MUTV Sports: MU - Louisville

Brad Galli at MUTV Sports recaps the Warriors' 81-56 loss to the Louisville Cardinals in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

Louisville Rivalry Continues in the Garden

Just as we tweeted last night, we are dying to play Louisville again. Without putting too fine a point on it, the last time we played Louisville was an abomination. Call it what you want... choke job, epic loss, or my personal favorite (The Meltdown), there's really no excuse for blowing that lead. But we're not here to talk about that past.

With a different perspective, it's just another game in a series that is a phenomenal rivalry. Just add the Meltdown to the list. Is it really all that much worse than losing on Senior Night in Double OT? Or Jerry #$%^ Smith? Or Reece @#$% Gaines? Of course it isn't. And yet, that complete list also includes DWade rallying the team in the FF season. It includes Hutch the Clutch's three to win, Wardle in 2OT, and Wardle. It includes Dameon Mason's game winner and Novak hitting approximately 18 threes (maybe a rounding error) on the road. Oh yeah... and don't forget Buzz walking it out.

For every stomach punch we get, Louisville has gotten their own bloody nose. So bring it on. These games are so unpredictable and back and forth (our record vs UL is 12-14 in the modern era), no one really knows how things will go tonight.

Is the offense going to be good enough?

Remember this number: 1. If Marquette scores over one point per possession, we've got a good shot to win. Louisville brings a great defense to this matchup (#2 in the BE) and has only allowed an opponent to score over 1.00 ppp ten times. Six of their eight losses came from this group. Meanwhile, Marquette has averaged 1.10 ppp in conference, and has only been below one point per possession seven times (six losses). Our first matchup with UL? 0.91 ppp vs 0.92 ppp. Will Marquette protect the ball and take good shots tonight?

Which defense will show up?

Will it be the defense that allowed WVU to score 1.24 ppp in a half, or will it be the defense that held WVU to 0.79 ppp in a half? UL's offense isn't the greatest, but their strength is our weakness. Magic 8-Ball says "Reply hazy, try again".

Fatigue vs Rest

This question boils down to the following scenario. Marquette is playing their third game in three days, but they are more comfortable in the Garden. Louisville is rested but doesn't have two days of warmup games. What's going to have the bigger impact? Consider this... first, Marquette is really well conditioned. Second, teams with a double-bye last year went 1-3. Third, Marquette played the first game against UL with only eight minutes combined from Blue, Gardner, and EWill. Will Marquette have enough juice for this game?

We believe the answers to these questions (besides the defense) are favorable for Marquette. Louisville may be the better team, but only a little. We like Marquette's chances to continue playing basketball tomorrow night. After all, to quote last night's hero, Junior Cadougan, "to tell you the truth, I just didn't want to go home".

Keep Crowder on the court, get Dieng off to claim road win over Top 25 Louisville

Marquette is one of the best teams in the country at getting to the hoop and scoring (5th in the country in field goal percentage) or drawing fouls, while Louisville freshman Gorgui Dieng leads one of the best teams at denying drives with blocked shots.

But with Dieng reportedly having been frustrated when being outplayed by Chris Otule while considering MU last year and playing only half of the past two games due to 7 fouls in 40 minutes, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jimmy Butler (averaging 9 of 12 from line last two games) could get him in foul trouble and leave Louisville very vulnerable. While Louisville is favored by everyone except Yahoo Sports Saturday at 10 a.m CT, if Dieng is on the bench with fouls and Jae Crowder is on the court, MU can pull out the win in the first of five remaining chances for a road win against an RPI top 25 team.

For all the bad defense against the No. 1 offense in the country last Saturday (Pitt), the fact is that MU only got blistered during the last 8 minutes of the first half with Jae Crowder sitting on the bench after being whistled for a 2nd foul when going for a blocked shot. MU won the other 32 minutes of the game 68-65.

I believe Buzz needs to leave Crowder on the floor even if he plays aggressively and gets two fouls in the 2nd half.

The fact is that MU has done much better than the projections during the past five games in a row with Darius Johnson-Odom, Jimmy Butler, Dwight Buycks and Crowder all averaging between 15 and 20 points a game on great shooting and combining for 20 rebounds, 12 assists, and all getting a steal a game. Leave Crowder on the court and continuing to get 70 points a game between those four means MU can certainly pull the upset of Louisville with some defense from Vander Blue, continued good point play by Junior Cadougan and a decent battle from Chris Otule underneath against Dieng.

The fact is that if MU can win just one of their remaining 5 road games against an RPI top 25 team then they should finish with a resume that includes at least a Top 60 RPI, 10-8 conference record and five wins over Top 50 teams.

• Saturday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m. at Louisville (projected 22 final RPI)
• Saturday Jan. 22, at Notre Dame (24)
• Wednesday, Feb. 2 at Villanova (11)
• Sunday, Feb. 13 at Georgetown (14)
• Thursday, Feb. 24 at UConn (17)

Miss this opportunity and the pressure really grows to win in South Bend against a Notre Dame team hot for revenge and then tougher and tougher games in February. Lose all five of those games and MU likely drops about 10 spots to an RPI of 70 with no big road wins and a 9-9 mark that doesn’t include any big road wins. Pretty shaky resume.

The three predictors I monitor (Real-time RPI, Sagarin and Pomeroy) now all project MU to finish 11-7 in the Big East, which Forecast RPI says should translate into a 7-seed and final RPI of 48.

Beat Louisville or any of the other four tough teams on the road and MU goes to at least 60th with the RPI, and do that and go 11-7 and the RPI should finish at 48, go 12-6 and MU improves to a final RPI of 40 and a great seed.

However, the three differ on how MU will do in five remaining road games against teams projected to finish in the Top 25 of the RPI – and it still seems MU needs at least one win in those games starting at Louisville Saturday. Real-time RPI projects MU will lose all five of these tough road games by double digits (note that MUs only double digit loss in the last two years was vs. Georgetown in their 3rd straight Big East tourney game in three nights) while both Pomeroy and Sagarin predict one or two MU upsets in the five games:

Should be at least 6-3 in other remaining games
The fact is all of the predictions assume MU will have at least one bad loss (non-top 100 RPI) and at least one home loss against a Top 50 RPI team.

Assume 1 bad loss. Beginning with Wade’s senior season, MU has had at least one bad loss every season except 2008: East Carolina, Southern Miss, St. Louis, Nebraska, North Dakota State, South Florida and DePaul (not to mention additional 0-4 against future Big East member TCU the last two years in Conference USA). As unlikely as a home loss to DePaul would be, the odds are there will be at least one bad night against Seton Hall (home and home), Providence, or at S. Florida. So pencil in 4-1 in those game.

Assume 2 or 3 more quality home wins. The predictors also all give MU 2 or 3 more home quality wins over Top 50 teams (Syracuse, UConn, St. John’s, Cincinnati), so let’s be a little pessimistic and assume 2-2 on those games, getting us to 9-4 in conference plus the results in the final 5 road games against RPI Top 25 teams.

So being a little pessimistic on the winnable games (home and/or not in Top 100), that would mean if MU doesn’t pull at least one upset in the five tough road games the resume would be 9-9 in conference with at least four quality wins over top 50 teams but none of them on the road and an RPI out of the top 60 – probably not quite enough without a win in the Big East Tourney. However a win at Louisville or one of the other four road games against Top 25 teams makes it at least 10-8 with a big road win as one of FIVE wins over Top 50 RPI teams. Pretty solid footing to not only go to the dance but get a good seed.

In the current five-game hot streak, below are the average performances throwing out Buycks’ injury limiting him to 11 minutes at Rutgers:

• Darius Johnson-Odom 19.4 ppg, 7 of 14 shooting, 3 of 6 treys, 3 of 5 line, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal
• Jimmy Butler 14.6, 4-8 FG, 0-1, 6-7, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 TO, 1 steal
• Jae Crowder 16.0, 6-11, 2-5, 1-2, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 TO, 1 steal
• Dwight Buycks 15.5, 6-9, 3-4, 2-2, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 TO, 1 steal

Add Vander Blue’s defense, Chris Otule’s improved play, Junior Cadougan’s improving play at the point, and continuing the hot streak for one more game and getting Dieng in foul trouble gives MU a chance to notch their first high quality win over a Top 25 team, and first on the road and an NCAA bid looks very likely even at mid-January.

Media Updates

Media Updates from the Internets


Bracket Talk

• Jeff Goodman's Bubble Watch has us as a lock. Duh.
• Latest Bracketology has us as a seven seed
• Following up on Bracketology, Rosiak was able to dig in more on Lunardi's perspective about Marquette. good stuff, but Lunardi doesn't think we're a lock yet?
  
• The Bracket Matrix, which is absolutely my favorite, tracks us as a nine-seed
  

More on last night

• Rosiak also had more about last night's game on his blog
• Michael Hunt has his perspective on the game too
• The Marquette Tribune recaps the game too
• An interesting exchange happened last night at the game. While it was initially speculated to be Tim Maymon (yeah right), or even DJO's dad, NBE has the real story and it's even cooler.
  

Random

• The twitterverse is "buzzing" about the Warriors
• Casual Hoya has a guide to BET seeding
• Somewhat old, but SNY.tv is calling Hayward their BE POY... for now
  

NBA

• Wes Matthews is getting some extra notice. In this update on Wes Matthews, he makes NBA.com's list of rookie rankings
• Buzz for Coach of the Year? We agree with The SportsBank.net

More vids from Marquette



Homer interviews Father Wild



A behind the scenes look at the SJU road trip

Warriors clobber Louisville to punch dance ticket

With tonight's dominant 69-48 victory over Louisville the Marquette Warriors moved to 20-9 on the season and 11-6 in BIG EAST play.

Darius Johnson-Odom turned in a career-high 22 points to lead the charge for Buzz Williams' crew. Maurice Acker finished with 15 points and super-sub Joseph Fulce chipped in with 11 points. Marquette held Louisville to a season-low 48 points on 37% shooting from the field. No Cardinal scored in double figures tonight. Marquette's effort was simply outstanding.

More later this week but hey -- this team is dancing. Great job, fellas.




If Tony Manero is not your cup of tea, how about the inimitable Brad Galli? The MUTV Sports reporter recaps the big win -- complete with the circa-1977 baby blue blazer of choice.



As amazing at Tony Manero was back in the day, I don't think he could move through a crowd like DJO. Wow.



Media Recaps

• Rosiak on how MU outclassed Pitino's bunch
• Associated Press recap
• Box Score
• Louisville Courier-Journal on MU crushing the Cards
• There's plenty of frustration over at the Card Chronicle

Road Warriors return home for Louisville

In the midst of one of the most remarkable stretches in Big East history, the Marquette Warriors (19-9, 10-6) aim to extend their recent hot-streak against the Louisville Cardinals on Al's Night at the Bradley Center. Winners in eight of their last nine outings, including the last three on the road in overtime, Marquette likely needs to win one of its remaining two home games to securely punch a ticket to the 2010 NCAA tournament.

Standing in the way tonight are the surging Louisville Cardinals (19-10, 10-6). Winners in four of their last five games, Pitino's Cards are battling to remain on the inside of the NCAA tournament bubble. Louisville's road win at UConn on Sunday proved that the Cardinals have turned the corner this season after baffling early season home losses to Western Carolina and Charlotte. In February the Cardinals topped UConn twice, won on the road at Syracuse and earned a tough overtime win over Notre Dame. A late-season push has become standard operating procedure for Pitino's teams at Louisville.

Coming down the stretch run of his college career Lazar Hayward is playing his best basketball of the season. Hayward turned in back-to-back 20 point outings in the wins over St. John's and Seton Hall, the first time he's accomplished that in more than a month. Senior Maurice Acker remains steady at the point, delivering 17 assists against just three turnovers in 112 combined minutes on the recent road trip. Still, Acker's shooting has suffered of late, he hit just 31% from the floor on the road trip but remained clutch in the waning moments of each game.

The Cardinals have topped Marquette seven of the last eight times. Let that sink in a bit. That sucks! This stretch includes getting shellacked 99-52 in 2005, losing 64-61 as Louisville scored the final 14 points of the game, and Jerry @#$%^& Smith! After a stretch that saw several classic games for the two programs, the matchup has now tilted squarely back to Louisville. However, in modern history (the series resumed in earnest in 1996) there have been several strong runs by each side so the overall matchup stands at 12-13. Let's even it up tonight. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm Marquette Standard Time on ESPNU.

Media Updates

• It's Al's Night tonight. Read up on this sweet article by Dan McGrath, and Give 'em hell
• Here is the official GoMarquette.com release, including their Game Notes.
• Card Chronicle has their list of the Ten most memorable MU-UL games. Good and bad.
• Rosiak's pre-game blog.
• Rosiak's weekly Warriors Report.
• The Llama looks at MU's potential seeding.
• Louisville Courier-Journal on tonight's tilt.
  

Hopefully after tonight Al will be dancing in Basketball Heaven......




Expect a white knuckler tonight in Milwaukee.

**co-authored by Tim and Rob.

Marquette Fails and Passes Test

#8 Marquette lost a game most expected to lose today, bowing to #6 Louisville on the road 58-62.

But how Marquette lost should give Warrior nation great hope for our immediate, Dominic James-less future.

Had you been told MU would be without their star PG, would be forced to start a 5'9" shrimp in his place .. and their star SG would have a miserable offensive night, missing 16 of 19 .. you'd have had nightmares of a 30 point thrashing at Freedom Hall.

That didn't happen. While DJ was missed, Marquette did not play like a team with an important cog missing. -- Other than McNeal perhaps trying too hard to make up for DJ's absence, forcing up too many shots that bricked.

This bodes well for MU's future, playing @Pitt, home vs. Syracuse, the BET, and the NCAAs. Simply put: Even without DJ, Marquette took the #6 team in the country down to the wire. -- Had McNeal been able to bring even his C+ offense, the Warriors would have walked out with a W.

Marquette never quit, broke the highly touted Louisville press well, committing only 11 turnovers .. and even managed to tie UL 37-37 on rebounds.

Acker was laudable in his 33 minutes of play, handling the ball well, with 3 assists, 3 rebs, and just 2 turnovers. Jimmy Butler had 6 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.

Lazar notched another double-double with 16 and 10, on a very efficient 6-11 shooting, while Matthews poured in 19, and was unfortunate in a no-call at the end of the game. (See video below.)

Marquette goes to #1 Pittsburgh on Wednesday with their heads held high, and hopes up.

AP Recap
Box Score
Rosiak Recap

Last shot by Wes .. no foul? You judge:

MU goes to Louisville....WWBD?

Lose a player who is 4th in the history of the program in steals, 3rd in scoring, 2nd in assists, and 1st in games played --how does a coach replace a guy like that for the stretch run? A player who started 127 of 128 career games and will finish among Marquette’s top-10 all-time performers in a total of 10 categories (and top-five in six of those areas).....how do you replace Dominic James?

WWBD? Yes, What Would Buzz Do?

Start Jimmy Butler and move Wesley Matthews to the point? Move Jerel McNeal to the point? Start Maurice Acker? Bring Acker in as first man off the bench? Hope for miracle minutes from Joseph Fulce or David Cubillan?

We'll find out at 11am on Sunday when Marquette (23-5, 12-3) hits the hardwood at Louisville on CBS. Louisville (22-5, 13-2) will welcome MU to Freedom Hall with a White Out and serious momentum after blowing out Georgetown 76-58.

Louisville, renowned for its pressure defense and strong home court advantage, are always a difficult match-up with their slew of athletic players. The Cardinals have won four in a row and are led by the productive triumvirate of Earl Clark (13 points and 8 rebounds), Terrence Williams (12.5 points, 8 boards, and a team-high 5 assists per game) and Samardo Samuels (12ppg and 5 boards).

For Buzz Williams the emergence of Jimmy Butler, who scored a career-high 12 points against UConn, appears to be Marquette's best hope for 'replacing' James down the stretch. Dividing point guard duties between Matthews and McNeal would allow Williams to keep the consistent Butler on the floor, and at 6'6" the sophomore would inject more height and length into the Warriors' vertically challenged lineup.

After playing seven empty minutes in MU's road win at Notre Dame, Butler emerged as a consistent contributor. During the last eight games the Pride of Tomball is averaging 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 72% from the field.

Marquette's only reliable bench player, Butler certainly understands his strengths-- he's attempted just one three-pointer in BIG EAST play. With a nose for the ball, his sinewy build and penchant for offensive rebounding send him to the free throw line regularly where he connects 76% of the time.

Also expect to see more minutes from Maurice Acker on Sunday morning. Acker filled in admirably on Wednesday night. With time to devise a game plan for Louisville sans James, expect Buzz Williams to find a productive role for Acker that won't compromise the team's overall defensive effort as it did against the Huskies.

Another key to the game will be Acker's ability to set up both Wesley Matthews and BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate Jerel McNeal. With James playing only four minutes against UConn, McNeal and Matthews missed a combined 25 shots -- a season-worst result for the Warriors' top scoring, yet typically efficient duo.

With three games left in the season, let's find out What Buzz Will Do.

Media Updates

• For a sublime collection of Dominic James video clips, please click here. The man was quite a player for Marquette University. Wow.
• Rich Bozich, columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, says James is worthy of an ovation. I agree.
• The AP on MU post-James.....time to move on.
• The Courier-Journal on the improving Cards.
• The Card Chronicle on the 10 most memorable MU/UL moments of recent times (Warning: from a UL perspective).
• MU game notes
• Despite the injury James hopes for a shot at the NBA.
  

Reflections on a rival

Still too numb to post anything new.........but please check out the fine post over at Card Chronicle on DJ's injury, the rivalry, and senior players in general. Nicely done.

Big East Preview - Part Two

Back now with Part Two of the Big East Preview. In case you missed Part One, you can find it at this link. If you want more details on the factors I'm using, you can check it out here.

The data I used is taken from Pomeroy's site, where I extracted conference data only and worked with that. As a reminder, the factors under consideration were:

1. A team that underperformed or overperformed based on last year's stats
2. Consistency (or Inconsistency) of the team last year
   
3. Quality of Junior and Senior players (Using data provided by Villanova by the Numbers and then modified)
   
4. Regression of a team towards 0.500
   
5. Quality of incoming players based on RSCI
   

Before we move onto the the top eight teams (Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia), I wanted to make sure that something was clarified.

Projections are forecasts based on limited data. They are inherently inaccurate. Don't focus too much on any predictions regarding specific Wins/Losses or where the selected team is ranked in the preview. The most important value (IMO) is in the areas that I regard as statistical outliers, or where a team may have a red flag or potential bonus.

Clear? Onto the preview

Competing for a BET first round bye
The next six teams are all fairly close, and I'd expect each team to be somewhat in contention for a spot in the top four

#8 - Syracuse

• 2007 Results - underperformed. Based on their stats in conference, Syracuse (9-9), should have finished with a record of 9.9 - 8.1.
  
• Consistency - Modest impact. Syracuse was one of the more consistent teams in conference last year.
• Quality of Returning Starters - limited impact. Syracuse returns relatively few junior and senior minutes. They also lost Donte Green but will gain productivity from the return of both Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins.
  
• Expected Regression - They were at 0.500 last year, so no impact
  
• Incoming Freshmen -Syracuse welcomes 6'7 WF Kris Joseph to a team that was already young and talented. Bonus
  

Projection - 10-8. Expect Syracuse to be better this year. They're definitely talented, but are they too young to compete for a top spot? Expectations for the 'Cuse may be understated.

#7 - Notre Dame

• 2007 Results - Significant Overperformer. Based on their stats in conference, Notre Dame (14-4), should have finished with a record of 11.7 - 6.3. Red Flag
  
• Consistency - Modest impact. Notre Dame was one of the more consistent teams in conference last year, which means that I don't attribute their overperformance to inconsistency.
• Quality of Returning Starters - Significant Impact. Notre Dame returns one of the highest percentages of Junior and Senior minutes, as well as last year's BE POY, Floppy McFlopperson. Bonus
  
• Expected Regression - Significant impact. Based on their win % last year, Notre Dame should feel some pull back towards 0.500. Red Flag
  
• Incoming Freshmen - No Impact
  

Projection - 11-7. Despite the big advantage of returning almost everyone except the productive Rob Kurz, I see some major red flags for ND.

#6 - Pittsburgh

• 2007 Results - underperformed. Based on their stats in conference, Pittsburgh (10-8), should have finished with a record of 10.7 - 7.3. Of course, some of this was due to the injury suffered by Levance Fields.
  
• Consistency - No impact. Pitt was just slightly more inconsistent than league average.
  
• Quality of Returning Starters - limited impact. Although they return most of their players, relatively few of those players are junior and senior returning minutes. (This obviously changes if Mike Cook is granted an 8th year of eligibility). Pitt's on the wrong side of league average.
  
• Expected Regression - No impact
  
• Incoming Freshmen - Pittsburgh brings in 6'5 WF Nasir Robinson (#81). Too bad he's not from New York City. I bet you didn't know that Pitt gets a lot of players from NYC. Jamie Dixon also added solid backcourt performer Travon Woodall who should take some of the minutes vacated by the departed Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon. Bonus
  

Projection - 11-7. As mentioned at the beginning of this section, any of the teams in here could finish between 8th and 3rd. So why is Pitt down at #6? Because I don't like Pitt! Refreshing candor from Cracked Sidewalks, and hey... Pitt is above ND.

#5 - Georgetown

• 2007 Results - Significant overperformer. Based on their stats in conference, Georgetown (15-3), should have finished with a record of 13.7 - 4.3. This is just using math to say what everyone in conference knows... Georgetown got lucky last year against West Virginia, Villanova, and even Marquette. Red Flag
  
• Consistency - Modest impact. Georgetown was one of the more consistent teams in conference last year
  
• Quality of Returning Starters - Modest impact. I know you're thinking that Georgetown lost everyone from that team (Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, Little Rivers, Little Ewing, and Vernon Macklin). However, even though they're on the low side of league average for returning junior and senior minutes, they're not at the bottom of the league.
  
• Expected Regression - Significant impact. There should be a strong pull on Georgetown's win percentage. Red Flag
  
• Incoming Freshmen - Fresh off of the 07 recruiting class that was top 10 RSCI, Georgetown brings in FOUR players in the RSCI Top 100 list, but can the kids step in and immediately replace the veteran production from last season? JTIII will also welcome 6'10" FSU transfer Julian Vaughn to campus this fall. Bonus
  

Projection - 12-6. Conventional wisdom is that Georgetown will be significantly down this year. I'm less bearish on the Hoyas' chances than many, despite the two big red flags listed above. The biggest reason is that GU will still have a decent number of returning contributors, as well as a huge influx of talent.

#4 - West Virginia

• 2007 Results - underperformed. Based on their stats in conference, West Virginia (11-7), should have finished with a record of 11.5 - 6.5.
  
• Consistency - Significant impact. West Virginia was one of the more inconsistent teams in conference last year. Just as mentioned with Providence, this is a red flag, but possible bonus. If Year 2 of the Huggins Experience results in the 'Eers playing more consistently, then that's a boost. Red Flag (but possible bonus)
  
• Quality of Returning Starters - Modest impact. Yes, I know that West Virginia lost Joe Alexander and Darris Nichols. However, West Virginia still returns one of the higher percentages of Junior and Senior minutes.
  
• Expected Regression - Limited impact
  
• Incoming Freshmen - The late addition of former IU signee Devin Ebanks (#22) to go with Kevin Jones (#49) are big reasons why WVU could surprise to the upside this year. Bonus

Projection - 12-6. This is a team that could just as easily finish 8th as well. I just think that Huggins will get West Virginia to play more consistently and they won't be as bad.

#3 - Marquette

• 2007 Results - underperformed. Based on their stats in conference, Marquette (11-7), should have finished with a record of 11.3 - 6.7.
  
• Consistency - Significant impact. Marquette was the most inconsistent teams in conference last year. We even covered it in some depth on this site. Just as mentioned with West Virginia, this is a red flag, but possible bonus. The big question is if experience will result in more consistency, or if the inconsistency is a result of a guard-heavy roster. I hope it's the former, but fear it's the latter. Red Flag (but possible bonus)
  
• Quality of Returning Starters - Significant impact. Three 1,000 point scorers and a junior in Lazar Hayward that was among the league's most improved players last year. Bonus
  
• Expected Regression - Limited impact
  
• Incoming Freshmen - No impact. No offense to Chris Otule, but there are no incoming players on the RSCI Top 100 list. However, there is hope that new juco players Joe Fulce and Jimmy Butler will provide solid contributions.
  

Projection - 12-6. Before anyone gets on me for making this a homer pick, I'll say that this is a team that could just as easily finish 8th. I'm picking Marquette to finish third for one single reason: this is the year for Marquette and the Three Amigos to achieve great things. There is no grace period for new coach Buzz Williams. Expectations are, and should be, very high.

Truth is, this team underachieved in the regular season last year, yet it returns every meaningful player and introduces a few potentially useful spare parts. Despite coaching turnover, this mix should equate to more wins despite the overall improvement of the Big East across the board. MU has the veteran backcourt that coaches crave, admirable depth, and the seasoning of three straight NCAA appearances.

If this team significantly underachieves with all of their experience and talent, I could care less how good of a recruiter Buzz Williams is. No matter how good the incoming talent will be starting in 2009, Marquette will take a significant step back after losing McNeal, James, and Matthews. Anyone else not that interested in two disappointing years? That puts the pressure on performing well in 2008 - 2009.

The Top Two
I think these two teams will be the class of the Big East next year:

#2 - Connecticut

• 2007 Results - Overperformed. Based on their stats in conference, UConn (13-5), should have finished with a record of 12.3-5.7. Chalk one up to the Hall of Fame coach.
  
• Consistency - No impact. UConn was about league average
  
• Quality of Returning Starters. UConn returns the highest percentage of Junior and Senior experience in the league. Bonus
  
• Expected Regression. Some regression expected, but not significant
  
• Incoming Freshmen. UConn brings in the 6'1 PG Kemba Walker (#24) and 6'6 WG Nate Miles (#60) to another team that was good and now has a lot of experience. In particular look for point guard Kemba Walker to start fast as coach Jim Calhoun waits for A.J. Price to make a full recovery from knee surgery. Also, Miles can really play and will make UConn fans quickly forget the (for now) departed Stanley Robinson. Bonus
  

Projection - 13-5. At the end of the day, I just think that they're not the best team in the league. But they're close.

#1 - Louisville

• 2007 Results - Underperformed. Based on their stats in conference, Louisville (14-4), should have finished with a record of 14.9 - 3.1. Injuries surely played a role
  
• Consistency - Louisville was one of the most consistent teams in the league, which helps when you're good. Bonus
  
• Quality of Returning Starters. Again, UL returns one of the highest number of Junior and Senior minutes. Bonus
  
• Expected Regression. Significant regression expected. Red flag
• Incoming Freshmen. Louisville brings in the RSCI #5 player, PF Samardo Samuels, to a loaded and experienced team. Bonus
• Wildcard: Derrick Caracter. Who knows what to expect from this talented yet troubled collegian. For now, he's factored out of the equation.
  

Projection - 14-4. Pitino hauls in the BE title he should have won last year.

Again, the focus is more on the potential bonus or red flag areas for each team, instead of the projected wins/losses or projected final ranking. Any of the teams from #3 through #9 could realistically fit in any random order. Besides, if I could accurately model results, I'd be typing this from my own private desert island.

Thanks to NYWarrior for his additional contributions. Finally, want to review the data in depth? Here is a link to the spreadsheet. (The file opens up automatically)

Half Full or Half Empty?

There certainly does seem to be far more of the Half-Empty types around lately. In truth, neither answer is completely right and neither answer is completely wrong, although one of those viewpoints is certainly more recent and more vivid. Let's move onto the numbers and address the silver linings and the clouds of our most recent game.

Four Factors Review

Half-Full? Marquette won on three of the Four Factors, including on Offensive Rebounding for the second game in a row.

Half-Empty? This was our second worst effective Field Goal Percentage of the year. The worst was our first game against Louisville. It was our third worst Offensive Efficiency outing.

Season Projections based on Offensive and Defensive Ratings

Half-Full? Pomeroy projects us with a season record of 23-7 (12-6 in the Big East)

Half-Empty? Based on our Big East Conference averages (Team ORtg 102.5 ; Team DRtg 100.7), we project to a conference record of 9.8 - 8.2. Looking at how we've been playing the last five games (Team ORtg 101.9 ; Team DRtg 101.9), we project to a conference record of 9-9. That would mean losing six times out of the next nine games.

Individual Ratings


Half Full? We got net positive games from Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal, and Ousmane Barro. Matthews appears to be really coming into form during conference play. Plus, Maurice Acker was the net points leader for the team and fan fave Scott Christopherson continues to provide a net positive impact in limited minutes.

Half-Empty? Yet again, Louisville managed to shut down Lazar Hayward. Hayward has had only four games with a net negative impact, for a total of -10.7 points. Almost all of those negative net points (-10.1) have come against Louisville. Our top two three point shooters, Cubillan and Fitzgerald, were negative net contributors. Fitz and Burke had offensive ratings of zero! Plus, James continues to endure his slump.

Monday's game was another rough one, and these are really starting to wear on the fan base. It's getting harder to look for the Half-Full folks around, but perhaps things will turn around on Saturday. Saturday really could be the critical point of the season.
-------------------------
In other news, Jonah Keri (from the New York Sun and ESPN.com) recently published an interesting article on Inconsistent Teams. One of his featured teams was Marquette, who ranks at the bottom of Pomeroy's inconsistency rankings, saying:

Don't be surprised if you see one or more of these three make the Elite Eight — or all three bow out in the first weekend of the big dance.

Mr. Keri also thought well enough to consider Marquette as a potential Final Four Team way back in early November. Let's not let that ruin his credibility, though. Maybe he's just a Half-Full kind of person...

What do you think?
Talk about it here on MUScoop - - half full or half empty.

A sickly performance by Marquette

Dominic James had the flu and did not start for the first time in his career. It appeared as if the entire team had the flu. A performance that was sickly in every regard as Marquette was again routed by Louisville for the second time this year. It was MU's first home loss of the season.

The performance looked like many of the recent games by MU this year. They struggled to beat South Florida, played very poorly in the first 16 minutes at Cincinnati, and tonight on national television were outclassed at every turn. The game was over in the first five minutes.

Louisville strolling to the rim with the greatest of ease as MU missed defensive assignments in their matchup 2-3 zone. After about the 7th or 8th uncontested basket, Crean bagged that plan but it didn't help much. While Louisville's shots became a little tougher against the man to man, the Cardinals had no problem down low or going deep from beyond the arc. MU's shooting woes only added to the stench coming from the rotting patient.

So here we were, a national tv audience and a chance for retribution with 3rd place in the Big East in site. Two hours later, a blowout and another horrid performance begs where this team is heading. Sure MU is still in fantastic shape for the post season, but there is something seriously missing from this team the last three weeks of the season and no end in site where that something is coming from.

The team that handled Wisconsin in Madison, the team that crushed nationally ranked Notre Dame, the team that came within one possession of taking out Duke.....not sure where they are, but they are AWOL. With tough games at Notre Dame and at Seton Hall up next, MU better hope to find something soon. The patient is sick and the drugs ain't working.

One thing is for certain, when the coaches picked Louisville to win this conference as co-champions, they weren't far off the mark. Now that they are healthy they look very good.

The final score....71-57 in a game that wasn't that close at all. On a positive note, Bobby Knight announced his resignation today during the first half of the game which means tonight on ESPN and elsewhere the attention will be paid to him and not this dreadful performance.

The loss knocked MU's RPI from 18 to 32 and put the Golden Eagles into a muddled mass with 4 losses in conference play.

Recaps of tonight's embarrassment:

• AP recap / box score / play by play
  
• ESPN on Marquette's collapse at home
• Courier Journal blog on Ville's dominant performance

Marquette v Louisville, Round 2

UPDATED

Just to recap: Round One went to Louisville via a viscious TKO. The judges scored the bout 71-51 in favor of the Cardinals. BTW, Louisville fans are ready for the next rev.

The Cardinals (16-6, 6-3) swoop into Milwaukee as winners of three of their last four games. Earl Clark and Terrence Williams each delivered double-doubles in Louisville's 87-50 mauling of Rutgers on Saturday. The Cardinals are the most offensively balanced team in the Big East, with five players averaging in double figures. Terrence Williams and Jerry f@!@#$g Smith each average a shade over 11ppg, followed by Earl Clark, David Padgett and Derrick Caracter at 10ppg. The Cardinals are a ferocious defensive team, one of the best in the nation particularly inside the arc. It is no surprise that Louisville held each of its last three opponents to 40% shooting or less.

After Saturday's impressive 75-60 road win over Cincinnati, the Golden Eagles (16-4, 6-3) return home on Monday night where they are 12-0 this season. Marquette's win was keyed by the inspired play of the reincarnated Ousmane Barro, who contributed 19 points (9-10 from the field) and 10 boards off the bench. Barro's effort complemented another fine performance by Lazar Hayward (19 pts, 5 boards), who's fast becoming one of the Big East's best forwards. The outburst from the frontline helped MU out-rebound a team for the first time in nearly a month.

With back-to-back road games looming at Notre Dame and Seton Hall, a home win is essential for MU if the Golden Eagles expect to compete for one of four first round byes in the Big East tournament (if not the regular season crown itself). Louisville owns two conference road wins, though the Cardinals lost their most recent road game at UConn.

A few other random notes:

• Dominic James is just not the same player since the Jamar Nutter hard foul back on January 8. Since then James is only hitting 37% from the field and has failed to score in double digits in four of his last five outings - - the worst stretch of his career.
  
• What is going on with David Cubillan? He played just seven minutes against Cincy and failed to score, and in 21 minutes of action against USF he came up with just three points. As well as Ville defends the paint, MU could use a productive Cubillan tonight.
• Lazar Hayward scored in double figures in each of the last four games, which is no surprise.......the 6'6" sophomore now leads MU in scoring at 13.7ppg and leads the team in double figure scoring games with 17.
• Wesley Matthews has rounded into form. Since struggling to a season-low four points against Seton Hall, Matthews is averaging better than 13 points per outing.

Tipoff for tonight's matchup is scheduled for 6pm CST on ESPN's Big Monday.

Media Updates

• GoMarquette.com preview
• AP preview
• Kentucky.com previews the matchup
• Rosiak says MU/Louisville is becoming a classic. Um, no kidding
  
• CardChronicle offers a painful reminder
• Big East Basketball Report preview
  

Top Five Numbers Preview

When we did our preview the for the last game, the key areas to watch for were Louisville's Defense, especially at limiting 2-point FGs and on blocked shots. We've already covered that, and not a lot has changed on the Louisville Pomeroy Scouting Report. True to form, the recap of the last game showed that Louisville was better than Marquette at almost every facet of the game. MU was even victim to several season lows in offensive efficiency, effective Field Goal Percentage, and defensive Free Throw Rate.

8 - Louisville's National Rating at Defensive Efficiency

• Louisville holds opponents to a score of 85.5 on the defensive end
• Last time we played, they were ranked 11
• Holding Marquette to an efficiency of 78.0 helped there
  

11 - UL's rating at effective Field Goal (eFG%) Defense

• Louisville holds opponents to an effective Field Goal Percentage of 43.1%
• As mentioned above, a lot of this is from inside the arc, where opponents only achieve 40.7%
• That percentage is #9 in the country
  

30.4% - Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) achieved by Marquette in the last game

• This was a season low, and our next lowest was 40.2% against Seton Hall
• Expect Marquette to fare much better (especially from three) in front of the home crowd
  

59.2% - Defensive Free Throw Rate allowed by Marquette against Louisville last time

• Louisville got to the line 60% of the time that they had a Field Goal Attempt
• Will Marquette be able to keep this percentage lower? Louisville only gets to the line 23.9% of the time on average.
  

69% - Our predicted chances of winning according to Pomeroy

• Of course, we were also given a 66% chance of winning the last game, and we all know how that turned out

Last time, there were plenty of season worsts for Marquette, but we don't expect that those results will happen a second time. Even if Marquette gets closer to the season averages for Louisville's Free Throw Rate and effective Field Goal Defense, this is a different game. In front of the home crowd, look for Marquette to win.

Louisville Numbers Recap

In our Louisville Preview, we said to watch for several things. First of all, Louisville is doing an outstanding job at Defensive Efficiency, especially on limiting 2-point field goals. Second, Louisville is limiting almost all opponents to under 35% Offensive Rebounding Percentage. Finally, Louisville likes to keep the pace down.

Four Factors Review


Hey, new season lows! It's no secret that Marquette shot horribly, but here is how horribly they shot. Marquette's previous low at Offensive Efficiency was 89.0 (against Seton Hall), and before that they'd never been below 100. Marquette's previous season low at effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) was 40.2%, and our season average is 53%. We are one of the best teams in the nation at both of these areas, but not last night.

Marquette also achieved a season low at defensive Free Throw Rate. The 59% number for Louisville means that about 60% of the time that Louisville attempted a shot, they also shot a free throw.

Not only that, but yet again, Marquette did not do well on Offensive Rebounds. This is...

A Very Bad Trend

Looking at the graph above, we can see the moving 5-game average for Marquette's Offensive Rebounding % (blue) and our opponents' OR% (pink). That sloping downward trend started once Big EAST play began. Remember too that Marquette was once as high as #7 in the Nation at Offensive Rebounding, but we're now at 28 and falling. Plus, our opponents are doing better and better against us.

Not to point to doom and gloom, but two of our team strengths this year have been effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) and Offensive Rebounding Percentage (OR%). Once the Big EAST started, both of those areas have gradually gotten worse. These two trends need to reverse themselves to allow MU to have success this season.

Individual Ratings


If you are looking for a silver lining on an individual basis, it's that Wesley Matthews and Lawrence Blackledge had a net positive game. After that, the whole team pretty much did poorly. James and Hayward had their worst games of the season (statistically), but expect that to rebound. Hopefully, James will be able to play on Sunday.

An Argument to Play Blackledge More... sort of

There have been increasing calls to play Blackledge more. He certainly brings an energy to the game, and performed admirably against Harangody. Blackledge's blocks and dunks are a spark, but does he deserve more time?


First, some perspective on the graph above. It's a cumulative view of each player's contribution on a per-game basis. Upward trends are good and downward trends are bad. One is looking to see a trend that is overall positive or overall negative. Looking at the trends of the cumulative point contributions for our Three B's, we can see a few things.

• Both Burke and Barro are in a serious slump. Ever since the West Virginia game, their net contributions have declined consistently every game. This isn't really news.
• Blackledge's season net contributions are actually overall negative, but...
• Since the Sacramento State game, Blackledge's contributions have been trending slightly up (except for WVU)
  

Blackledge isn't exactly tearing things up from a contribution perspective, because he's basically flat. The difference is that his net contribution isn't negative like Burke and Barro. It's kind of like being "queen of the pigs". Therefore, the Cracked Sidewalks view is that Blackledge deserves more time... sort of.

The team needs Barro and Burke to break out of their slump soon. We are going to need them for the rest of the season.

Let's move on and get ready for UConn.

MU Lays Powder Blue Egg @UL

Marquette rolled out its 4th uniform of the year for a big road game versus Louisville on national TV. If you like that color, it was the only bright spot of the game. The Cardinals owned Marquette tonight, with a final score of 71-51.

In short, Marquette couldn't shoot and couldn't rebound. MU hit a meager 30% from the field, and big goose-egg 0-12 from behind the arc.

UL out-rebounded MU by 13. Marquette has a serious rebounding problem, being bested by 13, 10, 4, and 12 over the past 4 games.

Finding a player of the game for Marquette is tough. McNeal had 16 points on 7-17 shooting .. but he also had a whopping 7 turnovers. Blackledge is my personal best off the bench winner. He's consistently added energy on both ends of the floor for several games now, and one wonders why he isn't getting more minutes.

To add injury to insult, Dominic James, in an off-balance attempt at a circus shot, braced his fall and re-injured his bad wrist. No report has been filed on his condition, but with the UConn game three days away, on the road, I would be surprised if DJ heals in time.

So, what does this all mean? Losing at Louisville is not surprising. None of us here at CS predicted this game as win. However, something is to be said about the way in which we lost. Horrendous shooting from long, medium, and short range, which was nearly the opposite of MU's performance 5 days ago vs. Notre Dame. Being out-rebounded each and every game, however, is more of a concern. We've gone .500 being out-rebounded, and I'd expect that to continue if it isn't addressed.

AP Recap / Box / Play by Play

Louisville Preview

While Louisville has its Kentucky like Marquette has its Wisconsin, something special happens every time the Cards and the Warriors meet up.

Take this audio from a decade ago, January 3, 1998.



Wardle hits to win the game, 71-70.

Since 2000, MU and UL have matched up 16 times. The record? A fitting 8-8. Nearly half of those games, the visiting team has won on hostile ground. Overtimes, triple overtimes. One, two, three point games, won on the last bucket, time and time again. Strap in.

Want to Win the Big EAST? How about starting by winning some games on the road? Maybe against a key rival? How about against a team that we love to hate?

Here are the Top Five Numbers to Know about Louisville. As always, information comes from Pomeroy's Scouting Report and Game Plan.

66% - Pomeroy's computer simulation gives us a 66% Chance of winning this game.

• Ah, if only games were played on computer, instead of on the court
• Considering that home teams have managed to hold serve consistently this year, treat this with some skepticism

11 - Louisville's National Rating at Adjusted Defensive Efficiency

• Efficiency is ((Points / Possessions)*100)
  
• Their Adj Def Efficiency (85.7) is 11 out of 341 teams, whereas their Offensive Efficiency is only ranked 64
• Louisville is clearly winning games on the defensive end, having only allowed four teams to crack 100 (none in the last seven games)
  
• On the other hand, Marquette has only been below 100 on offensive efficiency once (against SHU)

95% - Pace is 95% correlated to Louisville's Offensive Efficiency

• In other words, Louisville does better on offense the more that they push the pace
• However, Louisville only averages 66.7 possessions / game
• That is one of the slowest tempos in Division 1 (211 out of 341)
• Expecting the run-and-gun pressing team from Louisville? Maybe, but it's not helping them force a faster tempo.
• In fact, Louisville is average (ranking of 162) at forcing turnovers from their opponents
  

8 - Louisville's ranking at 2-point FG% Defense

• Louisville is only allowing opponents to achieve 40.3% on two-point field goals
• The Cardinals are also ranked in the top 10 in blocks
  
• Marquette is making 53% of our 2-point field goals, so something has to give

2 - Number of times that Louisville has allowed an opponent to get over 35% on Offensive Rebounding Percentage (OR%)

• OR% is the ratio of total potential offensive rebounds. Team OR / (Team OR + Opponent DR). Each defensive rebound by the opponent is a potential offensive rebound.
  
• Louisville is holding opponents to an average OR% of 30%
• Marquette is averaging 39.4% on offensive rebounds, but we've been below 33% against our last three opponents
• Will Marquette be able to recapture the Offensive Rebounding prowess?

Summary
Although the reputation of Pitino's teams is that of the running, pressing teams that drop 100 points, this year's Louisville team is largely winning on interior defense. I actually think that a quicker pace helps tip towards Marquette's favor, but only if that means we're able to create offensive rebounds and quality shots in the paint.

Expect another great game on Thursday night. Overtime, Triple Overtime, maybe more.

Time/TV: 6pm CST, ESPN2


Links, Links, and More Links


Official Game Links

• MU Game Notes
• UL Game Notes

Louisville Blogs (lots of good stuff to read through)

• The Cardinal Fan Blog
• Card Chronicle
• Card Game Blog

Marquette previews

• Rosiak's Blog looks at Louisville with an Interview of Tom Crean
• Rosiak's Blog takes a look from Louisville's perspective. Interviews of Rick Pitino and Terrence Williams. Nice job, Todd
• Another fine preview by Eric Silver at MarquetteHoops.com
• Rosiak's Preview from the Journal-Sentinel, highlighting how important this week is for MU

National Coverage

• Sports Illustrated takes a look at the Surging Cardinals and Speedy Marquette
  

..written by Henry & Hilltopper

edit: Added lots more links

Why we love to hate Louisville

Marquette v. Louisville.

This is arguably the Big East's best rivalry, and one of the very best in the nation. If you've followed this series for the past dozen or so years, these names and scenarios will raise your blood pressure:

• Aaron Hutchins


• The Mike Deane fist-pumping garbage


• Brian Wardle


• Travis Diener


• The stunning MU comeback from 19 down in the first half at Freedom Hall


• The Ellis Myles injury


• Francisco Garcia


• Dameon Mason


• Reese Gaines

• Steve Novak
  


• ....and Jerry @!#% Smith

As Tom Heiser points out in his blog, this series has risen to great heights. Tom notes this fact from columnist Rick Bozich

After 12 years apart, the schools resumed playing in Conference USA on Feb. 28, 1996. Marquette won. In double overtime. The score was 80-79. The winning basket came on a three-pointer by Aaron Hutchins with three seconds left. Starting with that game, the teams have played 12 games decided by five points or less, and five that have stretched into overtime.

So, here's the deal. These programs have a healthy respect for one another, and I'd posit that the respective fan bases do as well. But -- sometimes there are teams that you just love to hate.

I love to hate Louisville. Tom Heiser loves to hate Marquette. The folks at the Card Chronicle are having a blast here with a Tom Crean caption contest......and the game is still days away.

So, in keeping with the links above...

Here are the top 5 things I love to hate about the UL rivalry:

#5) The last second no-call on Wardle during the Senior Night Triple OT loss at the Bradley Center. A killer loss. Wardle played a remarkable 52 minutes that night for nought.

#4) "I'll take Niv Berkowitz and the 47 points" The overhyped and overmatched PG led Marquette to the worst loss in team history, a 99-52 thrashing at the hands of the Cardinals at Freedom Hall back in 2005. Oh, the game was on national television. Buzzkill. Thank goodness the Three Amigos arrived soon after.

#3) Reese Gaines. After hitting his game winner at MU - a clutch shot just moment after Diener's apparent dagger - the Madison native pranced around the court in defiant celebration. At least this story had a happy ending. Gaines' reward was the right to work for a Marquette graduate the following fall (he was drafted by Doc Rivers' Orlando Magic). Heheh.

#2) The insipid 'C-A-R-D-S' chant heard at the Bradley Center every year by the pockets of UL fans in the crowd.

#1). Slick Rick Pitino. I know he's an easy target, but I'm a simple man. Pitino rode back to the Bluegrass State and many expected him to replicate the nearly unparalleled success he had over in Lexington. It has largely not worked out that way for Rick where recruiting gaffes, a rash of injuries, and a few underachieving squads have managed to temper progress....just a bit. Not that I am complaining, because if I were a complainer Slick Rick would point out that whining is not one of the 10 Traits of Great Leadership in Business and Life, nor will it help me understand the Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life. Tony Robbins has nothing on this man!

All of this and we have two more days to talk about this game. Enjoy a mini 'rivalry week' :-)

Heartbreak deja vu

Each time Marquette plays Louisville, Bradley Center faithful shave one year off their life expectancy. Tonight was no different.

There's not much more to say other than we had built a 7 point lead at the exact time you want it: with a few minutes left in the game. But over the last 4:37, Marquette would only manage 4 measly points, while UL scored 13, including a last second bomb from Milwaukee native Jerry Smith at the buzzer. Heartbreak. Jerry Smith is the new Reese Gaines, killing Marquette at the buzzer.

I received a Marquette mailing today which contained the ticket forms for post-season play. I think MU might have irritated the basketball gods and jinxed itself by not including the customary NIT ticket forms, believing Marquette was headed for the big dance. With a 3 game losing streak going into 3 tough games (Nova, @ND, Pitt), Marquette needs at least one, or perhaps two to seal a bid. This was unthinkable just 8 short days ago. With 8 teams with .500+ records in the BE, someone is going to be Not In Tournament. -- We need some wins.

I have nothing more to say. It was a completely heartbreaking loss.

GoMarquette Recap -- Box Score

Game Photos I took from my seat

Golden Eagles thump the Cardinals

The home team was roadkill tonight.

The Marquette Golden Eagles raced to a 74-65 victory tonight over the Louisville Cardinals in Freedom Hall. The ballyhooed troika of James, Matthews and McNeal scored 39 of the team's 41 second-half points as MU earned its second consecutive conference road win. With the victory, Marquette improved to 16-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big East.

The Golden Eagles ended the first half with a 33-30 lead and emerged from the locker room to build up a 15-point advantage. Louisville's pressure defense quickly whittled the lead back down to seven and then to five points later in the half, but the Triple Threat dropped the hammer from that point on.

Marquette's second half surge was keyed by Dominic James, who scored 16 of his team-high 18 points after the break. The sophomore All-American hit three key 3-point baskets midway through the second half as the Cardinals rallied from the 15 point deficit. With the Golden Eagles nursing a precarious 51-46 lead at the 11-minute mark, James nailed the first of his three key 'threes'. The shot ignited a 13-4 run that pushed the MU lead back to 14 points with roughly eight minutes to play. James accounted for 11 of MU's 13 points during that stretch.

Wesley Matthews scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds, while Jerel McNeal had 15 points and 7 assists.

The Golden Eagles' offense, anemic earlier this month, was spectacular tonight. Marquette shot an impressive 50% from the field and 82% from the free throw line (14-17). Rather than settling for forced jump shots and lazy three-pointers, MU was crisp with the ball all evening racking up 13 assists while turning the ball over just 13 times. Marquette's guards were routinely able to find the seam in the Louisville zone defense and then make the extra pass to an open shooter.

Ousmane Barro was the biggest beneficary of the effective offensive sets in the first half as he came up with a dozen points thanks to a number of fine looks from his backcourt mates. Barro finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double in the last three games -- each on the road. With Barro leading the way, MU out-rebounded the Cardinals 32-28.

Big East Hoops analyzes MU's victory here.

Here is the AP recap.

Here is the box score.

MUScoop has the game notes here.

MUScoop has a recap of the post game interviews here.

Scout.com's recap is here.

The Louisville Courier-Journal chimes in here.

Todd Rosiak on the now surging Golden Eagles.