X thoughts

[GGGG]

Change things up, how?

I would bring Haanif off the bench and start and play JJJ more. 

[bilsu]

Specifically what would you do differently in recruiting, practice, s&c, and game play as it relates to our wins to come to the conclusion that Wojo has done a poor job in those wins?

When you concentrate on recruiting shooters, you generally get players that are not physical. Wally is the only one on this team that thinks fighting for rebounds is important. I wish Henry would battle for rebounds. He gets the rebounds that come to him, but otherwise makes no effort to rebound. Henry averages almost 10 reboundds a gmae without trying. Just think what he would do, if he made it a priority.

[wadesworld]

When you concentrate on recruiting shooters, you generally get players that are not physical. Wally is the only one on this team that thinks fighting for rebounds is important. I wish Henry would battle for rebounds. He gets the rebounds that come to him, but otherwise makes no effort to rebound. Henry averages almost 10 reboundds a gmae without trying. Just think what he would do, if he made it a priority.

You said this before.  This is absolutely absurd.  You don't lead one of the toughest conference in the country in rebounding by accident.

[willie warrior]

Well said.

Yup===bench him for the rest of the year. He is using up a scholly.

[Lennys Tap]

The tournament MU will be playing in is the NIT.

We hope

[Dr. Blackheart]

Change things up, how?

There was is no movement (dribbling or motion) with a purpose in the offense which means no spacing.  Xavier knew exactly where MU was going to set up and oftentimes got there before the MU player.  The 1-3-1 cut off MU's guards in space.  There was no movement in and out of the paint with the one in, four out offense. East-West.

Post Luke up high or face him up.  Flash Sandy and Wally at the free throw line when Luke is in the low post to pass out or swing a guard through on the perimeter for a reverse, rather than running the Duke big man iso.

Duane is taking early threes way out of NBA range. Henry is hanging at the perimeter. Traci and Haanif are forcing the offense (quickest possession length is conference). Sandy is the transfer point in the offense and he can penetrate within but doesn't like nor is told to shoot. No spacing, no identity, no purpose.

I would start Duane, JJJ, Wally, Henry and Luke to infuse energy, penetration and spacing into offense.  Let the freshman guards see the flow and intensity in the game from the bench so they can adjust mentally.  Mix up the rotations.

I know it would be rough with the freshmen but there really is no measurable improvement so far on offense, yet coaches are adjusting to MU. Mix it up, but with a purpose.  The frosh have hit their wall early as MU is well scouted.  Match-ups are critical in a small home and away conference.

[tower912]

Bottom line.   This young, erratic team didn't get it done against a top 10 team.   Many things to learn and improve upon.   Not a surprise.   Not a reason to wail, gnash teeth, and rend garments.    Not enough composure, size, shooting, tools in the toolbox.    Keep working. 

[Loose Cannon]

When you concentrate on recruiting shooters, you generally get players that are not physical. Wally is the only one on this team that thinks fighting for rebounds is important. I wish Henry would battle for rebounds. He gets the rebounds that come to him, but otherwise makes no effort to rebound. Henry averages almost 10 reboundds a gmae without trying. Just think what he would do, if he made it a priority.

Just did a little review on Henry & Luke's Rebounds for Total Conference games.

  Luke  29 in 168 Minutes  = 1 every 5.79

  Henry 57 in 211 Minutes = 1 every 3.70

Interesting.

[GooooMarquette]

A phase overused by Buzz, but PAINT TOUCHES.

I get that X played a solid zone, but too often we just settled for long 3s without even looking to drive or pound it inside.  As others have said, JJJ and Wally were the only two perimeter guys who seemed to have any idea how to attack a zone.

   

[MU82]

So hard to be a good team in college ball or the NBA if you can't shoot from the perimeter and especially if you can't make threes. It's just to important in today's basketball for points and spacing.

It's so frustrating to see one wide open Marquette player after another behind the three point arc nearly every game, but it's a brickfest if they take the shot.

Even more frustrating is how often you watch a good college game and a few made threes can completely change the momentum of a game, especially at home, but Marquette rarely ever has that happen for them because they have no reliable shooters.

You got this right, Dude.

When your shooting guard misses 9 of his 10 shots from behind the arc (and 13 of 15 overall), it's almost impossible to win in today's college basketball.

4-for-25 ... you just can't shoot 3's like that and expect to win many games. It makes the opponent totally disrespect your shooters, so they overplay the passing lanes and clog the paint.

We need a brute who can really rebound and play some tough interior defense, and at least two guys who can knock down shots.

[Jay Bee]

eFG% 37.1... maybe second or third worse of Wojo era? X only 46.6%.

Nonetheless, eFG% reigns supreme.

MU was 4-25 3FG for 16.0%. Ugh.
X didn't shoot they 3 well, but 2FG% they beat us 54.1% to 44.4%.

[bamamarquettefan]

At least the next 3 games are the complete opposite:

DePaul: 6-11
St.John's: 7-12
Stetson: 7-11

Unfortunately after that pomeroy has us as the underdog in every game except as a 1-point favorite at home against gtown. To saybwe can't get upset in any of these is an understatement.

[bamamarquettefan]

This team is playing with heart. They will get tougher and better. Fish needs to stay out of foul trouble. Someone needs to hit a three and reduce turnovers. I am optimistic. They are buying into the program and are starting to understand what it takes to win. Keep supporting this team. We need to hear real noise at home games. They deserve it.

Fish is the best. If Henry and Diane both start hitting treys we could go on a run with little notice. If not it will be a true rebuilding year.

[CTWarrior]

Biggest problem against the Xavier zone was indecisiveness.  Too much catch, look around, fake.  Get the ball and go.  Keep the ball moving.  Attack the seams of the zone and dish when you meet resistance.  Basic stuff.  When we dribble we often are double teamed but can't find the open man.  You can see the pass that needs to be made from the couch, but the players on the floor often don't see it.  Frustrating to watch sometimes.

That's why JJJ and Wally were pretty good yesterday.  They were decisive in their play.  I think sometimes we're too protective of the ball and can be counter-productive and lead to turnovers, because the defense can be more aggressive.  I can live with turnovers if they are because we are aggressive.

They are young and will figure it out at some point. 

[Loose Cannon]

Biggest problem against the Xavier zone was indecisiveness.  Too much catch, look around, fake.  Get the ball and go.  Keep the ball moving.  Attack the seams of the zone and dish when you meet resistance.  Basic stuff.  When we dribble we often are double teamed but can't find the open man.  You can see the pass that needs to be made from the couch, but the players on the floor often don't see it.  Frustrating to watch sometimes.

That's why JJJ and Wally were pretty good yesterday.  They were decisive in their play.  I think sometimes we're too protective of the ball and can be counter-productive and lead to turnovers, because the defense can be more aggressive.  I can live with turnovers if they are because we are aggressive.

They are young and will figure it out at some point.

Plus Tax

[mileskishnish72]

Biggest problem against the Xavier zone was indecisiveness.  Too much catch, look around, fake.  Get the ball and go.  Keep the ball moving.  Attack the seams of the zone and dish when you meet resistance.  Basic stuff.  When we dribble we often are double teamed but can't find the open man.  You can see the pass that needs to be made from the couch, but the players on the floor often don't see it.  Frustrating to watch sometimes.

That's why JJJ and Wally were pretty good yesterday.  They were decisive in their play.  I think sometimes we're too protective of the ball and can be counter-productive and lead to turnovers, because the defense can be more aggressive.  I can live with turnovers if they are because we are aggressive.

They are young and will figure it out at some point.

[mileskishnish72]

Trying to quote first sentence of CT Warrior. Agree with his thought - when we have a three opportunity (even when wide open) it seems like the player is looking, looking, maybe faking a pass, not sure, not sure, OK, shoot. They need to know they are open and shoot in rhythm. I think the % would go up.

[bilsu]

You said this before.  This is absolutely absurd.  You don't lead one of the toughest conference in the country in rebounding by accident.

Against Xavier his first rebound he was two feet from the basket when the ball came off the rim directly at him and he grabbed it without having to jump. The second rebound he was closer to the basket, but again it came directly to him with no competition. He had a shot at a third rebound that was contested and the the ball went out of bounds. His third rebound was an offensive put back he was in position for. That one he jumped on to put it back in. His fourth rebound he was standing almost under the basket and the ball hit the rim and bounce almost straight down to him. Again he did not have to jump. He almost had a fifth rebound on a missed free throw, but it was lost out of bounds when the Xavier player was called for an over the back foul. His fifth rebound was an offensive rebound, when the MU player missed the entire rim on a three point attempt and Henry was standing on the other side of the rim in perfect position for it. He had another rebound that was tipped over the rim by another MU player. That one he did jump for. I am drawing a blank on the other rebound, but six of them he basically had no competition for. The two he had to battle for he did not get, but MU got the ball because of the over the back foul and the other rebound that went out of bounds was ruled to be off the other player. Ellenson has great hands and reaction so he basically gets every rebound that comes directly at him. However, he rarely wins on contested rebounds. I have been watching for Ellenson's rebounds since the exhibition game and he is basically a flat footed rebounder. He has great size, long arms and great hand to eye coordination, but he is not an active rebounder. Against Xavier he had 7 rebounds and competed for the nother two. So he snagged 7 out of 9 opportunities, which is a pretty good ratio. However, given the minutes he plays and his size should he of had only 9 opportunities at a rebound in the game? My point is that he is very efficient at rebounding, but does not make an effort to get rebounds.

[wadesworld]

Against Xavier his first rebound he was two feet from the basket when the ball came off the rim directly at him and he grabbed it without having to jump. The second rebound he was closer to the basket, but again it came directly to him with no competition. He had a shot at a third rebound that was contested and the the ball went out of bounds. His third rebound was an offensive put back he was in position for. That one he jumped on to put it back in. His fourth rebound he was standing almost under the basket and the ball hit the rim and bounce almost straight down to him. Again he did not have to jump. He almost had a fifth rebound on a missed free throw, but it was lost out of bounds when the Xavier player was called for an over the back foul. His fifth rebound was an offensive rebound, when the MU player missed the entire rim on a three point attempt and Henry was standing on the other side of the rim in perfect position for it. He had another rebound that was tipped over the rim by another MU player. That one he did jump for. I am drawing a blank on the other rebound, but six of them he basically had no competition for. The two he had to battle for he did not get, but MU got the ball because of the over the back foul and the other rebound that went out of bounds was ruled to be off the other player. Ellenson has great hands and reaction so he basically gets every rebound that comes directly at him. However, he rarely wins on contested rebounds. I have been watching for Ellenson's rebounds since the exhibition game and he is basically a flat footed rebounder. He has great size, long arms and great hand to eye coordination, but he is not an active rebounder. Against Xavier he had 7 rebounds and competed for the nother two. So he snagged 7 out of 9 opportunities, which is a pretty good ratio. However, given the minutes he plays and his size should he of had only 9 opportunities at a rebound in the game? My point is that he is very efficient at rebounding, but does not make an effort to get rebounds.

Okay, you're right, he just leads one of the toughest conferences in the country in rebounding.   

You don't get 10 rebounds per game without competing.  You don't get 10 rebounds per game simply by being 6'10".  There are plenty of kids 6'10" or taller in college basketball.  There are 30 players in college basketball who are getting more rebounds per game than Henry.  There are 347 D1 college basketball teams, each with 13 scholarships to offer.  Henry is the 31st leading rebounder out of 4,511 total college basketball scholarships available.  That puts him in the top 0.687% of college basketball at rebounding.  Of all the things you could complain about with this team, I'm not really sure why you're complaining about this.

[GGGG]

So now Henry's rebounds aren't good enough?

[tower912]

That is up there with the misbegotten notion that Derrick's assists weren't real assists.

[Earl Tatum]

SOMETHING POSITIVE.   Sam Hauser had 35 pts, 9 assists and 8 boards for Stevens Point
as they beat Champlin, Minn. 89-73. Theo John had 7 and McKinly Wright had 22. Trev Anderson
22 and Joey Hauser 25 for SPASH.Wright and John were mentioned on the board as MU prospects.
I don't wish for players. But Thomas of UW has a great build for BE play and we could use a body-
 like that, who would have an attitude for rebounding.  Not Thomas a good recruit with a build
like that, not 5-10 guards. I think Traci will be fine. He missed most of his SR year with an injury in
HS.

[Marcus92]

A few thoughts that may provide some perspective on what this game means (I know, a long shot with many posters on this board):

1. Xavier has lost 1 game this entire season, at #16 Villanova. Along the way, they've beaten #24 Michigan on the road, #23 Cincinnati and #9 Butler. No one else has come closer than Marquette to beating them, home or away. Xavier deserves its ranking to this point. They're a really good team. They were supposed to win against MU, and they did. No shame in that.

2. MU held Xavier under their season average for scoring (80 ppg), FG% (45.3%) and 3PT% (36.4%), while forcing 15 turnovers. In other words, Marquette turned in a pretty good defensive performance.

3. Henry, Jajuan, Luke and Wally combined to hit 20 of 40 shots (50.0%). By contrast, the rest of the team was just 4-30 (13.3%) from the field, including 2-18 from 3-point range (11.1%). That's almost unbelievably awful. So awful, in fact, that you're unlikely to see another performance that bad the rest of the season. Probability may offer cold comfort, but at least it's something.

This season is far from over. Making the NCAAs is by no means a guarantee. But it's still a realistic possibility at this point if we can get back to .500 in conference play. Let's see how the team responds over the next couple weeks.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled despair and overreacting.

[CountryRoads]

SOMETHING POSITIVE.   Sam Hauser had 35 pts, 9 assists and 8 boards for Stevens Point
as they beat Champlin, Minn. 89-73. Theo John had 7 and McKinly Wright had 22. Trev Anderson
22 and Joey Hauser 25 for SPASH.Wright and John were mentioned on the board as MU prospects.
I don't wish for players. But Thomas of UW has a great build for BE play and we could use a body-
 like that, who would have an attitude for rebounding.  Not Thomas a good recruit with a build
like that, not 5-10 guards. I think Traci will be fine. He missed most of his SR year with an injury in
HS.

Excellent game from the big 3 Wisconsin freshman today (illikainen, Thomas, Iverson). The 3 combined for 2 points and 1 rebound. Really wish we had those guys instead of the guys we have. Like you mentioned, Thomas would have made all of the difference yesterday. Also, it's not a good sign that UWGB is now beating us for recruits.

[Marcus92]

So now Henry's rebounds aren't good enough?

Apparently not. Watching the shot, knowing where your man is, being in the right position, blocking out and actually securing a rebound are all clearly a matter of pure luck. If Henry were any good, if he put any effort into rebounding whatsoever, he'd be averaging at least 16, 18, 20 boards a game.

This board truly offers an invaluable education on the game of basketball.