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| Buzz has his team playing some good basketball |
By Shane McCarthy on February 25, 2012
Sports are supposed to be fun, but really the only way a team and
their fans can have fun is with victories.
That’s why when Mr. Sunshine
on my god damn shoulders, John
Denver, started playing over the loud speakers, Coach Buzz Williams
was simply enjoying the moment when he decided to two-step around the court
after Marquette’s 61-60 win at West Virginia on Friday night.
Buzz was not only dancing because of his team’s hard fought
victory, in which three starters (Darius Johnson-Odom, Vander Blue, and Junior
Cadougan) were all suspended for the first half; he was also dancing because
his team is really really good.
The Golden Eagles have won 12 of their last 13 games, with their
lone loss coming at Notre Dame; a game in which they struggled defensively as
they were still trying to adjust to the loss of Davante Gardner and the
Fighting Irish poured in 11 three-pointers.
Game in and game out, Marquette’s style is to ‘step up and bring
it’. They drive the speed of the game as
they are comfortable with an up-tempo pace, constantly keeping pressure on
their opponents. Being that they are aggressive
by nature, it is important that they are able to complement that style with
lock-down, aggressive defense. This
allows them to make comebacks when they are trailing on the scoreboard.
As fast and aggressive that Marquette is, they are still able to
be controlled and comfortable in their offensive sets. Their offense is filled with a lot of
movement and energy, high screens, low screens, ball reversals, making it very
difficult on the defenders. For the most part, almost everyone touches the ball
before a shot is taken, unless something really good presents itself early in
the possession. This is the exact
opposite of how Truck Bryant orchestrates the West Virginia offense; as he will
jack the first open look het gets once he crosses half-court.
Marquette is certainly not the biggest team in the Big East, and
obviously the country, but they are extremely talented at playing small and
clever. No one on the court is better at
playing like this than Jae Crowder.
Not only does Crowder have great knowledge of the game, but he has
the ‘will’ to get it done at all times.
He plays bigger than he is, defends all positions extremely well, and
knows how to play in and out very well – both defensively and offensively. It doesn’t matter how tired he is or how much
his dreads weigh him down, he is always the hardest working player on the court
and he complements the effort with great instincts.
Crowder’s production and presence on the court allows Darius
Johnson-Odom, arguably their best player, to play more freely as he knows that
he does not have to do it all on his own.
Complement these two with Vander Blue, Jamil Wilson, Junior Cadougan,
and Todd Mayo and you got yourself a team that can stay on the floor with
anyone. And once Gardner makes it back,
they will have a big guy to matchup with other talented bigs in the NCAA
Tournament.
Marquette is 13-3 in conference play
and 24-5 overall, with their only bad loss coming back in December when they
lost at LSU. After the game Crowder said
“We're going to handle it like men, go back, look at the things we did wrong
and fix it. Hopefully guys step up to the plate and fix the problem." The Golden Eagles continue to improve and
they have numerous guys that can step up, including Crowder and DJO who can
single handedly take over games. A Final
Four appearance should not be out of the question for this team.
@shane_t_mac
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