Raggedy ND

[tower912]

1.  That was a hard stretch to watch in the first half when ND was stripping MU on every possession.
2.  And it was a hard stretch to watch when MU quit running offense in the second half.
3.  Theo hurt my eyes and my heart.
4.  So did Chartouny.  Dumb foul.
5.  So...many... turnovers.  I sense intense coaching between now and Friday.
6.  Buffalo is coming to town.  Buffalo is coming  to town.  They'll beat you if you're sleeping, you'd better be awake.  Close game if you're bad or good, so be good for Wojos sake.
7.  The walk ons played.  Nuff said.

[nyg]

I can't believe a Div I school takes a ten hour bus ride and then back with a stop along the way.

MU had 8 turnovers and beat Wiskey.  Must do that against Buffalo.

Joe C push in the back foul was just down right dirty.  Have no clue why he did that, strange and sort of embarrassing. 

[IrwinFletcher]

1.  That was a hard stretch to watch in the first half when ND was stripping MU on every possession.
2.  And it was a hard stretch to watch when MU quit running offense in the second half.
3.  Theo hurt my eyes and my heart.
4.  So did Chartouny.  Dumb foul.
5.  So...many... turnovers.  I sense intense coaching between now and Friday.
6.  Buffalo is coming to town.  Buffalo is coming  to town.  They'll beat you if you're sleeping, you'd better be awake.  Close game if you're bad or good, so be good for Wojos sake.
7.  The walk ons played.  Nuff said.

Marquette beats a cupcake and covers the spread in doing so, yet we get 5-7 comments being negative.  Can we ever be happy?

[skianth16]

Marquette beats a cupcake and covers the spread in doing so, yet we get 5-7 comments being negative.  Can we ever be happy?

This was brought up in the game thread too. These games aren't supposed to just result in pats on the back for beating up on a bad team. They're meant to offer opportunities to improve on weaknesses and to polish up the things that are already pretty good. When we still have glaring turnover issues against this caliber of a team, it can't be ignored. Anyone paying attention knows Wojo will be harping on this for the next few days/weeks.

[Herman Cain]

I can't believe a Div I school takes a ten hour bus ride and then back with a stop along the way.

MU had 8 turnovers and beat Wiskey.  Must do that against Buffalo.

Joe C push in the back foul was just down right dirty.  Have no clue why he did that, strange and sort of embarrassing.

Probably banking more of the money from the two buy games . They figure it will be a road trip for the guys that beats sitting around airports.

[rocky_warrior]

This was brought up in the game thread too. These games aren't supposed to just result in pats on the back for beating up on a bad team. They're meant to offer opportunities to improve on weaknesses and to polish up the things that are already pretty good. When we still have glaring turnover issues against this caliber of a team, it can't be ignored. Anyone paying attention knows Wojo will be harping on this for the next few days/weeks.

Agreed.  And no doubt wojo will harp on turnovers, and on D even. 

But...I do like to look at what Kenpom predicted the game vs where it ended up (brew may tell me it's too early to trust kenpom).  Nonetheless, he was predicting a 83-62 win.  Since we ended at 92-66, it generally means the O was better (+9) than expected, and the D was slightly worse (+4) than expected. Though that was based on a predicted 71 possession game.  I'm guessing it went a couple over that.  Edit: 81 instead.  Which probably means our D exceeded, and the O slightly under-achieved.   Nonetheless, clean up the 22 turnovers, and we're probably closer to the 71 poss. mark.

Some of it was rust though.  Hopefully a lot, probably just a little.

[Marcus92]

Happy with a 29-point win. That's 28 more points than you need.

On the plus side, MU played good defense overall, dominated the boards and shot the lights out (60.5% on 2-pointers, 55.0% beyond the arc).

But during the first 10 minutes of the game, Marquette looked like it was rushing too much. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, they looked like they were sleepwalking. And way too many turnovers; 14 might be okay for a entire game, not for a half.

I expect a better game against Buffalo. We'll need it.

[🏀]

Happy with a 29-point win. That's 28 more points than you need.

On the plus side, MU played good defense overall, dominated the boards and shot the lights out (60.5% on 2-pointers, 55.0% beyond the arc).

But during the first 10 minutes of the game, Marquette looked like it was rushing too much. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, they looked like they were sleepwalking. And way too many turnovers; 14 might be okay for a entire game, not for a half.

I expect a better game against Buffalo. We'll need it.

Some of us teased it to 20 points needed in a parlay.

[MUEng92]

HA! I just got it. Raggedy ND. Ha!

[🏀]

HA! I just got it. Raggedy ND. Ha!

Treat yourself.

[Marcus92]

If you're grading on a curve, with an average performance (winning by the predicted 20-point margin) earning a C, I'd give MU a C+ tonight. The first 10 minutes of the game were a D at best. Give ND some credit for clogging up the lane, but Marquette was overly aggressive on offense and far too careless with the ball.

[MU82]

Cut down the turnovers, and the Warriors win by 40 or more.

Correctable. We've got this.

Otherwise, the main thing I took from the game was how nice it was to see 3s falling for Sam and Markus again. Liked seeing Morrow make an impact again, too.

[brewcity77]

But...I do like to look at what Kenpom predicted the game vs where it ended up (brew may tell me it's too early to trust kenpom).  Nonetheless, he was predicting a 83-62 win.  Since we ended at 92-66, it generally means the O was better (+9) than expected, and the D was slightly worse (+4) than expected.

It's just about there. Mid-January is when it's fully accurate, but at this point it's far more reliable than November and early December. As a tool, it makes more sense to look at the aggregate rankings now and not just the four factors (though the four factors are admittedly still more accurate).

[MU82]

After going 0-for-8 from downtown vs K-State and UTEP, Sam is 7-for-11 the last two games. Offense needs him!

Meanwhile, Markus had only his second game this season in which he made at least half of his 3s.

I know we're not really a 3-point shooting team any more, at least not the way we were the last couple of years, but it sure makes life easier when our best shooters shoot the best!

[1SE]

10 minutes to get off 10 days of rust and then cruise control against a sponge cake. Happy to see a big night by Ed despite the TOs, even against a cupcake (he wasn't doing that to cupcakes early in the season). Also like to see minutes and stat-stuffers from Joey and JC.

Big test Friday. Win and we put ourselves in position for a very nice seed if we can take care of business (1st or 2nd) in conference. Let's go Marquette!

[muwarrior69]

10 minutes to get off 10 days of rust and then cruise control against a sponge cake. Happy to see a big night by Ed despite the TOs, even against a cupcake (he wasn't doing that to cupcakes early in the season). Also like to see minutes and stat-stuffers from Joey and JC.

Big test Friday. Win and we put ourselves in position for a very nice seed if we can take care of business (1st or 2nd) in conference. Let's go Marquette!

Yeah! The team got an A on the Rust and Turnover finals last week.

[tower912]

I was very happy.    MU did what it was supposed to do
1.   Markus was efficient.
2.  Sam was efficient
3.   Ed was efficient. 
4.   Joe H stuffed the stat sheet.
5.   Brendan had a couple nice baskets
6.  Jamal had a couple of nice baskets
7.   Theo and Markus were able to play after briefly scary moments. 
8.   Held another opponent in the low 60's.   
9.    Yay

[tower912]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401083251

Box.   

[BCHoopster]

Sacar has to become more consistent for this team to take the next step.  2 points just does not hack it.  He will have to bring his A game to the Buffalo game.  He
will play big minutes next game as he will need to guard there best player.

[skianth16]

Sacar has to become more consistent for this team to take the next step.  2 points just does not hack it.  He will have to bring his A game to the Buffalo game.  He
will play big minutes next game as he will need to guard there best player.

It's more than just Sacar at this point. Outside of Markus, Joey, and Sam, we've seen a lot of ups and downs so far. Ed seems to be carving out his role, and Chartouny is looking more comfortable, so we're getting there. But more consistency from the role player types could help us continue to improve as a team.

[tower912]

HA! I just got it. Raggedy ND. Ha!

Have to say it out loud.   

[Otule's Glass Eye]

We've won 6 games in a row, 3 of them vs high quality opponents after losing by less than 10 to the undefeated #1 team in the country, playing probably the best consistent basketball we've played since 2013. No room for me to complain 

[Benny B]

Have to say it out loud.   

Tower... do you come up with these thread titles before the game and simply select the most apropos afterwards?  Or are truly being inspired by the game?

[barfolomew]

Tower... do you come up with these thread titles before the game and simply select the most apropos afterwards?  Or are truly being inspired by the game?

Respect the process.
Oh, sorry: #.

[MU82]

Sacar has to become more consistent for this team to take the next step.  2 points just does not hack it.  He will have to bring his A game to the Buffalo game.  He
will play big minutes next game as he will need to guard there best player.

Sacar has to do his job. Play great D, grab some boards, take care of the basketball. If he has a big offensive night, as he occasionally does, it's a very nice bonus.

We will almost always be Markus and Sam, and then get whatever we can from whichever role players are contributing offensively on any given night.

Look around college hoops and the NBA, and that's pretty normal. Your stars need to shine, and your role players need to do their jobs.