Perimeter D is the key against Nova

[HoopsMalone]

Tomorrow, the guards better be ready to defend.  Acker needs to keep that quick freshman out of the paint, and Cubillan will need to slow Reynolds.  Buycks had better be ready to go.  He is probably the x-factor tomorrow because he can come off the bench and not let up on their guards.  Junior needs to be ready too.  If he can give someone a 2 minute breather tomorrow and not get torched, the rested upperclassman might be more effective down the stretch defensively.  Big, big game for those four guys.

If Nova's paint touches are limited, then Lazar, Jimmy, and Fulce can stay out of foul trouble and get good position on rebounding.  We cannot afford Lazar or Jimmy on the bench with fouls. 

[IAmMarquette]

Tomorrow, the guards better be ready to defend.  Acker needs to keep that quick freshman out of the paint, and Cubillan will need to slow Reynolds.  Buycks had better be ready to go.  He is probably the x-factor tomorrow because he can come off the bench and not let up on their guards.  Junior needs to be ready too.  If he can give someone a 2 minute breather tomorrow and not get torched, the rested upperclassman might be more effective down the stretch defensively.  Big, big game for those four guys.

If Nova's paint touches are limited, then Lazar, Jimmy, and Fulce can stay out of foul trouble and get good position on rebounding.  We cannot afford Lazar or Jimmy on the bench with fouls. 

Cubillan or DJO on Reynolds?

[TallTitan34]

Can we put DJO on Reynolds like we did with Dominique Jones in the USF game?  Sacrifice offense for defense.

[IAmMarquette]

Can we put DJO on Reynolds like we did with Dominique Jones in the USF game?  Sacrifice offense for defense.

That's what I was thinking.

[HoopsMalone]

Both will probably have to guard him.  Cubillan maybe should start on him and let DJO settle in.  We'll see how Buzz game plans this matchup. 

[hairy worthen]

The guards need to defend, but we also need to quickly hedge out on the high ball screen, rotate and recover. Our guards are going to get beat off the dribble at times, the key is how well we give help, rotate and recover. We got beat early in the season by quick guards that blew by our guards and no one gave help. We have gotten much better defensively in this regard so hopefully we will have a better result against Villanova this time.

I am hoping for a big game from DJO and Butler, both are due.

[willie warrior]

Another key will be our ability or inability to make FT's. Those two missed down the stretch by Butler and Acker could have really bit us!

[NavinRJohnson]

Defense is always the key, but this one is going to come down to MU's ability to pass/move the ball and make 3's. People accasionally laugh at how much Buzz talks about paint touches, but it will be absolutely critical today (as it is every game). If we get into too much dribbling/1-on-1 action, we have no shot.

[StillWarriors]

Defense is always the key, but this one is going to come down to MU's ability to pass/move the ball and make 3's. People accasionally laugh at how much Buzz talks about paint touches, but it will be absolutely critical today (as it is every game). If we get into too much dribbling/1-on-1 action, we have no shot.

I've become a believer in Buzz's focus on paint touches. When we don't do it, like against Pitt and in that 2nd half stretch yesterday, we have no motion and end up forcing up a bad look to beat the clock. It is incredible how much more we move the ball when a kick out comes off penetration.

[SERocks]

Frankly, this is why we lost to ND also.  There were stretches where we ran down the field and jacked the three.  That is not our game and if we get pulled into that, we will lose.

[g0lden3agle]

The guards need to defend, but we also need to quickly hedge out on the high ball screen, rotate and recover. Our guards are going to get beat off the dribble at times, the key is how well we give help, rotate and recover. We got beat early in the season by quick guards that blew by our guards and no one gave help. We have gotten much better defensively in this regard so hopefully we will have a better result against Villanova this time.

I am hoping for a big game from DJO and Butler, both are due.

It seems the intensity when we hedge on high ball screens has skyrocketed in the 2nd half of the season compared to the 1st half.  I recall people calling for an aggressive hedge after losses to Villanova and others early in the BEast schedule, and it seems they have gotten what they wished for, and it's working very well. 

The announcers on ESPN went so far as to call it a trap, as sometimes when Lazar or Butler are hedging, they stay out there even after the guard recovers.  This makes it even more difficult for the guard to find the open man that is available after an aggressive hedge.  Should be interesting to see how the Nova guards handle this.

[hairy worthen]

It seems the intensity when we hedge on high ball screens has skyrocketed in the 2nd half of the season compared to the 1st half.  I recall people calling for an aggressive hedge after losses to Villanova and others early in the BEast schedule, and it seems they have gotten what they wished for, and it's working very well. 

The announcers on ESPN went so far as to call it a trap, as sometimes when Lazar or Butler are hedging, they stay out there even after the guard recovers.  This makes it even more difficult for the guard to find the open man that is available after an aggressive hedge.  Should be interesting to see how the Nova guards handle this.

Agree,

The thing i see sometimes is we don't rotate or someone misses an assignment and it leaves someone open for a wide open dunk. The aggressive hedge and double may be worth that risk however.

[GoldenWarrior]

In other news... the sky is blue

[g0lden3agle]

In other news... the sky is blue

Wait... it isn't?  I've been lied to all this time?!?!

[GoldenWarrior]

Wait... it isn't?  I've been lied to all this time?!?!

Nope, it's actually all perception.  You see we live in this thing called The Matrix and this is all just a computer program we mentally living inside of essentially... yeah, it's complicated.

[jaygall31]

I agree with this topic, we also can't be as casual with the rock as we were yesterday (obviously).

[T.V. Diener 34]

If we play this game and lose, I wouldn't be too disappointed as long as Reynolds does not beat us.  He has been a Marquette killer during his years at Nova.

[hairy worthen]

In other news... the sky is blue

I just looked outside. The sky is grayish white. Next time get your facts straight.