A few interesting tidbitsMU fans - college basketball fans in the State of Wisconsin, really - should be interested to hear that it appears as though the Golden Eagles will play at Tennessee next season as part of the made-for-TV Big East-SEC Invitational.
The Volunteers, of course, are coached by former UW-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl, who was vocal during his time in town about wanting MU to play his Panthers. It looks like now he'll get his wish, albeit with a much different - and more talented - group of players.
The game would be a one-shot deal, and likely serve as the Golden Eagles' lone non-conference road game if it winds up coming off as planned.
Additionally, Class of 2009 recruit Erik Williams suffered a broken foot in practice Wednesday and will undergo surgery Friday. He's expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Williams, who orally committed to MU in mid-October, is a 6-foot-7 junior wing player at Cypress Springs (Tex.) High School.
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Wow. Heading into Thursday's game an 11 1/2-point spread seemed like an awful lot to spot Providence. Sure, the Friars were missing guards Sharaud Curry and Dwain Williams, but they still brought some top-notch talent into the Bradley Center.
Nevertheless, MU just blew them out of the water. A nine-point deficit at halftime turned into a laugher quickly in the second half because the Golden Eagles came out with more energy, fire and, of course, solid three-point shooting.
A 22-5 run had Providence coach Tim Welsh reaching deep into his bench as he looked ahead to Saturday's game at DePaul, and MU coach Tom Crean inserting walk-ons Tommy Brice and Robert Frozena for an unprecedented fifth consecutive game.
MU dominated virtually every catgory. It shot 53.3%, out-rebounded a bigger Providence team, 37-23, hit 88% of its free throws and 43.5% of its threes, dished out 22 assists on 32 baskets and once again got double-digit scoring from four players
The lack of guard play killed the Friars. They committed 17 turnovers leading to 31 points for the Golden Eagles, and many were of the sloppy variety. MU also had 26 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds, and got 26 points off its bench.
Defensively it also put the clamps on big man Geoff McDermott, holding him to just seven points on three field-goal attempts. He also had just four rebounds to go along with five assists.
"For McDermott to come out of there with three shots, that says a lot," Crean said. "He's an excellent, excellent player. He's one of the toughest matchups in all of college basketball. He's a load."
All in all, this was about as good an opener as Crean & Co. ever could have hoped for.
A few other quick observations:
Dominic James once again looked marvelous. The 21 points were nice, but even more impressive was how he got them: within the context of the offense. He drove to the basket, spotted up when the opportunity presented itself, and set up teammates beautifully.
The six assists against zero turnovers was huge, as was the 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range.
The re-emergence of Ousmane Barro was key, especially against Providence's 2-3 zone. He ran the baseline effectively, hitting 5 of 7 shots, and also pulled down nine rebounds. More performances like that would be huge for MU in the weeks ahead.
"Tonight what really helped was Ousmane finishing around the basket," Crean said. "I think he got free early. We've just got to make sure we're putting him in spots where he can execute and be at his best. He really understands the drop-off game."
Nine assists and three steals in 28 minutes for Jerel McNeal despite playing with the flu. Plus he went nose to nose with the 6-foot-8, 235-pound McDermott in the second half, and despite picking up a technical foul, didn't back down. That's toughness.
"I'm really proud of our whole team's effort," said Crean. "I think the one that surprised me the most with how well he played, considering he's probably dealing with a little bit of flu right now, is Jerel McNeal. He hasn't eaten all day. There's a kid that just comes out and goes at it."
Wesley Matthews looked good. He had 16 points and five rebounds, and played solid defense. It appears as though he's gaining confidence.
Dan Fitzgerald had just three points in 13 minutes, but he helped set the tone by diving on the floor, wrestling the ball away from Providence's Brian McKenzie and calling a time out - even though MU was up by more than 20 in the second half. The Golden Eagles came out of the huddle and immediately got a three from Maurice Acker. It's play like that which separate MU from its competition on many nights.
Lawrence "Trend" Blackledge had about as productive a 4-minute stint as you'll ever see: a highlight reel putback dunk immediately after checking into the game, and then finishing with seven points and three rebounds. He's an energy guy.
David Cubillan still doesn't appear close to 100 percent recovered from a sprained ankle. He airballed a three in the first half and wound up scoring just two points in 22 minutes.
"He's still not 100 percent back," said Crean. "We're still trying to keep a little bit of an eye (on him). I'd like to get him longer stretches in the game, but he's coming. We want him to keep shooting the ball. It looks like it's going in most of the times he shoots it."
And finally, Providence coach Tim Welsh on MU:
"There's not a lot of room for error when you play Marquette. They're excellent. They don't have any weaknesses. Their inside players are good. They're real good. They know their roles, they're tough, they defend, they help each other, they're physical, they set great screens, they move without the ball and they find open spaces behind the defense when the guards get into the gap. They have good rhythm out there. They know each other very, very well. They're a very, very good team."
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/01/04/a-few-interesting-tidbits.aspx
