Disjointed...

[NersEllenson]

I can't believe you are still trotting out the 4 on 5 line.  That was the same lineup and same subbing philosophy that Buzz used the game before....you know where we jumped out to the big lead...the one where Davante was our leading scorer...and the one who shall not be named lead us in +/-.

Yeah, it's amazing why Buzz would do the exact same thing.

Looks like Burton and JJJ played the best in the beginning of this game...then went away from it. Definitely shook things up the last couple of games starting JJJ and Burton...mixed bag results...Do you really dispute the 4-5 notion?  +/- in this game looks quite different than the Providence game...

http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/02/01/marquette-59-st-johns-74/plus_minus

[RushmoreAcademy]

I understand the frustration. It's not fun to watch, but I don't understand the short memories.  We've been a pretty charmed fanbase recently and Buzz has done a great job putting us on the tournament run we've been on.
It's college basketball.  There are going to be seasons like this one.  Unless you're Duke or Kentucky it's going to happen to everybody.

[GGGG]

Looks like Burton and JJJ played the best in the beginning of this game...then went away from it. Definitely shook things up the last couple of games starting JJJ and Burton...mixed bag results...Do you really dispute the 4-5 notion?  +/- in this game looks quite different than the Providence game...

http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/02/01/marquette-59-st-johns-74/plus_minus

They pretty much all sucked yesterday.  Jamil and Todd were no-shows.  Davante looked disinterested on defense.  By far I thought the biggest problem is that those three, who were supposed to be "the guys" heading into this year, seem unable or unwilling to take that next step.

Davante played with JFB.  Jamil practiced him him and played with Jae.  Todd played with Jae.  

However not a single one of them have stepped to provide the examples that both of them set.  So much so that Buzz thought it would be better to play Juan Anderson  and two freshmen in their place on a nationally televised game at MSG.

[tower912]

A team goes as far as it's leaders/best players take it.   This year, that is supposed to be Jamil, Todd, and Davante.   Buzz was critical of their leadership as far back as October. 

[NersEllenson]

They pretty much all sucked yesterday.  Jamil and Todd were no-shows.  Davante looked disinterested on defense.  By far I thought the biggest problem is that those three, who were supposed to be "the guys" heading into this year, seem unable or unwilling to take that next step.

Davante played with JFB.  Jamil practiced him him and played with Jae.  Todd played with Jae.  

However not a single one of them have stepped to provide the examples that both of them set.  So much so that Buzz thought it would be better to play Juan Anderson  and two freshmen in their place on a nationally televised game at MSG.

Agree...I had some optimism coming into the game, based on Providence...but we just got spanked yesterday.  Jamil was awful.  Todd wasn't good.  Davante not good either.  I do feel DG is extremely frustrated, and is trying to battle through that.  You and I have agreed that Jamil has some talent, and has the look, yet isn't overly athletic and has challenges being a go to guy.  I still feel Buzz should have picked 8-9 guys by mid-Decmeber and said...these are my guys, these are your roles, and this is the substitution pattern.  There's been no consistency to anything (other than Derrick generally getting 28 minutes per game) for the team and players and their playing time/on floor teammates...thus the word disjointed...

[NYeagle]

I understand the frustration. It's not fun to watch, but I don't understand the short memories.  We've been a pretty charmed fanbase recently and Buzz has done a great job putting us on the tournament run we've been on.
It's college basketball.  There are going to be seasons like this one.  Unless you're Duke or Kentucky it's going to happen to everybody.

Happens to even Kentucky. Last year. We natives need to chill.

[4everwarriors]

The only way it is on Buzz is that he recruited the players. The announcers talked about how Buzz made a point in practice not to leave Harrison open and the team left him open and he got hot. That is not on Buzz, it is on the players not doing what Buzz prepared them to do. However, the way they played you have to wonder if it was a good idea to take the team to a Broadway play last night.

What did they see, "A Midsummer's Night Dream"?

[madtownwarrior]

glad I did not see the crapshow yesterday - had other commitments, DVR'd the game and just hit delete after reading the board...

been disjointed all year..   wonder what continuity Buzz can find the rest of the year - maybe focus on developing the younger guys?

[GooooMarquette]

Hope you are right...just wish I could put stock into the performance given St. John's essentially called off the dawgs the last 7 minutes of the game and that's when we saw some point production from D-Will.  I've never felt Derrick didn't play hard...felt he's always given max effort - so that's not my concern.  Same with Jake...plays hard, max effort guy.  But, it takes more than just playing hard to win games.

Garbage time...sure.  But it was still nice to see one or two MU players who gave 100% from the opening tip until the final buzzer.  

Next year's senior class will include Derrick, Todd and Juan.  I have no idea what to expect from Todd, but the other two, while they have clear limitations, may very well become the leaders by example that this team has sorely lacked.

[4everwarriors]

Actually it's a "players" game. Fact is this team doesn't have enough elite level players to win, as they've done in previous years. Just not enough talent as this roster is constituted.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

It's chicken or the egg.

Are guys disjointed because Buzz keeps changing, or is Buzz making changes because guys aren't very good?

Several posters have demanded changes to the line-up, but now there are posters saying Buzz makes too many changes? It's not likely both, is it?

Truthfully, I suspect that Buzz would love to roll out 8 high performing players and win a bunch of games. Unfortunately, he doesn't have 8 high performance players who show up every game, so he has to mix and match.

Now, WHY aren't the guys consistent every night, and how can Buzz re-install consistency as part of MU's culture? Now that's in interesting topic... and I would bet that's what keeps Buzz up at night.

[NersEllenson]

Garbage time...sure.  But it was still nice to see one or two MU players who gave 100% from the opening tip until the final buzzer.  

Next year's senior class will include Derrick, Todd and Juan.  I have no idea what to expect from Todd, but the other two, while they have clear limitations, may very well become the leaders by example that this team has sorely lacked.

There is nothing stopping Derrick and Juan and Jake from being leaders by example this year...yet their hard work doesn't translate into victories due to their limitations as players.   I'd much rather see a lineup that has the talent and potential to WIN games, that may not be as Johnny Hustle as the less talented guys.  We've seen the Johnny hustle team this year with Derrick, Jake, Juan, Otule being starters...the results weren't pretty.

I don't feel Jamil, Otule or Davante haven't played hard at most points throughout the year either.  I think they are beyond frustrated...Jamil and DG  don't initiate offense.  They are reliant in many ways on the perimeter players being effective.  They are like receivers in football to an extent - they are reliant on a QB to get them the ball.  You can have a hard working QB who wants to get the ball to his receivers...yet just doesn't have the tools necessary to play the position.  And as hard working as that QB may be - when the guys lining up around him don't have confidence in his abilities - due to him consistently showing his limitations - its hard for that QB's leadership and hard work ethic to have any cred in the locker room.

[NersEllenson]

It's chicken or the egg.

Are guys disjointed because Buzz keeps changing, or is Buzz making changes because guys aren't very good?

Several posters have demanded changes to the line-up, but now there are posters saying Buzz makes too many changes? It's not likely both, is it?

Truthfully, I suspect that Buzz would love to roll out 8 high performing players and win a bunch of games. Unfortunately, he doesn't have 8 high performance players who show up every game, so he has to mix and match.

Now, WHY aren't the guys consistent every night, and how can Buzz re-install consistency as part of MU's culture? Now that's in interesting topic... and I would bet that's what keeps Buzz up at night.

There is ONE major change that Buzz hasn't been willing to make all year..so all of the other tinkering that hasn't worked...well....maybe by process of elimination Buzz will figure it out.  The ONE guy on the team who's role basically hasn't changed at all for the entire season, and who has gotten max minutes is the PG.  The ONE game he wasn't given max minutes, and reduced to 30, we somehow win on the road at Georgetown.  All of the other lineup tinkering..hasn't changed a damn thing...the losses continue, we look like a hockey team sending lines of players out there, guys going in and out every minute, guys playing with different guys alongside them - you just don't see that happening on other successful teams.  And no, getting 10 minutes a game of action to show your value when broken up into 2-3 stints of run....does not reflect what you will produce in 30 minutes.

[MU82]

Buzz successfully recruited two guards sought by dozens of high-major programs: JJJ and Duane Wilson. In Hill and Cohen, next year's recruiting class includes two highly rated guards. For 2015, Buzz already has a verbal commitment from the No. 7-rated PG (Noskowiak) and even one for 2017 (Flory)! He also recruited Vander and Junior from high school and DJO and Buycks from J.C. Not a shabby lot.

So for anybody to claim that Buzz "can't recruit guards" is as silly as it is untrue.

Now, it is true that there have been plenty of bumps in the road, from Reggie Smith to T.J. Taylor to Jamal Ferguson. And through either misfortune, mediocre recruiting or both, this year's team has been caught shorthanded in the guard department. Because I agree with Chicos (and plenty of others more knowledgeable than both of us) that college basketball is a guard's game, this has left us S.O.L. for this season.

But I refuse to join misguided, uninformed yahoos who have issued a blanket indictment of Buzz's ability to recruit guards.

[GGGG]

There is ONE major change that Buzz hasn't been willing to make all year..so all of the other tinkering that hasn't worked...well....maybe by process of elimination Buzz will figure it out.  The ONE guy on the team who's role basically hasn't changed at all for the entire season, and who has gotten max minutes is the PG.  The ONE game he wasn't given max minutes, and reduced to 30, we somehow win on the road at Georgetown.  All of the other lineup tinkering..hasn't changed a damn thing...the losses continue, we look like a hockey team sending lines of players out there, guys going in and out every minute, guys playing with different guys alongside them - you just don't see that happening on other successful teams.  And no, getting 10 minutes a game of action to show your value when broken up into 2-3 stints of run....does not reflect what you will produce in 30 minutes.

So just because you don't mention Derrick by name, you feel you are living up to your moratorium?

Just because *you* haven't seen Dawson play 30+ minutes, doesn't mean that he should.  Buzz isn't responsible for your curiosity.

[Archies Bat]

So just because you don't mention Derrick by name, you feel you are living up to your moratorium?

Agree, hated to do it, cuz Ners adds a lot, but I had to go to the ignore button for a bit and hope it passes.

[bilsu]

There is ONE major change that Buzz hasn't been willing to make all year..so all of the other tinkering that hasn't worked...well....maybe by process of elimination Buzz will figure it out.  The ONE guy on the team who's role basically hasn't changed at all for the entire season, and who has gotten max minutes is the PG.  The ONE game he wasn't given max minutes, and reduced to 30, on the road we somehow win at Georgetown.  All of the other lineup tinkering..hasn't changed a damn thing...the losses continue, we look like a hockey team sending lines of players out there, guys going in and out every minute, guys playing with different guys alongside them - you just don't see that happening on other successful teams.  And no, getting 10 minutes a game of action to show your value when broken up into 2-3 stints of run....does not reflect what you will produce in 30 minutes.

We beat Georgetown, because  they were in the middle of a five game losing streak  and they allowed us to get the game into overtime.

[NersEllenson]

So just because you don't mention Derrick by name, you feel you are living up to your moratorium?

Just because *you* haven't seen Dawson play 30+ minutes, doesn't mean that he should.  Buzz isn't responsible for your curiosity.

And nor has Buzz seen him play 30 GAME minutes other than once...and even that wasn't going to happen if Derrick didn't tell Buzz to leave Dawson in the game!  Just find it funny that Buzz has made all the other tweaks..virtually every conceivable tweak he could make except this one.

Okay...I'll shut up now...as I realize this treads on/against my self imposed moratorium.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Wait a minute...Buzz can't recruit guards? I remember hearing last year that he can't recruit bigs! He must not be able to recruit anybody!

[NersEllenson]

We beat Georgetown, because  they were in the middle of a five game losing streak  and they allowed us to get the game into overtime.

Umm....okay.  Sound logic indeed.

[79Warrior]

Actually it's a "players" game. Fact is this team doesn't have enough elite level players to win, as they've done in previous years. Just not enough talent as this roster is constituted.

You are exactly right. Buzz has been trying every combination he can and the result is basically the same. The talent level is just not there and it's wishful think that it will magically appear.

[GGGG]

And nor has Buzz seen him play 30 GAME minutes other than once...and even that wasn't going to happen if Derrick didn't tell Buzz to leave Dawson in the game!  Just find it funny that Buzz has made all the other tweaks..virtually every conceivable tweak he could make except this one.

He has increased Dawson's playing time with decidedly mixed results.

[willie warrior]

OK. it is not Buzz's fault--it is the players. So you all give Buzz a pass, even though they are his players, strategy, game plan, etc. So, because he us such a stud coach he gets a pass for his down year.

Now what will the excuses be next year?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

OK. it is not Buzz's fault--it is the players. So you all give Buzz a pass, even though they are his players, strategy, game plan, etc. So, because he us such a stud coach he gets a pass for his down year.

Now what will the excuses be next year?

I don't think anyone is giving him a pass. We are all disappointed with the results he has given us. We just have hope for next season. All coaches have bad years. You weather them and do better then next season.

[GooooMarquette]

So just because you don't mention Derrick by name, you feel you are living up to your moratorium?

Just because *you* haven't seen Dawson play 30+ minutes, doesn't mean that he should.  Buzz isn't responsible for your curiosity.

Yeah, that moratorium didn't last long....