Poll: MU MVP Next March

[Tugg Speedman]

I think this is a tough call.  It could be any one of 5 or 6 different guys depending on how the year pans out.

That said, I voted for Crowder.

[mug644]

I just see DJO as realizing that it is his turn to be the undeniable leader, and the star of the team. I'm betting he'll overcome the inconsistency (I've even accuse him of being distracted or uninterested at times during games in the last 2 years), and will be a rock. Here's hoping.

[flash]

I went with DJO, he is the obvious pick here.  He will likely be the leading scorer and will dominate the ball in clutch situations.  I look for him to have a big year.  Second would be Crowder, he is the emotional leader of the team and is primed to have a big year

[brewcity77]

No hesitation, I voted for DJO. Unless he's injured, this is his to lose, especially if he comes close to his goal of averaging 5 apg and 5 rpg. Outside shot for Jae or Jamil, I can't see anyone else.

[dwaderoy2004]

If you're asking who will score the most points, it will be DJO.  But the most important/valuable player to this team has got to be cadougan.  If he plays poorly, or gets hurt, I think this team struggles.

[Marqus Howard]

If you're asking who will score the most points, it will be DJO.  But the most important/valuable player to this team has got to be cadougan.  If he plays poorly, or gets hurt, I think this team struggles.

Agreed. DJO, Jae, and Jamil will be the best players, but without a healthy Junior Cadougan we're going to be in big trouble.

[dw3dw3dw3]

Junior taking his game to the next level (12 pts 6+ assts a game) would mean more to the team than DJO bringing his average up to 20ppg. Spotty play from the pg position will lead to another inconsistent season.
Other than a couple big games at the end of last year, there's not much out there (don't count pro-am games) to say he's a lock to provide what is needed from that position.  There are no other proven options on the roster. People who say Wilson have nothing to base that off of. VB... we are in for a long season if we are counting on him to provide 20 mins at pg per game. Derrick and JA are freshman so nothing to expect there. 

Jae or DJO will be the MVP if MU falls short of goals (Top 3 BEAST, Sweet 16?)... Junior will be MVP if those goals are reached.

[brewcity77]

If you're asking who will score the most points, it will be DJO.  But the most important/valuable player to this team has got to be cadougan.  If he plays poorly, or gets hurt, I think this team struggles.

There's an argument there, but I think this will be a "put the team on his shoulders" type season for DJO, like we often saw with Lazar. I have a feeling much of the time DJO will seem to be willing us to victory. And if we lose him, do we think Blue or Mayo can fill that role? I think both are pretty indispensable.

[Ari Gold]

Obvious Choice is DJO. He's gonna be our leader and will probably likely be the MVP. Still I voted for Crowder, hoping he'll be just as monstrous.

Nothing would make me happier than declaring Vander or Wilson the team's MVP at the end of this year. Seeing those guys tear it up would make my year.

[77ncaachamps]

Junior.

The tempo and openings he sets and creates respectively will determine how far this team goes.
If he adds a double digit scoring average in addition to his increasing his assists and minutes played, he is an early BE MVP candidate.

[WarhawkWarrior]

D-J-O!  22 point average and comes dangerously close to breaking the single game record.

[chapman]

Frozena.


Wait, he's gone?!   NIT.

[wadesworld]

D-J-O!  22 point average and comes dangerously close to breaking the single game record.

I still think whoever is PREDICTING 20+ points per game for any one player is crazy. And honestly, I hope they're also wrong. I want balance. There is too much talent on the team to have 1 player average over 25% of our points (we aren't going to score 80+ ppg as a team). I made a post in another thread; since MU joined the Big East 7 years ago, there have been 10 individual seasons where someone has averaged 20+ ppg. 3 were by Harongody and 2 by Hazell. Only 3 of those players' teams made it to the NCAA Tournament in that year. When you're scoring that many points, you're taking an abnormally large percentage of your team's shots. If someone on our team is averaging 20+ ppg, I will say right now the team as a whole is probably going to underachieve based on our expectations. We need more balance than that and have the talent to be that balanced. I also think people completely underestimate how incredibly difficult it is to AVERAGE 20 ppg for an entire season, especially in a conference as tough as the Big East. The best player in the history of MU basketball, a future NBA Hall of Famer, and a current top 5 NBA player didn't even average 22 ppg in the almighty Conference USA the year he was taken with the 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft. I am not counting on DJO to put up better numbers than Wade did in 02-03.

I also do not think it happens very often that a player leads their team in scoring as a junior and then scores 6 points per game more as a senior (an increase of 35%). While last year DJO had Butler to share the role of being "the man" with and defenses had to split their focus, this year DJO is focus #1, 2, and 3 for opposing defenses.

I hope DJO has a great year. I just think people are underestimating how challenging it is to average that many ppg, especially in the BE. And I hope we are a balanced team.

[brewcity77]

I still think whoever is PREDICTING 20+ points per game for any one player is crazy. And honestly, I hope they're also wrong. I want balance. There is too much talent on the team to have 1 player average over 25% of our points (we aren't going to score 80+ ppg as a team).

I don't think it's crazy. DJO averaged 17.2 ppg in Big East conference play. He also had a god-awful start. In the early part of the season, DJO will be counted on even more for scoring than he was last year, as he and Crowder will likely shoulder the load until Wilson re-acclimates to regular games. It's entirely possible that he averages 25 ppg in the non-conference.

Especially when you look at our opponents. Regardless of quality, schools like Norfolk State, Mississippi, Jacksonville, Washington, Vanderbilt, and Northern Colorado play fast. And we have the ability to impose our tempo on teams like Mount St. Mary's, Winthrop, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. Remember, we didn't just lose JFB from the starting lineup, we also lost Buycks, another volume shooter. DJO will get a lot of chances early on, and could have a hefty average as a buffer coming into Big East play.

I made a post in another thread; since MU joined the Big East 7 years ago, there have been 10 individual seasons where someone has averaged 20+ ppg. 3 were by Harongody and 2 by Hazell. Only 3 of those players' teams made it to the NCAA Tournament in that year. When you're scoring that many points, you're taking an abnormally large percentage of your team's shots. If someone on our team is averaging 20+ ppg, I will say right now the team as a whole is probably going to underachieve based on our expectations. We need more balance than that and have the talent to be that balanced.

I think we'll find balance as the season goes on. But I think that DJO could easily start very strong and average around 18-19 ppg in Big East play, which will likely keep him over 20 for the season. And honestly, adding another 1-2 ppg in Big East play for a guy who averaged over 17 in Big East play a year ago isn't that much. I also think that as Wilson, Cadougan, and hopefully some others get comfortable in their role, you'll see DJO passing more. But he'll still get his.

I also think people completely underestimate how incredibly difficult it is to AVERAGE 20 ppg for an entire season, especially in a conference as tough as the Big East. The best player in the history of MU basketball, a future NBA Hall of Famer, and a current top 5 NBA player didn't even average 22 ppg in the almighty Conference USA the year he was taken with the 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft. I am not counting on DJO to put up better numbers than Wade did in 02-03.

For the record, I'm expecting around 21 ppg. And while I realize that's Wade-like numbers, I really think Butler is in for that kind of a season. Also, the 2003 team had four double-digit scorers, and another in Novak that came on late. Wade didn't have to carry the load on that team with Diener, Jackson, and Merritt. DJO and Crowder, especially early on, likely will have to.

I also do not think it happens very often that a player leads their team in scoring as a junior and then scores 6 points per game more as a senior (an increase of 35%). While last year DJO had Butler to share the role of being "the man" with and defenses had to split their focus, this year DJO is focus #1, 2, and 3 for opposing defenses.

Again, I think you're overstating how big a jump this is. First, calling DJO the leading scorer may be technically accurate, but he and JFB were separated by .054 ppg. You're taking away a player that was his scoring equal. So in terms of picking up the slack, expecting DJO to get 2-4 of JFB's ppg (assuming we score around the same) is completely feasible. And when you factor in his own improvement, and assuming he isn't dogged by early season woes, you're only looking at a personal improvement of 1-2 ppg. DJO getting to 20 isn't much of a stretch, and by season's end, I could still see Crowder averaging 15 and Wilson averaging 12. I could see the rest of the team averaging 28 ppg to get us to the 75 we've averaged since we joined the Big East 6 years ago. And I don't think it requires a crazy amount of shots, especially if DJO's three percentage is back into the 40s.

I hope DJO has a great year. I just think people are underestimating how challenging it is to average that many ppg, especially in the BE. And I hope we are a balanced team.

I too hope for a great year. And while I realize that him averaging 20 ppg would be an amazing feat, I think that it's far more feasible than you make it out to be.

[Dawson Rental]

I voted Gardner.  He really came to play last year early against Duke and late against North Carolina which shows that he wants to stake a claim and he isn't afraid of anyone.  Now that he's in much better shape, I just think that he'll give other teams fits when they try to defend him.  The only question is will he be able to play defense well enough to get the court time that he will need to make a huge impact.

[Goose]

I voted for Jamil but hoping it is anyone but DJO. If DJO is healthy and not March MVP I like our chances in March. It would mean someone other than our best player delivered the goods. Hope Blue or Jamil put on a show.

[Markusquette]

I'm just happy we're fortunate to have all these guys that may be considered the MVP of the season

Looking forward to seeing everyone play.  DJO stepping up to be a leader, Junior running the team, Crowder getting his mojo back, Otule and Gardner in the middle, Wilson trying to fill Jimmy's shoes, and all the young, athletic guys we have coming off the bench.  I think DJO of course, but I'm also excited to see which underclassman steps up the most.

[Milkshakes]

I voted for Crowder even though I expect it to be DJO I am hoping Crowder has a bigtime year.

After seeing the results I wish that I would have voted Otule...

Blue, J Jones, Anderson, Mayo and D Wilson all get MVP votes and Otule gets a none!  I have high hopes for all these guys but not MVP hopes for this year. Otule on the other hand, he could be a game changer for us if he becomes even a mid-level Bigeast 5.

[brewcity77]

Good point on Otule, and defensively, he might be our most important player. Otule isn't just a shot-blocker but a shot-alterer. I imagine if he establishes himself with a couple early blocks, it could change a team's mindset every time they drive the lane. And if he can average even 6-8 ppg and 5+ rpg, he'll be a huge asset, even if his value is often unsung.

[NersEllenson]

This is Marquette's most talented team, top to bottom since 2003, and then perhaps looking back as far as 1977....

Will it translate to similar results?  I voted DJO, and believe he needs to be GREAT for this team to make a serious push for Big East Championship and Final Four. 

Buzz has a lot of ways to play this year - and we should see him be able to finally coach all of the schemes, styles, etc., that he desires.  He knows he has a roster very close to his ideal roster composition.

Gardner will be huge by the end of the season.  I look for Crowder to have a GREAT season as well.

[Goose]

Ners---Agreed on most talented team since 2003. All goes well it could be a very exciting season.

[bamamarquettefan]

Wow, for several years we had four players you could certainly have voted for and then a cliff.  Then the conceivable vote could have been for Jimmy or Lazar preseason.

Now you could see a scenario where ANY of these guys could explode for MVP except D. Wilson (too tough for a freshman in the Big East) and Otule (certainly could be the top defender but with limited offense would have to have a McIlvaine year for MVP).  But all of the others have either shown MVP-level play at times or came in/come in with the potential to have a team MVP type season.

That being said - year it's probably DJO in the end who gets the vote, but I believe it will actually be Crowder because he does so many things so well so my vote went to him.