Butler thoughts

[Floorslapper]

Wojo knows defense! For chrissakes he was a defensive player of the year!

Guys have to want to play defense. Howard and Rowsey do not.

I actually think we miss Traci Carter.

Agree.  The one junk yard dog Wojo had landed - though Theo, Cain and Greg all have what it takes.

Sad thing is if the staff could have talked Traci into staying, but to redshirt THIS year, and come back next as the starting PG as a Junior, with Markus at the 2. 

Traci will be great at LaSalle.  Saw the floor brilliantly and made everybody around him better - not to mention he had a lot of ability defensively.

[onepost]

Jamil

I'll stick with my taking Rick's SLU program at the moment. One year later and not much improvement.

Just stop

[4everwarriors]

Win matta, hey?

[Goose]

onepostwarrior

Stop what?

[Zephyr820]

FWIW Butler is a decent team, if that means anything. Makes me wonder if I'd rather get beat by 20 at home to them or beat with a buzzer beater at home by DePaul like a few years ago. I would hope most would say the former.

Butler has a better Pomeroy than Seton Hall.  Its 22 to 30.  I think your expectations just didn't match the reality is all.

[MomofMUltiples]

1.  I absolutely agree that this game was absolute, complete and total suckage. Rowsey with 0 points? 11 Assists/21 TO's?  Just brutal.

2.  I missed the Xavier game (vacation, baby!).  From the score, it didn't look great.

3. I watched the Villanova game.  I thought they played well, especially the bench.  The 3 point loss was disappointing, because you can always think of a foul not called or a barely-missed basket (or 6)  that could have changed the course of the day.  But I didn't see many come on scoop and say the team was trash.

4.  They had a stinker of a game against Butler.  That's exactly what is was.  It happens sometimes.  I don't believe that loss defines this team or this season.  At the beginning of the season, we said, "We'll lose some we should win, and win some we shouldn't.  The losses I can think of that we should've won were Xavier (home), Butler (home) and possibly Villanova (home) - except that they are the #1 team in the country, so it's arguable that we shouldn't have won that one (and we didn't) .  We won that Providence away game that, during the game, we had no business winning.  Yet most will say we should've won "because it's Providence."  Screw That!  No Big East win is assured on the opponent's floor. 

5. Of our 9 season losses, 6 of them came to teams that are currently (or were at the time) in the top 10. 

6. As the announcers noted last night (one of the smarter things) that the toughest part of our schedule is behind us.  Not that we can be complacent - (see the last sentence in 4) - but 4 of them are against the three teams below us in the standings and 5 of them are in the bottom half of the BEast.    Win those.  Take one from Creighton, or another one from Seton Hall, and we dance.

7.  I might change my mind after the Providence game, but this season isn't done by a long shot.

[mileskishnish72]

Everybody seems to think that this team will get W's at GT & St. John's, apparently just because they are currently below us. Just a year ago today, MU got undressed by the Johnnies at MSG. I don't think we should be counting our chickens before we got eggs.

[DCHoopster]

I hate to say this but the Johnnies will be a load in New York.  Again, tough shooting guard that will take the midgets to the hoop.  Very athletic, but very lets say
stupid at times with the ball, reason there are 0-11.   They almost beat X this week.  Gtown never know, DePaul there should be a victory.  4-2 is what I see, bubble
team, will have to do something in New York.

[connie]

It isn't that simple.   Bench one of the two leading scorers in the Big East.    And bring back Derrick!

Excellent reminder.  How quick we are to forget the endless pages bemoaning a point guard that was practically useless in modern basketball because he couldn't score.

[onepost]

onepostwarrior

Stop what?

It's one bad game from a young, flawed team.  To think the Jordair Jett-led SLU team and that program 5 years ago is better off than we are now is ridiculous.
We're gonna be just fine.

[GooooMarquette]

It isn't that simple.   Bench one of the two leading scorers in the Big East.    And bring back Derrick!

He was much maligned, but a guy like Derrick could help this team a lot.  We needed scorers (and shooters) when he was here, but right now we need a guy with a solid handle who can get the ball to guys like Howard/Rowsey/Hauser on one end, and play good defense on the other.

It isn't just getting the best players...it's getting the right combination of players.

[willie warrior]

In year four of the Wojo era, never would I have thought that Virginia Tech would be in a better position from a program standpoint. They are once again looking like a solid tournament team. We are currently on the outside looking in. Crazy.

All the more reason that Wojo's ass needs to feel the heat. Some still think he is the man. His track record here is marginal. Now in about 7th lace in BEast.

[lawdog77]

If we were going to bring back a "non scoring" point guard, could it be Tony.Miller? He would lead the.nation in assists

[willie warrior]

Young Butler team? They played 2 seniors and a junior

What difference does that make. hey kicked our ass with a former UWM coach in his first year. Wojo is in his 4th. All his guys. The excuses need to stop.

[willie warrior]

Brian Wardle's Bradley team beat #1 MVC Loyola tonight at home to improve to 17-7.  Only good news for Marquette Basketball tonight.

Yeah, Wardle. he was not qualified last time, according to some here. We have Wojo who is the man. He can recruit, just can't coach defense, motivate players, except by "Win every day"

[willie warrior]

I was really impressed with the way Butler played defense.  It shows what happens when a team plays as a team.  When a Butler guys is defending his man he funnels him towards his teammate so the MU guy ends up driving into a double team without the 2nd guy having to give up his man.  Its all team defense.  On offense they move without the ball so they get into position for offensive rebounds or drop off.  MU guys simply stand around if the play isn't being run for them.
I was concerned when Wojo got here that his success at Duke was based on managing Super talent much more than insisting on team play and coaching schemes that hide weakness and make lesser players better.  I'm afraid that is what we're seeing.  MU simply doesn't play as a team and it shows up the most on defense because that is where team play is most important.  Butler does it MU doesn't and otherwise the teams are pretty evenly match as far as experience and talent level.

Butler owns Wojo.

[cheese ball chaser]

What difference does that make. hey kicked our ass with a former UWM coach in his first year. Wojo is in his 4th. All his guys. The excuses need to stop.

Again, as I mentioned above, it's not an excuse. I was merely refuting that Butler is a young team. Has nothing to do with MU.

[Floorslapper]

He was much maligned, but a guy like Derrick could help this team a lot.  We needed scorers (and shooters) when he was here, but right now we need a guy with a solid handle who can get the ball to guys like Howard/Rowsey/Hauser on one end, and play good defense on the other.

It isn't just getting the best players...it's getting the right combination of players.

Teal?

[tower912]

Mentioning Derrick was hyperbole.    However, Junior would tear it up on this team.   Tony Miller would average double digit assists.   Dominic James would be able to defend even at 5'9 and get to the rack with impunity with all of these shooter spread out. 

[GooooMarquette]

Teal?

Did you see the defense last night? No teal.

Yeah, I'd rather have Tony Miller or Junior Cadougan than Derrick. But when you see the defense we're playing right now, I'd also take Derrick back.

[Herman Cain]

Agree.  The one junk yard dog Wojo had landed - though Theo, Cain and Greg all have what it takes.

Sad thing is if the staff could have talked Traci into staying, but to redshirt THIS year, and come back next as the starting PG as a Junior, with Markus at the 2. 

Traci will be great at LaSalle.Saw the floor brilliantly and made everybody around him better - not to mention he had a lot of ability defensively.

I agree with this analysis.

[MU82]

Wow ... this thread has taken some turns.

Bring back Derrick ... We're still not as good as Saint Looie U ... joyless willie pining for Coach Wardle ... Traci Carter as the second coming of, who? Magic Dawson? ... Al Davis makes his return to torch the joynt ...

Adversity sure brings out the best of Scoop!

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

[Eldon]

Maybe it's Wojo who should be running midnight sprints?

[Eldon]

He was much maligned, but a guy like Derrick could help this team a lot.  We needed scorers (and shooters) when he was here, but right now we need a guy with a solid handle who can get the ball to guys like Howard/Rowsey/Hauser on one end, and play good defense on the other.

It isn't just getting the best players...it's getting the right combination of players.

IDK about about.  Do you not remember DWil frustratingly picking up his dribble eight feet in front of the 3pt line?