Six Comments about the Providence Game

[CTWarrior]

1.  Driving to the game I was listening the Providence ESPN station and they basically said that Marquette's facilities and recent track record make it the best Catholic basketball program in the U.S. right now.
2.  Game was miserable.  Same old problems.  Can't score from the outside, can't score on the blocks.  Poor defensive rebounding.  Poor 3 point defense.  Dreadful low post defense was a new problem.  Classof2016 and I were quite distraught.
3.  Providence has only one true PG, and he was out.  They have no bench (2 points from the bench and the guy who scored them made Chris Grimm look like Bill Walton)  Why didn't we try pressing, playing 94 feet?
4.  Providence radio guys said after game that Marquette was a perfect match for the PC team.  "They didn't pressure the ball, which we have trouble with, and they were content to play half court, which helped us out a lot.  And the interior guys can't match up with ours."
5.  The problem with this particular team is not effort or coaching.  It is misaligned personnel.  We've got three great guards, but they're all variations of the same guy-quick slasher that can't shoot.  We've got no outside shooters and no power players.  Barro is our only interior force, but he's a 100% coached player that still lacks any real feel for the game.  Biggest play of the first half was when they missed a FT at 32-26 and he was so intent on boxing out that he didn't go grab the rebound that was all his.  They grab the rebound after two bounces and boom, a 3 pointer and we're down 9.
6.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  We need a 6-9 gorilla with basketball skills who can take care of the paint.

[Nukem2]

Not having McNeal was a huge problem in this game as MU did not have the depth to pressure not to mention that Jerel was not in there in the first place.  He is the heart and soul  of this team.  Without him, the persona of this team changes.  MU successfully pressured the dickens out of PU last year at the BC (and Sheraud Curry played that game).  PU is really not a very good offensive team.  Not pressuring (or not being able to) was a key to this game.  That is MU's persona:  a scrappy never-say-die team.  With out Jerel, that was not the case last nite as PU was able to dictate the flow of the game.