Markus > Zion

[Herman Cain]

Markus continues to prove he is worthy of National Player of the Year.

Zion is an impressive physical specimen but he has a huge safety net in that his team is loaded.

Markus needs to step up every game without the same type of supporting cast and yet he delivers big time.

So to my way of thinking Markus > Zion.

Discuss.

[LoudMouth]

Joey is a top 20 three point shooter and Sam is close to him. Also some of the best free throw shooters in conference/country. Big men down low that clean up any defensive mistakes. I’d say Markus has a damn good supporting cast

[Galway Eagle]

Yeah we need him every game. The goose egg in 3min vs Georgetown really helped us. Not slighting Markus only saying there's a solid cast around him

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Yeah we need him every game. The goose egg in 3min vs Georgetown really helped us. Not slighting Markus only saying there's a solid cast around him

We won a putrid slopfest against a very bad team. Dont get me wrong there was a beauty in it.  But unlike last night when Markus went out, Chartouney didnt show up and it was ugly.

[Galway Eagle]

We won a putrid slopfest against a very bad team. Dont get me wrong there was a beauty in it.  But unlike last night when Markus went out, Chartouney didnt show up and it was ugly.

putrid slopfest or not, a W is a W and Markus wasn't needed for it. The statement wasn't "we need him to win beautifully"

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

My only point is the supporting cast around Markus is solid but not great.  To the OPs point Duke goes into Georgetown without Zion n blows their doors off.

[moomoo]

My only point is the supporting cast around Markus is solid but not great.  To the OPs point Duke goes into Georgetown without Zion n blows their doors off.

Sam, Joey, and Theo are just “solid” at what they do?

Not sure about that.

[warriorfred]

I am not saying Sam, Joey, and Theo are NBA players.  But every one of them has a good chance of playing in the NBA.  That is a darn good "supporting cast."

I will allow that after the top 4, there is a drop-off compared to Duke (or Kentucky, Kansas, and other blue bloods), but that is to be expected at this point in the program's development.

[warriorfred]

But I do agree Markus is better than Zion.

[Galway Eagle]

I am not saying Sam, Joey, and Theo are NBA players.  But every one of them has a good chance of playing in the NBA.  That is a darn good "supporting cast."

I will allow that after the top 4, there is a drop-off compared to Duke (or Kentucky, Kansas, and other blue bloods), but that is to be expected at this point in the program's development.

Theo has zero shot of the NBA. He's like 6-9, that'd make him a PF in the NBA and not even a tall one. The days of back to the basket power forwards are long gone with the expectation being that you can stretch the floor. Theo is a good center for college basketball but not an NBA player in this era.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Theo has zero shot of the NBA. He's like 6-9, that'd make him a PF in the NBA and not even a tall one. The days of back to the basket power forwards are long gone with the expectation being that you can stretch the floor. Theo is a good center for college basketball but not an NBA player in this era.

I don’t agree with this.

[dgies9156]

Brother Hermie, let's not get carried away here!

I don't see enough basketball to compare POY candidates. I see enough to know Markus is someone special and the spark plug that fires our team. He arguably is in the same class as Butch Lee, DWade and the Dream in our history. And I'm a Codger Scooper -- I've seen 'em all.

Just don't think he's a POY but I hope I'm wrong.

[Galway Eagle]

I don’t agree with this.

What aspect? That he can't play center in the nba or that he can't play PF in the NBA or that you need to stretch the floor as a PF in the nba now?

[MU82]

A 6-9 guy with 2-foot shooting range? Theo might have had a chance to be an NBA team's 15th man 25 years ago, but not in today's league. I say that not to disparage Theo at all. College ball is filled with fine players who don't quite have the skill package necessary to play in the NBA. Hell, some top-5 draft picks can't make it. Markus might not make it. I am 99.9% sure that Theo won't make it.

As for the subject of this thread, POY is in great part hype-driven. And for all the pub Markus has received for his 53-point game and other big games, Zion is Zion. He had a leg up on POY before Duke Madness in October, and has done nothing but meet expectations for an outstanding team. Don't forget that the vote is taken before the tournament, too, so it's not as if a Kemba-like NCAA run could lift Markus further. Hard to imagine any player whose name begins with anything but Z winning the award.

[IrwinFletcher]

Markus has two things that will keep him from the NPOY.

ESPN and Duke.

Those are impossible things to overcome.  Zion had the hype back in November and Markus has just started getting some pub the last month.  Markus is on FS1 and Duke is on ESPN all the time.

If NCAA BB had an awards show for the NPOY like the Heisman, I think Markus would be invited to the Downtown Athletic Club, but Zion wrapped up the award with his 360 breakaway dunk a couple weeks back.

[MU82]

We won a putrid slopfest against a very bad team. Dont get me wrong there was a beauty in it.  But unlike last night when Markus went out, Chartouney didnt show up and it was ugly.

I don't think it was a putrid slopfest at all. We started poorly and Butler is a mediocre (to be kind) team, so it was 9-7 midway through the first half.

We started making shots and taking care of the ball, and the better team eventually turned it into a laugher. I came away impressed with one team, and it wasn't the putrid one.

[JakeBarnes]

I don't think it was a putrid slopfest at all. We started poorly and Butler is a mediocre (to be kind) team, so it was 9-7 midway through the first half.

We started making shots and taking care of the ball, and the better team eventually turned it into a laugher. I came away impressed with one team, and it wasn't the putrid one.

He referred to gtown game as a putrid slopfest. Not last night.

[lawdog77]

On a side note, all I can really say is...Oh Myron

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/woodenwatch013119/watch-ethan-happ

OK. I can also say Happ is on a torrid scoring pace over the last three games

[LAMUfan]

Theo has zero shot of the NBA. He's like 6-9, that'd make him a PF in the NBA and not even a tall one. The days of back to the basket power forwards are long gone with the expectation being that you can stretch the floor. Theo is a good center for college basketball but not an NBA player in this era.

If he can practice and hit a corner 3 he could play for 10 years.  Not saying that's gonna happen, but its not as crazy as it sounds, really all he would need to get drafted.

[MU82]

He referred to gtown game as a putrid slopfest. Not last night.

My bad.

Sand-Knit: My bad.

[Galway Eagle]

If he can practice and hit a corner 3 he could play for 10 years.  Not saying that's gonna happen, but its not as crazy as it sounds, really all he would need to get drafted.

would need to show the ability to put it on the floor and drive from the wing when that look isn't there, and guard a stretch 4 on the wing as well, I'm not saying it's impossible but I'd be willing to bet a fancy bottle of scotch or beer that it doesn't happen.

[tower912]

Zion has the hype machine.  Theo won't play in the league without a jump shot.

[MomofMUltiples]

On a side note, all I can really say is...Oh Myron

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/woodenwatch013119/watch-ethan-happ

The best he can say about Markus is that he’s scored over 23 points in his last four games?  Or maybe he won’t print Markus’s scoring average or FT average because both are higher than his “contenders.”

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Myron gonna Myron

[Schmidtyfactor]

I read this article and kept wondering if Benny wrote it pretending to be Myron.