It's now been a few weeks since Marquette went down to Syracuse in the Elite 8. While MU was so, so close to making it to Atlanta, you can't help but look back at expectations heading into the season. Losing DJO and Crowder, aka 30+ points per game was a sure sign we'd be mediocre this season. Boy, were we wrong. 4 months after the aircraft carrier disaster the 2012-13 squad takes a share of the Big East regular season title and gets to the Elite 8 for the first time in 10 years.
But enough about what I have to say. Today's post comes from a guest at FanDuel, a fantasy sports site for just about every sport that offers cash prizes. Enjoy. Thanks FanDuel!
Is The Marquette Basketball Program As Strong As It Has Ever Been?
After Marquette’s domination of Miami in the Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, the Golden Eagles made it into the Elite Eight to take on Syracuse. Even though MU fell to the Orange in convincing fashion, this season will go down as one of the more memorable seasons in the team's history. The question is, how strong is the program from a historical perspective?
Most older fans of Marquette instantly go back to the mid-1970s when people start to discuss the Golden Age of the program. That was back in the Warriors days, when the likes of Butch Lee and Bo Ellis helped Al McGuire win the school’s first and only National Championship. To this day, Marquette's winning percentage in the 70s is the 4th best of any team in any decade.
Buzz Williams might not be ready to take the title away from McGuire as the best coach in school history, but in the last three years, he is certainly making the case to at least get into the discussion. Instead of relying on marquee, highly-touted players out of high school, he instead has a knack of grooming players to become outstanding college basketball players as upperclassmen. With a top-10 recruiting class heading into the 2013-14 season, we'll all soon find out just how good of a team Buzz will have with a ton of raw talent.
Many thought Marquette was going to have a down year, as Big East Player of the year Jae Crowder graduated along with Darius Johnson-Odom. Guys like Vander Blue and Davante Gardner stepped up in a big way, helping to advance the team pass the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.
With Williams committed to the team, this could be a trend for years to come. Building a program and having stability is the key. After Tom Crean left, MU faced the possibility of being in a serious hole, and even lost a few key players like Trevor Mbakwe. Luckily, Buzz had a trio of seniors that kept the ship afloat until Buzz brought in his own recruits. Since then, Buzz has kept the tournament streak alive, and now has 2 trips to the Sweet 16 and a trip to the Elite 8 under his belt. All in all, a lot Marquette fans feel that Crean's departure was a blessing in disguise. In a time when many teams are looking for the new hot prospect, many folks - including fantasy basketball players - will have their eyes set on Marquette with 3-year and 4-year guys leading the program (please come back, Vander!). They might not have gone all the way in 2013, but the stage is set for a very bright future.
Is the Marquette program the strongest it's ever been? The answer is no, but Williams is on track to changing that. McGuire will always have a special spot in MU history, as I can't imagine they'll rename the Al McGuire Center to the Buzz Williams Center. In addition to 1977, the program under Al also won the NIT in 1970 (when it was much more relevant), got to the championship in 1974, and churned out a few solid pros. Before the Marquette program can pass the program in the 70s, winning a championship is a must, no doubt about it. The golden eagles program isn't the strongest it's ever been, but it's certainly on the right track.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Marquette Tournament Primer
Now that the field has been set and 3-seeded Marquette takes on the Wildcats of Davidson, it's time to figure out what to know about this squad as it heads to Lexington. For those of you who haven't watched much Marquette basketball this year, shame on you. Hopefully a few of these points will help you in figuring out how far to take the Golden Eagles.
What I like about this squad
Great Defense
This team is Buzz's best by far on the defensive side of the ball. They mostly play man-to-man, but will switch to the 2-3 zone from time to time. They play excellent man-to-man defense by playing aggressive on-the-ball defense and are disciplined when it comes to switching off of ball screens. Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue can prove to be matchup nightmares for an offense, as they can force turnovers at the point of attack for easy buckets in transition on the other end. Chris Otule has been his usual self, blocking shots and forcing players in the paint to take off-balance shots. The main weaknesses I've seen from section 441 this season are the occasional blown assignment on help-side defense and three-pointers surrendered off of offensive boards and inside-out offense. That being said, I see this team packing their defense and taking it to Kentucky (and hopefully DC).
Jump shots, Jump Shots, Jump Shots
With the offensive emergence of Vander Blue, this team is excellent at hitting jump shots. MU has three great jump-shooters in Vander Blue, Junior Cadougan, and Jamil Wilson. This asset will come in handy if Marquette has to face a zone defense, and will also prove to be useful when they're having trouble getting paint touches. During the season it's also worked well in transition and in pick-and-pop situations. If MU is down in the second half against Davidson, look for them to try a few pull-up jumpers to gain some momentum.
Toughness
This shouldn't be a surprise to most MU fans. Marquette has played in a lot of close games this season (as they always do), and more often than not they've come out on top. A couple where they didn't? The Maui Invitational against Butler where they lost on a well-contested buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and at Cincinnati where they had no business coming back in that game but found a way to force overtime. MU is 3-1 in overtime games (2 of those 3 were on the road) and has also had close wins over Syracuse, Georgetown, and Rutgers. Toughness is a huge plus for any team in the NCAA Tournament, hopefully it shines through once again if Thursday's contest goes down to the wire.
What I don't like about this squad
3-Point Shooting
This has been well-documented throughout the season, as Marquette ranks 318th in the country at 3-point field goal percentage. What worries me the most about this statistic is that our inability to shoot from beyond the arc A) Prevents us from being able to win in a shoot-out, B) Prevents us from coming back if we're down 8-10 points, and C) Prevents us from creating a cushion if we're up by 8-10 points. If we buck the trend and can shoot 40% from long range, great. Otherwise it can stand to put us on a cold streak if we run out of options offensively.
Turnovers
There have been many an occasion this season where MU has gone scoreless for several minutes. Part of that may be poor shooting, but a big part of that is turnovers as well. The main problem with the team's turnovers is that it's not just one culprit, it's multiple. While Junior Cadougan can be a serious offensive threat, he makes plenty of dumb mistakes too, between bad passes and poor ball handling. Jamil Wilson, Trent Lockett, and Todd Mayo are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to turnovers too. Losing possessions can lead to a serious change in momentum, and is something MU has to work on limiting.
Point Guard Depth
It hurts to talk about this, but when Junior Cadougan is on the bench, Derrick Wilson at the 1-spot can be a serious liability on the offensive side. Sure, Buzz talks about Wilson having "intangibles," and at times he plays great defense, but watching him run an offense can be tougher than spending Christmas with Bo Ryan. So many times I've seen Wilson attempt to drive in the paint or stop to take a jump shot, only to second-guess himself and pass the ball to someone else in hopes that they'll carry the load. If Cadougan gets injured or ends up in foul trouble early on, it could make for a long afternoon for the Golden Eagles.
Get to the important part. How far should I take Marquette in my bracket?
If I had that answer, I would have retired a long time ago, but here are my two cents on the matter. Davidson will prove to be a very difficult test for MU. The Wildcats have experience, size, and are very accustomed to winning. Don't let the 14-seed fool you, these kids won't back down. With that being said, I think MU will be able to beat them on the boards and take care of the basketball. It'll be a close contest, but Marquette's experience and toughness will pull through. For the second round, I think they'll be having a rematch with Butler which means just one thing: revenge. MU still has that taste of defeat from Maui and will look to get even with the Bulldogs, so pencil the Golden Eagles into your Sweet 16. Assuming chalk, their next opponent will be the Miami Hurricanes. I think Marquette has a chance of winning this one, as Miami has lost to teams that get to the line often, but I don't think MU can keep up with their guards, and thus the run for the Golden Eagles will end at the Sweet 16 for a third year in a row. Who knows, they may surprise us and make it further, but frankly, my pessimistic self will be happy to see them get into the Round of 32.
What I like about this squad
Great Defense
This team is Buzz's best by far on the defensive side of the ball. They mostly play man-to-man, but will switch to the 2-3 zone from time to time. They play excellent man-to-man defense by playing aggressive on-the-ball defense and are disciplined when it comes to switching off of ball screens. Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue can prove to be matchup nightmares for an offense, as they can force turnovers at the point of attack for easy buckets in transition on the other end. Chris Otule has been his usual self, blocking shots and forcing players in the paint to take off-balance shots. The main weaknesses I've seen from section 441 this season are the occasional blown assignment on help-side defense and three-pointers surrendered off of offensive boards and inside-out offense. That being said, I see this team packing their defense and taking it to Kentucky (and hopefully DC).
Jump shots, Jump Shots, Jump Shots
With the offensive emergence of Vander Blue, this team is excellent at hitting jump shots. MU has three great jump-shooters in Vander Blue, Junior Cadougan, and Jamil Wilson. This asset will come in handy if Marquette has to face a zone defense, and will also prove to be useful when they're having trouble getting paint touches. During the season it's also worked well in transition and in pick-and-pop situations. If MU is down in the second half against Davidson, look for them to try a few pull-up jumpers to gain some momentum.
Toughness
This shouldn't be a surprise to most MU fans. Marquette has played in a lot of close games this season (as they always do), and more often than not they've come out on top. A couple where they didn't? The Maui Invitational against Butler where they lost on a well-contested buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and at Cincinnati where they had no business coming back in that game but found a way to force overtime. MU is 3-1 in overtime games (2 of those 3 were on the road) and has also had close wins over Syracuse, Georgetown, and Rutgers. Toughness is a huge plus for any team in the NCAA Tournament, hopefully it shines through once again if Thursday's contest goes down to the wire.
What I don't like about this squad
3-Point Shooting
This has been well-documented throughout the season, as Marquette ranks 318th in the country at 3-point field goal percentage. What worries me the most about this statistic is that our inability to shoot from beyond the arc A) Prevents us from being able to win in a shoot-out, B) Prevents us from coming back if we're down 8-10 points, and C) Prevents us from creating a cushion if we're up by 8-10 points. If we buck the trend and can shoot 40% from long range, great. Otherwise it can stand to put us on a cold streak if we run out of options offensively.
Turnovers
There have been many an occasion this season where MU has gone scoreless for several minutes. Part of that may be poor shooting, but a big part of that is turnovers as well. The main problem with the team's turnovers is that it's not just one culprit, it's multiple. While Junior Cadougan can be a serious offensive threat, he makes plenty of dumb mistakes too, between bad passes and poor ball handling. Jamil Wilson, Trent Lockett, and Todd Mayo are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to turnovers too. Losing possessions can lead to a serious change in momentum, and is something MU has to work on limiting.
Point Guard Depth
It hurts to talk about this, but when Junior Cadougan is on the bench, Derrick Wilson at the 1-spot can be a serious liability on the offensive side. Sure, Buzz talks about Wilson having "intangibles," and at times he plays great defense, but watching him run an offense can be tougher than spending Christmas with Bo Ryan. So many times I've seen Wilson attempt to drive in the paint or stop to take a jump shot, only to second-guess himself and pass the ball to someone else in hopes that they'll carry the load. If Cadougan gets injured or ends up in foul trouble early on, it could make for a long afternoon for the Golden Eagles.
Get to the important part. How far should I take Marquette in my bracket?
If I had that answer, I would have retired a long time ago, but here are my two cents on the matter. Davidson will prove to be a very difficult test for MU. The Wildcats have experience, size, and are very accustomed to winning. Don't let the 14-seed fool you, these kids won't back down. With that being said, I think MU will be able to beat them on the boards and take care of the basketball. It'll be a close contest, but Marquette's experience and toughness will pull through. For the second round, I think they'll be having a rematch with Butler which means just one thing: revenge. MU still has that taste of defeat from Maui and will look to get even with the Bulldogs, so pencil the Golden Eagles into your Sweet 16. Assuming chalk, their next opponent will be the Miami Hurricanes. I think Marquette has a chance of winning this one, as Miami has lost to teams that get to the line often, but I don't think MU can keep up with their guards, and thus the run for the Golden Eagles will end at the Sweet 16 for a third year in a row. Who knows, they may surprise us and make it further, but frankly, my pessimistic self will be happy to see them get into the Round of 32.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Final Bracketology: March 17
My final predictions are below in a St. Patty's Day version of bracketology. As always, these are posted at The Bracket Matrix. Check back in a couple days as I'm going to post a Marquette tournament primer.
1. Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga, Kansas
2. Duke, Miami (FLA.), Georgetown, New Mexico
3. Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida, Michigan
4. Kansas State, Syracuse, Marquette, Wisconsin
5. Arizona, Saint Louis, Oklahoma State, Virginia Commonwealth
6. UCLA, Pittsburgh, Butler, UNLV
7. Notre Dame, North Carolina, Memphis, Creighton
8. Colorado State, North Carolina State, Oregon, Illinois
9. San Diego State, Missouri, Minnesota, Cincinnati
10. Colorado, Wichita State, Iowa State, Temple
11. Oklahoma, Villanova, California, Mississippi
12. Belmont, Tennessee, St. Mary's (CA), Middle Tennessee, La Salle, Bucknell
13. Akron, Davidson, Valparaiso, South Dakota State
14. New Mexico State, Northwestern State, Harvard, Montana
15. Iona, Florida Gulf Coast, Pacific, Albany
16. Western Kentucky, James Madison, LIU-Brooklyn, Southern, Liberty, North Carolina A&T
1. Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga, Kansas
2. Duke, Miami (FLA.), Georgetown, New Mexico
3. Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida, Michigan
4. Kansas State, Syracuse, Marquette, Wisconsin
5. Arizona, Saint Louis, Oklahoma State, Virginia Commonwealth
6. UCLA, Pittsburgh, Butler, UNLV
7. Notre Dame, North Carolina, Memphis, Creighton
8. Colorado State, North Carolina State, Oregon, Illinois
9. San Diego State, Missouri, Minnesota, Cincinnati
10. Colorado, Wichita State, Iowa State, Temple
11. Oklahoma, Villanova, California, Mississippi
12. Belmont, Tennessee, St. Mary's (CA), Middle Tennessee, La Salle, Bucknell
13. Akron, Davidson, Valparaiso, South Dakota State
14. New Mexico State, Northwestern State, Harvard, Montana
15. Iona, Florida Gulf Coast, Pacific, Albany
16. Western Kentucky, James Madison, LIU-Brooklyn, Southern, Liberty, North Carolina A&T
Monday, March 11, 2013
Bracketology: March 11
Latest is below. Not too much movement at the top, more so at the bottom. MU is knocking on the door of a 3-seed. The only team they could realistically swap with is New Mexico, and they would need to at least get to the Big East Championship to make that happen. Iowa's slot in the tourney was short-lived, as they got booted by Kentucky after the Wildcats got a big win over Florida.
| 1. Indiana, Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga |
| 2. Florida, Miami (FLA.), Georgetown, Louisville |
| 3. Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, New Mexico |
| 4. Marquette, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Syracuse |
| 5. Arizona, Pittsburgh, Butler, Wisconsin |
| 6. UNLV, Minnesota, Colorado State, Saint Louis |
| 7. Oregon, Notre Dame, Missouri, Memphis |
| 8. North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego State, UCLA |
| 9. Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Colorado, Creighton |
| 10. Illinois, Wichita State, Iowa State, North Carolina |
| 11. Virginia, Belmont, Villanova, La Salle |
| 12. St. Mary's (CA), California, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Temple |
| 13. Akron, Louisiana Tech, Bucknell, Stephen F. Austin |
| 14. Valparaiso, Davidson, South Dakota State, Harvard |
| 15. Montana, Vermont, Long Beach State, Iona |
16. Northeastern, Florida Gulf Coast, Norfolk State, Liberty, LIU Brooklyn, Southern
|
Friday, March 8, 2013
Bracketology: March 8
Latest and greatest is below. I'm putting Iowa in to start the debates. Next update will come at the start of the power conference tourneys.
| 1. Indiana, Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga |
| 2. Florida, Miami (FLA.), Georgetown, Michigan |
| 3. Michigan State, Kansas State, Louisville, New Mexico |
| 4. Syracuse, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Marquette |
| 5. Arizona, Pittsburgh, Butler, Wisconsin |
| 6. Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado State, Saint Louis |
| 7. UNLV, Notre Dame, Missouri, Memphis |
| 8. North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego State, UCLA |
| 9. Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Colorado, North Carolina |
| 10. Illinois, Wichita State, Iowa State, Creighton |
| 11. Virginia, Belmont, Middle Tennessee, La Salle |
| 12. St. Mary's (CA), California, Villanova, Iowa, California, Temple |
| 13. Akron, Louisiana Tech, Bucknell, Stephen F. Austin |
| 14. Valparaiso, Davidson, South Dakota State, Harvard |
| 15. Montana, Stony Brook, Long Beach State, Mercer |
16. Northeastern, Niagara, Norfolk State, Mercer, NC-Asheville, Souther
|
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Bracketology: March 4
Latest and greatest is below. After a monster week beating 2 ranked opponents at home and improving their home winning streak to 25 games, MU is firmly on the 4-line. Syracuse falls to a 4-seed and needs to right the ship in a hurry. SLU continues to move up the ladder. Kentucky is out, Cal is in.
| 1. Indiana, Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga |
| 2. Florida, Miami (FLA.), Michigan State, Michigan |
| 3. Georgetown, Kansas State, Louisville, New Mexico |
| 4. Syracuse, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Marquette |
| 5. Arizona, Notre Dame, Butler, Wisconsin |
| 6. Oregon, Pittsburgh, Colorado State, San Diego State |
| 7. UNLV, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Memphis |
| 8. North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, Missouri, UCLA |
| 9. Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Colorado, North Carolina |
| 10. Illinois, Wichita State, Iowa State, Creighton |
| 11. Virginia, Belmont, Middle Tennessee, La Salle |
| 12. St. Mary's (CA), California, Villanova, Tennessee, California, Temple |
| 13. Akron, Louisiana Tech, Bucknell, Stephen F. Austin |
| 14. Valparaiso, Davidson, South Dakota State, Harvard |
| 15. Montana, Stony Brook, Long Beach State, Mercer |
16. Northeastern, Niagara, Norfolk State, Mercer, NC-Asheville, Southern
|
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Bracketology: February 25
Latest predictions are below. True to my word, MU stays on the 5-line after Saturday's loss at Villanova, which also puts 'Nova in the field of 68. Cincinnati falls 2 spots after a rough week. Baylor is out.
1. Indiana, Miami (FLA.), Florida, Gonzaga |
| 2. Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, Syracuse |
| 3. Georgetown, Kansas, Louisville, New Mexico |
| 4. Kansas State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Arizona |
| 5. Marquette, Notre Dame, Butler, Wisconsin |
| 6. Oregon, Pittsburgh, Colorado State, San Diego State |
| 7. UNLV, Minnesota, Memphis, Missouri |
| 8. North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, Saint Louis, UCLA |
| 9. Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wichita State |
| 10. Illinois, North Carolina, Iowa State, Creighton |
| 11. Mississippi, Belmont, Kentucky, La Salle |
| 12. St. Mary's (CA), Middle Tennessee, Villanova, Virginia, California, Temple |
| 13. Akron, Louisiana Tech, Bucknell, Stephen F. Austin |
| 14. Valparaiso, Davidson, Mercer, Harvard |
| 15. Montana, Stony Brook, Long Beach State, Western Illinois |
16. Northeastern, Niagara, Norfolk State, Mercer, NC-Asheville, Southern
|
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