jmcneal

[yungmufan20]

idk need opinions pretty much right now it dosent seem so good

[yungmufan20]

mcneal was practicing got photo

[LastWarrior]

if he wasn't playing, I seriously doubt they would have risked him practicing.  I think he'll play limited minutes tomorrow and if we're lucky enough to win, I think he's going all the way on Saturday.

[NavinRJohnson]

Not sure I would read too too much into it, as I'm assuming he has been participating in some practice activities with the team all along. That being said, if I were a betting man, I'd say he'll probably see some time off the bench tomorrow. Should be a rather uplifting moment for the team and everyone watching if in fact he pulls the warm up off.

[Murffieus]

He turns the ball over 4-5 times a game as it is-----with that cast multiply that by at  least 2 !

[mviale]

Maybe he is a natural lefty

[jage]

despite the announcement that he won't play thursday, i think it's very possible he'll be in uniform on the bench and could be a huge confidence boost for the team even if he plays a couple minutes to test out that thumb...

and on another note...

does anyone else want to vomit everytime andy katz or doug gottlieb opens their mouth?

[mviale]

His mere presence will ignite the team and once he steals the ball, he just needs to pass to DJ.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

He turns the ball over 4-5 times a game as it is-----with that cast multiply that by at  least 2 !

and if he plays, and plays well will you admit you're wrong???  One game is the usual sample size for you.   

[ppp098]

McNeal is going to play, no way he would sit this out. Just like wayne rooney for england in the world cup.

[MUCHI814]

ha, I hope that Wayne Rooney reference is a joke, I'm guessing he was participating in some non-contact drills, just like shootarounds and lay-ups.  I don't blame Crean for letting him participate, the poor guy has had to watch on the sidelines for the Gameday at home and in the BE tourney.  I wouldn't be suprised if he was just getting in on some of the warmup stuff to just let him enjoy the moment a little. Pure speculation of course though.

[Marquette84]

He turns the ball over 4-5 times a game as it is-----with that cast multiply that by at  least 2 !

Just curious--have you looked at his stats?  Never mind--I already know you haven't.

You've repeated this "turns the ball over 4-5 times" statement at least half-a-dozen time in the past week.   But if you were at all honest about this, you'd say he turnED the ball over 4-5 times, but has improved over the latter part of the season.

I thought you might like to know his acutal performance
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=26970

He hasn't turned the ball over 5 times in a game since February 3rd--and the time beore that was January 13.

Here's his performance over the last 10 games.

4 vs. Notre Dame   
3 vs. Villanova
3 vs. Louisville
4 vs. DePaul
3 vs. Georgetown
4 vs. Rutgers
5 vs. Providence
4 vs. S. Florida
3 vs. Seton Hall
3 vs. Pittsburgh

That's 3.6 TO/game--a far cry from the "4-5" you keep repeating.

Since you also seem to give extra credence to the most recent games "steals have gone down", a fair person would also point out that turnovers have dropped as well.

One more thing--you suggest that this number would at least double--however, most here are suggesting that McNeal will enter the lineup for defensive considerations--not on the offense side. 

Perhaps this is beyond your capability of rational thought, but most here realize that if McNeal is in the game its because we need his defense, which would disprove your suggeston that he'd have 8-10 turnovers.

[jage]

amen marquette84.

[yungmufan20]

i just saw a news clip this morning with him practing on channel 4 (WTMG) and he was dribbling it down the court and dunked it so it looks pretty good right now. Hopefully they win and I get an early b-day present for tomorow

[yungmufan20]

i probably bet that the people who said not this year want to change their minds

[Wade for President]

does anyone else want to vomit everytime andy katz or doug gottlieb opens their mouth?

I want to inflict serious harm on Gottlieb.  The man is a pompous credit card stealin sonofabitch.

[NavinRJohnson]

Haven't seen this posted yet. Much as speculated, he wasn't doing anything Wed. he hasn't seemingly been doing all along...

WEDNESDAY, March 14, 2007, 7:58 p.m.

McNeal and media day

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Jerel McNeal took part in Marquette's 40-minute workout on Wednesday afternoon at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, undoubtedly raising the hopes of scores of Golden Eagles fans everywhere.

The sophomore guard even said he's going to suit up against Michigan State.

But unless coach Tom Crean is going for the greatest piece of misdirection ever, I wouldn't expect the sophomore guard to see any court time on Thursday night.

Crean remains deeply concerned about McNeal further injuring the right digit, and said there's no feasible way the training staff would be able to brace it or wrap it to insure a direct hit to it during the game wouldn't worsen it.

"There's a part of me that thinks it's a real possibility, but he'd have to get clearance from the doctors and I'm just not sure that's going to happen," Crean said in his news conference. "He wants to play so bad. If he can get them convinced we'll give it a shot, but I don't think that will happen."

And realistically, aside from an emotional boost how much could a one-handed McNeal help MU? He relies so much on his hands as a defender, and he'd be a liability on offense - something he is steadfastly against becoming.

McNeal took part in Wednesday's workout with a large brace protecting his thumb. He did almost everything left-handed - including throw down a couple of dunks - but struggled mightily catching the ball, which was to be expected.

He did things that he's already done in practice since injuring the thumb. The difference this time is it was in an open setting.

[spiral97]

If I am MSU and find myself down by a significant margin (8+ points) and McNeal gets the ball, I foul him a few times.  Basically, I make him prove that he can hurt me on the charity stripe.  I would even consider doing this if I were up by only around 3-4 points at the end of the game.  Heck I might even do this early in the game just to try and force him out of the game as a liability at the stripe and therefore neutralize his defensive presence.

[NavinRJohnson]

If I am MSU and find myself down by a significant margin (8+ points) and McNeal gets the ball, I foul him a few times.  Basically, I make him prove that he can hurt me on the charity stripe.  I would even consider doing this if I were up by only around 3-4 points at the end of the game.  Heck I might even do this early in the game just to try and force him out of the game as a liability at the stripe and therefore neutralize his defensive presence.

Precisley why he can't be in there just to play defense as many have suggested. This isn't football. It just doesn't work that way.

[NotAnAlum]

I highly doubt Izzo would have his guys foul McNeal unless State was in a truly desperate situation (down by more than a possession with very little time left).  It would be considered bush league and considering his relationship with Crean I don't see him pulling that one.  Keep in mind that Jerel's purpose would be to provide a emotional lift for the team and play some defense on Nitzel in the hopes of keeping the game close.  No way is he in toward the very end of the game.  If Marq is up we'd have better free throw guys in.  If Marq is down we'd need 5 guys who could score.