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Phantom Warrior
05-25-2013, 06:37 AM
Just wondering what evryone's favorite MU team of all time is. Obviously, some of us go back quite a bit farther than others, which only makes the choice that much more of a challenge.

Anyway, I think my favorite MU team ever is the '75-'76 team, the one prior to the national championship. I also think it may have been MU's most talented team in history.

All five starters ended up playing in the NBA - Lloyd (a senior) at point, Butch (a soph) at the 2, Earl (a senior) at small forward, Bo (a junior) at the 4, and Jerome (a soph) at the 5.

The team possessed an incredible blend of skills, demeanors, and personalities, but they all meshed.

Lucky Lloyd set the tone for that team on both ends of the court with his quickness and his intensity. It all started with him.

Butch was a power guard; I don't think we've ever had a guard who was physically stronger, yet he was also sneaky quick.

Earl was about as smooth as anyone who has ever played for MU. It looked like he was gliding, never really trying hard, but that was just because he was so physically gifted. He could kill opponents in a variety of ways, including from deep. His game against DePaul that year may have been as good as individual performance as any player at MU has ever had with the possible exception of Wade's triple double against Kentucky.

Bo was just a physical freak. He handled the ball like a guard and rebounded like a center. I still think he was the best all-around forward in MU history - except maybe for Kojis, whom I never had the privilege of watching.

And Jerome was the physical force in the middle, grabbing rebounds and boxing out opposing centers. Plus, he had a nice touch from mid-range.

As offensively gifted as this team was, however, it was on defense that it really made its mark. Lloyd was the consummate pest with his quickness and relentlessness. Butch was under-rated as a defensive player, but he was excellent. Both Earl and Bo could turn a game around, just dominate a game with their defensive play. I don't remember another MU team that had four A-level defenders in the starting line up along with Jerome, who was young and inexperienced but was still effective in his role, probably earning a solid B.

But that wasn't all. The team also had Rosey coming off the bench knocking down shots from deep, playing soid defense, and taking care of the ball. And Toone was sixth man in terms of mpg at aabout 12 mpg, and he was sxith on the team in scoring.

It's truly a shame that the NCAA Tournament wasn't seeded back then the way it is now because that team probably could have faced Indiana in the championship game if it had been instead of in the Reginoals.

Anyway, that's my favorite MU team of all time. Anyone else care to share theirs and explain why? I hope so.

ValiantSailor
05-25-2013, 08:07 AM
Today's.

No explanation needed.

VS

dubs98
05-25-2013, 08:43 AM
Hard not to put the 2003 team right up there. I really liked the amigos senior team. Loved the guts and passion they played with. What could have been if a few of their years did not end with injuries (DJ one year and jerel another year) or a lucky shot dropping from lopez from behind the backboard. One of my favorites to watch during that time was DJ on the ball. McNeal always got a lot of the press for his D, but I still think DJ is the best on ball defender I have seen at MU (granted I only go back to the early 90s with truly watching carefully.)

QuetteHoops
05-25-2013, 09:01 AM
Hayward, Acker, Cubillan. So much heart.

warriorfan4life
05-25-2013, 09:51 AM
Agree with Dubs, as in my eleven years following the team, I will go with Amigos senior year/Buzz's first year. After a series of disappointments and frustrations the two years prior, that team really became fun to watch under Buzz's tutelage and transformed into a dynamic unit that was awesome on the offensive end.

TedBaxter
05-25-2013, 10:01 AM
Best team for me would be the 1975-76 team.

Favorite team may have been the Amigo's followed by the Lazar team with Cubillan and Acker.

2013UnleashTheBeast
05-25-2013, 10:07 AM
Crowder's BEast POY year pre-Otule injury. That team was ROLLING opponents, had a legit superstar in Crowder, a great second banana in DJO, and 40 minutes at the C position from two natural centers. With Otule, they were able to play suffocating extended defense with DJO & Blue while funneling their man to Crowder & Otule if they got beat. It was a thing of beauty, and I play the what-if game with Otule that year slightly more that I do with the DJames injury. Crowder's team fully healthy had FF written all over it.