Tyler Swift-ly returning to AA form

[Scoop Snoop]

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

Gotcha. I was just singling out the compulsion to pounce on any part of the game where we are not always stellar. Small thinkers do that.

[Uncle Rico]

Gotcha. I was just singling out the compulsion to pounce on any part of the game where we are not always stellar. Small thinkers do that.

Correct.  Certain people always complain about the team no matter how good or fun they are

[Shooter McGavin]

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

I think the same could be said of the St Thomas win.  People were almost jumping off a ledge because MU didn’t blow them out. I thought it was an early season sign of a good team. 

This St Johns win is an even better later season sign.  Good stuff yesterday from the boys.

[Uncle Rico]

I think the same could be said of the St Thomas win.  People were almost jumping off a ledge because MU didn’t blow them out. I thought it was an early season sign of a good team. 

This St Johns win is an even better later season sign.  Good stuff yesterday from the boys.

We lost to St. Thomas, though

[Scoop Snoop]

We lost to St. Thomas, though

You just couldn't resist, could you?

[Shooter McGavin]

We lost to St. Thomas, though

Ha!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

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 is the third best defensive rebounding team in Big East play, despite playing St. John's and Seton Hall (the top 2 offensive rebounding teams in the BEast and both are top 7 in the country) four times already.

Maybe they have improved and you're getting clouded by a single game result.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

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.

Kim English didn't discover anything, but the game against Providence was when started to see the same defense lining up against us every game. Prior to that point, most teams (not all) defended us differently. Stevie in the corner was a must guard, Chase and Sean were thought of as not great but more than capable outside shooters, teams were a lot more hesitant to go under screens for Kolek.

We were a much more versatile offense last season than we were at the start of this season. Teams prepared for that top 10 offense and instead realized that our offense was easier to guard than it was a year ago and with the right game plan could be reduced to more like a top 60 offense. By the time we got to Providence, we weren't in a slump, we had played more than a third of the season. It took some time but we finally got some positive regression to the mean along with some adjustments on our end and now the offense is humming again.

[MUfan12]

Stevie giving them 11 a night during this winning streak has been huge too. Playing the best ball of his career right now.

[MU82]

Absolutely electric atmosphere at Fiserv pretty much the entire second half. We were in 102, right next to one of the student sections, so that definitely added to our experience. Really loved the energy. So fun to be part of the largest home crowd ever.

And what a comeback! Our All-American did All-American things, and the rest of the team followed his lead. We outplayed and outhustled and outrebounded and outfought and pretty much out-everythinged St. John's from the moment TK made that 3 just before halftime.

I'd have loved being in the locker room at halftime to hear what Shaka was saying and, even more, what the guys were saying to each other.

Shaka did give a hint during his postgame press conference: “Our guys looked at each other and made an eyeball contract. They said, ‘We’re not going to go down by somebody bullying us,' and they stepped forward.”

If I were a St. John's fan, I'd have been concerned that their team had dominated the first half but only had a 9-point lead.

That second half was some of the best basketball we've played this season - maybe the best. Stevie, Chase, Oso, Jop ... they were so good, so focused. And TK played like the best player in the country.

Kolek: "We come out and we bang two 3s (early in the second half). They have to come out of the zone, start going man.” Yes, sometimes it really is that simple. Make some 3s, and the offense rocks.

When Ross dunked it on that pass from TK, the roof came off and it was game over.

It was stunning that Pitino let TK dribble out just about the entire 30 seconds before letting him step into the dagger 3. Had to foul there. That was just weird.

From our seats, we could see every foul call that TK didn't get in the second half. I'm hoping that in the NCAAT, when the refs aren't doing the no-blood-no-foul thing, Kolek will get significant time on the FT line.

The only negative thought I had was that Kam didn't seem 100% right. I hope he's not hurting too badly.

I think it was the most exciting MU game I witnessed in person since we beat Missouri in the 2003 NCAAT. (Because of not living close to Milwaukee, I don't get to as many Marquette games as I'd like to.)

Afterward, we went to Good City Brewery for a couple of nice crafts. We then went over to Goolsby's, which was fun because several "We Are Marquette!" cheers broke out.

Great capper to a great evening. We're already looking forward to Tuesday's game at Butler!

[Big Papi]

One of the loudest crowds I have been in.  Hard for me to talk to my 12-year-old son in section 104.  He is a huge bball fan but is usually laidback.  Was out of his seat more times yesterday than the previous 5 games we watched this year.  The crowd was electric and incredible.

The refs were a bit of a joke.  It is games reffed like this that creates problems for Big East teams in NCAA tourny games.  Don't get me wrong, the reffing was fair for both sides but not calling legit fouls, fouls, definitely helped St. Johns.  We were bullied and it took us until halftime to figure out the refs were not calling anything.  That we fought back in a game that was called the way it was called, is a huge testament to the DNA of this team and my hopes were raised that we will make a huge NCAA tourny run.

Our defending was not good in the first half.
Our defensive rebounding was atrocious in the first half
The decision making from Kolek and Oso and Company in the first half with half court attempted passes was not good.

I'm loving the way Jop is figuring out how to score inside the paint.
I'm loving the way Kolek responded in the second half.
I'm loving how Stevie has figured out his shot and is now a real threat on the offensive end.
I'm loving the way our offense is evolving and it is helping our 3-point shooting.  This team is scary good when we are on from 3-point land.  Dare i say almost unguardable.
I'm loving that we have more and more options of players who can carry this team during a stretch in a game.  Kolek, Oso, Kam and Jop can take over a game for a period of time when you need it.

For those that want to nitpick about this or that or be concerned that we are doomed because of our rebounding, or size or whatever, just stop, take a breathe and enjoy it.  No idea what the future offers but these are fun exciting times right now.

[DoctorV]

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

There’s no need to have to fall back in line.

People having and sharing differing opinions is one of the things that makes this message board great.

That said, I’ll just say that it might be a good idea for you to redefine in your mind what constitutes a good player and a marginal player.
I say that because if this team is comprised of TyKo and “a collection of marginal players” there is no way it would be a top 5 team in the country.

Heck, there are 2 other All BE players on the team.

I’ll go as far as saying that there isn’t a single “marginal” player in the regular rotation. They are all good players with some elite strengths. Many can improve and become more well rounded, but they are all better than marginal because they play on a top 5 team in the country.

The rebounding concerns are legitimate and as Rico has said matchups will definitely matter so I’ll agree with you there. There has been improvement from last season but you couldn’t tell in the 1H yesterday, was much better after the break.

As for the “TK show” as I’ve already mentioned there will be games, more than likely of the elimination variety, where it’s going to take an otherworldly performance from one of our guys.
TyKo brought that last night, but Kam brought it in Columbus last year.
Oso has done it, Jop has and can.
It’s a good thing to have players that are capable of just taking over on their own when things aren’t going quite as planned.

As others have mentioned, don’t forget to enjoy the brilliance that is this season. Hopefully it just ends better than the last but nothing is guaranteed.
What’s guaranteed is that we get to root for one of the best teams in the country night after night, and we get to watch some beautiful basketball played by the team dearest to our hearts.

[CountryRoads]

There’s no need to have to fall back in line.

People having and sharing differing opinions is one of the things that makes this message board great.

Agree, it’s interesting to know an MU fan left Fiserv last night feeling frustrated. Wasn’t an emotion I would have expected any of the 18,000 MU fans there to feel after that one.

[tower912]

  It is a message board.   Keep expressing opinions.   Go against the zeitgeist.   I always find it fun.  And if you really believe it, make a case.   You posted an opinion.  Others reacted  and expressed their own.   It isn't personal.    It can become personal.  But usually it is just banter.

[PointWarrior]

And Wisconsin

We lost to St. Thomas, though

[lawdog77]

TKO rapidly approaching the 50-40-90 plateau, as well as projecting to leading the nation in assists. Let that settle in for a second.

[PGsHeroes32]

TKO rapidly approaching the 50-40-90 plateau, as well as projecting to leading the nation in assists. Let that settle in for a second.

Not sure he gets to the line enough to get back over 90. The other 3 are all very attainable tho.

I’d actually say he’s the heavy front runner to lead in assists now that he’s caught up the the pack. Full time on the ball TK is too good

[BobWildLoyalist]

“Barbecue Chicken”. That’s a great quote from Kolek.

This quote should be on an NIL shirt.

[romey]

Not sure he gets to the line enough to get back over 90. The other 3 are all very attainable tho.

I’d actually say he’s the heavy front runner to lead in assists now that he’s caught up the the pack. Full time on the ball TK is too good

He's 60-69 right now from the line.  Needs to go 21-21 to get to 90%.  I was surprised to see him miss the front end of a one and one Saturday