Big East Preview: #3 Marquette Golden Eagles

Previewing all 15 teams from #15 to #1

By:  Shane McCarthy

It is easy to predict a down year for Marquette.  They lost the Big East Player of the Year and one of the most dynamic scoring duos in the nation that combined to score 48% of the team’s points last year.  If you are of the view that Marquette is due for a regression this year – you are mistaken.  Buzz Williams should never be doubted, and he is poised to surprise again. 

Who’s Back:

Junior Cadougan –G– Senior – 28.6 Min, 6.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5.4 apg

Vander Blue –G– Junior – 25.7 Min, 8.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.6 apg

Jamil Wilson –F– Junior – 24.1 Min, 7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg

Davante Gardner –F– Junior – 19.1 Min, 9.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 apg

Derrick Wilson –G– Soph – 8.8 Min, 0.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.7 apg

Juan Anderson –F– Soph – 4.5 Min, 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.2 apg

Chris Otule –C– Senior – 17.8 Min, 5.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.1 apg (returning from an ACL tear after only playing in eight games last season) 

Incoming Recruits:

Jamal Ferguson – [Small Forward/Guard] – 6 foot 4, 180

ESPN’s 61^st ranked Small Forward

Rivals.com’s 134^th ranked player and 31^st ranked Shooting Guard

Steve Taylor – [Small Forward] – 6 foot 7, 200

ESPN’s 84^th ranked player and 22^nd ranked Small Forward

Rivals.com’s 109^th ranked player and 24^th ranked Power Forward

Incoming Transfers:

Trent Lockett – [Guard] – 6 foot 5, 210

Trent, a senior transfer from Arizona State who will be eligible immediately, is an attacking guard who can potentially fill the void left by Darius Johnson-Odom.  He averaged 13.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg for the Sun Devil last season, earning him All-Pac-10 Second Team honors. 

Jake Thomas – [Guard] – 6 foot 3, 200

Jake played for St. Catherine’s, winning two WIAA Division 3 championships, before becoming a two-year starter at the University of South Dakota.  He averaged 13.4 ppg with the South Dakota Coyotes and is known for his shooting capabilities, but his ball-handling and all-around athletic ability will be on display as well.   

Who’s Out:  Jae Crowder, Darius Johnson-Odom, Todd Mayo, Jamail Jones

Overview:

It is not groundbreaking analysis to state that the loss of Crowder and DJO is a significant negative for the Golden Eagles.  They both developed into extremely talented players who scored half of Marquette’s points last year.  That’s insane.  But with their eligibility now expired, the Eagles are forced to move on without them.

The big question being asked heading into the 2012-13 season is: Who will replace that production?

That doesn’t seem to be a fair question.  Just because there weren’t other significant scorers on the team last year, doesn’t mean those same players returning can’t be the answer.  With Crowder and DJO dropping over 35 a game last year, it was the law of attrition that prevented others from filling up the stat sheet on a consistent basis.

While there is talent on this roster, there is no reason to believe or expect that two guys will step up and average ~18 ppg.  While that would be ideal, it’s not needed.  Marquette has enough skill spread throughout to keep them competitive.

It starts in the front court where Davante Gardner, Jamil Wilson and Chris Otule are all above average players.  And if more than one of them can stay healthy for the entire season, they have the potential to be a terrorizing force. Both Gardner and Otule showed t glimpses, but neither was on the court for the full year.  Both are healthy heading into the season and need to keep it that way.

Like the front court, the back court is just as talented.  Junior Cadougan, Vander Blue and Derrick Wilson may not be household names (much like the front court), but they are a lethal bunch.  And if I were to pick one returning player to have a significant jump in production, it would be Blue.  He was ESPN’s 31^st ranked player in the class of 2010 who has yet to live up to full potential.

However, it could be senior transfer from Arizona State Trent Lockett, who eventually has the biggest impact.  Earning All-Pac 10 Second Team honors is not the most glorified recognition in the country, but his size and style of play make him a good fit to assume the DJO role.  He was a great grab for Buzz Williams, and could be this team’s X-factor.

Unfortunately, Todd Mayo has been ruled academically ineligible for the year and it is suspected that he will likely leave the program.  Mayo’s brief career was a rocky one, but he was the team’s best three point threat.  With his absence, incoming recruits Jamal Ferguson and Steve Taylor will provide needed depth in the back and front court respectively.

It’s no doubt going to take some getting used to watching Marquette play without Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom.  Those are big pieces to replace, and that means everyone needs to step up and contribute.  The Golden Eagles have the roster to do that and then some.  Year after year it seems that Marquette is consistently underrated (at least until mid-February when they gain respect and become everyone’s sexy Final Four pick), and this year is no different.  I believe they surprise once again, but this year they do it with more of a collective effort. 

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac

Previewing the Big East Player of the Year

By Shane McCarthy on March 2, 2012

Next week, before the Big East Tournament tips off at Madison Square Garden, the award for the most outstanding basketball player in the Big East Conference will be handed out. The award, currently held by the former Notre Dame guard Ben Hansbrough (who has since taken his talents and finances to the economic rattled European Union) will be going to a first time recipient as no former conqueror of this title remains in the conference or the NCAA for that matter.

It seems pretty obvious that there are only a select few that deserve to be in this discussion, but nonetheless, when the head coaches of the conference cast their ballot – they have a tough decision on their hands.

Here are the four players that deserve to be on the ballot accompanied with some key statistics…

Jae Crowder (Marquette Golden Eagles) – Of my four candidates, Jae Crowder is easily the most consistent, most well-rounded, and has the best hair. Even though Marquette has been able to creep into the top 10, this team still seems to be undervalued by the public, and Crowder epitomizes this. He does not specialize in any one aspect when on the court, which is to his benefit, because the fact that he excels at all portions of the game, it makes him a complete player and a match-up problem for opposing defenses. He is an extremely intelligent player who has a great knowledge of the game and he is able to use this to his advantage. He’s undersized but is able to play bigger than he is, and this allows him to out muscle opposing players down low (both offensively and defensively) or step out and guard the perimeter on defense and drain threes in peoples’ faces on offense. Crowder probably was not in this discussion until about two weeks ago, but he really cemented himself in the talks with his play at West Virginia last week when he had a huge game while some of his key teammates were suspended for a half. His ‘will’ to get it done and his persistent drive to out-work his opponent has helped lead Marquette to a 24-6 record with one game remaining in the regular season.

Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette Golden Eagles) – Johnson-Odom is the most talented player on Marquette, more so than Crowder, and it is his play that opens up the offense and allows them to play at a fast pace. Marquette’s game style is to step up and bring it as hard as possible at their opponent , wreaking havoc, but always seem to be in control and comfortable. DJO has been terrific all year, when he is actually on the floor and not suspended that is, as he is not only a great scorer, but also a great leader. DJO and Dion Waiters of Syracuse are very similar players in terms of style and build. Both are strong bodied guards who are above average shooters, but excellent slashers to the basket. DJO just happens to get more playing time than Waiters as his supporting cast is not as deep, thus being more relied upon each and every game compared to Dion. Johnson-Odom is the main reason why Marquette is one of the best teams in transition and his presence on the floor is critical to Marquette’s success. Unlike other players around the country that post similar numbers, DJO’s statistics have done this team a lot of good this year.

Kevin Jones (West Virginia Mountaineers) – Jones had been the front-runner all season and it looked as if he was going to run away as Big East Player of the Year. That was until recently. Caught in a 3-7 slide, the Mountaineers have struggled mightily in the last month and they are at risk of not making the NCAA Tournament. While team success is obviously going to play a role in the decision-making, it is hard to argue with the production Jones has put forth over the entirety of the season. He leads the conference in both points per game and rebounds per game, which really is an amazing feat when you think how deep and talented the Big East Conference is. What is even more impressive is that he is not your prototypical dominant big man, a la DaJuan Blair of a few years ago, who is bigger, stronger and more talented than everyone else on the court and having the statistics come easy each and every night. His work ethic and tenacity are really exemplified in the fact that he also leads the conference in offensive rebounds. Jones, a senior and terrific leader, has been great all year long without much talent around him. A typical Kevin Jones game combined with a win at South Florida on Saturday (a must win as the Bulls are a competing bubble team) would vastly improve his chances of taking home the award.

Jordan Theodore (Seton Hall Pirates) – Jordan Theodore probably won’t receive a single vote for Big East Player of the Year, but I think he deserves to be considered and I for one will at least give him recognition. Slated to finish 12th in the conference based on preseason rankings, Theodore has led the Pirates to an 8-9 conference record (19-10 overall) which is currently 8th, with a very winnable, and must win game, at DePaul on Saturday. A win means they get a first round bye in the Big East Tournament starting next Tuesday and keeps hope alive for a NCAA Tournament berth. Theodore, a prototypical point guard and engine of this team who distributes the ball well (second in the conference in assists per game) has been forced to shoot more than usual this season as there is a lack of talent surrounding him. Still, he is a hard working player who leads by example and sets the tone for this team to get the best out of his teammates in each game. Without Theodore, the Pirates are probably a .500 team and not a team that is 10 games over .500. Odds are is that he is not going to win the award, but he has had an excellent season and his play has directly related to the success of Seton Hall, and should therefore at least be considered.

My Worthless Prediction – If you would have told me before the season that a Big East team was going to lose one total game combined between non-conference and conference play - I would have pointed out two or three teams capable of doing such a thing and picked the best player on each of those teams as my prediction for Big East Player of the Year. Well, that is not the case because the deep, talented and best team in the conference Syracuse Orange, play 10 guys in almost every game without one player standing out any more than the others. In essence, they cannibalize each other because they do have players capable of winning this award, but they have bought into Jim Boeheim’s style of play, which is great team basketball. That is just fine for the Orange though, as they have bigger aspirations than winning individual accomplishments.

OK, now for my prediction. Six times in Big East history there have been co-winners of the Big East Player of the Year award. I believe this year will be the seventh, but I also believe this will be the first time in the history of the award that those players are on the same team. With no disrespect to Kevin Jones who has had a tremendous season being one of two players in the conference to average a double-double (the other being Herb Pope), but Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom have Marquette playing at such a high level that they have become one of the best and most feared teams in the country. We will have to wait until next week to see what the Big East coaches decide on, but I’m going with the two guys who are directly responsible for their team’s outstanding success.

@shane_t_mac

Marquette is Rolling

Buzz has his team playing some good basketball

The Golden Eagles are ready for March

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