Sparty Thoughts

[tower912]

1.  I hate Vitale.
2.   Izzo has seen a zone before.   Eventually, passing high post to opposite corner with a spot up shooter is going to work.   Valentine got hot.   Zone defeated.  
3.  Good work by Duane and Deonte.   Keep it up.   Although I still have some nits to pick on Deonte.   He only moves full speed when he has the ball.  His man defense is not good.   But his offense looked good tonight.
4.   It isn't fair to expect Carlino to follow up a career night with another good shooting tonight.   He filled the stat sheet and only forced a few  shots.  
5.   Just not enough players tonight.   Sparty had more horses.   We all knew there would be nights like this.  
6.   Lots of good stuff for 26 minutes.   Second game in two nights, short bench, a couple of turnovers,  Sparty on fire....  And somehow MU pulled it together and stopped the run.   And competed.   Well coached.  
7.  A healthy Duane would have played last year.  
8.  MU didn't quit.   No shame in this result.
9.  I hate Vitale.
10.  Vegas is smart. 

[brewcity77]

You forgot...

11. I hate Vitale

[warriorfred]

I turn the volume off and Vitale is still annoying.  

A good effort on the night, and the team played with the most intensity I've seen since their 2013 Elite 8 run.  With Fischer and continued improvement from Duane Wilson and Deonte Burton, this team may have an outside shot at the tournament.

[tower912]

11. I hate Vitale.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

This is a very likable team. Kids are fighting...fun to watch, albeit in a tough loss. I absolutely love Duane Wilson.

PS: I do not understand the Vitale hate. The guy is great for college hoops and he had nothing but great things to say about Marquette, which has been the norm for 25 years.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I turn the volume off and Vitale is still annoying.  

A good effort on the night, and the team played with the most intensity I've seen since their 2013 Elite 8 run.  With Fischer and continued improvement from Duane Wilson and Deonte Burton, this team may have an outside shot at the tournament.

If our team progresses and improves enough over the next few months that we have a realistic (but probably slim) shot at winning the conference tourney I'll be satisfied.  I don't expect a chance at an at-large berth.  

[jesmu84]

I think this tournament as a whole is HUGE for the team.

Deonte looked much MUCH better tonight, especially rebounding.

Duane seems to be getting exponentially better every game.

Carlino wasn't shooting nearly as much, but was contributing greatly all over the court.

[PGsHeroes32]

Overall very nice.

Agreed on vitale. God he sucks.

After getting down 16 did we get it all the way back to 5?

[brewcity77]

This is a very likable team. Kids are fighting...fun to watch, albeit in a tough loss. I absolutely love Duane Wilson.

PS: I do not understand the Vitale hate. The guy is great for college hoops and he had nothing but great things to say about Marquette, which has been the norm for 25 years.

He's lazy. Doesn't know half of what he talks about. Just gets talking point notes from staffers and acts like he watches all the games. He's just there to be Dick Vitale. Like Chris Berman, he thinks his shtick is more important than his job.

[Texas Western]

Going into tonight I felt we would see a better effort from Deonte and he delivered partially. We are going to need him playing well in the conference.

MSU had too many wide open looks. We just have to keep improving on defense.

[PGsHeroes32]

In the first half vitale raved about how you couldn't even tell Dawson had been sick.

Second half he made a mistake "o man you can really tell he's feeling the sickness. But he's fighting he's a player".

Shut up dicky.

[muwarrior69]

He's lazy. Doesn't know half of what he talks about. Just gets talking point notes from staffers and acts like he watches all the games. He's just there to be Dick Vitale. Like Chris Berman, he thinks his shtick is more important than his job.

Yup! No one comes close to Dick Enberg and Al.

[nyg]

Good effort, but don't have the manpower to keep up

Tenn., Wisc., and Arizona St next three.  Will be tough.

JJJ, Du Wilson and Cohen need to put on some weight. Thin compared to other players.

DuWilson is next year's point guard.  SG-JJJ, with Cheatham and Nick N.  Dawson is a goner.

Even though it may be worst season in long time, this is awesome experience for the youngsters playing teams like this and at various venues.  Will pay huge dividends in long run.

Dickie V is what he is.  He's been like that for 30 years, but in personal life he is a big time charity guy and respect that.  

[warriorfred]

Vitale was interesting and insightful 20 years ago, but now he is caricature of himself (see I used a cliche there, which is primarily what Vitale spouts for 40 minutes).  Really, Wojo was intense when he played?  Tom Izzo coaches with a lot of "love"?  Wojo learned from the greatest?

Sigh.  Say something interesting about the game . . .

[brewcity77]

As soon as he said "mid-major no one is talking about" I turned to my wife and said "Northern Iowa." So predictable, I guarantee some one fed him that 5 minutes before he said it.

[muwarrior69]

Going into tonight I felt we would see a better effort from Deonte and he delivered partially. We are going to need him playing well in the conference.

MSU had too many wide open looks. We just have to keep improving on defense.

That 's what GTech though about us yesterday.

[madtownwarrior]

Vitale sucks - over the top cheerleader, blowhard, rather listen to nails on a chalkboard...

This is a very likable team. Kids are fighting...fun to watch, albeit in a tough loss. I absolutely love Duane Wilson.

PS: I do not understand the Vitale hate. The guy is great for college hoops and he had nothing but great things to say about Marquette, which has been the norm for 25 years.

[tower912]

I didn't always hate Vitale.   His passion and style helped the game, particularly the Big East, really take off, starting 30 years ago.    He just grates on me now.   I know all of the good he still does for his charities, I know he still loves the game.   I just don't like listening to him call a game.  

[warriorfred]

I'll say it again, it was nice to see intensity.  I missed that last year.

This team has some indications of talent, and is developing every night.  I am beginning to think they will make the tournament.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

He's lazy. Doesn't know half of what he talks about. Just gets talking point notes from staffers and acts like he watches all the games. He's just there to be Dick Vitale. Like Chris Berman, he thinks his shtick is more important than his job.

Thank God Vitale and Berman do different sports - I would not be able to handle both being part of the same broadcast. 

[chapman]

Duane is pretty good.  He's going to be really good.

Just couldn't patch that hole in the zone with Denzel shooting threes.

Dickie V has a new obsession to fill the void from Craft.  Dawson, Dawson, Dawson, Dawson, Dawson.

We won the rebounding battle!  29-28, and 17-5 on their end (most games have practically been even on the opponent's end).  Unfortunately, eFG was back above 70%.

I like our chances against UT.

[tower912]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400608906

No minute played listed.   But I don't think anyone is going to be able to complain about lack of minutes for Duane.  

Updated box says Duane played 30.

[warriorfred]

Oh.  I forgot about free throws.  Every trip to the line is an adventure.  A few certainly would have helped tonight.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Really happy with the effort tonight and the potential. Man.... I would LOVE to have Fischer playing already.

Teams a work in progress. But I think they are in good hands and have a lot of potential.

[nyg]

When Fischer get back, it looks like an 8 man rotation which will help out.  Burton backing up Taylor will soon end and he can get back in his forward position.  

Cohen appears to be in the "on the bench" mode after starting first few games.

Dawson, well, he has no academic or injury issues, so apparent staff believes he cannot provide any assistance to the team except in practice.  

[EnderWiggen]

Dickie's job is to be a hypeman, and in that regard, he does an excellent job.  No one listens to him for his knowledge of teams; they listen to him because he is exciting to listen to.  And the fact that he always hypes MU is gravy. Honestly, I don't get the hate. He is the first person to remind viewers about the legacy MU has and also how good we have been recently.  Why are we ripping on the "face" of college hoops?  The same guy who always promotes our school?    

[brewcity77]

He always hypes whoever is five feet in front of him. I can't remember him going out of his way to bring Marquette up when he wasn't doing a Marquette game.

[PGsHeroes32]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400608906

No minute played listed.   But I don't think anyone is going to be able to complain about lack of minutes for Duane.   

Last two games before tonight he was over 30 so hes been getting the minutes.

[WayOfTheWarrior]

When Fischer get back, it looks like an 8 man rotation which will help out.  Burton backing up Taylor will soon end and he can get back in his forward position.  

Cohen appears to be in the "on the bench" mode after starting first few games.

Dawson, well, he has no academic or injury issues, so apparent staff believes he cannot provide any assistance to the team except in practice.  

FYI, I posted about this in the Dawson thread. One of my friends who knows John said he is on some sort of mild academic probation. I'm assuming he will be back sometime in the next month or so but no promises. Choose to believe it or not, but it seems to make sense of the situation to me.

[Loose Cannon]

PS: I do not understand the Vitale hate. The guy is great for college hoops and he had nothing but great things to say about Marquette, which has been the norm for 25 years.

Plus Tax

Sometimes it almost seems like a  level of Snobbishness
Maybe he's loss a step, but he has been Good for basketball, and a very decent caring man.  Can't say that about some ex coaches in sport casting.  

[hdog1017]

Juan Anderson with a solid one rebound performance. He's completely useless on a basketball court. 

[NotBuzzWilliams]

I was really confused by Vitale's comments about teams having the same color jerseys as their school color.  How many teams have been wearing different colored jerseys?

[BM1090]

Juan Anderson with a solid one rebound performance. He's completely useless on a basketball court. 

Lol.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I was really confused by Vitale's comments about teams having the same color jerseys as their school color.  How many teams have been wearing different colored jerseys?

I was not confused. He was talking about teams switching up their jerseys ad nauseum, a la  Oregon football. Stick to the traditional, he was saying. Can't say I disagree, but I'm probably an old fuddy  duddy.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

I was not confused. He was talking about teams switching up their jerseys ad nauseum, a la  Oregon football. Stick to the traditional, he was saying. Can't say I disagree, but I'm probably an old fuddy  duddy.

They'll never stay with the same jerseys.  There's too much money to be made from additional jersey sales.  Besides ... it's interesting to go back and look at the history of the MU uniform and how they've changed over the years.  You have to have some style and change with the times.  Where would be without the powder blue jersey? 

[Eldon]

They'll never stay with the same jerseys.  There's too much money to be made from additional jersey sales.  Besides ... it's interesting to go back and look at the history of the MU uniform and how they've changed over the years.  You have to have some style and change with the times.  Where would be without the powder blue jersey?

In the record books

[Benny B]

A. No shame in losing to Moo U.
B. Valentine was feeling it tonight.  Crazy to see after the game that he only hit six treys... could have been a lot worse and seemed like a lot more.
C. Good scouting job by Moo U... didn't exactly face guard Carlino, but he just couldn't get free.  Unfortunately, with no other shooters, MU couldn't play an adjustment card.
D. Fischer may have been a difference in this game.  They didn't pound the ball inside all night, but there were several shots that pretty much became bunnies as a result of MU's lack of height down low.  We need someone who can alter shots in the paint if there's any hope of beating the good teams.
E. Deonte is gaining confidence... he's going to be a beast when he gets it all together.
F. Juan's intensity tonight was oozing out there even though he was jobbed a couple times by the refs.
G. Vitale is extremely tolerable when you can't hear him.

[MU82]

The team worked very hard tonight and played quite well for much of the game. The Warriors had several opportunities to accept defeat and just kept taking it back to Sparty. If the guys play this hard the rest of the season and keep improving their skills and teamwork, we'll stay in most Big East games and win some of them.

Izzo was determined not to let an only moderately athletic 3-point shooter beat him. No matter how good the 3-pointer shooter is, making that shooter the focus of the defense can usually eliminate the threat. Overall, I thought Carlino played another strong game despite not being able to get open.

Vitale is so 1980s. He's not interesting, he's too loud, he too often talks about nothing relevant to the game and he's too often wrong. When he said early that Derrick Wilson helps Marquette with his leadership and his shooting, my wife practically fell out of her seat as she yelled, "What?" We ended up turning the volume way down and, after my wife went to sleep, I muted it all together.

[El Duderino]

I thought the team played better than the final score.

1. MSU was flat out hot from three and won't shoot that well most nights if given the exact same threes they took tonight.

2. There were numerous defensive possessions by Marquette, especially in the first half where we got hands on the ball only to see the ball deflect into the hands of a MSU guy behind the arc for three points. That's bad luck more than anything.

3. There were also 2 or 3 missed layups by Marquette which then in turn went the other way for an easy MSU layup.

Going into the game, i had a bad feeling Marquette could get blown out, but i thought they played better than i expected.

Clearly this isn't the type of roster you'd typically want to play almost strictly zone given the lack of length, but props to Wojo for not being stubborn about sticking with the Duke man to man system and instead giving zone a shot. Not every team is going to shoot so great from the perimeter as MSU did tonight.

[JakeBarnes]

I loved the effort tonight. To add something that hasn't been brought up yet: it feels like the team had a lot of great defensive stands that simply didn't go their way. A lot of tips or almost steals that went diredirectly to an MSU player for an easy bucket. Loved the hustle and effort. As Izzo said postgame: they played like a really tough team tonight.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

I thought the team played better than the final score.

1. MSU was flat out hot from three and won't shoot that well most nights if given the exact same threes they took tonight.

2. There were numerous defensive possessions by Marquette, especially in the first half where we got hands on the ball only to see the ball deflect into the hands of a MSU guy behind the arc for three points. That's bad luck more than anything.

3. There were also 2 or 3 missed layups by Marquette which then in turn went the other way for an easy MSU layup.

Going into the game, i had a bad feeling Marquette could get blown out, but i thought they played better than i expected.

Clearly this isn't the type of roster you'd typically want to play almost strictly zone given the lack of length, but props to Wojo for not being stubborn about sticking with the Duke man to man system and instead giving zone a shot. Not every team is going to shoot so great from the perimeter as MSU did tonight.

Yes, the ball didn't roll our way in this game.  One thing I would add is that we had several possessions where we exhibited poor decision making (Carlino shooting from way outside, Burton dribbling too much, Duane Wilson trying to dribble through double teams).  If we could clean this up, we would be much better on the offensive side.  I wish there was a stat that showed poor possessions so we could see how it trends over time.  Either way, what helped make it a game was the defense.  Much improved.  

[Tugg Speedman]

Any doubt if we played like this against UNO and NJIT they would not have been close?

[mileskishnish72]

Vitale - did you know he only had one eye, and that when he was at Detroit he beat Al and MU once?

Oh, of course you knew, since he mentioned both during the game (and every MU game he does).

[ChuckyChip]

Tom Izzo post-game quote:

"I thought Marquette played harder than us," Izzo said. "I thought they beat us on the boards. We beat them in turnovers. We won the game because I think we're a little better, but I didn't enjoy a lot of that because I thought the (other) team played harder than us and that doesn't happen very often. The tougher team lost tonight. We had some good performances in some ways and we had some very casual, just not good plays."

[tower912]

Wojo told Homer and Mac that MU competed hard for 32-34 minutes, but it takes 40 minutes to beat a team like MSU.   It is difficult to argue that.   If the bunnies had gone in the first half, MU has a lead.  Sparty had that spurt where they made everything while MU was sloppy and ultimately it was too much to overcome.  It happens against good teams.  I hope this team continues to play like it has the last two games.   If they are able, it will be a better season than it seemed to anybody 5 days ago.   

[real chili 83]

I was on my way to Madison last night. Game came on while diving through Baraboo. Desperately tried to get the game on 540 AM. Nothing but static. 

Hit the search button a few times and a game comes on, but I don't recognize the announcers.  I listen for a minute, and realize it is Marquette. I had just picked up the Michigan State broadcast on WJR, 760 AM out of Detroit.  Clear as a bell.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Great intensity. Diener and other assistants getting in the young guys' grills to raise their intensity. Fun to see the effort.  MSU made shots, no shame in the effort, but out of halftime, MU had trouble with the adjustments. That was the difference.

Du, Deonte and JJJ making strides. Maybe at different levels, but progress.

[Nevada233]

FYI, I posted about this in the Dawson thread. One of my friends who knows John said he is on some sort of mild academic probation. I'm assuming he will be back sometime in the next month or so but no promises. Choose to believe it or not, but it seems to make sense of the situation to me.

Not true at all.... He's not on any achedemic probation Mild, Hot or Buffalo....

[RushmoreAcademy]

Loving Duane. He's looking dynamite so far.
Finally seeing that spark front Deonte.
Carlino another solid game. Pushed the ball and passed well.
Taylor finished around the hoop a few times at last...good to see.
I actually thought we outplayed them in the first half.  Not sure if it's us or if Sparty is in trouble against the big boys.
Raised my spirits a bit for the rest of the season.
I also don't mind Vitale. I understand the hate, but I don't have it.

[brewcity77]

At 13:18, MSU got the ball leading 52-47. Valentine hit a three that started a 13-2 run over a span of 2:07 because of 3 Marquette turnovers in 4 trips.

That's it. That's the game.

They fought back to within 6 a couple times, they kept competing, but that run was the backbreaker as well as the margin of the game. For 38 minutes we were even with MSU. But like Wojo said post-game, you need to play 40 minutes to beat a team like Michigan State.

That said, I have to imagine nerves in Marquette nation have calmed some. No, this team isn't perfect, but they can compete with good teams and are going to win some Big East games. I'm definitely taking solace in seeing legitimate early improvement.

[Loose Cannon]

Vitale - did you know he only had one eye, and that when he was at Detroit he beat Al and MU once?

Oh, of course you knew, since he mentioned both during the game (and every MU game he does).

  +1

[Loose Cannon]

Not true at all.... He's not on any achedemic probation Mild, Hot or Buffalo....

Mild could that mean the coach.....John Wooden & Haircuts

[LloydsLegs]

nm