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

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