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Otule dunking:
EWill playing:
Frozena, clearly our most popular player, getting a layup:
Post game:
EWill playing:
Frozena, clearly our most popular player, getting a layup:
Post game:
Date Published: Nov 22, 2009 - 11:11 am
Last year I wrote that I didn’t like having so many cupcakes on the schedule because no matter how bad MU beat them it dropped our RPI ranking substantially. Well, the 87-41 win over Grambling State will drop MUs RPI ranking in the final analysis, but after watching my first MU action of the season in person, I actually believe it was a good idea to start this season with four cupcakes.
POSITIVES
I thought there were three very positive developments in this win:
1. PATIENCE. This game taught our young guys patience. I discovered when writing the preview on the game that Grambling rarely stole the ball. It became evident why in watching their defense, as they play hard but NEVER take chances on jumping out in a passing lane. The result was they packed the defense in and frustrated MU, still holding a 6-4 lead five minutes into the game. MU adjusted and exploded for points the rest of the way.
2. CONFIDENCE. I believe at this point the most important thing we can do for the team is to give a team of newcomers confidence. I was most excited tonight about having 7-foot-2 Youssoupha Mbao take the court for the first time, and he had a nice blocked shot, an assist, drew a foul and sank the first free throw, and even showed a good ability to pop out 20 feet from the basket on defense and get back. Jimmy Butler and Lazar Hayward will always be awesome, but this game enabled Chris Otule to hit a couple of shots, David Cubillan to play great defense and grab five steals, Darius Johnson-Odom to put in a wild but exciting 13 points off the bench with no fear, Mo Acker to thread four assists, Joe Fulce to show some shooting range and his full athleticism back, Jeronne Maymon to look like a man among boys for his five rebounds and Erik Williams to finally get going with a nice dunk. Shoot, even Robert Frozena had a three-point play.
3. DWIGHT BUYCKS. But the newcomer I was most impressed with was Dwight Buycks. I found myself watching him off the ball like I used to watch Dominic James. After grabbing an offensive board and scoring 22 seconds into the game, he simply shut down Grambling’s attempts to grab backdoor rebounds. This team had been very effective last year and this at turning offensive boards to points, but last night they grabbed only 4 offensive rebounds against 30 defensive rebounds for MU. Buycks simply shut if off by grabbing 8 rebounds in the first 15 minutes of the game and boxing out the guards trying to score backdoor points. By half time he added 10 points as well, and then he did something neat. With a double-double virtually assured, he became very unselfish and started dishing instead to get other people involved, handing out five second half assists to finish just short of a triple-double at 10 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
NEGATIVES
However, this was a weak opponent, basically four guards and a forward, and there were three smaller negatives.
1. TURNOVERS. This was not an aggressive defense, and most of the 13 turnovers were the result of sloppy or hot dog play.
2. LAZAR’S FOUL TROUBLE. The game marked the second time in three games that Lazar has played less than half the game due to getting four fouls, as he scored just 12 points. Against Centenary he scored only 9 points in 18 minutes due to four fouls. I am concerned that against clearly inferior players he needs to foul. The 28-point performance against Maryland Eastern-Shore is what we need to see.
3. FAILURE TO CONTROL OPPOSING STAR. I wrote in the preview that 5-foot-10 guard Ariece Perkis was clearly the one star of this team. Everyone on MUs team had to know it, and yet he put in another 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. After being lit up for 25 points by Centenary’s top player, I am concerned we aren’t able to better control the opponent's top player.
HOW GOOD IS THE BIG EAST?
While MU looks good in the early going, part of the question ahead is how much the Big East has fallen off of last year’s incredible level of play. While I always root for the Big East against other foes, I’ve found myself hoping that player departures from other teams will give MU a chance to move into the top half of the conference.
While the season is young, the Big East is looking as good as last year so far. The conference has the best record of any conference, with only the ACC being anywhere close. The Big East also has the most impressive wins with three wins over ranked opponents (Syracuse over UNC and California and Louisville over Dayton) and the only two losses being teams in the lower part of the Big East to teams expected to finish in the upper part of the SEC (Providence to Alabama and South Florida to South Carolina).
The following is where the 6 “BCS” conferences rank in winning percentage so far, with records followed by parenthesis on their record against other “BCS” conferences and which of those teams they beat):
1. Big East, 44-2, 90% (4-2, Syr >UNC, USF>UVa, Syr > California, Lville>Arkansas)
2. ACC, 37-4, 90% (1-2, win UNC>OSU)
3. SEC 32-7, 82% (4-1, wins Mississippi > Kansas State, South Carolina>USF, Bama>Providence, Mississippi>Indiana)
4. Big Ten 24-8, 75% (1-2, win OSU>California)
5. Big Twelve 33-13, 72% (1-1, win Texas Tech>Oregon State)
6. Pac Ten 23-10, 70% (0-3, no wins)
Looks like another tough gauntlet once we get to Big East play, but so far, so good.
POSITIVES
I thought there were three very positive developments in this win:
1. PATIENCE. This game taught our young guys patience. I discovered when writing the preview on the game that Grambling rarely stole the ball. It became evident why in watching their defense, as they play hard but NEVER take chances on jumping out in a passing lane. The result was they packed the defense in and frustrated MU, still holding a 6-4 lead five minutes into the game. MU adjusted and exploded for points the rest of the way.
2. CONFIDENCE. I believe at this point the most important thing we can do for the team is to give a team of newcomers confidence. I was most excited tonight about having 7-foot-2 Youssoupha Mbao take the court for the first time, and he had a nice blocked shot, an assist, drew a foul and sank the first free throw, and even showed a good ability to pop out 20 feet from the basket on defense and get back. Jimmy Butler and Lazar Hayward will always be awesome, but this game enabled Chris Otule to hit a couple of shots, David Cubillan to play great defense and grab five steals, Darius Johnson-Odom to put in a wild but exciting 13 points off the bench with no fear, Mo Acker to thread four assists, Joe Fulce to show some shooting range and his full athleticism back, Jeronne Maymon to look like a man among boys for his five rebounds and Erik Williams to finally get going with a nice dunk. Shoot, even Robert Frozena had a three-point play.
3. DWIGHT BUYCKS. But the newcomer I was most impressed with was Dwight Buycks. I found myself watching him off the ball like I used to watch Dominic James. After grabbing an offensive board and scoring 22 seconds into the game, he simply shut down Grambling’s attempts to grab backdoor rebounds. This team had been very effective last year and this at turning offensive boards to points, but last night they grabbed only 4 offensive rebounds against 30 defensive rebounds for MU. Buycks simply shut if off by grabbing 8 rebounds in the first 15 minutes of the game and boxing out the guards trying to score backdoor points. By half time he added 10 points as well, and then he did something neat. With a double-double virtually assured, he became very unselfish and started dishing instead to get other people involved, handing out five second half assists to finish just short of a triple-double at 10 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
NEGATIVES
However, this was a weak opponent, basically four guards and a forward, and there were three smaller negatives.
1. TURNOVERS. This was not an aggressive defense, and most of the 13 turnovers were the result of sloppy or hot dog play.
2. LAZAR’S FOUL TROUBLE. The game marked the second time in three games that Lazar has played less than half the game due to getting four fouls, as he scored just 12 points. Against Centenary he scored only 9 points in 18 minutes due to four fouls. I am concerned that against clearly inferior players he needs to foul. The 28-point performance against Maryland Eastern-Shore is what we need to see.
3. FAILURE TO CONTROL OPPOSING STAR. I wrote in the preview that 5-foot-10 guard Ariece Perkis was clearly the one star of this team. Everyone on MUs team had to know it, and yet he put in another 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. After being lit up for 25 points by Centenary’s top player, I am concerned we aren’t able to better control the opponent's top player.
HOW GOOD IS THE BIG EAST?
While MU looks good in the early going, part of the question ahead is how much the Big East has fallen off of last year’s incredible level of play. While I always root for the Big East against other foes, I’ve found myself hoping that player departures from other teams will give MU a chance to move into the top half of the conference.
While the season is young, the Big East is looking as good as last year so far. The conference has the best record of any conference, with only the ACC being anywhere close. The Big East also has the most impressive wins with three wins over ranked opponents (Syracuse over UNC and California and Louisville over Dayton) and the only two losses being teams in the lower part of the Big East to teams expected to finish in the upper part of the SEC (Providence to Alabama and South Florida to South Carolina).
The following is where the 6 “BCS” conferences rank in winning percentage so far, with records followed by parenthesis on their record against other “BCS” conferences and which of those teams they beat):
1. Big East, 44-2, 90% (4-2, Syr >UNC, USF>UVa, Syr > California, Lville>Arkansas)
2. ACC, 37-4, 90% (1-2, win UNC>OSU)
3. SEC 32-7, 82% (4-1, wins Mississippi > Kansas State, South Carolina>USF, Bama>Providence, Mississippi>Indiana)
4. Big Ten 24-8, 75% (1-2, win OSU>California)
5. Big Twelve 33-13, 72% (1-1, win Texas Tech>Oregon State)
6. Pac Ten 23-10, 70% (0-3, no wins)
Looks like another tough gauntlet once we get to Big East play, but so far, so good.
Date Published: Nov 22, 2009 - 2:16 am
Here are some links and videos for the Grambling game today
Beyond the game previews, here's some additional links from around Marquette-land
- The official Marquette release (including the game notes)
- In an interesting twist, Junior Cadougan will join the radio broadcast team, along with Homer
- Rosiak previews the game on his blog
- Don't forget John Pudner's terrific preview as well.
Beyond the game previews, here's some additional links from around Marquette-land
- Buzz and the University of New Orleans settled their lawsuit. Yeah, maybe their decision to end D1 sports was consistent with their lack of commitment to the sports program.
- IWB has a nice feature on new commit Reggie Smith, including some quotes
Date Published: Nov 21, 2009 - 5:29 am
The following preview comes from none other than our own John Pudner, whose work you may have seen here many times before. The especially detailed preview comes courtesy of John living in SWAC country. He's having trouble getting it published, so without further ado...
====
Diminutive guards #1 and #2 will need treys to keep Grambling close
Writing from the home of the SWAC champion Alabama State Hornets in Montgomery, Alabama, I wanted to offer a little preview of the Grambling State game before flying up tomorrow to catch it. While this is clearly the third of four “cupcakes” of the season to warm up for Xavier on Thanksgiving Day, the Tigers did pull one November shocker last year when they stunned Morehead State, which went on to win the Ohio Valley Conference and destroy SWAC champion Alabama State in the play-in game.
Marquette needs to always find star #1 Ariece Perkis and #2 sharpshooter Donald Qualls off the bench. The 5-foot-10 Perkis may remind some of Dominic James for his incredible ability to grab rebounds from centers and forwards (he grabbed 106 boards last year, only two short of the team leader) and dish passes to all sports of the floor (Pomeroy ranked him as the 108th best assist man in the country last year despite playing on a poor team). Perkis led the team in points (11.9) assists (3.9 apg), and when 5-foot-8 Donald Qualls comes of the bench they have a dangerous combo that hit 100 treys last year and has combined to go 9 for 18 from behind the arc through two games this year.
Starting guard Lance Fuertado has made an immediate impact, pounding the offensive boards as Grambling has 25 offensive rebounds in two games. The three guards have each scored between 12 and 17 points in each of their opening games, while no one on the front line has hit double figures.
Grambling State may have gotten a few extra tips on Marquette when they lost a close game to fellow Louisiana school Centenary 71-66 on Tuesday. It took MU a half to shake free of Centenary 85-62 in the opener. For Grambling State to stay close, at least one of the three guards will probably have to have a performance like the 25 points scored by David Perez for Centenary in that game – a hot streak that stopped when Jimmy Butler was assigned to clamp down on him.
Beyond the three guards, little production so far
Grambling State is in the football-heavy Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a proud conference of traditionally black universities that chooses to play its conference championship and the National Black Football Championship rather than join in the I-AA playoff system. In fact, last year Grambling won the SWAC title and the National Black College Football Championship, and after taking this week off to focus on basketball, they will play in arguably the biggest game of the year between traditionally black universities – the annual Bayou Classic that always pits them against Louisiana rival Southern.
Basketball has not been so kind to the SWAC. It is only 4-29 in NCAA tournament history, and last year Pomeroy ranked it as the worst conference in Division I. After winning the SWAC, Alabama State players (led by the coolest name in the game in 7-foot-1 Chief Kickingstallionsims) complained about being forced to play in the play-in game – only to be destroyed by Morehead State on national TV. Grambling State’s 6-23, 4-14 record therefore tied them for last place in the worst Division I conference.
They were expected to improve this year, but it was a tough offseason. Henry White, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, died after conditioning during the summer, and coach Rick Duckett left in the aftermath. Coach Bobby Washington has taken over as interim coach and started 1-1, but the team must be fighting through an emotional roller coaster. Their one good defensive presence was expected to be 6-foot-5 shot blocker Jarred Riley, but he does not appear on their roster, and the team has yet to block an opponents shot.
They are a small team that rarely gets to the free throw line and only hit 61% last year when they did. With very little in the front line, the guards have to try to pound the glass, which leaves them very vulnerable on defense, and this is clearly an opportunity for an MU player to put up a career night if he gets on a roll.
A pretty easy 3-0 start from all appearances, but perhaps some fireworks from the trio of guards before it is over.
====
Diminutive guards #1 and #2 will need treys to keep Grambling close
Writing from the home of the SWAC champion Alabama State Hornets in Montgomery, Alabama, I wanted to offer a little preview of the Grambling State game before flying up tomorrow to catch it. While this is clearly the third of four “cupcakes” of the season to warm up for Xavier on Thanksgiving Day, the Tigers did pull one November shocker last year when they stunned Morehead State, which went on to win the Ohio Valley Conference and destroy SWAC champion Alabama State in the play-in game.
Marquette needs to always find star #1 Ariece Perkis and #2 sharpshooter Donald Qualls off the bench. The 5-foot-10 Perkis may remind some of Dominic James for his incredible ability to grab rebounds from centers and forwards (he grabbed 106 boards last year, only two short of the team leader) and dish passes to all sports of the floor (Pomeroy ranked him as the 108th best assist man in the country last year despite playing on a poor team). Perkis led the team in points (11.9) assists (3.9 apg), and when 5-foot-8 Donald Qualls comes of the bench they have a dangerous combo that hit 100 treys last year and has combined to go 9 for 18 from behind the arc through two games this year.
Starting guard Lance Fuertado has made an immediate impact, pounding the offensive boards as Grambling has 25 offensive rebounds in two games. The three guards have each scored between 12 and 17 points in each of their opening games, while no one on the front line has hit double figures.
Grambling State may have gotten a few extra tips on Marquette when they lost a close game to fellow Louisiana school Centenary 71-66 on Tuesday. It took MU a half to shake free of Centenary 85-62 in the opener. For Grambling State to stay close, at least one of the three guards will probably have to have a performance like the 25 points scored by David Perez for Centenary in that game – a hot streak that stopped when Jimmy Butler was assigned to clamp down on him.
Beyond the three guards, little production so far
Grambling State is in the football-heavy Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a proud conference of traditionally black universities that chooses to play its conference championship and the National Black Football Championship rather than join in the I-AA playoff system. In fact, last year Grambling won the SWAC title and the National Black College Football Championship, and after taking this week off to focus on basketball, they will play in arguably the biggest game of the year between traditionally black universities – the annual Bayou Classic that always pits them against Louisiana rival Southern.
Basketball has not been so kind to the SWAC. It is only 4-29 in NCAA tournament history, and last year Pomeroy ranked it as the worst conference in Division I. After winning the SWAC, Alabama State players (led by the coolest name in the game in 7-foot-1 Chief Kickingstallionsims) complained about being forced to play in the play-in game – only to be destroyed by Morehead State on national TV. Grambling State’s 6-23, 4-14 record therefore tied them for last place in the worst Division I conference.
They were expected to improve this year, but it was a tough offseason. Henry White, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, died after conditioning during the summer, and coach Rick Duckett left in the aftermath. Coach Bobby Washington has taken over as interim coach and started 1-1, but the team must be fighting through an emotional roller coaster. Their one good defensive presence was expected to be 6-foot-5 shot blocker Jarred Riley, but he does not appear on their roster, and the team has yet to block an opponents shot.
They are a small team that rarely gets to the free throw line and only hit 61% last year when they did. With very little in the front line, the guards have to try to pound the glass, which leaves them very vulnerable on defense, and this is clearly an opportunity for an MU player to put up a career night if he gets on a roll.
A pretty easy 3-0 start from all appearances, but perhaps some fireworks from the trio of guards before it is over.
Date Published: Nov 20, 2009 - 2:39 pm
In the newest edition of Marquette Basketball Weekly, host Brad Galli recaps the wins over Centenary and Maryland Eastern Shore, Chris Gaulke reports from the Bradley Center to discuss “paint touches” and the early success of Lazar Hayward, and Brad takes an “Inside Look at What Goes In to Marquette Basketball.” It’s a feature you won’t want to miss, highlighting the hair, uniform flair, and Buzz’s Style.
Plus, Todd Warner breaks down Marquette’s work against zone defense, Donnie Dwyer previews Grambling St. and the return of Yous Mbao, and we have Buzz Williams‘ reactions to signing Reggie Smith.
You will want to stick around until after the credits…for quite the funny close to the “Inside Look.”
Date Published: Nov 20, 2009 - 1:06 pm
On the final day of the early signing period Buzz Williams went back to a Marquette stronghold, Chicago's south suburbs, to land 6'0" guard Reggie Smith of Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Ill.
Smith joins guard Vander Blue and forward Jamail Jones in Marquette's incoming 2010 freshman class. As a junior Smith averaged 18 points and five rebounds per game. Last season Thornton Township High School finished in 3rd place at the Illinois State Championships compiling 29-1 record.
Smith is ranked as the 105th overall player in the 2010 class by Rivals.com. The guys at Illinois Prep Bullseye wrote up a fine recap of Smith including a look at other prospects MU is pursuing in the Chicago area.
Despite his size Smith is not a true point guard though he figures to be at least a combo guard at MU. If nothing else, Smith is an athletic freak -- check out this video:
With Smith and Blue hitting campus in the fall, MU is well-equipped to replace seniors David Cubillan and Maurice Acker. Reggie Smith also provides some level of protection should Junior Cadougan fail to fully recover from his Achilles tendon injury.
Smith is the latest in a long line of guards from Chicago's South Side who have found their way to Marquette including Dwyane Wade, Jerel McNeal and Maurice Acker.
Smith joins guard Vander Blue and forward Jamail Jones in Marquette's incoming 2010 freshman class. As a junior Smith averaged 18 points and five rebounds per game. Last season Thornton Township High School finished in 3rd place at the Illinois State Championships compiling 29-1 record.
Smith is ranked as the 105th overall player in the 2010 class by Rivals.com. The guys at Illinois Prep Bullseye wrote up a fine recap of Smith including a look at other prospects MU is pursuing in the Chicago area.
Despite his size Smith is not a true point guard though he figures to be at least a combo guard at MU. If nothing else, Smith is an athletic freak -- check out this video:
With Smith and Blue hitting campus in the fall, MU is well-equipped to replace seniors David Cubillan and Maurice Acker. Reggie Smith also provides some level of protection should Junior Cadougan fail to fully recover from his Achilles tendon injury.
Smith is the latest in a long line of guards from Chicago's South Side who have found their way to Marquette including Dwyane Wade, Jerel McNeal and Maurice Acker.
Date Published: Nov 19, 2009 - 8:05 pm
Date Published: Nov 19, 2009 - 9:08 am
Last night the new look Marquette Warriors defeated the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks 86-60. Senior forward Lazar Hayward led the squad with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Jimmy Butler landed up with 13 points and seven boards while Dwight Buycks and David Cubillan each finished with a dozen. Cubillan also had six assists.
Marquette led 40-33 at the half and used a pronounced turnover advantage to stretch the lead throughout the game. Buzz Williams' squad forced the Shore Hawks into 19 turnovers while coughing the ball up just nine times and shooting better than 52% from the floor.
MEDIA UPDATES
ESPN Box Score
AP Recap
Journal-Sentinel on Hayward stepping up in the win.
Rosiak blogs a recap -- which includes news that Fulce injured his other knee and a reminder that freshman big man Yous Mbao regains his eligibility for Saturday's tilt against Grambling.
Sportsbubbler photos from the win.
MUScoop posters wonder why freshman Erik Williams remains buried so deeply on the bench. Williams did not play last night but Robert Frozena broke a sweat. Williams only saw two minutes of action in the 23-point blowout of Centenary to open the season.
At 2-0 the fan base is becoming more optimisitic.
Here is Buzz Williams' post game press conference
Marquette led 40-33 at the half and used a pronounced turnover advantage to stretch the lead throughout the game. Buzz Williams' squad forced the Shore Hawks into 19 turnovers while coughing the ball up just nine times and shooting better than 52% from the floor.
MEDIA UPDATES
ESPN Box Score
AP Recap
Journal-Sentinel on Hayward stepping up in the win.
Rosiak blogs a recap -- which includes news that Fulce injured his other knee and a reminder that freshman big man Yous Mbao regains his eligibility for Saturday's tilt against Grambling.
Sportsbubbler photos from the win.
MUScoop posters wonder why freshman Erik Williams remains buried so deeply on the bench. Williams did not play last night but Robert Frozena broke a sweat. Williams only saw two minutes of action in the 23-point blowout of Centenary to open the season.
At 2-0 the fan base is becoming more optimisitic.
Here is Buzz Williams' post game press conference
Date Published: Nov 18, 2009 - 7:10 am
Just a few links for tonight's game
Here is the official GoMarquette.com preview. Click here for the UMES Game Notes.
Rosiak also has his preview on the blog. Did you know UMES has a player called Freddy Obame Obame? Or did you know about some of these famous UMES alums?
In a few other random links, here is a nice feature from Marquette on catching up with former players. Speaking of former players, the the jumpman23 site has an interactive "interview" with Dwyane Wade.
In quasi-disappointing news, PF target Tarik Black signed with Memphis yesterday. Get over your disappointment by watching the full "Remember the Titans" Intro Video before tonight's game.
Here is the official GoMarquette.com preview. Click here for the UMES Game Notes.
Rosiak also has his preview on the blog. Did you know UMES has a player called Freddy Obame Obame? Or did you know about some of these famous UMES alums?
In a few other random links, here is a nice feature from Marquette on catching up with former players. Speaking of former players, the the jumpman23 site has an interactive "interview" with Dwyane Wade.
In quasi-disappointing news, PF target Tarik Black signed with Memphis yesterday. Get over your disappointment by watching the full "Remember the Titans" Intro Video before tonight's game.
Date Published: Nov 17, 2009 - 9:07 am
MUTV has been busy, pumping out videos the last few days.
It's Saturday. Sit back and enjoy some MUBB goodness:
Vander Blue @ the game:
MUBB Weekly part 1:
Part 2:
Post-game:
It's Saturday. Sit back and enjoy some MUBB goodness:
Vander Blue @ the game:
MUBB Weekly part 1:
Part 2:
Post-game:
Date Published: Nov 14, 2009 - 12:18 pm
Marquette started the 2009-10 campaign with a 85-62 thumping of Centenary. Jimmy Butler was superlative with a double double, 27 & 13.
Quick hits:
Rosiak
Box Score
Post-Game Presser:
Quick hits:
Rosiak
Box Score
Post-Game Presser:
Date Published: Nov 14, 2009 - 8:10 am
Heck yeah... Game Day is back as Marquette takes on Centenary tonight at (checks sweet wallpaper) 7:30 pm.
Here is the official release from Marquette, including their Game Notes. In addition, at the link, they have a video clip of Buzz previewing the game. (We love the Athletic Department upping the game this year with all the video content). If you've not bought tickets yet, all tickets are half-price... so go watch the game.
Speaking of upping the ante, Marquette is initiating Live Blogging for this game. Here is the direct link. It'll be interesting to see how this goes.
Rosiak also has his preview of Centenary. In addition, he checks in today with a post on Musical Lineups? Basically, Buzz admits he still doesn't have a feel for who and what combinations will be most productive. Not surprising.
The Marquette Superfans have also released their Gold Mine newsletter for today's game. And speaking of super fans, take a look at these Marquette fans and get ready for game time.
If you want to see the world through Centenary's eyes, take a look at their Cents Basketball website, as well as an article from the Shreveport Times.
That's it (so far) for game day information. However, Marquette target Tarik Black is saying he hopes to make a decision in the early signing period. Black had been rumored to wait until the Spring. This kid can play ball, and would be a great complement to Jones and Blue.
Finally, go watch this sick dunk from Wade last night.
Here is the official release from Marquette, including their Game Notes. In addition, at the link, they have a video clip of Buzz previewing the game. (We love the Athletic Department upping the game this year with all the video content). If you've not bought tickets yet, all tickets are half-price... so go watch the game.
Speaking of upping the ante, Marquette is initiating Live Blogging for this game. Here is the direct link. It'll be interesting to see how this goes.
Rosiak also has his preview of Centenary. In addition, he checks in today with a post on Musical Lineups? Basically, Buzz admits he still doesn't have a feel for who and what combinations will be most productive. Not surprising.
The Marquette Superfans have also released their Gold Mine newsletter for today's game. And speaking of super fans, take a look at these Marquette fans and get ready for game time.
If you want to see the world through Centenary's eyes, take a look at their Cents Basketball website, as well as an article from the Shreveport Times.
That's it (so far) for game day information. However, Marquette target Tarik Black is saying he hopes to make a decision in the early signing period. Black had been rumored to wait until the Spring. This kid can play ball, and would be a great complement to Jones and Blue.
Finally, go watch this sick dunk from Wade last night.
Date Published: Nov 13, 2009 - 7:27 am
As we have done for the previous few years, here are the Cracked Sidewalks predictions for the season. Want some fun? Check out the picks from previous years.
2006-2007 (Actual record was 24-10 (11-7), and can be found here)
2007-2008 (Actual record was 25-10 (11-7), and can be found here)
2008-2009 (Actual record was 25-10 (13-7), and can be found here)
Onto the 2009-2010 season predictions!
Some commentary on the selections:
John
My theory is always that if you have experience (last year), you start hot and teams catch up to you late in the year, and if you have inexperienced talent (like this year), you improve throughout the year. We don’t even have four guards to go two-on-two in practice now, and I don’ t think we will be ready for even NC State, much less the trip to Madison, the Old Spice Tournament or the first four games of the Big East season. If we have a winning record January 10, we are ahead of schedule and could make a late run at the tournament. However, even if we are 8-8 at that point, if the freshmen aren’t getting booed and/or discouraged, I believe we really finish strong with two wins in the Big East tourney to take a 19-13 resume into selection Sunday.
Kevin
I have no idea how this team will perform. On paper, we’ve got one star (Acker!) and a bunch of guys who might be great, and might be busts. (Ok, Lazar and Butler are pretty good too.) -- Add to that some injuries, and my outlook is grim. Road wins are few and far between in the Big East, and it was tough to mark down even one road-W. Couple that with a ~50/50 win rate at home, and that gets you to a 5-13 Big East whitewash. Hope I’m wrong. I hope they win @DePaul. I hope they can outlast Pitt at the BC. Maybe eek out a win @ Seton Hall, and for the love of god, beat ND on Senior Night. That’d get us to 9-9. Hope against hope.
Rob
Like most of the fellow bloggers, I just see the first four games as being too brutal of a hole to overcome. I see MU splitting with Providence and beating DePaul twice, and then taking care of the reasonably close games at home like Pitt and ND. However, this team could easily surprise better or worse than these predictions by a wide range.
bma725
The only caveat for me is the final game of the OSC is based on the idea we're playing Iona. If it's anyone else, that should be changed to a loss for me. I may be a bit optimistic, but I think those predicting complete doom (meaning Kevin), are forgetting one that while we may have lost a lot of talent from last year, so did everyone else...and we reloaded a heck of a lot better than some of these other teams. We're not in as bad a shape as people think, especially if we can avoid further injuries. This isn't the deep Big East of last year, and I think our record will reflect that.
Tim
This is one tough team to predict. Somehow I have MU finishing with 18 wins and 9-9 in the BIG EAST. While the conference will take a step back from last year's extraordinarily top-heavy group, I think this year the league will be much more balanced until you get to the very bottom (hello DePaul!). With that balance comes greater unpredictability -- still, I can't come up with a scenario where MU finishes better than 9-9 and I see a much greater risk of a downside slide rather than an upside surprise.
muwarrior92
Youth is the reason I went with the predictions I did. I also believe we are very thin at guard and have always believed good guards carry you in college basketball. Road victories will be at a premium this year. Like bma, I kept thinking about the BE being down as well. However, I think teams like St. Johns and Seton Hall, with their experience, will be better simply because of the experience and not the talent. My biggest concern for the season is the injury bug since we’re so thin and injuries have followed Crean and Buzz like the plague it seems.
2006-2007 (Actual record was 24-10 (11-7), and can be found here)
2007-2008 (Actual record was 25-10 (11-7), and can be found here)
2008-2009 (Actual record was 25-10 (13-7), and can be found here)
Onto the 2009-2010 season predictions!
| Date | Opponent | Rob | Tim | Kevin | MU92 | John | bma | |
| 11/13/2009 | Centenary | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 11/17/2009 | UM-Eastern Shore | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 11/21/2009 | Grambling | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 11/24/2009 | South Dakota | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 11/26/2009 | Xavier (Old Spice Classic) | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 11/27/2009 | Creighton / Michigan | L | W | W | L | L | L | |
| 11/29/2009 | Bama, Baylor, FSU, or Iona | W | W | L | W | W | W | |
| 12/5/2009 | NC State | W | L | L | W | L | W | |
| 12/8/2009 | UWM | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 12/12/2009 | at UW-Madison | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 12/19/2009 | North Florida | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 12/27/2009 | Presbyterian | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 12/29/2009 | at WVU | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 1/2/2010 | Villanova | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 1/6/2010 | Georgetown | L | W | L | L | L | L | |
| 1/9/2010 | at Villanova | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 1/17/2010 | Providence | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 1/20/2010 | at DePaul | W | W | L | W | W | W | |
| 1/23/2010 | at Syracuse | L | L | L | L | L | W | |
| 1/26/2010 | Rutgers | W | L | W | W | L | W | |
| 1/30/2010 | at Connecticut | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| 2/3/2010 | DePaul | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 2/6/2010 | at Providence | L | W | L | L | W | W | |
| 2/13/2010 | South Florida | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
| 2/18/2010 | Pittsburgh | W | L | L | W | W | L | |
| 2/21/2010 | at Cincinnati | L | W | L | L | L | L | |
| 2/24/2010 | at St. Johns | W | L | W | L | L | W | |
| 2/28/2010 | at Seton Hall | L | W | L | L | W | L | |
| 3/2/2010 | Louisville | L | L | L | L | W | L | |
| 3/6/2010 | Notre Dame | W | W | L | W | W | W | |
| Average | ||||||||
| Full Season Wins | 17 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16.5 | |
| Full Season Losses | 13 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13.5 | |
| Conference Wins | 8 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7.8 | |
| Conference Losses | 10 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10.2 |
Some commentary on the selections:
John
My theory is always that if you have experience (last year), you start hot and teams catch up to you late in the year, and if you have inexperienced talent (like this year), you improve throughout the year. We don’t even have four guards to go two-on-two in practice now, and I don’ t think we will be ready for even NC State, much less the trip to Madison, the Old Spice Tournament or the first four games of the Big East season. If we have a winning record January 10, we are ahead of schedule and could make a late run at the tournament. However, even if we are 8-8 at that point, if the freshmen aren’t getting booed and/or discouraged, I believe we really finish strong with two wins in the Big East tourney to take a 19-13 resume into selection Sunday.
Kevin
I have no idea how this team will perform. On paper, we’ve got one star (Acker!) and a bunch of guys who might be great, and might be busts. (Ok, Lazar and Butler are pretty good too.) -- Add to that some injuries, and my outlook is grim. Road wins are few and far between in the Big East, and it was tough to mark down even one road-W. Couple that with a ~50/50 win rate at home, and that gets you to a 5-13 Big East whitewash. Hope I’m wrong. I hope they win @DePaul. I hope they can outlast Pitt at the BC. Maybe eek out a win @ Seton Hall, and for the love of god, beat ND on Senior Night. That’d get us to 9-9. Hope against hope.
Rob
Like most of the fellow bloggers, I just see the first four games as being too brutal of a hole to overcome. I see MU splitting with Providence and beating DePaul twice, and then taking care of the reasonably close games at home like Pitt and ND. However, this team could easily surprise better or worse than these predictions by a wide range.
bma725
The only caveat for me is the final game of the OSC is based on the idea we're playing Iona. If it's anyone else, that should be changed to a loss for me. I may be a bit optimistic, but I think those predicting complete doom (meaning Kevin), are forgetting one that while we may have lost a lot of talent from last year, so did everyone else...and we reloaded a heck of a lot better than some of these other teams. We're not in as bad a shape as people think, especially if we can avoid further injuries. This isn't the deep Big East of last year, and I think our record will reflect that.
Tim
This is one tough team to predict. Somehow I have MU finishing with 18 wins and 9-9 in the BIG EAST. While the conference will take a step back from last year's extraordinarily top-heavy group, I think this year the league will be much more balanced until you get to the very bottom (hello DePaul!). With that balance comes greater unpredictability -- still, I can't come up with a scenario where MU finishes better than 9-9 and I see a much greater risk of a downside slide rather than an upside surprise.
muwarrior92
Youth is the reason I went with the predictions I did. I also believe we are very thin at guard and have always believed good guards carry you in college basketball. Road victories will be at a premium this year. Like bma, I kept thinking about the BE being down as well. However, I think teams like St. Johns and Seton Hall, with their experience, will be better simply because of the experience and not the talent. My biggest concern for the season is the injury bug since we’re so thin and injuries have followed Crean and Buzz like the plague it seems.
Date Published: Nov 12, 2009 - 4:46 am
Building on the original signing day post, here is more around the web on signing day at your one-stop shop for Marquette information.
Marquette provided several video clips for the signing day press conference.
Part One
Part Two
Now that you've seen the original press conference, here are some additional links from around the web.
Obviously, Rosiak covered signing day with plenty of quotes from the day.
In addition, IWB covered the Vander Blue signing. Check out the link for a video clip interview.
Finally, unrelated to signing day, check out this article on Wade wearing the 25th anniversary Jordans. It's a great article.
Marquette provided several video clips for the signing day press conference.
Part One
Part Two
Now that you've seen the original press conference, here are some additional links from around the web.
Obviously, Rosiak covered signing day with plenty of quotes from the day.
In addition, IWB covered the Vander Blue signing. Check out the link for a video clip interview.
Finally, unrelated to signing day, check out this article on Wade wearing the 25th anniversary Jordans. It's a great article.
Date Published: Nov 11, 2009 - 8:22 pm
Buzz Williams and his staff were rewarded for months of aggressive recruiting when a pair of top 100 players signed on to play basketball at Marquette today.
Williams' second recruiting class at Marquette is highlighted by guard Vander Blue. Blue, from Madison (WI) Memorial, reneged on a commitment to UW@Madison to sign with the Warriors. A consensus top 40 player in the class of 2010, Blue is the highest rated recruit to sign at Marquette in decades. Scout.com lists Blue as the nation's third-best shooting guard while Rivals.com slots Blue in as the 22nd player in the nation regardless of position. To see Blue in action check out this video.
Also signing with Marquette today is 6'6" forward Jamail Jones. Originally from Decatur, Georgia, Jones is completing his high school eligibility at Montverde Academy in Florida. As a junior Jones averaged 17 points, 10 boards, 8 assists and three blocks per game. Jones verbally committed to Marquette in August, choosing the Warriors over Virginia, Georgia Tech, Xavier, Cincinnati, and Clemson.
Signing Vander Blue looks to be a watershed moment for head coach Buzz Williams. Williams has now signed the top prospect in the state for the second straight year, with Blue will joining fellow Madison Memorial star Jeronne Maymon on campus next fall. While message board chatter indicated that Bo Ryan did not aggressively pursue Maymon, the same can't be said of the more highly regarded Blue. Today Williams served notice that while he recruits nationally he gives no quarter in America's Dairyland.
In landing both Blue and Jones, Williams also is on the verge of breaking one of Marquette basketball's most frustrating cycles -- the inability back up one strong recruiting class with another. Last year Williams smartly capitalized on the recent success of the program and the promise of immediate playing time to attract current freshmen Maymon, Erik Williams, Junior Cadougan and Yous Mbao.
With today's signees Williams is proving that he can sell the Marquette program to the country's most desirable talent in more ways than one, something his predecessor was unable to do. Tom Crean, particularly with the Three Amigos class, became overly-reliant on a smaller pool of players which, in turn, inhibited his ability to sign other talented kids in subsequent classes. Buzz Williams will coach through the downside of that legacy this year but now has two more cornerstones in place as he rebuilds Marquette hoops.
Marquette still has two open scholarships to fill and remains heavily involved with a number of notable players, including 6'8" Tarik Black from Memphis. The national signing period continues through November 18.
Williams' second recruiting class at Marquette is highlighted by guard Vander Blue. Blue, from Madison (WI) Memorial, reneged on a commitment to UW@Madison to sign with the Warriors. A consensus top 40 player in the class of 2010, Blue is the highest rated recruit to sign at Marquette in decades. Scout.com lists Blue as the nation's third-best shooting guard while Rivals.com slots Blue in as the 22nd player in the nation regardless of position. To see Blue in action check out this video.
Also signing with Marquette today is 6'6" forward Jamail Jones. Originally from Decatur, Georgia, Jones is completing his high school eligibility at Montverde Academy in Florida. As a junior Jones averaged 17 points, 10 boards, 8 assists and three blocks per game. Jones verbally committed to Marquette in August, choosing the Warriors over Virginia, Georgia Tech, Xavier, Cincinnati, and Clemson.
Signing Vander Blue looks to be a watershed moment for head coach Buzz Williams. Williams has now signed the top prospect in the state for the second straight year, with Blue will joining fellow Madison Memorial star Jeronne Maymon on campus next fall. While message board chatter indicated that Bo Ryan did not aggressively pursue Maymon, the same can't be said of the more highly regarded Blue. Today Williams served notice that while he recruits nationally he gives no quarter in America's Dairyland.
In landing both Blue and Jones, Williams also is on the verge of breaking one of Marquette basketball's most frustrating cycles -- the inability back up one strong recruiting class with another. Last year Williams smartly capitalized on the recent success of the program and the promise of immediate playing time to attract current freshmen Maymon, Erik Williams, Junior Cadougan and Yous Mbao.
With today's signees Williams is proving that he can sell the Marquette program to the country's most desirable talent in more ways than one, something his predecessor was unable to do. Tom Crean, particularly with the Three Amigos class, became overly-reliant on a smaller pool of players which, in turn, inhibited his ability to sign other talented kids in subsequent classes. Buzz Williams will coach through the downside of that legacy this year but now has two more cornerstones in place as he rebuilds Marquette hoops.
Marquette still has two open scholarships to fill and remains heavily involved with a number of notable players, including 6'8" Tarik Black from Memphis. The national signing period continues through November 18.
Date Published: Nov 11, 2009 - 2:15 pm
