Tyler Swift-ly returning to AA form

[DoctorV]

Doctor V

TK has taken things to the next level the past month and looks beyond dialed in. I would not bet against him or the team having a deep run in the tournament. He looks like a guy that fully understands how important a deep run would mean to his legacy.

MU has an unreal basketball history and being an all time great is not an easy feat. He has a chance to put himself in a very lofty place in MU history with a big tournament.

Yes. No question he, and the entire team for that matter, understands the importance.

Just have to make the open shots, and grab the ball after the misses.

That’ll happen in a lot of games, but there will be an elimination game where it might not. In that game it’ll take an extraordinary performance from someone or somewhere to survive and advance.

I’m hopeful that this years team has that someone or somewhere on it.

[Goose]

Doctor

No doubt someone is going to have to step in multiple games in the tournament. I believe this group has prepared for the tournament since they lost last year. It seems to have been the common goal to win it all. A lot of teams have that goal, but few truly believe it. There is no doubt in my mind that this team believes it.

[Scoop Snoop]

Doctor

No doubt someone is going to have to step in multiple games in the tournament. I believe this group has prepared for the tournament since they lost last year. It seems to have been the common goal to win it all. A lot of teams have that goal, but few truly believe it. There is no doubt in my mind that this team believes it.

Agree with all you and Doc said and last night's rally was one of the best I have seen from MU for a long time. The yappy chihuahua must have been going bonkers on the game thread when we were down 15. But can they do that in the tourney? I think and hope so. With Oso and Kolek likely gone after this season, I think it may be our last chance for at least a couple of years, maybe more, to win a natty.

[MuggsyB]

Opposing coaches shouldn’t be able to have a game plan for Marquette.  That’s on Shaka and his team to annihilate any plan with focus and attackerness

Essentially this is right although I'm not sure what attackerness is.  The fact is when we attack and play with fire MU cannot be stopped. 

[SonOfWarrior]

This team has some fckn dudes. Incredible second half.

Dudes show up for the entire game, especially on NMD.  Should have been a blow out.  Still concerned about team but enjoyed the TK show in the second half. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Dudes show up for the entire game, especially on NMD.  Should have been a blow out.  Still concerned about team but enjoyed the TK show in the second half. 

🙄🙄🙄

[Uncle Rico]

Dudes show up for the entire game, especially on NMD.  Should have been a blow out.  Still concerned about team but enjoyed the TK show in the second half.

Dudes respond to getting punched in the mouth and not wilting when times are tough.

I think people don’t understand how hard it is just to run on the court and blow teams out. St. John’s isn’t a bunch of bums and the coach has won a few games in his time.  It’s ok to give credit to the other team.

If the takeaway is “we should have blown them out” and I’m concerned after last night’s game, I couldn’t disagree more.  Last night was a sign of a great team

[Scoop Snoop]

Dudes respond to getting punched in the mouth and not wilting when times are tough.

I think people don’t understand how hard it is just to run on the court and blow teams out. St. John’s isn’t a bunch of bums and the coach has won a few games in his time.  It’s ok to give credit to the other team.

If the takeaway is “we should have blown them out” and I’m concerned after last night’s game, I couldn’t disagree more.  Last night was a sign of a great team

Love your reply. A nice alternative to what many here call your "usual schtick". All really good points.

[Goose]

Rico

Last night was another brick in the championship culture foundation. This group has been built for success over a three year period and that culture was on full display last night. There was no panic shown by the team in the first half and in my opinion they did blow them out. They outscored them by 26 points over the last 24 or so minutes.

If these guys can put together a full 40 minutes, they will be a tough out for any team in the country. There will not be many teams scouting MU and thinking that is a great matchup for them come March.

[wadesworld]

Of course it's scouting. And no, it's not the scout on every college team in America. It is a scout for a team that starts a non-shooter at the five, has taken literally 1 long 2 all season, has at least one guard on the floor at all times who at the time couldn't hit water from a boat (Stevie, Chase, Sean, Tre), and is elite at scoring at the rim. It's honestly not a hard scout. Try to take away twos by clogging up and being physical in the lane (a tad more nuanced than that but that's the general thesis).

And it worked for a five-game stretch. It's not a hard strategy to beat, just make your threes (or get the ref to call fouls but that's not happening in the BEast). But we couldn't shoot our way out of it.

Then we played Villanova whose coach engaged in malpractice and tried to run us off the three point line which resulted in a historic 2P performance. Then we played a competent coach in Ricky P and in the first half we still couldn't shoot and we were down 6 at the half.

Then Shaka had the cajones to draw up a play to get Joplin a three-pointer to start the second half when we had gone 0-12 in the first half. Joplin nailed it and since then we've been shooting 45.7% from three. And wouldn't you know it, since then, we have shot 53.1% or better from 2 in every game.

That's the thing about scouts. They have an expiration date. Players improve and regress, coaches adjust, teams come together and fall apart. We changed, so the scout changes. Right now, I don't know how I would defend this team effectively, it's that good.

But just saying “we’ve been scouted” while we were going through our skid would be saying Kim English found something nobody else had. The reality is the scout has been “out” on us for over a year now. Go under screens on Tyler, he doesn’t want to shoot the 3 but will so close when he loads up. Make him finish going right. Sag off Oso to close up passing lanes. Stay attached to Jop, Ben, and Kam on the perimeter. Sag off everyone else. Cut off back door cuts.

It’s why Sean had opportunities to make big 3s against UCLA, Creighton, and Illinois. Teams were ignoring him on the perimeter.

So yeah. The scout wasn’t suddenly out when we started to slide. It had been known. It’s just had to play to it because Kolek and Oso are masterminds. We won a lot of games shooting poorly from 3, and outside of Villanova it’s not like teams were just leaving driving and passing lanes wide open and selling out to prevent the 3 point shot on us.

[SonOfWarrior]

Rico

Last night was another brick in the championship culture foundation. This group has been built for success over a three year period and that culture was on full display last night. There was no panic shown by the team in the first half and in my opinion they did blow them out. They outscored them by 26 points over the last 24 or so minutes.

If these guys can put together a full 40 minutes, they will be a tough out for any team in the country. There will not be many teams scouting MU and thinking that is a great matchup for them come March.

In a neutral site, Marquette has not shown me the ability to fight back.  Outside of TK, I think we have some marginal players. I hope I’m wrong.  Without TK, Marquette doesn’t win.  JMHO

[PGsHeroes32]

In a neutral site, Marquette has not shown me the ability to fight back.  Outside of TK, I think we have some marginal players. I hope I’m wrong.  Without TK, Marquette doesn’t win.  JMHO

Huh?

On a neutral site we fought back against UCLA. We fought back against Purdue, didnt win but came all the way back vs #1. Didnt need to come back vs Kansas just kicked their ass.

Came back against SJU at the Garden last year...more road than neutral.

Took every punch Uconn threw last year while batting foul trouble at the garden...neutral with a road enivornment.

Insane comment

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

In a neutral site, Marquette has not shown me the ability to fight back.  Outside of TK, I think we have some marginal players. I hope I’m wrong.  Without TK, Marquette doesn’t win.  JMHO

Yes. Without our All-American, defending BEPOY, we don’t win. Real groundbreaking analysis here.

[real chili 83]

Huh?

On a neutral site we fought back against UCLA. We fought back against Purdue, didnt win but came all the way back vs #1. Didnt need to come back vs Kansas just kicked their ass.

Came back against SJU at the Garden last year...more road than neutral.

Took every punch Uconn threw last year while batting foul trouble at the garden...neutral with a road enivornment.

Insane comment

Look at his post history. No surprise.

[SonOfWarrior]

Ok sorry, guess I’ll just fall into line.  MU going to win it all.  No concern here whatsoever, perimeter defense is rock solid. 

[SonOfWarrior]

Yes. Without our All-American, defending BEPOY, we don’t win. Real groundbreaking analysis here.

Yeah dude, this team is the same as last year.  No one to step up.  Live and die by the TK. 

[tower912]

Yes. Without our All-American, defending BEPOY, we don’t win. Real groundbreaking analysis here.

Without Ja Morant, I think that MU team could have beaten Murray State.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yeah dude, this team is the same as last year.  No one to step up.  Live and die by the TK. 

I mean, last year was great! And you’re wrong. Plenty stepped up last year.

[JakeBarnes]

In a neutral site, Marquette has not shown me the ability to fight back.  Outside of TK, I think we have some marginal players. I hope I’m wrong.  Without TK, Marquette doesn’t win.  JMHO

UCLA
Road game against Nova
Illinois

Just to name a few neutral and road comebacks.

Also a bold take that a team won't win without its AA best player. Next you're gonna tell me that without LeBron the Cavs don't win an NBA championship

[Scoop Snoop]

I mean, last year was great! And you’re wrong. Plenty stepped up last year.

NLW with a new monicker?

[SonOfWarrior]

Sorry to create so much anger, just left the game frustrated that they have yet to improve on crashing the boards and second chance points. 

[Uncle Rico]

Rico

Last night was another brick in the championship culture foundation. This group has been built for success over a three year period and that culture was on full display last night. There was no panic shown by the team in the first half and in my opinion they did blow them out. They outscored them by 26 points over the last 24 or so minutes.

If these guys can put together a full 40 minutes, they will be a tough out for any team in the country. There will not be many teams scouting MU and thinking that is a great matchup for them come March.

I haven’t seen as much college hops as you, but I’ve seen enough to know, that all great teams have bad halves of basketball.  Have bad stretches of basketball.  Have flaws. 

Is rebounding a concern and flaw?  Yeah, yeah it is.  That’s why I always hammer about matchups in March.  Give me better matchups than geography this March.

The bottom line is what you and I have said, culture matters.  For it to matter and result in wins, the buy-in has to be across the board from the staff down through the players.  This program has it.

The gold standard of the Big East has been Villanova.  Villanova has had dudes come through that program.  NBA dudes.  When it clicked, it was because of the talent embracing the culture.  Jay Wright flat out admits he lost the culture in that ‘11-‘13 stretch of recruiting and roster building.  What Marquette wants, Nova had and this Marquette staff isn’t reinventing the wheel but copying a wildly successful blueprint

[Uncle Rico]

Sorry to create so much anger, just left the game frustrated that they have yet to improve on crashing the boards and second chance points.

Marquette will be a top-5 AP team on Tuesday.  10th in KenPom.  21st in offense after falling close to 50, 16th in defense.  This a profile of a team that can win a national title.

Rebounding is a concern and that ain’t changing.  But if you left last nights game concerned instead of excited, there’s not much they can do to alleviate your concerns or enjoyment

[Scoop Snoop]

The gold standard of the Big East has been Villanova.  Villanova has had dudes come through that program.  NBA dudes.  When it clicked, it was because of the talent embracing the culture.  Jay Wright flat out admits he lost the culture in that ‘11-‘13 stretch of recruiting and roster building. What Marquette wants, Nova had and this Marquette staff isn’t reinventing the wheel but copying a wildly successful blueprint

Focusing on the team's weaknesses-like rebounding- to me is armchair coaches bitching about what's missing rather than understanding the big picture, the culture. Damn straight Villanova is the model! Two nattys and the clear leader of the BE for quite a while. What's not to like about Jay's MO?

[Uncle Rico]

Focusing on the team's weaknesses-like rebounding- to me is armchair coaches bitching about what's missing rather than understanding the big picture, the culture. Damn straight Villanova is the model! Two nattys and the clear leader of the BE for quite a while. What's not to like about Jay's MO?

Marquette 2024 offensive rebounding % is 27%.  Defensive rebounding % is 29.5% (158th). 

Villanova 2016 offensive rebounding % was 28.2%.  Defensive rebounding % was 29.4% (147th)

Now, Nova was and elite offense and defense, so apples to oranges, but Marquette’s rebounding on the defensive end isn’t disqualifying

I’ll point to Gold’d tap out last night that lead to TyKo’s pass to Ross.  It’s there and can match the moment