[Cracked Sidewalks] Georgetown learns: You can't hang with MU for 40 minutes

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[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Georgetown learns: You can't hang with MU for 40 minutes

Written by: hilltopper91@gmail.com (Kevin Buckley (Hilltopper))

This just in:  Jerel McNeal is pretty good.
This just in:  Wes Matthews is pretty good.
This just in:  Dominic James is pretty good.
This just in:  Lazar Hayward is pretty good.




Marquette stayed perfect in the Big East with a 94-82 beat down of #25 Georgetown that just wasn't that close.   While Georgetown had a 10 point lead after the first 7 minutes, MU stormed back to tie it with 6 to go in the first half.  The remainder of the 1st half was a gutty battle between the two teams, hammering on each other with abandon, and few whistles.

The game continued like that until the 2nd half, when MU started pulling away, and with 10 minutes left, had built a 10 point cushion, then +16 with 5 to go.  Georgetown was playing so slowly, the game was over at that point, as it was just impossible for them to win with how much time they took per possession.

It's hard to describe Jerel McNeal's game.  The word "nuclear" might come close.   A double-double the hard way.  26 points, 11 assists.  Oh, and throw in 5 steals and 6 rebounds.

It was a good game for Jerel to "go nuclear" as scouts from the Clippers, Timberwolves, 76ers, Hawks, Bulls and Bucks were in attendance.

Wes and Lazar "only" chipped in 23 each.   Lazar notched his 1,000 point as a Warrior.



That's what makes Marquette so hard to beat.  They've got four guys on the court who can score 20, 25 points.   You just can't stop that much talent over 40 minutes.

Marquette won despite letting Georgetown hit 56% of their shots .. to MU's 51%.  How'd we win?  Free throws.  MU made 30 of 38, with GTown getting a paltry 8 points by FT.

Something should be said about the crowd at the Bradley Center.  The house was "filled to the corners," raucous, and packed with 19,041 .. just some 40 shy of the record set last year (again, versus Georgetown.)  The crowd "went to 11."

Marquette improves to 8-0 in the Big East, next up are games versus hapless DePaul, and nearly-as-hapless South Florida, who between them are 2-14 in conference play.

One item that will be talked about by watercoolers everywhere is an incident that occurred during the post-game radio interview between Coach Williams and Marquette color-man and former player, Jimmy McIlvaine.  (Transcript here.)

Mac asked what the coach was doing to keep the team focused, with Marquette's top-10 ranking.    In the next 90 seconds, which could only be termed "surreal," Coach Williams savaged Mac for asking the question, and questioned his loyalty to Marquette.   -- Parenthetically, it's a shame this odd event will overshadow Marquette's great victory this afternoon, in many circles.

In Rosiak's report, Mac says: "I think it was just a misunderstanding .. I've already forgotten about it."

• Official Box Score
• AP Recap
• Coach Buzz post-game MP3  (8:10 he speaks about the post-game w/JMac)
  
• Matthews post-game MP3
• McNeal post-game MP3
• JS Online
• Rosiak Blog

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/01/georgetown-learns-you-cant-hang-with-mu.html