N ear M iss D ay

[Big Papi]

Got the chance to be at an event where Nevada Smith took questions from some fans. Warned us that the rebounding was a personnel issue and would not be fixed this year but that they should be doing better than they have been.

We don't have a single player on the roster that goes and gets the ball consistently.  I don't know if they will have the personnel next year either.

[tower912]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPZGnwBpUNg

Shaka post game. 

DM post game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTmCX7jIbo

[willie warrior]

I don't know which Oso you're watching, but the kid can do way more than dunk.  He's got some of the best handles on the team (especially for a big) and when he drives he flashes NBA potential.  If he learns to shoot the 3 or even 15 footers he will be very tough to stop.

"Best handles in the game"? Cmon man. He muffed at least two bunny passes to him that ended as toys. Amazing what people say after watching a game.

[willie warrior]

We don't have a single player on the roster that goes and gets the ball consistently.  I don't know if they will have the personnel next year either.

We do have one guy that can get the ball--Lewis. But MU is terrible at rebounding.

[Newsdreams]

Joyful Mazos Burgers Willie

[Newsdreams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPZGnwBpUNg

Shaka post game. 

DM post game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTmCX7jIbo

Says that Kam is best frosh he's been around, thinks Stevie was SOTG, again points and thanks previews staff for recruiting two great players. Woj to Shaka assistant?

[tower912]

Wojo did recruit kids of good character.   Couldn't recruit any athletic wings or switchables.   Pedestrian game coach.   But he did recruit kids of good character

[CountryRoads]

Kam would have put up big numbers and had been giving much more free reign in the Wojo system this year. He’s a baller and glad he stayed on board.

[NCMUFan]

Just goes to show Marquette needs to play all out to beat a conference foe.
Depaul in Chicago will not be easy.  Seems like they have been able to get a win each season from us the last number of years.

[Goose]

Great D the last thirty minutes of the game and again different guys stepping up. Time to start getting sharper and get back to midseason form. It is a long season and very hard to play at the Jan level for two plus months. The last few games were not even B grade performances, and that happens. It is now time to start dialing in on rotations and getting back in form.

[Newsdreams]

Crowd (not including students) was glued to their seats until the last 8 minutes. A couple people tried to stand near me and had to sit down because no one joined them. Thought we'd get more energy on NMD. Students were excellent

Sean Jones in the house and got a shout out from Mike Jacabowski. He looked like he was having a great time.  Real short but really thick

Got the chance to be at an event where Nevada Smith took questions from some fans. Warned us that the rebounding was a personnel issue and would not be fixed this year but that they should be doing better than they have been.

Defense was really good for the last 28 minutes. Nice to see that trend reverse.

Was disappointed that we didn't attack more.  Butler is excellent at defending the three and terrible at protecting the paint. How are Elliott and Joplin getting to the bucket but not Lewis, Kolek, or Kam?

Nze completely stymied Justin until the end. Punked him for some boards too. Glad he woke up at the end. For those saying he's not ready to go pro... he probably helped his draft status more than hurt it today. Scouts don't care if you have a bad shooting game or get beat a few times on d. They care about potential. What Lewis showed them in the last 8 minutes likely caught their attention.

Finally and most importantly #DLTD

Brother TAMU, you saying student section didn't suck? Scoop blasphemy!!!!

[Dr. Blackheart]

Anyone know who they guy with the sweet jacket and even sweeter hair was sitting coutside who got a lot of tv time? That was a nice look!

Dennis Klumb?

https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/awards-2018/recipients/klumb.php

[Scoop Snoop]

Dennis Klumb?

https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/awards-2018/recipients/klumb.php

Absolutely loved his story about sneaking into the arena with the band when he and his friend could not afford tickets to a big game.

[forgetful]

Dennis Klumb?

https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/awards-2018/recipients/klumb.php

"Arby Construction"...I like the guy already. I wonder if they were responsible for the architecture of the Beef N' Cheddar.

[Goose]

The Klumb family are very smart business folks. Sold their company again recently and hopefully continue to support the program in a big way.

[JakeBarnes]

Joplin had some nice minutes.   With about 12 to go, I wanted him in the game instead of Lewis.   Lewis started attacking.  Never mind.

Same. Partly because Lewis looked really slow on defense

[MU82]

Two keys to the game IMHO:

First half - switching to the press. Not only did it force a couple of quick Butler TOs, it woke up our guys out of their funk.

Second half - Stevie's play. His bucket, 3, D and hustle turned a deficit into a lead we never lost and really got the crowd going.

Also ...

Once again, Shaka was willing to bury a starter on the bench. Kuath was having a miserable game anyway, and then he had a miserable start to the second half. I'm guessing there was considerable talk during the week about staying well clear of the line when inbounding, and when Kuath committed that violation, that was the last straw for Shaka.

Kam got the start over O-Max but didn't really take advantage of the promotion.

Elliott is struggling with his shot, something all good shooters experience. I'm glad he's at least been aggressive going to the hoop and drawing fouls. Still, it's hard to play him when he's missing 3s. Only 14 minutes. Stevie's play had something to do with that.

Was nice to see Lewis hang in there despite his poor start and then carry us down the stretch. It's why Shaka sticks with him, and why he is showing up in mock drafts. Justin is our one and only stud, and he can take over a game at any time.

Kudos to Oso for really holding down the middle during the key part of the game.

It was our first time going to the NMD game ... it won't be our last. Had a great time getting together with friends we don't see often enough Friday night, and then got to celebrate an important win by our heroes.

We're visiting our son, DIL and grand-twins in Chicago now ... just taught the 2 1/2-year-olds how to say, "We Are Marquette!"

[wisblue]

1.  Butler played offense like MU when MU is playing well.   Moving the ball, cutting to open spots when the defense reacts.
2.  Rebounding was not improved during the week off.  It did improve in the second half.
3.  Greg gets knocked down a lot without getting any calls.
4.  Mitchell played his butt off on defense. May have been the only one.   Shaka rewarded effort with minutes. 
5.  Interior defense was abysmal for 28 minutes.   Kur in particular.  Made worse by the inability to contain the dribble.   
6.  Defense found itself late.   Stevie and Oso.
7.  Thank goodness Lewis finally got frustrated enough to attack the rim.
8.  Go 4 guard, give up a rebound on a free throw.   Bullet dodged.
9.  MU kept fighting and found a way to win ugly.   The only really important word there is 'win. '

On your number 3 I would say that Greg falls to the floor a lot. The number of times he is knocked down is some subset of that.

I think the fact that he does go to the floor a lot makes it less likely that fouls will be called when he does.

[tower912]

I agree.   He falls a lot.   I probably think he gets hit more than others do.   C'est la vie.

[cheebs09]

I agree.   He falls a lot.   I probably think he gets hit more than others do.   C'est la vie.

I think he’s gotten a couple flop warnings the last few years.

[MU82]

Greg’s become about the best on the team at drawing shooting fouls, which is a bit of a surprise.

Wade hit the floor more.

I am NOT saying G-Elliott = D-Wade!