Continuing with our pre-game Q&A series, Here's an interview with Dave Krupinski from Johnny Jungle. You can check out his website here. Enjoy.
1. Obviously there's a big change in the program this season with Steve Lavin taking over for Norm Roberts. How has Lavin been received so far by players, fans, alumni, etc?
Steve Lavin has been a breathe of fresh air. He's carried the baton from Coach Norm Roberts and has done marvelous things with this team in addition to bringing in quite possibly the most highly touted recruiting class in school history. Big East Media day was only an appetizer size of media that has been sucked into every word that exits Steve Lavin's mouth. He's a rockstar after games getting after it on the radio to his old pals at ESPN on Sportscenter.
2. What has impressed you about the 2010-11 squad? What has frustrated you?
The impressive part of this team is their selfless attitudes. It's rare to see guys who are so willing to accept a reduced role to help the team win. Guys like Paris Horne, Justin Burrell, Sean Evans, Malik Boothe have all been starters years past and all have played multiple games coming off the bench this season. This team shares the ball so well with one another and its great to see this group of seniors see some success on the court.
Perhaps the frustrating part is knowing this team had the potential for 2 seasons or so. No homer, I've seen the talents of this team and sometimes it wasn't being utilized properly. In this season something in particular is that St. John's plays to the level of their opponent far too often. They've played to the level of Duke and made them look like a D2 school and on the flip side they've played weaker opponents with inferior energy and execution.
3. How has Gene Keady's involvement affected the program this season?
Special Assistant Advisor Gene Keady is certainly a wealth of knowledge for the coaching staff. I know he provides a strong support for Coach Lavin. Who doesn't love a fresh set of eyes and especially a pair that has seen it all before?
4. How do you feel about Steve Lavin as an in-game coach? What do you like and dislike about his style of coaching?
It's no secret Steve Lavin came in with a reputation of being more of a salesman than a coach but I've been impressed overall. In the beginning of the season he was half implementing the systems because he didn't want to overload or overhaul 9 seniors. He mixed up the rotations a lot, sometimes to my dismay, but ultimately he's found a solid mix of players and in the process made everyone comfortable and capable when their number is called.
Defensively his matchup zone and pressure defense is very tough given St. John's speed and length 1-3. This has given teams fits whether they're turning over the ball or simply being taken out of their tempo.
Offensively I've seen some positives and I've seen some negatives. There is certainly a methodical approach offensively and St. John's will deliberately burn 20 seconds off the clock before running a set. However if this set fails it leaves little to no room for error which sometimes comes to bite the Johnnies in the butt. However the offensive flow is there and the scoring and %'s are there to prove it.
He's done a great job calling timeouts and coming out of them with success which is an underrated observation by fans at times. St. John's has also come out of the locker room at halftime and delivered.
5. This squad is very experienced. That being said, there are also top-notch recruits coming in the next couple years. With as many as 9 guys leaving after this season, are you more worried about the departure of experience, or are you more excited about the recruits in the pipeline?
Losing 9 seniors is never an easy thing to do however the immense talent that Steve Lavin has brought in for next season is certainly making everyone excited. The new guys will go through some woes however there is a good mix of talent from scoring, defensive, and distributing. The one common bond between the recruits is all their abilities to play multiple positions and their freakish athleticism. I wouldn't be surprised to see them struggle a little bit but I also wouldn't be shocked to see them thrive in the NCAA's.
6. The main challenge of playing a zone-defense is that it can get burned by a team with a great backcourt. St. John's seems to fit this mold, allowing opponents to shoot 37% from beyond the arc. What do they need to do to fix this issue?
I'm not sure it is an issue. If you look deeper into the numbers you'll see that St. John's zone forces teams to live or die by the three because they protect the paint so well. They've also played one of the toughest schedules in the country so along the way you're going to face good 3 point shooting teams.
For instance St. Mary's shot 27 three point attempts and Northwestern shot 25. Both teams nearly took 1/3rd of their shots from beyond the arc.
7. Like Marquette, St. John's is vertically challenged. How have they managed to score effectively?
Again I'm not sure St. John's is vertically challenged. Dele Coker 6'10, Sean Evans 6'8, Justin Burrell 6'8, and Justin Brownlee 6'7 is a pretty solid front court. Their effective scoring comes from a tireless effort to crash the offensive boards in addition to Justin Brownlee being one of if not thee best post scorer off the bounce in the Big East.
8. If you stopped play today, what seed would you be in the NCAA tourney? Why? What will make this team dangerous in March?
Well I'll defer to my friend at ESPN, Joe Lunardi. He's more of an expert than I and he says #7. If that scenario plays out I'll be ecstatic because I want to avoid 8/9 as much as possible because as we all know that means #1 in round 2.
What makes this team so dangerous in March is they'll be playing every game like its their last because it truly will be.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A Tale of Two Halves
The golden eagles were able to do what they couldn't do two years ago as the #8 team in the country: win in Tampa. Tonight Marquette escaped with a 59-58 victory over the South Florida Bulls.
Both halves were like watching night and day. In the first half, MU got nothing going on offense, and gave up easy drives on defense. Nobody could score, nobody could guard. At the end of the half, the team that averages 79 points per game had just 24 points. Maybe it was the warm weather in Tampa, but Marquette just seemed to show no signs of life.
The second half didn't start out much better, with poor interior defense and horrific turnovers (Buycks passed one to the scorer's table). MU trailed by as much as 16 points during the game, and things seemed to be out of reach. "We're changing the channel if we're down 20 points." Frankly, I agreed with her at that point.
But something sparked our boys from Mil-town, and with 15 minutes left, the golden eagles began their charge. Slowly but surely they chipped away at the lead, and soon enough we were within 9 points. MU pressed all half against USF and it worked like a charm, forcing turnovers that translated into key buckets. Frustration set in for the bulls and coach Stan Heath, and you could tell they had been here before. "How are we going to blow it this time?"
With more of the same down the stretch, MU pulled to within 2 points, and thanks to a three-ball by Jae Crowder, all of a sudden we had the lead. We traded leads one more time, and with a second three-pointer from Jae Crowder, this one a fade-away, we had a 4-point lead, and you felt like they might pull this one out.
MU tried to blow the lead, forcing turnovers on defense but going 0-8 down the stretch from the free throw line. After missing the 8th free throw in a row, 2 seconds on the clock, a 3-point lead, and a rebound by USF, Jae Crowder intentionally fouled Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick made the first free throw, tried to miss the second one off the glass, but it went in. MU quickly inbounded the ball, and the game was over.
A few thoughts on tonight's game:
- Although I'm a Buzz Williams fan, I completely disagree with his decision to intentionally foul after the last missed free throw. USF had no time-outs and 2 seconds to heave up a three-pointer, leaving them virtually no chance at getting up a god shot if we just played a little bit of defense. Instead, we let them go down by a point with a good chance of getting a rebound on a missed shot and tying up the game. Which shot would you rather have USF take: a half-court shot or a 10-footer?
- Vander Blue was a serious offensive liability in this game. Aside from one good pass to Jae Crowder in the paint, he tried to take matters into his own hands every time he touched the ball, and every time it resulted in a turnover. He needs to take a few notes from Jimmy Butler, who is an incredibly smart player with the ball in his hands and virtually never takes a dumb shot. Once Vander Blue realizes he can pass the ball when he's in trouble, he'll be just fine.
- I know South Florida is a weak team in the Big East and a team everyone expected us to beat. But I don't care who you're up against, if you're down 16 points on the road and you come back to win, that's something special. You've gotta give Buzz some credit for rallying his team and pulling out a W.
Marquette's next match-up is at G-town on Sunday. A win in D.C. would be huge for us. But then again, when is a road win in the Big East not huge?
Both halves were like watching night and day. In the first half, MU got nothing going on offense, and gave up easy drives on defense. Nobody could score, nobody could guard. At the end of the half, the team that averages 79 points per game had just 24 points. Maybe it was the warm weather in Tampa, but Marquette just seemed to show no signs of life.
The second half didn't start out much better, with poor interior defense and horrific turnovers (Buycks passed one to the scorer's table). MU trailed by as much as 16 points during the game, and things seemed to be out of reach. "We're changing the channel if we're down 20 points." Frankly, I agreed with her at that point.
But something sparked our boys from Mil-town, and with 15 minutes left, the golden eagles began their charge. Slowly but surely they chipped away at the lead, and soon enough we were within 9 points. MU pressed all half against USF and it worked like a charm, forcing turnovers that translated into key buckets. Frustration set in for the bulls and coach Stan Heath, and you could tell they had been here before. "How are we going to blow it this time?"
With more of the same down the stretch, MU pulled to within 2 points, and thanks to a three-ball by Jae Crowder, all of a sudden we had the lead. We traded leads one more time, and with a second three-pointer from Jae Crowder, this one a fade-away, we had a 4-point lead, and you felt like they might pull this one out.
MU tried to blow the lead, forcing turnovers on defense but going 0-8 down the stretch from the free throw line. After missing the 8th free throw in a row, 2 seconds on the clock, a 3-point lead, and a rebound by USF, Jae Crowder intentionally fouled Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick made the first free throw, tried to miss the second one off the glass, but it went in. MU quickly inbounded the ball, and the game was over.
A few thoughts on tonight's game:
- Although I'm a Buzz Williams fan, I completely disagree with his decision to intentionally foul after the last missed free throw. USF had no time-outs and 2 seconds to heave up a three-pointer, leaving them virtually no chance at getting up a god shot if we just played a little bit of defense. Instead, we let them go down by a point with a good chance of getting a rebound on a missed shot and tying up the game. Which shot would you rather have USF take: a half-court shot or a 10-footer?
- Vander Blue was a serious offensive liability in this game. Aside from one good pass to Jae Crowder in the paint, he tried to take matters into his own hands every time he touched the ball, and every time it resulted in a turnover. He needs to take a few notes from Jimmy Butler, who is an incredibly smart player with the ball in his hands and virtually never takes a dumb shot. Once Vander Blue realizes he can pass the ball when he's in trouble, he'll be just fine.
- I know South Florida is a weak team in the Big East and a team everyone expected us to beat. But I don't care who you're up against, if you're down 16 points on the road and you come back to win, that's something special. You've gotta give Buzz some credit for rallying his team and pulling out a W.
Marquette's next match-up is at G-town on Sunday. A win in D.C. would be huge for us. But then again, when is a road win in the Big East not huge?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tom Crean Hasn't Changed a Bit
To the Tom Crean haters out there, you'll want to read this post.
So I went down to Bloomington, IN this past weekend with a bunch of Indiana alums for a two-day affair of bars and basketball. Indiana took on fellow cellar-dweller Iowa so I'd be lying if I said I was truly fired up for the game, but nonetheless I was looking forward to watching a program that has won 5 national championships and was once coached by one of the greatest of all time, Bobby Knight.
And as you probably know, Tom Crean infamously bolted from Marquette 3 years ago to take the job at IU, without telling anyone until after he accepted the position. Given the way he left MU, he made a lot of enemies up in Milwaukee, myself included.
The game was pretty even for most of the way, with momentum shifting every couple minutes between each team. The Hoosiers even had a comfortable 10-point lead with about 5 minutes left, but the Hawkeyes quickly erased the lead and were right back in the game.
Fast forward to 16 seconds on the game clock. IU trailed by just one point and called a time-out.
As a Marquette fan during the Tom Crean era, I'd seen this scenario at least a dozen times, probably more. Marquette would blow a lead down the stretch, have a chance to take the last shot in the game, and always found a way to squander the opportunity. The one that comes to mind is Dominic James taking the ball up the court, holding onto it until there's 3 seconds left, and tossing up a Hail-Mary like shot which never went in (except once at NC State), game over.
So naturally during this time out I couldn't help but think, in the words of Yogi Berra, that this was deja vu all over again... But maybe Crean had changed his ways. Maybe he figured out how to win the close games while coaching in the Big Ten. Maybe I would actually want Tom Crean back as a coach...ok, not really.
End the time out. Indiana in-bounds the ball...and does nothing with it. They burn 10 seconds off the clock and call another time out. Fans all around me are irate, as they should be. Trust me, I understood where they were coming from.
But hey, there's still 6 seconds left, maybe Crean has a trick up his sleeve.
Indiana in-bounds the ball, and again has no play to run. One of the guards makes a last-ditch effort to win the game by driving across the key and taking a fall-away jumper, only to rattle off the rim. End of story.
All of the energy had been sucked out of Assembly Hall instantaneously. And I realized at that very moment: "Wow, new team, same old Crean." Every stereotype you could think of about coaching when the game is on the line still holds true with this guy. He was a bad in-game coach at Marquette, and he's still a bad in-game coach at Indiana.
Tom Crean has basically done nothing as a coach at Indiana, and if he doesn't resurrect the program in the next year or two he'll be ousted and looking for work at a lesser school. He may turn them around soon, but for now I can only think of one thing: "Karma is a bitch, Tom. Karma is a bitch."
So I went down to Bloomington, IN this past weekend with a bunch of Indiana alums for a two-day affair of bars and basketball. Indiana took on fellow cellar-dweller Iowa so I'd be lying if I said I was truly fired up for the game, but nonetheless I was looking forward to watching a program that has won 5 national championships and was once coached by one of the greatest of all time, Bobby Knight.
And as you probably know, Tom Crean infamously bolted from Marquette 3 years ago to take the job at IU, without telling anyone until after he accepted the position. Given the way he left MU, he made a lot of enemies up in Milwaukee, myself included.
The game was pretty even for most of the way, with momentum shifting every couple minutes between each team. The Hoosiers even had a comfortable 10-point lead with about 5 minutes left, but the Hawkeyes quickly erased the lead and were right back in the game.
Fast forward to 16 seconds on the game clock. IU trailed by just one point and called a time-out.
As a Marquette fan during the Tom Crean era, I'd seen this scenario at least a dozen times, probably more. Marquette would blow a lead down the stretch, have a chance to take the last shot in the game, and always found a way to squander the opportunity. The one that comes to mind is Dominic James taking the ball up the court, holding onto it until there's 3 seconds left, and tossing up a Hail-Mary like shot which never went in (except once at NC State), game over.
So naturally during this time out I couldn't help but think, in the words of Yogi Berra, that this was deja vu all over again... But maybe Crean had changed his ways. Maybe he figured out how to win the close games while coaching in the Big Ten. Maybe I would actually want Tom Crean back as a coach...ok, not really.
End the time out. Indiana in-bounds the ball...and does nothing with it. They burn 10 seconds off the clock and call another time out. Fans all around me are irate, as they should be. Trust me, I understood where they were coming from.
But hey, there's still 6 seconds left, maybe Crean has a trick up his sleeve.
Indiana in-bounds the ball, and again has no play to run. One of the guards makes a last-ditch effort to win the game by driving across the key and taking a fall-away jumper, only to rattle off the rim. End of story.
All of the energy had been sucked out of Assembly Hall instantaneously. And I realized at that very moment: "Wow, new team, same old Crean." Every stereotype you could think of about coaching when the game is on the line still holds true with this guy. He was a bad in-game coach at Marquette, and he's still a bad in-game coach at Indiana.
Tom Crean has basically done nothing as a coach at Indiana, and if he doesn't resurrect the program in the next year or two he'll be ousted and looking for work at a lesser school. He may turn them around soon, but for now I can only think of one thing: "Karma is a bitch, Tom. Karma is a bitch."
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Villanova Q&A
Marquette continues its run through the Big East gauntlet with a matchup at Villanova tomorrow. To get an insider's perspective on the 2010-2011 Wildcats I interviewed Brian Ewart from VU Hoops (http://www.vuhoops.com/). If you want to read my answers to his questions, you can find them here. Enjoy.
1. Villanova started out pretty hot this season but has since lost 3 of their last 4 games. What has lead to this skid? Is it the brutal nature of the Big East schedule or is it something more?
The brutality of the Big East has a lot to do with it, it can definitely wear a team down. Lately we've seen some offensive struggles. The shooting percentages have been down and a lot of that has to do with the 'Cats not getting the ball inside to Yarou and Pena. Stokes has been getting a lot of attention from opposing defenses lately and they need to be productive inside to open things up for him again.
2. What about the 2010-11 squad has impressed you? What has frustrated you?
The defense has come a LONG way since last year's Flying-Wildcat. The most frustrating has been Maalik Wayns' attempts at running the offense, which often consists of dribbling at the top of they key for 20 seconds before either driving or taking an ill-advised and off-balance (or contested) jump-shot.
3. Corey Fisher seems to be the clear leader on this team, is that true? If no, why not? If yes, how has he handled taking the reins from Scottie Reynolds?
I'm not really sure if Fisher is the clear leader, but he has definitely come a long way. Pena and Stokes have both shown some leadership this year, and there was a stretch where Stokes was carrying the team on his back. Frankly, I don't think anyone could be Scottie Reynolds, nor should they be. Scottie put it all on himself and it absolutely wore him down at the end.
4. How do you feel about the 4 freshmen in next year's class?
I think Yacoubou will come in and contribute right away, but Markus Kennedy will be able to contribute inside immediately. Ty Johnson could be either a HUGE piece for the Wildcats if Wayns bolts early (though that looks less and less likely) or a key roleplayer. None of the four is the sort of "one-and-done" guy that fans lust over, but I think over a four year career, they will all develop into good Big East players.
5. Which place is tougher for a visiting team to play at, The Pavilion or Wells Fargo Arena? Which is a better environment for college basketball? Which do you prefer?
The Pavilion. Easily. It's smaller, more intimate, and when the student section is packed, it is much louder than the WFC. I get to the WFC more often because it's easier to get tickets, and I have a lot of great memories in that place because we play a lot of big games there, but it's always just a little more "special" to go to a game at the Pavilion.
6. Marquette and Villanova have played each other pretty close in the last couple years. What do you think will decide Wednesday's matchup?
Defense. Darius Johnson-Odom killed the 'Cats last year in that second game and it will be important to stop him from doing any more damage. Villanova is a little bigger than in years-past, but these are still both athletic teams that play at a similar pace, so limiting mistakes and defending will be very important.
Honestly though, whatever I usually think will be the deciding factor isn't.
7. What will make Villanova a dangerous team in March?
Defense! Getting stops without fouling was something the 'Cats could do last season. The offense will need to come around a bit and get more comfortable in the half-court as well.
8. Is it true that Jay Wright wears a three-piece suit to bed?
Ever heard of suitjamas?
1. Villanova started out pretty hot this season but has since lost 3 of their last 4 games. What has lead to this skid? Is it the brutal nature of the Big East schedule or is it something more?
The brutality of the Big East has a lot to do with it, it can definitely wear a team down. Lately we've seen some offensive struggles. The shooting percentages have been down and a lot of that has to do with the 'Cats not getting the ball inside to Yarou and Pena. Stokes has been getting a lot of attention from opposing defenses lately and they need to be productive inside to open things up for him again.
2. What about the 2010-11 squad has impressed you? What has frustrated you?
The defense has come a LONG way since last year's Flying-Wildcat. The most frustrating has been Maalik Wayns' attempts at running the offense, which often consists of dribbling at the top of they key for 20 seconds before either driving or taking an ill-advised and off-balance (or contested) jump-shot.
3. Corey Fisher seems to be the clear leader on this team, is that true? If no, why not? If yes, how has he handled taking the reins from Scottie Reynolds?
I'm not really sure if Fisher is the clear leader, but he has definitely come a long way. Pena and Stokes have both shown some leadership this year, and there was a stretch where Stokes was carrying the team on his back. Frankly, I don't think anyone could be Scottie Reynolds, nor should they be. Scottie put it all on himself and it absolutely wore him down at the end.
4. How do you feel about the 4 freshmen in next year's class?
I think Yacoubou will come in and contribute right away, but Markus Kennedy will be able to contribute inside immediately. Ty Johnson could be either a HUGE piece for the Wildcats if Wayns bolts early (though that looks less and less likely) or a key roleplayer. None of the four is the sort of "one-and-done" guy that fans lust over, but I think over a four year career, they will all develop into good Big East players.
5. Which place is tougher for a visiting team to play at, The Pavilion or Wells Fargo Arena? Which is a better environment for college basketball? Which do you prefer?
The Pavilion. Easily. It's smaller, more intimate, and when the student section is packed, it is much louder than the WFC. I get to the WFC more often because it's easier to get tickets, and I have a lot of great memories in that place because we play a lot of big games there, but it's always just a little more "special" to go to a game at the Pavilion.
6. Marquette and Villanova have played each other pretty close in the last couple years. What do you think will decide Wednesday's matchup?
Defense. Darius Johnson-Odom killed the 'Cats last year in that second game and it will be important to stop him from doing any more damage. Villanova is a little bigger than in years-past, but these are still both athletic teams that play at a similar pace, so limiting mistakes and defending will be very important.
Honestly though, whatever I usually think will be the deciding factor isn't.
7. What will make Villanova a dangerous team in March?
Defense! Getting stops without fouling was something the 'Cats could do last season. The offense will need to come around a bit and get more comfortable in the half-court as well.
8. Is it true that Jay Wright wears a three-piece suit to bed?
Ever heard of suitjamas?
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Best Thing I Ever Ate...In Milwaukee
With Marquette in the thick of the Big East schedule, I figured now would be a good time to do something off-topic, food. The Marquette community has some great spots to check out, and if you're a health-conscious eater, you may want to read something else.
Without further ado, here are a few great spots for local fare in the Brew City
1. Sobelman's - Anyone who's gone through 4 years at Marquette should be well-versed in the Sobelman's experience. Sobelman's is most famously known for their fantastic burgers, and with a website name like http://www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com/ they pretty much have to be good. What makes it different is the combination of ingredients that goes into it: a bakery-fresh roll, beef patty, bacon, onion, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, American cheese, and swiss cheese. Anytime I'm on campus it's pretty much a place I have to eat at again and again. To those that like a good bloody mary, Sobelman's makes a fantastic one, with an entire meal of garnishes sitting atop this tasty beverage.
2. Marquette Gyros - From the moment I first visited campus as a senior in high school, Marquette Gyros was a staple in my college diet. Of course, as the name implies, their signature food is the gyro, but getting a burger, fries, and a drink for $4 was a deal I could never pass up.
3. Michael's Restaurant - At first glance Michael's may seem like your standard Greek diner, but at 2 in the morning after 15 beers it's so much more (I think)! The pay-before-you-get-your-food aspect of it puts it over the top. Try the biscuits and gravy, I'm not sure if it tastes good before midnight, but it definitely tastes great after.
4. La Perla - Honestly, students don't come here for the food, but the food is in fact very good. So why do students go? I'm not saying that it's because a crappy fake id will get margaritas for an entire table of freshmen, but a crappy fake id will get margaritas for an entire table of freshmen. Make sure to ride the mechanical pepper before you leave, it's a great resume-padder!
5. Real Chili - Last but not least is the best chili in the city. If you can't make it all the way to Michael's on 22nd street after a night of partying, Real Chili is another great option. The standard bowl of chili, aka The Marquette Special, comes with noodles, 2 servings of meat, and beans. Onions and cheese are optional, but not required. And of course, you get all the oyster crackers you could ask for. There is a location downtown that also serves beer, but it isn't open nearly as late as the one on campus. Throwing oyster crackers at the other patrons after having a few too many isn't required, but it is encouraged.
Without further ado, here are a few great spots for local fare in the Brew City
1. Sobelman's - Anyone who's gone through 4 years at Marquette should be well-versed in the Sobelman's experience. Sobelman's is most famously known for their fantastic burgers, and with a website name like http://www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com/ they pretty much have to be good. What makes it different is the combination of ingredients that goes into it: a bakery-fresh roll, beef patty, bacon, onion, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, American cheese, and swiss cheese. Anytime I'm on campus it's pretty much a place I have to eat at again and again. To those that like a good bloody mary, Sobelman's makes a fantastic one, with an entire meal of garnishes sitting atop this tasty beverage.
2. Marquette Gyros - From the moment I first visited campus as a senior in high school, Marquette Gyros was a staple in my college diet. Of course, as the name implies, their signature food is the gyro, but getting a burger, fries, and a drink for $4 was a deal I could never pass up.
3. Michael's Restaurant - At first glance Michael's may seem like your standard Greek diner, but at 2 in the morning after 15 beers it's so much more (I think)! The pay-before-you-get-your-food aspect of it puts it over the top. Try the biscuits and gravy, I'm not sure if it tastes good before midnight, but it definitely tastes great after.
4. La Perla - Honestly, students don't come here for the food, but the food is in fact very good. So why do students go? I'm not saying that it's because a crappy fake id will get margaritas for an entire table of freshmen, but a crappy fake id will get margaritas for an entire table of freshmen. Make sure to ride the mechanical pepper before you leave, it's a great resume-padder!
5. Real Chili - Last but not least is the best chili in the city. If you can't make it all the way to Michael's on 22nd street after a night of partying, Real Chili is another great option. The standard bowl of chili, aka The Marquette Special, comes with noodles, 2 servings of meat, and beans. Onions and cheese are optional, but not required. And of course, you get all the oyster crackers you could ask for. There is a location downtown that also serves beer, but it isn't open nearly as late as the one on campus. Throwing oyster crackers at the other patrons after having a few too many isn't required, but it is encouraged.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Just Another Week in the Big East as MU goes 1-1 Against Two Top-10 Teams
First of all, my apologies on not getting up more posts recently due to that pesky thing called "work."
Marquette continued its brutal stretch against teams ranked in the Top 25 this week with home games against UConn and Syracuse. They lost a tough one at home to UConn but came up with a huge victory against the orange on Saturday.
Does anyone really want to read about the loss to UConn? Me neither, so I'll get right into the recap of the victory against Syracuse.
Marquette dominated 'Cuse for most of this game despite its recent woes against teams that use a 2-3 zone defense. While we had a decent shooting day from the perimeter (6-13), MU was able to penetrate the orange's matchup zone and make some big plays in the paint. At the half Marquette was up by 11 points and seemed to be in control.
But we've seen this before in the last couple weeks, in that Marquette hasn't been able to hold on to a lead in the late stages of the game. That seemed to be the case for the first 15 minutes of the second half, as Syracuse managed to chip away at the lead until the game was tied at one point. In the final couple minutes, MU was able to make some big stops on defense, and with the help of two clutch 3-pointers by Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom, they sealed their first victory against Syracuse in Big East play with a final score of 76-70. With this win, Marquette has now defeated every Big East team since it joined the conference in 2005.
As I said before, interior play was crucial in the victory today. MU had a few instances where it tried to make something out of nothing on offense which ended up in a turnover or a poorly missed shot, but they also fed a lot of passes to Jae Crowder in the paint which resulted in a lot of easy buckets and 3-point plays. Jae Crowder's effectiveness inside also lead to putting Fab Melo in foul trouble, as he sat on the bench with four fouls for the most crucial minutes of the game. Did I mention Crowder had 25 points on the afternoon? This kid has been a beast inside for us all season.
Syracuse was pretty evenly matched with MU on the boards (24-22, in favor of MU), but the golden eagles won the battle at the free throw line. Not only did Marquette shoot better from the charity stripe (73% for MU vs. 57% for 'Cuse), but they took 19 more free throws than the orange. Jae Crowder and DJO combined to go 15-17 from the line.
What continues to amaze me is the amount of parity in this league. At the end of the day the two 3-balls from Butler and DJO were what decided the game, and everything else was basically a wash. To those that haven't noticed, a lot of upsets have happened in the Big East this week, which again shows that any of the cellar-dwellers (yes, even DePaul) can knock off the big guys. It makes the daily grind of the Big East that much tougher, knowing that what Ken Pomeroy predicts or what Las Vegas says is basically meaningless once the ball is tipped. Sure, it makes the Big East that much more exciting to watch, but it's also going to give me stomach ulcers by age 30.
Marquette is now embarking on a 2-week road trip with games at Villanova, South Florida, and Georgetown. At this point there's a decent amount of media buzz for us being in the NCAA tournament, but I'll feel more comfortable about it when we have 6 more wins under our belt.
Marquette continued its brutal stretch against teams ranked in the Top 25 this week with home games against UConn and Syracuse. They lost a tough one at home to UConn but came up with a huge victory against the orange on Saturday.
Does anyone really want to read about the loss to UConn? Me neither, so I'll get right into the recap of the victory against Syracuse.
Marquette dominated 'Cuse for most of this game despite its recent woes against teams that use a 2-3 zone defense. While we had a decent shooting day from the perimeter (6-13), MU was able to penetrate the orange's matchup zone and make some big plays in the paint. At the half Marquette was up by 11 points and seemed to be in control.
But we've seen this before in the last couple weeks, in that Marquette hasn't been able to hold on to a lead in the late stages of the game. That seemed to be the case for the first 15 minutes of the second half, as Syracuse managed to chip away at the lead until the game was tied at one point. In the final couple minutes, MU was able to make some big stops on defense, and with the help of two clutch 3-pointers by Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom, they sealed their first victory against Syracuse in Big East play with a final score of 76-70. With this win, Marquette has now defeated every Big East team since it joined the conference in 2005.
As I said before, interior play was crucial in the victory today. MU had a few instances where it tried to make something out of nothing on offense which ended up in a turnover or a poorly missed shot, but they also fed a lot of passes to Jae Crowder in the paint which resulted in a lot of easy buckets and 3-point plays. Jae Crowder's effectiveness inside also lead to putting Fab Melo in foul trouble, as he sat on the bench with four fouls for the most crucial minutes of the game. Did I mention Crowder had 25 points on the afternoon? This kid has been a beast inside for us all season.
Syracuse was pretty evenly matched with MU on the boards (24-22, in favor of MU), but the golden eagles won the battle at the free throw line. Not only did Marquette shoot better from the charity stripe (73% for MU vs. 57% for 'Cuse), but they took 19 more free throws than the orange. Jae Crowder and DJO combined to go 15-17 from the line.
What continues to amaze me is the amount of parity in this league. At the end of the day the two 3-balls from Butler and DJO were what decided the game, and everything else was basically a wash. To those that haven't noticed, a lot of upsets have happened in the Big East this week, which again shows that any of the cellar-dwellers (yes, even DePaul) can knock off the big guys. It makes the daily grind of the Big East that much tougher, knowing that what Ken Pomeroy predicts or what Las Vegas says is basically meaningless once the ball is tipped. Sure, it makes the Big East that much more exciting to watch, but it's also going to give me stomach ulcers by age 30.
Marquette is now embarking on a 2-week road trip with games at Villanova, South Florida, and Georgetown. At this point there's a decent amount of media buzz for us being in the NCAA tournament, but I'll feel more comfortable about it when we have 6 more wins under our belt.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Week in Review: MU Blows Out DePaul, Falls to Fighting Irish
Mixed bag of emotions for the golden eagles this past week, with a win and loss against two of their Catholic rivals in DePaul and Notre Dame. Marquette dominated the blue demons last Tuesday with a 30-point victory, but blew a 9-point halftime lead to fall to Notre Dame on Saturday. Saturday's loss was yet another game that Marquette should've won, but just couldn't seem to hold on.
Not a ton to take away from the DePaul victory, as they've only won a single conference game since 2009 (yeah I know, it was against us, worst $40 I've ever spent on tickets). MU did a phenomenal job in the turnover battle, not only protecting the basketball, but scoring off of every DePaul turnover (39 points off of turnovers, I believe). Jimmy F. Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom lead the way with 20 points apiece. Jae Crowder was one rebound and 4 assists away from a triple-double. The game was close for the first 10 minutes, until Marquette went on a scoring spree and never looked back.
Unfortunately, the ND loss was a more important game to note. Here's your recap.
Marquette started out very strong in this game. They hit their 3-point and 2-point jump shots, drew contact on inside buckets, and forced a few key turnovers. The golden eagles quickly raced out to an early lead and had a decent cushion for most of the first half. The crowd was quickly taken out of this game, and it seemed as though the irish wouldn't be getting their revenge on Marquette after the 22-point beat-down they suffered in Milwaukee 2 weeks ago.
And then the second half happened. Both teams played the opposite of their first half performance, and Marquette's collapse ultimately lead to a 5 point loss in South Bend. Notre Dame switched to a 2-3 zone in the second half and absolutely stifled the golden eagles. Marquette was able to stretch the zone in the last match-up between these two with great perimeter shooting, but the offense quickly cooled off in the second half, and before you knew it, Notre Dame was up by double digits. MU got killed on the inside off of ball screens and gave up way too many points in the paint. Marquette's counter move was to try and break the zone and score inside, but nothing seemed to fall. With 10 minutes left in the game, you could already tell that this game was going to end in a W for Notre Dame. Even perimeter shooting fell apart for MU in the second half. As if size wasn't a big enough issue for us, Chris Otule and Jae Crowder were both fouled out by the time there was 3 minutes left on the clock. When you add it all up, we really didn't give ourselves a chance to come out of this crucial road game with a win.
Buzz has to be feeling some heat at this point, after blowing 2 comfortable leads on the road in the team's last 3 games. While the offense could have played much better in South Bend, defense was what put Notre Dame (and the crowd) right back in the game. Switching match-ups off of ball screens, defensive boards, and hustle have taken this team out of must-win games. Fouling has been a strength of ours all season, and while the refs did call a few ticky-tack fouls (thank you Ed Hightower), Marquette could've played much smarter on defense. DJO has been one of the team's best defenders this season, and was torched by Ben Hansbrough, who ended with 28 points on the night.
Something has to change for this team, and fast.
Not a ton to take away from the DePaul victory, as they've only won a single conference game since 2009 (yeah I know, it was against us, worst $40 I've ever spent on tickets). MU did a phenomenal job in the turnover battle, not only protecting the basketball, but scoring off of every DePaul turnover (39 points off of turnovers, I believe). Jimmy F. Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom lead the way with 20 points apiece. Jae Crowder was one rebound and 4 assists away from a triple-double. The game was close for the first 10 minutes, until Marquette went on a scoring spree and never looked back.
Unfortunately, the ND loss was a more important game to note. Here's your recap.
Marquette started out very strong in this game. They hit their 3-point and 2-point jump shots, drew contact on inside buckets, and forced a few key turnovers. The golden eagles quickly raced out to an early lead and had a decent cushion for most of the first half. The crowd was quickly taken out of this game, and it seemed as though the irish wouldn't be getting their revenge on Marquette after the 22-point beat-down they suffered in Milwaukee 2 weeks ago.
And then the second half happened. Both teams played the opposite of their first half performance, and Marquette's collapse ultimately lead to a 5 point loss in South Bend. Notre Dame switched to a 2-3 zone in the second half and absolutely stifled the golden eagles. Marquette was able to stretch the zone in the last match-up between these two with great perimeter shooting, but the offense quickly cooled off in the second half, and before you knew it, Notre Dame was up by double digits. MU got killed on the inside off of ball screens and gave up way too many points in the paint. Marquette's counter move was to try and break the zone and score inside, but nothing seemed to fall. With 10 minutes left in the game, you could already tell that this game was going to end in a W for Notre Dame. Even perimeter shooting fell apart for MU in the second half. As if size wasn't a big enough issue for us, Chris Otule and Jae Crowder were both fouled out by the time there was 3 minutes left on the clock. When you add it all up, we really didn't give ourselves a chance to come out of this crucial road game with a win.
Buzz has to be feeling some heat at this point, after blowing 2 comfortable leads on the road in the team's last 3 games. While the offense could have played much better in South Bend, defense was what put Notre Dame (and the crowd) right back in the game. Switching match-ups off of ball screens, defensive boards, and hustle have taken this team out of must-win games. Fouling has been a strength of ours all season, and while the refs did call a few ticky-tack fouls (thank you Ed Hightower), Marquette could've played much smarter on defense. DJO has been one of the team's best defenders this season, and was torched by Ben Hansbrough, who ended with 28 points on the night.
Something has to change for this team, and fast.
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