Marquette-Providence Ramblings

Marquette won 87-66 with Jimmy Butler having a near triple-double. The Golden Eagles got to the lane whenever they wanted to, which was refreshing to see from them.  I am just going to deliver a bunch of quick hitters with no prediction of tonight's game because I am a jinx.

-Butler does not want his senior year to end anytime soon. Jimmy F. is playing like a man possessed in the last couple of weeks.  Butler also seems to be more prone to take the ball to the hoop, he is only shooting from the outside when it's absolutely necessary.



-Darius Johnson-Odom looked very solid after a couple off games. He hit some big threes to start off the game, and attacked the basket very strong last night. I cannot wait until his ball handling skills gets even better for next season.

-Marquette shot 16/27 from the free-throw line last night, which will not get it done the rest of the way through. The Golden Eagles have to be better from the charity stripe.  

-I cannot wait until Davante Gardner loses some weight, and is able to play a full game next year. He had the best post move I have seen from an MU big man in long time. Gardner does some great things in the post in small doses, and is a big space eater for the Golden Eagles.

-Nice to see Jae Crowder have a strong performance. He needed a game like this, and could be a vital asset for MU down the stretch.

- While Marquette started off hot from three (5-5), they ended the game 7-15. I hope that MU doesn't try to do the same thing tonight coming out raining threes. I would rather have them take it to the lane instead of the outside shot.

-A very strong passing performance from everybody around. I never thought once, a player was dribbling too much. They really found the post touches that Buzz Williams wants from his players.

-I wish Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery called every game for the Golden Eagles. Such an enjoyable broadcast crew

-The other thing that spoke volumes to me was Marquette dealt with a 5 minute run from Providence where the Friars started to turn it on, and the Golden Eagles could have crumbled like before.  Instead, they kept their composure pushing the lead back out to a comfortable spot.

-According to everyone including the local stray dogs, Marquette is in the tournament. Well, glad to be here, hope it's a long stay.

-Charlie.

Finally, Marquette Gets One

In the second half of the Marquette game, it appeared the Warriors were doing their usual thing.  They didn't look as crisp as they did in the first half, and seemed to be on their way to another swoon. My buddy Mach texted me around 10 minute mark in the second half, "Cuse is winning by 9, calling it now."

Usually I try to quench Mach's negativity, but my hangover prevented me from coming up with something logical. Not to mention, I couldn't blame him for feeling negative after how many late game collapses we have already witness this season. But Marquette pulled it together with some clutch shooting to ensure the home victory. 

Crowder might have the brightest future on
the Marquette roster.

Jae Crowder deserved the game ball for his play on Saturday afternoon with 25 points 7 rebounds and became a zone breaker for the Warriors sneaking behind the zone for the easy bucket.  Crowder is easily the front runner for Newcomer of the Year in the Big East. Even though he is only 6'6, Crowder is tough inside and can step out for the three making him a real problem for opposing teams.  In my opinion, he is more physical version of Lazar Hayward. I don't think he is a better shooter than Zar, but I do like that he hangs out more around the block then the three-point line like Zar would.

The incredible thing about Marquette's win was Darius Johnson-Odom ran into foul trouble plus they received no help from their bench.  Vander Blue looked horrendous yesterday making consistent ill-advised decisions, and I wonder if his minutes will decrease. I am not looking that much into it because Blue is a freshman therefore you expect some growing pains. At least he isn't the Orange's Fab Melo who is the most overrated freshman in this year's class. Marquette found a way to get points without bench help or DJO, which both speak volumes to me.

Remember last week when I said Marquette needed to rediscover Jimmy Butler in late game situations?  They did exactly that on Saturday. Butler made one of the toughest three-pointers I have seen all season, and hit a back-breaking three in the deep corner.  Each shot I felt good about because I trust Jimmy more than anyone on Marquette.  He knows how to hit big shots, and lives in the moment. Hopefully, this is only the beginning.

-Charlie.

The Big East Gauntlet

At the beginning of the college basketball year, I admitted to my Badger friends that the Big Ten would be the better conference. A plethora of stars came back, and no conference seemed to have that same swagger. But I forget that the Big East is a machine. They never really have a down year, teams just refuel and retool every year. Don't believe me, look at Joe Lunardi's bracketology. 11 teams are in.  I don't care about the sixteen team excuse, that's damn near 70 percent of your league.



For the Marquette Golden Eagles, they head into their toughest stretch of the season.  The next four games are about as scary as seeing Precious naked.  Tonight, it begins with a trip to South Bend to play 16. Notre Dame. After that, two huge home games against 8. UConn and 3. Syracuse. They round it off with a road trip to Philadelphia to play 7. Villanova. Can I just already ask to play in the Wachovia Center instead of that bandbox of a gym? I know my pleads will not work, but a guy can dream.

As a fan, I hope Marquette goes 2-2. Currently, the Eagles stand 4-2 in the Big East conference. I am perfectly okay being 6-4 with a couple of quality wins under their belt.  But is it okay for me to feel greedy and believe the Eagles can go 3-1 ?  I am starting to see some positive things from this team. Take away they blew a 18 point lead in 10 minutes, I know that's a pretty damming to think about, but they are playing so smoothly right now.  They don't look like a bunch of individuals anymore, they look like a team who is gelling at the right time. Take Tuesday night against DePaul. Yes I know they have a permanent residence in the cellar of the Big East, but they made all the right passes barely turning the ball over. The other thing is they showed good signs of tough defense.

The key will not be whether their balanced offense will be there, it's how the defense will play against the Big East juggernauts of UConn, Cuse, and Nova. I liked to think the team that gave up nearly 90 points is dead and buried, but you never know.  They still struggle stepping out on three point shooters, and rotating on help defense has been a consistent issue as well. I want to believe that Coach Buzz has inspired these guys to work harder on that end, but there is precedent to not believe that statement.

Just like the Return of the Mac, we
need the Return of the JFB

My final worry is a problem they had last season  might be creeping back. They don't have a number one scorer. Someone needs to take over in late game situations like Jimmy F Butler did last season.  Even though Lazar Hayward was the star of the team, JFB became the guy you wanted to have the ball with under two minutes. In my opinion, you never forget how to be clutch.  It's just something built into your system.  I know these games will be close and JFB needs to get that magic back.

Anyway you break it down, this will decide Marquette season. They lose all four, we will enjoy a healthy spot on the bubble, win all four and they become a force in the Big East with another 'why did we doubt Marquette again,' or just take care of business against two of them earning more quality wins for the resume. Now, let's go sweep the Golden Domers.

                                                                              -Charlie.