Marquette

Trevor Mbakwe Not Returning to Marquette

Press Release — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:28:04 -0700

Milwaukee - Sophomore forward Trevor Mbakwe of the Marquette University men's basketball has decided not to return to the program for his second season due to personal reasons.

Mbakwe made the MU coaching staff aware of his decision late Friday afternoon, just days before the start of the fall semester on Monday, August 25. The St. Paul, Minn., native and the rest of his teammates had each returned home following the conclusion of summer school and were due to report back to Milwaukee this weekend.

"I was shocked by the news and obviously caught off guard, having initially heard through one of my assistants his intent on Friday night and then having it confirmed over the last 36 hours," head coach Buzz Williams said. "He had a great summer in workouts and did well academically. Having said that, we want people here who are completely committed to being part of our program, our institution and our family. We all wish Trevor the best of luck."

After missing a majority of the 2007-08 because of a knee injury suffered in the preseason, Mbakwe made his Marquette debut on Feb. 15 against Pittsburgh and averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 11 overall appearances. He saw an average of 9.2 minutes per outing and shot 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from the floor and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the free throw line.

Rise and Fall: Big East Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:36:38 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG EAST

*Note that the Big East is ridiculously big so commentary for each team will be a bit shorter than other leagues..

CINCINNATI - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is a but misleading.. because Cincy was a surprise team last year, and could be even better in 08-09. But still, just a handful of years ago, this was a premier program. The reality is, take away Bob Huggins, and why would a stud prospect (outside of a local kid like Yancy Gates) choose UofC as compared to another Big East school?

CONNECTICUT - STATUS QUO (BARELY)

Similar to Duke in the ACC, UCONN is still chugging along.. but there are definitely signs of slippage. Recent big time recruits either bolted for the pros, haven't panned out, or got into extracurricular troubles. While the Huskies should be a Final Four contender in Detroit, I get the sense that Coach Calhoun's biggest glory days are in the past.

DEPAUL - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

At multiple points in the past decade, it looked like DePaul basketball would get back on the map in a big way, but it just hasn't happened. While there's some hope here, Mac Koshwal has All-Big East potential, sub .500 records are likely the next two seasons.

GEORGETOWN - RISING (QUICKLY)
The Hoyas RPI has risen each of the last 5 years from 142nd in '04 to 7th last year. While a slight step back is expected, the future is still extremely bright. JT3 now has the ability to bring in big time talent, and he's already proven that his system wins games.

LOUISVILLE - STATUS QUO

This was a tough one.. because unlike UCONN above, the Cards still have positive momentum and could reach new heights in coming seasons. What's worrisome is how so many big-name, top-level prospects have fizzled out since committing. For every success, there's been an NBA exit, academic issues, transfers, unhappiness, etc. While this year's group looks like a Final Four contender, not once in the past decade have the Cardinals finished with a Top 10 team (RPI-wise).

NOTRE DAME - RISING (SLOWLY)

Luke Harangody has been a huge find for Mike Brey (who got a 2-year contract extension this morning). His emergence, along with steady improvement in recent seasons has created a good buzz around the Irish, leading quality players like Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough to join the program. This could be ND's first Top Ten team in years.

MARQUETTE - STATUS QUO

There's a real mix of positive and negative vibes going on in Marquette. On the negative end, the loss of Tom Cream seems like a big downer as does the weak '07 and '08 recruiting hauls. On the positive side though, the team has improved each of the last few years, should be quite good again this year, and there's big names attached to the program in '09.

PITTSBURGH - STATUS QUO

The Panthers great success over the past decade is still unknown to most of the general public. What I'd worry about as a Panther fan though is next season after Fields and Young graduate, and Blair possibly moves on to the pros.

PROVIDENCE - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

The last two seasons have been pretty hideous, and though you have to figure things will improve this season, beyond that is a huge question mark. The program hasn't added a decent recruit since Dwain Williams in '05 and there's nothing exciting on the horizon this season (Bilal Dixon isn't that good) or next.

RUTGERS - RISING (SLOWLY)

Call this the nowhere to go but up category. No one's certain Fred Hill can coach, but with talent like Corey Chandler, Mike Rosario, and Greg Echenique joining the program, things should eventually improve.

ST. JOHN'S - STATUS QUO

Call it the Perfect Storm, but its been one long string of horrendous seasons in NYC. They haven't been above 130th in the RPI for quite some time, and though that plateau might be met this year, I wouldn't expect much more than that.

SETON HALL - STATUS QUO
The problem for the Pirates is that though they're going in a decent direction, the upper half of the league is moving just as quickly. With Harvey, Hazell, and now Jordan Theodore in the mix, the backcourt is set for the next few seasons.. but you can't win without a decent player above 6-5 on the roster.

SOUTH FLORIDA - RISING (VERY SLOWLY)

Similar to Rutgers, the Bulls can only go up. From an RPI low of 236th a couple years back, things have slowly improved, and Dominique Jones was a great catch. But unlike the Knights, USF still has a ways to go to compete for 4 & 5-star prospects.

SYRACUSE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is somewhat misleading, because the Orange are one of my national sleepers this season, and could also be very good next season as well. But just in terms of the overall direction of the program, things aren't coming quite as easily as they used to. The Big East has gotten better and deeper and Top 25 teams are no longer a given for Coach Boeheim.

VILLANOVA - STATUS QUO
Jay Wright's obviously done a great job with the program and helped it get back into Top 25 contention. But I don't see the program breaking out into the stratosphere anytime soon. Thus they remain in the status quo.

WEST VIRGINIA - RISING (QUICKLY)
I'll simply call this the Bob Huggins effect. When he joins your program, things tend to move in the right direction.. just ask Joe Alexander and his newly inked NBA contract.

- up next is the Big 12 -

Unsubstantiated Speculation: NBA Draft Links & Rumors

Jason Tomassini — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:19:59 -0700

Nothing about the NBA Draft makes any sense. GMs intentionally lie about who they want to confuse the rest of the league, agents pull players out of workouts to manipulate their value and the Milwaukee Bucks continue to pretend they are trying to win. Mock drafts are always way off, the rumored trades never go down and the ones that do are always out of left field. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. And that is exactly why it is so great. Sports fans love to speculate, and the NBA Draft is 90 percent speculatastic. So in an exercise of almost certain futility, I bring you Unsubstantiated Speculation, a column containing all the relevant, completely false draft news links from around the Intertubes. Look for this once or twice a week leading up to the draft. Believe nothing.

Beasley/Rose
- Chad Ford looks at the Rose/Beasley pick, which is somewhat uninforming. I think Ford is great but I have a BIG problem with him continuously questioning Beasley's character and depicting Rose as squeaky clean. He has never backed up his questioning of Beasley besides that "he ran into trouble from time to time with practical jokes, pranks and general troublemaking," which is wildly vague and mildly defamatory. Both Rose and Beasley had very shady recruitments (Beasley with the Huggins thing, Rose with the Worldwide Wes thing) but neither had academic or legal troubles in college or high school. So based on, you know, actually important factors, it still remains a difficult decision. I think as a player Beasley should be the pick, but maybe there is a vagrant he killed that only Chad Ford knows about.

- For what it's worth, Bulls GM John Paxson has said it will be Rose or Beasley. Obviously not a surprise.

-This guy, who might be an idiot, thinks Rose.

- This was a pretty interesting piece from the Chicago Tribune where the reporter, KC Johnson, spoke with Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard and Magic GM Otis Smith about selecting first. There's a very good chance Smith only still has his job because he picked Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor (the guy did pay Rashard Lewis 8 gillion dollars) and Pritchard still gets an "incomplete" on his. Obviously Paxson cannot blow this (and it's going to be very difficult to blow it). By the way, this KC Johnson fella appears to be the go-to reporter for the draft this year, much like John Canzano of The Oregonian was last year. In this notes column, he has the scoop on Avery Johnson possibly being the next Bulls' coach. Let me go on record and say that would be a disaster for both Chicago and Derrick Rose, who I bet Avery would pick. Avery is exactly like Scott Skiles, except more Katt Williams-ish.

- NBADraft.net's Aran Smith has Rose No. 1 in this mock draft but that's not the real news. No, the real news is that -- and I'm not sure how this is relevant to anything ever -- that Michael Jordan's Marcus and Rose are dating Chicago-area twins. I do not want to know how Smith obtained this info, but man that guy is good at his job.

- Everyone in Chicago has an opinion on this, including this Sun Times blogger, who is promptly assaulted in the comments section.

ESPN Coverage
- Let's knock out all the ESPN.com items now because ESPN has already done a great job covering the draft this year (yes, I said it).

Within the same Chad Ford Beasley/Rose thing from before, he suspects DeAndre Jordan has received a top five promise because his agent has declined some workouts or something. This is exactly the type of blind speculation I live for. And drafting DeAndre Jordan in the top five is exactly the type of thing that gets a GM fired. Which is coincidentally exactly the type of thing Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace thrives at.

- Here are a bunch of draft-related videos they have up there. Important things within: Kevin Love is no longer fat and has been hitting NBA threes and should be moving up draft boards; Bill Walker will stay in the draft is he thinks he is a first-rounder; Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni played with Danilo Gallinari's dad, meanwhile, Isiah Thomas likes spaghetti; OJ Mayo will never say anything interesting again; Marrese Speights and Joe Alexander look much better in workouts than in college.

- Ford takes a look at Walker, Brandon Rush, CDR and Jeremy Pargo at the A.T.T.A.C.K. gym in Chicago. He also loves Joe Alexander, which concerns me. Alexander seems exactly like the type of guy that looks way too good in individual workouts. And he thinks Chase Budinger is a lottery pick, which concerns me for many of the same reasons. (by the way, Chad Ford has roughly 36 players in his lottery.)

- JaVale McGee is the son of a WNBA player, which could not be more perfect. NEVER draft a skinny big man who was birthed from a WNBA player. I believe Red Auerbach first formed that rule.

- Gene Wojciechowski continues to write about controversial topics and a nation continues to be indifferent.

- Good to see Dana O'Neill is still writing even with the college hoops season over. She turns in another good piece on one-and-doners for next year.

Other Things Besides The Already-Redundant No. 1 Pick Debate
- Here is the first list of guys who will be at the Orlando Pre-Draft camp next week... but only to be interviewed.

- Memphis' Antonio Anderson has decided to go back to school, before participating in the draft process at all. I'm pretty convinced Anderson just declared for the draft to get out of Coach Cal's spring practice, headed to Cancun and then withdrew when he got back. Genius.

- Jerel McNeal is going back to Marquette, which is smart, but disappointing. I think McNeal can be a pro with his defense and athleticism. So what if he is a bit undersized and can't shoot, you only need to do one thing well to find a spot as a role player in the NBA (see: Varejao, Anderson).

- Josh Carter going back to Texas A&M, Alonzo Gee back to Alabama. That didn't take long.

- It appears Marrese Speights will stick in the draft, which is good news for teams in the 10-20 range who need a really good power forward. Apparently Speights has slimmed down and is routinely knocking down 18-foot jumpers. I think I'd rather have him than Joakim Noah at this point. Although Noah does bring other qualities to the table.

- Here's a good feature on Ryan Anderson, who I feel is being underrated by all the draft pundits. The guy is 6-10 and can score like crazy. And while he cannot guard anybody, neither can many NBA forwards. Again, the way role players work in the NBA (and all but about 6 or 7 players in this draft will basically be role players) is you fill a certain need for a team. Look athe Lakers, Jordan Farmar plays defense and hits open shots, VladRad shoots, Turiaf rebounds and acts like a crazy person, Vujacic shoots, defends and annoys people, Luke Walton passes and shoots. All of those guys were late picks that are incredibly effective in their specific role. And since there aren't going to be all-around studs around in the 20s, you might as well take a guy who can score off the bench and spot up on the perimeter like Anderson, defense be damned. He's only gonna play 20 minutes a game, tops, anyway... OR, just take Bill Walker or something.

- Speaking of Anderson, the blogger at BMac's Blog (presumably BMac himself) agrees with me, writing that Anderson's biggest draft flaw is not being European.

- Great interview from the great DraftExpress with CDR, who doesn't appear to be entertaining any idea of going back to school. (by the way, for everything you need on the draft, just go to DraftExpress, they are outstanding... but, uh, still read this site! hehe). With his handling, size and defensive ability, the first up-tempo team outside the top 10 should really consider taking CDR. Golden State at No. 14 would be crazy to pass on him.

- This Portland Tribune writer thinks the Blazers should trade the No. 13 pick (and so do I). With Oden coming in and Spaniard Rudy Fernandez coming over, Portland already has a full rotation of promising young guys. If they can turn the pick and one of the young guys for a solid point guard (Andre Miller, TJ Ford/Jose Calderon, Andre Miller), they should be a legit playoff team next year. Although, this guy thinks with a good number of lottery teams looking to trade (he cites "reports" on this, but that's a bit vague), the Blazers might get more talent by just keeping the pick. They need a shooter and unless Eric Gordon falls to No.13, there are really any shooters worth taking there.

- Some guy in Minnesota wants the T'Wolves to trade the pick because they suck at drafting players. Little does this man know, the Wolves are also very bad at trading for players. He claims there are no stars at No. 3, to which I ask: Why would a team trade you a star for a pick that cannot be used on one? Ugh, just take Mayo or Lopez.

- Here's a decent scouting report on Kosta Koufos except the writer says Koufos is soft because he is polite to people and that Daequan Cook is a prime example of self-assurance. I realize Cook was decent for Miami last year, but that comparison is completely insane. He also questions Koufos perimeter game, which we all know is nuts. I actually think Koufos' best skill is his ballhandling for a 7-footer, which he didn't get to show in college. I'd take him top 20. There's also a possibility he will play for Greece in the Olympics.

- And finally, George Hill, Pride of Ooey Pooey, is going to Disney World.

Tom Crean To Accept Indiana Job

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:38:51 -0700

At the bottom of every sunken ship is a hidden treasure.. or at least that's what Tom Crean hopes. The nine-year Marquette coach is set to become the new Indiana Hoosiers head coach. The demise of Kelvin Sampson and the team's struggles under Dan Dakich are well documented, and it will be up to Crean to resurrect this once proud program. Unfortunately he'll have to do it without the help of DJ White & Lance Stemler (seniors), Eric Gordon (NBA Draft), and perhaps neither of Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis (dimissal/suspension/who knows). This would leave freshman Jordan Crawford as the major only contributor with more than a 50% likelihood of returning. Even worse than the aforementioned departures is that top recruits Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway have requested to be let out of their letters of intent. On top of that, the Hoosiers are down one scholarship next year due to Sampson's "mistakes." All in all, Crean has some work to do.. but his impressive resume at Marquette suggests he can be successful. In nine seasons, Crean went 190-96 including a Final Four appearance in 2003. That great run was largely due to the dominance of Dwyane Wade. Without Wade around, Crean has never advanced beyond the second round.. including this season when Stanford knocked them out of the Big Dance. While Crean faces a can't win situation next year.. it seems like his Marquette replacement will inherent a can't lose situation. Team leaders Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews are all juniors, and barring unlikely NBA Draft campaigns, should return for another go around.

NYC area preview for Wednesday

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:54:15 -0700

Fordham, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall on tap With the MAAC Tournament now complete and many of the other area teams either finished for the season or waiting for Sunday to find out whether or not they’ll be playing postseason basketball (Rider), three teams in the area still have games to play in Wednesday. Fordham and Seton Hall begin play in the Atlantic 10 and Big East tournaments, respectively, while the Pioneers of Sacred Heart host Mount St. Mary’s in the Northeast Conference title game. Here’s a preview of each game, along with my picks (the games will be listed in chronological order based on their start time). Atlantic 10 Tournament First Round #12 Fordham vs. #5 St. Joseph’s (Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ) Wednesday 2:30 PM, CSTV Category (conf. rank) Fordham St. Joseph’s Points per game 64.9 (11th) 74.3 (6th) PPG allowed 66.7 (5th) 68.6 (8th) Field goal % 42.3 (11th) 47.6 (2nd) FG % defense 45.1 (13th) 43.8 (10th) 3 PT % 32.5 (13th) 39.1 (3rd) 3 PT % defense 34.5 (6th) 37.9 (14th) Rebound margin - 2.7 (13th) - 0.2 (7th) Turnover margin + 0.32 (8th) + 1.72 (4th) Category Fordham St. Joseph’s Points per game Bryant Dunston (15.5) Pat Calathes (17.8) Rebounds per game Dunston (10.0) Calathes (7.7) Assists per game Marcus Stout (2.9) Tasheed Carr (5.8) FG percentage Dunston (52.5) Calathes (44.6) 3 PT percentage Stout (35.3) Rob Ferguson (42.2) Assist/Turnover ratio Kevin Anderson (2.1) Carr (2.09) Regular season meeting: St. Joseph’s 70-55 (February 2nd at St. Joseph’s). Make no mistake about it: this season has been a serious disappointment for the Rams and anyone who would have thought that a team returning five senior starters would be able to make some waves in conference play. But things don’t always work out as planned, meaning that this bunch barely squeaked into the Atlantic 10 Tournament to face an opponent that should have no problem getting up for this game. The Hawks are in desperate need of wins in order to strengthen their case for the NCAA Tournament, and with this game and a quarterfinal against Richmond, St. Joe’s could very well find themselves in a semifinal opposite league champ Xavier if things go according to plan. Pat Calathes has been the jack-of-all-trades guy for Phil Martelli this season, leading the Hawks in both scoring and rebounding. Even though he stands at 6-10, Calathes possesses the guard skills that you’d normally associate with players standing six inches shorter. The man who runs the show is Tasheed Carr, who led the team in assists per game and ranks behind only UMass’ Chris Lowe with 5.8 assists per game (rounded up from 5.76). The most entertaining individual matchup between the two teams could be between senior big men Bryant Dunston and Amhad Nivins. Nivins has been the anchor in the middle for the Hawks over the past couple of seasons, and St. Joe’s also has Rob Ferguson coming off the bench to contribute as well. Six players (five of whom average double figures in scoring) see the majority of the minutes, with Darrin Govens and Garrett Williamson rounding out the rotation. As for Fordham, the offense has basically boiled down to two components: Dunston and Marcus Stout. Dunston is once again averaging a double-double, earning Second-Team All-Conference and All-Defensive honors as a result. Stout is just behind him with his average of 15.2 points per contest, and also leads the team in assists per game. The other Ram averaging double figures is sophomore guard Brenton Butler, who has reached double digits in scoring in each the Rams’ last five games. Kevin Anderson, Mike Moore, Michael Binns and Herb Tanner also see playing time, but none of those four have proven to be serious offensive threats. St. Joe’s clearly has the advantage on that end of the floor, and if the Rams don’t control the tempo they could be in serious trouble. Both teams are middle of the pack clubs when it comes to defense, and they both do a decent job of taking care of the basketball. But to be frank, the Hawks have more talent. Fordham will give them a run, especially with five seniors possibly playing their last game, but sometimes you get the feeling that a team’s better off simply ending their season right now instead of delaying the inevitable. I like St. Joe’s in this one. Northeast Conference Tournament final #4 Mount St. Mary’s @ #3 Sacred Heart Wednesday 7 PM, ESPN2 Category (league rank) Mount St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Points per game 69.1 (8th) 72.4 (3rd) PPG allowed 66.9 (1st) 71.6 (7th) Field goal % 44.7 (4th) 44.6 (5th) FG % defense 41.9 (2nd) 44.6 (t-5th) 3 PT % 37.0 (3rd) 34.9 (6th) 3 PT % defense 32.7 (4th) 34.1 (6th) Rebound margin - 1.3 (8th) - 4.1 (9th) Turnover margin + 0.65 (4th) + 2.42 (1st) Category Mount St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Points per game Chris Vann (14.7) Brice Brooks (12.6) Rebounds per game Markus Mitchell (5.9) Drew Shubik (5.8) Assists per game Jeremy Goode (5.6) Shubik (5.6) FG percentage Sam Atupem (51.7) Ryon Howard (52.0) 3 PT percentage Vann (39.4) Ryan Litke (38.0) Assist/Turnover ratio Goode (1.62) Shubik (1.54) Regular season meetings: Sacred Heart 67-59 (January 19th at The Mount). Tournament Results: Mount St. Mary’s beat #5 Quinnipiac (80-70) and #1 Robert Morris (83-65). Sacred Heart defeated #6 Central Connecticut State (84-71) and #2 Wagner (55-49). On paper the Mountaineers have the clear advantage when it comes to defense. But the Pioneers are coming off of their best defensive effort of the season, one in which they held Wagner to forty-nine points and thirty percent shooting from the field. Dave Bike’s team is a balanced group led in scoring by Brice Brooks, but anyone from Corey Hassan to Drew Shubik to Ryan Litke to Ryon Howard can victimize the opponent on any given night. After getting off to a slow start to the season, the Pioneers were in the thick of the NEC race until about a week left in the season. The only negative that came out of Sunday’s win at Wager were the fifteen turnovers committed by Sacred Heart, a surprising number given the fact that they led the NEC in turnover margin this season. But they were still able to overcome a rough shooting night (Hassan went 1-10 from the field on his own) to make it to Wednesday’s final. Another piece of good news for Pioneer followers: only twice has the road team won the conference title game this decade. Monmouth was the winner on each occasion as they knocked off FDU in 2006 and St. Francis (NY) in 2001. As for the Mountaineers, they’ll show up with one of the conference’s best defenses. The Mount gave up the fewest points per game this season and finished second in field goal percentage defense. On offense, this is a team that prefers to play a half-court style and won’t shoot themselves in the foot. Point guard Jeremy Goode leads the way, distributing the ball to players such as leading scorer Chris Vann and Will Holland while not being afraid to put up some shots himself (Goode is second on the team in scoring). Both teams tend to rebound by committee, but neither has been particularly dominant in that area, ranking near the bottom of the NEC in rebound margin. While this is a tricky game to pick, I like Sacred Heart and Dave Bike to make their first appearance in the Division I tournament (remember, this school as a Division II title to its credit). Big East Tournament First Round #12 Seton Hall vs. #5 Marquette Wednesday 9:30 PM, ESPN Category Seton Hall Marquette Points per game 77.4 (4th) 76.2 (5th) PPG allowed 77.6 (16th) 64.0 (4th) Field goal % 42.5 (13th) 45.3 (8th) FG % defense 45.1 (15th) 41.2 (5th) 3 PT % 34.2 (10th) 35.9 (4th) 3 PT % defense 37.5 (15th) 29.3 (2nd) Rebound margin - 3.7 (16th) + 1.3 (11th) Turnover margin + 3.55 (3rd) + 4.17 (2nd) Category Seton Hall Marquette Points per game Brian Laing (19.0) Jerel McNeal (13.6) Rebounds per game John Garcia (7.1) Lazar Hayward (6.4) Assists per game Eugene Harvey (4.81) Dominic James (4.33) FG percentage Garcia (61.7) Ousmane Barro (55.1) 3 PT percentage Jamar Nutter (38.8) Maurice Acker (41.2) Assist/Turnover ratio Harvey (1.3) James (1.88) Regular season meetings: Marquette won both meetings, 61-56 (January 8th at Marquette) and 89-64 (February 12th at Seton Hall). For all the talk about Tom Crean’s guards (and rightfully so), the major difference between the Pirates hanging around in the first meeting and getting blown out of their own gym a month later could be the play of Lazar Hayward. In the five-point win in Milwaukee, Hayward only had seven points and six rebounds. In the return meeting, Lazar went for twenty-three points and nine rebounds as the Hall had no answer for the sophomore forward. Another key to this one could be the matchup between Ousmane Barro and John Garcia. I predicted the same heading into the second meeting, only to have Hayward play one of his best games of the season. The Pirates give up nearly forty rebounds per game, something that isn’t shocking considering their style of play and lack of size. But if they want to have any shot at hanging around in this one, they’re going to need to hold their own on the glass if not win the category. The leading scorer for Seton Hall has been Brian Laing, recently named to the conference’s first team. Other options include point guard Eugene Harvey and guards Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell (named to the All-Rookie Team). A trio of big men occupies the pivot in Bobby Gonzalez’s “small ball” system, with John Garcia coming on of late. As for Marquette, the Golden Eagles can boast a triumvirate of second-team All-Conference players in Hayward, McNeal and James. But they’ve also got some depth, with roles players such as David Cubillan, Dan Fitzgerald and Maurice Acker also able to burn an unsuspecting opponent. And you can’t forget about the third guard in Marquette’s three-guard attack, Wesley Matthews. Matthews may be Coach Crean’s best perimeter defender, but all of the guards do a solid job of containing their opponent. While Seton Hall’s pressing style can give them a chance in this one, something has been missing from this group on the defensive end of the floor ever since Paul Gause tore his ACL a few weeks ago. There’s no longer a ball-hawking defender who can force teams to throw the ball away and rush things on offense, leading to better shot opportunities for the Pirates. And without Gause the lack of size becomes even more apparent. I like Marquette to win this one.

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Marquette

Joel Welser — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:28:01 -0700

Marquette

Big East

by Joel Welser

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, First Round loss to Michigan State

Coach: Tom Crean (4-4 in 4 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Dominic James, Junior, Guard

Jerel McNeal, Junior, Guard

Wesley Matthews, Junior, Guard

Lazar Hayward, Sophomore, Forward

Ousmane Barro, Senior, Forward

Key Roleplayers:

David Cubillan, Sophomore, Guard

Maurice Acker, Sophomore, Guard

Dan Fitzgerald, Senior, Forward

Dwight Burke, Junior, Forward

Why They Can Surprise:

Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews form a great trio of junior guards. James is a smart point guard, a great scorer and pesky defender. The one thing he has improved upon greatly as an upperclassman is keeping the turnovers down. In fact, that can be said for the entire team.

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. McNeal’s turnovers can still be a problem, but he is down to 2.7 turnovers per game this year from 4.1 last year. 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. None are great shooters by any means and the more they use their quickness and the less they think they can hit the long ball, the better. Even though the shooting this year from beyond the arc has not improved, the backcourt players take fewer shots this season than they did last season. If one of the three talented perimeter starters can get hot at the right time, it will open up some space for everybody else on the offensive end, but they can win games without having to chuck up a bunch of three-pointers.

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. The undersized Lazar Hayward has really burst onto the scene as a sophomore. The 6-6 Buffalo, NY native is a dynamic scorer who can use his wide 225 pound body to battle in the paint or step outside and hit the mid-range jumper. Hayward is easily the most efficient long range shooter on the team. Senior Ousmane Barro, sharpshooter Dan Fitzgerald and tough Dwight Burke have all started at least a few games this season beside Hayward. Barro, Fitzgerald and Burke will not put up big numbers, but they do give Coach Tom Crean plenty of options.

- More 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

- All 2008 Tournament Capsules

Game of the Week: #11 Georgetown at #21 Marquette

Jeff Borzello — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:55:38 -0800

Game of the Week: No. 11 Georgetown at No. 21 Marquette (Saturday, 2:00 PM, CBS)

With March on its way and Selection Sunday just around the corner, most of the talk around the country has been focusing on bubble teams and the always-popular “In or Out?” question. However, once the NCAA Tournament starts, the majority of people forget about those teams and start looking at the teams that can potentially make a Final Four run. In other words, don’t forget that there are still marquee games between conference contenders this weekend – not just bubble battles between middling major-conference teams. In the Pac-10, Stanford takes on Washington State; Michigan State gets a chance for revenge against Indiana in the Big Ten; and Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga face-off to decide who will win the West Coast Conference. However, the best game might take place in the Big East, when co-conference leader Georgetown heads to Wisconsin to go up against a hot Marquette team.

Georgetown Team Breakdown

Georgetown came into the season as the co-Big East favorite along with Louisville, and the Hoyas have not disappointed. They have been at the top of the conference all season long, and have stayed in the top-15 of the polls throughout the year. All four of their losses came on the road, including defeats at Memphis, Pittsburgh and the aforementioned Cardinals. On the other hand, Georgetown also has wins over Connecticut, Notre Dame and West Virginia. It is ranked No. 23 in offensive efficiency and No. 8 in defensive efficiency.

The Hoyas are led by center Roy Hibbert, one of the best big men in the country. His numbers don’t reflect how good he is; he has the ability to dominate a game with his size and skill at both ends of the floor. Starting up front with him is sophomore DaJuan Summers, who has improved since last season. He has taken a more aggressive role offensively, and can score inside and out. Off the bench is Patrick Ewing, Jr., an athletic and energetic big man who can defend and score around the basket. Vernon Macklin also sees time.

Georgetown starts three guards on the perimeter, led by upperclassmen Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp. Both players are interchangeable; both can handle the ball and run the offense, and both can play off-the-ball and knock down three-pointers. Wallace is very solid from beyond the arc, while Sapp is a clutch performer down the stretch who can get into the lane as well as shoot. Freshman Austin Freeman is very efficient from the field and he can shoot from anywhere on the court. Jeremiah Rivers comes off the bench. He is an outstanding defender who is usually in the game when it counts because of his ability on that side of the ball.

Marquette Team Breakdown

Marquette was generally considered the third-best team in the Big East, but a decent amount behind Georgetown and Louisville. While the Golden Eagles have been somewhat inconsistent at times this season, they are getting hot at the right time and will be a tough out in March. All six of their losses were to top-35 RPI teams, including two to Louisville, as well as games against Duke, Connecticut and Notre Dame. Their best wins are at Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. In terms of efficiency, Marquette is ranked No. 19 offensively and No. 11 defensively.

The Golden Eagles are led by their perimeter group, one of the best in the nation. Dominic James is an outstanding point guard. He is fearless when driving to the rim and can finish with anyone in the country. He is not overly consistent from three-point range, but he is a playmaker off the bounce. Jerel McNeal is one of the better two-way players in the Big East. He can do nearly anything on the court – besides shoot threes – and is a lockdown defender. Wesley Matthews is another double-figure scorer on the perimeter. He can shoot the three and has a nice mid-range game. Off the bench, David Cubillan is an excellent three-point shooter, while Maurice Acker can shoot the ball as well as run the offense.

The frontcourt has long been considered Marquette’s main weakness, although that trend is beginning to change this season. The main reason – sophomore Lazar Hayward. He is just 6-6, but he can hold his own in the post and has the offensive versatility to step out to the perimeter and consistent knock down three-pointers. He is also a very solid rebounder. Ousmane Barro provides length when he is in the game; he is the team’s best shot-blocker and is a good rebounder. Dan Fitzgerald, despite his 6-9 size, is mostly a three-point shooter but he is decent in the paint.

Game Analysis and Prediction

The Big East has a handful of teams in the top-25 of the RPI, and all are in some sort of contention for the conference title. Georgetown is at the top with Louisville, while Marquette has been making a run of late with its outstanding recent play. This game should reflect what is at stake – as well as the difference in the two teams’ respective styles. Georgetown runs a version of the Princeton offense, filled with backdoor cuts and open passing lanes. Defensively, the Hoyas play tough half-court defense and don’t allow too many open shots. Having the 7-3 Hibbert down low helps things. On the other side, Marquette has a variety of perimeter players who can either take their defender off the dribble or hit the three off penetration. At the other end, Marquette loves to pressure the opponents’ guards and play the passing lanes hoping for steals and transition baskets. It will interesting to see which side prevails.

If Georgetown is going to take the next step in its quest for the Big East title, it is going to have to do several things in order to knock off the hot Golden Eagles on their home-court. First, the Hoyas need to establish Roy Hibbert down low early and often. Marquette is not a very big team at all; its best inside player is 6-6 Lazar Hayward and 6-9 Dan Fitzgerald would rather play on the perimeter. Hibbert will have a major size advantage on whomever is defending him; Georgetown has to take advantage of that. Also offensively, Georgetown will have to avoid making vulnerable passes that have a chance of getting picked off and turn the tables on the aggressive Marquette guards. The Hoyas should wait until either Dominic James or Jerel McNeal overplays defensively, and then beat them with a backdoor cut for an easy basket. Defensively, Georgetown has to force James and McNeal to shoot three-pointers and keep them out of the lane. When they both have opportunities to consistently beat their defenders off the dribble and create for themselves and their teammates, Marquette is much more difficult to defend. When they begin to penetrate, the defense collapses and leaves Hayward, Fitzgerald, Wesley Matthews, David Cubillan – all very good three-point shooters – open for jumpers from beyond the arc. Neither James or McNeal is consistent from three-point range, and it would help if the Hoyas could force them to shoot jumpers.

On the other side, if Marquette is going to continue its winning ways against one of the best teams in the country, and the co-conference leader in the Big East, it will need to take advantage of a few things and overcome a couple of weaknesses. First, slowing down Hibbert inside and making sure to grab defensive rebounds are the biggest things. Marquette does not have anyone who can stop Hibbert by himself, but they cannot allow him to get uncontested entry passes and wide-open touches down low. If he establishes himself, Marquette could be in trouble. Additionally, the Golden Eagles are not a very good defensive rebounding team, while Georgetown has the players to exploit that disadvantage. Also on the defensive end, Marquette needs to force turnovers and try to get transition baskets. Georgetown would much rather have the game played strictly in the half-court – outside of a couple of fast-break opportunities – but Marquette has the guards to play an up-and-down game. A few mishaps early by Georgetown, and Marquette will have a chance to get easy points and grab the momentum. Offensively, Marquette has to hit its three-pointers. Georgetown guards the rim and paint very well, but teams have had success shooting threes against the Hoyas. Marquette has a host of quality three-point shooters; if they are knocking down their jumpers, they will be tough to stop. On that same thread, players like James and McNeal can’t settle for outside shots; they have to attempt to take the ball to the basket and make plays around the rim.

This game is going to be a very interesting battle between two teams looking to solidify their seeding for both the conference tournament in a couple of weeks, as well as the NCAA Tournament in mid-March. Both teams play different styles and have completely different line-up types. In the end, the difference is going to be the guards of Marquette and their defense. I think they will be able to get a couple of turnovers and quick baskets early, which will get the home crowd into it and give the Golden Eagles some momentum, and Marquette will be able to hang on late.

Prediction: Marquette 73, Georgetown 68

Three Stars of the Day: Augustin, James, Simpson

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:44:38 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

DJ Augustin - Texas

The Longhorns star, who has recaptured his scoring touch in recent games, finished with 24 and 4 steals

Dominic James - Marquette

Besides a season-high 25 points, added 6 key steals as the Eagles pulled away from Villanova

Diamon Simpson - Saint Mary's

15 points & 11 boards helped the Gaels win a low-scoring affair against San Diego

Other Top Performers

Michael Beasley - Kansas State - The Wildcats lost, but you can't blame it on Beasley who had 30 & 15

Ben Dowdell - Santa Clara - The freshman tripled his usual 7 ppg scoring average with 21 against USF

Trant Simpson - Alabama A&M - Scored a career-high 33 points as the Bulldogs beat Alcorn State

Previous Stars of the Day

February 20th - OJ Mayo, USC

February 19th - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

February 18th - John Bryant, Santa Clara

February 17th - Johnson/Teague, Wake Forest

February 15th - Tyrese Rice, Boston College

February 12th - J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State

February 10th - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

February 9th - Hasheem Thabeet, UCONN

February 7th - Ronald Ramon, Pittsburgh

February 6th - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

February 4th - Todd Golden, Saint Mary's

February 3rd - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

January 30th - Chase Budinger, Arizona

January 29th - Beasley/Walker, Kansas State

January 28th - Chris Godzinski, Wofford

January 27th - DeMarcus Nelson, Duke

January 26th - Hackett/Lewis/Mayo, USC

January 24th - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

January 22nd - Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

January 21st - DJ Augustin, Texas

January 20th - Dezmon Harris, Weber State

January 19th - James Gist, Maryland

January 18th - Abbott/Harden, Arizona State

January 17th - Dionte Christmas, Temple

January 14th - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

January 11th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 9th - DJ White, Indiana

January 8th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 7th - Wayne Ellington, UNC

January 6th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

January 5th - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

January 3rd - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 2nd - Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

November/December Star of the Day Archive

Games of the Night: Marquette at Villanova

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 07:37:30 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#24 Marquette (20-6) at Villanova (17-9)

7:00 PM ESPN

Texas/Kansas State features better teams and better players.. but this one gets the nod for having bigger NCAA Tournament implications. Villanova was revived from the dead after a big week of wins over West Virginia and UCONN. Suddenly back on the bubble, the Wildcats need a win tonight in a big way, especially with a tough road game at Louisville coming up. Marquette is known as a team that struggles on the road, but they have won 3 of 4 away from Milwaukee. Still, none of those wins were against upper or even mid-tier Big East teams. Then again, Nova isn't an upper-tier team either.. so this game is very much up for grabs. I'll take home dog Nova, who should be playing with more urgency.

Prediction: Villanova

#7 Texas at #25 Kansas State (18-8)

9:00 PM ESPN

On Saturday, Michael Beasley and Bill Walker combined for a ridiculous 75 points.. and the Wildcats still lost to Baylor. Better contributions will have to come from State's guards against a more talented Texas squad. Although the Longhorns are now 1st in the Big 12, K-State is still favored because they're an extremely dangerous home team (13-1). This game has NCAA Tournament seeding implications (Texas is alive for a #1), but the real interest is watching Beasley play. I'd set the over/under on him at 31 points.

Prediction: Texas

San Diego (16-12) at #20 St. Mary's (23-4)

10:00 PM

The Gaels have two losses to avenge tonight. First, they're coming off a home loss in BracketBusters and want to get going in the right direction (and maintain their Top 25 ranking). More importantly, their lone WCC came at the hands of San Diego a month ago. That game was relatively close, with SMC up at half and the score tied with 5 minutes to go. Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare dominated that game for USD, hitting just about every shot they took. That won't happen tonight as SMC wins with relative ease.

Prediction: USC

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 68-40)

February 21st - South Alabama at WKU (1-2)

February 20th - UNC at NC State (3-0)

February 19th - Purdue at Indiana (2-1)

February 18th - Texas A&M at Texas (2-1)

February 16th - Stanford at Arizona (1-2)

February 14th - Wisconsin at Indiana (2-1)

February 12th - Michigan State at Purdue (2-1)

February 11th - Kansas at Texas (2-1)

February 10th - Indiana at Ohio State (2-1)

February 9th - Georgetown at Louisville (2-1)

February 7th - UCLA at Washington State (2-1)

February 6th - Duke at North Carolina (1-2)

February 5th - Florida at Tennessee (2-1)

February 4th - Gonzaga at SMC (1-2)

January 30th - Indiana at Wisconsin (1-2)

January 29th - VCU at George Mason (2-1)

January 28th - Louisville at UCONN (1-2)

January 27th - Duke at Maryland (2-1)

January 26th - Georgetown at West Virginia (3-0)

January 24rd - Dayton at Xavier (2-1)

January 22nd - Akron at Kent State (2-1)

January 21st - Drake at Creighton (1-2)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma State (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)

Games of the Night: Marquette at UCONN

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:46:16 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#13 Marquette (13-3) at UCONN (11-5)

1:00 PM

This might not be the best played game or even the closest, but this is an extremely important match up for these two Big East teams. Marquette hasn't come close to a winning a league road game, and a loss would drop their conference record to 3-3 and on the verge of dropping out of the Top 25. UCONN is coming a bad home loss to Providence, which leaves their conference record at 2-3. A loss would move them into 13th in the 16 team league conference, miles from the top half and even farther from the Top 25.

Prediction: UCONN

#11 Michigan State (15-2) at Minnesota (12-4)

4:00 PM

Minnesota proved against Indiana that they can hang with the Big Ten's big boys, at home anyways. But I felt like the Gophers gave an A effort in that game and still lost.. so I'm not sure what to expect this afternoon. Michigan state has shown some vulnerability, losing to Iowa on the road, so a win is definitely not a lock. Raymar Morgan was a monster when MSU beat Minnesota at home, but has struggled in recent games. He'll be the difference maker.

Prediction: Michigan State

Florida State (12-6) at Wake Forest (11-5)

1:00 PM

No big ACC game today like you expect on most Sundays, simply this battle between 1-2 squads. Wake is a slight favorite in the books (1.5 points) by virtue of being at home, but everything points to a good effort from the Noles. They've actually been pretty decent on the road all season, beating Georgia Tech, playing Clemson closely, and faring alright in non-conference play. I hate taking road teams in ACC games, but FSU is coming off two losses and should be ready to put in max effort.

Prediction: Florida State

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)