Observations from the season opener:
Markus in God mode
When he's feeling it like he was tonight, Markus is practically unguardable. This one was over almost as soon as it began. MU opened with a 21-0 run -- highlighted by Markus scoring 18 points in just over 6 minutes. Simply incredible.
Theo in God mode
Mr. John set a new career high with 8 blocked shots. A dominant defensive performance, including 8 rebounds and only 2 fouls in 21 minutes. Had a couple nice pick and rolls for dunks in the second half, as well.
Team defense in God mode
Marquette allowed just 6 points in the first 14 minutes of play and held Loyola to 15 in the first half. The Greyhounds were 4-25 (16.0%) on 2-point field goals and 2-12 (16.7%) from beyond the arc. MU finished the game holding Loyola to 0.70 points per possession, the team's most dominant defensive performance since UMBC last season. Watching Marquette make its opponent play ugly is a thing of beauty.
Oh my God, the turnovers
Some incredibly sloppy play on the offensive end -- 12 turnovers in the first half alone and 21 for the game. Wojo's head looked like it was going to explode. Markus, Sacar and Symir had 4 apiece, while Koby and Brendan added 3 each. Not good. Against any decent team, that's digging yourself a hole you may not be able to get out of.
What else?
Koby looked frustrated a couple times after missing shots or getting called for a touch foul. But he still scored 11 points (including three 3-pointers), grabbed 6 boards, dished a couple assists and played tough D.
Jamal played 24 minutes and looked pretty good. Strong defense and rebounding as usual -- including 2 blocks -- along with a couple driving assists and a made three. Hopefully a game like this is a confidence-builder for him.
Brendan was forcing things on offense, just didn't look like he was in the rhythm of the game to me. Had a number of nice passes, though.
Ed seems like the ultimate glue guy. Comes off the bench with a ton of energy, plays hard at both ends and takes advantage of the few offensive opportunities he gets (146 ORtg tonight).
Greg looked like he was much closer to full-speed than he did during the last practice I saw him at. Only played 16 minutes but was effective on both ends.
Dexter was in street clothes.
