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By Joel Welser
jwelser@collegehoops.net
Marquette Golden Eagles
Big East (24-9, 10-6)
Seed: #8
East Region
RPI: 22
Big Wins:
11/21 vs Duke (73-62), 1/21 at Pittsburgh (77-74), 3/3 Pittsburgh (75-71)
Bad Losses:
12/2 North Dakota State (60-64), 1/4 at Providence (59-74), 2/14 at
DePaul (67-72)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to Alabama
Coach:
Tom Crean (4-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Dominic James,
Sophomore, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.1 rpg
Jerel McNeal,
Sophomore, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.6 spg
Wesley
Matthews, Sophomore, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Lazar Hayward,
Freshman, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Ousmane Barro,
Junior, Forward, 8.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
David Cubillan,
Freshman, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Dan Fitzgerald,
Junior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Jamil Lott,
Senior, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Dwight Burke,
Sophomore, Forward, 0.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Dominic James,
Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews form a great trio of sophomore guards.
James is a smart point guard, a great scorer and pesky defender. With two
years of experience under his belt, James has become a solid floor leader.
Marquette will play the 5-11 Richmond, IN off the ball occasionally to
utilize his natural scoring ability.
McNeal will do
everything. Even if he does not score 20 points in the game, he can still
grab six rebounds, dish out six assists and nab three steals. If McNeal can
keep the turnovers down, he will be a complete player. Unfortunately, a
thumb injury kept McNeal sidelined for the Big East Tournament, and the
Golden Eagles will need him in the NCAA Tournament. Matthews completes the
trio of guards and will use his strength and speed to drive the lane and
attack the glass on both ends of the floor.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
For a team that
has three great guards that combine for over 42 points per game, they sure
are streaky shooters. All three guards shoot under 32% from beyond the arc,
but that does not stop them from taking the long ball. During Marquette’s
three game losing streak in mid-February, James was in a huge shooting
slump. If the shooting does not come around and the Golden Eagles continue
to insist on taking jump shots instead of driving to the basket, it may be a
short dance.
Who To
Watch:
The frontcourt
is nowhere near as talented as the backcourt, but the group has done a good
job accomplishing what the team needs them to. Ousmane Barro is the
consistent starter under the basket and has developed into a decent post
scorer and rebounder. Sharpshooting Dan Fitzgerald, undersized freshman
Lazar Hayward and the athletic Jamil Lott have all earned starts at the
power forward spot. All three, especially Fitzgerald and Hayward are capable
of being another major scoring option on any given night.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Second Round loss to North Carolina
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2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket
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