As the BEast rolls on theres only 1 way to win consistently...

[PGsHeroes32]

and that is to roll 7 deep just like last year. Junior nice ratio today but you are not someone who should be on the floor more than 15 minutes against the Pitts of the world. Gardner may not be BEast ready but atleast he can catch the ball, Otule is garbage.

Play small and roll with Buycks, DJO, Butler and Crowder out there at all times. Play Vander with them alot and be real small with Junior getting some time. Sit Otule on the bench and let Fulce play.

[NCMUFan]

This was a great game to get Gardner and Junior playing time which is exactly what Buzz did.  Small ball is not the answer to everything.  Last year we had no options.  We could only play small ball.  This year we have options and Buzz is smart enough to know when to and when not to.  It was very dangerous going small ball and having Crowder pick up his fourth foul today.  Thank goodness it turned out alright.  When Cadougan and Blue are able to start hitting some shots than I think small ball is more of an option.

[Ari Gold]

Garnder looked painfully lost on defense. Nice that he got playing time but tough to watch out there.

[PGsHeroes32]

Yes, I get what you are saying and I like what Buzz did today. I actually prefer Gardner because he has a future and can atleast catch the ball. My point is we need to roll with our top 4 alot like our top 4-5 last year, but if fouls happen or things arnt working, this year we have the chance to change it up.

Obviously dont completely ignore Junior, Chris and Ox but work them slowly and let the experience run the show against other experienced teams.

[Jam Chowder]

Thanks for laying out your game plan, coach. I definitely stopped reading your rant after you said "Otule is garbage."
1. Bagging on the value of our players is juvenile and cheap. I'm fairly certain you couldn't do any better.
2. Otule has helped out significantly in several of our games, including our win against WVU. I can't even fathom how anyone who has watched this team's games this year could say that with a straight face, especially considering how far he's come and how much he will continue to improve. As far as Big East experience, he's essentially still a freshman.
3. If Buzz benched a dude because someone on this board thought he was garbage, everyone on our team would be sitting...

Examples of stupidity from MU fans (whiners) this season:
Vander - Isn't as as good as Newbill and was overrated
Jae (prior to last few games) - Can't believe he was JUCO player of the year. Not ready for this level
DJO - Lost his shot, Buzz ruined him
Buycks - Plays street ball, not Big East ready, destroys our chances of winning with his decision making
Otule - Is garbage and will never improve/has terrible hands that can't be fixed

Buzz should just scrap the team and start over.

Way to bag on our players after a respectable win. Yikes.

[PGsHeroes32]

Thanks for laying out your game plan, coach. I definitely stopped reading your rant after you said "Otule is garbage."
1. Bagging on the value of our players is juvenile and cheap. I'm fairly certain you couldn't do any better.
2. Otule has helped out significantly in several of our games, including our win against WVU. I can't even fathom how anyone who has watched this team's games this year could say that with a straight face, especially considering how far he's come and how much he will continue to improve. As far as Big East experience, he's essentially still a freshman.
3. If Buzz benched a dude because someone on this board thought he was garbage, everyone on our team would be sitting...

Examples of stupidity from MU fans (whiners) this season:
Vander - Isn't as as good as Newbill and was overrated
Jae (prior to last few games) - Can't believe he was JUCO player of the year. Not ready for this level
DJO - Lost his shot, Buzz ruined him
Buycks - Plays street ball, not Big East ready, destroys our chances of winning with his decision making
Otule - Is garbage and will never improve/has terrible hands that can't be fixed

Buzz should just scrap the team and start over.

Way to bag on our players after a respectable win. Yikes.

So out of all that ranting what I get from you is that you are a blind homer? Tell me what happend when we rolled with our top guys last year? I think we went from being picked 12th to 5th. You are an idiot plain and simple.

[NersEllenson]

Thanks for laying out your game plan, coach. I definitely stopped reading your rant after you said "Otule is garbage."
1. Bagging on the value of our players is juvenile and cheap. I'm fairly certain you couldn't do any better.
2. Otule has helped out significantly in several of our games, including our win against WVU. I can't even fathom how anyone who has watched this team's games this year could say that with a straight face, especially considering how far he's come and how much he will continue to improve. As far as Big East experience, he's essentially still a freshman.
3. If Buzz benched a dude because someone on this board thought he was garbage, everyone on our team would be sitting...

Examples of stupidity from MU fans (whiners) this season:
Vander - Isn't as as good as Newbill and was overrated
Jae (prior to last few games) - Can't believe he was JUCO player of the year. Not ready for this level
DJO - Lost his shot, Buzz ruined him
Buycks - Plays street ball, not Big East ready, destroys our chances of winning with his decision making
Otule - Is garbage and will never improve/has terrible hands that can't be fixed

Buzz should just scrap the team and start over.

Way to bag on our players after a respectable win. Yikes.

Lots of good points here....

[GGGG]

Thanks for laying out your game plan, coach. I definitely stopped reading your rant after you said "Otule is garbage."
1. Bagging on the value of our players is juvenile and cheap. I'm fairly certain you couldn't do any better.
2. Otule has helped out significantly in several of our games, including our win against WVU. I can't even fathom how anyone who has watched this team's games this year could say that with a straight face, especially considering how far he's come and how much he will continue to improve. As far as Big East experience, he's essentially still a freshman.
3. If Buzz benched a dude because someone on this board thought he was garbage, everyone on our team would be sitting...

Examples of stupidity from MU fans (whiners) this season:
Vander - Isn't as as good as Newbill and was overrated
Jae (prior to last few games) - Can't believe he was JUCO player of the year. Not ready for this level
DJO - Lost his shot, Buzz ruined him
Buycks - Plays street ball, not Big East ready, destroys our chances of winning with his decision making
Otule - Is garbage and will never improve/has terrible hands that can't be fixed

Buzz should just scrap the team and start over.

Way to bag on our players after a respectable win. Yikes.

Don't forget that Jimmy isn't a leader.

[PGsHeroes32]

Don't forget that Jimmy isn't a leader.

Now that one is actually a bad remark by people. Like I said last weekend, Jimmy is the only guy who can be clutch down the stretch with freebies hes definitly the go to guy.

[Jam Chowder]

So out of all that ranting what I get from you is that you are a blind homer? Tell me what happend when we rolled with our top guys last year? I think we went from being picked 12th to 5th. You are an idiot plain and simple.

Welcome to the internet. Are you familiar with the term 'ad hominem?' If not, google it, and take some time to learn why it's an unintelligent way to approach a debate. It makes you look pretty foolish. You didn't engage a single point I made.

I'm pretty sure "rolling with our best guys" is what Buzz does every game. If there were someone better on the bench, I'm pretty sure he would figure that out. You saying that a player is garbage doesn't make it so. Otule has played well. There's certainly no one else on the team that can provide what he does. In fact, he provides something we haven't had in a while. Look at his putback in the WVU game or how he helped push us to a 7 point lead in the Vandy game and swing the momentum in our favor (Vandy got back in it as soon as he came out).

The burden of proof is on you, and frankly, there's NOTHING to support your position. Calling me names DOESN'T CHANGE THAT. You're just upset that someone called you out and disagreed with you.

[PGsHeroes32]

What kind of support do you want? JB and Crowder having 13 combined rebounds while our "Big Man" brought in a whooping 1 with no shots and 3 fouls in 8 min. We pretty much did roll with our best guys tonight(besides DB who was hurt) and we won with 3/4 of our 4 top guys combining for 60 of our 73 pts.

So yeah, Im pretty sure those are the guys to ride. Why have a big man who cant hold onto the ball in the game? Put Fulce in there he knows how to rebound and plays with energy.

[brewcity77]

So out of all that ranting what I get from you is that you are a blind homer? Tell me what happend when we rolled with our top guys last year? I think we went from being picked 12th to 5th. You are an idiot plain and simple.

Right now, anyone calling for Gardner over Otule is going to get shouted down on this board, and justifiably so. As clear as it is that Gardner is better offensively than Otule, his defense is comparably woeful. He gives up too many rebounds. He takes too long to transition from perimeter to interior defense. He simply plays "Ole" too much.

His hands are better. He's a better free throw shooter. He's a better offensive player. No one will argue that. But when DJO, Crowder, and Butler all have the ability to score 20+ on a given night, we don't need that little bit of a boost.

We all know that Gardner's conditioning means he's not good for much more than 15-20 mpg. If he maxes out his playing time, he'll probably score 8-12 points. Meanwhile, Otule is good for 20-30 mpg. In that time, he'll score 2-8 points. But the difference he'll make in terms of rebounding, shots defended, and generally tiring out the opposing big men is far greater than a simple point statline will indicate.

In the coming years, I truly and honestly feel Gardner has the bigger upside, and my hope is that by his junior year he is getting more time than Otule, possibly even by next year. But that time is not now. For now, Otule is the better option for this team, plain and simple.

[PGsHeroes32]

Right now, anyone calling for Gardner over Otule is going to get shouted down on this board, and justifiably so. As clear as it is that Gardner is better offensively than Otule, his defense is comparably woeful. He gives up too many rebounds. He takes too long to transition from perimeter to interior defense. He simply plays "Ole" too much.

His hands are better. He's a better free throw shooter. He's a better offensive player. No one will argue that. But when DJO, Crowder, and Butler all have the ability to score 20+ on a given night, we don't need that little bit of a boost.

We all know that Gardner's conditioning means he's not good for much more than 15-20 mpg. If he maxes out his playing time, he'll probably score 8-12 points. Meanwhile, Otule is good for 20-30 mpg. In that time, he'll score 2-8 points. But the difference he'll make in terms of rebounding, shots defended, and generally tiring out the opposing big men is far greater than a simple point statline will indicate.

In the coming years, I truly and honestly feel Gardner has the bigger upside, and my hope is that by his junior year he is getting more time than Otule, possibly even by next year. But that time is not now. For now, Otule is the better option for this team, plain and simple.

I get that Brew and its pretty much my point. I dont want either of them playing much but since neither are very good on D at all and both foul alot, why not put the bigger offensive asset out there in case JB or Jae are off? With that give a few minutes to Fulce as well and let Vander get around Juniors minutes today, Dwight when healthy takes vanders but a little less and then Junior gets Dwights today but a little more.

[PGsHeroes32]

Didnt realize Junior got 29. So basically give Dwight the 30 min Vander had today and then have Vander take about 23-24 giving Junior 16-17. It would be the best way to roll

[Jam Chowder]

What kind of support do you want? JB and Crowder having 13 combined rebounds while our "Big Man" brought in a whooping 1 with no shots and 3 fouls in 8 min. We pretty much did roll with our best guys tonight(besides DB who was hurt) and we won with 3/4 of our 4 top guys combining for 60 of our 73 pts.

So yeah, Im pretty sure those are the guys to ride. Why have a big man who cant hold onto the ball in the game? Put Fulce in there he knows how to rebound and plays with energy.

Thank you for responding intelligently. That's what I'm talking about.

Playing basketball is an up and down thing. Players have bad games. Otule had a bad game. Against WVU and Vandy, he had good games. One bad outing doesn't deserve a benching. Fulce has not proven he can play extended minutes without injury. I can't imagine he's completely healthy right now.

Otule is not an offensive powerhouse, but has contributed in some big situations already. Defensively he has been fine. Look at some of our matchups against solid bigs this year:

Duke: Plumlee has a field day, but it's not like DG did any better, and playing small would not have helped.
Vandy: Chris shut down Ezeli, solid work.
WVU: Kilicla got his, but he did a respectable job limiting his impact on the game. You can't say that DG or Fulce would have done better.

Otule has certainly proven he is worth his salt and is more than 'garbage' on this team. He's had solid outings and he's had poor ones. My original point was, and is, that you can't use bad outings to dismiss a player's value. All of our starters have had rough games this year at some point.

[brewcity77]

Didnt realize Junior got 29. So basically give Dwight the 30 min Vander had today and then have Vander take about 23-24 giving Junior 16-17. It would be the best way to roll

Junior played 29 tonight because Buzz didn't feel comfortable playing Buycks for more than about 90 seconds at a time due to his injury suffered practice. He said that on the postgame.

But what I was saying is that Otule is a good defender. The problem is that much of what he does doesn't show up on the statsheet. Shots that are adjusted due to near blocks and missed anyway. Rebounds grabbed by Crowder and Butler because Otule did an efficient job of keeping his guy off the offensive boards. That's stuff that Otule does that Gardner doesn't, and it makes it worth having him in there more.

Tonight, Buzz went small, with the two centers combining for just 16 minutes, I'm guessing because Rutgers isn't a very big team. But in an average game, I'd rather see Otule get 20-25 and Gardner get 5-10. It's all about maxing out ability, and right now, that's how you'll get the best out of both of them.

[PGsHeroes32]

Thank you for responding intelligently. That's what I'm talking about.

Playing basketball is an up and down thing. Players have bad games. Otule had a bad game. Against WVU and Vandy, he had good games. One bad outing doesn't deserve a benching. Fulce has not proven he can play extended minutes without injury. I can't imagine he's completely healthy right now.

Otule is not an offensive powerhouse, but has contributed in some big situations already. Defensively he has been fine. Look at some of our matchups against solid bigs this year:

Duke: Plumlee has a field day, but it's not like DG did any better, and playing small would not have helped.
Vandy: Chris shut down Ezeli, solid work.
WVU: Kilicla got his, but he did a respectable job limiting his impact on the game. You can't say that DG or Fulce would have done better.

Otule has certainly proven he is worth his salt and is more than 'garbage' on this team. He's had solid outings and he's had poor ones. My original point was, and is, that you can't use bad outings to dismiss a player's value. All of our starters have had rough games this year at some point.

Yeah, I know but like Ive said im not just singling him out. I dont think Davante should play alot either, fulce should get more(if healthy) but still not a ton while Junior should decrease. I know the numbers show we are great on offense and pretty much have been even vs Duke, WVU and Vandy. My point is playing these big guys arnt helping our D much any ways so why not try and just get a little more athletic and see how we do? We looked really good whenever Vander was on the court with the other 3 today. Against Pitt I guess we could use the big guys to try and help clog and use up fouls(rather than Jimmy or Jae) but against teams like UL, Nova, Cincy, Uconn I really think we need to roll with the small guys and get out on them.

[ErickJD08]

Thanks for laying out your game plan, coach. I definitely stopped reading your rant after you said "Otule is garbage."
1. Bagging on the value of our players is juvenile and cheap. I'm fairly certain you couldn't do any better.
2. Otule has helped out significantly in several of our games, including our win against WVU. I can't even fathom how anyone who has watched this team's games this year could say that with a straight face, especially considering how far he's come and how much he will continue to improve. As far as Big East experience, he's essentially still a freshman.
3. If Buzz benched a dude because someone on this board thought he was garbage, everyone on our team would be sitting...

Examples of stupidity from MU fans (whiners) this season:
Vander - Isn't as as good as Newbill and was overrated
Jae (prior to last few games) - Can't believe he was JUCO player of the year. Not ready for this level
DJO - Lost his shot, Buzz ruined him
Buycks - Plays street ball, not Big East ready, destroys our chances of winning with his decision making
Otule - Is garbage and will never improve/has terrible hands that can't be fixed

Buzz should just scrap the team and start over.

Way to bag on our players after a respectable win. Yikes.

Agree with most of this except that Buycks does play too much "street ball".  Not a fan of the ill-advised 18 foot fade away drifting jumper.   

DJO was terribly cold in non-conference and that's not even arguable.  If he can simply play to the level he played last season, we should see the tourney this year.  And JB is not a great floor leader.  Remember guys like McNeal or Hayward who could beat that war drum and get the team back into the game.  I feel like Crowder does a better job at that.

[PGsHeroes32]

Agree with most of this except that Buycks does play too much "street ball".  Not a fan of the ill-advised 18 foot fade away drifting jumper.   

DJO was terribly cold in non-conference and that's not even arguable.  If he can simply play to the level he played last season, we should see the tourney this year.  And JB is not a great floor leader.  Remember guys like McNeal or Hayward who could beat that war drum and get the team back into the game.  I feel like Crowder does a better job at that.

Leaders close out games. Game winners. Clutch Free throws. Drawing charges. Jimmy does that.

[BCHoopster]

Can you guys give O'tule a little break, plays handicapped, has not played in 2 years with other
injuries, and MU needs him, particularly against Pitt.  He has not played in these types of games
until now, give him a year of experience, and I would expect sometype of improvement.  He will
never be a star, works hard at trying to get better.  If you want to always bash him, then bash
the coach who recruited him. 

[pillardean]

and that is to roll 7 deep just like last year. Junior nice ratio today but you are not someone who should be on the floor more than 15 minutes against the Pitts of the world. Gardner may not be BEast ready but atleast he can catch the ball, Otule is garbage.

Play small and roll with Buycks, DJO, Butler and Crowder out there at all times. Play Vander with them alot and be real small with Junior getting some time. Sit Otule on the bench and let Fulce play.

Wait...
Did we just win a road game in Big East?  I just got off a a late night of work and I could swear that the first topic I saw pertained to a loss. 

[buckchuckler]

Welcome to the internet. Are you familiar with the term 'ad hominem?' If not, google it, and take some time to learn why it's an unintelligent way to approach a debate. It makes you look pretty foolish. You didn't engage a single point I made.

I'm pretty sure "rolling with our best guys" is what Buzz does every game. If there were someone better on the bench, I'm pretty sure he would figure that out. You saying that a player is garbage doesn't make it so. Otule has played well. There's certainly no one else on the team that can provide what he does. In fact, he provides something we haven't had in a while. Look at his putback in the WVU game or how he helped push us to a 7 point lead in the Vandy game and swing the momentum in our favor (Vandy got back in it as soon as he came out).

The burden of proof is on you, and frankly, there's NOTHING to support your position. Calling me names DOESN'T CHANGE THAT. You're just upset that someone called you out and disagreed with you.

+1.  Nice.  Thank you. 

To insult the players is just ridiculous.  At least offer him criticism, so when he reads your super important opinion, he'll know how to make himself more tolerable to you.

[TheButlerDidIt]

I actually think Cadougan would be a solid play against Pitt as Pitt doesn't try to turn teams over as much as Rutgers. We all know Pitt relies on rebounds off of hotly contested shots. Junior's the best player on our team finding teammates that are open and that can get quality shots-which is what MU needs to beat Pitt-quality shots.

[Stretchdeltsig]

It's good to see Marquette playing aggressively and quick.  The glaring weakness that jumps out is Cadugan.  He almost lost the dribble several times last night.  He cannot score.  He simply is not a threat from the field or layups or the free throw line.  Blue and Buycks are dangerous.  They can score and rebound.  Hopefully, from now on, Buzz will play the best players and that means much less time for Cadugan.  He should be reduced to a relief role.  Otule and Gardner can be factors.  We will need them against the taller teams.

[camarquette24]

Couldn''t disagree more with the onset post of this chain; depth/options and thus versatility is th key to this league; read Franschilla's insider article about the big east; basically says its the hardest to coach in for sure b/c of the variety of teams; if we ourselves can have variety within our strength of dribble drive, they we have to develop that