At 2 am, after enough beers, it might be a pretty win

[BM1090]

Hey guys what happened in the handshake line?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Incredibly weak at the 2g spot as well

We have the 7th best starting 2g in the Big East, not great, but certainly manageable when you have top players at the other 4 positions.

[Its DJOver]

Hey guys what happened in the handshake line?

Last 20 seconds of this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGUTXDWS_yI

[BM1090]

Last 20 seconds of this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGUTXDWS_yI

Sorry, should have used teal. I think 10+ posters covered it.

[JakeBarnes]

Hey guys what happened in the handshake line?

Scoop was not consulted about the appropriate slapping of five techniques

[mug644]

I am most struck by the fact that the 5 starters played 32+ minutes, with Chartouny leading bench minutes with just 11. Coming into the season and anticipating so much depth, would anyone have guessed that a home game against DePaul would have such a short rotation? Not me.

[DoctorV]

If you wait up until 230am, with a few hot toddy's and plenty of beers, you can watch the new Greek freak Tsitsipas v Nadal in Aussieland!

I digress. Game wasn't pretty but I wouldn't say it was as ugly as others thought. I'll point out the defense in Strus, and the defense in general, which I thought was amazing.

How about one of the most improved Marquette players from one yr to the next changing the game on both ends of the floor and making huge clutch plays? I've only been watching since 2003 but who's improved more from one year to the next than Theo? Wade, Jae, and Vander come to mind but I'd say that Theo is the most unexpected by far.

Someone mentioned Markus' game was very 'odd' or 'different' today. I agree, he was definitely pointguard Markus tonight but again I don't think it was as brutal as most would claim. I thought he made some great passes that the Hausers missed wide open shots on and some others that were awesome passes and made shots (Joey from 3 and Theo in the post a few times stand out). We can't get on his case for hero ball and not give him his due for realizing (or being coached) that DePaul has tall/long guards and he can't be shooting contested 3s all game if they aren't there. He tried to do the right thing and at times he was great but at times he turned it over. If he cleans it up he goes from All American elite to short list for player of the yr next yr, yea I said it

This version of DePaul is tougher than past, but I really hope Marquette is ready for payback from last yr in Chicago in 2/12

[mug644]

My take is that Markus saw that Theo was aggressive and effective, and, more importantly, read that Scoop knows that the offense needs to run thru Theo more than it has, and so switched to PG mode and pushed the ball into Theo.

It seems that most of Markus' turnovers came when he was trying to get the ball inside to Theo.

Markus knew he couldn't easily get shots off against Cain's defense, and so tried hard to find others, especially Theo.

I like how Markus played tonight.

[WarriorFan]

I don't mind point Markus getting 23 points and 9 assists and looking to pass and get the others involved - this was good game planning because DePaul was always going to have the advantage at that slot today with a long experienced player who's an excellent defender guarding him.  But 8 TO's?  Holy crap that's horrible. 

Isn't it nice to rely on a big guy for some offense as well as good D?

Joe C had a nice contribution today.  If he can have 10-12 good minutes in every game from here on out I'd be very happy. 

Bailey and Cain were both average.  I'd think when teams are running us off the 3 point line these guys should be driving and dunking.

Hausers were Hausers, but Joey's TO's really hurt.  His half spin/back down move in the paint is too predictable.  That's the kind of move that works in High School but doesn't translate up a level. 

I'm starting to like ugly wins. 

By the way, I think Leito - against all odds both internally within DePaul, in a tough recruiting market, with no admin support, with very little student support - has done a great job.  They might never again be top 4 of the Beast, but they could be a strong middle team and a good rival going forward. 

[willie warrior]

Is Theo better know than Faisal was as a senior? Or at least close?

Better. But both were lousy ft shooters

[Class71]

12.  Markus was horrible with the ball tonight.  Any NBA talk should be put to rest for a while.

Seems to drive into trouble then looks for an outlet when it is too late. Also sometimes passes without anticipating the next move by the defense. Someone needs to work with him on anticipating better and recognizing his strategy needs to be adjusted against big defenders.. It will greatly improve an already great shooter.

[willie warrior]

Best moment of the game;
Struts getting his face/schnoz slammed

[CTWarrior]

He doesn't look healthy to me yet.  Still seems stiff and moved a little weird at times.  Maybe affecting his shot so decided to be more of a decoy/distributer?

I thought the same thing.

[goldeneagle91114]

Winning ugly is becoming the norm for these guys. And while it's great to be able to grid out wins, the only reason this one was close was our inability to take care of the ball. The winning mentality will help out big time come March, but I'd like to see the guys put together some high quality games to build on as we get deeper into conference play.

Sure, that's being a bit nit picky, but with a team this talented, we should have some big time wins at home where we click on all cylinders. I really thought we could do that tonight. I loved the effort tonight, especially from Theo, but playing this sloppy can't become a habit. Clean up a few things here and there, and in a few weeks, this team can be really scary.

The other piece to this equation is the fact that other teams are excited and dialed in when they play MU. Other Big East teams only get a shot to beat ranked teams when they play us and nova.This is something the team has never faced before and I think is a big reason for these grind out wins.

[tower912]

I agree that Markus doesn't look 100%.  Only 6 games in February.  Hopefully, he will get a chance to heal.

[hairy worthen]

I don't mind point Markus getting 23 points and 9 assists and looking to pass and get the others involved - this was good game planning because DePaul was always going to have the advantage at that slot today with a long experienced player who's an excellent defender guarding him.  But 8 TO's?  Holy crap that's horrible. 

Isn't it nice to rely on a big guy for some offense as well as good D?

Joe C had a nice contribution today.  If he can have 10-12 good minutes in every game from here on out I'd be very happy. 

Bailey and Cain were both average.  I'd think when teams are running us off the 3 point line these guys should be driving and dunking.

Hausers were Hausers, but Joey's TO's really hurt.  His half spin/back down move in the paint is too predictable.  That's the kind of move that works in High School but doesn't translate up a level. 

I'm starting to like ugly wins. 

By the way, I think Leito - against all odds both internally within DePaul, in a tough recruiting market, with no admin support, with very little student support - has done a great job.  They might never again be top 4 of the Beast, but they could be a strong middle team and a good rival going forward.

They can and should be a top 4 team in the big east. I do not know anything about the admin, but they have an excellent recruiting market and the student and community support would come with wins. They were once a top program in the country, there is no reason they can't be again and that would only be a positive for the Big East and MU.

[mu03eng]

Big East is a grind and they've played 7 games in 4 weeks with 3 on the road. Yes these are kids but it takes a toll, especially when Wojo has been playing them max minutes. February will bring more rest but tougher competition so we'll see how it shakes out but given this teams ability to win different ways and close out right games I like our chances for this to be a special regular season

[muwarrior69]

Is it me or are some of our turnovers, fouls, that are just not called. I caught only the second half and it looked to me like our guys were being mugged. Then there were calls where little contact if any were called. No wonder the players get frustrated with such inconsistent officiating.

Not just this game; did you see that abysmal call in the Saints/Rams game?

[warriorchick]

Best moment of the game;
Struts getting his face/schnoz slammed

Wow. You're a class act, Willie.

[jsglow]

I agree that Markus doesn't look 100%.  Only 6 games in February.  Hopefully, he will get a chance to heal.

And rest.  Our guys looked tired last night.  We've played a ton of games since Christmas.  Great that the schedule starts to lighten up even if the quality of opponents goes up.

Two big games in the next 7 days, then as you said, 6 total in February.

Big East is a grind and they've played 7 games in 4 weeks with 3 on the road. Yes these are kids but it takes a toll, especially when Wojo has been playing them max minutes. February will bring more rest but tougher competition so we'll see how it shakes out but given this teams ability to win different ways and close out right games I like our chances for this to be a special regular season

What eng said.   

[StillWarriors]

Way too many TOs obviously, but I didn't mind Markus's mindset at all. They were running two guys at him and he set up 4 or 5 wide open looks for Joey and Sam early that they missed. Could have opened a huge lead early with Markus barely shooting.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I thought that was the most engaged Howard has been on an "off night" in his entire career. Too many turnovers but he did a great job distributing.

DePaul has a nice team...hope they can squeeze into tournament consideration

[mu_hilltopper]

Leito appeared to be yelling at a ref. Wojo stood there for a second, and then stated to walk by. That's when Leito stopped and walked after Wojo.

Then Leito gave Wojo a neck massage.  For reals.

[mu03eng]

Another thing I would highlight from the DePaul game but it's been a recurring theme in the Big East play at least......the variety of defensive wrinkles Wojo has been throwing at other teams that I don't recall from previous seasons. The doubling of Strus when he got to the corners, the hard dives from the perimeters when Reed got the ball in the post, lots of variety and adjustment that has really impressed me this season. Last seasons it felt like it was straight up man or a reluctant 2-3 zone and that was about it.

[IrwinFletcher]

Against Seton Hall and DePaul we have had big leads at the half and let the opponent back in it to start the 2nd half.  Also seem to have some issues starting the game like we did last night.  Not sure what the issue is, but as the competition ramps up, need to have better starts.

You can rest guys a bit when you have 17 point leads with 3 minutes to go.  You can't do that in a tight game.