Type of Big Man that will give more trouble?

[robmufan]

As I watch the GT vs UCONN game, I wonder which type of center will give us more problems...

A taller, slower center like thabeet, or a much quicker and better athlete like the freshman Monroe.

What are your thoughts?

[nyg]

Both.

I see lots of lobs to Thabeet and Monroe.  We have no one even close to their talent. There will be numerous, numerous fouls.  In tonight's game, Monroe is playing outside to keep Thabeet from the basket and do an exceptional job passing on back doors, he is good. 

UCONN is loaded.  When you can bring Robinson and Walker off the bench like that, whew...

[willie warrior]

Just about any type will kill us. We have nothing inside, and I suspect we will feel it in Conference play.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I'm more worried about containing Monroe than Thabeet; Monroe has the Earl Clark-type athleticism that we absolutely struggle to contain and can kill you anywhere on the floor. 

Thabeet, though, I think can be controlled, provided our bigs (Burke/Otule) hold proper position in the post, and our guards shut down their guards on the perimeter. 

[tower912]

I don't think that even with Otule and Fulce at 100% (which we may not see this year) that we have a matchup for a Chism type.   Monroe scares me a little more between these two, as he is more active, but Earl Clark scares me most.

[Wareagle]

I'm more worried about containing Monroe than Thabeet; Monroe has the Earl Clark-type athleticism that we absolutely struggle to contain and can kill you anywhere on the floor. 

Thabeet, though, I think can be controlled, provided our bigs (Burke/Otule) hold proper position in the post, and our guards shut down their guards on the perimeter. 

5 minutes left, Gtown is playing with ice water in their veins right now up 15 at UCONN, Monroe looks real good.

[MU B2002]

Wow, maybe I had just been blocking it out, but the beast is loaded with these kinds of guys. And the thread hasn't even mentioned harangody or the big boy at Pitt.  Wow.

[Pardner]

Gtown looks tough...but not deep.  JTIII may be the best game coach right now in the BE.  

We don't match-up well with either team.  Key to GTown for us is to press their guards...make them use up the time clock so they are rushed to run the slow developing Princeton O, take Monroe out of the flow.  UCONN has been able to trap them a few times successfully on the press at the end.  Good match-up with a Jimmy or Fulce to play point on the zone trap.

GT's 2-3 zone has forced UCONN to sit around on O.  Thabeet has the tendency to not be active against the zone, and they settle for threes (not their strong point).  Also keeps UCONN off the line where they score a lot of points.  We can put Otule in the middle to protect him and ensure they cannot throw over our zone.  UCONN is worn out tonight.  GT has run them into the ground with a shorter bench. UCONN's 1-3's have not looked good tonight.

[lab_warrior]

All of the big guys in this conference will give us trouble.  But who in this league can guard our 3 guards and Lazar?  I like OUR matchups against others.  Between OTule, Burke, and Hazel, we've got 15 fouls.  Also, we can get creative with zones and double teams. 

[Norm]

MU has had a great run in the Big East so far, but I think this is the year they will struggle. MU really has to hold serve at home. The inside game is beyond weak and it will be really difficult to beat Georgetown, UConn, Pitt, Louisville and Notre Dame with their size. Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia and Cincinnati will also cause fits for Marquette. MU just cannot afford to lose more than 1, maybe 2 at home, if they want to finish with a winning or even record in the Big East.

[MR.HAYWARD]

and that is different than the last three years in what way?

No different than the last three years Mu is going to have to absoilutely battle every single possesion, lose no more than 2 home games and battle like heel to try to win 3-4-5 road games.  no different than the NCSU game or the Tennessee game battle like heck try to keep it close and steal one on the road.  Do that 4 times in 9 chances and lose no more than 2 at home puts us at 11-7 in the BE. Seems eerily familar to the last 3 years.  Wont be easy, with the way this team was constructed.  thankful the architect is no longer employed here.

[Norm]

and that is different than the last three years in what way?

No different than the last three years Mu is going to have to absoilutely battle every single possesion, lose no more than 2 home games and battle like heel to try to win 3-4-5 road games.  no different than the NCSU game or the Tennessee game battle like heck try to keep it close and steal one on the road.  Do that 4 times in 9 chances and lose no more than 2 at home puts us at 11-7 in the BE. Seems eerily familar to the last 3 years.  Wont be easy, with the way this team was constructed.  thankful the architect is no longer employed here.

Well, for one thing, in year one of the Big East we had a guy named Steve Novak (whom the former architect recruited to MU) raining 3's down on the competition (see the very first game MU played where Novak dropped 40 or something like that on UConn), loosening up the driving abilities of James and McNeal. In years two and three we had Barro, who, while not great, is miles ahead of where Burke and Hazel are now. We also had Fitzgerald who struggled with his consistency, but could contribute the occasional 15 point game. And, we had Hayward getting better both years.

Right now we don't have a legit 3-point shooter or a serviceable big man. That is really going to hurt and that is why I think we may struggle this year more than the previous three.

[dwaderoy2004]

Jerel is shooting 41% from three this year.  Wes is at 40%.  That's two legit 3 point shooters.  Not to mention Lazar is nearly at 35% and DJ is at 33%.  As a team, we are 4th in the Big East in three point shooting.  While we may have our problems down low, our three point shooting is fine.

[Norm]

Jerel is shooting 41% from three this year.  Wes is at 40%.  That's two legit 3 point shooters.  Not to mention Lazar is nearly at 35% and DJ is at 33%.  As a team, we are 4th in the Big East in three point shooting.  While we may have our problems down low, our three point shooting is fine.

dwaderoy2004, I hope you are right, but I doubt those percentages stay that high throughout the season, especially now that we enter Big East play.

Here are the figures for the Dayton, Wisconsin, Tennessee and NC State games on three point shots:

Dayton
McNeal 1-8
James 2-6
Matthews 0-3
Hayward 0-1

Wisconsin
McNeal 4-7
James 1-4
Matthews 0-3
Hayward 0-4

Tennessee
McNeal 1-3
James 2-8
Matthews 3-7
Hayward 2-6

NC State
McNeal 0-3
James 4-6
Matthews 1-2
Hayward 2-5

In the top four non-conference games, Hayward shot 25%, Matthews shot 26.7%, McNeal shot 28.6% and James shot 37.5%. Combined, they shot 30.3% from 3-point land.

[dwaderoy2004]

Yeah, but Norm, as a team, we are 4th in the big east right now.  everyone else has been playing cupcakes, too, and if i follow your theory, inflating their percentages as well.  If your theory holds, everyone's percentage should drop in big east play.  i prefer to see the glass as half full, and that the player's have actually improved their shooting from last year.  I don't think that we are an elite 3-point shooting team, and I also believe that we are very much a streaky shooting team - when we're on, we're on, and we win.  when we're off...we're very bad.

[MU B2002]

Optimism will not be tolerated on this board.  .  (teal)

[4everwarriors]

One that breathes.