Until Some Beef and Height...

[4everwarriors]

is recruited, this team is going to struggle. As we painfully learned from the past regime, guards can only take you so far. It's a big man's game.

[Hards Alumni]

Any other brilliant observations, Dr. Obvious?

[GOMU1104]

is recruited, this team is going to struggle. As we painfully learned from the past regime, guards can only take you so far. It's a big man's game.

Umm no. College basketball is guards game.

[Doctor V]

Any other brilliant observations, Dr. Obvious?

You must be a bitter little man. We have some bulk, its hurt. Weve got some height, its on the bench because its "clueless"

[Hards Alumni]

You must be a bitter little man. We have some bulk, its hurt. Weve got some height, its on the bench because its "clueless"

I'm not at all.  I didn't see this game as the slam dunk that everyone else did apparently.

Everyone here is all happy and high fiving each other when we win, but when we lose, its because... well, see the title of this thread. 

Some people are just retarded.  I realize they can't help it; but why broadcast it?

[Doctor V]

I'm not at all.  I didn't see this game as the slam dunk that everyone else did apparently.

Everyone here is all happy and high fiving each other when we win, but when we lose, its because... well, see the title of this thread. 

Some people are just retarded.  I realize they can't help it; but why broadcast it?

Agreed, I actually thought MU would lose this game. There is, however, no reason to call people retarded, because Im sure many think that about you

My issue is that we do have some length on the team, its just not "ready." Until it becomes ready marquette may continue to struggle

[ChicosBailBonds]

is recruited, this team is going to struggle. As we painfully learned from the past regime, guards can only take you so far. It's a big man's game.

Actually it's a guards game in college and pretty much every major DI coach will tell you that.  Doesn't mean you don't need size, you absolutely do, but you can win plenty with very good guards because it's so hard to get quality good big men.

Right now, we don't have great guards or anything else great other than Hayward.  DB is a turnover machine, 5 more again today....that's 10 in his last two games.  Cubillan is what he is, a backup player.  Not sure how good Williams is, since he doesn't get to player but maybe some day we'll find out.

[Jay Bee]

We were 10 point favorites.  It's a bad loss.

[4everwarriors]

Dudes, if you're pissed off because we got our asses handed to us, then I guess there's no point in trying to have a meaningful discussion.
This game should have been a slam dunk. NC State is not very good, probably bottom third of ACC. Good teams keep bringing the athletic big men. MU has no answer for that and will continue to get hammered inside as the season progresses.

[Doctor V]

Actually it's a guards game in college and pretty much every major DI coach will tell you that.  Doesn't mean you don't need size, you absolutely do, but you can win plenty with very good guards because it's so hard to get quality good big men.

Right now, we don't have great guards or anything else great other than Hayward.  DB is a turnover machine, 5 more again today....that's 10 in his last two games.  Cubillan is what he is, a backup player.  Not sure how good Williams is, since he doesn't get to player but maybe some day we'll find out.

Come on chicos dont go after Buzz's recruits already. Dont become like the others who say Crean brought noone other than the big 3 after the final 4, even though he brought lazar.

We may not have GREAT anything else yet, but Butler, DJO, and even Buycks are better than expected at this point- even with dwights poor performance. Butler could be all BE as a Sr next yr, DJO could be great, buycks can be solid. As my main man coach green would say, acker and cubi are who we thought they were with a little more experience and some more PT.

Now we just need maymon, williams, mbao, fulce to develop a little better- unfortunatly, thats all the guys that play down low

[downtown85]

Right now, we don't have great guards or anything else great other than Hayward. 

Um, Butler looks pretty good.  He had 19 points and 12 rebounds with no turnovers in this game.   He even seems to have 3pt range.  His play is one of the few positive takeaways from this game. 

[GOMU1104]

Dudes, if you're pissed off because we got our asses handed to us, then I guess there's no point in trying to have a meaningful discussion.
This game should have been a slam dunk. NC State is not very good, probably bottom third of ACC. Good teams keep bringing the athletic big men. MU has no answer for that and will continue to get hammered inside as the season progresses.

Says the guy who started this thread by saying college basketball is "a big man's game"...

[bamamarquettefan]

I did think this one was a tough one going in.  Being at the game, I didn't know Maymon was injured until after the game.  A 7-man rotation is pretty tough against another major conference.  Looked to me like we weren't playing as aggressive as we did against Flo State for fear of dying late again.  Losing Otule was bad luck.  is there any chance Mbao and/or Willaims can get any time though?  Fulce looked pretty solid today, but it seems like we need to get a few minutes from those guys.

But i still go back to we are super inexperienced, and should get better and better as the season goes on.  We got two early upsets which were great, but we really should be a 17 to 19 win season, and if we any better than that I'll be thrilled.

[butchbadger]

Not sure why in a game like today with a nice lead in the first have why the bench wouldn't be deeper.  E. Williams could've had a 5 minute stint and provided some rest for a key guy without killing the team.


Ever since I think the Rutgers game on the road last yr when the bench lost a lead in a hurry Buzzhas defaulted to a very short bench and mostly guards.

That really limits the team IMHO.

[chapman]

Not sure why in a game like today with a nice lead in the first have why the bench wouldn't be deeper.  E. Williams could've had a 5 minute stint and provided some rest for a key guy without killing the team.


Ever since I think the Rutgers game on the road last yr when the bench lost a lead in a hurry Buzzhas defaulted to a very short bench and mostly guards.

That really limits the team IMHO.

+1...what do you know, the Badger troll makes perfect sense.  You can't tell me that every team we played in the past four games that had so much talent and depth at the 3-5 that there wasn't a player Williams couldn't be put in to guard.  Even so, let him get burned a couple times and see if he can manage to come up with a block or a rebound, since the others haven't even been able to do that much when they're getting manhandled and bruised up for 30+ minutes. 

[ecompt]

is anyone else worried that Williams is buried so deep in the doghouse that this year will be a complete waste of time? Even Rod Grosse and Joe Nethen played in their first seasons.

[bilsu]

When NC ST became unsopable in the second half, Buzz should have played Williams. He could not have made it worse.

[ecompt]

GOMU1104 points out (rightly, I suppose) that Buzz feels EWill and Mbao are not ready to contribute. But if they can't help with even a few minutes when we're so short-handed, when will they be ready? At least EWill could provide fresh legs for a few minutes.

[muhoosier260]

Um, Butler looks pretty good.  He had 19 points and 12 rebounds with no turnovers in this game.   He even seems to have 3pt range.  His play is one of the few positive takeaways from this game. 

I was pleasantly surprised by his 3 balls.

[Doctor V]

I was pleasantly surprised by his 3 balls.

eho tria arhidia... my big fat greek wedding

[tower912]

I was pleasantly surprised by his 3 balls.

Thats what she said

[4everwarriors]

I was pleasantly surprised by his 3 balls.

Well then, maybe he should be cattin' around with Tiger or in a freak show.

[The Lens]

The reason people say "it's a guards game" and "good guards make the difference" is b/c people assume you're gonna have big men.  They assume you'll have a decent size body in the middle and at the 4 spot.  What we're doing would be like fielding a baseball team with 9 Prince Fielders, sure they might hit but imagine Prince playing CF or SS? 

[bma725]

The reason people say "it's a guards game" and "good guards make the difference" is b/c people assume you're gonna have big men.  They assume you'll have a decent size body in the middle and at the 4 spot.  What we're doing would be like fielding a baseball team with 9 Prince Fielders, sure they might hit but imagine Prince playing CF or SS? 

Assumption of other players being there has nothing to do with it, it's about who actually controls the game. 

A talented big man is only as good as the guards on his team allow him to be.  Conversely, a talented guard doesn't need a big man on his team in order to be dominant.  Big men, no matter how talented, still play a dependent game.  They've got to get the ball when they are in the right position on the floor, they've got to get passes to the right area, they've got to get passes at the right time etc.  Talented guards don't need that.

Ideally yes, you'd like to have everything.  But if you have to err in one direction, guard is the way to go.  You'll win a heck of a lot more games with talented guards and untalented(or no) bigs than you will with talented bigs and untalented(or no) guards.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Here is the reality:  match-ups win games.  Teams have trouble with our speed and quickness, then they go into halftime and adjust.  Buzz needs to get our height some playing time.  Blowing two huge leads is excusable for now as he tries to get his line-up set, but he needs to adjust as teams talk.  If we are playing defense like yesterday in the BE, Buzz will be on the hot seat.   The fact is, Jimmy Butler is the only guy on our roster who no other team can match-up with.  Lazar is our star and leader, but Jimmy needs to start looking to score.  He has been superb so far but I see him passing up shots that go to others who are less efficient.  

Team defense will be a concern all season as these guys learn what it takes.  We gave up 52 points in the second half yesterday, with a lot of them uncontested.  Zone anyone?  That is two games in a row as we all know where we laid eggs when the game was on the line.  Buzz needs to reshuffle his cards finally and get his bigs in the game when the situations call for it.