get Your Head Out of Your Keester McNeal

[willie warrior]

I don't care how many he scored in first half, he had at least 4 turnovers, 1 for 6 from three ball, four of those were bricks and 1 airball, and a stupid foul on a three point attempt. We should expect better decisions out of a 4 year starter.

Our three point shooting was atrocious. and Mathews and Hayward are asleep out there.

Let's get it together in the second half.

[77ncaachamps]

Wes has Zip. Jimmy Butler's outperforming him.

they need to D up on Butler and start working the ball around for good shots.

thank goodness they're getting as many off rebounds as they did.

[muarmy81]

And that they're hitting their free throws...

I think we're in pretty good shape considering how bad we've started out shooting and how well they were shooting...now that butler has 4 fouls I think we're in even better shape...Let's finish strong.

[dsfire]

The whole team was cold from behind the arc in the first half (1-10).  At least three of those were wide open misses, and I think someone got a finger on McNeal's airball as we got the ball back after it went out of bounds.  I have no problems with them continuing to take wide open 3s with WVU collapsing on the lane every time we drive.

James is playing very well, aside from a couple of forced-up 3s at the end of the shot clock.  His two steals converted to layups have been incredible.

Hayward seems like he's disappeared somewhat, though he's been expending a lot of energy battling for those boards.  This game is incredibly physical.

[MR.HAYWARD]

the problem with anumber of jerel's three s in the first half is he had wide open drives to the hole.  Wesly was effective to styart the second half be cause he drove the ball in those same situations. 

we need jerel and live and die with him...but i ahve never seen a MU player with a worse basketabll IQ in 30 years of watching MU bball.  Simply terrible his TO's today were absolutely pathetic each one was worse than the other and each one individaula were absolute example of what not to do in that situation, that are taught to 4th graders.

additionally watching Jerel lead a fast break is like watching a car accident in slow motion.  everytime he gets it he never passes an is almost a guaranteed trainwreck.

[tower912]

I thought he had gotten rid of the drive-the-baseline-and-elevate-under-the-backboard-with-no-real-plan move, but apparently he was just keeping it for a special occasion.    Arrrggggh.   MVP for both teams.

[jmayer1]

additionally watching Jerel lead a fast break is like watching a car accident in slow motion.  everytime he gets it he never passes an is almost a guaranteed trainwreck.

i think a lot of people feel the same way about reading your posts 

[IAmMarquette]

i think a lot of people feel the same way about reading your posts 

That may be true, but he makes a good point. Give Jerel the ball on the break, and he's going to shoot. Or go up against 2 defenders and get blocked. Or do his patented jump-under-the-hoop-with-no-real-plan (as a previous poster pointed out) and turn it over.

I love having Jerel on this team. He's a great asset, and possibly an All-Big East performer. But, my god, some of the things he does leave you scratching your head to the point of pulling your hair out.

Of course, this sort of experience should be nothing new for me and my fellow Packers fans. We watched a similar type of How'd-he-do-it/what-was-he-thinking play for 16 years.

[jmayer1]

That may be true, but he makes a good point. Give Jerel the ball on the break, and he's going to shoot. Or go up against 2 defenders and get blocked. Or do his patented jump-under-the-hoop-with-no-real-plan (as a previous poster pointed out) and turn it over.

I love having Jerel on this team. He's a great asset, and possibly an All-Big East performer. But, my god, some of the things he does leave you scratching your head to the point of pulling your hair out.

Of course, this sort of experience should be nothing new for me and my fellow Packers fans. We watched a similar type of How'd-he-do-it/what-was-he-thinking play for 16 years.

Yeah, I definitely agree with some of his points I was just giving Hayward a bit of guff.  I think McNeal is somewhat like DWade in that respect: he'll make some foolish mistakes or get loose with the ball and you'll think what the f?  However, a couple plays later he'll do something incredible that makes you shout and high-five your friends.  It would be nice if he can eliminate those type of dumb plays and only have the great plays but I think the aggresiveness which leads to this great plays is often the same agressiveness that leads to the not so great plays.

[mwbauer7]

That may be true, but he makes a good point. Give Jerel the ball on the break, and he's going to shoot. Or go up against 2 defenders and get blocked. Or do his patented jump-under-the-hoop-with-no-real-plan (as a previous poster pointed out) and turn it over.

I love having Jerel on this team. He's a great asset, and possibly an All-Big East performer. But, my god, some of the things he does leave you scratching your head to the point of pulling your hair out.

+1

[BaltimoreMC]

McNeal gotta lead the team in the "No, No, No....Yesssss!!!" stat w/ all of the stupid/difficult shots he makes.  I don't think that it's a case of take the good w/ the bad.  He could be a much better if he just tightens up decision making.  I have seen much better decision making out of James this year and Wes has always been making good decisions.  McNeal could be great if he just tries to play w/ what is given to him a little more rather than always trying to force it.  Don't totally play passive, but don't always force it. 

[Big Papi]

I have to agree with the title of this thread.  His decision making, mostly in the first half, was mind boggling.

[MR.HAYWARD]

i would categorically disgaree with comparing Jerel and Dwade.  Yes in Dwades first year he did stuff like that, but bu his second year he had for the most part greatly eliminated many of those mistakes, the charges etc.  Jerel is not a first year player , he is not a second year player,....he is a 4th!! year player and continues to make the same stupid mistakes over and over.  He does not appear to learn despite making the same mistakes over and over and over agin.  Agisn the worst basketball IQ i have ever seen in a player.  Better deciosn making, better shot selection etc and he could be a first team all american and a consensus first round pick, but when voters and scouts come see him play like he did today and gainst Rutgers the simply say yes he does some thing really well but the terrible decison making leaves abad taste in their mouths.  Quite honestly and frustrtingly he plays like a very very talented Freshman.  He is like an Eric Gorden or a Dwade as a first year player when they were 18...Jerel is 22!!!!! 

[mcnealfan1]

blah blah blah, you guys on this board need to get a clue, a great play maker is always going to have some bad turnovers is just part of being aggressive, the worst basketball iq has to be the dumbest thing ive ever heard, you dont average 4 assists as a shooting guard with the worst basketball iq, lets be serious mr hayward, his shot selection is fine to me, most of the shots he missed today were wide open looks except for about 2 drives to the hole, what game were you watching

[jmayer1]

i would categorically disgaree with comparing Jerel and Dwade.  Yes in Dwades first year he did stuff like that, but bu his second year he had for the most part greatly eliminated many of those mistakes, the charges etc.  Jerel is not a first year player , he is not a second year player,....he is a 4th!! year player and continues to make the same stupid mistakes over and over.  He does not appear to learn despite making the same mistakes over and over and over agin.  Agisn the worst basketball IQ i have ever seen in a player.  Better deciosn making, better shot selection etc and he could be a first team all american and a consensus first round pick, but when voters and scouts come see him play like he did today and gainst Rutgers the simply say yes he does some thing really well but the terrible decison making leaves abad taste in their mouths.  Quite honestly and frustrtingly he plays like a very very talented Freshman.  He is like an Eric Gorden or a Dwade as a first year player when they were 18...Jerel is 22!!!!! 

Maybe you should watch a bit more basketball then hayward.  Dwade still does some of the same things he did his first year at mu (ie-get lazy with the dribble and lose it as he is going by other defenders) and there is a reason he leads the league in tos.  To say mcneal has the lowest basketball iq of anybody you've ever seen in a player means you are either staiting something just for effect or that you aren't really able to follow the game.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I thought Jerel played well.

He missed a lot of shots early, but those were the same shots he hit against Cinci.

This is why last week (when hayward was telling me Buzz is an offensive genius), I was saying "just wait..." because every offense looks good when a guy shoots like that.

Jerel's decision making and the overall offense was really the same today... the big difference? MU didn't shoot 15-25 from 3pt land.

If you are going to blast his decision making now, you should have blasted him for some of the shots he took against Cinci.

[CTWarrior]

Of course, this sort of experience should be nothing new for me and my fellow Packers fans. We watched a similar type of How'd-he-do-it/what-was-he-thinking play for 16 years.

As a Jets fan, I wish you Packers fans were watching that how's he do it QB for 17 years instead of 16 years.

As for McNeal, he is atrocious with the ball in his hand on the break, but you take the good with the bad.  And for him, the good far outweighs the bad.  I had no problems with the threes he took, they were good shots that he didn't make and sometimes missed badly.  That happens.  The sloppy passes were more problematic.

[spartan3186]

blah blah blah, you guys on this board need to get a clue, a great play maker is always going to have some bad turnovers is just part of being aggressive, the worst basketball iq has to be the dumbest thing ive ever heard, you dont average 4 assists as a shooting guard with the worst basketball iq, lets be serious mr hayward, his shot selection is fine to me, most of the shots he missed today were wide open looks except for about 2 drives to the hole, what game were you watching

Are you like McNeals mom or something? Nobody here is saying McNeal is not a good, maybe even great player. People are just saying that this was not one of his better efforts despite 26 points. He had 6 or Marquette's 8 turnovers and just did not play his most intelligent basketball of the season. I'm a big McNeal fan most of the time, as I should be and as any Marquette fan should be. He has the ability to carry the team and has done so on multiple occasions, there are games however where he does not make intelligent decisions with the basketball resulting in silly turnovers or forced shots that have little to no chance at going in. His decision making is the are where McNeal can improve most. Oh and he average 3.3 which is not the same as four and in this game had only had 1 assist in this game and 6 turnovers... thats not such a good ratio even for a 2g. On the season his A/TO ratio is 1.23 (57A:46TO) which is also not great compare that to DJ's 2.66 (88:33) and you see the difference.

[mcnealfan1]

why i gotta be mcneals mom, just cause im defending him, i never once said this was a great game by mcneal, did i? i just think guys like mr hayward making statements like he has the worst basketball iQ he's seen in 30 years is way to harsh, i can live with his turnovers this game considering what esle he did for the team on the court