They did not play well overall. The inexperience of their underclassmen showed.
But, hey, both teams are in the Big Show!!! In fact, they are both in the East Regional and could eventually face each other. Marquette, seeded No. 5, will play Tulsa, the 12th seed. UW, seeded 8th, will face No. 9 St. John's in the first round.
And, let's remember, both these teams really are a year away! You can't really expect MU or UW to go real deep into the NCAA tourney. What they can do is lay a solid groundwork for next season by winning at least a first round game.
That experience for Dwayne Wade, Scott Merritt, Travis Diener and the other underclassmen at MU, and Devin Harris, Freddie Owens and the other young kids at UW will prove invaluable.
Most teams that get into the NCAA Final Four, or win the tourney, are repeaters as competitors in the event. They get seasoned in their earlier appearances, mature and then arrive as true contenders.
Recruiting at both schools also will become easier if the teams have respectable showings in the NCAA. That could mean some talented freshmen additions to the teams next season.
Tom Crean and Bo Ryan are good enough coaches to emphasize the growth experience to their players. Sure, they, and us, would have liked to see the teams win their respective conference tournaments, and, for those who might suffer from delusions, even meet in the NCAA Final Four.
But, realistically, MU and UW just need to play well enough in the NCAA to lay a solid groundwork for next season.
Never on Sunday
Sunday was a very bad day for Bucks' coach George Karl. First, he had to answer media questions about a firestorm over some comments he had made to Esquire Magazine. Those comments said he didn't like assistant coaches who have paid their dues getting passed over for head coaching jobs in favor of high profile former players who appear on TV as commentators.
Karl said Sunday he specifically named Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and former Marquette and NBA guard Doc Rivers. That's two white guys and two black guys by my count, but the comments somehow were taken as racial in nature.
Esquire, like many national magazines, has about a six-month lead-time, so the story is just coming out in the April issue. The New York Times picked up the quotes, cast them in a racial context in Sunday's paper, and then NBC commentators started talking about it during the telecast of the Orlando Magic game.
Doc, who has clashed with George before, objected to a statement that he had been "anointed" for the Orlando job. Rivers said he didn't hear Karl complain when Ainge and Bird, who are white, were hired, and played the race card.
Karl said before Sunday's game, "I was talking philosophically about guys not going through the process to get jobs. I want to see equality in the NBA. I think there should be more African American coaches in the NBA. I meant the comments more about guys coming right from TV to coaching without previous experience as assistants.
"I have an assistant (Terry Stotts, who is white) who has paid his dues and can't even get an interview. I just don't think it is right. It has nothing to do with race."
After addressing that controversy, Karl then went out and watched as the Sacramento Kings blew his team out of the Bradley Center. The Bucks barely showed up. They were justifiably booed off the court by the fans in the sellout crowd that bothered to stay around until the end.
Glenn and Pack
Let's just hope coach/GM Mike Sherman isn't going the route of former Packers' coach Forrest Gregg in trading for wide receiver Terry Glenn. If you remember, Gregg opted for talented players, without considering their character.
The result turned out to be mediocre teams and a lot of off field, embarrassing trouble. Mossy Cade, Eddie Lee Ivery, James Lofton and a few others from that era won't be remembered for their charitable contributions to the community.
Glenn has a troubled background, with drug abuse and clashes with his coaches. He has the talent, but also could end up more trouble than he is worth.
Wave still perfect at BC
The Wave improved its record to 17-0 with a win over Kansas City at the Bradley Center over the weekend.
Milwaukee went 1-1 overall for the weekend with a 14-10 loss on Friday night in Cleveland but turned around on Saturday to defeat the Kansas City Comets 21-16 at the BC.
Wave captain Michael King led the Wave on Saturday with eight points on a 3-point goal, two 2-point goals and an assist. Greg Howes added five points with 2-2PG and an assist and Todd Dusosky (4 assists) and Brian Loftin (2-2PG) had four points each.
The Wave's next home game is Sunday, March 17, at 1 p.m. at the Bradley Center. The tradition continues as the team will sport green uniforms that will be auctioned off during the game. Proceeds will go to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Pettit Center woes
I guess the Sports Buzz was a little ahead of the curve when it dealt with future woes for the Pettit Center a couple weeks ago. It turns out the facility also is in deep financial trouble.
Let's hope some private entity steps forward to support the facility for the good of the community. With the state budget shortage, it doesn't seem like state takeover of the facility really is a viable alternative.
The Milwaukee Sports Buzz will take a hiatus for two weeks while Gregg Hoffmann goes to Maryvale, Arizona, to write daily Brew Crew Review columns. Check those out from March 18-26 on OMC and come back here April 1 to read the Sports Buzz.
