No Confidence Game

[nyg]

Against SH, MU forced 22 turnovers with 14 steals and lost.
Tonight MU forced 18 turnovers and lost.
Not good.

Sorry Tower, don't agree with keep shooting threes.  Good grief they were 5 for 31....MU started off attacking the rim, with missing some threes, and had an 11 point lead.  Kam Jones had 17 points from attacking, then just stopped, he was 1 for 10 from three after. He was 8 for 12 on attacking for two pointers. They stopped that and continued to miss like their next 14 threes.  That's the issue with Shaka the Messiah and Nevada the Savant (Scoop nicknames). Stubborn to an extent and one reason why his NCAA tournament record is terrible.  I just don't get it and his non willingness to tell his team, hey, its not working, so lets keep attacking the rim.  Never happens, live or die from three, just like Seton Hall game.

Feel bad for the team, now it's Ross and Sean Jones out.  Butler was a horrible loss.  No one else to come off bench now, but maybe the freshmen can at least get some playing time and experience for next year if they stick around.  In the NCAABall environment, you just don't know what's next. 

Kolek, who knows.  Can't recall ever seeing a first team all American and pre season, again BE player of year, have such a digression in play over last games.  He was 1 for 13, 0 for 7 from three, 3 turnovers and two points.  But, his demeanor or let's say, attitude has not been there.  Just strange. 

Kudos to Mitchell and Lowery, played tough in an even tougher loss. 

[goldeneagle91114]

Number 6 is true. And scary.
One wonders why.
For a pretty good basketball team to go from beating a number 1 team to playing this badly, it makes one wonder what's really going on. I just have to believe that there is something we don't know about happening.
And we'll probably never know what.

+1

[THEbig0]

Every one of these clunkers has come during the winter break from classes. Perhaps they have too much time to think about basketball - as Tyler is a known gym rat and this might give him too much gym time. Looking forward to classes starting for these guys for something to change.

[NolongerWarriors]

Marquette even trending on Twitter/X due to their ineptness

[Judge Smails]

Confidence is gone. I knew the shots weren't going to drop in the second half. And the players knew it too. It would be laughable if it weren't so sad.

[bradforster]

Against SH, MU forced 22 turnovers with 14 steals and lost.
Tonight MU forced 18 turnovers and lost.
Not good.

Sorry Tower, don't agree with keep shooting threes.  Good grief they were 5 for 31....MU started off attacking the rim, with missing some threes, and had an 11 point lead.  Kam Jones had 17 points from attacking, then just stopped, he was 1 for 10 from three after. He was 8 for 12 on attacking for two pointers. They stopped that and continued to miss like their next 14 threes.  That's the issue with Shaka the Messiah and Nevada the Savant (Scoop nicknames). Stubborn to an extent and one reason why his NCAA tournament record is terrible.  I just don't get it and his non willingness to tell his team, hey, its not working, so lets keep attacking the rim.  Never happens, live or die from three, just like Seton Hall game.

Feel bad for the team, now it's Ross and Sean Jones out.  Butler was a horrible loss.  No one else to come off bench now, but maybe the freshmen can at least get some playing time and experience for next year if they stick around.  In the NCAABall environment, you just don't know what's next. 

Kolek, who knows.  Can't recall ever seeing a first team all American and pre season, again BE player of year, have such a digression in play over last games.  He was 1 for 13, 0 for 7 from three, 3 turnovers and two points.  But, his demeanor or let's say, attitude has not been there.  Just strange. 

Kudos to Mitchell and Lowery, played tough in an even tougher loss.

I'm sorry, but digression is not the correct word choice in this case.

[Johnny B]

Every one of these clunkers has come during the winter break from classes. Perhaps they have too much time to think about basketball - as Tyler is a known gym rat and this might give him too much gym time. Looking forward to classes starting for these guys for something to change.

I'm sorry but I laughed. Of all the possibilities this? absurd

[AccredoJoe]

More than one comment here about the big dance. We'll be lucky to finish .500 at the way we are playing. Something internal going on. With the injuries time to get our bench some minutes for next season.

[Newsdreams]

Against SH, MU forced 22 turnovers with 14 steals and lost.
Tonight MU forced 18 turnovers and lost.
Not good.

Sorry Tower, don't agree with keep shooting threes.  Good grief they were 5 for 31....MU started off attacking the rim, with missing some threes, and had an 11 point lead.  Kam Jones had 17 points from attacking, then just stopped, he was 1 for 10 from three after. He was 8 for 12 on attacking for two pointers. They stopped that and continued to miss like their next 14 threes.  That's the issue with Shaka the Messiah and Nevada the Savant (Scoop nicknames). Stubborn to an extent and one reason why his NCAA tournament record is terrible.  I just don't get it and his non willingness to tell his team, hey, its not working, so lets keep attacking the rim.  Never happens, live or die from three, just like Seton Hall game.

Feel bad for the team, now it's Ross and Sean Jones out.  Butler was a horrible loss.  No one else to come off bench now, but maybe the freshmen can at least get some playing time and experience for next year if they stick around.  In the NCAABall environment, you just don't know what's next. 

Kolek, who knows.  Can't recall ever seeing a first team all American and pre season, again BE player of year, have such a digression in play over last games.  He was 1 for 13, 0 for 7 from three, 3 turnovers and two points.  But, his demeanor or let's say, attitude has not been there.  Just strange. 

Kudos to Mitchell and Lowery, played tough in an even tougher loss.

They adjusted to the numbers and totally packed the paint, made it a point to defend the 2 point shots, MU got even more open 3 pts second half. By the time MU started hitting 3's it was too late.

[jesmu84]

Against SH, MU forced 22 turnovers with 14 steals and lost.
Tonight MU forced 18 turnovers and lost.
Not good.

Sorry Tower, don't agree with keep shooting threes.  Good grief they were 5 for 31....MU started off attacking the rim, with missing some threes, and had an 11 point lead.  Kam Jones had 17 points from attacking, then just stopped, he was 1 for 10 from three after. He was 8 for 12 on attacking for two pointers. They stopped that and continued to miss like their next 14 threes.  That's the issue with Shaka the Messiah and Nevada the Savant (Scoop nicknames). Stubborn to an extent and one reason why his NCAA tournament record is terrible.  I just don't get it and his non willingness to tell his team, hey, its not working, so lets keep attacking the rim.  Never happens, live or die from three, just like Seton Hall game.

Feel bad for the team, now it's Ross and Sean Jones out.  Butler was a horrible loss.  No one else to come off bench now, but maybe the freshmen can at least get some playing time and experience for next year if they stick around.  In the NCAABall environment, you just don't know what's next. 

Kolek, who knows.  Can't recall ever seeing a first team all American and pre season, again BE player of year, have such a digression in play over last games.  He was 1 for 13, 0 for 7 from three, 3 turnovers and two points.  But, his demeanor or let's say, attitude has not been there.  Just strange. 

Kudos to Mitchell and Lowery, played tough in an even tougher loss.

Marquette stopped going to the rim as much because butler changed defensively

[Newsdreams]

Marquette stopped going to the rim as much because butler changed defensively

Correct, 1-8 from 3, let them take 3s!!

[tower912]

NYG, the alternative is to go into 4 corners or start relying on mid range jumpers.

[willie warrior]

1.  TKo is not providing EGB's right now.
2.  Keep shooting 3's.  In the modern game,  it is a necessity.  It isn't like they were forced.  No other choice.
3.   When the game turned, I never got the sense MU could bounce back.  First time since the UNC game.
4. Zaide had some moments.
5.  MU quit making lay ups, too.
6.  The confidence is gone.   The swagger is gone.   The trust is gone.   The belief is gone.
7.   Another bad injury.   Poor Sean. 
8.  Decision time.  Who will MU be the rest of the season?

9. Decision time. Season is shot
Time to build for next year

[willie warrior]

I haven't felt this low after a Marquette loss in quite a while.  Something has to be going on behind the scenes because this team isn't anywhere close to being connected right now.  Shaka has his work cut out for him.

Not looking like Shakas work is doing the job

[wisblue]

Marquette stopped going to the rim as much because butler changed defensively

Exactly. Yesterday's game illustrated perfectly a point I made yesterday about shooting percentage on two point shots.

If you could look at all of the two point shots MU got in the first half and compare them to the ones they got in the second half the difference would be obvious. In the first half almost all of them were true, virtually uncontested layups witn a few left handed bank shots by Kam Jones thrown in.

In the second half most of those shots were coming after players driving into traffic and forcing up short shots that I would not call "layups".

MU has no real choice but to keep taking the open threes and pray that the 10% they made until the game was lost beyond recall can turn into a more normal 30-35%. Early in the shot clock they can and should look for ways to get the high percentage shots inside. But when that isn't there they have to look for an open three instead of forcing a low percentage short shot.

The second half of the Creighton game should provide a lesson. They only turned that game around when Mitchell, Sean, and Joplin made the open threes.

Butler is one of the less physical teams MU will face in the conference. The more physical teams will make getting the easy inside shots even more difficult.

[The Sultan]

Exactly. This is college basketball in 2024. Even if Marquette would have hit 30% of their first half threes, they would have been up by 20. The idea that Shaka should throw his offensive philosophy away and shoot more mid-range is not really a smart one.

As maddening as it can be, they gotta shoot themselves out of it. Take the open shots that the offense gets for you. Shoot them with confidence.

[UWW2MU]

I'm sure there's some level of feeling down going on, but I think a lot of this talk is exagerated.    Defensively, I thought the team did really well last night!  (Went up to 9th ranked D on Kenpom after last nights game!)  Good stats and lots of deflections and steals, good energy on D.   On offense I even saw lots of good ball movement and some great individual moves that if the ball had gone in would have been excellent highlight reel stuff.  The ball just wasn't going in... even on wide open quality shots.     

[BrewCity83]

I'm sure there's some level of feeling down going on, but I think a lot of this talk is exagerated.    Defensively, I thought the team did really well last night!  (Went up to 9th ranked D on Kenpom after last nights game!)  Good stats and lots of deflections and steals, good energy on D.   On offense I even saw lots of good ball movement and some great individual moves that if the ball had gone in would have been excellent highlight reel stuff.  The ball just wasn't going in... even on wide open quality shots.   

Thank you.  This perspective is entirely reasonable.  The sky is not falling.

[Shooter McGavin]

Number 3 is spot on.  Was the first time I've felt that way in a long time.  With each three pointer clanking off the rim in the first half, we gave Butler life.  Should have been up by 15-20 at half time.  As the second half swoon started with more clanks off the rim, the final outcome seemed inevitable.  Had to be up at 5:00 AM eastern time and went to bed with 15 min to go in the second half. 

Woke up with even more bad news than anticipated with Sean's injury.  Let's hope the boys find their range soon.

[willie warrior]

Thank you.  This perspective is entirely reasonable.  The sky is not falling.

Duck your head, because yes it is.

[Goose]

Shooter

I fell asleep for several minutes late in the first half and turned it off with 2 to go. Was not jacked going into the game because figured it would be 10+ point win and turned it off because no interest in getting more frustrated than I already was. Was the first game this season, or last two plus, that I was not jacked prior to the game and did not get very into the game.

[Shooter McGavin]

Shooter

I fell asleep for several minutes late in the first half and turned it off with 2 to go. Was not jacked going into the game because figured it would be 10+ point win and turned it off because no interest in getting more frustrated than I already was. Was the first game this season, or last two plus, that I was not jacked prior to the game and did not get very into the game.

Hopefully they'll come around shortly.  Complete incompetence shooting the three sucks the energy out of a team and fanbase in a hurry.  Knowing that the defense is playing well and 2-3 more makes out of 25 shots would win the game is maddening.  It's like watching a train wreck right now. 

I do have hope based on the track record of our current roster that it will get better.  So there's that.

[DoctorV]

You guys are both up later tonight than you were last night!

Probably for the best I suppose

[willie warrior]

These guys won the regular season and BET last year.  Kolek was AA and BE POY.  The only thing that did not go right last season was NCAA tourney.

With same team back, it's only human nature to not have the same motivation during the regular season as they did last year.  Other than Maui, which was a huge stage, I've had the sense all season these guys are just waiting around for the NCAA tournament.

All that being said, tonight was garbage and took it to an entirely new level.  I was not concerned about the recent mediocre play thinking they would get a 3-5 seed and turn it on come tourney time.  Tonight leaves me worried.  I hope Shaka says Kolek is coming off the flu or something we can wrap our head around because he looks uninterested

You should be more than worried
The play of past month has been terrible

[Uncle Rico]

You should be more than worried
The play of past month has been terrible

Thanks, Wooly