Seth Davis interviewed three head coaches and assistants from the Big East and agreed to keep their identities hidden for an article in The Athletic.
https://theathletic.com/2357309/2021/02/01/college-basketball-coaches-anonymous-quotes-american-acc-big-east-big-12/?source=dailyemailHere's what those coaches said about Marquette:
They’re still trying to find that scoring identity without Markus Howard. They’re a strange team. You’ve gotta physically attack them. You want to force D.J. Carton right and wall him up. He’s a high flyer. Did you see that dunk he had at Providence? Their depth at that position is a problem. Once he comes out, they struggle from a ball-handling perspective. Dawson Garcia started off really hot, but it looks like the season may be wearing on him a little bit. I don’t know that Jamal Cain has toughness. If you take away his shot, he can’t put it on the floor very well. Defensively, Theo John is good, but if you can get to the two freshmen in the paint, it’s difficult for them.He also talked to coaches in other conferences, printing those from the AAC, ACC, BEast and B12 this week. Big 14 and others will be next week.
Here are a few coaches' comments that Scoopers might find interesting:
"Quentin Grimes is a strong right driver. You gotta make him put it on the floor. I don’t know if he’s a great decision-maker."
Memphis has "no identity. They don’t know who their guy is. They turn the ball over like crazy. If you make them play half-court offense they will struggle."
"Jalen Johnson can be really good, but is he playing for the team, or is he playing for himself? He’s not a big-time shooter."
"Sam Hauser is really good offensively, but he’s not as good defensively as they’re used to having."
"Greg McDermott doesn’t get mad about anything defensively. Whether they rebound or take the ball out of bounds, they’re gonna go play offense."
"You know how Ed Cooley is, they’re gonna get hot second half of the season."
Seton Hall doesn't "scare you like they did with Myles Powell, but they’re solid. Depth is a problem. If you stop Big Mamu, you’ve got a really good chance to beat them, but that’s a tall task. You want to force Mamu to drive and make decisions. He can go right, but he’s spinning back left."
Villanova's "weakness is their depth. You have to wonder if they could survive foul trouble. When Collin Gillespie is out of the game, there’s a big drop-off. You have non-point guards making decisions. They don’t have guys that wow you like Saddiq Bey or Mikal Bridges. Against their defense you want to get the ball swinging from side to side, and then attack. When they’re scrambling they’re not as good."
Texas is "basically the same team they’ve been, just older. The thing that could get them is their shooting. What makes them great is their defensive versatility. They can switch everything and then pound you on the glass."
"Matt McClung can win you a game, but he can lose you a game because he takes shots out of their offense. (Texas Tech goes) one-on-one too much."
