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
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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
Sunday, December 11, 2011
A Few Thoughts on Being Ranked in the Top 25
With Marquette being ranked 11th in the country at the moment, it seems like a good time to give a few thoughts on what that ranking actually means. Rankings come out every week and tell the viewing public who the best teams are in college basketball. But what do they really mean? Should I feel good about seeing my team in the top 25, or is it a false sense of security? And most importantly (as Yogi Berra might ask): if you're in the top 25, are you really in the top 25?
Let's start with how the rankings are done. There are two main rankings these days, the Associated Press poll and the Coaches poll. Each week, basketball writers for the AP rank who they feel are the top 25 teams in the country. The same is done from a handful of coaches for their respective poll. The polls usually come out around Monday at noon each week. And of course, it is done to begin each season as well.
How do teams get voted into the top 25? While there is no secret formula for the voting (and I suspect there is often a lack of care put into it since it's pretty much impossible to watch all 50-100 of the top teams regularly to see who should be in the top 25), I think there are two main factors that put a team in the top 25.
Number one: is the team good enough overall to merit being in the top 25? I know this sounds vague so let me explain. Being "good enough" to be in the top 25 is based on a few factors: talent, record, and strength of schedule. Talent is easy to figure out. Do they shoot a high percentage from the floor? Do they play tough on defense? Do they generate turnovers? Do they play well as a team? How efficient are they offensively and defensively? This is usually determined through a team's stats as well as the all-important eye-test (did they look good when I watched them?). Record helps take the grey area out of judging based on talent (sure they looked good when I watched them, but did they win the game?). As the season progresses, teams can accumulate more losses and still be in the top 25, but usually teams with the best records will be in the top 25. Scheduling gives teams a break that play really tough teams, so that a team isn't penalized too much if they lose to another tough team, or lose on the road.
Number two: how hot is this team right now? Every season you'll see a handful of teams make their way into the top 25 for a couple weeks after winning 6 or 7 games in a row, only to drop out of the rankings after falling back to earth with a couple losses. A lot of the time it happens with teams from mid-major or high-major conferences. Harvard cracked the top 25 this season for the first time in school history and then lost to UConn, so we'll have to see if they end up getting back in the list or if it was just a fluke. The reverse can also apply, with a team who should be in the top 25 being knocked out for a week or two because of a losing streak.
Connecticut. The 2010-11 UConn Huskies provide a good example of both of these scenarios. Preseason, UConn was unranked. After storming through the Maui Invitational with wins over #2 Michigan State and #9 Kentucky, the huskies jumped to #7 in the AP Poll, and 9 in the Coaches Poll. They stayed in the top 25 for the rest of the year, but limped into the Big East tournament going 4-7 down the stretch and finishing 9-9 in conference play. UConn was ranked at the end of the regular season, but after being in the top 10 for most of the season, they had now fallen to 21 in the AP Poll, and 19 in the Coaches Poll. Of course, the rest is history. They rolled through the Big East Tournament with a 5-0 record, and won it all in the NCAA Tourney with a win over Butler in the championship. Winning it all of course gets you a #1 ranking at the end of the post-season, as it should.
So which team did we see in 2010-11? Was it a team that was good enough to merit being in the top 25? Or was it just a team that got hot at the right times and did just enough to stay in the top 25 for most of the season? Like it or not, the answer is both. UConn started out on a hot stretch in the beginning of the season which got them in the top 25. Throughout the season, they had wins over Texas, Villanova, Georgetown, and Marquette (I know, shameless plug putting MU into the "quality win" category), enough to keep them high in the rankings. Once they slid at the end, their cold streak nearly knocked them out of the rankings, as one more loss probably would've taken away the number next to their name (they may had been knocked out anyways if a couple of their losses weren't quality losses). Come tournament time, winning the BE tournament showed they were on a hot streak. What we'd eventually see though is that they were playing their best basketball of the season at that point. In the NCAA Tournament, it could be interpreted as an extension of the hot streak, but I think it was at this point the huskies were just playing better as a team, and no longer riding a streak of exceptionally good basketball. Based on how the tournament is set up, whoever wins the championship will have to beat multiple styles of teams, and the huskies did just that. Being able to beat different styles of teams (and very good teams at that) isn't just the mark of a good team, it's the mark of a great team. That top 25 team was good enough all along to be in the list, it was just inconsistent at times, that's all.
Do these polls matter at all? For a poll to matter, I think it should mean that it has some type of effect on a team's post-season. And in this case, the answer is no. In the case of college football, the polls matter greatly, as a team's ranking at the end of the regular season determines whether or not they make a BCS bowl game.
So what benefit is there to having the polls at all? The benefit to having these polls is purely for the media and conversational purposes. It gives people a sense of who is relevant during the season, and makes for water cooler talk at the office. Have I missed seeing a number next to MU whenever they're on a schedule or a scoreboard or a bottom line on ESPN? Absolutely. Seeing that "Marq 11" on my tv lets me know that people besides myself think MU is relevant and that there will be an abundant amount of articles written about them for me to read throughout the season. "Hey will there be highlights of the Marquette game on Sportscenter tonight?" "I don't know, are they ranked?" If the answer is yes, then you along with millions of other people will likely see the exposure the team is getting from the media. And if not, only the die-hard college basketball fans will know what you've done on a weekly basis.
Let me finish by saying this. Sure, worrying about whether or not your team is ranked is purely emotional. But then again, isn't following your team, and sports in general, purely emotional anyways?
Let's start with how the rankings are done. There are two main rankings these days, the Associated Press poll and the Coaches poll. Each week, basketball writers for the AP rank who they feel are the top 25 teams in the country. The same is done from a handful of coaches for their respective poll. The polls usually come out around Monday at noon each week. And of course, it is done to begin each season as well.
How do teams get voted into the top 25? While there is no secret formula for the voting (and I suspect there is often a lack of care put into it since it's pretty much impossible to watch all 50-100 of the top teams regularly to see who should be in the top 25), I think there are two main factors that put a team in the top 25.
Number one: is the team good enough overall to merit being in the top 25? I know this sounds vague so let me explain. Being "good enough" to be in the top 25 is based on a few factors: talent, record, and strength of schedule. Talent is easy to figure out. Do they shoot a high percentage from the floor? Do they play tough on defense? Do they generate turnovers? Do they play well as a team? How efficient are they offensively and defensively? This is usually determined through a team's stats as well as the all-important eye-test (did they look good when I watched them?). Record helps take the grey area out of judging based on talent (sure they looked good when I watched them, but did they win the game?). As the season progresses, teams can accumulate more losses and still be in the top 25, but usually teams with the best records will be in the top 25. Scheduling gives teams a break that play really tough teams, so that a team isn't penalized too much if they lose to another tough team, or lose on the road.
Number two: how hot is this team right now? Every season you'll see a handful of teams make their way into the top 25 for a couple weeks after winning 6 or 7 games in a row, only to drop out of the rankings after falling back to earth with a couple losses. A lot of the time it happens with teams from mid-major or high-major conferences. Harvard cracked the top 25 this season for the first time in school history and then lost to UConn, so we'll have to see if they end up getting back in the list or if it was just a fluke. The reverse can also apply, with a team who should be in the top 25 being knocked out for a week or two because of a losing streak.
Connecticut. The 2010-11 UConn Huskies provide a good example of both of these scenarios. Preseason, UConn was unranked. After storming through the Maui Invitational with wins over #2 Michigan State and #9 Kentucky, the huskies jumped to #7 in the AP Poll, and 9 in the Coaches Poll. They stayed in the top 25 for the rest of the year, but limped into the Big East tournament going 4-7 down the stretch and finishing 9-9 in conference play. UConn was ranked at the end of the regular season, but after being in the top 10 for most of the season, they had now fallen to 21 in the AP Poll, and 19 in the Coaches Poll. Of course, the rest is history. They rolled through the Big East Tournament with a 5-0 record, and won it all in the NCAA Tourney with a win over Butler in the championship. Winning it all of course gets you a #1 ranking at the end of the post-season, as it should.
So which team did we see in 2010-11? Was it a team that was good enough to merit being in the top 25? Or was it just a team that got hot at the right times and did just enough to stay in the top 25 for most of the season? Like it or not, the answer is both. UConn started out on a hot stretch in the beginning of the season which got them in the top 25. Throughout the season, they had wins over Texas, Villanova, Georgetown, and Marquette (I know, shameless plug putting MU into the "quality win" category), enough to keep them high in the rankings. Once they slid at the end, their cold streak nearly knocked them out of the rankings, as one more loss probably would've taken away the number next to their name (they may had been knocked out anyways if a couple of their losses weren't quality losses). Come tournament time, winning the BE tournament showed they were on a hot streak. What we'd eventually see though is that they were playing their best basketball of the season at that point. In the NCAA Tournament, it could be interpreted as an extension of the hot streak, but I think it was at this point the huskies were just playing better as a team, and no longer riding a streak of exceptionally good basketball. Based on how the tournament is set up, whoever wins the championship will have to beat multiple styles of teams, and the huskies did just that. Being able to beat different styles of teams (and very good teams at that) isn't just the mark of a good team, it's the mark of a great team. That top 25 team was good enough all along to be in the list, it was just inconsistent at times, that's all.
Do these polls matter at all? For a poll to matter, I think it should mean that it has some type of effect on a team's post-season. And in this case, the answer is no. In the case of college football, the polls matter greatly, as a team's ranking at the end of the regular season determines whether or not they make a BCS bowl game.
So what benefit is there to having the polls at all? The benefit to having these polls is purely for the media and conversational purposes. It gives people a sense of who is relevant during the season, and makes for water cooler talk at the office. Have I missed seeing a number next to MU whenever they're on a schedule or a scoreboard or a bottom line on ESPN? Absolutely. Seeing that "Marq 11" on my tv lets me know that people besides myself think MU is relevant and that there will be an abundant amount of articles written about them for me to read throughout the season. "Hey will there be highlights of the Marquette game on Sportscenter tonight?" "I don't know, are they ranked?" If the answer is yes, then you along with millions of other people will likely see the exposure the team is getting from the media. And if not, only the die-hard college basketball fans will know what you've done on a weekly basis.
Let me finish by saying this. Sure, worrying about whether or not your team is ranked is purely emotional. But then again, isn't following your team, and sports in general, purely emotional anyways?
Saturday, December 3, 2011
5 Things We Learned about these Eagles in November
After a long hiatus, Stuck in 1977 is back for the season. And on this gameday against evil Wisconsin, it's time to look back on what this team has shown us over the last 30 days. So far we've seen flashes of greatness from this team, and proof of why they're ranked 16th in the country. But every team has their faults, and MU is no different. Enjoy.
1. This team is very fast and can score in bunches
Buzz's eagles have shown they are a team that loves to get out into transition and score quickly. The transition game is lead by DJO, Junior Cadougan, and Vander Blue. This team has struggled with the transition game in recent years, but that is no more. And the numbers show. Marquette has scored over 90 points in 4 of their 6 contests (88 against Jacksonville) and is averaging over 70 possessions per game. Part of what makes this team so dangerous is that the transition game can turn a close game into a blowout. Marquette was up by 9 points going into the half against Jacksonville, and after a couple 3-balls by Jae Crowder and a couple buckets in transition, they were up 20 points and never looked back. This team is going to be a ton of fun to watch all season long.
2. Darius Johnson-Odom has answered the call of being this team's undisputed leader
A preseason All-Big East selection, DJO has shown in the first six games why he has deserved that honor. So far he leads the team in nearly every offensive category: PPG (20), 3-pt FG made and % (14 and 47%), and free throws made and attempted (33 and 43). Not to mention, he leads the team in one of the most important overall stats: minutes played (28 per game). He also won the MVP of the Paradise Jam for his stellar play throughout the entire tournament After Jimmy Butler's departure last year, there were concerns amongst the MU faithful about who would be the guy to step up and take over the team, no more. The kid pretty much does everything you want out of a 2-guard: plays great in transition, can drive to the rack, shoots a high percentage from around the floor, and most importantly is the guy you want to feed the rock to when the game is on the line (see Marquette vs. Syracuse, circa 2011 of the NCAA Tournament). Look for DJO to make a run at first team All-American if he takes the golden eagles deep into the post-season.
3. Jae Crowder has managed to get even better than he was last year
MU fans were pleasantly surprised to see JUCO transfer Jae Crowder's production last year. He seemed to be everywhere on the floor, hitting threes, scoring in the post, and cleaning up on putback shots. This year, he's added an important facet to his game: speed. Yes, I mentioned DJO, Blue, and Cadougan as the leaders in transition offense, but who are they feeding the ball to? If they're not taking it to the hole themselves, Crowder is often the guy with them on that end of the floor helping create mis-matches in numbers. Crowder's offensive production is way up at this point compared to last year (partly due to Jimmy MF Butler's departure), but he's also putting himself in a position to score a lot more often. Last year a 25-point performance from Crowder was a shocker and a marvel. This year it'll be just another game for this kid.
4. The newbies are already showing there is room for growth
This season has a cast of 4 newcomers: Todd Mayo, Jamil Wilson (sat out last season due to transferring), Derrick Wilson, and Juan Anderson. While the roster is top-heavy with experience from guys like DJO, Crowder, Cadougan, and Blue, these kids are still making an impact with the time they've had on the floor. Todd Mayo has looked sloppy at times handling the ball on offense, but he can score in the transition game and plays good on-the-ball defense. Jamil Wilson has shown he can do a bit of everything, from grabbing boards to making the two-point jumper to feeding the open man under the basket. Even though Juan Anderson has so far only played in garbage time against Jacksonville, the kid was diving all over the floor for loose balls and didn't have the "Oh my God I have the ball I need to score to impress my coaches!" mentality. The newcomers give this team added depth that could prove to be crucial down the stretch, as well as hope that this team will continue to be very talented in the future.
5. We STILL struggle against the 2-3 zone
AAAHHH!!! What is it about the 2-3 zone that we can't figure out? Did we forget about beating Syracuse twice last year? This issue somehow has stuck around with the team since the Tom Crean days, likely due to lake of size in the paint. In the championship in the Virgin Islands against Norfolk State (who we had beaten by 31 points the week before, by the way), MU quickly got up to a 16-point lead, and it looked as though the game was already in the bag. 6 minutes into the game, the spartans switched from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, and the golden eagles just looked lost and confused against it. There was virtually zero penetration in the paint, and no type of strategy on how to stop it. Buzz also refused to call a timeout because he wanted to let his team figure it out on their own, and they struggled mightily because of it. Eventually they began to feed the ball inside to Davante Gardner, but by that point in the second half the game was already so tight they couldn't get enough momentum to pull away. MU managed to do just enough to win by 2 points, but the W certainly felt like a L. Soon they'll realize that you need to play inside-out to attack this zone (feed it inside to Gardner or Otule, collapse the defense, and either go up for the bucket or kick it back out to an open man), and hopefully they'll learn soon. MU better learn how to beat this zone quickly, because they'll certainly have to face a zone defense against Syracuse, Louisville, and West Virginia, and may have to face it at other points in the season too.
Marquette storms into Mad-town today with their perfect 6-0 record on the line in hopes of taking down the #7-ranked Badgers before they head to MSG to take on Washington. Previews of the game can be found here:
Cracked Sidewalks
Anonymous Eagle
MarquetteHoops.com
JS Online
1. This team is very fast and can score in bunches
Buzz's eagles have shown they are a team that loves to get out into transition and score quickly. The transition game is lead by DJO, Junior Cadougan, and Vander Blue. This team has struggled with the transition game in recent years, but that is no more. And the numbers show. Marquette has scored over 90 points in 4 of their 6 contests (88 against Jacksonville) and is averaging over 70 possessions per game. Part of what makes this team so dangerous is that the transition game can turn a close game into a blowout. Marquette was up by 9 points going into the half against Jacksonville, and after a couple 3-balls by Jae Crowder and a couple buckets in transition, they were up 20 points and never looked back. This team is going to be a ton of fun to watch all season long.
2. Darius Johnson-Odom has answered the call of being this team's undisputed leader
A preseason All-Big East selection, DJO has shown in the first six games why he has deserved that honor. So far he leads the team in nearly every offensive category: PPG (20), 3-pt FG made and % (14 and 47%), and free throws made and attempted (33 and 43). Not to mention, he leads the team in one of the most important overall stats: minutes played (28 per game). He also won the MVP of the Paradise Jam for his stellar play throughout the entire tournament After Jimmy Butler's departure last year, there were concerns amongst the MU faithful about who would be the guy to step up and take over the team, no more. The kid pretty much does everything you want out of a 2-guard: plays great in transition, can drive to the rack, shoots a high percentage from around the floor, and most importantly is the guy you want to feed the rock to when the game is on the line (see Marquette vs. Syracuse, circa 2011 of the NCAA Tournament). Look for DJO to make a run at first team All-American if he takes the golden eagles deep into the post-season.
3. Jae Crowder has managed to get even better than he was last year
MU fans were pleasantly surprised to see JUCO transfer Jae Crowder's production last year. He seemed to be everywhere on the floor, hitting threes, scoring in the post, and cleaning up on putback shots. This year, he's added an important facet to his game: speed. Yes, I mentioned DJO, Blue, and Cadougan as the leaders in transition offense, but who are they feeding the ball to? If they're not taking it to the hole themselves, Crowder is often the guy with them on that end of the floor helping create mis-matches in numbers. Crowder's offensive production is way up at this point compared to last year (partly due to Jimmy MF Butler's departure), but he's also putting himself in a position to score a lot more often. Last year a 25-point performance from Crowder was a shocker and a marvel. This year it'll be just another game for this kid.
4. The newbies are already showing there is room for growth
This season has a cast of 4 newcomers: Todd Mayo, Jamil Wilson (sat out last season due to transferring), Derrick Wilson, and Juan Anderson. While the roster is top-heavy with experience from guys like DJO, Crowder, Cadougan, and Blue, these kids are still making an impact with the time they've had on the floor. Todd Mayo has looked sloppy at times handling the ball on offense, but he can score in the transition game and plays good on-the-ball defense. Jamil Wilson has shown he can do a bit of everything, from grabbing boards to making the two-point jumper to feeding the open man under the basket. Even though Juan Anderson has so far only played in garbage time against Jacksonville, the kid was diving all over the floor for loose balls and didn't have the "Oh my God I have the ball I need to score to impress my coaches!" mentality. The newcomers give this team added depth that could prove to be crucial down the stretch, as well as hope that this team will continue to be very talented in the future.
5. We STILL struggle against the 2-3 zone
AAAHHH!!! What is it about the 2-3 zone that we can't figure out? Did we forget about beating Syracuse twice last year? This issue somehow has stuck around with the team since the Tom Crean days, likely due to lake of size in the paint. In the championship in the Virgin Islands against Norfolk State (who we had beaten by 31 points the week before, by the way), MU quickly got up to a 16-point lead, and it looked as though the game was already in the bag. 6 minutes into the game, the spartans switched from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, and the golden eagles just looked lost and confused against it. There was virtually zero penetration in the paint, and no type of strategy on how to stop it. Buzz also refused to call a timeout because he wanted to let his team figure it out on their own, and they struggled mightily because of it. Eventually they began to feed the ball inside to Davante Gardner, but by that point in the second half the game was already so tight they couldn't get enough momentum to pull away. MU managed to do just enough to win by 2 points, but the W certainly felt like a L. Soon they'll realize that you need to play inside-out to attack this zone (feed it inside to Gardner or Otule, collapse the defense, and either go up for the bucket or kick it back out to an open man), and hopefully they'll learn soon. MU better learn how to beat this zone quickly, because they'll certainly have to face a zone defense against Syracuse, Louisville, and West Virginia, and may have to face it at other points in the season too.
Marquette storms into Mad-town today with their perfect 6-0 record on the line in hopes of taking down the #7-ranked Badgers before they head to MSG to take on Washington. Previews of the game can be found here:
Cracked Sidewalks
Anonymous Eagle
MarquetteHoops.com
JS Online
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sorry for the Delay
Yes, I'm sure you've all figured out by now that the Marquette season is well underway. After a close call over Norfolk State, MU is now 5-0 going into the long weekend. Check back here next week for the "5 things we've learned so far" post about the 2011-12 squad. Happy Holidays.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Offseason News and Notes
Since we're in the college basketball doldrums, aka summer, I figured it's time to put up some off-the-court news to help pass the time until early November. Enjoy.
A look at the newcomers for 2011-12:
Juan Anderson - 4-star, 6'6 wing who can do just about everything. Averaged 17 points, 7 boards and 3 assists per game this season. He'll be playing behind Jae Crowder and Jamil Wilson next season, but should be able to make an impact in the limited playing time he'll get. Look for him to break out his sophomore season.
Todd Mayo - 6'3 SG, with great basketball genes in the bloodline. If we can get talent similar to brother O.J without the baggage, we'll have a dynamite player in Todd Mayo.
Derrick Wilson - 6"0 PG with good quickness. Shouldn't be seeing much PT this season as he'll be behind Blue and Cadougan on the depth chart.
Jamil Wilson - Technically a newcomer since he had to red-shirt last season due to transferring from Oregon. He's gotten a lot of hype since coming to MU. Very athletic and versatile forward. Likely to be a starter once the roster shakes out.
Jake Thomas - Walk-on transfer from South Dakota with good shooting range. He'll be sitting out this season.
And the outgoers:
Eric Williams and Dave Singleton have both left the program. Williams is transferring to Sam Houston State where he'll have 2 years of eligibility left. Plenty to speculate about with this move (injuries, playing time, etc), but whatever the reason is it's too bad because it seems like Williams was maturing into the role of being either a starter or 6th man for this season. The departure of Singleton should have little to no impact on the team going forward.
Steve Cottingham, the Athletic Director since 2007 is stepping down as well. No replacement has been named yet.
Alumni Updates
Dwayne Wade has been his usual dominant self in the NBA this season, averaging 25 points, 6 boards and 5 assists per game, and his playoff numbers so far are slightly better than those averages. Even with the addition of Lebron James and Chris Bosh to the line-up this season, Wade is still the leader of the team. Even though the Heat fell short of winning the title this year (depending on which newspaper you read), Wade still had yet another fantastic season.
Wes Matthews has been earning every bit of that $34 million contract he signed with Portland, averaging 15.9 ppg (2nd on the team), 3 rpg, and 2 apg. The Trailblazers made it to the playoffs but were knocked out by the eventual champs, the Mavs, in the first round in 6 games.
Lazar Hayward had a quiet rookie season, but nonetheless productive. He played in 42 games and averaged 4 ppg while only playing 10 minutes per game. The Timberwolves can't possibly get any worse (or can they?) which hopefully translates into more playing time for Lazar next season.
Doc Rivers led the Boston Celtics to the second round of the NBA playoffs before getting knocked out by Dwayne Wade and the Heat. After the playoffs, he signed a 5-year, $35 million extension with the Celtics. On a side note, his son Austin is ranked as the #1 player in this year's freshman class and is headed to none other than Duke. Congrats Doc!
Jerel McNeal had a spectacular year in the NBA Development League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. McNeal averaged 19 ppg during the regular season and 28, 7, and 6.5 in the playoffs. The Vipers made it to the championship but fell to the Iowa Energy 2-1. In the lone win over Iowa, Jerel had 37 points, 9 boards and 8 assists. He also signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets while Chris Paul was injured, but didn't see any playing time. Hopefully his work from this season will get noticed by teams around the NBA.
Dominic James had a decent season with Lukoil Academik Sofia in Bulgaria, with 14 ppg, shooting 66% from inside the arc, and a season-high game of 25 points. Lukoil ran the table during the regular season with an impressive 28-0 record and was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Krka in the EuroChallenge.
Steve Novak picked a bad time (ok, I guess he didn't "pick" it) to leave the Mavs for the Spurs. Novak was traded mid-season to the Spurs but still spent most of his time riding the bench, playing just 9 minutes per game. For those 9 minutes he was in each game, his shooting percentages were pretty impressive, shooting 57% from beyond the arc and 52% overall from the field. Had he been nonexistent with the Mavs instead of the Spurs, he may have been the third MU alum in the last 5 years to get a championship under his belt.
Travis Diener had a solid year in the Italian League, Series A for Dinamo Sassari, averaging 13 points and 5 assists per game. The club finished with a record of 13-15, 9th place in the league out of 16 teams. Nice fo-hawk, Travis.
Maurice Acker is playing in the Premier Basketball League in Canada for the Quebec Kebs. What is a Keb you ask? Keb is short for Kebekwa which means Quebecker (real creative!). Acker only averaged 8 ppg this season, but had an assist/turnover ratio above 2. The Kebs went 15-8 in the regular season and finished second in their division.
Dwight Burke played in the Czech Republic for Ostrava for most of the season and ended with Evreux in France. Burke had a productive season, averaging 13.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg despite being sidelined for 3 weeks with an ankle injury.
Brian Wardle, as you may know, finished up his first year of coaching for the UW-Green Bay Phoenix. The team went 14-18 overall and was knocked out by Wright State in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
Congrats to Jimmy Butler! Butler was the 30th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in this year's NBA draft. Scores of articles have come out in the past week about the journey Jimmy's been on from being homeless, to faxing in his NLI from a McDonald's, to now making a 6-figure salary (and maybe more) right out of college. This is now the second year in a row a MU player has been drafted in the first round. Both Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler had impressive performances at pre-draft camps and the scouts took notice. On a side note, I haven't worn a Bulls jersey since I had a black Jordan jersey in middle school 15 years ago. This may be reason enough for me to get a new one.
Nice picture below of Jimmy and Buzz at the Berto Center. To those who don't know, Jimmy picked 21 as a "tip of the cap" to Joe Fulce, who was his roommate this last season.
That's all for now. Updates on Cottingham's replacement to follow soon.
A look at the newcomers for 2011-12:
Juan Anderson - 4-star, 6'6 wing who can do just about everything. Averaged 17 points, 7 boards and 3 assists per game this season. He'll be playing behind Jae Crowder and Jamil Wilson next season, but should be able to make an impact in the limited playing time he'll get. Look for him to break out his sophomore season.
Todd Mayo - 6'3 SG, with great basketball genes in the bloodline. If we can get talent similar to brother O.J without the baggage, we'll have a dynamite player in Todd Mayo.
Derrick Wilson - 6"0 PG with good quickness. Shouldn't be seeing much PT this season as he'll be behind Blue and Cadougan on the depth chart.
Jamil Wilson - Technically a newcomer since he had to red-shirt last season due to transferring from Oregon. He's gotten a lot of hype since coming to MU. Very athletic and versatile forward. Likely to be a starter once the roster shakes out.
Jake Thomas - Walk-on transfer from South Dakota with good shooting range. He'll be sitting out this season.
And the outgoers:
Eric Williams and Dave Singleton have both left the program. Williams is transferring to Sam Houston State where he'll have 2 years of eligibility left. Plenty to speculate about with this move (injuries, playing time, etc), but whatever the reason is it's too bad because it seems like Williams was maturing into the role of being either a starter or 6th man for this season. The departure of Singleton should have little to no impact on the team going forward.
Steve Cottingham, the Athletic Director since 2007 is stepping down as well. No replacement has been named yet.
Alumni Updates
Dwayne Wade has been his usual dominant self in the NBA this season, averaging 25 points, 6 boards and 5 assists per game, and his playoff numbers so far are slightly better than those averages. Even with the addition of Lebron James and Chris Bosh to the line-up this season, Wade is still the leader of the team. Even though the Heat fell short of winning the title this year (depending on which newspaper you read), Wade still had yet another fantastic season.
Wes Matthews has been earning every bit of that $34 million contract he signed with Portland, averaging 15.9 ppg (2nd on the team), 3 rpg, and 2 apg. The Trailblazers made it to the playoffs but were knocked out by the eventual champs, the Mavs, in the first round in 6 games.
Lazar Hayward had a quiet rookie season, but nonetheless productive. He played in 42 games and averaged 4 ppg while only playing 10 minutes per game. The Timberwolves can't possibly get any worse (or can they?) which hopefully translates into more playing time for Lazar next season.
Doc Rivers led the Boston Celtics to the second round of the NBA playoffs before getting knocked out by Dwayne Wade and the Heat. After the playoffs, he signed a 5-year, $35 million extension with the Celtics. On a side note, his son Austin is ranked as the #1 player in this year's freshman class and is headed to none other than Duke. Congrats Doc!
Jerel McNeal had a spectacular year in the NBA Development League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. McNeal averaged 19 ppg during the regular season and 28, 7, and 6.5 in the playoffs. The Vipers made it to the championship but fell to the Iowa Energy 2-1. In the lone win over Iowa, Jerel had 37 points, 9 boards and 8 assists. He also signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets while Chris Paul was injured, but didn't see any playing time. Hopefully his work from this season will get noticed by teams around the NBA.
Dominic James had a decent season with Lukoil Academik Sofia in Bulgaria, with 14 ppg, shooting 66% from inside the arc, and a season-high game of 25 points. Lukoil ran the table during the regular season with an impressive 28-0 record and was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Krka in the EuroChallenge.
Steve Novak picked a bad time (ok, I guess he didn't "pick" it) to leave the Mavs for the Spurs. Novak was traded mid-season to the Spurs but still spent most of his time riding the bench, playing just 9 minutes per game. For those 9 minutes he was in each game, his shooting percentages were pretty impressive, shooting 57% from beyond the arc and 52% overall from the field. Had he been nonexistent with the Mavs instead of the Spurs, he may have been the third MU alum in the last 5 years to get a championship under his belt.
Travis Diener had a solid year in the Italian League, Series A for Dinamo Sassari, averaging 13 points and 5 assists per game. The club finished with a record of 13-15, 9th place in the league out of 16 teams. Nice fo-hawk, Travis.
Maurice Acker is playing in the Premier Basketball League in Canada for the Quebec Kebs. What is a Keb you ask? Keb is short for Kebekwa which means Quebecker (real creative!). Acker only averaged 8 ppg this season, but had an assist/turnover ratio above 2. The Kebs went 15-8 in the regular season and finished second in their division.
Dwight Burke played in the Czech Republic for Ostrava for most of the season and ended with Evreux in France. Burke had a productive season, averaging 13.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg despite being sidelined for 3 weeks with an ankle injury.
Brian Wardle, as you may know, finished up his first year of coaching for the UW-Green Bay Phoenix. The team went 14-18 overall and was knocked out by Wright State in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
Congrats to Jimmy Butler! Butler was the 30th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in this year's NBA draft. Scores of articles have come out in the past week about the journey Jimmy's been on from being homeless, to faxing in his NLI from a McDonald's, to now making a 6-figure salary (and maybe more) right out of college. This is now the second year in a row a MU player has been drafted in the first round. Both Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler had impressive performances at pre-draft camps and the scouts took notice. On a side note, I haven't worn a Bulls jersey since I had a black Jordan jersey in middle school 15 years ago. This may be reason enough for me to get a new one.
Nice picture below of Jimmy and Buzz at the Berto Center. To those who don't know, Jimmy picked 21 as a "tip of the cap" to Joe Fulce, who was his roommate this last season.
Monday, April 25, 2011
MU Alumni White Sox Outing
Are you a MU alum? Do you have at least a mild interest in baseball? Do you like alcoholic beverages? Would you like to combine all three of these aspects into one outing? Then you're in luck!
On June 5, there's going to be a White Sox outing for MU alums. Game is at 1:10 against Detroit. $75 gets you a ticket in the lower reserved section and 2 hours (11:30-1:30) of all you can eat and drink (beer and wine, no hard stuff) in the patio section. If you've already got a ticket to the game, you can also purchase just the patio portion for $42. Discounted prices are available for those 60 and over and 13 and under as well. There will also be a raffle for various MU and Sox prizes during the event. Hope to see you there!
Click on the link below to get your application:
http://marquette.edu/alumni/whitesoxpatioparty.pdf
On June 5, there's going to be a White Sox outing for MU alums. Game is at 1:10 against Detroit. $75 gets you a ticket in the lower reserved section and 2 hours (11:30-1:30) of all you can eat and drink (beer and wine, no hard stuff) in the patio section. If you've already got a ticket to the game, you can also purchase just the patio portion for $42. Discounted prices are available for those 60 and over and 13 and under as well. There will also be a raffle for various MU and Sox prizes during the event. Hope to see you there!
Click on the link below to get your application:
http://marquette.edu/alumni/whitesoxpatioparty.pdf
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