Quality of Opponents

Here's several thousand words worth of commentary regarding Marquette and Murray State.

The bottom line/x-axis is the Pomeroy rank of Marquette's opponents by bucket.  It's a ranking by bucket (1-25, 26-50, etc).  The column shows how many opponents by bucket Marquette has played.  For example, MU has played seven opponents ranked as Top 25.  Finally, the red star shows Murray State's place among the rest of MU's opponents.  Murray State would be the sixth 26-50 opponent Marquette plays this year.

Here's the same type of chart for Murray State (31-1), presented without further comment.

Opener: Panthers forced 17 turnovers, almost won at Cincy last year

If Buzz wants to give minutes for players who do not turn the ball over, Friday’s opener against the Prairie View A&M Panthers will provide a much tougher test than the exhibition Saturday.

The strength for St. John’s-MN on Saturday was shooting (12 of 29 on treys), but their light pressure resulted in only 5 MU turnovers. A year ago the Panthers went to Cincinnati and jumped all over the Bearcats en route to a 33-18 lead that saw 17 turnovers by Cincy before the Bearcats pulled out a 69-62 win. The Panthers went onto be the 38th best team in the country at forcing turnovers, and this year add another ball hawk in a transfer from Alabama A&M.

The Panthers are coming off their first back-to-back winning seasons in more than 30 years, and coach Byrom Rimm has some great transfer additions.

As Marquette continues to sort out the tons of talent in this one “cup cake” game before the CBE, here are the matchups:

Point guard – Dwight Buycks, Reggie Smith, Junior Cadougan - While Dwight Buycks did not shoot well, he is a senior who took care of the ball with 6 assists and only 1 turnover Saturday after his surprise start at the point, so we will see if Buzz continues to start him there. However, Buzz had to be impressed with the incredibly fast Smith, who hit 2 of 3 treys with 7 assists and ZERO turnovers, and Cadougan who hit both his shots including a trey after rarely shooting last year. The Panthers will put up much more pressure with Michael Griffin (#10, 5-foot-8, scored 11 vs. Cincy), who harassed opponents into lots of turnovers last year. He will be joined in the backcourt by Alabama A&M’s former best player, Trant Simpson (#3, 5-foot-10). Simpson was not only a big steal and assist man, but got to the line 176 times and hit 150 of them (85%).

Other guards – Vander Blue, Darius Johnson-Odom – While Blue looked nervous in missing a few shots, he showed the great defense and hustle that he displayed with the US National team with 4 rebounds and 2 steals. We know what DJO can do, but the fact that he was the only MU player with 2 turnovers against the light pressure in the exhibition is the one concern. However, while the Panthers have some big guards they can matchup with, they obviously don’t have nearly the talent of these two potential superstars.

The Panthers do have plenty of additional guards to run a 3-guard set, including two bigger guards who can play at the SWAC level. They received a second big transfer with Beloved Rogers (#2, 6-foot-2), who gives the Panthers a legitimate 3-point threat after hitting 14 of 35 treys to help Oral Roberts win 13 of their last 17 games two years ago. Add to that a third regular guard from last year in Duwan Kornegay (#24, 6-foot-5, also scored 11 vs. Cincy), and another returner with some steals in Tim Meadows (#41, 6-foot-2), and they have a lot of fouls to throw at DJO and Blue. They will have on problem playing a three or even four guard set.

Swing - Jimmy Butler, Jamail Jones, Jae Crowder, Erik Williams – Could Jae Crowder have looked any more like Lazar in his number 32, playing defense 30 feet from the basket while overpowering everyone underneath for 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 of 9 shooting including a trey. WOW. Jamail Jones looked just as good, albeit in just 8 minutes. Add them to Jimmy Butler, and MU has three unbelievable swing men. The Panthers can put a tall guard or a struggling 6-foot-7 big player on one or more of them, but this is where MU will have its biggest mismatch opportunities.

Big men – Chris Otule, Joe Fulce, Davante Gardner - Otule’s 12 point, 9 rebound effort in 16 minutes was great news, Joe Fulce looked solid again, and Davante Gardner showed incredible muscle and even a burst while taking several dribbles down the court. Otule could do some scoring, as the Panthers lone legit big man graduated leaving two returning frontline players in the 6-foot-7 duo of Michael and Brandon Webb (#21 and #34). The Webbs are a huge offensive liability after making only 25 of 67 freethrows (35%) between them last year. The Panthers hope 6-foot-11 Aron Walker out of Weatherford Junior College gives them a match-up for Otule, but despite playing on a strong team, Walker only contributed 7 points and 5 rebounds a game last year at the JUCO level.

In summary, the Panthers will scrap and put up more resistance and pressure and probably help Buzz determine one of the things most important to him – which players can he count on not to turn the ball over. In the end, the Panthers shooting was among the worst in the country last year, and it just doesn't look like they will have an answer for any combination of Butler, Crowder or Jones at the swing position.

They should certainly be a tougher opponent than last year's SWAC foe Grambling, as they look for only their second string of three straight winning seasons since Zelmo Beaty left as the No. 3 choice in the 1962 NBA draft. However, it looks like MU will have too much for them Friday. They should be respected, but if they want to pull a big upset, then we believe next Sunday in Madison would be a more appropriate time against the Badgers.

Blue's chance to make history

I’m sure Vander Blue, Jamail Jones, Reggie Smith, Jae Crowder and Davante Gardner don’t keep a copy of the “ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia” on their desk like I do – but Marquette’s five newest players have a chance to make history in 11 weeks.

When they take the court in Kansas City against Duke, they likely will have a chance to be part of only the second Marquette team to beat a #1 ranked team. Using the Encyclopedia’s rankings up until the AP started, the results so far have been:

1939 – lost at Long Island 34-41
1953 – lost at Kansas State 72-88
1956 – lost at home to San Francisco 58-65
1974 – lost to NC State 64-76 in NCAA title game
1976 – lost to Indiana 56-65 in Elite 8
1986 – lost to UNC 64-66 at home
2000 – lost to Cincinnati 60-72 at home
2003 – defeated Kentucky 83-69 in Elite 8
2011 – vs. Duke (likely #1) in Kansas City Nov. 23

In fact, even defeating a top 3 team is rare. Despite all the great teams in Marquette history, MU is 4-40 all time against top 3 teams, with the other three victories being:

1941 – defeated #2 Wisconsin 40-30 at home (Badgers later won NCAA title)
1955 – defeated #2 Kentucky 79-71 in Sweet 16
2006 – defeated #2 UConn 94-79 at home

Even all of Al McGuire’s great teams went 0-7 against Top 4 teams – though no one really cares that UNC and UNCC were not in the Top 4 in 1977.

Want to know why Marquette has one of the deepest, most talented rosters in history? You can start with the fact that players like Vander Blue are offered the chance to play against the best teams in the country. When Marquette defeated UNC for the title on March 28, 1977 it was MUs 11th game that season against a ranked team. It didn’t happen again until 2009 for the Three Amigos senior year, and then it happened again last year:

11 ranked opponents – 1977, 2009, 2010
9 ranked opponents – 1994
7 ranked opponents – 1924, 1927, 1928, 1974, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007
6 ranked opponents – 1929, 1930, 1961, 1973, 2004, 2008

One other fascinating note for me in the Encyclopedia was that the 1923 team is picked as the 8th best team in the country that year. Since there was no tournament until years later, maybe we need to claim the 1923 squad as an additional Elite 8 team and the 1933 squad (ranked 14th) as a Sweet 16 squad! MU was also pegged as the 18th best team in 1939 and the 21st best team in 1934 – but back to recent history …

The 2007 team went 5-3 against ranked teams to become only the sixth team in Marquette history to beat five ranked teams (only the 1977 team beat six ranked teams).

It’s rare to get a chance to take out a #1, and I’ll be in Kansas City just in case.
Sure, MU will be underdogs against a team coming off a national title and adding Curry to the squad. While I believe this is a team that can win 25+ this year and 30 games next year, this test may be coming too early with so many new parts. However, if Marquette plays the same kind of tenacious defense that destroyed three teams in Orlando last year for 2 ½ games, only this time with the depth to keep the pressure up through fresh legs and fouls to give, the new guys could truly get some minutes and be on the court for history.

The Three Amigos took the same court in Kansas City as sophomores for the same CBE tournament in 2007 and stunned a #9 Duke team 73-62. The other time MU defeated a Duke team in the Top 10 was in 1980, with a 80-77 win in Madison the season before Doc Rivers came to campus. Here are the all-time records against teams with various rankings, with game vs. ranked Duke teams noted.

Vs.No. 1 – 1-7
Vs. No. 2 – 3-20
Vs. No. 3 – 0-13
Vs. No. 4 - 5-9
Vs. No. 5 – 5-14
Vs. No. 6 – 6-18 (lost to Duke 1961, 1991, 1994)
Vs. No. 7 – 6-12 (lost to Duke 1979)
Vs. No. 8 – 3-12
Vs. No. 9 – 10-15 (beat Duke 2007)
Vs. No. 10 – 10-15 (beat Duke 1980)
Vs. No. 11 or lower – 73-93 (lost to #13 Duke 2008)

What a chance to make history and how great it is that even if MU doesn’t, this class will have so many more chances to go up against ranked teams.

Marquette-Michigan State Preview

For the fourth time in the last six seasons, Tom Crean's Marquette Golden Eagles will lace'em up in the NCAA tournament later this week. I'd venture to guess that Thursday's opening round matchup will immediately become the most memorable of those four as MU squares off against perennial power Michigan State in Winston-Salem.

Now its time to know our opponent. We've enlisted the help of Tom Keller, MSU's beat reporter from The State News , MSU's Independent Voice.

Tom covered the mentor v mentee angle yesterday, and was kind enough to work on a detailed Q/A to help us get up to speed on the Spartants. Tom, take it away ..........

CS: What types of teams generally give MSU the most trouble?
Keller: No surprise with an Izzo team - it's all about defense. The Spartans have only allowed 15 opponents to top 60 points this season, which has helped mask some of their offensive deficiencies. A team that can push the tempo and shoot from the outside (like, say, UNC, or to a lesser extent, Marquette) is a threat - this team isn't built to be playing in the 70s.

What types of teams do the Spartans generally handle well?
Keller: The Spartans have four respectable bigs they can rotate down low, so few big men have presented much of a problem - MSU put a reasonable clamp on Greg Oden and D.J. White, at least comparatively. Zone defense has also been pretty ineffective against the Spartans.

Raymar Morgan could give Coach Izzo his biggest matchup advantage. Can you breakdown the freshman's game?
Keller: Morgan's a 4 playing the 3 out of necessity. He's got good range out to about 18 feet, and MSU has been getting him more touches on the block of late. Has a great knack for contact. MSU was plus-6 with him in the lineup against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament; minus-19 without him. It's funny that he's MSU's biggest matchup problem now - it was exactly that mid-sized swing forward that the Spartans glaringly lacked last season.

Every team gameplans for Drew Neitzel, yet he stil averages 18ppg, 4 apg and shoots 41% from deep. What does Izzo do to free him up?
Keller: Relentless downscreens, a la the Detroit Pistons with Richard Hamilton. Neitzel's shifty enough to get a step on his man and quick enough to get out and shoot right off the catch. The teams that have slowed him have hedged way out on those screens - he's a less effective (but still surprisingly dangerous) scorer off the dribble.

MSU is 2nd in the nation in assists/field goals made, yet turns the ball over on nearly 25% of their possessions. Are MSU's guards susceptible to full-court pressure?
Keller: Without a deep roster to do much fast breaking, the Spartans have instead relied on a very meticulous half-court offense, a big reason for the high assist/high turnover count. (A lot of those turnovers come from mistimed sets or illegal screens for Neitzel.) Opponents pressed with pretty good success early in the season, but MSU adjusted well and hasn't seen much of it lately.

The Spartans enter the NCAAs losing three of their last four games. Is this team struggling right now?
Keller: The first loss came with Neitzel severely hampered by flu-like symptoms, the second by two at Wisconsin on Kammron Taylor's late 3, the third a legitimate handling by the Badgers at the Big Ten Tourney. None was a bad loss (the only one that would really qualify all season was the 30-point drubbing at Purdue), so it's not a complete freefall. This team has undeniably had problems winning away from home, but neutral wins over Texas and BYU and two-point road/neutral road losses to Maryland, Wisconsin and Ohio State bode well.

Goran Suton is a greatly improved big man, averaging roughly 10ppg and 6 rpg. Is he a legitimate threat on the blocks?
Keller: Suton's a remarkably skilled Euro-style 4 with good rebounding skills and range out to 18 feet. He's also the Spartans' best back-to-the-basket scorer. They don't get him the ball there as much as they probably should, instead using him a lot in pick-and-pop sets. When he's hitting that mid-range shot, the rest of the offense flows a lot better.

Other than the players mentioned, are there others who might step up and surprise MU on Thursday night?
Keller: Travis Walton is a hawkish on-ball defender who will likely draw most of the James assignment. (Ironic, because each could easily be playing for the other's school right now.) He can be very disruptive, and he's improved his jumpshot enough to add a few baskets a game. Drew Naymick's a steady defender in the post who's averaging almost two blocks a game the last month. Other than that, though, this team doesn't have a whole lot of options. It's got to come from the top seven (maybe even the top one or two), or it's not coming at all.

Expectations are always high in East Lansing. How have the 2006-2007 Spartans performed relative to those expectations?
Keller: Izzo was realistic from the beginning of the season - this team has NIT talent. But the Spartans relished that underdog role, got some big wins early, and have been playing as a sum greater than their parts ever since. They've acknowledged their deficiencies and embraced a system that hides them well. Getting to the tournament was a huge accomplishment in itself, but there hasn't been any back-slapping over it. They've still got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, and they're not a team I'd want to see on the other side of my bracket.

Tom Keller of The State News, THANKS VERY MUCH!

MSG Report: MU over SJU

It was great to see MU back in MSG last night -- and even better to watch the Golden Eagles claim their first conference tournament win since 2002. The seats in section 44 rocked (even if I should not have been sitting there) A few thoughts on the game:

• This was a road game, no doubt about it. The MSG crowd badly wanted to erupt and rock the house for the Johnnies, and on a couple of occassions they nearly did. When SJU went on a 10-0 run midway through the second half to cut the MU lead to 49-47 the crowd was fairly electric, albeit modest in terms of raw numbers.
  
• MU fans represented nicely. MSG is a tough arena for teams that lack a large local alumni base....the Big East spreads fans out in small groups around the arena, so its difficult to establish a raucous atmosphere for MU and others with similar distance issues. Syracuse, UConn and SJU don't have to deal with that. MU certainly traveled better this year than last. A nice job by the alumni office and the Blue & Gold Fund teams.
  

The biggest sequences in the game were three IMHO

• Strong finish to the first half: When SJU cut MU's lead to just two late in the first half, 30-28, the house was rockin. MU finished the half on a 5-0 run, capped by a brilliant drive/dish from James to Hayward. MU led by seven at the break -- and scored the first basket of the second half.
• Fitz is tits: When SJU whittled a 12-point lead down to just two points with twelve minutes to play, Dan Fitzgerald sacked up and nailed a clutch three. The game nearly turned right there -- against MU. Huge shot.
• Matthews on the glass: With 43 seconds to play and MU up 66-62, David Cubillan missed two free throws. Wesley Matthews' rebound on the missed freebie was clutch...he was promptly fouled and made both free throws.

More thoughts on the game

• I wish MU had a player like Anthony Mason, Jr. He's long and athletic on the wing -- the kind of player MU just does not have in the program. He gave Matthews fits all night. I give TC a ton of credit for moving David Cubillan onto Mason midway through the second half (after Mason cut the MU lead to just two). Cuby helped take Mason out of rhythm despite the height disadvantage. Great move by Crean.
  
• Mike Kinsella. What a fantastic way for a senior to close his career -- he was a spark for MU, no question about it. Hopefully Mike gets the chance to channel Novak for a few more weeks.
  
• The refs. Sitting with Chicos Bail Bonds, we both admitted that MU got just about every call from the zebras last night. Several gifts. Who cares, MU deserved them.
• Eugene Lawrence is an incredible on-the-ball defender. MU ran several clear-outs for DJ, but he was unable to get by Lawrence off the dribble. 'Gino' is an under-rated player.
• Maurice Acker: No, he was not at the game last night but they could have used him. MU only has two players on the roster who can consistently dribble penetrate. With Jerel out, defenses can more easily keep James out of the lane which limits MU's offense substantially.
• Key defensive stops: MU outscoured SJU 11-7 during the last three minutes of the game. There was a key stretch from the 2:58 mark to the 0:54 mark in the game -- MU held St John's scoreless during those critical two+ minutes...a stretch where MU only managed one point. IMHO that's a good sign for this team -- even when the offense is sluggish, they brought their 'A' game on the defensive end and it paid off.
• MU's glossy shoes look good.
  
• DePaul -- I mean they can't suck enough. If DPU traveled a dozen fans I'd be surprised....it was downright embarrassing for them. The university only sent five members of the dance team and an abriged collection of cheerleaders. Clearly they expected to be one and done.
  
• Lazar Hayward's 'J' looks much better now than it did earlier in the season. Inside, he's always around the ball. Nice player.
• Dwight Burke is a huge 'effort player'. He was all over the place last night.
• Fitz Fitz Fitz Fitz Fitz. Is it just me or does he hit clutch threes with regularlity? His fan club rocks btw.
  
• It was great to see Chicos, Smitty, Smitty and hordes of other MU alums last night.

more to come......

SJU update: Lamont Hamilton injures left knee

Jerel McNeal now has company on the injury list.

Lamont Hamilton, a pre-season pick for first team all-Big East from St John's, was injured in the Red Storm's victory over Providence yesterday. A 6'10", 240 pound senior, Hamilton leads SJU in both scoring and rebounding.

According to news reports today, Hamilton will have an MRI on his left knee today and will see his team's orthopedist tomorrow. His status for the MU game is uncertain ---a decision on his availability could be made at the Wednesday shootaround. A 6'10", 240 pound senior, Hamilton leads SJU in both scoring and rebounding.

• New York Daily News update.
• New York Times update.
• New York Post update.
  

MU: 5.74% chance of winning Big East Title

KGSB Panther at the Panther Lair message board has calculated the odds of each team's chances of winning the Big East title using methodology popularized in basketball circles by statistician extraordinaire Ken Pomeroy.

Using the "log5 methodology" to determine odds of advancing in the Big East tournament, MU has an 87.3% chance of getting to a round two rematch with the Panthers, a 32.28% chance of winning that game, a 15.5% chance at reaching the finals, and a 5.74% chance of winning it all.

Despite being seeded behind #5 Syracuse, MU appears to have a significant statistical edge in its first round game. The Orange are projected to have only a 54.2% chance of surviving UConn. #9 Villanova (66.1%) and #7 WVU (62.5%) are given a better chance of getting to round 2 than Syracuse.

Georgetown is favored to win the championship, with a 34.2% chance, followed by #3 seed Pittsburgh with a 20.0% chance.

St. Johns has a 0.01% chance of winning the championship.

Georgetown, Pitt, Notre Dame and Louisville have a 100% probability of surviving to round 2, completely understandable given that they face no first round opposition.

Visit Pomeroy's blog to see the WCC (Gonzaga favored with a 63.6% chance) , Colonial (42.5% shot for Old Dominion) and MidCon (Oral Roberts with a 47.7%).

Bring on the Johnnies. MU vs St. John's Wednesday

St. John's is destroying Providence right now in the Garden and will earn the 11th seed. This is effectively a home game for St. John's on Wednesday night. The two teams have not met this year. MU leads the all-time series 7-5.

St. John's finished the regular season at 16-14, including home wins over DePaul, Syracuse and Notre Dame (teams MU went 0-3 against).

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.
  

Calling Uncle Mo'

When MU (22-8, 9-6) and Pitt (25-5, 12-3) renew their budding rivalry on Saturday night, they will do so with much at stake.

On Senior Night with a 10-win conference season within their grasp, the 1977 National Champions in the house, and Selection Sunday looming, the Marquette Golden Eagles have plenty of incentive this weekend. And don't forget - - with a win on Saturday, the Panthers will earn at least a share of the 2006-2007 Big East title. Oh, and this is a national TV game.

MU beat the Panthers in overtime 77-74 earlier this season, part of the team's fast start in the Big East. Yet since their sensational 6-2 start in conference play the Golden Eagles have been grounded for much of the second half of the season, losing four of their last five outings. Slumps can happen when you play one of the two toughest intra-conference schedules. Its time for good ol' Uncle Mo' to visit this young, talented team once again.

The team's inconsistency in conference play is personified by Dominic James. James has been both magic (see MU's win at Pitt) and tragic (see MU's loss at Georgetown) this year. The sophomore PG has only scored in double figures in three of his last seven games, and hasn't shot 50% from the field in a game since MU's win over Seton Hall back in January -- which happens to be the only game in which James made half his shots since early December. Its been a tough sophomore season in the Big East for Dominic James -- yet he is still playing a solid floor game as evidenced by his 1.8/1 A/TO ratio.

Still, James matches up well with the Panthers. In three career games against Pitt, James is averaging 18.3ppg, 4.6 apg, and 4 rpg. In MU's win at Pitt earlier this season, the Panthers' Levance Fields was overmatched against James, fouling out after scoring just two points.

MU's greatest advantage on Saturday night is its quick, athletic, fast backcourt -- the Panthers just don't have the same caliber of athlete at the guard positions. Of course, Pitt has that same physical advantage on the baseline with Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall, Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and company. Although according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Pitt starting forward Levon Kendall did not go through a full practice yesterday because of a nagging turf toe injury, and his backup Sam Young is struggling with tendonitis in his knees. Both are expected to play tomorrow night against Marquette."

In his Q/A with Rosiak earlier this week, Crean noted that improved post defense begins with more appreciable backcourt pressure. TC's had plenty of time to focus on that and other gaps in his team's game. After a tough slog through the Big East, Crean's squad enjoyed a full week to prepare for the physical Panthers, time that bodes well for MU IMHO. The extra practice time came at an ideal time for a team that failed to slow down the inside game against teams with similar inside presence (Notre Dame and Georgetown).

Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm CST on ESPN.

MEDIA UPDATE

• John Keegan of the Marquette Tribune previews the season finale.
• The AP on Pitt's fight for a share of the Big East title.
• Here's the MUScoop info header for the game.
  
• Mike Bennett of the Richmond Palladium-Item delivers a column on James and MU.
• Panthers' beat reporter Ray Fittipaldo has an informative Q/A today.
• Rosiak blogs on MU's seniors as they prepare for Senior Night. Ouch. Worse, he ignores Craig Kuphall in his blog -- bogus! Craig is putting in just as much time and effort as the scholarship players and deserves the attention and appreciation as well. THANK YOU CRAIG KUPHALL!
• Marquette Hoops goes in-depth to preview the MU/Pitt rematch.
• PittLive with a profile of Panther's PF Tyrell Biggs.
  

Getting ready for Pitt

Rosiak has a Q/A with TC on his blog......check it out here.

The most interesting part of the interview was TC's response to improving post defense:

We just gave up too much room. These games where we've struggled we've given up too much room. The best form of post defense is your ball pressure and we have not had enough pressure on the ball to make it tough to get it in, and people haven't had to create angles. They've just been able to throw it in. So we need to improve there and it's not a one-man job; it's a team job and that's what we're working on.

Sweet. MU is gonna dial up the backcourt pressure on Saturday......that'll set the right tone for the game, IMHO. Glad to see its a focus area this week in practice. Without it, Pitt will pound MU down low.

Still decompressing after Saturday

.......ugh, losing to the Domers really gets ya. .....and a full week off to stew after the loss is not what the doctor ordered. Any chance Mick Cronin can send his Bearcats to Milwaukee so the Golden Eagles can play an extra conference game?

Judging from the comments in the game recap below - this one will hurt for while. At least until MU honors the 1977 Natioinal Championship team in style on March 3! So says this optimist.

And don't forget, the ESPN Gameday crew will be there for the game -- details on Gameday at MU are available here.

In the interim, here's a graphic of the BET matchups based on regular-season records to date. Currently MU is slotted as the 6th seed.

The bracket was created by the guys at MUScoop who update the scenarios on their site daily. We'll link over there daily from now on until the brackets are finalized -- so bookmark this page to follow the changes.


Looking further ahead, the Bracket Project has MU pegged as a consensus 5 seed for now.

Road Warriors Look to End Notre Dame's Streak

The Marquette Golden Eagles invade South Bend tomorrow hoping to spoil the Irish's perfect record at home this season. Notre Dame's 17-0 record at home speaks for itself. Nevertheless, Marquette has been one of the nation's best road/neutral teams this season with seven wins away from home. Still, Marquette has not won a road game since its miraculous finish at USF last month and flies into South Bend with three losses in its last four games.

Marquette (22-7, 9-5) and the Irish (21-6, 9-5) are battling for a coveted first-round bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament. The winner of Saturday's game will have the inside track on that slot. FWIW, in addition to their gaudy 17-0 record the Irish will have extra incentive on Saturday as they celebrate Senior Night by honoring Colin Falls and Russell Carter.

The game will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 2:30pm CST.

Throughout the day we'll expand on this post and provide links to other previews. Here's the rundown:

• Todd Rosiak blogs on Mike Brey's commentary from the ND coach's media call yesterday.
• Eric Silver looks at the Irish in-depth.
• Scout.com recaps TC's presser on the ND game.
• Michael Hunt of the MJS' offers a column today that hits the spot: despite MU's youthful roster, expectations are high for this bunch as we move into March.
• Here is the MUScoop header for tomorrow's tilt.
  

6 teams still fighting for the last bye.

Its time to take a serious look at who's in the drivers seat for the first round byes in the Big East conference tournament.

Pitt and Georgetown appear to be in the drivers seat for two of them. Pitt, at 11-2, can finish no worse than 11-5 (if they lose to @Georgetown, @MU, and WVU). While there are a number of teams that could tie them with that record, only MU and UL would have clear seeding advantage. There may be some small mathematical possiblity that Pitt could miss a first round bye. If they win one more, they would erase that possibility.

Georgetown's schedule is a bit easier--besides a tough game with Pitt, and a trip to Syracuse, they play Cincy and Uconn. They could lose the first round bye if the end the season on a 4 game losing streak--otherwise, they're likely resting the first day.

UL is a third team in great shape with a 9-4 record and an easy remaining schedule. With remaining games against St. Johns, Seton Hall and UConn, they are certainy in the driver's seat for the third bye.

That leaves six teams--MU, DePaul, ND, PC, WVU, and Syracuse--in the hunt for the 4th first-round bye (not to mention 5th through 9th place in the conference).

MU doesn't quite control its own destity--even if they win out, Syracuse could tie them, and they have seeding advantage. However, two MU wins coupled with any Syracuse loss puts MU no worse than 4th seed.

DePaul is sitting 7-6 in conference and has 3 games left. With games @ ND, and USF and Cincy at home. If DePaul wins out, MU must win both remaning games to have advantage. If DePaul loses one, MU must finish 1-1 to have advantage.

Notre Dame is sitting 8-5 -- with a head-to-head game aginst MU. If MU wins, ND cannot top MU regardless of what MU does against Pitt. If ND wins, MU would need the Irish to lose their two other reamaing games (DePaul and Rutgers).

Syracuse (8-5) could conceivably sneak into the 4th spot, but based on their schedule it is unlikely. They have two tough road games--at PC and at VU, plus they face Georgetown at home.

Against WVU, MU has the advantage in a tie. The Mountaineers play @PC, @Villanova, and Georgetown at home. They would need to win out, and have MU lose both remaning games to have seeding advantage.

PC (6-6) has only two options to gain advantage on MU: Finish a game ahead of MU in the standings--possible if they win four straight while MU loses both. Or go 3-1 including a win over Syracuse AND have Syracuse finish ahead of Villanova in the standings.

MU already has advantage over Villanova regardless of what happens.

Could MU realistically finish with the 9th seed?

Yes.

Assuming that MU and PC finish with 9-7 records, two of PC's wins are against WVU and Syracuse, and the other contenders all finish 10-6.

10-6: WVU wins two more--UC and PC
10-6: DePaul wins out
10-6: ND beats MU, Rutgers, loses to DePaul
10-6 Syrause wins two more

9-7: MU loses to Pitt and ND.

9-7 Providence: wins over USF, SJU and Syracuse, loss to WVU

In this case, MU and Providence are tied head to head and we start with the 1st place team until 1. MU or PC has the advantage:
2. Pitt: No advantage--MU is 1-1 vs. Pitt, PC is 0-1
3. Georgetown: no advantage--PC did not play
4. Louisville: No advantage--MU 1-1, PC 0-1.
5. WVU: No advangate if PC beats WVU, otherwise advantage MU
6. DePaul: No advantage: PC did not play
7. Notre Dame: No advantage, both teams lose
8. Syracuse: Advantge PC--PC won twice, MU lost once.

Two ways for MU to top PC:
a) PC loses to WVU--MU would have advantage in this case.
b) PC loses to Syracuse--PC loses its advanage, and the tie breaker would be the 10th place team--Villanova.

Marquette drops 2nd in a row

Marquette went into DePaul tonight with a chance to inch closer to first place Pittsburgh. Instead, the Blue Demons dealt MU it's second straight road loss 72-67 as MU drops to 8-4 in the league with a very hot Louisville team coming to Milwaukee this weekend.

MU looked pedestrian in the first half giving up 40 points and missing plenty of bunny opportunities. MU trailed 40-33 at the break. The second half MU fought back and took the lead 49-48 at the 10:02 mark. Less than 30 seconds later a Sammy Meija layup put DePaul back on top for good.

That is not to say the game didn't remain close because it did. MU had many opportunities to go back ahead or win the game, but missed shots were the name of the game. That and missed free throws. MU shot a horrid 52% from the line tonight.

With under a minute to play MU was within 3 points or less on 5 possessions but could only manage 1 point on a free throw. The critical play came with under :18 to play and MU trailing 70 to 67. With Tom Crean screaming for a timeout (the refs didn't hear or see it), Dominic James forced about a 35 foot game tying attempt that fell short by plenty and missed the iron. MU then fouled Meijia who managed to make one free throw. MU ran the ball up the court and DJ took another 3 pointer that again missed the mark and sealed the game. Overall James played a pretty good game tonight, but the 3 pointers at inopportune times continue to be a struggle for him.

James finished with 17 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Dan Fitzgerald added 16 points on 3 of 6 from deep. Chicago native Jerel McNeal also added 16 points. The biggest disappointment had to be Barro who had played several great games in a row. Barro laid a big goose egg on the scoring front (he did manage 9 rebounds). Cubillian also score zero points.

It was clear in the post game press conference and radio interview that Coach Crean was not pleased with some of the officiating. He was also displeased with the play of his bigs and the continued erratic free throw shooting. Only a few days ago the Golden Eagles shot 93% from the line only to follow-up with a 52% effort tonight.

MU will attempt to snap their 2 game losing streak against Rick Pitino and Louisville this weekend.

AP Recap

Todd Rosiak Recap

Box Score

Windy City Romance

UPDATED
Marquette, who swept its foe from the Windy City last season and has won 26 of the last 31 games in this rivalry, will look to break the hearts of the Blue Demons once again -- this time on Valentine's Day. In its home away from home, Tom Crean can expect a rowdy group of MU fans to cheer on the Golden Eagles. Dozens of DPU students are expected to attend as well.

Marquette (21-5, 8-3) enters the game with loads of question marks from where you'd least expect it. Dominic James is fighting through the worst slump of his career. To make matters worse, running mate Wesley Matthews is battling the flu and his status for the game is uncertain. Matthews did not practice on Monday.

Despite winning eight consecutive Big East games before the humbling defeat at Georgetown over the weekend, MU's core strength this season -- its backcourt -- is a major question mark heading into tonight's conference road game. Time for Chicago's own Jerel McNeal to step up!

Tom Crean will also look to the vastly improved Ousmane Barro to tip the scales in MU's favor. The 6'10" junior already has six double-doubles this season -- including MU's last two outings.

DePaul (14-11, 5-6) has has plenty of time to prepare for MU. Paul Gleason's crew last played on February 8 when they stole a victory from Notre Dame at the great airplane hangar in Rosemont.

DePaul is led by Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler. Mejia, who celebrated his 24th birthday last week. um. ah. well. hmmm ........sorry, I lost my train of thought. ....his 24th birthday.

Back to the game preview. As a versatile forward, Chandler figures to be MU's toughest matchup.....anybody remember how Alando Tucker, Jeff Green and Demetris Nichols did against the Golden Eagles?

All together now: "They torched Marquette!!"

Well -- enter Mr. Chandler ....... as with the bunch mentioned above, MU does not match up well with him at all, particularly if Matthews is not 100%.

Tough game coming up folks, tough game.

Media Updates Galore!!

• MUScoop info header on tonight's game.
  
• Eric Silver has a stellar preview at Marquette Hoops.
• Here's the AP preview of the game.
• WeAreDePaul offers this solid preview.
• Details on Todd Rosiak's informative blog.
• Todd Rosiak's preview -- focused on DJ's recent struggles from the field.
• The Daily Herald on the role post play production could play tonight.
• The Sun-Times on how revenge is on the minds of the Blue Demons.
• The Chicago Tribune focuses on the improved play of the Demons' Draelon Burns.
• The Sports And Pop Culture Bank offers its take on where MU stands after the GTown loss. Its a fun read (given the off-the-deep-end mentality) but wow --- talk about an over-reaction to one loss, fellas.
  

Jesuit Smackdown

UPDATED
The Big East's two hottest teams square off on Saturday afternoon in our nation's capital when 11th ranked Marquette (21-4, 8-2) slips into town to take on the #22 ranked Georgetown Hoyas (17-5, 7-2). In order to extend its conference-best eight game winning streak Marquette will have to slow down the surging Hoyas, winners of six in a row.

The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Tipoff is scheduled for 11am CST.

As if the Hoyas need extra incentive (they don't), Georgetown will celebrate 100 years of basketball on Saturday. Many past Hoya greats are expected to return to campus for the celebration.

Georgetown has steamrolled its last six opponents by an average of 15 points per game. As hot as the Hoyas are, they've not exactly annihilated murderer's row in the past few weeks (@Rutgers, @Seton Hall, DePaul, Cincy, St Johns, @Louisville) but with Roy Hibbert coming up with two double-doubles in his last three games its clear that JTIII has his troops playing better and better.

The Hoyas are paced by their front line, the best group in the Big East -- Hibbert, Jeff Green, Vernon Macklin and DaJuan Summers. The four big men combine to average 38 points per game for JTIII, led by Hibbert and Green at more than a dozen apiece. With their efficient frontline and the modified Princeton-style offense, Georgetown leads the Big East in field goal percentage -- and is the only team in the league hitting more than 50% of its shots (GU shoots 53% from the field).

In the backcourt, Jonathan Wallace is enjoying a fine season averaging better than 11ppg and connecting on 48% of his three-point attempts.

Marquette will look to its Big East-best backcourt to balance the Hoyas' baseline presence. MU's Triple Threat is averaging a combined 43ppg this season, and consistently deliver the defensive intensity Tom Crean's squad needs to dictate the style of play.....and style of play will be the key on Saturday.

Who will blink first, TC or JTIII?

Last year, MU's speed, intense perimeter defense, and crisp offense negated the Hoyas' height advantage in the Golden Eagles' victory at the Bradley Center. Hibbert played well, but Bowman and Green combined for just nine points. In the rematch at MSG during the Big East Tourney, the Hoya's defense held MU to just 39% shooting. Led by Jeff Green and now-departed point guard Ashanti Cook, who each scored 16 points, GU owned the glass (MU out-rebounded the Hoyas in the first meeting) and hit clutch free throws late to seal the deal.

With a smaller, quicker team, Crean has found ways to turn his Marquette's speed into a distinct advantage against bigger, lumbering teams. In the Golden Eagles' inaugural Big East opener last season, Steve Novak turned in the greatest individual performance in conference history with 41 points and 17 rebounds. That night, quickness and effective ball movement on offense negated the substantial height advantage from UConn (read: Boone, Adrien, Armstrong and Gay) as the Golden Eagles ran away with the victory. The same formula worked earlier this season in Marquette's win at Pittsburgh, where Aaron Gray was marginalized as the game wore on. Jamie Dixon was forced to 'go small' in order to put a more effective defensive team on the floor.

With Green, Summers, Hibbert and Macklin rotating on the baseline, at least one of them will have to guard Fitzgerald or Wesley Matthews in order for JTIII to keep three of them on the floor at the same time. In their last game against Louisville, which moved to a three (if not four) guard lineup, coach Thompson played Summers, Hibbert and Green each in excess of 30 minutes while Macklin only made it off the bench for two minutes of action. Perhaps MU can expect a similar rotation of Hoya big men on Saturday.

Still, if Ousmane Barro can hold his own down low and MU's guards can rebound effectively, the Golden Eagles could dictate the style of play yet again. A lineup of James, McNeal, Matthews, Fitzgerald and Barro would keep the floor spread and force JTIII to make some tougher personel choices -- if the Golden Eagles can create a more frenetic style of play at the expense of the Hoyas' young backcourt.

How Georgetown matches up with the 6'9" Fitzgerald will be key. The junior is shooting 43% from three-point range this season, and has hit a number of clutch shots from that distance in conference play.

MEDIA UPDATES

• Here's the MUScoop information header for Saturday's game.
  
• Eric Silver previews the game for MarquetteHoops.
• HoyaSaxa's pre-game report.
  
• The Associated Press preview is on the wire -- check it out.
• The GU Hoya on the Hoyas' pursuit of a marquee victory on Saturday.
• CNNSI's Luke Winn has MU up to #7 in his power poll -- and gives a shout-out to Todd Rosiak's new blog.
• Sportsline matches up MU and GU in their Head to Head analysis.
• Todd Rosiak blogs on MU's arrival in DC -- Crean is still sick with the flu.
  

MU looks for 8th win in a row tonight

MU (rah-rah), already 20-4 on the season, aims to continue its fine play of late when it hosts the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-14, 2-8) at the Bradley Center this evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7pm CST and will be 'broadcast' on ESPN360.

RU is struggling mightily this year under first year head coach Fred Hill. Hill, who was an assistant at MU during the Dukiet era, took over the program after serving as the program's top assistant. Despite their miserable record, RU does have talent. Sophomore forward JR Inman is a terrific player, leading the Scarlet Knights in rebounds while scoring more than 12ppg. Senior guard Marquis Webb is also in the mix - - and as a big, physical guard he stands to matchup well with Matthews and McNeal.

Regardless, you've gotta love MU's chances tonight given how well TC has the fellas playing. Its time to get pumped up for the game. Unfresh after a trip outta the country, tonight's game will help me rally.......and u know what -- methinks Karma is gonna be on MU's side once again tonight.

As defined by Wikipedia, "Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions."

The source of today's good Karma? The Deli Guy around the corner......see, the Deli Guy went to Rice High School in NYC, and balled with Dean Meminger and Butch Lee as a kid. The Deli Guy still follows MU, and when I step into the deli I get the oh-so-great-greeting, "Hey Marquette!". I feel so, well, like Norm.

Today I got more than that -- "Hey Marquette....they are doing good this year. Lots of upsets." Advantage MU.

NFW will MU spit the bit on a night when the Deli Guy is on board.


Media Updates
Here's the MUScoop info sheet on tonight's tilt.

In case you missed it (I did, thanks to one of our readers for sending this ine), Jerel McNeal made Andy Katz' 'Weekly Watch'.

Here is the RU preview.

Here's the MU preview.

Rosiak on a wary TC heading into tonight's game.

Here's the Marquette Hoops preview.

The Newark Star-Ledger on RU's progress and prep for tonight.

Win it for Wade

With Dywane Wade back on campus to have his jersey retired, the Marquette Golden Eagles (19-4, 6-2) return from a six day layoff on Saturday afternoon when they host the Providence Friars at the Bradley Center. MU is the talk of the Big East after ripping off six straight victories following a disappointing 0-2 start in conference play. Tom Crean's crew made great strides during the first half of conference play despite playing five of their first eight Big East games on the road.

The Friars enter Saturday's game at 14-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big East. Providence defeated MU 74-59 last month. Tim Welsh's young Friars have not played since defeating UConn at the Hartford Civic Center last Saturday to earn their first road win in conference play.

Providence is led by the efficient Herbert Hill, who delivers 17 points and 8 boards per game. Hill has been even better in conference games where he leads the league in both scoring and rebounding. The senior post player shoots a blistering 67% from the floor and played one of his best games of the season against MU when he hung 23 and 9 on the Golden Eagles. Sophomore point guard Sharaud Curry returned from suspension several weeks ago, and paid immediate dividends for the Friars. At 16ppg, the talented sophomore keys the Friars' attack. Still, the toughest matchup on the floor for the Golden Eagles will be sophomore Geoff McDermott. The 6'7" power forward is the Big East's most versatile player, pouring in 12ppg to go along with 10 boards and a team-high 5.4 assists per outing. When your power forward leads a team in assists, you can bet that creates huge matchup concerns for the opposition. McDermott dominated Marquette last month, just missing a triple double (11 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds). McDermott had more assists than the entire MU team -- yuck.

While Curry missed the Big East opener, MU was without Jerel McNeal and although Wesley Matthews played, he had not practiced much leading into the contest. During MU's six-game tear, McNeal has been the team's most vital performer, setting the tone both offensively and defensively as the Golden Eagles turned the season around. Much like last season, McNeal's performance in conference games is superior to his performance on the out-of-conference slate. With McNeal healthy, MU has played stifling defense during the six-game run (sans the USF outing) -- something they failed to do at The Dunk to open conference play.

Marquette will retire Dwyane Wade's jersey #3 in a ceremony on Saturday. Here's a nice photo essay on DWade from Marquette Hoops.

The AP filed this one.

Here's a game preview from Eric Silver on scout.com.

Here's the MUScoop information header for Saturday's game.

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.