Outside our studs, who do you think will surprise us in the tourney?
I am stuck between three guys: Junior, Blue, and Wilson.
Although Junior had a bad outing, I think the writing is on the wall that this will be his team next year. I can see him taking this experience to step up and show he can be a leader. I really hope it is Junior because the team plays so much better when he is managing the game well.
Blue could be the guy too. He has had a bumpy year. He showed some really great things in a two week stretch. If he is on, he is a player that makes our team incredibly difficult to guard.
Wilson is my pick to be an absolute stud next season. I can see him putting on a 15/8 campaign next season. It is definitely possible that he take that next step in development this week.
All in all, I put that in the order that I would prefer for one guy to step up. Obviously I hope they all do. My odds I would put on it is JC 40%, Blue 20%, Wilson 40%. I have a feeling at least on of these guys will step up.
My pick is Coo Coo Cadougan. He's the most aggressive guy on our team by a long shot.
I think he'll be playing out of his mind, though I really hope that mean that he'll only be forcing drives when we're struggling against a zone :)
Quote from: ErickJD08 on March 12, 2012, 01:38:52 PM
Wilson is my pick to be an absolute stud next season. I can see him putting on a 15/8 campaign next season. It is definitely possible that he take that next step in development this week.
What he said.
My guess is erickdj08 after we lose. Hopefully that is not for a while
Quote from: Skatastrophy on March 12, 2012, 01:41:23 PM
My pick is Coo Coo Cadougan. He's the most aggressive guy on our team by a long shot.
I think he'll be playing out of his mind, though I really hope that mean that he'll only be forcing drives when we're struggling against a zone :)
Coo Coo Cadougan needs to realize that this is his projects
I think for it to be a successful tournament run all players will need to step up as the matchups dictate. Remember in 2003, Diener stepped up big time and was MVP of the first two rounds, then Wade in the next 2. Novak had one really awesome game where he dominated, and Rob Jackson provided consistent production. If we play a bigger team like BYU maybe we need Wilson to step up defensively or pick up fouls on big men. If we play an Iona maybe Junior repeatedly finding DG and JC down low for layups (does anyone do it better?).
Nice shot, dimes. That's a 3!
Different games will be different guys. We cannot afford anyone to have a complete bust of a game and need one non senior to outperform season stats in each game. Our trapping defense will carry us to FF if executed. Jamil and Vander need to apply the pressure in the trap and get us easy hoops.
We'll need all of them to step up if we want to make a deep run. DJO will likely have an off-shooting night. Jae could end up facing foul trouble. We could run into a team with one star that seems unstoppable (Canaan?). We'll need Mayo, Jamil, and Vander to be ready to step up and make a difference.
As far as Junior...he just need to be steady. Quiet and steady. Go out there, don't turn it over, make the smart pass, and we can beat anyone.
The refs may decide Marquette's fate, in how the call the game or games. :-X
Quote from: Tulsa Warrior on March 12, 2012, 03:15:06 PM
The refs may decide Marquette's fate, in how the call the game or games. :-X
A dream crew of Ed Hightower, James Breeding and Tim Higgins ( with Peter Pavia as their Guardian Angel.... :o ) .
MU needs Crowder to hit three's... In the last four games, Jae is (4-24) from three, a robust 16.6%. He needs to pick-up his outside shooting for MU to go anywhere in the tourney.
Quote from: RJax55 on March 12, 2012, 03:23:29 PM
MU needs Crowder to hit three's... In the last four games, Jae is (4-24) from three, a robust 16.6%. He needs to pick-up his outside shooting for MU to go anywhere in the tourney.
Ditto on that statement...
As for the original poster's question, I think Cadougan is the most important role player on this team. When he's playing with a swagger, the kid is tough as nails...think back to last season's run: in close games he always seemed to be one of the few players that wanted the ball in his hands late in games and in those situations he created for himself and others by attacking the rim...we need him to play with that same kind of aggresive, controlled confidence that he displayed during our run in 2011...if Junior can make himself offensively relevant, this team should have a nice long dance ahead of them
Someone needs to use this tournament as a jumping point.
Next year, our top two 3pt shooters will be gone, and there's a HUGE question mark about the consistent play of the perimeter players next year.
JWilson will be a lock at the 4.
Davante, if he fully recovers, should be a lock at the 5.
Cadougan is a lock at PG since DWil, though playing significant minutes this year, isn't ready to take it over.
The 2 and 3 are up for grabs. Say what you will about Vander's suffocating D, but he needs to balance it out with his O. The converse is true with Todd, though he's struggled in the last couple of games. STaylor should be a shoo-in unless something about his game is revealed during camp. TJ should also be considered as a strong candidate but he'll be new to the offense.
I'll be living in the now but part of my mind will be thinking about 2012-13.
Quote from: 77ncaachamps on March 12, 2012, 03:59:37 PM
Someone needs to use this tournament as a jumping point.
Next year, our top two 3pt shooters will be gone, and there's a HUGE question mark about the consistent play of the perimeter players next year.
JWilson will be a lock at the 4.
Davante, if he fully recovers, should be a lock at the 5.
Cadougan is a lock at PG since DWil, though playing significant minutes this year, isn't ready to take it over.
The 2 and 3 are up for grabs. Say what you will about Vander's suffocating D, but he needs to balance it out with his O. The converse is true with Todd, though he's struggled in the last couple of games. STaylor should be a shoo-in unless something about his game is revealed during camp. TJ should also be considered as a strong candidate but he'll be new to the offense.
I'll be living in the now but part of my mind will be thinking about 2012-13.
Just forgetting about Otule?
ErickD: vander blue ftw.
Quote from: PTM on March 12, 2012, 04:00:29 PM
Just forgetting about Otule?
Everyone always does when discussing next year's team.
Quote from: Z F-B on March 12, 2012, 04:02:53 PM
ErickD: vander blue ftw.
Agreed. I don't think he fills the stat sheet in any game (I know, not really stretching there) but I think he has several key plays in a couple (hopefully) games. A few key defensive plays, scoring in transition once or twice, hitting FTs.
It's important that we avoid foul trouble in the first half. We need Crowder on the floor to win.
Quote from: Nukem2 on March 12, 2012, 03:21:18 PM
A dream crew of Ed Hightower, James Breeding and Tim Higgins ( with Peter Pavia as their Guardian Angel.... :o ) .
I know he is dead, so I will refrain, but I hoped to never hear Peter Pavia again. What a crappy official. May he rest in peace.
Vander.
Would love to see Mayo knock down some outside shoots. Hopefully he can get out of his funk this weekend.
The more I think about this, the more I think that all that matters is Junior's consistency. I remembered that stat about how every time he had 6+ assists, Marquette won. That held true for the entire season, with MU going 16-0 when he had 6 assists or more. In addition, in 4/7 losses, Junior had more turnovers than assists.
The problem with Junior is that it's easy to point the finger at him when we lose, but he doesn't often get credit when we win. He just doesn't put up the points, even though the all-around game is usually there. And while he's maligned for turnovers (and had a howler against UL) he has turned the ball over 3 or fewer times in 25/32 games. His A/T ratio of 2.1 indicates he's pretty darn good handling the rock and has been consistently good.
But he doesn't score, so when he does have a bad game, his shot is maligned, his turnovers are amplified, and he's a constant scapegoat. Maybe that's just a Marquette thing, to slam the point if he isn't a star. Buycks caught hell, so did James. Diener didn't, but he scored and had a consistent outside shot, so I guess there's the difference.
If Junior plays his average game, getting around 6 assists and turning it over 3 times or less while chipping in a couple boards and 5-8 points, we'll win a lot of games. He just won't get credit for it.
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 13, 2012, 06:45:42 AM
The more I think about this, the more I think that all that matters is Junior's consistency. I remembered that stat about how every time he had 6+ assists, Marquette won. That held true for the entire season, with MU going 16-0 when he had 6 assists or more. In addition, in 4/7 losses, Junior had more turnovers than assists.
The problem with Junior is that it's easy to point the finger at him when we lose, but he doesn't often get credit when we win. He just doesn't put up the points, even though the all-around game is usually there. And while he's maligned for turnovers (and had a howler against UL) he has turned the ball over 3 or fewer times in 25/32 games. His A/T ratio of 2.1 indicates he's pretty darn good handling the rock and has been consistently good.
But he doesn't score, so when he does have a bad game, his shot is maligned, his turnovers are amplified, and he's a constant scapegoat. Maybe that's just a Marquette thing, to slam the point if he isn't a star. Buycks caught hell, so did James. Diener didn't, but he scored and had a consistent outside shot, so I guess there's the difference.
If Junior plays his average game, getting around 6 assists and turning it over 3 times or less while chipping in a couple boards and 5-8 points, we'll win a lot of games. He just won't get credit for it.
I could kiss you on the mouth for this post.
When Junior plays well the offense looks like a well-oiled machine but his stats aren't eye-popping in the scoring department so he rarely gets credit. When he plays poorly the whole team looks bad so he gets blasted. With a record of 25-7 he didn't play poorly all that often.
Junior doesn't get any credit for improving his D either. In two tightly contested games against All Big East PG's, Cadougan kept Wayns in check and held Theodore to a horrible shooting night. Had either of those two played up to their capabilities MU walks away with an L and kisses the three seed goodbye.
I think we'll see a confident, assertive Cadougan in the tournament, giving us a chance to win every game we play (doesn't mean we will, just that we'll be in every contest).
Quote from: Jamailman on March 13, 2012, 08:48:39 AM
I could kiss you on the mouth for this post.
When Junior plays well the offense looks like a well-oiled machine but his stats aren't eye-popping in the scoring department so he rarely gets credit. When he plays poorly the whole team looks bad so he gets blasted. With a record of 25-7 he didn't play poorly all that often.
Junior doesn't get any credit for improving his D either. In two tightly contested games against All Big East PG's, Cadougan kept Wayns in check and held Theodore to a horrible shooting night. Had either of those two played up to their capabilities MU walks away with an L and kisses the three seed goodbye.
I think we'll see a confident, assertive Cadougan in the tournament, giving us a chance to win every game we play (doesn't mean we will, just that we'll be in every contest).
Agreed all over... that is why he was on the top of my list for players I want to step up. I think when JC is playing well, points seem to come easy. I know some people on here cringe when they see JC drive but I think he has to to keep the defense honest. Knock em dead JC!
Quote from: MUMac on March 12, 2012, 05:39:46 PM
I know he is dead, so I will refrain, but I hoped to never hear Peter Pavia again. What a crappy official. May he rest in peace.
Not sure I am that forgiving.....I would boo his a** every game he did against Marquette. I remember reading the game account in the Sunday Trib the day after the game. His name was burned into my memory. I'm getting pissed just typing this.
Quote from: ringout on March 13, 2012, 10:33:46 AM
Not sure I am that forgiving.....I would boo his a** every game he did against Marquette. I remember reading the game account in the Sunday Trib the day after the game. His name was burned into my memory. I'm getting pissed just typing this.
Unfortunately, I was there. Horrible sequence of officiating. Ended the defending Champs and stopped teh #1 v #2 game in the next round against Kentucky.
Thanks Junior. Keep up the good work.