Would the Real Marquette Defense Please Stand Up?

[MU NY]

We are watching one of the biggest flame outs in the schools 90 yr history.  Nobody wants to lay it out for the team on D...other than Mc Neal.  We are not feared on our own court in front of 19,000.  We have nobody playing with a purpose and lack the toughness and discipline to protect the lead and the ball in the closing minutes. 

Forget the buzzer beater...Sosa's Coast to Coast LAYUP was all I needed to see to know we are not all there on D.  Villanova will actually be looking forward to taking our place in the big dance...l don't see anything from this team at the moment that will prevent it.  Where does the team expect to watch the Tourney this year???

[mviale]

This team will not let that happen - have faith MU NY

[ChicosBailBonds]

NY, it's funny...Smith's shot doesn't go in you aren't even here celebrating.

We lost to a NCAA team on a last second shot.  Welcome to the Big East where every game is going to be tough. 

If we shot better ft's, we would be better no question.

I have to laugh hysterically at the posts from some here that say this staff can't teach free throws....uhm, wasn't this the same staff that taught last year's team to shoot free throws?  Just a silly notion.

Tomorrow is big, we could lose .... we could lose all of the rest of the games.

But I don't think that happens.

We have wins over NCAA teams

@ Pitt
@ Louisville
Duke on neutral court
West Virginia

Texas Tech is a bubble team and we beat them

I like our resume with one more win we are in.  If I read another NIT message I think I'll vomit....lots of golf left.

I picked this team to go 9-7 this year on the blog, and I'm thinking that looks about right.  This team has no seniors with the exception of Lott.  Next year, I still contend, is the year where things could be scary good.

To answer your question, the real MU team is standing up.  The one that starts 3 sophomores and a 1 freshman is going to give you exactly what they are giving you.  Moments of brilliance, moments of depression and a lot of other stuff in between.  That's why experience is so important.  That is why next year could be a very very nice year.  In the meantime, let's get one more win and get into the NCAA tournament.

[CTWarrior]

I agree one more ought to do it, but we'd better get two to be safe.  You hate to be in this position after where we were a little over a week ago.  That's one of the crazy things about us.  We're about where I thought we'd be before the year started.  But we're in a much better place than I thought we'd be after we lost to Providence and Syracuse.  But we're in a much worse place than I thought we'd be after we beat Rutgers for our 8th in a row.  Lots of ups and downs with this bunch.

I would not be stunned if we failed to win another game this year.  I would not be stunned if we swept the remainder of our schedule.  Anything could happen with this team.  It should be an exciting end to the season, if nothing else.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I have to laugh hysterically at the posts from some here that say this staff can't teach free throws....uhm, wasn't this the same staff that taught last year's team to shoot free throws?  Just a silly notion.

As a matter of fact, it is not even close to the same staff. We had three of our four assistants leave after last season.

With that said, I don't blame the coaches for this free throw shooting. Matthews is OK from the line, but James is just not a shooter at all and McNeal, I believe, is fighting a confidence problem when shooting FTs. If you are afraid you'll miss, you will!!

[MU NY]

We can start a roll if things pick up on D...I really think things start there.  I expect a major effort and to use Villanova as the defining moment for the next several weeks.  This rollercoaster is killing me but I love it all nonetheless...

Historically speaking, I believe 30 years ago, Al's team had a similar late season swoon and then picked it up bigtime to win it all.  How ironic would a repeat performance be exactly 30 years later in Atlanta?

[4everwarriors]

the coach is not a freshman or sophomore and he's making plenty of mistakes.

[augoman]

I second that, 4ever.  McGuire used to say "the team can only keep it close..., at the end, it's up to the coach to win the game".

[4everwarriors]

There is not one similarity between this year's team and the 1977 National Champs. Who would you compare to Butch, Bo, J, JB, BT, or Rosey? Besides, they  had the maestro driving the bus.

[IAmMarquette]

I second that, 4ever.  McGuire used to say "the team can only keep it close..., at the end, it's up to the coach to win the game".

By that logic (no offense to Al MAguire)...
-It was Crean's job to keep Sosa from driving the length of the floor without fouling
-It was Crean's job to prevent/deflect the pass to Smith
-It was Crean's job to block/alter Smith's shot
-It was Crean's job to prevent Sosa from driving the lane untouched for an uncontested layup to tie the score at 58
-It was Crean's job to shoot better than 63% from the line
-It was Crean's job to play defense well enough to keep the opponent from shooting 53%.
-etc, etc, etc...

Come on guys, no way can you blame this one on Crean. He was not outcoached, he was not outprepared, he wasn't out-anything-ed last night. U of L made enough plays (and shots) to pull out the W. Our guys did not, but not because they weren't prepared/in position to do so.

and while I'm at it...
[rant]
Al MAguire, not McGuire edit: it is McGuire. my mistake, and apologies augoman (thanks Sir Lawrence
Jerel McNeAl, not McNeil
Lazar HaywARD, not Haywood
Dan FitzGERALD, not Fitzpatrick
"Your" is a possessive, "you're" is a conjuction of "you" & "are"
"There," "Their" and "They're" are not interchangeable
edit
Our vs. Are
Then vs. Than
That nobody (not exclusive to this board) seems to be able to spell "definitely"
[/rant]

ok, sorry. i feel a little better now. now if it weren't for freaking jerry smith, i'd be getting somewhere....

[Sir Lawrence]

Loved the rant, but it's Al McGuire, not MAguire.

[MUDPT]

The one that really killed us was Jerel's miss on the front end of the one and one.  Wes was standing across the court, WIDE OPEN.  Wes ended up missing a key one later, but he has still been better recently.  This reminded me of last year when we got a key offensive rebound late in the game and Jerel wouldn't give it up to Steve who was wide open and calling for the ball.  Georgetown was trying to foul.

[Murffieus]

The problem on D is twofold IMO-----#1 we change defenses too much with the result that we play neither defense very well (man or zone)----#2 when in a man defense we're out of postion to much trying to deflect passes.

IMO we should move back to the containment (jam the middle) man to man defense of TC's first two years at MU-----he got these quick guys and tried to convert the team to a CUSA UAB style defense-----trouble is we don't have the quickness inside to make that work against the better teams!

[ChicosBailBonds]

I have to laugh hysterically at the posts from some here that say this staff can't teach free throws....uhm, wasn't this the same staff that taught last year's team to shoot free throws?  Just a silly notion.

As a matter of fact, it is not even close to the same staff. We had three of our four assistants leave after last season.

With that said, I don't blame the coaches for this free throw shooting. Matthews is OK from the line, but James is just not a shooter at all and McNeal, I believe, is fighting a confidence problem when shooting FTs. If you are afraid you'll miss, you will!!

Fair enough....too much partying in Vegas this weekend.   

Although I would argue that Jerry Sichting was a career 86% free throw shooter in 10 years in the NBA...he knows a thing or two about shooting free throws.