CHN Rankings & Big East Media Day

Rankings are fun......especially when your team looks good. CHN ranked the top 30 players in the Big East and Dominic James is at the top of the heap. Jerel McNeal checks in at #10, making MU the only program with two of the league's top 10. Strangely, Wesley Matthews gets no respect -- he's listed in the 'next in line' category. I look forward to the recount in March.

Here are the CHN rankings of the Big East's best players. Talk about it here on MUScoop.

**Big East Media Day**
BTW, Big East Media day will begin this morning at 9am CDT in New York City, the greatest city in the world. Tom Crean and the Three Amigos will represent Marquette at the event today.

FWIW at last week's Marquette CIRCLES in New York event, Tom Crean indicated that for his preseason coaches' poll he pegged Louisville, Georgetown and Providence as the Big East's top three teams - -in that order. He cited overall experience as the primary reason for selecting these teams to lead the league. Crean did not indicate where he slotted MU.

Fans can check out the Big Easts' media day homepage for updates throughout today's event, including video content. That page includes a link to the official Big East preview of Marquette -- find that right here.

McNeal, Matthews cut from Pan-Am roster

Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal were cut from the Pan-Am team over the weekend. Here's the updated roster. Also, Dominic James did not attend the tryouts -- learn why from Rosiak.

A handful of updates

Jeff Goodman from Fox Sports blogs on MU in his latest entry - - with info on Dominic James, Tom Crean and new Northeastern assistant coach Todd Townsend,

"He’ll be a head coach at a young age,” Marquette coach Tom Crean said. “He’s overcome a lot of adversity and has always been successful. He treats people the right way, has great work ethic and is very smart. It was a good move for him so he could be a full-time coach and go out recruiting.”

Here's the link to Goodman's blog.

Also of note, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews were invited to participate in the USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Team Trials July 12-14 in Pennsylvania.

Marquette is just one of six schools to send a pair of players to the trials. 30 players were invited to try out for the team, which will be coached by Jay Wright. Congrats and good luck to Jerel and Wesley!

Warriors neuter the Panthers again

With Jerel McNeal in street clothes and Dominic James cramped up, MU held on for dear life at the end of the game to hold off Pittsburgh 75-71. MU finishes the Big East at 10-6 and will be the 6th seed in the Big East Tournament. The win virtually assures MU's bid to the NCAA Tournament (though few thought that was in jeopardy anyway).

The stars of today's game were still 3 guards...Matthews, James and David Cubillan. James had a career high 10 assists and played in control much of the game until he went out late with leg cramps midway through the second half. Wes Matthews scored 20 points as did Cubillan, many on key three-pointers and clutch free throws in the last minute of play. Cubillan's 20 point effort set a new collegiate high, and included a perfect night from the line (8-8).

Once again, Pitt's Levance Fields was ineffective againt the Golden Eagles tallying five points on just 2-13 from the floor against MU's deep, athletic backcourt. Fields and fellow starting guard Antonio Graves combined to shoot 3-21 against MU tonight with just 2 assists.

Marquette seniors Mike Kinsella and Jamil Lott also gave some much needed lift to Tom Crean's depleted squad. Kinsella hit a 3-pointer early in the game, his first of his career. So two minutes later he decided he would do it again....swish. Todd Rosiak comments on the Kinsella magical final home game. Jamil Lott also added a bucket and a blocked shot in the first half.

Marquette will play either St. John's or UCONN in New York at 9:00pm ET next Wednesday. St. John's will play Providence at home on Sunday. If the Johnnies win, MU will play St. John's on their home court on Wednesday.

Since joining the Big East, Tom Crean's team has taken three of the four meetings against Jamie Dixon's Panthers.

Saturday also marked the 30th anniversary recognition of the 1977 NCAA Champion Marquette Warriors. The entire team returned, a little older and a few pounds heavier, but ready to add to a wonderful day in Milwaukee. As Bo Ellis said at halftime..."we will be Warriors forever." A record crowd of 19,021 were in attendance to see the victory and the re-union of the 1977 Warriors.

• Rosiak's article
• Pittsburgh Post Gazette Recap
• Steve Yanda from the MU Trib on winning without Jerel
  
• Paul Day recaps the game for the MU Trib
  
• Pittsburgh Tribune Review Recap
• AP recap of the game
• Boxscore
• Here is the PittBlather's open thread on the game -- these guys do a great job on their blog.
• A victory thread at MUScoop.
• Andrew Sharos recaps the win for Marquette Hoops.
  

Pirates walk the plank in Milwaukee

Home sweet home.

Marquette returned to the Bradley Center for just the third time this month and promptly blew out the visiting Seton Hall Pirates, 89-76. The Golden Eagles built a 20 point lead twice in the second half, but the feisty Pirates ripped off a 20 to 5 run tha cut the lead to just five with less than nine minutes to play. Still, Marquette weathered the storm and pulled away for the convincing victory.

Jerel McNeal led MU with 22 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Wesley Matthews also had 22 points, while Ousmane Barro poured in 13 points, all in the second half. Dominic James had 11 points. Marquette outscored the Pirates 38-2 in fast break points tonight -- incredible. MU shot 58% from the floor, including 41% from deep.

You've gotta wonder why Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez insisted on applying full court pressure for most of the night -- MU shredded those sets routinely. In the post-game intervew on the Seton Hall radio network, Gonzalez said that Marquette has "a special perimeter" and that McNeal might be the best guard he's seen all year. Gonzalez noted that "We could not turn them over. Their guards are so good with the ball."

With the victory the Golden Eagles move to 18-4 on the season and 5-2 in the Big East. The Golden Eagles travel to Tampa to take on South Florida this Sunday at 1pm CST. The Bulls clobbered Rutgers tonight, 62-40.


Post game interviews recapped by MUScoop.

Game photos from MUScoop.

Here's the AP recap.

Here is the box score.

Here is Todd Rosiak's recap.

MarquetteHoops recap is here. Nice job by Andrew Sharos.

Evaluating MU in Big East play

With MU now standing at 16-4 overall and 3-2 in Big East conference play, let's take a look at what we've learned about this team through the first part of the conference season:

Its all about the Triple Threat.
This team is definitely built around the instinctive play of McNeal, Matthews and James. Losing McNeal for the PC game and the prolonged absence of both Matthews and McNeal from practice during the first week of the New Year threw the timing, intensity and execution of this team off-kilter. With the Triple Threat healthy and practicing as a unit, the team re-established its identity.

Offensive rhythm has returned.
After beating Duke and Texas Tech in back to back games to win the CBE Classic, MU's offense went into a protracted funk. In the ten games that followed those wins, MU failed to string together consecutive three games of 70 points of more. Keep in mind this was against stalwarts like NDSU, UMBC and Morgan State. Offensively, the road game at UConn marked the turning point for MU. Beginning with that game, MU has scored at least 70 points in three consecutive outings -- a sure sign of progress given the level of competition.

The Trey is Kryptonite for Marquette. Or is it?
Marquette is not a great three-point shooting team but a funny thing happened on the way to a 3-2 start in league play. Marquette learned how to shoot, sort of. During MU's 10-game offensive funk, the Golden Eagles' offense routinely broke down resulting in busted sets that created an unhealthy reliance on the three-pointer. For a team that hits only 32% of its attempts from deep, the missed treys created a stagnant offense. The start of conference play was no better. In their first two conference games, MU shot a miserable 18% from three --- making only 8 of 44 attempts. 44 attempts from deep in two games where MU failed to score 60 points!

Once again, enter the road game at Storrs. In MU's three consecutive Big East wins, the team is shooting 41% from behind the arc -- and is attempting less than 15 three-pointers per game, a far cry from the 22 attempts the team averaged during their 0-2 start in league play. Anybody who's watched MU this season knows that the Golden Eagles shoot the trey better when the attempts come within the flow of the offense, usually on drives and kick-outs to an open shooter, or on a secondary fast break. That's finally happening. Other than Dominic James' remarkable five minute stretch in the second half against Louisville, MU's offense now creates more open jumpers than at any point during the season.

Defense wins.
In league play, MU is holding opponents to just 40% shooting from the field, and a stingy 27% shooting from 3-point territory. These figures are all the more impressive given Providence's efficiency from the floor in the conference opener -- the Friars shot 50% from the floor and 41% from deep. Since the PC game, MU's defense has been stifling.

Aggressiveness pays.
Marquette leads the Big East in offensive rebounds per game. Let me say that again.......Marquette leads the Big East in offensive rebounds per game. Ousmane Barro is second in the league in ORB per game in conference games. Honest.

Still, MU's aggressiveness is keyed by defensive pressure in the backcourt where MU is 5th in the nation in steal percentage. The team is even better in conference play where James (2.80 per game) and McNeal (2.50 per game) lead the Big East in steals.

This team has moxie.
With their collective back against the wall after an 0-2 start which included a collapse at home to Syracuse, Marquette responded with its best basketball of the season. In winning three consecutive games -- two of which game on the road in sold out arenas -- its apparent that this team has the moxie and toughness many expected to see. Currently in the midst of a January that includes just three home games against five conference road tilts, the Golden Eagles are well-positioned to take advantage of a more favorable schedule to finish the season.

..........All reasons for optimism, I say.

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.