(Stopping the) Running of the Bulls

[wadesworld]

1. Game plan was great early: use the Sam mismatch to get easy looks. Kept us in it early with Markus struggling.

2. Absolutely loved the effort tonight. We kept our resolve early down 9-10 and hustled constantly.

3. Theo was a monster tonight. Very nice defensive awareness, a few of those blocks were due to him leaving his man and attacking the drive

4. Cain wasn't flawless but he did what he needed to. It's gotta be tough going from garbage minutes to big minutes in a big game. I appreciated his performance tonight.

5. The pull up 3 from Joe was a ballsy shot, glad it went in. The confidence surprised me

6. Markus. Not much else to say. He's added a shot to his arsenal every year. I think this year is the shallow bank on the drive. Weird angle, tough shot

You do realize this game was played 2 nights ago, right?

[rocket surgeon]

You do realize this game was played 2 nights ago, right?

  hey, sometimes things run a little slower than usual

[real chili 83]

Rewatching game now. 

[Archies Bat]

Rewatching game now. 

I sat down to rewatch yesterday.  At about the 10 minute mark of the second half, I realized I did not hit the "extend 30minutes for sporting event" option, and missed the last 8 minutes or so!

[YoungMUFan4]

I sat down to rewatch yesterday.  At about the 10 minute mark of the second half, I realized I did not hit the "extend 30minutes for sporting event" option, and missed the last 8 minutes or so!

Full game link here:
https://youtu.be/tsroNL6pv0o

[Archies Bat]

Full game link here:
https://youtu.be/tsroNL6pv0o

Thank you.

[DoggyDaddy]

1. 40 points in a half. After sucking in the first half. A-freakin'-mazing.

2. Markus' second half was the most impressive thing in the game. Duh. But a close second: How well the rest of the team did when Markus was stinking up the joint in the first half.

3. Here's the Buffalo News quickie lead:

MILWAUKEE -- The University at Buffalo finally ran into a guard it could not lock up Friday night.

Marquette point guard Markus Howard scored 45 points in leading the 20th-ranked Golden Eagles to a 103-85 victory over the 14th-ranked Bulls. Howard scored 40 of his points after halftime.

Howard, a 5-foot-11 junior, was averaging 23.2 points a game. He's the preseason favorite for Big East player of the year. Perimeter defense is a big strength of the Bulls, but Howard's quick release was too tough for UB.

That's the thing. Buffalo is a good defensive team that has not let good shooters get going all season.

4. Also only 1 TO in the second half after 5 in the first half.

5. Loved hearing Bardo rave about our defense.

6. The narrative that it was time for Theo to sit down and cede the position to the more experienced Morrow ... buh-bye. As usual, Wojo has a very nice feel for how to manage the 5 position; even when he was learning on the fly earlier in his head-coaching career, he had a nice feel there. Go with the most effective man on any given night. Great job, Theo. Great job, Wojo. And for that matter ... great job, Ed. He didn't do anything bad to have minutes taken away. He was good when he was in there. But Theo played extraordinarily well against a tough, veteran team.

7. Really liked what we got from Cain, and really liked how Wojo managed the wing minutes, too.

8. Except for the 2 fouls at the start of the second half, very smart and efficient game from Sam. Hit some big 3s when we needed them after he came back into the game.

9. Very, very entertaining game. Watching on TV, our crowd sounded loud and into it.

10. JCS with a nice game. Hit a huge shot-clock 3, made another 3, really helped the team in the first half when Markus was either stinking or in foul trouble (or both).

11. The Warrior Eagles have already exceeded my expectations, as I predicted 10-3 in NC. (Yes, I'm assuming win over Southern; shoot me.) Sky's the limit for this team. We have a lot of ways to beat opponents.

12. I wish the BEast season started in 3 or 4 days! Looking forward to taking down the Johnnies.

The term Warrior Eagles, point 11, has a nice ring to it. Applies well to the defense and rebounding on display by this MU team. Theo is a definite Warrior Eagle; so is Ed.   

[MUfan12]

Full game link here:
https://youtu.be/tsroNL6pv0o

Outside of the Nova win, probably the most fun I've had at a game in years. Not just the Markus show, but the Hausers hitting huge threes, Theo sending shots away, so much fun.

[Floorslapper]

He made a sweet block immediately after the bad TO that must have spared him the hook. Was really happy for him to have a solid game and see some shots fall. He does seem to have butter fingers at times lately, which leads to some of his TOs. Strange. Crazy how that stuff seems to happen when someone loses confidence. Hopefully he got some back last night.

Was really happy to see Wojo not hook Cain after the turnover.  Cain did get the quick hook a few times earlier this season, which then led to his essential benching after Louisville game.

Cain has always played hard.  If he'd gotten the quick hook against Buffalo, never would have seen the rest of his production for the game.  He's a talented kid, does need to get stronger, more sure handed with the ball - but hope to continue to see him get a little "grace" after mistakes.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Was really happy to see Wojo not hook Cain after the turnover.  Cain did get the quick hook a few times earlier this season, which then led to his essential benching after Louisville game.

Cain has always played hard.  If he'd gotten the quick hook against Buffalo, never would have seen the rest of his production for the game.  He's a talented kid, does need to get stronger, more sure handed with the ball - but hope to continue to see him get a little "grace" after mistakes.

Cain earned that lack of a hook. Followed the turnover by not sulking but hustling back and making a huge block at the other end. That's the kind of thing that earns you more playing time.

[Herman Cain]

Cain earned that lack of a hook. Followed the turnover by not sulking but hustling back and making a huge block at the other end. That's the kind of thing that earns you more playing time.

That play may possibly have changed the trajectory of his participation this year .

[Floorslapper]

Cain earned that lack of a hook. Followed the turnover by not sulking but hustling back and making a huge block at the other end. That's the kind of thing that earns you more playing time.

I've never seen Cain sulk/not hustle. You could make that argument with JJJ on occasion, but not Cain IMO.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I've never seen Cain sulk/not hustle. You could make that argument with JJJ on occasion, but not Cain IMO.

Did I say he did? I said he didn't and went down and made a big play

[wadesworld]

I don't think Cain was ever in the "doghouse." Just like I don't think Bailey was in The "doghouse" Friday. I think Bailey was playing better basketball than Cain the previous handful of games. And Cain played much better against Buffalo. Cain was frankly pretty bad early in the season. Hopefully Buffalo was a season turning game for him.

[mu03eng]

Cain had a quick hook because he would make a mistake and then compound it by making another because he was trying too hard to make up for the first. Wojo has had the same hook for Chartouney at times but not as frequently because we simply dont have many options at then1/2.

In the Buffalo game, Jamal had a lot more "shrug it off" to his game than hes had before and Wojo let him play as a result. I've been there, it's tough on you but its smart coaching.

[Floorslapper]

Did I say he did? I said he didn't and went down and made a big play

Cain has never sulked or not hustled after a bad play/turnover, and he's been pulled - after just one turnover.  Playing hard isn't enough to avoid the quick hook.  I recall only one game where he got to play to a second turnover without being pulled immediately after the first turnover - and that was L'ville game.  (And then he never came back in the game.)

Glad Wojo let him ride out that first turnover against Buffalo.  Helps a kid's confidence to give him a little slack - and as Wojo said in post-game, Jamal has kept a good attitude through going from starter to seeing scrub time in the 5 games preceding Buffalo.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Cain has never sulked or not hustled after a bad play/turnover, and he's been pulled - after just one turnover.  Playing hard isn't enough to avoid the quick hook.  I recall only one game where he got to play to a second turnover without being pulled immediately after the first turnover - and that was L'ville game.  (And then he never came back in the game.)

Glad Wojo let him ride out that first turnover against Buffalo.  Helps a kid's confidence to give him a little slack - and as Wojo said in post-game, Jamal has kept a good attitude through going from starter to seeing scrub time in the 5 games preceding Buffalo.

This isn't true. There have been other times that Cain has played past a turnover or bad play. And again, no one said Cain has sulked in the past. But I can't think of a time when he followed up a bad play with such a good one. That's how you earn more playing time. By making good plays.

[Herman Cain]

Cain has never sulked or not hustled after a bad play/turnover, and he's been pulled - after just one turnover.  Playing hard isn't enough to avoid the quick hook.  I recall only one game where he got to play to a second turnover without being pulled immediately after the first turnover - and that was L'ville game.  (And then he never came back in the game.)

Glad Wojo let him ride out that first turnover against Buffalo.  Helps a kid's confidence to give him a little slack - and as Wojo said in post-game, Jamal has kept a good attitude through going from starter to seeing scrub time in the 5 games preceding Buffalo.

I think the play Jamal made blocking the shot after his turnover may be a season changer for him. Showed the heart he has and he got some good run after that.  We are going to need Jamal to be at the level of play he was last year during our tough conference season  when we face teams in conference with very athletic wings like Alpha Diallo etc

[Floorslapper]

This isn't true. There have been other times that Cain has played past a turnover or bad play. And again, no one said Cain has sulked in the past. But I can't think of a time when he followed up a bad play with such a good one. That's how you earn more playing time. By making good plays.

Well, considering Jamal only has 2, multiple turnover games (3 against Kansas and 2 against L'ville, which he was permanently hooked thereafter), not sure how many "bad plays" Jamal has been allowed to play through.


Pretty hard to always make an immediate great play after you make a mistake.  Just so happened to work out against Buffalo...and as a result we got some good production from Jamal and he got a boost to his confidence.

You need playing time to make some plays TAMU, and quite frankly none of Bailey or Sacar have been all that good this season either.  Someone needs to step up and fill that wing role.  I've been surprised Sacar hasn't taken a bigger step forward this season, thus far.

[Floorslapper]

I think the play Jamal made blocking the shot after his turnover may be a season changer for him. Showed the heart he has and he got some good run after that.  We are going to need Jamal to be at the level of play he was last year during our tough conference season  when we face teams in conference with very athletic wings like Alpha Diallo etc

Agree Herm.  Merry Christmas.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Well, considering Jamal only has 2, multiple turnover games (3 against Kansas and 2 against L'ville, which he was permanently hooked thereafter), not sure how many "bad plays" Jamal has been allowed to play through.


Pretty hard to always make an immediate great play after you make a mistake.  Just so happened to work out against Buffalo...and as a result we got some good production from Jamal and he got a boost to his confidence.

You need playing time to make some plays TAMU, and quite frankly none of Bailey or Sacar have been all that good this season either.  Someone needs to step up and fill that wing role.  I've been surprised Sacar hasn't taken a bigger step forward this season, thus far.

Turnovers aren't the only kind of bad play. Honestly, turnovers aren't Jamal's main issue, it's getting lost on defense.

Cain got plenty of playing time and worked his way to the back of the bench along with Bailey. When you put yourself there you earn more by making good plays (and avoiding bad ones) in the minutes you get. Simple as that. Sacar may be struggling on O but his defense has been stellar.

Jamal is a great player, has more upside than possibly any one else on this team. I could see him being like a Dwight Buycks situation where nobody has him on their NBA radars but after a few years out of college suddenly gets a few cups of coffee or maybe more. That's one of the reasons I advocated for him to be redshirtted this season. I want to see him reach that upside while he's still at Marquette, not playing overseas somewhere.

[fjm]

Turnovers aren't the only kind of bad play. Honestly, turnovers aren't Jamal's main issue, it's getting lost on defense.

Cain got plenty of playing time and worked his way to the back of the bench along with Bailey. When you put yourself there you earn more by making good plays (and avoiding bad ones) in the minutes you get. Simple as that. Sacar may be struggling on O but his defense has been stellar.

Jamal is a great player, has more upside than possibly any one else on this team. I could see him being like a Dwight Buycks situation where nobody has him on their NBA radars but after a few years out of college suddenly gets a few cups of coffee or maybe more. That's one of the reasons I advocated for him to be redshirtted this season. I want to see him reach that upside while he's still at Marquette, not playing overseas somewhere.

Ding ding ding.

Jamal has had a few funky TO's this season. But I have been at every home game. And watched every other game in tv. The amount of times I have seen Jamal's guy going in for a layup or dunk or being wide open has to be over 10. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but it is glaringly obvious.

Floorslap: I agree Sacar needs a bigger role on O. But I would say he is easily been great on D given he has the hardest assignment every game.

And bailey has been pretty solid on D as well. But boy he needs some confidence behind his shot.

[Floorslapper]

Turnovers aren't the only kind of bad play. Honestly, turnovers aren't Jamal's main issue, it's getting lost on defense.

Cain got plenty of playing time and worked his way to the back of the bench along with Bailey. When you put yourself there you earn more by making good plays (and avoiding bad ones) in the minutes you get. Simple as that. Sacar may be struggling on O but his defense has been stellar.

Jamal is a great player, has more upside than possibly any one else on this team. I could see him being like a Dwight Buycks situation where nobody has him on their NBA radars but after a few years out of college suddenly gets a few cups of coffee or maybe more. That's one of the reasons I advocated for him to be redshirtted this season. I want to see him reach that upside while he's still at Marquette, not playing overseas somewhere.

Guess I'm not seeing the same things you are while watching Cain...as I don't routinely see his guy getting buckets and Jamal playing poor D.  Jamal tends to be a great help defender with his length, so need to pay attention to that as well.

Do you have the Synergy numbers on D this season for D-rating?  Sacar is probably the best defender of he, Cain and Bailey.  Bailey has been abysmal on the O-end with his 33.8 eFG, but he doesn't turn it over (usually because he either shoots immediately upon getting the ball, or passes it off - rarely puts ball on the deck.)  Bailey reminds me of Cohen, yet Sandy seemed to be a slightly better athlete.

[wadesworld]

It's pretty simple.  30+ MPG are going to be taken up at the 1, 3, 4, and 5 spots with Markus (1), Sam (3), Joey (4) and whichever of Theo/Ed is playing the best/out of foul trouble (5).  So that pretty much means Cain's playing time comes at the 2, where he's competing for minutes with Chartouney (who can play the 1, but moves Markus over to the 2), Sacar, and Bailey.  Wojo is going to give Sacar the biggest chance to stay on the court because Sacar is our best (or second, if you want to say Chartouney is our best) perimeter defender and he's held that spot for the past year and a half.  And you pretty consistently know what you're getting from Sacar on a nightly basis.

Quite frankly Cain is not one of the five best players on the roster, and he won't be this season.  Nothing wrong with that, but for anyone to think Wojo is misusing Cain and not giving him a fair shake is beyond silly.  If Cain comes in and is playing great defense and hitting a couple shots without turning the ball over, Wojo's going to ride him a bit more.  If Cain comes in and gets beat on a back door cut and then turns the ball over, Wojo's going to yank him.  There are players behind Cain that can come in and produce just as well as him or better if Cain is not playing well.  There aren't players behind Markus or Sam or Joey who can produce better than them if they make a couple of bad plays in a row.

It'd be like asking why Wojo yanks Matt Heldt so quickly if he gets beat defensively and crying that Matt never got a chance to get into an offensive rhythm.  Well, Wojo yanks Matt Heldt quickly because Matt's job is to play good defense and maybe get a couple rebounds.  Anything more than that is gravy.  But if Matt isn't doing that then there are guys waiting on the bench who will do that.  Same with Jamal.

Just because a guy can jump really high doesn't mean he has this infinite ceiling, or that he just needs to be on the court long enough to find a rhythm.  The highest ceilings on this team are clearly Markus, Sam, and Joey.  Markus will be an All American, maybe a 2 time All American, and might get some time in the NBA.  Sam and Joey will play in the NBA.  Cain will never come close to being an All American or in the NBA.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  I love Cain and the difference between this year and years past is that Wojo has been able to keep his secondary players in the program.  To be a successful team you need guys around for the long haul that are never superstars.

But the fact of the matter is when you're not one of the 4 or 5 best players on the team and you aren't performing on the court, you're going to go to the bench in a 40 minute game of basketball.  That's what Jamal is.  Thankfully he seems to understand and accept that rather than pout and look for greener grass.

[MU82]

Turnovers aren't the only kind of bad play. Honestly, turnovers aren't Jamal's main issue, it's getting lost on defense.

Cain got plenty of playing time and worked his way to the back of the bench along with Bailey. When you put yourself there you earn more by making good plays (and avoiding bad ones) in the minutes you get. Simple as that. Sacar may be struggling on O but his defense has been stellar.

Jamal is a great player, has more upside than possibly any one else on this team. I could see him being like a Dwight Buycks situation where nobody has him on their NBA radars but after a few years out of college suddenly gets a few cups of coffee or maybe more. That's one of the reasons I advocated for him to be redshirtted this season. I want to see him reach that upside while he's still at Marquette, not playing overseas somewhere.

Yep.

Ners appears to be setting up Cain as this year's version of Dawson or Tracy: the rotation player whose lack of playing time "proves" that Wojo can't coach.