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Where has this Marquette been? Posted: Thursday, January 11, 2007
Now, that was Marquette. That was the Marquette seen nationally beating Duke in Kansas City last November. That was the Marquette that had been billed as a potential pest for Pitt and Georgetown in the Big East in the preseason.
That was Marquette, the one that has four guards, not three, who all have the ability to speed up the tempo, penetrate, dish and get their arms and hands in the passing lanes. The four are: Dominic James (pronounced Dominique, even though it clearly looks like Dominick), Jerel McNeal, Wes Matthews and David Cubillan.
That was Marquette, which at times has a more-than-serviceable frontline with Lazar Hayward, Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro.
That was Marquette that handed Connecticut a 73-69 loss that sent coach Jim Calhoun into a frustration-filled postgame news conference Wednesday night.
So, where has that Marquette been of late? The players and staff aren't sure. The Golden Eagles decided to become shooters -- or at least shot-takers -- in losses against zone-based teams Providence and Syracuse. The Golden Eagles went a combined 8 for 34 from the arc in the two losses and went away from actually driving and penetrating to the basket to create shots.
They got back to that against the suddenly porous Huskies and had their way for much of the game. Sure, they had their share of turnovers, but the Eagles finally played the way they planned.
"This is the first time since Kansas City that we played our basketball," McNeal said. "We've got a chance to win every game from this point on if we play that way."
Getting Barro to be a force inside (how does 17 points and 13 boards sound?) is a must for the Golden Eagles to be a factor in the Big East. But Barro's production, and for that matter everyone else's, depends on the Eagles driving the ball.
The Eagles had the dubious task of winning at Connecticut to avoid a 0-3 start in the Big East. Now that they pulled off the win, the Eagles get to play West Virginia's 1-3-1 zone Saturday at home -- one of only two remaining home games this month. Visits to Louisville and Pitt as well as a road game at South Florida remain in January. None will be easy, and no one would expect them to win at Pitt, but if the Eagles can dictate the game the way they want to play, they have a shot.
This is the second straight game that Connecticut, in Calhoun's words, had the other team's will imposed on them. He was as angry and frustrated as he's been with the Huskies this season. Sure, the Huskies fought their way back into the game, as he expects, but their offense, was "god-awful."
The Huskies played 12 players and Calhoun is doing that to find someone who will give them something offensively, let alone on the defensive backboard. Still, the issue isn't that the Huskies played a soft schedule prior to January. That doesn't matter. What matters is that the Huskies weren't able to figure out a rotation prior to New Year's.
Now the Huskies are facing a must-win game at St. John's Saturday night. If you don't believe me, then look at what's next: at Pitt Tuesday night and the prospect of a 1-4 start in the Big East.
Now, maybe that doesn't matter since the Huskies don't look like a team that is going to challenge for the Big East title, but there is a confidence issue going on with this squad, with each player getting yanked quickly after mistakes. Stanley Robinson, one of the more talented players on the team, went for an odd scoop layup late in the game. Instead of Robinson telling Calhoun after the game that he should have gone up strong with the ball, he told him he's not playing with enough energy.
There is a clear disconnect going on with this team and Calhoun's searching to find the right cords to connect everyone. It's unclear whether everyone has the patience to get through what could be a bumpier road than some expected. Some fans certainly didn't, exiting with four minutes left in droves, a point that Calhoun made sure to raise late Wednesday night.
