Blue Jay Way

[tower912]

This is why he needed to play off the ball more yesterday which gets back to my point that JC needed more minutes. In no way am I saying JC is the answer to our problems, or playing him more in every matchup is appropriate, but yesterday I think it would have been the right move

JC?    Joe Chartouny or Jamal Cain?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

We have gone away from the pick and pop with Sam and Markus, and I'm not sure if it's a defensive adjustment or an issue with Markus not giving the ball up. That used to be a great play to get Sam open.

Teams double Markus off the screen and he puts his head down and dribbles away from the screen. Is it height that isn't allowing him to make that pass? Or is he trying too much to find his shot on that play?

They ran the pick and pop play repeatedly last night. Creighton covered it well. They either hedged so aggressively that there was no clean pass or they had a man in Hauser's grill.

[NickelDimer]

JC?    Joe Chartouny or Jamal Cain?

Sorry, Chartouny

[WolfganghisKhan]

We need to stop running the P&R with the 5 spot. It plays right into the defenses hands allowing the center to double Markus.

[The Sultan]

We need to stop running the P&R with the 5 spot. It plays right into the defenses hands allowing the center to double Markus.

I had that thought as well.  I think the theory is that Markus should be able to get around the pick from a big guy and cause some mismatches, but I think Creighton did a much better job of using a mobile big to guard the post versus a slower center.  But yeah I think this was a problem yesterday. 

I almost wonder if a five-out type offense wouldn't work in a situation like yesterday.  Make teams guard more on the perimeter versus a cutting post that isn't much of a threat.

[tower912]

I had that thought as well.  I think the theory is that Markus should be able to get around the pick from a big guy and cause some mismatches, but I think Creighton did a much better job of using a mobile big to guard the post versus a slower center.  But yeah I think this was a problem yesterday. 

I almost wonder if a five-out type offense wouldn't work in a situation like yesterday.  Make teams guard more on the perimeter versus a cutting post that isn't much of a threat.

I was thinking about that also.   I was muttering 'go small' and my 12 year old wondered what I meant.   I explained that with the defensive pressure being extended and Krampelj (sp?) on the bench, that MU should go with a line up of Markus, Sacar, and some combination of Hauser, Hauser, Bailey, and Cain in order to have more ball handlers and speed on the floor instead of having a true post in the game.   

[Dr. Blackheart]

MU has stopped going to the 5s on offense for the most part but Wojo started to go there to start the 2nd and MUs lead grew.  Then MU forgot about it again and Turnover City presented itself. 

Last four games:  15, 15, 18, 22 on the turnovers. MU has been scouted.

[leever]

My blue and gold brain tells me that this team could still win a few in the tournament, but my gut tells me that if we're really a 20 turnover team we may have exactly 4 games left.

[Warrior2008]

I was thinking about that also.   I was muttering 'go small' and my 12 year old wondered what I meant.   I explained that with the defensive pressure being extended and Krampelj (sp?) on the bench, that MU should go with a line up of Markus, Sacar, and some combination of Hauser, Hauser, Bailey, and Cain in order to have more ball handlers and speed on the floor instead of having a true post in the game.

At the very least, have either of the Hausers be the screener on the PnR rather than our big.  Our 5's are not a threat when the ball screen is being set 30 feet from the basket.  Doing so literally played right into Creighton's plan to blitz Markus on every ball screen.  Eventually Markus stopped accepting the screen and went the opposite way which led to some easier buckets, but the PnR offense yesterday was brutal.

The other thing, and I don't want this to be a knock on Markus, but he has to at least be a threat to pass out of the ball screen.  Teams are going to keep holding the double longer on him until he's willing to move the ball.

[MU82]

Pure speculation here but.you wonder if some of these guys just went "oh its Creighton and it's at 2pm at home" and so.they just went out and got crap faced the night before and were sluggish because of it

I'm pretty sure they all shot up heroin and banged hookers all night. I mean, what else could possibly explain 22 turnovers? Besides, it was so easy beating Creighton the first time that who could blame them for thinking this one was in the bag?

[Marcus92]

Agree with every single one of your points, Tower. Great post-game post. I'd add just one thing: it was surprising that Marquette didn't seem to make any adjustments during the second half.

We saw the aggressive trapping and double-teaming throughout the first 20 minutes. But I didn't notice any change in how we attacked the defense. If anything, Creighton's defense was even more effective in the second half. (MU scored 33 before the break and just 27 after.)

22 turnovers is a shocking number. So is 40 turnovers over the past 2 games. If that trend doesn't change, and soon, our season could be a lot shorter than we've come to expect.

[SaveOD238]

My blue and gold brain tells me that this team could still win a few in the tournament, but my gut tells me that if we're really a 20 turnover team we may have exactly 4 games left.

It helps that in the NCAAs we wont be going against teams we have already seen. 

[GooooMarquette]

I'm pretty sure they all shot up heroin and banged hookers all night. I mean, what else could possibly explain 22 turnovers? Besides, it was so easy beating Creighton the first time that who could blame them for thinking this one was in the bag?

Is that covered by their scholarships?

[barfolomew]

At the 54.3 eFG% Marquette shot yesterday, they win the game if they have even a horrific 16 turnovers, instead of an abysmal 22.

Why can't Wojo recruit players who value the basketball?
It's like he traded in the ice cream truck for a bakery specializing in... turnovers.

/I'll show myself out

[Cheeks]

If you would have told me we hold Creighton to that level shooting and under 70 points, we win that game.  I would have taken that point total and shooting percentage before the game in a heartbeat.

[Marcus92]

If you would have told me we hold Creighton to that level shooting and under 70 points, we win that game.  I would have taken that point total and shooting percentage before the game in a heartbeat.

Wojo said almost exactly the same thing in his post-game press conference.

[HowardsWorld]

I would say even with the 22 turnovers if 4 of them weren't out at mid court we win the game. How many times was the ball stolen when the other 4 guys from my were past the three point line leaving no one to help on defense. I must have seen a steal for a layup at  least 5 times yesterday and a few on consecutive possessions. Even with all the turnovers the game was lost when we were up 54-50 and Joey turned the ball over 3 times in 1 min 30 seconds.

[leever]

Is that covered by their scholarships?

Hookers was covered at Louisville for awhile.  Not sure about heroin.

[Lennys Tap]

It helps that in the NCAAs we wont be going against teams we have already seen.

How does that benefit us more than it benefits the team were playing? Makes zero sense.

[MU82]

Hookers was covered at Louisville for awhile.  Not sure about heroin.

It was kind of a take on one of my all-time favorite lines:

"I spent half the money on hookers and blow. The rest, I wasted."

[WarriorHal]

Even with all the turnovers the game was lost when we were up 54-50 and Joey turned the ball over 3 times in 1 min 30 seconds.

Gave up a 16-6 run at that point to end the game, including a meaningless three pointer by Bailey in the last few seconds. Very similar to the 12-1 run by 'Nova to close out that loss.

[vogue65]

It helps that in the NCAAs we wont be going against teams we have already seen.

There is a book on our team, everyone knows how to play us.  Time for a new look, some new plays, some creativity.  Unless this is all just practice for next year.
St. JOHNS wrote the book on us, others are following. 

We are not turning the ball over, they are causing us to turn the ball over.   

[WarriorDad]

You break easily

Your comments about tarnishing the family name were repulsive.

[GooooMarquette]

There is a book on our team, everyone knows how to play us.  Time for a new look, some new plays, some creativity.  Unless this is all just practice for next year.
St. JOHNS wrote the book on us, others are following. 

We are not turning the ball over, they are causing us to turn the ball over.

After St. John's wrote the first chapter of this "book" you speak of, we went on an 8-game winning streak. After they wrote the second chapter, we went on a 4-game winning streak.

We simply played poor basketball on Sunday....

[The Sultan]

After St. John's wrote the first chapter of this "book" you speak of, we went on an 8-game winning streak. After they wrote the second chapter, we went on a 4-game winning streak.

Not only that, but the way we lost to SJU (shooting like sh*t) was a lot different than how we lost against Creighton (turnovers)