As is customary with the Marquette Athletics office, each year during July they release the non-conference schedule one game at a time. As if the summer isn't slow enough for college hoops, MU somehow found a way to make it even slower. As everyone should know by now, Marquette kicks off the season on November 9th against Ohio State on an aircraft carrier in Charleston, SC. This event is very rare, especially for MU, who starts out against a cupcake pretty much every season.
The second and third games of the season have been released so far, and are pretty typical of a non-conference schedule:
November 11 - Colgate
November 13 - Southeastern Louisiana
Check back here for the rest of the non-conference schedule as it comes out at the rapid-fire pace of a snail on an off-day.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Final Bracketology - March 11
At last, Selection Sunday has come, which means bracketology predictions will be useless in about an hour. My final predictions are below. In the next day or two I'll do some analysis on how far off I was from the actual seedings.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Michigan State
2 North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio State, Duke
3 Baylor, Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan
4 Louisville, Wisconsin, Florida State, Indiana
5 Vanderbilt, Florida, Wichita State, Murray State
6 Temple, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati, Harvard
10 California, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Texas
12 VCU, Colorado, Xavier, South Florida, NC State, Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, Detroit, South Dakota State, Davidson
14 St. Bonaventure, Montana, New Mexico State, Belmont
15 Ohio, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Norfolk State, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Michigan State
2 North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio State, Duke
3 Baylor, Marquette, Georgetown, Michigan
4 Louisville, Wisconsin, Florida State, Indiana
5 Vanderbilt, Florida, Wichita State, Murray State
6 Temple, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati, Harvard
10 California, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Texas
12 VCU, Colorado, Xavier, South Florida, NC State, Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, Detroit, South Dakota State, Davidson
14 St. Bonaventure, Montana, New Mexico State, Belmont
15 Ohio, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Norfolk State, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Bracketology - March 10
Latest and greatest is below. Note: These were put up pre-Big East Cahampionship. Baylor slides up after a big win over Kansas. NC State switches spots with Miami. Enjoy.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Duke
3 Marquette, Baylor, Georgetown, Michigan
4 Louisville, Wisconsin, Indiana, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Murray State
6 Temple, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati, Harvard
10 California, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, NC State, Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, VCU, South Dakota State, Montana
14 Detroit, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Western Kentucky, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Norfolk State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Duke
3 Marquette, Baylor, Georgetown, Michigan
4 Louisville, Wisconsin, Indiana, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Murray State
6 Temple, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati, Harvard
10 California, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, NC State, Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, VCU, South Dakota State, Montana
14 Detroit, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Western Kentucky, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Norfolk State
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Bracketology - March 9
Latest and greatest is below. My final reason for keeping Northwestern from dancing came last night with a loss to the golden gophers. Probably should have had Louisville as a 5-seed two days ago, but after beating MU they can stay on the 4-line.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Murray State
6 Florida State, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Cincinnati
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, VCU, South Dakota State, Montana
14 Detroit, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Western Kentucky, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Norfolk State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Murray State
6 Florida State, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Cincinnati
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Southern Miss
11 Colorado State, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Seton Hall
13 Long Beach State, VCU, South Dakota State, Montana
14 Detroit, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Loyola-MD, Texas-Arlington, Lehigh
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Western Kentucky, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Norfolk State
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Bracketology - March 7
Latest S-Curve is below. Harvard has an automatic bid!
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Murray State
6 Florida State, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Cincinnati
11 Colorado State, BYU, Seton Hall, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Connecticut
13 Long Beach State, Western Kentucky, South Dakota State, Iona
14 VCU, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Weber State, Detroit, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Murray State
6 Florida State, UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, St. Mary's (CA)
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, Kansas State
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Cincinnati
11 Colorado State, BYU, Seton Hall, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Xavier, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Connecticut
13 Long Beach State, Western Kentucky, South Dakota State, Iona
14 VCU, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Weber State, Detroit, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Jae Crowder Wins Big East POY
As most of you are aware by now, Marquette's very own Jae Crowder has won the Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year award. Jae had an incredible season and deserved every bit of this distinguished feat. Predator finished the regular season with 17.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 2.3 spg, all while logging nearly 33 minutes per game.
There are a tons of reasons why you could say Crowder deserved to be Big East POY. The main one that comes to my mind is his stats in January (pre-Gardner injury) vs. February (post-Gardner injury).
These stats are on a per-game basis (except FG%). Also, keep in mind Jae only scored 4 points in the game at Notre Dame on February 4. Note: The game against Seton Hall on 1/31 is part of the February stats since Gardner was out with the knee sprain for that game.
I think these stats pretty much speak for themselves. Congrats, Jae. Just incredible.
There are a tons of reasons why you could say Crowder deserved to be Big East POY. The main one that comes to my mind is his stats in January (pre-Gardner injury) vs. February (post-Gardner injury).
These stats are on a per-game basis (except FG%). Also, keep in mind Jae only scored 4 points in the game at Notre Dame on February 4. Note: The game against Seton Hall on 1/31 is part of the February stats since Gardner was out with the knee sprain for that game.
I think these stats pretty much speak for themselves. Congrats, Jae. Just incredible.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Bracketology - March 4
Latest update is below. Duke and North Carolina switch spots after UNC delivers a beatdown in Durham. UConn is the last team in, a win or two in the Big East Tournament would certainly help their cause. Despite Marquette's big win yesterday against G-town, the golden eagles remain on the two line. A loss for Ohio State in East Lansing today may be enough to slide the buckeyes to a 3 and bump MU up to a 2.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, UNLV, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Cincinnati
11 Colorado State, BYU, Seton Hall, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Arizona, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Connecticut
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, North Carolina
2 Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown, Baylor
4 Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wichita State
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, UNLV, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Iowa State, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Virginia, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, West Virginia, Cincinnati
11 Colorado State, BYU, Seton Hall, Washington
12 Texas, Mississippi State, Arizona, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Connecticut
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Davidson, Nevada, Belmont
15 Akron, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Bracketology - March 1
Latest and greatest is below after MU's Leap Year Letdown to Cincy last night. UConn is out after losing to Providence, replaced by South Florida who had a big win over Louisville last night. Some re-shuffling on the 4-6 lines as well.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 North Carolina, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Baylor, Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown
4 Wichita State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, UNLV, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Iowa State, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, Seton Hall, Cincinnati
11 Mississippi State, BYU, West Virginia, Washington
12 Texas, Colorado State, Arizona, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Xavier
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 North Carolina, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
3 Baylor, Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown
4 Wichita State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville
5 Florida, Vanderbilt, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, UNLV, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Iowa State, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, Seton Hall, Cincinnati
11 Mississippi State, BYU, West Virginia, Washington
12 Texas, Colorado State, Arizona, South Florida, Miami (FLA.), Xavier
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Monday, February 27, 2012
Bracketology - February 27
Updates to the S-curve are below. ND slips to the 7-line after back-to-back losses. Miami (FLA.) is one of the last four in after a convincing win over Florida State. Florida falls 2 spots after a bad loss to Georgia and the season-ending injury to Will Yeguete. Did I mention MU has a double-bye in the Big East Tournament???
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Georgetown
4 Wichita State, UNLV, Louisville, Wisconsin
5 Florida, Indiana, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, Vanderbilt, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Iowa State, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 Mississippi State, BYU, Cincinnati, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Colorado State, Arizona, Connecticut, Miami (FLA.)
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Georgetown
4 Wichita State, UNLV, Louisville, Wisconsin
5 Florida, Indiana, Temple, Gonzaga
6 Florida State, Vanderbilt, Murray State, New Mexico
7 Creighton, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Memphis, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Iowa State, California, Purdue, Southern Miss
10 Harvard, Alabama, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 Mississippi State, BYU, Cincinnati, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Colorado State, Arizona, Connecticut, Miami (FLA.)
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Bracketology - February 24
Latest and greatest seed predictions are below after last night's MONSTER win over West Virginia. Some minor shuffling of seeds since February 21. Colorado State sneaks in after their win over New Mexico.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Florida
4 Wichita State, UNLV, Louisville, Georgetown
5 Wisconsin, Florida State, Temple, New Mexico
6 Indiana, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Gonzaga
7 Creighton, Murray State, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Memphis, California, Harvard, Iowa State
10 Purdue, Mississippi State, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 Alabama, BYU, Cincinnati, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Colorado State, Arizona, Connecticut, North Carolina State
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Florida
4 Wichita State, UNLV, Louisville, Georgetown
5 Wisconsin, Florida State, Temple, New Mexico
6 Indiana, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Gonzaga
7 Creighton, Murray State, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Memphis, California, Harvard, Iowa State
10 Purdue, Mississippi State, Seton Hall, West Virginia
11 Alabama, BYU, Cincinnati, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Colorado State, Arizona, Connecticut, North Carolina State
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Belmont
15 Davidson, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Stony Brook, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Bracketology - February 21
I'm taking a crack at bracket predictions this year. Keeping it simple, just trying to predict which teams will fall under each seed. I'll try to update it every couple of days. You can also find these picks along with others at the Bracket Matrix here. Enjoy.
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Florida
4 Wisconsin, UNLV, Louisville, Georgetown
5 Wichita State, Florida State, Temple, New Mexico
6 Indiana, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Gonzaga
7 Creighton, Murray State, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Memphis, California, West Virginia, Iowa State
10 Harvard, Purdue, Mississippi State, Seton Hall
11 Alabama, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Miami (FLA.), Arizona, Cincinnati, North Carolina State
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Davidson
15 Belmont, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
1 Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Duke
2 Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Missouri
3 Marquette, Baylor, Michigan, Florida
4 Wisconsin, UNLV, Louisville, Georgetown
5 Wichita State, Florida State, Temple, New Mexico
6 Indiana, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Gonzaga
7 Creighton, Murray State, San Diego State, Kansas State
8 Virginia, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, St. Mary's (CA)
9 Memphis, California, West Virginia, Iowa State
10 Harvard, Purdue, Mississippi State, Seton Hall
11 Alabama, BYU, Connecticut, Washington
12 Texas, Xavier, Miami (FLA.), Arizona, Cincinnati, North Carolina State
13 Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Iona
14 Drexel, Akron, Nevada, Davidson
15 Belmont, Weber State, Valparaiso, Bucknell
16 LIU-Brooklyn, Texas-Arlington, Vermont, NC-Asheville, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Who Are Marquette's Go-To Scorers?
After playing 13 non-conference games and 8 conference games, Marquette is averaging 76.3 points per game, good enough for second in the Big East. It's no secret that this team likes to pick up the tempo and score in bunches in transition and off of three-pointers.
If somebody asked you who this team's go-to scorers are, you might say Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder without thinking twice about it. But are they the team's only go-to scorers? Are they even the go-to scorers on a regular basis? I decided to dig into this a little further, looking at DJO, Crowder, and a few others I think have made a significant impact in terms of scoring.
DJONot much of a surprise here, DJO has lead the team in scoring all season long. He's lightning quick in transition, and can get hot in a hurry from beyond the arc. Not to mention, he makes an exorbitant amount of 2-point jumpers from 15 feet and out. He has scored 20 points or more 7 times this season, and the one time he didn't score in double-figures was the game he didn't play in against Northern Colorado. Point made, DJO is a go-to scorer on this team.
Jae Crowder
Similar to DJO, Crowder is a pretty versatile player in his own right. He'll take his fair share of three-pointers, but scores plenty of points underneath the basket as well. His trimmed physique this season has given him some added speed which has given him an increased role in the transition game. Over 21 games, Crowder has scored 20 or more points 4 times this season, and has 17 games in double figures overall. While he has had 4 quiet nights, he hasn't had a game with less than 9 points in over a month.
Todd Mayo
I look at Todd Mayo the way the ESPN analysts look at Tyshawn Taylor from Kansas: At some points he looks like a dominant player who can score in a variety of ways, and at other points he looks incredibly raw and just makes you scratch your head. That being said, Mayo is only a freshman, and I'm very excited about the upward potential he brings to this team. Mayo put up 22 points against Northern Colorado, but has been very streaky in conference play as one might expect from a player that's both talented and unpolished. Over his last 7 games (starting with @ Georgetown), Mayo's point totals have been 16, 4, 12, 9, 11, 10, 4.
Davante Gardner
After Chris Otule's season-ending ACL injury against Washington, the Ox in the Box has stepped up in a big way. After averaging only 9 minutes a game in 2010-11, Gardner has averaged 20 minutes per game this season, and even played for 34 minutes against St. John's. Naturally, along with additional playing time has come additional points (and unfortunately additional foul troubles too). Because of his 290-pound frame Gardner tends to draw a lot of contact in the paint which gets him to the charity stripe often, and he has such a soft touch that he gets a favorable roll on a lot of his shots. Davante has been in double-figures 9 times this season, with his career night of 22 points coming in that game against St. John's (I guess God'sgift just couldn't handle the Ox).
Jamil Wison
Although he's been more of a role-playing scorer at this point, Wilson has shown he has plenty of scoring potential. He has a sweet stroke on baseline jump shots, and has become more physical in the paint since conference play began. While Otule's injury has given Gardner added minutes, it's also given Jamil more playing time as well. J-Wil has scored 11 or more points 3 times this season, including a career-high 16 points against Providence last week. While he's very athletic and versatile, Wilson is still a little raw and has potential to immediately fill in Crowder's stat. line next season.
Here's a summary of these players and point totals per game put into 3 different buckets
If somebody asked you who this team's go-to scorers are, you might say Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder without thinking twice about it. But are they the team's only go-to scorers? Are they even the go-to scorers on a regular basis? I decided to dig into this a little further, looking at DJO, Crowder, and a few others I think have made a significant impact in terms of scoring.
DJOJae Crowder
Similar to DJO, Crowder is a pretty versatile player in his own right. He'll take his fair share of three-pointers, but scores plenty of points underneath the basket as well. His trimmed physique this season has given him some added speed which has given him an increased role in the transition game. Over 21 games, Crowder has scored 20 or more points 4 times this season, and has 17 games in double figures overall. While he has had 4 quiet nights, he hasn't had a game with less than 9 points in over a month.
Todd Mayo
I look at Todd Mayo the way the ESPN analysts look at Tyshawn Taylor from Kansas: At some points he looks like a dominant player who can score in a variety of ways, and at other points he looks incredibly raw and just makes you scratch your head. That being said, Mayo is only a freshman, and I'm very excited about the upward potential he brings to this team. Mayo put up 22 points against Northern Colorado, but has been very streaky in conference play as one might expect from a player that's both talented and unpolished. Over his last 7 games (starting with @ Georgetown), Mayo's point totals have been 16, 4, 12, 9, 11, 10, 4.
Davante Gardner
After Chris Otule's season-ending ACL injury against Washington, the Ox in the Box has stepped up in a big way. After averaging only 9 minutes a game in 2010-11, Gardner has averaged 20 minutes per game this season, and even played for 34 minutes against St. John's. Naturally, along with additional playing time has come additional points (and unfortunately additional foul troubles too). Because of his 290-pound frame Gardner tends to draw a lot of contact in the paint which gets him to the charity stripe often, and he has such a soft touch that he gets a favorable roll on a lot of his shots. Davante has been in double-figures 9 times this season, with his career night of 22 points coming in that game against St. John's (I guess God'sgift just couldn't handle the Ox).
Jamil Wison
Although he's been more of a role-playing scorer at this point, Wilson has shown he has plenty of scoring potential. He has a sweet stroke on baseline jump shots, and has become more physical in the paint since conference play began. While Otule's injury has given Gardner added minutes, it's also given Jamil more playing time as well. J-Wil has scored 11 or more points 3 times this season, including a career-high 16 points against Providence last week. While he's very athletic and versatile, Wilson is still a little raw and has potential to immediately fill in Crowder's stat. line next season.
Here's a summary of these players and point totals per game put into 3 different buckets
| Name | 0-9 | 10-19 | 20+ |
| DJO | 1 | 13 | 7 |
| Jae Crowder | 4 | 13 | 4 |
| Todd Mayo | 8 | 12 | 1 |
| Davante Gardner | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| Jamil Wilson | 18 | 3 | 0 |
So what's the conclusion here? How many go-to scorers are on this team? I guess you could say the answer is three. Clearly DJO and Crowder are the top two consistent scorers on a nightly basis. The third guy? I think it's a go-to-scorer by committee. Mayo, Gardner, and Wilson aren't consistent enough to put up the same numbers as Crowder and DJO (partially because of minutes played and partially because of experience), but they're good enough to pepper in a few great performances here and there which is enough to create a consistent scoring presence from a third person. In a sense, I like that because we're not relying heavily on a third person, but instead we're relying on three other guys to be that third person. If Crowder has a quiet night, there are three other guys that can pick up the slack. Would I like one of those three guys to be more consistent? Absolutely. But assuming they continue to perform well down the stretch, I'll take what we have.
Photos courtesy of Marquette Tribune and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Photos courtesy of Marquette Tribune and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
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