Who could be the MU Sleeper Player in the Tourney?

[TrojanWarrior]

A not uncommon phenomenon in the NCAA tourney is the sleeper player who during the year, has remained under the radar and eluded the review of game tapes (I think of the Novak game against Missouri, draining the threes in OT.)

I am wondering if Joplin could be that person in a tight game.  Smart saw something in bringing him to Texas. Smart also keeps saying he will be a leading scorer in the BE by his junior year. Mitchell has taken that roll of late. His threes must have surprised some in the BE (and MU) the past week or so.  His defense I am sure has been scouted.

Who do you think, in a close game in the tourney, could have that Novak-against-Missouri type game that shocks the opponent?  If we advance past first round, this may be something we may need...

[MarquetteDano]

Going with Elliott.  Seniors play with abandon as they know it is their last chance.  Obviously Elliott has had some big games but no one expects an 15+ point NCAA tournament game from him.  He would be my bet.

[PointWarrior]

Stevie.

Going with Elliott.  Seniors play with abandon as they know it is their last chance.  Obviously Elliott has had some big games but no one expects an 15+ point NCAA tournament game from him.  He would be my bet.

[Uncle Rico]

A not uncommon phenomenon in the NCAA tourney is the sleeper player who during the year, has remained under the radar and eluded the review of game tapes (I think of the Novak game against Missouri, draining the threes in OT.)

I am wondering if Joplin could be that person in a tight game.  Smart saw something in bringing him to Texas. Smart also keeps saying he will be a leading scorer in the BE by his junior year. Mitchell has taken that roll of late. His threes must have surprised some in the BE (and MU) the past week or so.  His defense I am sure has been scouted.

Who do you think, in a close game in the tourney, could have that Novak-against-Missouri type game that shocks the opponent?  If we advance past first round, this may be something we may need...

I’m Team Stevie.  I’d say Joplin could go on a heater but he’s so raw defensively, I’m not sure he’d get enough minutes.

[brewcity77]

Kam. He's shown the ability to go off but on the scouting report will generally just be seen as a bench shooter. If he's hot and confident (and he's always confident) I could see him dropping a 6/8 from deep, 20+ point night on someone.

[Scoop Snoop]

I'm going with Stevie. He's absolutely fearless, sticks to an opponent like super glue and can rattle the opponent. Now that he's making some shots, I think he will be more confident about just going for it. I think a sleeper player needs to have fire in his belly. Stevie does.

[Elonsmusk]

Kam. He's shown the ability to go off but on the scouting report will generally just be seen as a bench shooter. If he's hot and confident (and he's always confident) I could see him dropping a 6/8 from deep, 20+ point night on someone.

Agree.

[BrewCity83]

I've got Kam.  But he's 1st team all Freshman BE, so can he really be considered a sleeper?

If not, don't sleep on O-Max.  He looks like he's been on the verge of bustin' out.

[Jay Bee]

Yep, Kam. Jop just won’t the minutes

[PorkysButthole]

Kur

[MuggsyB]

Kur

What does Porky think about the future potential of young Stevie and Mr. Jones?

[mugrad_89]

I agree with some of the previous posters and think that Kam is due for a breakout game.

[Elonsmusk]

I've got Kam.  But he's 1st team all Freshman BE, so can he really be considered a sleeper?

If not, don't sleep on O-Max.  He looks like he's been on the verge of bustin' out.

Good call on O-Max.  He has so much potential.  But I'm still voting Kam.

[MU82]

I agree with some of the previous posters and think that Kam is due for a breakout game.

Overdue!

He's the pretty obvious choice, so that - along with the All-BE Frosh choice - kinda makes the "sleeper" thing a little inaccurate. But yeah, Kam.

[DoctorV]

I’ll go with TyKo

Tyler Kolek has been a bit of a sleeper of late, so I’d say that an outbreak game from him would come as a pretty big surprise, and would likely give MU a W.

In terms of importance of success in this years dance I’ll go with Darryl as #1, Kur/Oso as #2 (but mainly Kur), and Tyler as #3.

Where’s Justin? Well I kind of think he will be game planned for and just view him as the guy we need to just get somewhere close to his season averages.
MU won’t win if he has a complete dud, so at the end of the day he’s easily the most important, but I don’t really see him getting fully shut down because of his offensive versatility.

I’ve said all season I think Darryl is the X factor. He is a leader and a veteran, he creates for himself and scores tough buckets when everything bogs down.
If MU needs someone to step up in a pressure situation to pull off a win, or possibly two, he will likely have to come up big on both ends of the court.

If Kur blocks shots and becomes a defensive enforcer early in MUs game, that will lead to momentum and overall defensive success, and likely carry Marquette if they don’t go completely broke offensively.

If Tyler starts out in the first 5 minutes getting guys easy looks and buckets, the types we’ve seen from him in the first half of the season, then MU will be in good shape.
The “sleeper” part comes in the form of him scoring. If TyKo gets comfortable and gets guys going, AND hits some shots and scores 10-15 pts then MU can get to the sweet 16.

[WarriorFan]

Kam "only shoots when he has the ball" Jones

[Shooter McGavin]

Morsell.   Would have been pretty handy a few years ago against Miss St. 

He is the exact type of guard that could get hot and make a name for himself on the National stage.

[Amal Sh00k Up]

For me, it's between Kam and O Max.  I'm going with O Max due to his athleticism, strength, length...he may surprise teams who we haven't played yet at the top of the press with some steals and easy buckets.  He has a real opportunity (and minutes) to make a big difference. 

[MUCam]

Morsell.   Would have been pretty handy a few years ago against Miss St. 

He is the exact type of guard that could get hot and make a name for himself on the National stage.

Honestly, he can be so infuriating. He drives me nuts. And the worse he gets in a bad game, the more he presses, making it worse.

That said, when he's on, he's good. I actually was wondering about his NBA value during the game Saturday. He has that stop and pop mid-game (when its working). His release is okay. He has good size and above-average lateral movement. He can be tenacious.

I think you're right. It is hard to say a "Big East Honorable Mention" can be a sleeper, but I can see him being a leader on the national stage and taking an important game  or two over. We better hope he does, because when he's off, Marquette generally tends to be off.

Speaking of honorable mentions, I do like O Max to be a breakout. He really is on the verge. I think Tyler Kolek was way too successful earlier this year and the scouting report is dialed in on him. He can still have success, but I don't see anything resembling the Kolek of January.

[21Jumpstreet]

Kam. He's shown the ability to go off but on the scouting report will generally just be seen as a bench shooter. If he's hot and confident (and he's always confident) I could see him dropping a 6/8 from deep, 20+ point night on someone.

Agree

[IrwinFletcher]

The only way it is Joplin is if Lewis gets into foul trouble, and that would be catastrophic for us.

Will have to be either Kam/Stevie as they kind of share minutes.  If one gets hot, the other will stay on the bench.

OMax would be the other likely guy. If he is productive early, he won't be the first perimeter guy pulled.

[brewcity77]

I like Joplin, but he hasn't played double-digit minutes since the laugher over Providence and hasn't scored double-digit points since he got extra run in garbage time against St. Bonaventure. That's mostly because of his defensive inconsistencies. I doubt he'll shore that up in the most pressure packed part of the season. He has great long-term upside, but I think he's a year or two away.

[JakeBarnes]

We need Kam and O-Max to get their groove. I think both have the potential to be big sleeper contributors. A team where O-Max, Kam and Greg can fire on all cylinders from 3 is a team that will do a lot of damage to whomever they play.

O-max is going to frustrate a lot of opponents on the defensive end during the tourney. My friend that came to the DePaul game really liked his work at the top of the press and thinks he will break out like a wildfire the minute he grows into (controlling) his body a bit more (see potential as the insane dunk he had against Gtown).

[Goose]

I think Kur is going to be our difference maker and I am expecting a lot more minutes out of him come NCAA time. He can change the game and he is my sleeper moving forward.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If an All-Big East honorable mention can be considered a sleeper, I like the pick of Morsell. Morsell sometimes drives me crazy with his long 2 point attempts because they are the least efficient shots in basketball...but...those shots are damn near unguardable and Morsell can get them any time he wants. If he has one of those games where he is hitting everything in the mid-range, our offense will be very hard to stop. We've had a couple times over the years where an opposing guard just kept draining long 2 after long 2 and there's just nothing you can do about it. I specifically remember games where Scruggs, Mac McClung, and Kamar Baldwin each just demolished our hopes and dreams in the mid-range. I could see Morsell doing that to an opponent in the postseason.