SJU thoughts

[NavinRJohnson]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400588479

Box score.   No surprises. 

I have to admit that players who spend their entire lives playing basketball but cannot make free throws, remains a surprise to me. I'm not saying that have to be 80%, but the historically bad shooting of this team just boggles the mind.

[tower912]

Spending practice time on it is clearly making it better. 

[connie]

1. Free throws.  Lay ups.  Catching the ball before you try to make a move with it.  Same stuff I tried to teach my 5th graders.
2.  Steve working so hard and failing so much.
3.  Loved JJJ's spark in the first half.   Thought he should have played more in the second.  Wonder if he told Wojo at halftime that he is transferring.
4.  Cohen......yeeeesh.
5.  Losing is wearing on Wojo.   Dumb T. 
6.  Speaking of dumb T's, Matt.....
7.  Both teams playing 6 players in the second half.   After the first half Juan & Sandy had, can't blame Wojo.
8.  I'd like to tear Carlino and Luke apart, but they were the only two who could score.
9.  SJU is going to the dance.   MU is going back to the drawing board. 

All good points. 

I think the losing is getting to all of us.  At first I could get past it because of how hard I thought we were playing.  Now, I'm just worn out.

[mattyv1908]

I do see some player development, and I see some really concerning things at the same time.

I think Steve Taylor Jr is showing a lot of growth playing out of position for 90% of the season.  His shot wasn't falling last night, but he was the only player on the team last night that looked like he could handle St John's physicality.

On the other hand, Sandy Cohen leaving the court nearly in tears after making a bad pass should raise a big red flag.

Our best moments in that game last night came in the first half with Duane, JJJ, Carlino, Taylor and Fischer on the floor together.  Not sure why Wojo didn't get that five on the court for 3-5 minutes in second half when the game was still competitive.

I still think the jury's out on JJJ.  Extremely erratic season.  His passing and decision making have improved (though the latter can still be better) and this team will need scorers next year just as badly as they do this year.  I'd really like to see him develop an 8-15 foot pull up jump shot to go along with his ability to get to the basket.  He may never be a pure shooter but focusing less on his outside shot and more on the midrange game could make him really dangerous.

A lot of folks think I've been too hard on Luke, but I just knew how physical conference play in the Big East actually is and while he still looks timid there have been improvements in conference for the big guy.

I think Wojo is being out adjusted at half time.  Maybe his options are limited, but it seems like it's always the other teams who are adjusting their game plans out of the break while Marquette is for the most part still operating a basic perimeter weave up top.  Very little pick and roll between Carlino and Luke.  I've never seen any isolation for Duane.  Limited high low post game and when it does happen our guards don't understand how to get the ball to Steve/Luke.

[MerrittsMustache]

I think Wojo is being out adjusted at half time.  Maybe his options are limited, but it seems like it's always the other teams who are adjusting their game plans out of the break while Marquette is for the most part still operating a basic perimeter weave up top.  Very little pick and roll between Carlino and Luke.  I've never seen any isolation for Duane.  Limited high low post game and when it does happen our guards don't understand how to get the ball to Steve/Luke.

This. To some extent.

Wojo seems to be a very good coach when it comes to game-planning and making that first counter when necessary. However, he doesn't seem to have a good counter to the next counter just yet. That's likely from a lack of experience or could possibly just be that he doesn't have the horses to carry it out.

During his time as an assistant at Duke, the team went an average of 29-6. Those teams were tremendously talented and Coach K is about as good as it gets. I'm sure Wojo learned a TON from him but, for the most part, Duke didn't typically find themselves in dog fights against teams that were vastly more-talented. That's been an under-discussed aspect of Wojo's coaching job this season and, presumably, why some have voiced mild concerns over his only coaching experience being at Duke.

[MU82]

yea not sure ellenson can provide that for us. One great player can make a team, especially in the nba, but we are the worst team in conference. Im hopeful but that's quite a jump to bubble

Butler finished 9th in the league last year and is tied for 2nd this year. Their only notable roster additions were Roosevelt Jones, who was hurt last season, and Kelan Martin, a 4-star freshman. Meanwhile, they lost Khyle Marshall, their second-leading scorer from 2013-14.

Jones is an excellent all-around player. Martin is averaging 15 minutes. Dunham, Woods, Barlow and, especially, Chrabascz have improved.

Is it outlandish to think that Ellenson and Cheatham can mean as much to Marquette as Jones and Martin have meant to Butler? (Maybe, given Jones experience, but maybe not.) Is it outrageous to think Duane, Luke, Cohen and Taylor can improve as much as Dunham & Co.? (I'd have added JJJ, but then there are those buh-bye rumors.) Is it crazy to think that other newcomers Wojo is bringing in will play decent roles (Heldt, Anim, Wally, perhaps Carter, perhaps a JUCO/grad)?

Everything in sports is cyclical and fluid. I would think we will be much better next season but perhaps still not a legit contender for the NCAA tournament. Trying to be realistic, I'm pointing toward 2016-17 as Wojo's breakthrough year.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400588479

Box score.   No surprises. 

Steve Taylor with 17 boards is a surprise. 

[tower912]

Not if you were watching.   He was a beast on the boards.    He didn't finish around the basket worth a crap, but he was as physical going after rebounds as I can remember seeing him.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Not if you were watching.   He was a beast on the boards.    He didn't finish around the basket worth a crap, but he was as physical going after rebounds as I can remember seeing him.

I watched. I meant more in general...not after watching the game.  Most boards for an MU players since 2009 I believe..impressive. 

[mattyv1908]

Not if you were watching.   He was a beast on the boards.    He didn't finish around the basket worth a crap, but he was as physical going after rebounds as I can remember seeing him.

I actually think JJJ's rebounding in his stretch in the first half was a bright spot as well.

[warriorchick]

All good points. 

I think the losing is getting to all of us. 

Agreed. From my vantage point last night, I couldn't hear what Wojo said to get the T, but it couldn't be any worse than what I was hearing in the stands.  It's painful enough to be in the Big East cellar, but not getting any respect whatsoever from the refs twists the knife. And when the refs wanted to review a possession question with a few seconds left on the clock and the game out of reach, I thought the crowd was going to riot.  Just let the game end and put us out of our misery, for Christ's sake!

[Dave Krupinski]

To offer some clarity.

SJU's 6th Man, Jamal Branch, had a groin strain which shortened their rotation. Obekpa wasn't in foul trouble until late so he played more than usual.

I actually thought Lavin did a nice job of calling TO's in the 2nd half between media timeouts to rest his guys. Sometimes the TO's after made baskets drive fans (me included) nuts but there is actually some method to his madness of keeping his guys rested and focused.

It's depressing that St. John's lost to DePaul and Creighton because if they didn't they'd be Top 15 right now.

Some thoughts on you guys.

-I'm glad Carlino is graduating. That dude is a sniper.
-JJJ is gonna be good. Real good. Be patient.
-Countdown for Ellenson so Taylor Jr goes to the bench. He is so limited and will be more efficient with less min played
-Woj needs to chill and stop showing his frustration. He isn't used to all this losing.
-Fischer is solid but not sure how he'll coexist with Ellenson next year. Will be slow boring brand if they do.

I hope Woj gets it done on recruiting trail. I like Marquette and want to see them do well.

[brewcity77]

Thanks Dave. My thoughts on your thoughts...

Your top talent is just ridiculous. Harrison, Greene, Obekpa are all solid and Pointer has just emerged. That said, it will be tough to win in March with a short rotation. Though if they shoot like they did last night, they can hang with anyone. Lavin did use his TOs well but against a better team those may be needed for more than just rest. Hope you guys can get a 6-seed, will make it easier to go on a run than facing a 1 or 2 seed the first weekend.

Hope you're right on JJJ. He's improved since his benching this season. This has been a tough year for Wojo, but he took T's in recent games that seemed to help. Give away two free throws in hopes you get calls in your favor later. Didn't work last night though. I think Ellenson will be fine with Luke. Henry is a lot more athletic than he looks and he can play the face up role.

Wojo has impressed as a recruiter. Hopefully his game coaching will look better when he has more than 7.5 players available to him. It's been a hard, fast fall since the 2013 Elite Eight. Hopefully we'll be back fighting for seeding sooner rather than later.

Good luck at MSG and in the Big Dance. We'll be rooting for you! (Especially if you get Bucky I the second round)

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Dave-

Henry Ellenson is far from a slow, plodding big man.  He dribbles like a 2, shoots like a 3, and can post like a 4.  Needs maybe 10 lbs of muscle and continued skill refinement but Henry will be a versatile player.  He will play inside, outside, and be a factor in transition.

[HutchwasClutch]

Some thoughts on you guys.


-JJJ is gonna be good. Real good. Be patient.

You shouldn't make sweeping opinions on players that you've hardly watched.  I'm guessing you saw his two games against your St. John's team, and that's it, where he happened to have a couple of highlight plays each game. Although overall did little either game against SJU

On the whole he's stunk this year, and his road performances have been abysmal.  I believe he's shooting somewhere in the 20% range overall in road games.  

[tower912]

Agreed. From my vantage point last night, I couldn't hear what Wojo said to get the T, but it couldn't be any worse than what I was hearing in the stands.  It's painful enough to be in the Big East cellar, but not getting any respect whatsoever from the refs twists the knife. And when the refs wanted to review a possession question with a few seconds left on the clock and the game out of reach, I thought the crowd was going to riot.  Just let the game end and put us out of our misery, for Christ's sake!

After the tech, he was still saying '(F) me' a lot, if my lip reading skills are still working. 

[HutchwasClutch]

Steve Taylor with 17 boards is a surprise. 

He has showed a lot of flashes of what he could be here late in the season.  Last night's rebounding total is another one.  If he could just put together some consistency.   

I'm optimistic about him looking ahead to his senior year. 

[HutchwasClutch]

I have to admit that players who spend their entire lives playing basketball but cannot make free throws, remains a surprise to me. I'm not saying that have to be 80%, but the historically bad shooting of this team just boggles the mind.

Absolutely agree. 

[Dave Krupinski]

You shouldn't make sweeping opinions on players that you've hardly watched.  I'm guessing you saw his two games against your St. John's team, and that's it, where he happened to have a couple of highlight plays each game. Although overall did little either game against SJU

On the whole he's stunk this year, and his road performances have been abysmal.  I believe he's shooting somewhere in the 20% range overall in road games.  

You're right. I hardly watch basketball.

[HutchwasClutch]

You're right. I hardly watch basketball.

I never said that, honestly, how many times have you watched MU and JJJ this year?

[bilsu]

When Carlino came out after getting his T Wojo gave him a hard slap on the butt. I told my wife that Carlino just got spanked. It would of been great, if Carlino would of did it to Wojo after Wojo got his  T.

[warriorchick]

When Carlino came out after getting his T Wojo gave him a hard slap on the butt. I told my wife that Carlino just got spanked. It would of been great, if Carlino would of did it to Wojo after Wojo got his  T.

No.