I'm sold

[CountryRoads]

Shaka tying the school record for most Top 25 wins with his 6th tonight.  Wanted to repeat this in this thread.  Incredible coaching job.  We outrebounded Nova tonight 35-27.

What's great is we can play better..still quite a few careless/unforced turnovers.  I think we will see more minutes for Kam and Joplin, less for Elliott down the stretch.

What season was it? I'm guessing the other season had a few post season wins included in there also.

Looks like we have one more shot at a ranked team before the post season.

[MuggsyB]

Agreed, it's a balanced league but I honestly think MU is the best team. It'd be good for MU if Providence made up their 3 Q1 games that were cancelled as far as the regular season goes. I think MU has the best chance to make the S16 of any of the Big East teams.

My take is we're really good if Kolek plays solid hoops.  He doesn't have to go bananas but if he gives us like 8-10 pts. plus his dimes, look out.  That said I think we should axe the floating passes to Kur unless he's wide open. 

[PointWarrior]

I get the Shaka love, but had we hired Porter Moser we would be undefeated in conference and won each game by 20...

[TSmith34, Inc.]

My take is we're really good if Kolek plays solid hoops.  He doesn't have to go bananas but if he gives us like 8-10 pts. plus his dimes, look out.  That said I think we should axe the floating passes to Kur unless he's wide open.

Medieval

[BLWarrior91]

Shaka tying the school record for most Top 25 wins with his 6th tonight.  Wanted to repeat this in this thread.  Incredible coaching job.  We outrebounded Nova tonight 35-27.

What's great is we can play better..still quite a few careless/unforced turnovers.  I think we will see more minutes for Kam and Joplin, less for Elliott down the stretch.

So true.  We can play better which makes us really dangerous come tournament time.  With Wojo, we would collapse down the stretch.  With Shaka, we are getting better as the season goes on.  Tonight we had so many moments for so many guys.  Kolek hit some big threes along with his outstanding passing. JLew was his usual self.  Morsell put the team on his back when we needed someone to step up.  O-Max had some key plays and his D is great.  Joplin had some nice plays.  Kam, Stevie...solid.  Greg struggled yet knocked down key free throws.  Oso and Kur. 

Just a complete team effort tonight against the team that has owned the league for years. 

[Bob "Big Daddy" Wild]

Only one thing left to do.

Let's win the whole f'n thing.

[MU82]

Shaka tying the school record for most Top 25 wins with his 6th tonight.  Wanted to repeat this in this thread.  Incredible coaching job.  We outrebounded Nova tonight 35-27.

What's great is we can play better..still quite a few careless/unforced turnovers.  I think we will see more minutes for Kam and Joplin, less for Elliott down the stretch.

This is at least the third prediction (but first from you that I know of) in the last month or so of Elliott about to get fewer minutes. And yet Shaka obviously trusts Elliott and values what he brings to the table and keeps giving him a good amount of minutes. I mean, tonight was the very rare poor-shooting night for Greg, and yet Shaka played him despite that.

I don't have any more (or less) love for Greg than I do for Kam or O-Max. I just want to win, and I'm fine with whomever Shaka decides to play; he has an excellent feel for who should be on the court.

That Top 25 stat is fantastic. This team's got a ton of heart.

[MuggsyB]

Inside College Basketball right now on CBSSN.  Marquette run right now.

[MuggsyB]

Wow.  Nove missed their last 18 triples after starting 5-8.

[BM1090]

Wow.  Nove missed their last 18 triples after starting 5-8.

They ended with ten makes, so this isn't right. 18 straight maybe?

[forgetful]

Wow.  Nove missed their last 18 triples after starting 5-8.

Pretty sure they made at least 3 in the last 3 minutes.

[MuggsyB]

They ended with ten makes, so this isn't right. 18 straight maybe?

Oh...ya that is wrong.  I must have misheard CBSSN.  It could be they missed 18 in a row until the final few mins.

[Elonsmusk]

This is at least the third prediction (but first from you that I know of) in the last month or so of Elliott about to get fewer minutes. And yet Shaka obviously trusts Elliott and values what he brings to the table and keeps giving him a good amount of minutes. I mean, tonight was the very rare poor-shooting night for Greg, and yet Shaka played him despite that.

I don't have any more (or less) love for Greg than I do for Kam or O-Max. I just want to win, and I'm fine with whomever Shaka decides to play; he has an excellent feel for who should be on the court.

That Top 25 stat is fantastic. This team's got a ton of heart.

I like Greg.  However, I get nervous every time he puts the ball on the floor.  I just feel Kam will force his way onto the floor more due to (in my opinion) being a better defender, ball handler, quicker, and he's shooting the 3 better in Big East play - 46% to Greg's 44%.  That being said, Greg helps space the floor and is an asset to the team.

[GB Warrior]

I like Greg.  However, I get nervous every time he puts the ball on the floor.  I just feel Kam will force his way onto the floor more due to (in my opinion) being a better defender, ball handler, quicker, and he's shooting the 3 better in Big East play - 46% to Greg's 44%.  That being said, Greg helps space the floor and is an asset to the team.

Greg is a jump shooter, and the last two teams have made a concerted effort to chase him off the line. Until he proves he can shake free or make the good pass out if it, he's a tough play at the moment. Kam can score off the bounce, and he also has range 2 feet further out in a pinch.

[MuggsyB]

Here's my list of teams better than MU in the BEast:










Did I miss anyone?

That said we can't relax as we approach the stretch run towards March.

[bilsu]

Agreed, it's a balanced league but I honestly think MU is the best team. It'd be good for MU if Providence made up their 3 Q1 games that were cancelled as far as the regular season goes. I think MU has the best chance to make the S16 of any of the Big East teams.

I think MU is a better team than Nova, but Nova has a better chance to make the S16. Nova has tournament experience.

What I like about Shaka is that he is playing a lot of players and giving them the chance to develop. I think Jay Wright is making a big mistake playing so few players, which does go against my argument that Villanova has a better chance to make S16. Villanova's NCAA experience gives them a better chance to win the first round game than MU. However, if they both win in the first round the advantage switches to MU in the second round, because of their depth.

[DoctorV]

I like Greg.  However, I get nervous every time he puts the ball on the floor.  I just feel Kam will force his way onto the floor more due to (in my opinion) being a better defender, ball handler, quicker, and he's shooting the 3 better in Big East play - 46% to Greg's 44%.  That being said, Greg helps space the floor and is an asset to the team.

Kam does a lot of good things

If you're looking for one thing that will get him even more minutes look no further than being the second leading rebounder on the team with 5 tonight.

Yep that's not a typo. He's gotten exactly 18 minutes in each of the last 4 games and I didn't see that rebounding effort coming, but I saw him sky for one and said to myself ok Kam I see you.

Still baffles me that Darryl doesn't rebound better for his size/build and the amount of dog he has in him.

Today was different for the guards though- I'd bet my arse Shaka challenged them to hit the glass and help on the boards.
Kam 5 reb in 18 mins
Greg 3 in 20 mins
Steve 3 in 3 mins

Season highs for the first two and 11 of Marquettes 15 bench rebounds (Oso 3 and Jop 1).

Guard rebounding might be the single biggest factor to keep an eye on for Marquette if they are to take an even higher step

[MuggsyB]

Kam does a lot of good things

If you're looking for one thing that will get him even more minutes look no further than being the second leading rebounder on the team with 5 tonight.

Yep that's not a typo. He's gotten exactly 18 minutes in each of the last 4 games and I didn't see that rebounding effort coming, but I saw him sky for one and said to myself ok Kam I see you.

Still baffles me that Darryl doesn't rebound better for his size/build and the amount of dog he has in him.

Today was different for the guards though- I'd bet my arse Shaka challenged them to hit the glass and help on the boards.
Kam 5 reb in 18 mins
Greg 3 in 20 mins
Steve 3 in 3 mins

Season highs for the first two and 11 of Marquettes 15 bench rebounds (Oso 3 and Jop 1).

Guard rebounding might be the single biggest factor to keep an eye on for Marquette if they are to take an even higher step

Yes....I. can't figure out Morsell on the glass.  Very important to collectively rebound.

[We R Final Four]

That said we can't relax as we approach the stretch run towards March.

Muggs......my man.....you didn't relax when OMax got a foul in November. I am certain you...I mean 'we' are not and can not relax at a time a crucial as this!

[MuggsyB]

Muggs......my man.....you didn't relax when OMax got a foul in November. I am certain you...I mean 'we' are not and can not relax at a time a crucial as this!

Fair enough.  I just thought I would remind people!  I like to reiterate things.

[Newsdreams]

Maybe form a pike wall around the paint, too?

I can hear the whole Uconn team screaming "run away...run away!!!"

[tower912]

I can hear the whole Uconn team screaming "run away...run away!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92gP2J0CUjc

[Babybluejeans]

After so many years of Wojo, my brain is just broken thinking of the fact MU just swept Villanova.  I mean, that can't be right, can it?  They'll recount the points and correct it by morning, right?

Shaka has made it all look so easy .. I occasionally get hit with a wave of anger toward Wojo and the many years the program galactically wasted on him and his process.

If that's what we had to endure to have the program like it is now continue for a long time...that's worth it to me. But yea those years were just awful and Wojo never felt right, even in the rare moments when things seemed to be going well. Shaka, even if this team struggled like most of us expected, still feels like the right fit (i.e., he's not a dope and develops gritty teams).

This is exactly the jolt the school/program needed. So thrilled.

[Goose]

Topper

Not only did we sweep them, we had the lead in well over 70 minutes of the 80 minutes played and beat them in low scoring game and a higher scoring affair. IMO, we were the best team on the floor for both games and Jay Wright knows that MU basketball is on their way back. Prior to tipoff to the conclusion of the game last night did I have any doubt MU would win the game. It is a nice feeling not having to "steal" a game.

[CountryRoads]

Topper

Not only did we sweep them, we had the lead in well over 70 minutes of the 80 minutes played and beat them in low scoring game and a higher scoring affair. IMO, we were the best team on the floor for both games and Jay Wright knows that MU basketball is on their way back. Prior to tipoff to the conclusion of the game last night did I have any doubt MU would win the game. It is a nice feeling not having to "steal" a game.

Neither did the team it appears. In the postgame press conference, Morsell and Shaka used the word "confidence/confident" an excessive (and almost awkward) amount of times. Shaka is really getting these guys to not only believe in themselves, but also to believe in each other. That's a recipe for a very strong finish to this year.