The Double-Edged Sword of Rising Expectations

[MULS1999]

Now that I've had 12 hours to digest (and recover from) three games in four days, I'm struck by how different my mindset is about this team than it was when I left the BC on Tuesday night after an uninspiring win over South Dakota.  Like most, if you had told me on Tuesday night that we would go 2-1 against Xavier, Michigan and Florida State, I would have taken it and run -- even if you told me the loss would be by 99 points. 

The way we lost last night was heartbreaking to be sure and preventable, too.  But the fact that this team had come so far in four days to be capable of making me feel the sting of a game we should have won over a "quality" opponent is a testament to their rapid development.  Last season, I think I attributed much (if not most) of our team's camaraderie and crazy intensity to the upperclassmen.  In so doing, I realize now that I wasn't giving nearly enough credit to Buzz and his staff for the tremendous job they do energizing and motivating their players. 

This may be sacrilege to say so quickly, but the team this one most reminds me of is ... last year's team.  And last year's team may have been my favorite Marquette team to watch compete of all-time. 

Given how little production we returned, I'm frankly shocked by how dangerous and capable we look as a team.  Are we small?  Yes.  Are we thin in terms of depth?  It seems that we are.  Will we be outclassed on the road in the Big East this season?  I don't think so, which is a different answer than I would have given last week at this time.

Other takeaways from the weekend:

*  Ball pressure, team rebounding and three point accuracy are the three things to watch all season long.  If we excel in those three phases, we can finish at or above .500 in the league.  Our best five is clearly Acker, Buycks, DJO, Butler and Lazar.  As small as that team is, we have to pressure the perimeter like crazy to avoid easy entry passes to the post and lobs over the top.  We did a great job at that for about 28 minutes last night.  The problem is that such intensity is difficult to sustain, especially when you only go 7.5 deep.  When we got tired in the second half against FSU, the ball pressure waned, the entries became much less difficult and our inside flaws were exposed.  Offensively, I love our drive and kick game.  Almost everyone can get in the lane and, for the most part, the weakside swings and ball reversals have been good.  However, for it to work effectively in the league, Mo, Dwight or Jimmy are going to need to knock down those looks in addition to DJO.  If we can do that, we'll soften up defenses and be able to use our quicks to get into the paint at will.

*  Dwight Buycks is our best defender.  Tremendous lateral quickness and active hands; he will draw the difficult assignments of opposing scoring guards during the conference season.  Much better all-around player than I thought he was.  Thank God we have him.

*  Lazar must eliminate the frustration slaps and clutches on the offensive boards.  This is a bad habit.  In order for us to be successful, 'zar has to be on the floor for 32-36 minutes most nights.  And he had issues with fouls in nearly every game of the tourney.  We can't afford that.  Guarding bigger players is going to get him at least 2 fouls a game; if you add a cheapie per half to that, he's going to end up sitting next to Buzz far too often.  I love his passion and aggressiveness, but he needs to control it.  Because without him, we're dead.  What a stud.

*  Jimmy Butler's development is astonishing.  Free throw woes down the stretch last night notwithstanding, he's the single biggest reason we seem to be reloading rather than rebuilding.  Tremendous basketball IQ, poise and athleticism.  A future all-league player out of nowhere -- and Buzz's finest recruiting accomplishment to date.  (Runner-up:  Johnson-Odom, Darius)

*  Finally -- and my hands are shaking as I type this:  <deep breath> ... Jeronne Maymon is the key to our season.  <exhale>  We simply have to have him.  There are no other options.  He needs to be able to spell Lazar, hold his own defensively in the post, rebound and convert around the rim.  We need 20 good minutes from him a game.  That's the difference between the NIT and NCAA in my opinion.  Despite his very slow start, I remain hopeful that he can give us that, but I remain concerned by his body language, by his poor positioning and by his lack of explosiveness.

All in all, it was a great week to be a Marquette fan.  The team is better than most of us thought it was and the future appears to be bright.  For the first time, I think this team has a legitimate chance to make the field of 65.  We have little room for regression or injury error, but this team sure is fun to watch. 

Expectations will be higher now and they should be.  And that's the best part of all.

Go Marquette.

P.S.  If you are a 6'9-6'11 four star high school senior who likes to block shots and get out in transition, why on earth would you not have MU on your list?  We need one smart kid to figure that out and commit. 

[MR.HAYWARD]

i agree with much of what you said..  especially the part about LAzars dumb fouls!!

fully half of his fouls are dumb!  His second when trying to steal it under the basket was silly...now he can argue and anyone can argue that he picked him clean...even if he did up it is not a smart thing to try to do you will rarely if ever get the benefit on that case.  His third foul I blame on Buzz he should have called a to after we made the shot to get him out.

His paasive play in the second half helped FSU on there way. he plays differently if he has only 1 or 2 fouls. 

Part of his foul issues as I have stated are poor decisions.   

[79Warrior]

i agree with much of what you said..  especially the part about LAzars dumb fouls!!

fully half of his fouls are dumb!  His second when trying to steal it under the basket was silly...now he can argue and anyone can argue that he picked him clean...even if he did up it is not a smart thing to try to do you will rarely if ever get the benefit on that case.  His third foul I blame on Buzz he should have called a to after we made the shot to get him out.

His paasive play in the second half helped FSU on there way. he plays differently if he has only 1 or 2 fouls. 

Part of his foul issues as I have stated are poor decisions.   

His passive? Who was hitting the clutch shots down the stretch? He fouls because he plays his ass off. Your analysis is a 12 year olds.

[Boognish_MU]

*  Finally -- and my hands are shaking as I type this:  <deep breath> ... Jeronne Maymon is the key to our season.  <exhale> 

I agree.  In my opinion, he's been a no show so far.  I know he is still learning to play in the college game, and he is getting used to not having it be easy, but he needs to pick it up.

I am still very excited to see him once he gets it.