Depth

[g0lden3agle]

Sorry if this falls in the category of subjects that are brought up all the time on the board but it really bothers me when people refute depth is a problem for this team by pointing to all the teams that only run 7-8 deep any given game. There's a difference between having a fully fledged roster where you pick the top 7-8 to roll with vs. literally only having 8 scholarship players to choose from.

Most good teams only run 8 deep because that's about all you need to get your guys breathers- there's not that much drop off when you look at the talent of your starters vs. the talent of the 1st,2nd,3rd guys off the bench. Marquette currently has a drop off when it comes to those guys off the bench, hence it being referred to as a depth problem.

[tower912]

How many conference games has MU led at the 35 minute mark?    How many have they failed to finish?   While some of it is being an inexperienced team with only one proven scorer, at least some of it can be attributed to a lack of depth and fatigue.    And yes, other teams 'only play _'.   They get to choose their best _.   

[chapman]

I'd say our drop off is from 1 through 8, rather than 6 through 8.  Which is why we are where we are this year.  If only everyone could slide down a spot or three from where we're forced to slot they'd have their place in the rotation of a good team.

Just the reality of a thin, flawed roster.  Derrick's 31 minute average is the usual debate...but Fischer wouldn't average 27, Juan 32, or Duane 28 for most contenders.  If they filled similar roles on Villanova's roster, none would start and they'd all be 14-25 minute players. 

And that's why things can change quickly - add another year to Duane and Luke, and hopefully they're equals in ability to Villanova's heavy minute-getters rather than their next tier.  Add one or two impact players (Henry), and some young talent that can play the role that young talent is asked to play on a contender rather than pushed to make an impact every game.

[PGsHeroes32]

How many conference games has MU led at the 35 minute mark?    How many have they failed to finish?   While some of it is being an inexperienced team with only one proven scorer, at least some of it can be attributed to a lack of depth and fatigue.    And yes, other teams 'only play _'.   They get to choose their best _.   

No its due to lack of execution time and time again.

Duke has 8 scholarship players as well. Thing is they are Duke with high major freshman. They were the team that came from behind late.

Fatigue is not an excuse.

[D'Lo Brown]

How many conference games has MU led at the 35 minute mark?    How many have they failed to finish?   While some of it is being an inexperienced team with only one proven scorer, at least some of it can be attributed to a lack of depth and fatigue.    And yes, other teams 'only play _'.   They get to choose their best _.    

What is so specific about the last few minutes of the game where we suddenly become fatigued and choke? Our bench got more minutes than Butler's bench in this game. Are you saying that Butler has a better conditioning program? I believe a similar situation happened in the St. John's loss. Seton Hall also barely played their bench.

I understand that depth is a convenient excuse given how badly this team plays at the end of games, but I really don't think depth has played a major role. This team has shown that it really doesn't have a usable late-game offensive strategy, that they miss key free throws, and that they s*** their pants when it comes time to play clutch defense especially at the 3-pt line.

Don't get me wrong, I think they played a hell of a game, but I wouldn't be so quick to say that the collapse was due to something they can't control.

[bilsu]

How many conference games has MU led at the 35 minute mark?    How many have they failed to finish?   While some of it is being an inexperienced team with only one proven scorer, at least some of it can be attributed to a lack of depth and fatigue.    And yes, other teams 'only play _'.   They get to choose their best _.   

I think it is more of a coaching problem than a depth probelm.

[Norm]

I think at this point is has become more mental than anything - kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. They have lost so many now at the end I think they probably expect to lose. They just can't execute down the stretch.

[augoman]

Whenever they go into their delay game, trying to 'eat clock', they lose momentum.  They are uncomfortable sitting on the ball.  They should try playing to win in the last 5 minutes instead of playing not to lose. 
I know this has been said before but I believe the same 5-7 players could win the last few games-bench or no-had they played to win.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Whenever they go into their delay game, trying to 'eat clock', they lose momentum.  They are uncomfortable sitting on the ball.  They should try playing to win in the last 5 minutes instead of playing not to lose. 
I know this has been said before but I believe the same 5-7 players could win the last few games-bench or no-had they played to win.

This is a fundamental corollary of college basketball. I have seen so many MU games lost because of trying to eat clock.

[brewcity77]

It's certainly a combination of things. Wojo needs to improve his late game coaching. But most successful teams have 3 guys you can count on. The final four team had Wade, Jackson, and Diener with a splash of Novak. Buzz's first year had the Amigos and Lazar. We had Jimmy, Jae, and DJO together. The elite 8 team had Vander, Jamil, and Davante. This year we have Carlino and occasionally Duane.

If we had a full, quality roster, it'd be easier to pin this all on the coach. We have Carlino. Derrick is fine but should never be your second best player. Luke is okay but isn't ready to be the only guy up front. Duane is a fine fifth starter, but on a good team would be in that Novak role. Juan should be an energy guy off the bench, not a 30+ mpg guy. Sandy, Jajuan, and Steve wouldn't be sniffing minutes on most Big East teams and they're our entire bench.

We'll have a better idea of what Wojo is as a coach once he has a full complement of players. Hopefully Duane and Sandy are ready to be reliable starters next year. Hopefully Henry can be an impact player from the start. Hopefully we add an experienced piece or two that can be solid top 3 options.

It's way too early to make any sweeping decisions on the staff. We have neither the quality nor quantity to do that yet.

[We R Final Four]

I think at this point is has become more mental than anything - kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. They have lost so many now at the end I think they probably expect to lose. They just can't execute down the stretch.

I agree with this completely.  Sitting in great seats yesterday, when we went up 10--the building, the fans, and the team went into 'hold on' mode.  You could see it in the players faces---in the huddle they were looking for guidance on how to win this one.  A few minutes later when they came back to the huddle they were up by 2.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Wasn't able to watch the game. Had a thing for work. I noticed that Steve Taylor only got four minutes? Is that correct? Was he not playing well? Was Luke and Juan doing that well that Wojo wanted to keep him in? Certainly seems odd when the other team's PF abused us for 30 and 8. Not that Steve is a good defender, but maybe he could have changed the energy level and grabbed a few more boards.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Wasn't able to watch the game. Had a thing for work. I noticed that Steve Taylor only got four minutes? Is that correct? Was he not playing well? Was Luke and Juan doing that well that Wojo wanted to keep him in? Certainly seems odd when the other team's PF abused us for 30 and 8. Not that Steve is a good defender, but maybe he could have changed the energy level and grabbed a few more boards.

He was brutally bad on D, although Luke wasn't a whole lot better

[Dr. Blackheart]

He was brutally bad on D, although Luke wasn't a whole lot better

Steve is bad in man defense, better in the zone. MU needed him yesterday.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Steve is bad in man defense, better in the zone. MU needed him yesterday.

LOL. Yes, MU needed him yesterday, needed him to show up.  Didn't happen. 

[Lennys Tap]

I'd say our drop off is from 1 through 8, rather than 6 through 8.  Which is why we are where we are this year.  If only everyone could slide down a spot or three from where we're forced to slot they'd have their place in the rotation of a good team.

You are absolutely dead on - we are 3 players short at the TOP of the rotation. Nothing wrong with a team where Carlino, Derrick, Duane, Juan, luke and Sandy are 4 through 9 in a rotation and Steve and JJJ are the scrubs. But when Carlino is your "star" and Derrick and Duane are 2A and 2B that's just not good enough.

[rocky_warrior]

Wasn't able to watch the game. Had a thing for work. I noticed that Steve Taylor only got four minutes? Is that correct? Was he not playing well? Was Luke and Juan doing that well that Wojo wanted to keep him in? Certainly seems odd when the other team's PF abused us for 30 and 8. Not that Steve is a good defender, but maybe he could have changed the energy level and grabbed a few more boards.

Wojo was playing mind games with him.  Expect a transfer because you can' treat top talent that way.  They need game minutes to get into a groove.