Nothing but ❤️

[TallTitan34]

Frustrated with the L would be more fitting.

This might be the best I've felt after a loss.

[Viper]

PG help from the portal is a must. Maybe he can help at that spot some day, but Norman sure doesn’t look capable yet.

agreed. I think he’ll be ok…but not there yet. Tough getting minutes  behind TK

[DoctorV]

tower

I would add that Jop can be a beast in the paint. I said last year that Jop should be getting 10+ a game in the paint. He is crafty, big body and knows how to score.

Yep. I said earlier in the year the last thing Marquette needs Jop to become is a guy that does nothing inside and stands at the 3P like attempting 8 3s per game.

He’s got to keep driving to figure out his spots, and he’s figuring them out.
That will come with some angering mistakes, but so be it.
In the 2H he passed up several 3s to drive and be aggressive in the lane.

Benny needs to learn from that next. The outside shot will always be there, but will open up when the inside game flourishes

[tower912]

Ben had two good drives.   I admired the ball handling into the spin move with the jump hook.  Sadly, Kalk had dropped back prior to the spin move.

[DoctorV]

Great effort from the team today.  Just phenomonal.  Creighton absolutely blew the doors off full strength UCONN  and Seton Hall at home their last two games.  I did feel Shaka could have called some timeouts to help guys catch their wind, but I suspect he didn't want to give Kalkbrenner the benefit of additional rest either.

Stevie was a warrior once again today.  Joplin played his most complete offensive game at MU, and despite a few of the usual frustrating turnovers and misses right at the basket - largely performed at a really high level.  Zaide showed a lot of promise/potential.  Kam was fantastic, and great to see him working his magic off the bounce again.  Gold played pretty well too given the task at hand of trying to defend Kalkbrenner for 37 minutes.  Sure would have been great if a few more of his 3's went in though.

Fun game to watch for sure.

💯

The fact that that game was so fun to watch says so much about where this program is in Shaka’s hands.

As for the timeouts- agreed. The more I thought about it though the more I realized neither Shaka nor McDermott were calling them when needed. Shaka probably didn’t want them to rest because they play no bench, and McDermott probably realized Shaka didn’t have the luxury of much bench today.

I will say, if there’s one thing I think Shaka would benefit picking up from Buzz is calling a TO when the team is doing well and firing them up more versus after a 10-0 run against….
Especially today, younger lineup and gassed very often. Makes a nice run, call a TO and rest up and tell them how awesome they are doing sort of thing

[Scoop Snoop]

This might be the best I've felt after a loss.

Same here. Tells me that with Oso and Kolek back, we are in great shape for the tourney.

Oh wait, wait! Let's bitch about the loss instead. Screw the future. Just focus on today's L.

[tower912]

I am more optimistic about this team than I have been since beating Kansas.

[frozena pizza]

We are way past the point of moral victories, but agree that I was really proud of the way we battled. Final score doesn't tell the story of how close this was.

Kam is a warrior. Doesn't get nearly enough credit. Also love the way Jop and Stevie stepped up. Beyond that we were too thin to hold up down the stretch against a really good team. Get healthy TK.

[BCHoopster]

Liked what a saw for 24-25 preview, hopefully the 3 new players will add some quality depth, like to find one portal senior that can shot the ball.  Ben needs to relax and hit some shots, looked like he ran out of gas. Jop has to value the basketball more.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Great effort.  Hopefully the team gets healthy to go on a run in the NCAAs.  Wish we could fast forward 2 weeks.

Sneak peak of next year's team was good, but need more depth.  Owens, Parham, and Hamilton can help.  Still think we need a PG in the portal due to Sean's injury uncertainty.

Overall, I would expect another top 25 next year.

[mug644]

Very impressed with the showing today.

I've been thinking of Jop's growth recently, and his dunk over Kalk today reminded that I see a Lazar Hayward trajectory in him. Lazar took time to evolve from a stand at the 3-pt line shooter to a willing pounder on the inside. If Jop can ultimately give what Lazar gave, MU will benefit for the rest of this year and next.

[HutchwasClutch]

I really am starting to believe it shouldn’t be taken for granted that Kam’s not going to take his NBA shot after this year.  He’s a great scorer, great range, can carry a team when he’s on, good handle.  As Shaka has said, he’s an offensive savant.  Good size too.

Can’t assume he’ll be back next year. Plus, he’s 22 already. 

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I really am starting to believe it shouldn’t be taken for granted that Kam’s not going to take his NBA shot after this year.  He’s a great scorer, great range, can carry a team when he’s on, good handle.  As Shaka has said, he’s an offensive savant.  Good size too.

Can’t assume he’ll be back next year. Plus, he’s 22 already.

I've made that assumption and you're probably right that it shouldn't be taken for granted.  I just don't see the athleticism and explosiveness that would make it a no-brainer for him to come out.

He should absolutely go through the process after the season without an agent and get feedback, though. 

[Goose]

Tower

Ben can handle the ball and skilled passer. He is showing more of those skills every game. IMO, he had shown far more skills than Oso showed in his second year. He has a chance to be as good as he wants to be. If he works as hard as Oso did, very high ceiling.

[warriorchick]

Our esteemed Athletic Director used some colorful language to describe the team's efforts today:

https://twitter.com/mikebroeker/status/1764041126229532999

[tower912]

Amen.

[MUfan12]

I am more optimistic about this team than I have been since beating Kansas.

Said the same thing in a text thread after the game. I feel better about their tournament chances after this, provided everyone is healthy.

At some point this experience for the bench guys will help them win a game.

[MU82]

I liked the more aggressive Jop today. The situation called for it, and he delivered. Hit a couple of shot-clock-beating 3s, too.

But here's the deal: When he does that, the offense pretty much stops. The four other players stand and watch because they are pretty damn sure they have no chance at getting the ball.

So Shaka and Nevada do not want that to be a major part of our offense when we have Oso and TK on the court. They want the ball to move and they want our players to move, so Jop has to pick his spots more and play iso-ball far less frequently.

As I said, today's situation called for it because our manpower situation dictated that the ball wasn't going to get zipped around as much.

[NickelDimer]

I’m drooling over the thought of this next level scoring we’re seeing from Kam and projecting that in the tourney. It’s the kind of thing that separates a good showing from a very deep run

[21Jumpstreet]

I really am starting to believe it shouldn’t be taken for granted that Kam’s not going to take his NBA shot after this year.  He’s a great scorer, great range, can carry a team when he’s on, good handle.  As Shaka has said, he’s an offensive savant.  Good size too.

Can’t assume he’ll be back next year. Plus, he’s 22 already.

I think during the game, one of the announcers said Kam made an NBA move and finish. Even my wife said something like what a move and asked if he has the size for the NBA. He is so crafty.

[MU82]

I think during the game, one of the announcers said Kam made an NBA move and finish. Even my wife said something like what a move and asked if he has the size for the NBA. He is so crafty.

I hope you told your wife that, yes, Kam can play in the NBA. Because of his deep shooting ability and deftness around the basket, he has shown up in a few mock drafts (though not in the majority that I've seen). Selfishly, I hope Kam comes back next season to improve his PG skills and make himself an even better NBA prospect.

[HutchwasClutch]

I think during the game, one of the announcers said Kam made an NBA move and finish. Even my wife said something like what a move and asked if he has the size for the NBA. He is so crafty.

Yes, it was the drive to middle of the lane and laying up a little floater over Kalkbrenner. It was a big time play. 

He’s listed as 6’5. Maybe slightly overstated, but his size is fine for the NBA.

[HutchwasClutch]

I've made that assumption and you're probably right that it shouldn't be taken for granted.  I just don't see the athleticism and explosiveness that would make it a no-brainer for him to come out.

He should absolutely go through the process after the season without an agent and get feedback, though.

That’s true, he isn’t a real bouncy athlete, not all that explosive.  He just knows how to score and work himself open for shots. And NBA range and confidence to burn too. 

[DegenerateDish]

I love Kam Jones. I would be shocked if he’s not in a Marquette uniform next season, unless he wants to go play overseas.

[Hards Alumni]

Guys, Ben Gold, described as "project" played 37 minutes.  THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES.  Kalkenbrenner went for 19 and 6.  That's basically his average.  And a couple of those points came when the game was very over.

Kam Jones never came out.  FORTY minutes.  Outside of Scheierman, he was the best player on the floor.

That this game was in reach with 4 minutes to go is insane.

This was the #12 team, at their home, on senior night and we were in it almost until the end with SIX guys playing.

We can be proud of these guys, but this was one of the gutsiest games I've seen from our team in years.