Otule is better than Burke right now

[bs4173]

Thanks, muhoops. Hopefully Otule doesn't mind the criticism. And I agree completely, Butler is playing the best outside of the Big 4 hands down.

[MR.HAYWARD]

fulce's athleticism is mind boggling.  I think he will help at asome point.  My hope is he is ready to contribute when needed for 5-10 minutes a agame after the two week period where we only hvae one game.  that period is critical IMO for otule and fulce to get up to speed and for the whole team for that matter we can practice every day for two straight weeks.

[bs4173]

fulce's athleticism is mind boggling.  I think he will help at asome point.  My hope is he is ready to contribute when needed for 5-10 minutes a agame after the two week period where we only hvae one game.  that period is critical IMO for otule and fulce to get up to speed and for the whole team for that matter we can practice every day for two straight weeks.

We'll see. Buzz himself said that Fulce's game might not be the same after the injury, and saying that "he will help at some point" is a thin of a speculative assertion as I've ever read on this board. Butler is still showing just as much promise...if not more. That "help at some point" you're talking about is probably next year. I don't see him coming in a shaking things up much this season, although I hope I get to eat my words. He definitely is athletic as hell.

[rocky_warrior]

On another note, does anybody know of a link to see or hear the post-game from today? I'd like to hear what Buzz had to say.

Absolutely -- http://www.gomarquette.com has been creating mpc3s/podcasts for the postgames.  Here's Buzz from today...

http://cstvpodcast.cstv.com.edgesuite.net/marquette/010409_marq_WilliamsPC.mp3

[bs4173]

Excellent! Thanks.

[buckchuckler]

I'm not sure why everyone thinks Burke is such a good defender, he usually racks up fouls pretty quickly, and every time his guy sets a screen he stays with the  on the other guy letting his guy roll to the basket, that has happened probably 15 times this season.  He doesn't block shots, he doesn't crash the defensive glass and he doesn't shut guys down inside, or keep them off the boards.  I guess I just don't see him being a defensive asset, much less a stopper.

[lab_warrior]

I don't think OTule should start just yet, although I think after today, he should get some more minutes.  We're going to need all 3--Burke, Hazel, and OTule by the end of the year, and hopefully Fulce can contribute as well. 

[Pardner]

I'm not sure why everyone thinks Burke is such a good defender, he usually racks up fouls pretty quickly, and every time his guy sets a screen he stays with the  on the other guy letting his guy roll to the basket, that has happened probably 15 times this season.  He doesn't block shots, he doesn't crash the defensive glass and he doesn't shut guys down inside, or keep them off the boards.  I guess I just don't see him being a defensive asset, much less a stopper.

UW game:  Landry averages 13 pts., gets 5
UT:  Smith avgs. 17.3, gets 14.  Chism goes off on Zar and Wes.
NCST:  McCauley avgs. 13.9, gets 8.  Burke with key block/steal, sets double pick to free DJ.
Nova:  Cunnigham averages 17, gets 16.
Cinn:  Gates averages 10, gets 10.

Point is, he limits guys much bigger than him and doesn't get into mismatch hell...leaving the game with our strength--our quickness.  Both of our losses have been due to other mismatches (Chism and Lowery)--not Burke/Hazel combo which says a lot. 

On the screens, MU usually plays it that way...Burke's role is to step out and stop that guard with the ball, then peel back as DJ and Rel catch up.  Either Zar, Jimmy or Wes are then supposed to switch to the roller (Burke's guy).  So, those 15 times are intentional.  See Buzz if you have an issue with how MU treats pick and rolls on D.  Burke is doing what the coach asks...is he the most talented guy in the world?  No.  Is he doing his job as a role player?  Yes.  The 5 combo of Burke, Otule and Hazel got 8 pts., 11 boards, 3 blocks and 1 steal today on three fouls. 

[MR.HAYWARD]

again,  i dont think anyone is saying  he is "awesome"  or a "great defender"  what has been said is if he can stay out of foul trouble he can be a good defender and at times very good, addiotnalyy simply saying he is our best option.

[MR.HAYWARD]

anyone want to rethink the otule over Burke suggestion?  again I think otule is going to be a fine player but he was absoltely horrendous tonight.  he did help us tho in the sense that when hazal and burke both had two fouls he helped us get thru the first half.  however as poorly as he played he needs to get alot better to eliminate such a drop off defensively

[mu_hilltopper]

+1000

Otule looked slow, tentative, and completely lost.   His movements are so cumbersome, it made me wonder if he can keep up, even with 1-2-3 more seasons.

[79Warrior]

Thanks, muhoops. Hopefully Otule doesn't mind the criticism. And I agree completely, Butler is playing the best outside of the Big 4 hands down.

Otule  did nothing with his minutes tonight.

[MR.HAYWARD]

he will be fine but there were a couple times where Rutgers players drove the lane line and he was guarding a rutgers player on the block ball side and never even saw the layup attempt.  That does not happen with Hazel or Burke, they do a good job helping and rebounding.  otule had 1 reb 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 8 minutes.  

he will be fine but it is the perfect example of why you need to sign a big every year.  that way you are not reliant on Freshman bigs.  the junior and senior play while the fresh and soph get little time while they develop.  I detest Wisconsin but they have a good system for big men.  now if we become a georegtown or Uconn  or suracuse where you can consistently attract big time big men then you can deviate from it otherwise we need to develop them 1 at a time 4 in the system at all times.  Our problem is not Otule it is where is our junior and sophomore big man  and for goodness sake burke is onlt 6'8. we hadnt sign a big since ooze.  opportunity for Riley

[Pardner]

The road in the BE is a tough place to play for new players.  Buzz will need to go to a shorter bench on the road until the half way mark.  The bench needs to find its identity and roles.  We have yet to see much zone, which may be a better role for most of our bench--Mo is very good at zone penetration and 3 pters, dcube for perimeter play and Otule for post up against a 2-3 where he is not required to be as fluid and set the high pick.  I suspect Huggie will throw zone at us--so let's see what the guys can do.

[chapman]

I see others noticed too.  To uses Buzz's term, Otule was pathetic tonight.  I thought it was his worst game. 

[mugoose]

otule was terrible tonight. just awful

[Daniel]

Otule will be slow to develop - this is a monster conference and he missed all the cupcakes where he could have found his groove....he will improve and be a contributor I think....

[TJ]

Mo is very good at ... 3 pters,

Believe me, I wish this were a true statement, but he's not.  Aside from his prayer against Cincy (which was awesome, by the way) he's just 7-27 for the year behind the arc, and those 7 are against: Western Carolina (2), Central Michigan (1), Texas Southern (3), and Chicago State (1).  Now I'm not saying he shouldn't play or that he hasn't made contributions elsewhere, but he hasn't made any sort of long range shooting contribution this year against a quality opponent.

[chapman]

I've noticed the same thing.  Acker is consistently bricking the one or two threes he takes every game.  They usually seem rushed.  I'd recommend screening for him to take his threes, but he's got to show the ability to hit some shots on his own first.

[Pardner]

Believe me, I wish this were a true statement, but he's not.  Aside from his prayer against Cincy (which was awesome, by the way) he's just 7-27 for the year behind the arc, and those 7 are against: Western Carolina (2), Central Michigan (1), Texas Southern (3), and Chicago State (1).  Now I'm not saying he shouldn't play or that he hasn't made contributions elsewhere, but he hasn't made any sort of long range shooting contribution this year against a quality opponent.

You didn't take me entire quote..he is better with the dribble and the threes against a zone where he can find more uncontested threes on the perimeter vs being height disadvantaged aginst a man.  Mo shot 43% last year on treys where we saw a ton of zone vs. 30% this year where we have seen mostly man.  Same with dCubes.  Interesting that our three best trey point shooters from last year are way down this year.  Zar is coming back but he is still off.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/beyondthearc/teams/marquette

[TJ]

I like seeing Mo out there backing up James.  I think he is out best option and a pretty good option as backup PG.

And I know I skipped part of your quote, but given that he hasn't hit a three against a decent opponent so far this year I don't see how we can call him a good 3 pt option against any type of defense.

Here's to hoping he steps it up and hits some shots.

[DaCoach]

As the season evolves Burke's play has picked up and his value should be recognized. To date only one center has gone off on us, Chism. Marquette has all the scoring it needs. What it lacks is someone who will limit the opponent's big guy. Burke has been doing a very fine job fronting their post players. And he's doing it against bigger and stronger opponents. He has excellent quickness that allows him to move quickly and get strong defensive positions. I love Otule's projection but Burke is a much better fit for the team right now.

[muarmy81]

Otule will be slow to develop - this is a monster conference and he missed all the cupcakes where he could have found his groove....he will improve and be a contributor I think....

I agree that he's still developing but watching his aggressiveness during the Cincy and Rutgers games, I am very optimistic.  I think next year he'll be a little better but by his Junior and Senior years we'll see a robert jackson type post presence because O'Tule has the mentality of a scorer and as soon as his hands catch up to his body he'll be a threat to score down low.

[jce]

The main thing that worries me about Otule is that he seems plodding and slow.  If he seemed quicker and more athletic, but still seemed a little lost out there, I would feel good about his future.  I am not sure he can be more athletic than he showed yesterday.

[NavinRJohnson]

OToule has size and potential, but I think he looked absoutely terrible last night. Had no idea where to be on the floor. That is probably to be expected given his inexperience coupled with the time he missed. He's barely ready to play, let a lone start.