Bottom line

[tower912]

1.   Our backcourt is crucial.    Somebody needs to step up besides Todd.
2.   Freshmen are freshmen.   Expecting early production is always problematic.
3.   Don't be stupid and start talking about practicing free throws.   
4.  Juan and Steve were more problematic to me than the lack of production from the frosh.
5.   This is what the optimists thought we would get from Todd Mayo.    I don't expect 20 every night from him, but if this is the effort on both ends that he is going to bring this year, then we will not have to worry about the 2.   
6.   Unless Todd can play the 1 and start JJJ at the 2.
7.   Buzz seems ahead of the curve on getting MU players to guard without using their hands.    Will be an adjustment for everyone.
8.  Southern isn't bad
9.   Clearly, lots of work to be done.   The pieces are there to be very good, but they have to get sorted and fit together properly.
10.  tOSU could be gruesome. 

[muarmy81]

1.   Our backcourt is crucial.    Somebody needs to step up besides Todd.
2.   Freshmen are freshmen.   Expecting early production is always problematic.
3.   Don't be stupid and start talking about practicing free throws.   
4.  Juan and Steve were more problematic to me than the lack of production from the frosh.
5.   This is what the optimists thought we would get from Todd Mayo.    I don't expect 20 every night from him, but if this is the effort on both ends that he is going to bring this year, then we will not have to worry about the 2.   
6.   Unless Todd can play the 1 and start JJJ at the 2.
7.   Buzz seems ahead of the curve on getting MU players to guard without using their hands.    Will be an adjustment for everyone.
8.  Southern isn't bad
9.   Clearly, lots of work to be done.   The pieces are there to be very good, but they have to get sorted and fit together properly.
10.  tOSU could be gruesome. 

Spot on.

Southern is a good team.

Juan and Steve disappointed last night.

Jake has no business being on the floor.

Derrick Wilson was no better than john Dawson.

I think burton and JJJ will contribute by the end of the season.

Todd and Gardner were great. Jamil was pretty good.

[GGGG]

Derrick Wilson was better than Dawson.  Jeez, Derrick played fine.  Defensively very well.  Offensively he got the ball where it needed to go. 

[tower912]

11.   It still looks like Jamil doesn't want to be the man on every possession.   

[TheTulsaWarrior]

Duane Wilson may be the missing key providing another offensive threat, from outside and the drive.  I sure hope he can return this season.

[Goose]

Duane Wilson needs to be the anaswer at PG. Need him back quickly.

[WarriorFan]

Folks, get real.  A Freshman is NEVER a good answer at PG.  Dawson did OK.  Wilson did OK.  Cadougan did OK last year.  All we need from PG is 2-3 ppg and very low turnovers.

Playing Mayo there 8-10 mins per game would be a good look, though.

[Dawson Rental]

11.   It still looks like Jamil doesn't want to be the man on every possession.  

I agree, the need to dominate just isn't a part of his makeup.  As he showed last night he can/will be a nice player, just not the go to guy.  He does show more focus when the game is in doubt late, as in the Davidson game.

[ChicosBailBonds]

1
1a
1b
1c

Guards, especially the PG, most important in college basketball.  We go as far as they take us.  I was worried going into this year about PG play.   We'll see how it all plays out. 

[MarquetteDano]

Jake has no business being on the floor.  

That is a bit strong.  Buzz played him 22 minutes last night.  The man knows what he is doing.  I think people better get used to Jake playing a role on this team.  As I said it another thread, he is going to average 12-15 minutes a game unless JJJ is freshman of the year for the Big East.

[MU82]

Derrick Wilson was better than Dawson.  Jeez, Derrick played fine.  Defensively very well.  Offensively he got the ball where it needed to go. 

A high-major PG has to at least make the other team think he might be able to score. Come on, Sultan, you know that's true. We can get away with this Derrick against Southern. Against real opponents, oy.

[brewcity77]

Sultan pointed it out somewhere, but one thing about Jake is you could really see he got the concept of team defense. He knew when to sag off, how to clog lanes and deny easy entry passes, and simply where he was supposed to be on the floor. Right now I'm not sure I like the idea of him and DeWil playing together for extended stretches, but he's not the total detriment many make him out to be.

[GGGG]

A high-major PG has to at least make the other team think he might be able to score. Come on, Sultan, you know that's true. We can get away with this Derrick against Southern. Against real opponents, oy.

I didn't say he was an All American.  I said he played "fine."  And he did.  I was simply responding to muarmy's suggestion that he played no better than Dawson.

[muarmy81]

I didn't say he was an All American.  I said he played "fine."  And he did.  I was simply responding to muarmy's suggestion that he played no better than Dawson.

I thought neither outplayed the other last night.

Neither threatened to score, neither made any big plays, Derrick was good on defense but I don't think Dawson was a liability on the defensive end either and Derrick had a few iffy fouls. That's it. It was an ugly win but southern is a good team and it's the first game so I've got measured expectations. Those were my observations...

[PE8983]

Plenty of freshman have played at a high level at the PG position.
Just at MU in recent history - Tony Miller, Aaron Hutchins, Diener
We cannot have 0 pts from our starting backcourt - period.
And there are going to be alot of those with this tandem.

[NersEllenson]

1
1a
1b
1c

Guards, especially the PG, most important in college basketball.  We go as far as they take us.  I was worried going into this year about PG play.   We'll see how it all plays out. 

Think everyone would like to see more from Derrick...yet it is just one game....yet his game doesn't look to have much of an upward ceiling offensively.  He's simply going to be that game manager type of PG..or like the quarterback in football who doesn't do anything great but never makes the mistake that kills you.

And....that could be enough on this team to still go very far as we have a dominant big in Devante.  You can also go very far in the NCAA with a force like Devante - there simply aren't many of them.  Combine that with good play from Mayo at the 2...and get Jamil clicking....we are a strong team..

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm not criticizing the PG  performance last night.  Merely stating that if we want to meet goals this year, PG play will have to be strong. 

[keefe]

Plenty of freshman have played at a high level at the PG position.
Just at MU in recent history - Tony Miller, Aaron Hutchins, Diener

D. James

[Dawson Rental]

1
1a
1b
1c

Guards, especially the PG, most important in college basketball.  We go as far as they take us.  I was worried going into this year about PG play.   We'll see how it all plays out. 

No more switchables!  We need point guards!!!!

[WarriorFan]

Let's find Paul Pressey and get him to teach Jamil how to play point forward.

[brewcity77]

I'm not criticizing the PG  performance last night.  Merely stating that if we want to meet goals this year, PG play will have to be strong. 

Anywhere else, with any other coach, I would agree. I honestly think under Buzz, Marquette can reach the Final Four with average PG play. I doubt it with below average play, but just average play could be good enough. I'm not sure anyone in the country is better at adjusting his style of play to the players he has.

That's the reason Buzz was able to win with Lazar at center and a 2-headed midget PG set, that's the reason Buzz was able to win with a shoot-first SG at the point, and that's the reason Buzz was able to win with a turnover-prone PG. It's why he won playing at one of the slowest tempos in the country (#304 in 2009-10) and one of the fastest tempos in the country (#16 in 2011-12).

Buzz will adjust this team and get them to play to their strengths. He will find ways to mask the deficiencies. He always does. I know everyone likes to have hard and fast rules for basketball. You need great guard play to succeed. You need dominant bigs to succeed. Well, at Marquette, Buzz has disproven pretty much all of that. I know he has his flaws, but when it comes to adjusting style of play to the talent on the roster, I don't think there's any coach better in the country than Buzz Williams, and I'd honestly love to hear suggestions as to who has done better in being able to reshape their entire system on a year-by-year basis.

[77ncaachamps]

Plenty of freshman have played at a high level at the PG position.
Just at MU in recent history - Tony Miller, Aaron Hutchins, Diener
We cannot have 0 pts from our starting backcourt - period.
And there are going to be alot of those with this tandem.

]

We all knew Derrick's offensive game was limited.
But it really puts MU in a bind with Duane out.
Duane's injury is probably the single greatest factor right now to the backcourt success.
It's unfair to put such a responsibility on a freshman, but Derrick can't shoot and Jake can't make his own shot.
Dawson and Todd are going to have to step it up. Also, I will not be surprised if Buzz does go the Point Forward route.

More important than MU's ranking to me is their play.
If DG and/or Jamil gets doubled, the other teammates must recognize the opportunities and go for them.
Or we're going to have slugfests (many unwarranted) every game day.

Be still my heart.

[WarriorFan]

Anywhere else, with any other coach, I would agree. I honestly think under Buzz, Marquette can reach the Final Four with average PG play. I doubt it with below average play, but just average play could be good enough. I'm not sure anyone in the country is better at adjusting his style of play to the players he has.

That's the reason Buzz was able to win with Lazar at center and a 2-headed midget PG set, that's the reason Buzz was able to win with a shoot-first SG at the point, and that's the reason Buzz was able to win with a turnover-prone PG. It's why he won playing at one of the slowest tempos in the country (#304 in 2009-10) and one of the fastest tempos in the country (#16 in 2011-12).

Buzz will adjust this team and get them to play to their strengths. He will find ways to mask the deficiencies. He always does. I know everyone likes to have hard and fast rules for basketball. You need great guard play to succeed. You need dominant bigs to succeed. Well, at Marquette, Buzz has disproven pretty much all of that. I know he has his flaws, but when it comes to adjusting style of play to the talent on the roster, I don't think there's any coach better in the country than Buzz Williams, and I'd honestly love to hear suggestions as to who has done better in being able to reshape their entire system on a year-by-year basis.

+++
So this year we find a way to win with 2-3 ppg from PG slot.  Not hard to find 4 other guys who can score on this squad.

[jesmu84]

Duane Wilson may be the missing key providing another offensive threat, from outside and the drive.  I sure hope he can return this season.

Ah yes.. the old "backup QB is better than the starter; even though he hasn't played 1 minute" viewpoint

[forgetful]

I thought neither outplayed the other last night.

Neither threatened to score, neither made any big plays, Derrick was good on defense but I don't think Dawson was a liability on the defensive end either and Derrick had a few iffy fouls. That's it. It was an ugly win but southern is a good team and it's the first game so I've got measured expectations. Those were my observations...

I agree with this completely.  You never saw a drop in efficiency when Dawson came in.  There was a problem with the press when they put all the backups in.

When he put the starters back on the floor, it was Mayo and Jamil Wilson breaking the press....that should be very telling as to our pg play.

D. Wilson was not just fine and was similar in production to Dawson...People harped on Junior last year, but at this point Junior is an order of magnitude better pg than Wilson.