Big East Report Team Blog: Marquette

JIMMY BUTLER MIRRORS MARQUETTE'S CULTURE

2011-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

by RAY MERNAGH

My first question to Marquette senior Jimmy Butler when I got him on the phone was about "Boot Camp," the preseason period that MU players go through each Fall. Butler was going through his last one as a Marquette player and I wanted him to explain what it had been like -- I mistakenly thought it was over. "It's not over yet," said Butler laughing, "we still have some more time left." What does it consist of?

Butler described a series of workouts designed to tax he and his mates both physically and mentally. "Lots of running, along with just about every defensive drill you can think of," he said. "Shell drills, slides, jump to the ball, defending against back screens and down screens." I said it sounded as if the 14 days were spent down in a stance.

"Sounds like you probably have a pretty good idea of it," said Butler, "it's brings us together as a team."

Butler will be counted on to do more this season for Marquette -- with Lazar Hayward gone -- and that's saying a lot, because Butler balled at a level that put him among the cream of the crop in the Big East last season. Butler put up averages of 14.7 points, 6.4 boards, 2 assists and 1.3 steals a game during his second full season of D-1 play (he's another "productive JUCO guy" that Buzz Williams and his staff seem to have mastered). Butler also shot the ball at a 53% clip from the field, made almost 77% of his freebies and connected from deep with 50% accuracy.

The first time I saw Jimmy Butler live I knew he had a chance to be a very good player in the Big East, even though his stats for the night didn't come close to telling that story. If you go back and look at some of the available history of that evening -- it was March 4th during the 2008-09 season -- and look at the box score, here's what you'd see next to the name Jimmy Butler: 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 1 rebound and 4 fouls in 20 minutes. He wasn't mentioned in any post-game releases or talked about in the post-game presser but I remember two things impressing me about Marquette above all else that night -- their first year coach's in-game work and the competitive character of Jimmy Butler.

Undersized and lacking depth, Marquette played with a 26-3 Pitt team (ranked third in the country at the time) for thirty minutes, thanks to future big-money NBA free agent Wesley Matthews, future first-round pick Hayward and the splendid Jerel McNeal. Then the burial came in the form of a 21-2 second-half run during which Pitt pounded the ball inside to their own future pros (how they weren't first-round picks is still unfathomable to this day) in DeJuan Blair (23 and 9) and Sam Young (18 and 8). That Panther team also had Tyrell Biggs and Gary McGhee to bang inside when they needed them along with Gilbert Brown.

Marquette obviously was over matched physically in the paint and once they started missing shots, a point that unfortunately for them coincided with the aforementioned 21-2 run, there was never a doubt that Pitt would win (the final was 90-75 and gave the 13th ranked warriors from Milwaukee their seventh loss of the season). But long after most in the media section had stopped paying attention to the game, and started to focus on their deadlines, I marveled at the skinny athletic kid from Tomball, Texas, and the way he battled like he might never get to play another game of basketball again.

Butler threw his body around with Blair, Young and Biggs, earning his fouls while taking some ungodly punishment. At one point Blair looked hard at him and Butler looked right back, causing Blair to break out in a grin. It wasn't a grin that was mocking -- those were saved for UConn and Hasheem Thabeet -- but one meant to convey respect. I came away thinking that Butler was going to be good and that if he was the type of player Williams would be bringing to Marquette, then the people who decided to elevate him and not go outside for the hire were either lucky, geniuses, or both.

Now Butler is in much the same spot as some of his former teammates, expected to lead a group focused on meeting the only expectations that matter, their own. "My job is to make everybody better," said Butler, "and the way I do that is by being a better teammate and building trust amongst all of us. That to me is the biggest responsibility and the most important thing, that we trust each other." Butler will do that by echoing the lessons he's had drummed into him for the last few years by Williams and his assistants.

"We have to fight and defend and not take bad shots," he says. "Coach always stresses to us the need to be unselfish, to pass up a good shot if your teammate has a great shot." Butler's excited about the season, the team, and helping the new faces in the program bring as much as their ability will allow.

"We have a lot of new guys who are very good athletes and that's exciting but we have to do a good job of showing them exactly how hard they have to work," says Butler. I asked about JUCO transfer Jae Crowder, expected to be a big addition along with athletic talents Vander Blue and Reggie Smith.

"I think it will help having DJO, Buykes and myself to watch, because all three of us know how tough the transition from Junior College to the Big East is and how hard he has to work and fight every night," says Butler. "Skill wise he's a big body and strong guy who can play inside out, he's Lazar-like but probably not as good of a shooter. He's a beast strength-wise though, we just need him to realize how hard he has to bring it every night and that's a difficult transition to make." That "fight" mentality once again represents Marquette basketball because of players like Butler.

I think back to that March night when I saw Butler fight like his life depended on it, like he wasn't inside a plush arena getting his head handed to him but brawling on a Cracked Sidewalk with machete-armed samurai's.

Somehow, I think the message will get through loud and clear.

MARQUETTE DISPATCHES CITY RIVAL; WISCONSIN UP NEXT

2009-12-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

Marquette bounced back from a pair of demoralizing losses with a Sloppy But Satisfying (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) over city rival UW-Milwaukee 71-51 at the Bradley Center Tuesday night.

The Golden Eagles ran their record to 37-0 against their intra-city foe as Jimmy Butler led the way with 20 points on a snowy Milwaukee evening. Darius Johnson-Odom provided a lift off the bench with 15 points and lazar Hayward added 13.

Marquette forced 21 turnovers and shot 52% from the floor in the win. Next up for the Golden Eages is a date in Madison against the rival Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday in their annual rivalry match-up.

MARQUETTE SEES ANOTHER BIG LEAD SLIP AWAY IN LOSS

2009-12-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

For the second consecutive time, Marquette blows a double-digit second half lead and falls to an ACC team. The first time came in the the Old Spice Classic finale in a 57-56 loss to Florida State. On Saturday a similar scenario unfolded as the Golden Eagles could not hold a big second half lead in a 77-73 home loss to NC State.

Marquette led 36-25 at the half, but a 17-2 NC State run turned the game around and put the Wolfpack ahead 63-49 with over 5 minutes left.

The Golden Eagles Suffer Defensive Letdown in Loss (Appleton Post-Crescent) as the Defense Collapses (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) allowing the Pack to shoot 71% in the second half in front of a displeased crowd of 15,803.

Junior forward Jimmy Butler had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead four players in double figures. Freshman Jeronne Maymon missed the contest, taking a bite out of Buzz Williams' bench strength, with a hip-pointer and is day to day.

MU is left searching for answers just days before its annual intra-city showdown with UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday.

GOLDEN EAGLES SQUASH MSOE IN EXHIBITION HOOPS

2009-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Courtest of the NBE Basketball Report.

Marquette was in action Saturday afternoon in their lone exhibition contest before opening the season Friday at home against Centenary College. Lazar Hayward scored a game-high 24 points leading MU to a 106-47 exhibition win over the Milwaukee School Of Engineering. After falling behind MSOE 2-0, Marquette ran off the next 23 points and never looked back, scoring 53 points in each half, leading 53-25 at the half.

On a team looking for some backcourt help, David Cubillan had a very solid game with 12 points and 9 assists and showing he can run the team and play off the ball as well. Cubillan States His Case (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) for the starting point guard spot that senior Maurice Acker currently holds. Cubillan is much more of a threat to make shots at the lead guard position and that might be a tipping point in the battle to succeed Dominic James this year.

JUCO transfer Dwight Buycks came off the bench to score 15 points and starting forward Jimmy Butler had 14 points and 10 rebounds in support of Hayward. Sophomore big man Chris Otule also scored 14 off the bench.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2009-08-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2009

COMMITMENT ALERT: Jamail Jones, 6'6 SF from Decatur (GA)

According to Dustin Rumbaugh of the HoopsReport.com, Jamail Jones to Marquette as part of the 2010 recruiting class is a done deal. The Georgoe native saw Marquette head coach Buzz Williams plenty on the recruiting trail in July and that dedication by the Golden Eagles' staff paid off with Jones committing this weekend.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F)
Juniors: Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G)
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Darius Johnson-Odom** (JUCO G)
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF), Youssoupha Mbao (C)
2010 Early Commitments: Aaron Bowen (G), Monterale Clark (C-JUCO), Jamail Jones (SF)

** played one year at JUCO level, will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2009-04-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2009

COMMITMENT ALERT: Youssoupha Mbao, 7'2 center from Stoneridge (CA) Prep. Mbao is a native of Dakar, Senegal.

Marquette coach Buzz Williams' search high and low for a big man in the paint took him out to California as Youssoupha Mbao is the seventh player to commit to the Golden Eagles in the 2009 class. The news that Mbao, 7'2 center, Was to Visit (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) over the weekend came as news to many, now that Mbao has committed, the chase for information on the big man has been on.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Juniors: Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G)
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)*, Darius Johnson-Odom** (JUCO G)
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF), Youssoupha Mbao (C)
2010 Early Commitments: Aaron Bowen (G), Monterale Clark (C-JUCO)

* sitting out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010. McMorrow is also undergoing medical tests that could keep him from playing in the future.

** played one year at JUCO level, will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

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It has been just over one year since Tom Crean shocked Marquette fans and acceted the head coaching position at Indiana. Crean's replacement, Brent 'Buzz' Williams, has proven to be a hard worked on the recruiting trail and it seems that everywhere you turn you have a player listing Marquette as a school of interest. Williams has gone north of the boarder, down to Texas, locally in Milwaukee, to Pennsylvania and into the JUCO ranks for recruits in the class of 2009. Now, he goes into Senegal for the latest.

Youssoupha Mbao committed to the Golden Eagles while on a visit to Milwaukee this weekend. Mbao brings serious size, being listed at 7-foot-2. He showed nice ahletic ability last November playing for Stoneridge Prep (CA) in the National Prep Showcase, but he was painfully thin, weighing in at nearly 200 pounds, so his ability to contribute in the Big East will most likely depend on his ability to gain weight and strength.

Mbao, being 7'2, is obviously a defensive presence with his length and his ability to move his feet, which is pretty good at his size. Most of his rebounds were gathered because off his size, but in the Big East, he will need to show the ability to gain and hold position against stronger players and be stronger in going after the ball.

Still when you stand 7'2 and you have length and athleticism, your long term potential is well worth any risk. He could be a presence quickly defensively in the paint, something the Golden Eagles have not had for some time with a little strength and weight gain. Offensively he has a ways to go, but that is certainly not un-common for a young, developing big man.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article dies indicate there might be some additional legwork left in determining his eligibility as he has played in at elast one professional league overseas. Some notes on him can be found on NBA draft websites like DraftExpress.com as he has been on the NBA draft radar for a few seasons.

Earlier this spring MU added the second JUCO player for the class of 2009 (Buzz added two in 2008 and already has a commitment from one in 2010) in guard Darius Johnson-Odom, a 6-foot-2 scoring machine out of Hutchinson (KS) Community College, one of the traditional powers of the JUCO ranks.

Johnson-Odom averaged nearly 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while earning freshman of the year honors in the Jayhawk conference, playing for coach Ryan Swanson on the squad that finished 20-12 this year.

Johnson-Odom played his high school ball at Wakefield High school near Raleigh (NC). In an effort to gain qualifying status with the NCAA, Johnson-Odom did a post-grad season at the Patterson (NC) School before landing this past year at Hutchinson CC.

Johnson-Odom showed his explosive scoring ability by scoring 46 points in a game this season. He is definitely a scoring lead guard and the left-handed shooter has a strong build that looks ready for the Big East.

In Todd Rosiak's Darius Johnson-Odom Interview found at the Journal-Sentienl online blogs, Johnson-Odom indicates that Pitt, Kentucky, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Tennessee were other schools actively recruiting him this season.

Brett Roseboro is a 6-foot-9, left-handed C/BF out of Quakertown (PA) High School. One the summer circuit, Roseboro showed to be a very fundamentally sound basketball player with good hands and nice footwork in the pain to score with several post moves. For his size, he has the ability to show himself quite agile and nimble. for more on his play this summer, you can check out his player profile at CAAInsider.com: Brett Roseboro.

This past weekend, Roseboro played in the Providence Jam Fest, so a year of prep basketball migh tnot be out of the question, but he maintained at the event he is committed to Marquette.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan verbally committed to MU in early July for the class of 2009.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he had also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Last spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Mbao, Johnson-Odom, Roseboro, Cadougan, Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

The commitment of Johnson-Odom and the spring announcement that Pat Hazel, on paper, filled the last available scholarships for Marquette among the class of 2009. However, coach Williams indicated to the local press following the Golden Eagles' loss to Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament he was still busy on the recruiting front. Even with the recent decisions of Jamil Wilson, Darius Smith and Dashonte Riley to attend other schools in 2009-2010, Williams continued to hit the trail and added Mbao.

Besides a possible year of prep basketball for Roseboro, there is a question regarding the last commitment for 2008 and if he will impact the Marquette program on the floor. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, joined Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program in the frontcourt. McMorrow sat out as a transfer in 2008-2009 and worked at developing into a Big East caliber player before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now. Recently Williams said McMorrow is continuing to undergo testing for a medical condition he wouldn't specify that could make his status for next season uncertain.

Buzz Williams worked his connections in Texas and his budding local ties of Milwaukee to land his latest commitment for the class of 2010 and Marquette as 6-foot-10 center Monterale Clark made a verbal commitment to the Golden Eagles recently.

Clark had attended local Milwaukee high schools Rufus King and Pius XI before heading off to Ware Prep in the south. Clark has always been an intriguing player because of his length and athleticism, but was in desperate need of adding some bulk to a frame that was in the 180-pound range last time he was seen playing with a Milwaukee-based AAU program the Running Rebels.

This season at Hill College Clark, who is listed at 200 pounts, is averaging 17 points and nearly 11 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. His coach, Swede Trenkle, at Hill college told the Journal-Sentinel that he has put on 16-17 pounds since arriving at Hill College. He also had scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor and Auburn according to the article.

Clark is the second player in the class of 2010 verbally commited to Marquette. Back in late November, the commitment to Marquette from Wolfson High School junior G/F Aaron Bowen took many by surprise. The Jacksonville (FL) native Bowen missed much of the summer AAU circuit because of an injured knee, so not a whole lot is known on him outside of his local area. Last season for coach Bruce Rosebrock, Bowen averaged about 17 points, over 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game, helping one of the state's top programs to another successful season.

A Closer Look at Aaron Bowen can be found at Todd Rosiak's blog on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's website. Bowen has recently received a visit from an Auburn assistant coach and Florida, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Jacksonville were other schools involved early. A sensational 41-point performance in last year's playoffs really go the ball rolling on his recruitment and Marquette came in and stole one out of the Sunshine State.

2010 forward prospect Tobias Harris of Long Island and NYC forward Shane Southwell are also high on the MU recruiting radar and were among the expected guests for Marquette Madness last fall. Other underclassmen visitors for the event-filled weekend included 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).

Another player to watch closely in the class of 2010 is Reggie Smith out of Thornton (IL) HS. Smith has indicated he followed Jerel McNeal's career at Marquette very closely and has a high amount of interest in the Golden Eagles. Another Chicago-area player on the MU radar include Providence St.-Mel big man Philip Jackson, who the Golden Eagles have scouted numerous times in the last year.

MARQUETTE CONTINUES JUCO PIPELINE

2009-04-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2009

Marquette has a lot to replace in their backcourt next season following the graduation of their dynamic guard trio. One player they hope to have step in right from the start is Hutchinson CC scoring machine Darius Johnson-Odom. Johnson-Odom Signs with Marquette (HutchNews.com) and will have three years of eligibility remaining after the native of Raleigh (NC) averaged 21.6 points a game, made 69 3-pointers and made 77 percent of his free throws. He set a single-game scoring record at HCC with a 46-point outburst against Coffeyville.

With juniors-to-be Joe Fulce, Jimmy Butler and Dwight Buycks as well as Johnson-Odom - on the roster for next season, with a commitment from, Milwaukee native Monterale Clark, for 2010, Buzz Williams Gets Help from Junior College Roots (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) on the recruiting trail.

DARIUS JOHNSON-ODOM DISCUSSES MARQUETTE COMMITMENT

2009-04-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

April 3, 2009

Marquette picked up a verbal commitment for the class of 2009 as Hutchinson Community College guard Darius Johnson-Odom chose the Golden Eagles earlier this week. Johnson-Odom is a scoring guard who excels at attacking the rim and putting up points. Following a post-grad year at the Patterson School, Johnson-Odom spent one season at Hutchinson, scoring over 20 points a game and being honored as the Jayhawk Conference's Freshman of the Year. The NBE Basketball Report caught up with Johnson-Odom briefly to get his thoughts on his commitment and how he will contribute next season to Buzz Williams' program.

NBE: What is your current height, weight?

Johnson-Odom: 6'2, 205

NBE: What factors played the biggest role in choosing Marquette?

Johnson-Odom: What really played a big role in me coming to Marquette is their style of play and how they utilize their guards.

NBE: What role do you expect to play on next year's team?

Johnson-Odom: My role next year is to come in and compete, I think that I can provide a lot of things to the team.

NBE: What area of your game do you feel will allow you to contribute the most next year?

Johnson-Odom: As far as contributing I believe I can do that by attacking the rim, creating my own shot and creating for my teammates. I will also play with great intensity on the court.

NBE: What other schools were also recruiting you at the time of your commitment?

Johnson-Odom: Pitt, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Miami

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2009-04-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2009

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Darius Johnson-Odom, 6'2 guard from Hutchinson (KS) Community College. Johnson-Odom is a North Carolina native.

There has been no denying that Buzz Williams is a hard-worker on the recruiting trail and the Marquette head coach continues to hit every nook and cranny of the recruiting world to re-shape the Golden Eagles roster. The Eagles Add a Guard to the Mix (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) as Hutchinson (KS) Community College freshman guard Darius Johnson-Odom has made a verbal commitment to join Buzz Williams' team in the 2009-2010 season.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Juniors: Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G),
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)*, Darius Johnson-Odom** (JUCO G)
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF)
2010 Early Commitments: Aaron Bowen (G), Monterale Clark (C-JUCO)

* sitting out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010. McMorrow is also undergoing medical tests that could keep him from playing in the future.

** played one year at JUCO level, will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

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It has been one year since Tom Crean shocked Marquette fans and acceted the head coaching position at Indiana. Crean's replacement, Brent 'Buzz' Williams, has proven to be a hard worked on the recruiting trail and it seems that everywhere you turn you have a player listing Marquette as a school of interest. College basketball odds are greatly impacted by your recruiting efforts as recruiting is the lifeblood of your program. Williams has gone north of the boarder, down to Texas, locally to Pennsylvania and into the JUCO ranks for recruits in the class of 2009.

The latest addition is the second JUCO player for the class of 2009 (Buzz added two in 2008 and already has a commitment from one in 2010) in guard Darius Johnson-Odom, a 6-foot-2 scoring machine out of Hutchinson (KS) Community College, one of the traditional powers of the JUCO ranks.

Johnson-Odom averaged nearly 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while earning freshman of the year honors in the Jayhawk conference, playing for coach Ryan Swanson on the squad that finished 20-12 this year.

Johnson-Odom played his high school ball at Wakefield High school near Raleigh (NC). In an effort to gain qualifying status with the NCAA, Johnson-Odom did a post-grad season at the Patterson (NC) School before landing this past year at Hutchinson CC.

Johnson-Odom showed his explosive scoring ability by scoring 46 points in a game this season. He is definitely a scoring lead guard and the left-handed shooter has a strong build that looks ready for the Big East.

In Todd Rosiak's Darius Johnson-Odom Interview found at the Journal-Sentienl online blogs, Johnson-Odom indicates that Pitt, Kentucky, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Tennessee were other schools actively recruiting him this season.

Brett Roseboro is a 6-foot-9, left-handed C/BF out of Quakertown (PA) High School. One the summer circuit, Roseboro showed to be a very fundamentally sound basketball player with good hands and nice footwork in the pain to score with several post moves. For his size, he has the ability to show himself quite agile and nimble. for more on his play this summer, you can check out his player profile at CAAInsider.com: Brett Roseboro.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan verbally committed to MU in early July for the class of 2009.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he had also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Last spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Johnson-Odom, Roseboro, Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

The commitment of Roseboro, on paper, filled the last available scholarship for Marquette among the class of 2009. However, coach Williams indicated to the local press following the Golden Eagles' loss to Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament he was still busy on the recruiting front. Even with the recent decisions of Jamil Wilson, Darius Smith and Dashonte Riley to attend other schools in 2009-2010, Williams continued to hit the trail and landed Johnson-Odom.

It is tough to say how much the last commitment for 2008 will impact the Marquette program and when, if ever. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, joined Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program in the frontcourt. McMorrow sat out as a transfer in 2008-2009 and worked at developing into a Big East caliber player before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now. Recently Williams said McMorrow is continuing to undergo testing for a medical condition he wouldn't specify that could make his status for next season uncertain.

Buzz Williams worked his connections in Texas and his budding local ties of Milwaukee to land his latest commitment for the class of 2010 and Marquette as 6-foot-10 center Monterale Clark made a verbal commitment to the Golden Eagles recently.

Clark had attended local Milwaukee high schools Rufus King and Pius XI before heading off to Ware Prep in the south. Clark has always been an intriguing player because of his length and athleticism, but was in desperate need of adding some bulk to a frame that was in the 180-pound range last time he was seen playing with a Milwaukee-based AAU program the Running Rebels.

This season at Hill College Clark, who is listed at 200 pounts, is averaging 17 points and nearly 11 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. His coach, Swede Trenkle, at Hill college told the Journal-Sentinel that he has put on 16-17 pounds since arriving at Hill College. He also had scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor and Auburn according to the article.

Clark is the second player in the class of 2010 verbally commited to Marquette. Back in late November, the commitment to Marquette from Wolfson High School junior G/F Aaron Bowen took many by surprise. The Jacksonville (FL) native Bowen missed much of the summer AAU circuit because of an injured knee, so not a whole lot is known on him outside of his local area. Last season for coach Bruce Rosebrock, Bowen averaged about 17 points, over 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game, helping one of the state's top programs to another successful season.

A Closer Look at Aaron Bowen can be found at Todd Rosiak's blog on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's website. Bowen has recently received a visit from an Auburn assistant coach and Florida, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Jacksonville were other schools involved early. A sensational 41-point performance in last year's playoffs really go the ball rolling on his recruitment and Marquette came in and stole one out of the Sunshine State.

2010 forward prospect Tobias Harris of Long Island and NYC forward Shane Southwell are also high on the MU recruiting radar and were among the expected guests for Marquette Madness last fall. Other underclassmen visitors for the event-filled weekend included 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).

NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: MARQUETTE VS MISSOURI

2009-03-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

March 22, 2009

INJURY NEWS UPDATE:

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Marquette point guard Dominic James is cleared to play (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) in today's game.

The Missouri Tigers will bring their fast-paced forty minutes of basketball into the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament to face the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Buzz Williams' Marquette squad escaped round one with a 58-57 win over Utah State, riding a 26-point, 8-rebound performance by junior forward Lazar Hayward. The super-human effort of Hayward helped offset seniors Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews combining to shoot 6-26 from the floor.

If there was every going to be a game where Marquette misses Dominic James, this will likely be it. James was the quarterback on the floor for the Golden Eagles and his loss pretty much saps their depth, but against a team that will press and force you into a running game for forty minutes, having that experienced floor general on the court is a luxury that Buzz Williams and his team will miss.

Sometimes, Marquette can get a little bit out of control, so Maurice Acker will have to really step up his game to keep order for his teammates, it is a tall order for a player averaging under three points a game on the season.

"For you to go from a situation where you were only playing spot minutes to having to play minutes that were absolutely critical for us just to have a chance not to get blown out of the gym, I think Mo's been accountable in every sort of way, every day since 'Nic has been hurt," coach Williams said of Acker.

To date, even with games against UConn, Pitt, Louisville and Villanova under his belt, this is likely the biggest challenge for Acker since assuming the role as point guard when James got hurt. Just the constant pressure Mike Anderson's team will apply will make Acker vital in every possession and decisions on the fly must be sound.

While Marquette certainly has the talent available to win on any given day, this is one of those match-ups you just do not have much faith in them with. Playing without a big man and now without their #1 point guard will be too much to overcome against the 4-point favored Tigers (according to the college basketball lines). It was a stroke of unfortunate luck that saw James get injured this season, now a match-up where he would have likely shined is possibly the match-up that ends their season.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Missouri 77
Marquette 70

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update: With James in the line-up, this is a huge lift to the Golden Eagles, especially battling the Missouri pressure. However, it is still a question on how effective James will be, especially offensively.

It definitely makes for some more drama...

MARQUETTE SURVIVES UTAH STATE CHALLENGE

2009-03-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2009

The afternoon was not as easy for Marquette in Boise as the Golden Eagles battled back from a six-point deficit in the last four and a half minutes to hold off the upset bid of Utah State, 58-57.

Utah State used an 11-0 run to put a major scare into Marquette as the Golden Eagle offense looked like it was stuck back in Milwaukee for much of the game.

With seniors Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews struggling all game, shooting a combined six of 27 from the floor, junior Lazar Hayward came up huge for Buzz Williams’ club, scoring 26 points.

After a Mathews bucket cut the Utah State lead to 49-45, ending their 11-0 run, Mathews hit three of four from the line and Hayward went 4-4 as MU grabbed a 52-51 lead. McNeal then hit a driving bucket in the lane to give MU a three-point cushion and a pair of Maurice Acker free throws stretched the lead to 56-51 with 34 seconds to go.

Marquette will take on Missouri, the #3 seed, out of the Big 12 in the second round on Sunday in Boise.

MARQUETTE OPENS NCAA TOURNAMENT WITH UTAH ST

2009-03-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

March 20, 2009

One popular upset pick among many of the brackets in the opening round seems to be Utah State over Marquette. Many like the 11th seeds resume, which includes a 30-4 record as the champs of the competitive WAC, where they beat Nevada in the conference tournament finale.

Marquette will look to avoid being an upset victim and rely on senior guards Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews to offset the size dis-advantage they will be facing in this game. Add in the fact it is the last go-round for the seniors with the Golden Eages, and you should have a very focused team on the floor in Buzz Williams' club.

"It's definitely a sense of urgency coming from the three of us who are playing," Mathews said of the feeling of the seniors heading into the last NCAA Tournament. "But I think there's a sense of urgency throughout the whole team because it is our last go around, our last shot at this."

Along with McNeal and Mathews, Dwight Burke is the third healthy senior, but it is the fourth senior who is not playing that is likely to have the biggest impact on Marquette's post-season.

Dominic James broke his foot and was lost for the season on February 25th in a loss to UConn. James was the athletic floor leader for all four of his seasons at Marquette and his loss is a major blow that will be continued to be felt by the Golden Eagles.

"He's played four years, he's been battle tested, he's played four years with the three of us, three years with Lazar (Hayward)," Mathews said of James. "There's just plays and reads that he makes that we don't have to talk about. Just that chemistry on the court that he has and he brings and just what we know we can expect from him."

In James' place, Maurice Acker takes over the role of starting point guard. The Eagles have lost five of their six games since James got hurt, but even in defeat last week against Villanova in the Big East Tournament, they can take away some positives as they nearly completes a rally from 16 points down at the half to win. They were beaten on a rare defensive lapse by Jerel McNeal that led to 'Nova scoring at the buzzer to win.

In that game, Acker acquitted himself quite well, especially in the second half and his teammates' confidence in the 5'8 point guard who was a high school teammate of McNeal's at Hillcrest.

"He's been better every game, he had a his breakout game against Villanova in the Garden and we're adjusting to life without Dominic," Mathews said of Acker. "And this team is ready, we're prepared, and we're, more importantly, we're excited to play again."

After playing in the Big East for 18 games, Marquette has seen their share of good big men. Utah State will add another one to the list that the Golden Eagles have faced with 6'9, 240-pound center Gary Wilkinson.

"Well, Wilkinson, the coaching staff has kind of compared him to like a player like Luke Harangody, with the same build and height and weight," said Dwight Burke of today's match-up.

On the season, Wilkinson averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds, while shooting 58% from the floor and 83% from the foul line.

As usual, Marquette will defend the post from the outside-in. That means they will extend defensive pressure on the Utah State guards to make it difficult for them to find Wilkinson when he is in position to score.

"Our main focus in coming into the game is just to put non-stop pressure on them, force them into tough shots if possible," McNeal said of the gameplan against Utah State. "And after we make them take those tough shots, that we got to get a defensive rebound right way."

The early college basketball odds have the Golden Eagles as a 4 1/2-point favorite. While Utah State will have plenty of confidence as a team that has won 30 of their 34 games, they are going to see an opponent that will come after them for a full 40 minutes with tight and aggressive defense.

"I think if we do a good job of pressuring them 94 feet and making things tough on them, giving them, making them have tougher looks and get first shot rebounds, that we'll be all right," McNeal said.

I agree. The athletic guards, albeit undersized, will make it tough on Wilkinson as they will swarm him when he gets the ball. Lazar Hayward will put pressure on the Utah State defense with his ability to play inside and out. In the end, they are not likely to have an answer for McNeal and Mathews, who will also, along with Acker, make thins very difficult for the Utah State offense because of their on-the-ball pressure.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 73
Utah State 64

BET GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE VS VILLANOVA

2009-03-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

March 12, 2009

Marquette got a temporary tonic for what ails the Golden Eagles in their opening game of the 2009 Big East Tournament against a totally inept St. John's. Marquette led the Redstorm 38-10 at the half and cruised home to a 74-45 victory at Madison Square garden.

This was the first win for the Golden Eagles since losing Dominic James to a broken foot for the season. Losses to UConn, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse followed after James went down, but this had to feel good for Marquette. The good feelings may not last long as Villanova is next up.

MU and the Wildcats split their two meetings this past season, each winning on their own floors. However, Villanova won the last meeting, 102-84, a month ago with a healthy Dominic James.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the contest:

Dwayne Anderson is Villanova's Motor (Philadelphia Daily News)
Parents Showed Cunningham How to Lead (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Villanova to Meet Marquette in Big East Quarterfinal (Philly Daily News)
Battered Marquette Believes it's on Right Course After Slaughterning St. John's (Chicago Tribune)
Smother Lode: Defense Ignites Rout (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Villanova earned a double-bye into the Big East quarterfinals, thanks to in large part to the Marquette free fall following the James injury. While the schedule toughened significantly, and even a healthy James might not have helped, the concern heading into the 2009 NCAA Tournament is how will Marquette fare against a NCAA Tournament caliber team? Well, we will have an answer this afternoon.

Both teams are extremely strong on the perimeter both offensively and defensively. marquette reminded onlookers of their perimeter strength as the Johnnies were Throttled on their Home Floor by the swarming Golden Eagles. Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal anre still all-league players and lazar Hayward has learned to mix in his outside strengths with a developing post game that is a tough match-up for any forward in the league.

Villanova looks to match MU with Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher in the backcourt and Dante Cunningham in the paint. Where the Wildcats have a significant edge is in their depth. They can mix and match players like Shane Clark, Antonio Pena, Reggie Redding, Corey Stokes and Dwayne Anderson into the line-up and expect production from each one. Unfortunately for Marquette, they do not have that luxury as they depend almost solely on the aforementioned trio for their production. Playing two games in two days will likely take its toll and Villanova simply has more answers when they need them because of the depth.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 79
Marquette 70

MARQUETTE LOOKS FOR FIRST POST-JAMES WIN

2009-03-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2009

St. John's is playing the role of the rude host of the 2009 Big East Tournament as they made Georgetown's stay short and not very sweet as they knocked the Hoyas off, 64-59, in the opening round on Tuesday.

It was the second time in a week that the Redstorm had beaten Georgetown in Madison Square Garden. On March 3rd, SJU won a 59-56 overtime decision. On Tuesday, Paris Horne scored a game-high 23 points and Sean Evans, just like the previous meeting, registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Next up for St. John's is Marquette, a team that beat the Johnnies 73-59 back on February 14th in Milwaukee. Jerel McNeal had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in the previous meeting. The Golden Eagles also got 18 points from Lazar Hayward and 12 points, 6 assists and just one turnover from point guard Dominic James.

However, James is unavailable for Marquette after breaking a bone in his foot early on in a loss to UConn back on February 25th. Including the loss to the Huskies, the Golden Eagles have lost all four games without James and now must face a hungry 'Storm club on their home floor to open the conference tournament. Another loss and it could be devastating to their seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today's game:

Golden Eagles Preview: Marquette vs. St. John's (Post-Crescent)
Character Held Seniors Together (Journal-Sentinel)
St. John's Gets into Main Draw vs. Marquette (Newsday)
Game Proves Redstorm Rivalry Still Alive (NY Post)
Golden Eagles Ready to Soar (Journal-Sentinel)

Two years ago, Marquette and St. John's met in Madison Square Garden in the opening round of the Big East Tournament in similar circumstances as the Golden Eagles had an injured Jerel McNeal on the sidelines. MU was able to hold off each SJU rally and win the game, 76-67. Tonight, they will try and do the same.

Both teams match-up pretty well with each other. Both teams will use small, pass-first points guards in Malik Boothe (SJU) and Maurice Acker, who is replacing Dominic James. Versatile, do-everything wings in DJ Kennedy (SJU) and Wesley Mathews (MU) and go-to scorers Paris Horne (SJU) and Jerel McNeal (MU) will also line-up together. In the paint, SJU has a little more muscle and size with Sean Evans and Justin Burrell, but Lazar Hayward adds some offense and savvy rebounding for the Golden Eagles, who will also use a combination of Dwight Burke and forward Jimmy Butler in the post.

The injury to James has virtually eliminated any depth for Buzz Williams' team. David Cubillan, who was a valuable reserve under Tom Crean, has struggled this season coming off of shoulder surgeries in the off-season. Rob Thomas is the most productive reserve for SJU, but yesterday they went to their bench seldom, with two starters playing 40 minutes and two others playing 38. Only foul trouble on Burrell, which limited him to 25 minutes, made the bench useful.

McNeal, Mathews and Hayward are the best three players in this game and they will have to lead the Golden Eagles who, according to the latest college basketball odds, are 7 1/2-point favorites, to victory in this game. SJU will scrap and claw their way into this game, but in the end, star power will win out on Broadway and Marquette settles down the fears and grabs a win.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 70
St. John's 64

MARQUETTE LOOKS TO SEND OFF SPECIAL SENIOR GROUP WITH WIN

2009-03-07T05:28:00.001-08:00

March 7, 2009

After starting Big East play 9-0, Marquette has limped home for Senior Day, losing five of eight, and must continue to fight without their floor general, Dominic James, who is out for the season because of a broken foot suffered in their loss to UConn in their last home game.

The losing down the stretch has pushed the Golden Eagles out of the top four in the conference and a loss to SU on Saturday would mean that MU is the 6th seed in the 2009 Big East Tournament while the Orange would claim the 5th seed.

Syracuse started off the season hot as well, but a stretch of seven losses in 10 games has pushed the Orange into the middle of the Big East pack. Syracuse is in a stretch of three straight wins as they have run over St. John’s, Cincinnati and Rutgers in succession, but Saturday’s task will be much tougher as they will be facing and emotionally charged atmosphere in the Bradley Center when they meet Marquette.

Pregame stories and previews:

Orange Can Get 6th Seed in Big East Tournament with Win over Marquette (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Senior’s Day Will be Emotional (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Syracuse Orange Hope for Grand Finale (Rochester D&C)

While you can expect a spirited effort by Marquette with a vocal and excited home crowd behind them, watch out for Syracuse in this one. The Orange have certainly built some confidence with their last three impressive wins and their zone defense has always given Marquette fits as it cuts down their ability to break down a defense off the dribble and forces them to settle for perimeter jumpers. With James not in the line-up, the pressure shifts to Maurice Acker to solve the SU zone, a tough task for a new starter.

The Orange certainly have individual talent, especially in their backcourt with Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris with three-point specialist Andy Rautins. The loss of James gives SU an unexpected edge there.

It will be emotional for MU today, no question, and the players will play hard. However, the toll of the James injury and the three losses, including the bulldozing administered by Pitt Wednesday night in the last 16 minutes might have MU reeling. With their lack of depth and the SU zone, a past nemesis, Look for SU to take over the 5th seed.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Syracuse 80
Marquette 73

MARQUETTE AN INTERESTING NCAA SEEDING DILEMMA

2009-03-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

March 6, 2009

The Syracuse Post-Standard takes an indepth look at the impact that the Fallen Eagle, Dominic James, will have on the NCAA seeding of Marquette. The Golden Eagles were 23-4 and a top-10 team in the country before losing James for the season with a broken foot. MU has dropped their last three games, albeit against three possible #1 NCAA Tournament seeds in Pitt, UConn and Louisville, but the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has a very small window to evaluate the James-less Marquette squad.

Still, the season goes on and Marquette will host Syracuse in the Bradley Center in what should be an emotional send-off for seniors Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dwight Burke, who will be playing their final home game, as well as for James, who along with McNeal and Mathews is a 1,000-point career scorer in his four year career.

Marquette will have Saturday afternoon and the 2009 Big East Tournament to show the committee what kind of team they are without their senior floor general. Marquette, no matter what happens on Saturday, is locked in to the fifth seed in the Big East Tournament which means they begin action on Wednesday at 2 PM in the 'Garden' against the winner of the 12-13 seed game from Tuesday afternoon. The most likely candidates are St. John's and Seton Hall.

PANTHERS ROLL PAST JAMES-LESS MARQUETTE

2009-03-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

March 5, 2009

For Pitt, a Knight to Remember (Post-Gazette) as Pitt Retires Brandin Knight's Jersey (Tribune-Review) in a surprise ceremony before Pittsburgh hosted Marquette in a Big East conference game with post-season and Big East regular season implications.

No. 3 Pitt Runs Over No. 13 Marquette (Tribune-review), 90-75, before a Peterson Events Center sell-out crowd of 12,508. It was the 20th consecutive home win for Jamie Dixon's club and a school-record 14th Big East win in a season.

After taking a 43-36 lead at halftime, Pitt forgot there was another 20 minutes to play as the Golden Eagles stunned the Panthers with a lightning quick 21-5 run in under four-minutes to take a 57-48 lead. Pitt answered...and asnwered again...and again...leaving Marquette Feeling Down and Out (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) after their third loss in a row as they have played without injured Dominic James in all but four minutes of those three games against Pitt, Connecticut and Louisville.

Pitt quickly knotted the score at 57, with a 9-0 spurt of their own that took all of two minutes. After a Lazar Hayward three-pointer gave MU a lead at 60-57, Pitt them embarked on a 28-5 run over 10 minutes to give them an 85-65 lead with 3:20 remaining and chants of 'We Want UConn' echoed through the 'Pete' as fans began to look forward to this Saturday's showdown with the No. 1 Huskies.

All told, after Marquette's run to take the 57-48 lead, Pitt responded by outscoring MU 37-8 over the next 12:40 of the game in a barrage as impressive to see as it sounds. DeJuan Blair (23 points) scored inside, Sam Young (18 points) scored in transition, Levance Fields (17 points, 10 assists, 2 turnovers) orchestrated the attack with key buckets by Gilbert Brown (11 points) and Jermaine Dixon (13 points) came when necessary. Besides the five players who scored in double figures, Pitt managed to shoot 63% from the floor and owned a sparkling 2:1 (22 to 11) assist to turnover ratio.

While losing to Pitt, UConn and Louisville has no shame, the question will certainly be asked of Marquette if they can win without Dominic James. Their next chance to answer that question positively comes Saturday at home against Syracuse in what will be an emotional senior day for the Marquette program. It will be the last home game for Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dwight Burke and also a chance for their crowd to say 'thank you' to Dominic James as well. However, the hard truth is, James is lost for the season and James' Absence is Expected to Lower Eagles' Seeding (Journal-Sentinel) for the NCAA Tournament, unless they can do a quick about-face starting against the Orange and into the 2009 Big East Tournament next week.

McNeal led MU with 23 points at Pitt, shooting 8-24 from the field. Hayward added 22 points and 10 rebounds and Mathews added 16. Marquette, which started 9-13 from three-point range, missed 12 of their final 13 from the arc as Pitt assumed control of the game.

MARQUETTE LOOKS TO OVERCOME PITT SIZEABLE ADVANTAGE

2009-03-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

March 4, 2009

Pittsburgh looks to stake their claim to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and this week could decide that fate. The Panthers will host Marquette tonight and UConn on Saturday at the Peterson Events Center on the Pitt campus. At 13-3 in the Big East and 26-3 overall, the Panthers could set a school-record with their 14th Big East win in a season tonight.

Marquette has lost four of their last seven games since starting out the Big East season 9-0 in conference play. The last two were played predominately without Dominic James, who was lost for the season four minutes into their 93-82 home loss against UConn one week ago tonight. While the shock of the realization that James' college career is over at Marquette, the remaining Golden Eagles vow to fight on, led by seniors Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's contest:

Former Great Sees Plenty of Potential (Tribune-Review)
Panthers Land in Enviable Position (Post-Gazette)
Pitt Readies for Short-Handed Marquette (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Panthers close Out Regular Season at Home (Tribune-Review)
No James, But Plenty of Fight (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Last Sunday, Marquette began to pick up the pieces after James' injury with a game at Louisville. Marquette fought hard, losing 62-58 on the road, but the absence of James was very clear, especially on offense. The Golden Eagles managed just seven assists as a team (James averaged over 5 a game himself) and shot just 34% from the floor. Jerel McNeal, the all-time leading scorer in the history of Marquette basketball, seemed to try and take too much onto himself and was just 3-19 from the floor against the Cards. The loss of James certainly puts more onto the shoulders of McNeal and Wesley Mathews, as well as junior forward Lazar Hayward as they lack depth of productive players ready to contribute at the highest level of the Big East.

Pittsburgh got their own injury scare on Saturday night as DeJuan Blair banged knees with a Seton Hall player and was in obvious pain and limped off to the Pitt locker room. Blair had two major ACL injuries in high school, but the good news in this instance was a hyperextended knee and the 6-foot-7 Big East Player of the Year candidate should be close to full speed for tonight's game.

The Panthers have a clear advantage with Blair and Sam Young in the frontcourt and their depth off the bench in the backcourt also could play a big role in this contest. Marquette will try and counter the Panther strengths by applying constant ball pressure against Levance Fields and his backcourt mates with Maurice Acker, James' replacement, McNeal and Mathews extending their pressure and being aggressive on defense, trying to force turnovers and convert the extra opportunities into points. Pitt turned the ball over 18 times in their loss to Providence last week and 23 more times in the win over SHU, so that is something to keep a close eye on.

While Marquette will look to turn Pitt over for extra chances, Pitt will pound the offensive glass for their extra chances. If Pitt can get into their offense they will be very tough to stop. Their offensive rebounding prowess, easily the best in the country, has made Pitt one of the top two most-efficient offenses in the country, despite not being a great shooting team. it is almost a case of just getting shots up to the rim for Pitt might be part of the offensive plan, because they rebound nearly 40% of their misses and should be able to control the boards against a small Marquette line-up.

The other factor is foul trouble on Blair that could put this game into jeopardy for the Panthers. Marquette is likely to try and draw Blair away from the basket and hope he picks up some ticky-tack fouls trying to stay with the smaller and quicker MU players.

The NCAA basketball betting odds have the Panthers as a 10 1/2-point favorite to pick up conference win #14 tonight at the expense of the short-handed Golden Eagles. While MU has plenty to play for, they are likely to come up short in this one on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 71
Marquette 60

MARQUETTE FALLS TO LOUISVILLE WITHOUT JAMES

2009-03-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

March 2, 2009

Life after Dominic James began for Marquette on Sunday with an afternoon showdown in Freedom Hall against Louisville, a former Conference USA rival. The Golden Eagles put forth a good fight in a tough situation, but MU's Shooting Woes Contribute to Defeat (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) as the Cards pull out a 62-58 victory in the Big East conference showdown.

It was the second straight loss for MU, dropping them to 12-4 in the Big East and into fourth place. The Golden Eagles are just 3-4 after starting conference play at 9-0. They close out the regular season this week with a game at Pittsburgh and a home date against Syracuse at the Bradley Center when their fans will bid farewell to their senior class that includes James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dwight Burke Saturday afternoon. Next week the Golden Eagles head to New York for the 2009 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Their hold on the fourth spot, and last double-bye, is very tenuous as the last week of the regular season gets underway.

On Sunday afternoon, the impact of playing without James was evident as the Golden Eagles managed to shoot just 34% from the field and register just seven team assists. McNeal, possibly trying to put too much on his own shoulders, struggled through a miserable offensive afternoon by shooting 3-19 from the floor and finishing with 10 points.

Wesley Mathews led MU with 19 points and Lazar Hayward added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the game.

Of course, Louisville had an impact on the MU shooting woes as the Cards' Defense Was Delightful Against Familiar Foe (Courier-Journal) and held the usually high-scoring Golden Eagles to 58 points, well below their season average.

In throwback uniforms and Rick Pitino breaking out the all-white suit for the Freedom Hall 'white-out', the Cardinals Dress to Thrill (Kentucky.com) and deliver as they move to 14-2 in the conference, keeping their regular season title hopes alive.

Andre McGee had a team-high 16 points and Terrence Williams added 14 points, 8 rebounds and seven assists, filling the stat sheet as usual. Earl Clark posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to help the cause.

BELLY OF THE BE-AST: DOMINIC JAMES EDITION

2009-02-27T05:29:00.001-08:00

by Ray Mernagh

Syracuse beat St. John's 87-58 at the Garden Tuesday night. It was a much-needed win for an Orange team that had hit a rough patch, losing seven of their last ten games. The win gave coach Jim Boeheim a record 31st 20-win season. Then last night in Milwaukee, UConn's Jim Calhoun became just one of seven coaches in the history of college basketball to win 800 games when his Huskies beat Marquette 93-82.

So this week's entry could be about the two Jim's -- how they've outlasted so many peers and continue to thrive, and prosper, in college basketball's most ferocious conference. After all, coaches are the real stars in college basketball, the only one's getting rich for the success they've attained through the combined efforts of a group that's now too large to estimate a proper count -- 1,000? 500? How many players, assistants, trainers and tutors actually play or work for a coach over a 30-40 year span?

A lot.

So this week isn't going to be about a coach. It's going to be about a player who's college career ended on Wednesday night. A kid I tried to write about earlier this year after he hit a game-winning shot right before Christmas. I tried a couple of different times to get a phone call set up but after three or four days I gave up. I really regret that, especially now, because Dominic James deserved that column... for a whole bunch of reasons.

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Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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I had about four friends whose responsibilities included recruiting the state of Indiana while James was still in high school in Richmond. They were all mid-major assistants at the time. Of the four, one is at an elite program now, a second has been to an elite program and is back at a mid-major, a third is on one of the premier staff's in the Midwest and the fourth is out of coaching. All of them raved about Dominic James.

After watching James play against Pitt as a freshman, I was raving right along with them. In a game featuring high-level Big East veterans, James was the best player on the floor...by far. He continually beat people off the dribble, absorbed contact and finished. Even at 5-10, James dunked the ball easily. He was a dynamic player and made such an impression that first year that a lot of folks wondered if he would play a second college season. He was named the Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.3 points a game and breaking the Marquette freshmen scoring record of Doc Rivers. James also found time to rebound, 4.5 a game, and was third in the conference in assists.

James came back for his sophomore year as arguably the #1 point guard prospect in the country. He finished it with major questions about his perimeter shot. One thing that needs to be noted is that James never had a quality big man to play with at Marquette. It also seemed like he put too much pressure on himself to carry the load at times. On top of all that it seemed like the more James regressed, the more his teammates, particularly Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews, improved. James' numbers never matched his first-year output and a trip to the pre-draft camp seemed to crush his confidence even more.

Then the coach that recruited him, Tom Crean, left for Indiana following James' junior season. James seemed happy when assistant Buzz Williams was named the new head coach. Marquette was a team with extreme talent on the perimeter but not any size to speak of -- they were generally thought of as the #5 team in the conference. Going into Wednesday night's game with UConn the Golden Eagles were the #8 ranked team in the country, having battled UConn, Pitt and Louisville all year for the top spot in the Big East.

James has played with a joyful passion this season, accepting his role as the consummate point guard. Every time I watched Marquette I'd see him pushing the ball in Williams' free-wheeling offense, beating defenders off the bounce and finding open shooters. He'd also throw down lobs from Matthews and McNeal. I kept waiting for the interior to kill Marquette's season but it never happened. That's a credit to all four seniors and the heart they play with -- but I can't help but think James had the more major role in it. He adjusted some. He moved over a bit. He played basketball the way he was meant to play it -- with freedom and as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

He played the way players do for coaches that are fortunate enough to win 20 games 31 different times or 800 total games over the course of their career. Fittingly, he was a Warrior for Marquette. Even after he knew his college career was over, James came back out to the bench on crutches, trying to will his team to a victory that ultimately eluded them.

Whenever someone asks Bob Knight about the 902 wins in his career, he always says the same thing: That every one of those wins says more about the players and coaches he's been lucky enough to surround himself with over the years than it does about him. Sometimes we forget about the players.

Any coach would be lucky to have Dominic James on his team...nobody should forget him.

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Ray Mernagh is the Basketball Editor for the Pittsburgh Sports Report and writes for Basketball Times as well as his own blog, Hoop Wise. Ray's first book, 1 Chance 2 Dance: A Season Inside Mid-Major Hoops in Mid-America, focuses on 18 months of MAC basketball.
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MARQUETTE RELIES ON FAB FOURSOME AGAINST UCONN

2009-02-25T06:51:00.001-08:00

By Zach Smart

UConn hasn't seen a four-guard attack of this type since 2006. That was Villanova, who's four-guard operation took the NCAA by storm.

But Allan Ray, Mike Nardi, Kyle Lowry, and Randy Foye already put their stamp on the Big East.

This time, the Jerome Dyson-less Huskies play a Marquette team with three fabolous guards--who it seems have been playing together for more than four years--and a versatile 6-foot-6 forward parked on the blocks and forced to play out of his nature this year.

Lazar Heyward will have his hands full with towering 7-foot-3 Center Hasheem Thabeet and boardsmith Jeff Adrien, but the junior from Buffalo, N.Y. has given an efficient account of himself this season.

Heyward, quite undersized in the Big East, has shown good life from beyond the arc (38 3PM in 27 games), taken the ball to the tin (he gets to the line early and often and shoots his freebies at an 83 percent clip) and materialized as one of the best catch-and-release players in the NCAA. He's shot the rock at a 46.4 percent clip and led the Golden Eagles in points-per-minute last season. The key for the Huskies is to not let him get open and force him to put the ball on the deck and try to take somone off the dribble. He's an off guard camoflouged as a forward, one who thrives in Buzz Williams' offense.

While UConn may be able to exploit the mismatch, and the presence of Thabeet will likely keep Heyward from going to the rack, Heyward can dial in a timely trey or feathery jumper. He's also a defensive stalwart, with the ability to clamp down on anyone on any given night.

UConn had a veritable lockdown specialist in Dyson, who's been the team's best on-the-ball defender since his freshman season. One way to make up for Dyson's defensive prowess, and against this team they will certainly need it, is to get more aggression out of senior guard Craig Austrie.

Austrie was austere against Notre Dame last month, when he did a commendable job on Kyle McLarney. Austrie threw the sniper into a 3-for-15 nightmare that saw him go 0-for-the century in the second half.

Austrie will also have to step it up offensively. A senior and homegrown product, Austrie has yet to eclipse 10 points against top-notch competition. He hit crucial treys in the win over Syracuse, and needs to put forth a similar effort against Marquette. Conservative play has lowered Austrie's stock throughout his career, and with Dyson's 14.3 points, 3.2 assists, 1.5 treys per game not on hand, there's no tomorrow.

Another area that Dyson's absence effects the Huskies is in the run and gun game. Dyson was a big part of UConn's speedball, hellfire operation with his explosive finishes and ability to facilitate a fast break. Marquette has plenty of guards that can run the floor and finish in the open court.

STAND GUARD:

Jerel Mcneal recently became the school's all-time leading scorer. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard has been smoking this season, shooting the rock at a 43 percent clip from the perimeter and 48 percent from the field. He's averaging a team-high 20 points and averaged a sublime 25.1 points during six straight wins from mid-January to early February.

Dominic James, who's name was littered in NBA draft talk following his freshman season, is explosive, athletic, and scary with his first step. And if you think Dyson has some bounce at 6-foot-3, you should just see this freakish 5-foot-11 cat's springy hops. James' numbers have dwindled since he was Big East Freshman of the Year, but he shoulders a solid assist-to-turnover ratio and is the offensive operator/heart and soul of the team.

Guard play has been an aspect so paramount to success in Big East basketball this season. UConn's A.J. Price, who's become one of the top guards in the conference and the go-to-guy in pressure situations, will have his hands full. Reiterating what I said before, Austrie will need to step his game up. Kemba Walker, a major presence in UConn's running game, needs to look to score more.

The quartet of McNeal, James, Heyward, and Wesley Matthews (18.7 ppg) have all eclipsed 1,000 points in their career. Relative balance in the scorebook pays dividends for the Golden Eagles. If one of these guys isn't feeling it, another guy can step in and pick him up.

BENCH BOYS:

Marquette plays around nine guys per game but doesn't have a great deal of production coming off the knot. Pint-size point guard Maurice Acker showed promise during last year's Big East tournament, but he hasn't seen significant opportunity this season. UConn, on the other hand, has about as much depth as a kid's pool. The season-ending injury to Dyson and 7-foot-1 center Charles Okwandu's academic ineligibility has limited them to a 7-man rotation, with the occasion no.8 thrown in the mix. That man was seldom-used freshman Scottie Haralson Saturday. Donnell Beverly has had his cameos, but the last thing UConn needs is another guard. Gavin Edwards, who averages four points and three boards but can be a solid supplement to Thabeet or Adrien, played just four minutes against South Florida. If anything will hurt UConn in this conference, it's the lack of bench depth. Beverly, Haralson, or whoever it may be must get acclimitized to significant minutes. Marquette clearly has the upper hand on the Huskies in this category, and getting Thabeet in foul trouble can change the game.

-Marquette suffered a wild, 57-56 upset loss to South Florida on Feb.6. They were drubbed by Villanova. Still, the Golden Eagles (like UConn) have just two conference losses to date.
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Calhoun Wont Let Huskies Look Ahead (TheDay.com)
UConn Matches Up Well vs Marquette (Courant)
Match-ups: Connecticut vs. MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Stakes are Sky-High for Match-up with Huskies (Journal-Sentinel)
Marquette vs. Connecticut GameNight (CollegeHoopsNet.com)
Calhoun's Focus on Present, Not History (Norwich Bulletin)
Huskies Thabeet a Beast Dow Low (Journal-sentinel)

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Connecticut 70
Marquette 66

MARQUETTE BEGINS GAUNTLET AT GEORGETOWN

2009-02-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

February 21, 2009

Chances are running out for Georgetown to make their case for a NCAA Tournament bid, but a win on Saturday against visiting Marquette could re-ignite their confidence and propel them into March. We could know the fate of the Hoyas rather quickly, seeing that they also host Louisville on Monday. Winning one might keep hope alive (road game with Villanova follows), winning both gets them to 7-8 in the Big East with St. John’s and DePaul to close the regular season after ‘Nova. Losing both…well, it has been quite a fall from grace since they opened conference play with a win over Connecticut and a spot in the top 10.

Marquette is fighting for the conference title and rebounded from their first two conference losses by beating St. John’s and Seton Hall at home. Those wins were crucial as MU has a five-game closing stretch that has long been considered to be brutal. Beginning with the road game with Georgetown on Saturday, the Golden Eagles host UConn, travel to Louisville and Pitt, before finishing up hosting Syracuse, all in 14 days. Welcome to the REAL Big East coach Buzz Williams.

“I think every game has critical impact on postseason, on your seed, on all those things, good and bad,” Williams told reporters this week. “I think if you don’t take care of your business today, none of that matters.”

There is a lot of business to take care of. Both teams are fighting for important positioning in the conference and national scene.

Earlier this season, Marquette outscored Georgetown 94-82 in Milwaukee to earn their eighth conference win of the season. The Marquette streak hit nine before they were sidetracked by South Florida in the biggest surprise of the Big East season to date. They followed that mis-step with a loss at Villanova. Now, after taking care of business at home, MU hits the road again.

Georgetown has lost seven of their last nine, but their last two games do offer some hope that things might be getting a little better. Even though they lost last Saturday at Syracuse, they but quite a scare into the nearly 32,000 fans in the Dome as they rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation to force overtime after having a chance to win it in regulation. They also looked like the efficient Hoyas we have become used to by dismantling South Florida on the road, 65-40, this week.

Hopefully they have overcome some of the internal issues that had Georgetown struggling earlier this season and their individual talent starts playing more as a complete team. They will certainly be tested with the guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. I am not sure the Hoyas will have an answer for McNeal, but I think Georgetown will also pose a difficult match-up for Marquette with Greg Monroe inside and definitely if they are able to slow the pace of the game, something they could not do on the road.

Expecting this one will be different that the first. Georgetown established the fact they could score against Marquette in the earlier meeting. Showing more basketball savvy and controlling the pace will key the Hoyas getting a big win on Saturday.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Marquette 63

Trial By Fire (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Sapp Swap Has Hoyas Thinking Tournament (Washington Times)

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ MARQUETTE

2009-02-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

February 17, 2009

Marquette broke their brief two-game slide Saturday by returning home and bouncing St. John's, 73-59, behind a strong defensive effort, much better than the one that allowed 102 points in their previous game. After beginning conference play 9-0, Marquette lost on the road to South Florida and Villanova before the win of the Redstorm this weekend.

Seton Hall started conference play 0-6 before a five-game win streak breathed life back into the Pirates. That streak was ended on Saturday in a 62-54 loss on their home floor to UConn. Despite a valiant effort by junior John Garcia, the Pirates fell as Hasheem Thabeet dominated with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 blocked shots.

Marquette is led by the school's all-time leading scorer Jerel McNeal and his senior classmate backcourt partners Dominic James and Wesley Mathews. They will be tested by the SHU trip of Eugene Harvey, Paul Gause and Jeremy Hazell. Each team will use a small forward as their 'big' forward with Lazar Hayward of the Golden Eagles matched up with SHU's Robert Mitchell. John Garcia has a favorable match-up in the paint in this one, if the pace of the game is played more in his favor, like it was on Saturday.

Seton Hall went to a more deliberate pace against UConn this weekend, something out of the norm for the Pirates. While they never really threatened in the game, they kept it close and fought to the end. Marquette will look to push the tempo and if SHU gets pulled in, it will be very interesting, because this is one game where SHU would have an advantage in size AND depth in the paint.

However, the home team with the veteran backcourt is usually more effective in dictating the pace. If that is the case, Marquette should be very comfortable in this game and score a lot of points. The track meet could make Garcia a non-factor and lead to a Golden Eagles win.

MU has a tough gauntlet of games to follow, they must avoid the temptation of looking ahead and take care of business tonight first and foremost. Their loss at South Florida has probably reinforced the idea of taking nothing for granted.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 91
Seton Hall 77

GOLDEN EAGLES LOOK TO RETURN TO WINNING WAYS IN BIG EAST

2009-02-14T06:19:00.001-08:00

February 14, 2009

After winning their first nine Big East conference games, Marquette has dropped back-to-back conference road games to South Florida and Villanova. They return home for a Valentines Day date with St. John’s at 9 PM in the Bradley Center before hosting Seton Hall next week. Marquette finishes up Big East play with a five game stretch that sent shivers down the spine of many when the schedule game out and is still looking like a true test of their mettle. Road games with Georgetown, Louisville and Pitt along with home games against UConn and Syracuse is certain to test anyone prior to the Big East Tournament.

St. John’s is up first and they are coming off a 71-61 loss at Cincinnati. The Redstorm are now 3-9 in the Big East and currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak. The injury-riddled team is probably as healthy as they are going to get, but the guard pressure they will face in this contest does not seem to be a promising match-up, especially when Marquette comes out for blood after surrendering 102 points in their last game.

“They have a terrific team so we’re going to really have to execute and take care of the basketball in the beginning of the game,” St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts told media members this week. “They play so hard on every single play and we have to match that to compete with those guys.”

Expect that effort to be intensified with a loud and supportive Saturday night crowd and some recent frustrations from the two-game losing streak. St. John’s really could be in the wrong place at the wrong time in this one.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Marquette vs. St. John’s (Cracked Sidewalks)
Marquette’s McNeal Downplays Scoring Record (Chicago Tribune)
Marquette, led by their three senior guards, including new all-time leading scorer Jerel McNeal, should unleash a relentless wave of pressure, both offensively and defensively, led by their perimeter attack. Even with a small interior line-up, St. John’s is not a team that should be able to make the Golden Eagles pay for their shortcomings.

St. John’s will play hard and rely on defense to keep games close. DJ Kennedy is a versatile forward and Paris Horne has been one of the better perimeter scorers in the league of late. However, there is not much else working for St. John’s right now and with a loud and enthusiastic crowd looking to get their team back on track, look for Marquette to roll tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 80
St. John’s 61

NBA Draft Team Report: Marquette

2009-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2009

by Doug Ferguson

Marquette has been the conundrum of the Big East so far this season. The Golden Eagles had burned through their early schedule in conference until an untimely loss on Friday at South Florida. They have not been taken seriously as a true contender to an extent due to a very favorable early schedule.

One place they have been taken seriously however is in their backcourt where their three senior guards have exceeded expectations so far this year and have upped their stock for the NBA Draft considerably. Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal have all showed the skill to warrant attention from NBA teams drafting in June.

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Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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PG Dominic James/5-11/SR

At one point in time, Dominic James was the gem of this trio. He dabbled with turning pro after his sophomore season before pulling his name out. After that cup of tea, former Marquette coach Tom Crean instructed him that he wanted his full attention in Milwaukee from then on in and he has stuck to his word.

James is really the engine that makes Marquette go. NBA Scout Ryan Blake says "What really sticks out to him is how well he gels with his teammates." Whether this is a trait he will carry with him to the next level or a product of playing with the same core at Marquette is yet to be seen. He has really deferred to others to score this season and has taken on the distributor role willingly. It has really worked out well for Marquette as it has always suited him better in the first place.

James also has several inconsistencies in his game which will most likely keep him out of the first round. They are the same inconsistencies that have caused him to avoid the draft in previous years. First and foremost, his jump shot leaves a lot to be desired. The form on it leaves me running for the nearest toilet still every time I see it. It is actually surprising that he makes a decent percentage of them. He has also been very inconsistent in past seasons generally speaking, however he has really improved on that flaw in his senior campaign.

James has always been intriguing to NBA teams, but is looked at as not being much more than backup. To succeed in that role, he needs to prove that he can be less erratic than he has in past years.

2008-09 Stats- 11.7 PPG 5.1 APG 3.8 RPG

2009 Draft Projection- Early to Mid 2nd Round

SG Jerel McNeal/6-3/SR

If anyone's stock has risen through the roof with his Big East performance so far this season, it is without a doubt Jerel McNeal. McNeal has taken his game to new highs in 2009, especially in conference. He has already picked up 3 NBE Player of the Week awards with still a month left in the season.

McNeal also has tested the draft waters before, entering his name in last years draft before pulling it out very last minute. It seems as if he made the choice that many more underclassmen should make and correctly returned to school. Although it is likely that he would have been taken somewhere in the 2nd round last year, his stellar performance this year has pretty much solidified him as a first round pick.

What has raised McNeal's stock to bonafied first round status has been his rapid development into a complete offensive player. As last years Co-Defensive Player of the Year, he has always been considered to have NBA value as a defensive stopper. The fact that he plays the 2 and has the size and athleticism to guard the league's premier players at the position cannot be measured in offensive statistics.

The fact that he has shown the potential to be a factor on both ends has really turned him into a sleeper for 2009. He has also shown great intangibles and leadership skills on a team that has overachieved is also a huge factor in his rising stock. NBA Scout Ryan Blake believes that "his great heart could be the big difference for him".

It is very hard to find a sizeable flaw in McNeal's game which is probably what makes him most attractive of all. He is even showing the skills of late to be a legit combo-guard, which makes NBA GM's salivate even more. McNeal has a real shot at being the Big East Player of the Year this year. Look for his stock to continue rising if he continues to play as lights out as he has all season.

2009 Stats- 20.0 PPG 4.6 APG 3.7 RPG

2009 Draft Projection- 1st Round (early to mid-20's)

SG Wes Matthews/6-5/SR

Wes Matthews has often been the one overlooked amongst the talented backcourt trio at Marquette. His solid, consistent play has earned him looks from all directions and will almost surely end with him battling for a spot in an NBA camp come next fall.

Matthews has been a model of consistency for the Golden Eagles this year on the offensive end and has really supplepented them well in the rebounding category, a huge question mark for them at season's start. NBA Scout touted his ability to mesh with his teammates by saying, "he has a game that complements everyone, yet can step up and be the go to guy when need be."

This seems to be what is intriguing to teams about Matthews. He has been extremely productive without demanding hardly any of the spotlight. He has become Marquette's "silent assassin" of sorts. His perimeter and mid-range game is as consistent as it gets. He also gets to the line regularly and converts at a high percentage. He has also really been called on as the go to guy for them when they need to convert key posessions down the stretch.

A consistent effort on the defensive end seems to be his downfall at this point. He really has all the tools to be an above average defender at worst. He has the size and athletic ability to guard 3 positions and shows ability to at times. He usually draws the easiest backcourt assignment against whomever Marquette happens to be playing. He has just seemed to let up too many unnecessary easy baskets to said players which can only be chalked up to either mental lapses or plain laziness.

The fact is however, he would be an extremely safe pick in the second round for a team who needs a versatile swingman, especially one that can give them some consistent scoring. Like his two talented teammates, his stock will likely rise and fall from this point according to the success of his team down the stretch. He is also a guy who can benefit greatly from good showings at the pre-draft camp in Chicago and/or Portsmouth Invitational leading up to the draft.

2009 Stats- 18.9 PPG 5.7 RPG 2.5 APG

2009 Draft Projection- Late 2nd Round

MARQUETTE DROPS SECOND STRAIGHT

2009-02-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2009

Heading into the game last night between Villanova and Marquette it seemed perfectly reasonable that each team had a backcourt that would make scoring tough on the other. That assumption turned out to be incorrect as Villanova Lights it up Again (TimesHerald) in a convincing 102-84 win over the Golden Eagles.

Just days after scoring 102 in a win over SU, Villanova Pads It's Resume With Win over Marquette (Philadelphia Daily News), their sixth win in a row as they move to 8-3 in the Big East and 20-4 overall. The Red-Hot Wildcats are Clicking on All Cylinders (Evening Bulletin) offensively as they got a game-high 27 points from Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher added 21 with Shane Clark (16), Dante Cunningham (15) and Dwayne Anderson (10) also reaching double figures.

Jerel McNeal led Marquette with 23 points and became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Golden Eagles' illustrious program, however, the Defense Falters on McNeal's Record Night (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) as 'Nova shoots 59% from the floor and hits 13 of 24 three's. The Wildcats also had a 32-7 advantage in bench scoring and outrebounded the Golden Eagles by a 37-29 margin.

Lazar Hayward had 22 points and 9 rebounds for MU with Wesley Mathews adding 16 and Dominic James scoring 14 and adding 9 assists. However, after the main four, only nine points were contributed fromt he rest of the team as Villanova Outruns No. 10 Marquette (Philadelphia Inquirer).

While the guard trio of Marquette continues to get a lot of well-deserved recognition and attention, the Villanova group of backcourt players definitely were up to the challenge and their defense and improving offensive production is definitely making it clear that the Guards are Making 'Nova a Threat (phillyburbs.com) in the Big East and nationally.

Marquette, who has a brutal closing stretch of games to finish conference play, has home dates with St. John's this Saturday and Seton Hall on next Tuesday ahead of their closing stretch. Getting back home will certainly help MU shake this two-game losing streak, which immediately followed a 12-game win streak that had launched the Golden Eagles into the top 10 in the country and to the top of the Big East standings.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE LOOKS TO AVOID LOSING STREAK @ NOVA

2009-02-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2009

The big game in the Big East for Tuesday night takes place in Philadelphia with a top-15 match-up between Villanova and Marquette. This is a rematch from a New Year’s Day match-up in Milwaukee that saw the Golden Eagles win 79-72 and start their nine-game Big East win streak. That streak game to a stunning halt on Friday night when South Florida upended Marquette, 57-56, down in the Sun Dome.

Villanova has been on fire of late, winning five straight games to move to 7-3 in Big East play. The lone losses for the Wildcats have come against Marquette, Connecticut and Louisville, the only teams with one-loss in Big East play. The highlight of their winning streak was a 67-57 win over Pittsburgh, their most impressive win of the season.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

’Nova Forward is Stepping Out of Shadows (Gloucester County Times)
Williams Succes at MU Doesn’t Surprise Crean (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Clark Adds Experience at Villanova (DelCoTimes.com)
Villanova in Good Position Heading into Homestretch (Philly Daily News)
Nova Braces for Marquette’s Backcourt Trio (Philadelphia Inquirer)
McNeal Not Distracted by Scoring Title (Journal Sentinel)
Game 24: Villanova (Journal-Sentinel)

Villanova and Marquette is a classic match-up of strength versus strength as each team boasts talented backcourts that fuel their game plans. Marquette features three seniors in their starting backcourt: Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dominic James. The ‘three amigos’ helped spark the Golden Eagles to a 9-0 conference record and a 12-game winning streak overall under new coach Buzz Williams. All three players are quick and athletic, dictating the flow of the game with their ability to push the basketball, attack the basket and extend defensive pressure on the ball. The importance of their roles are multiplied by the lack of inside strength and numbers of the Golden Eagles. Their line-up is completed with 6-foot-6 Lazar Hayward playing power forward and 6-foot-8 Dwight Burke playing center. Often time, Hayward is their most productive rebounder and interior defender, although he is playing out of his natural position at power forward and used as their de-facto center. Out of necessity, Hayward has developed into a solid post contributor, but against the bigger Big East teams ahead on their schedule, this could be an area that is exploited in league play and beyond as the seasons gets tougher here on out.

Another weakness of the Golden Eagles is they do not shoot very well as a team. McNeal has improved his three-point shooting by leaps and bounds this season (career 30% shooter from three coming into the year), shooting 47% from beyond the arc and has been unreal in Big East play, but their 4-24 from beyond the arc against USF was a major reason for their first conference loss, not to mention their 10-23 performance from the foul line.

McNeal is a definite Big East Player of the Year candidate. He continues to fill the stat sheet and has eclipsed 20 points in nine of 10 Big East contests and is shooting 50% (33-60) from beyond the arc in conference games.

Villanova is one of the few teams in the nation that has three guards that can match-up with the Golden Eagles’ trio. They may not be as explosive offensively, but Reggie Redding and Corey Fisher are quickly elevating themselves into position of one of the best defensive backcourt tandems in the country. Scottie Reynolds still has a big hand in the offense averaging 15 points and 4 assists and has a 40-point performance (at Seton Hall) and a 31-point performance (at Providence) in a couple tough road wins, showing the veteran can carry the load when needed.

The difference in this ‘Nova squad and the last couple years has been the consistent inside play of Dante Cunningham. The unsung senior has flown under the radar and is scoring a team-best 17 points a game and leading the club with over 7 rebounds a game. He is coming off a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Wildcat’s weekend washout of Syracuse. Cunningham, along with Antonio Pena, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson give ‘Nova some depth and versatility in the frontcourt, even without real Big East-level size, and in this game, it very well could be the difference in Nova picking up a big home win.

The oddsmakers have made Villanova a 4 ½-point favorite on their home floor. Both teams will look to push the basketball and really get after it defensively, Villanova has just enough inside to control the rebounding and get a couple second chance points to turn the tide in this game.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 74
Marquette 67

MARQUETTE DROPS !ST BIG EAST GAME IN A STUNNER

2009-02-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

February 7, 2009

The weekend started early with a Stunner as USF Topples No. 8 Marquette (Tampa Tribune) Friday night at South Florida. The Bulls Upset the Golden Eagles, 57-56 (St. Pete Times), handing Marquette their first loss in conference play this year after starting 9-0 in Big East play.

Jesus Verdejo scored 21 points and Dominique Jones added 15, including the go-ahead basket in the final 30 seconds as USF withstood attempts by Wesley Mathews and Lazer Hayward to win it for Marquette.

The Bulls Snap MU's 12-Game Winning Streak (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) as Marquette can make just 10-23 shots from foul line and a dismal 4-24 from the three-point arc.

Jerel McNeal scored a game-high 22 for the Golden Eagles before fouling out in the last minute. Hayward had a game-high 14 rebounds, including a rebound off of Mathews (11 points) last second miss, but he was unable to convert at point-blank range and MU went down, giving Stan Heath his biggest win as the USF head coach.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2009-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2009

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Monterale Clark, 6'10 Center from Hill College (TX). The class of 2010 JUCO recruit is originally a native of Milwaukee (WI).

There has been no denying that Buzz Williams is a hard-worker on the recruiting trail and that hard work has paid off once again as the Golden Eagles Land Junior College Star (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Monterale Clark, a native of Milwaukee.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Juniors: Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)*
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF)
2010 Early Commitments: Aaron Bowen (G), Monterale Clark (C-JUCO)

* sitting out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

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Head coach Buzz Williams worked his connections in Texas and his budding local ties of Milwaukee to land his latest commitment for Marquette as 6-foot-10 center Monterale Clark made a verbal commitment to the Golden Eagles recently.

Clark had attended local Milwaukee high schools Rufus King and Pius XI before heading off to Ware Prep in the south. Clark has always been an intriguing player because of his length and athleticism, but was in desperate need of adding some bulk to a frame that was in the 180-pound range last time he was seen playing with a Milwaukee-based AAU program the Running Rebels.

This season at Hill College Clark, who is listed at 200 pounts, is averaging 17 points and nearly 11 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. His coach, Swede Trenkle, at Hill college told the Journal-Sentinel that he has put on 16-17 pounds since arriving at Hill College. He also had scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor and Auburn according to the article.

Clark is the second player in the class of 2010 verbally commited to Marquette. Back in late November, the commitment to Marquette from Wolfson High School junior G/F Aaron Bowen took many by surprise. The Jacksonville (FL) native Bowen missed much of the summer AAU circuit because of an injured knee, so not a whole lot is known on him outside of his local area. Last season for coach Bruce Rosebrock, Bowen averaged about 17 points, over 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game, helping one of the state's top programs to another successful season.

A Closer Look at Aaron Bowen can be found at Todd Rosiak's blog on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's website. Bowen has recently received a visit from an Auburn assistant coach and Florida, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Jacksonville were other schools involved early. A sensational 41-point performance in last year's playoffs really go the ball rolling on his recruitment and Marquette came in and stole one out of the Sunshine State.

Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

Brent 'Buzz' Williams has proven to be a hard worked on the recruiting trail and it seems that everywhere you turn you have a player listing Marquette as a school of interest. College basketball odds are greatly impacted by your recruiting efforts as recruiting is the lifeblood of your program. Williams has gone north of the boarder, down to Texas, locally and now to Pennsylvania for recruits in the class of 2009.

Brett Roseboro is a 6-foot-9, left-handed C/BF out of Quakertown (PA) High School. One the summer circuit, Roseboro showed to be a very fundamentally sound basketball player with good hands and nice footwork in the pain to score with several post moves. For his size, he has the ability to show himself quite agile and nimble. for more on his play this summer, you can check out his player profile at CAAInsider.com: Brett Roseboro.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan verbally committed to MU in early July.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

The commitment of Roseboro, on paper, fills the last available scholarship for Marquette among the class of 2009. However, Jamil Wilson, one of the top players in the state out of Racine (WI) has long been a target of the Golden Eagles since Tom Crean was the head coach. Wilson has MU on his short list, but many feel Michigan State is the team to beat here.

Also, 2009 big man Dashonte Riley is looking to be in play and in a recent Update on Dashonte Riley, the Detroit native told NBE he was very interested in visiting Marquette in the near future.

Marquette is also still mentioned in updates on 2009 Chicago-Marshall guard Darius Smith. The Smith recruitment is anyone's guess at the moment and looks to head deep into the spring period.

2010 forward prospect Tobias Harris of Long Island and NYC forward Shane Southwell are also high on the MU recruiting radar and were among the expected guests for Marquette Madness. Other underclassmen visitors for the event-filled weekend included 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).

It is tough to say how much the last commitment for 2008 will impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow was already on campus at Marquette last summer and joined Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will sit out as a transfer in 2008-2009 and work at developing into a Big East caliber player over the next year before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ SOUTH FLORIDA

2009-02-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2009

A Friday night special for the Big East tonight as Marquette heads south to take on the South Florida Bulls in a conference match-up. The Golden Eagles, under first-year head coach Buzz Williams are 9-0 in the Big East and riding a 12-game winning streak. Their last loss occurred in the Big East-SEC Challenge when they lost to Tennessee, 80-68.

The Bulls have lost three in a row and are now 2-7 in the Big East. The lone USF wins in the conference have come against DePaul. In their last game, South Florida was trounced, 65-48, by St. John's on the road and now face the hottest team in the Big East.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Men's Basketball Preview: Marquette vs. South Florida (Appleton Post-Crescent)
USF Bulls vs. No. 8 Marquette (St. Petersburg Times)
USF Hopes Break Helps as Big East Play Resumes (Tampa Tribune)
Game 23: South Florida (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

While tougher games lie ahead for Marquette, the Golden Eagles continue to gain momentum and confidence as they run through the first half of the Big East schedule. Led by the senior trio of Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dominic James and the productive junior forward Lazar Hayward, Marquette has a foursome as good as anyone, possibly, in the country. College basketball is geared towards a guard's game, and MU has a tremendous mix of experience and talent in their backcourt, a coach's dream.

The obvious weakness for Marquette is depth and size. Those shortcomings will be tested greatly in games ahead, but against South Florida that is unlikely to haunt MU. The Bulls are also top-heavy in the backcourt, led by sophomore Dominique Jones, one of the league's top scorers. The Bulls lack depth and size in the frontcourt as well and they will be unable to take advantage of Marquette's expected weakness, too.

The latest college basketball odds have Marquette as a 9 1/2-point road favorite. A couple seasons ago, MU barely escaped South Florida with a win as McNeal made a steal and lay-up just ahead of the buzzer for a win, so MU knows they need to be ready to play. With their senior guards, I expect them to be ready.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 81
South Florida 69

MARQUETTE STILL PERFECT IN BIG EAST PLAY

2009-02-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2009

It was an impressive homecoming for Marquette senior guard Jerel McNeal. Starting out on fire, much to the delight of a very pro-Marquette crowd on the home court of DePaul, McNeal had 14 points before the 10-minute mark of the first half and he had outscored the Blue Demons himself, 14-12. It looked like a total mismatch with Marquette sprinting to a 30-14 lead just 10 minutes in, but DePaul, to their credit, and to that of their coaching staff, did not quit as many had probably expected. Instead, they rallied to make it a 42-37 game at the half.

Marquette had control the rest of the way as the First-Place Eagles Run Winning Streak to 12 (Journal-Sentinel) games as Marquette Defeats DePaul, 76-61 (Chicago Tribune).

Once again, the Golden Eagles were led by McNeal, who finished with 26 points, added 6 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds, enjoying a trumphiant return home to his Chicago roots. Marquette shot 57% as a team, which was a season-high. Wesley Mathews added 20 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and Dominic James added 15 points, 5 assists and 4 steals as the trio matched DePaul's team total of 61 points.

If things weren't bad enough for the DePaul basketball team being the lone winless Big East team in conference play, 0-9, and hosting the lone undefeared Big East team in 8-0 Marquette, it was Life Without Dar (Daily Herald) last night as leading scorer Dar Tucker missed the contest with a sprained ankle that he suffered in the team's shootaround workout earlier in the day.

DePaul got a career high 30 points from Will Walker who picked up the scoring slack vacated by Tucker's 18.4 points a game being out with an injury. Redshirt-freshman Mike Bizoukas logged the most time at point guard and had 8 assists with just one turnover against the MU backcourt in 34 minutes. He seemed to work well with Walker in the backcourt helping create scoring opportunities.

Marquette has the second leg of a three-game road trip on deck when they visit South Florida Friday night.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ DEPAUL

2009-02-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

February 3, 2009

The death march that Jerry Wainwright and his DePaul basketball program seems to be on continues tonight when Marquette visits Allstate Arena for a Big East basketball conference match-up. This is a match-up of one end of the Big East spectrum against the complete opposite.

Marquette, at 8-0, is the last remaining Big East team undefeated in conference play. DePaul, on the other hand, is sitting at 0-9 and following their loss over the weekend to Rutgers, is the final winless Big East team in conference play. Both streaks are likely to continue tonight.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from the internet this morning:

Basketball Preview: Marquette vs. DePaul (Post Crescent)
Quite a Run for Demons' Walker (Southtown Star)
MU Heads Out on Trip With Confidence High (Journal Sentinel)

Against Rutgers on Saturday night, it looked like DePaul was just going through the motions, completely lifeless and broken. They made little attempt to go inside, instrad settling for jump shots. They made little attempt to defend, allowing Rutgers to score 75 points, 42 in the second half.

While one can reasonably expect more of an effort on their home court, for their own individual pride, this is not a match-up that is very favorable to them at all. The two teams met in Milwaukee back on January 24th and the result was a 79-70 Marquette win. The Golden Eagles raced to a 48-34 lead at the half before their intensity waned and DePaul hung around in the second half, but never really challenging.

The Marquette backcourt, led by Dominic James, Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal will make life very difficult for Will Walker, Dar Tucker the the Blue Demons point guard du jour. While DePaul has a size advantage, led by Mac Koshwal, they seem to be clueless on how to utilize their talents in the paint.

Looking at today's college basketball lines, Marquette is an 11 1/2-point road favorite. In Big East play, that seems by alot. However, our numbers indicate an easier time for the Golden Eagles and if they bring similar effort as they have shown, led by their seniors and vesatile junior Lazar Hayward, they should overwhelm Depaul.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 84
DePaul 70

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE LOOKS FOR 8-0 BE START

2009-01-31T06:22:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2009

Georgetown will limp into the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon for a meeting with Marquette. The Hoyas have lost four in a row overall and have fallen to 3-5 in the Big East. Their latest setback was a 65-57 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday night in a game where their leading scorer DaJuan Summers suffered an injured ankle in the first half and did not return.

Marquette, led by senior guards Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, are 7-0 and tied with Louisville for the conference lead. The ‘three amigos’ get adequate support scoring and rebounding from junior forward Lazar Hayward and in their last game, a 71-64 victory at Marquette, they were the only four players to score for the Golden Eagles.

Here are some pregame stories and previews:

Sharper Shot Helping McNeal Slice Through Defenses (Journal Sentinel)
Marquette Faces Off Against Georgetown (Cracked Sidewalks)
Georgetown Needs to Answer the Bell (Washington Times)

The Hoyas wrap up a stretch of three consecutive road games and things do not look to be getting any easier. After losing to Seton Hall and Cincinnati on the road, they now must face undefeated, in Big East play, Marquette and possibly without leading scorer DaJuan Summers.

“We’re struggling right now,” Hoya coach John Thompson III told the media during this week’s Big East coach’s conference call. “And our backs are against the wall. We just have to figure out how to claw our way out of the situation that we’re in.”

That might be easier said than done today. Marquette looks to be a team that can apply defensive pressure with aggressive backcourt play, something Georgetown has not been able to handle this season. Neither team is very deep nor are they extremely productive inside, so the Hoyas are not able to take advantage of Marquette’s weaknesses.

Georgetown will likely play a lot of zone defense and force the Golden Eagles to score on the perimeter. In the halfcourt game, that could pose some problems, however, look for the Marquette defense to force the tempo in their favor and create their scoring opportunities.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 70
Georgetown 62

BUZZ IS GROWING ON MARQUETTE, 7-0 IN BIG EAST

2009-01-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2009

Marquette continued their run through the early portion of their Big East schedule with a victory at Notre Dame last night in ESPN's Big Monday telecast.

The Golden Eagles are a team Seasoned Right (Journal Sentinel) led by their senior guard trio. Last night, Jerel McNeal scored a team-high 27 points with Jerel McNeal added 16 and Dominic James contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and helped direct an offense that turned the ball over just three times all game. Lazar Hayward closed the MU scored with 13 points (that is right, just four Golden Eagles scored) in the 71-64 victory.

Luke Harangody had 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Irish as Notre Dame Loses Second Straight at Home (nwitimes.com) after UConn broked their 45-game win streak at the Joyce Center on Saturday night. It was the fourth loss overall for ND, dropping them to 3-5 in the Big East as the Irish are Losing Grip on the Season (Journal Gazette) that began with so many expectations on the club.

Jonathan Peoples and Luke Zeller were inserted into the starting line-up to replace slumping seniors Zach Hillesland and Ryan Ayers. The move failed to provide any sort of a 'spark' as Ayers-Hillesland combined to go 0-10 in the game and the Irish got zero bench points.

Tory Jackson had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for the Irish, who will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers on Saturday. At 12-7, with the date with Pitt and road games with Cincinnati and UCLA to follow immediately afterwards, the Irish Feel a 'Sense of Worry' (South Bend Tribune) about a season on the brink.

Notes:

-The benches of Marquette and Notre Dame dueled to a 0-0 tie. Both teams will need something from their bench with the schedules thehave coming up.

-Notre Dame held a 47-34 rebounding advantage over the smaller Golden Eagles

-Marquette turned the ball over just three times in the game, lowest total in 13 seasons.

-Marquette is 7-0 in the Big East and has won 10 games in a row overall

-MU hosts Georgetown on Saturday

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ NOTRE DAME

2009-01-26T10:06:00.001-08:00

January 26, 2009

Notre Dame is forced to rebound quickly following Saturday night's 69-61 home loss to Connecticut, a loss that snapped the Irish 45-game home winning streak. The last team to beat the Fighting Irish at the Joyce Center comes to town tonight as Marquette and ND hook up for a Big Monday battle.

More concerning to Irish coach Mike Brey than the end of a 45-game home winning streak is the current three-game losing steak the Irish find themselved mired in. Saturday night's loss knocked Notre Dame to 3-4 in Big East play.

Marquette has been rolling along in conference play, beating Depaul on Saturday to move to 6-0 in Big East play. The Golden Eagles will look to keep on rolling tonight and begin a home losing streak for ND.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from the internet today:

ND Off Course in Big East (South Bend Tribune)
No Longer a Matter of Record (Journal-Sentinel)
Line-up Shake-up Likely for Notre Dame (Chicago Tribune)
Notre Dame Looks to End Three-Game Losing Streak (Chicago Tribune)
Acker Raising Game, Elevating Profile Off of Bench (Journal-Sentinel)

This is a really important game for Notre Dame who will embark on a three-game road trip afterwards. With trip to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and UCLA to follow, the Irish need to right the ship quickly.

Teams seem to be content on letting Luke Harangody rack up some big numbers as they concentrate on stopping the rest of the Irish players. That scheme will fall right into the Golden Eagles' plan ss they do not have the muscle inside to slow Harangody, but their quick hands will try and make him work for his points. In the three-game losing streak, nobody is stopping Harangody from putting up his stats, nearly 26 points and 15 rebounds a game, but he has had to take 79 shots (over 26 a game) to get those numbers.

it is being proven that Tory Jackson and Kyle McAlarney make this team go. Harangody will get his, but their failure to replace Rob Kurz with a consistent third scoring option and another post player to take the pressure off of Harangody has made the Irish quite beatable. Add in the fact that their defense struggles and it is clear to see why ND is sliding.

Marquette is definitely not sliding, they are rising quickly up the basketball polls. The guard trio of Jerel McNeal, Wesley Mathews and Dominic James applies pressure on both ends of the court to opposing backcourts. Their defensive effort usually takes teams right out of their comfort zone and makes up for their lack of size by disrputing play on the perimeter.

Mathews and McNeal are having tremendous senior seasons offensively, both averaging 19 points a game, and continue to wreak havoc defensively. Junior forward Lazar Hayward has taken to his role as an undersized big forward, averaging over 16 points and nearly 9 rebounds a game.

The oddsmakers have made the Irish a 3 1/2 point favorite tonight. This game almost looks to be a toss up. Marquette seems to be the better team, but are they do for a loss? I am not convinced it comes tonight as Marquette has the personnell to make things difficult for McAlarney to find shots and for Jackson to get into the offense. Despite a zone defense from the Irish, Marquette will look to hit the seams with their quickness and also score in transition when the Irish get lax on defense, which happens all too often.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 75
Notre Dame 71

MARQUETTE NOW 6-0 IN BIG EAST

2009-01-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

January 25, 2009

Marquette looked like they were going to blow the doors off of DePaul sprinting to a 48-34 halftime lead. While the second half was not a thing of beauty, the Golden Eagles Stay Perfect in the Big East (Journal Sentinel) with a 79-70 win.

Jerel McNeal had 21 points, Wesley Mathews added 20 and Lazar Hayward scored 16 and grabbed 17 rebounds in the win.

Dar Tucker led DePaul with 18 points.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ MARQUETTE

2009-01-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2009

Lowly DePaul travels to Milwaukee to meet former Conference USA rival Marquette for a 2 PM Big East conference showdown. While Marquette has ascended to the top of the Big East standings with their 5-0 start, DePaul has bottomed-out and sits at 0-6 in league play. This once anticipated match-up hardly registers a blip on the radar on the schedule this weekend, even in Chicago.

DePaul and Marquette Meet for 106th Time (debaulbluedemons.com)
Wesley Mathews Leads Marquette Against DePaul (Chicago Tribune)
DePaul Desperate for a Win (Southtown Star)

The pressure has definitely hit a crescendo on Jerry Wainwright and his program. The local papers are all running stories wondering the status of his future as DePaul has fallen to the bottom of the Big East. With no indication of an uptick in their future, the powers that be at DePaul will be taking a long look at the future of the program over the next couple months.

For now, they have more basketball to play and have a nightmare match-up on Saturday afternoon when they visit Marquette. The Golden Eagles are led by their super guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. Their strength matches up right with the Blue Demons’ weakness. Marquette has the perimeter athleticism, speed, strength and height to take Dar Tucker and Will Walker right out of the game.

While Marquette’s front line is very undersized, Mac Koshwal should put together solid numbers for DePaul, but MU will counter by disrupting the offensive of DePaul with on the ball pressure on the perimeter, making it very difficult for them to get the ball inside. This one has all the makings of a blow out and the college basketball betting lines have the Golden Eagles as a 16 1/2-pt home favorite. Seems about right…if not a little low.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 85
DePaul 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ PROVIDENCE

2009-01-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2009

Marquette will put their undefeated 4-0 conference record on the line when they travel to Providence for a 9 PM game with the Friars at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Friars are off to a 3-1 start in the Big East and look to capture their most impressive win of the season.

Marquette Guard Troika a Force for Friars to Reckon With (Providence Journal)
PC Hosts Marquette Tonight (Pawtucket Times)
Marquette Travels to Providence on Saturday (Cracked Sidewalks)
Williams Off-Beat Approach Working for Marquette (Chicago Tribune)
James Thrives in Shutdown Mode (Journal-Sentinel)

Two of the more experienced teams in the Big East will be featured in this contest. Marquette has the three senior guard line-up and PC has five seniors, a redshirt junior and another junior at the top of their rotation.

The Golden Eagles will look to use their guard trio of Dominic James, Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal to get up into Sharaud Curry and the PC perimeter snipers of Jeff Xavier and Brian McKenzie to throw the Friars out of their offensive rhythm. The Friars have some size, but they do not always effectively use it and the Marquette perimeter pressure is aimed at making it difficult for opponents to exploit a weakness of MU.

Every year, PC surprises at least one team on their home floor. It is usually done so with accurate three-point shooting, but in this match-up, look for the Golden Eagle guards to defend the perimeter in shutdown mode and see if the guards of PC can create for the big men inside.

Without a strong post defender, I expect the Marquette guards to be able to get into the lane and score often. A sagging zone is the best defense against MU, but they have been shooting very well of late, too. Look for the Golden Eagles to continue their strong start in conference play with a solid road win in Rhode Island.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 74
Providence 69

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA AT MARQUETTE

2009-01-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2009

Marquette looks to extend their best-even Big East start to 4-0 when they welcome former Conference USA rival Bob Huggins, who will bring his current team, West Virginia, to the Bradley center for a Big East showdown at noon on Saturday.

The Bradley Center is home to one of the best home court crowds in the league, hopefully the early start time (11 AM locally) does not negatively impact that home court edge the Golden Eagles usually enjoy. Marquette escaped Rutgers with an 81-76 win earlier this week. Buzz Williams’ crew say a 21-point lead sliced to two in the final minute, but hung on for the victory, improving their conference record to 3-0.

West Virginia dropped to 1-1 with a Tuesday night home loss to Connecticut. The Mountaineers shot the ball poorly (30%) and were dominated on the boards by the bigger Huskies. They will not have to worry about the size of the Golden Eagles, but an aggressive perimeter defense might cause the shooting woes to linger.

Here are some game previews and stories from the web this morning:

Golden Eagles Preview: Marquette vs. West Virginia (Appleton Post Crescent)
Freshman Trio Powering Mountaineers (Times West Virginian)
Marquette Takes on west Virginia (Cracked Sidewalks)
Game 17: West Virginia (Journal Sentinel)
Mountaineers Look to Snap Marquette’s Win Streak (Register-Herald)
MU’s Middle Men Getting it Done on Defense (Journal Sentinel)
Marquette Coach Says WVU Will Compete (Daily Mail)

The three amigos, Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, with a lot of help from junior Lazar Hayward, are off to a 3-0 start in the Big East and will look to continue that run this afternoon. As usual, the Golden Eagles will hope that their guard play dictates the flow of the game to mask their interior and rebounding deficiencies that bigger Big East teams will look to exploit.

West Virginia has not been shooting the ball very well, and that was key in their recent loss to UConn. Look for Marquette to be all over Alex Ruoff on the perimeter and for James to harass freshman Darryl Bryant when on the ball.

The Mountaineers are likely to respond with a variety of zone defenses to keep the Marquette guards out of the lane and shooting from the perimeter. In their last home game, the MU perimeter shooters were on fire, going 15-25 from beyond the arc. Marquette has great confidence right now and the NCAA basketball odds have MU as a 3 ½ point home favorite as guards rule in college basketball.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 72
West Virginia 63

BIG EAST PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ RUTGERS

2009-01-07T09:38:00.001-08:00

January 7, 2009

While Rutgers might be through with the brutal stretch of top 5 teams North Carolina, Pittsburgh and UConn, who were ranked 1, 2 and 3 when they played them, the Big East allows no breathers and next up for the Scarlet Knights is Marquette. The Golden Eagles will look to build on their best-ever 2-0 Big East start at the RAC tonight.

Here are some of the pregame stories and previews found on the web this morning:

Seniors Hoping to Avoid Letdown Against Rutgers (Journal-Sentinel)
Stats Don’t Tell Story for Knights (mycentraljersey.com)

Peeking ahead in your schedule is not hard to do in this league, but Marquette will try and concentrate at the task on hand tonight in New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights gave #1 ranked Pittsburgh all they could handle in their Big East opener on New Year’s Eve and that should certainly have the attention of the Golden Eagles this evening.

Marquette is coming off an 84-50 route of Cincinnati and if they unleash their defensive pressure from the outset, they could do something similar to RU. Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Mathews have been excellent this season both offensively and defensively. In their last game, they held Deonta Vaughn scoreless against Cincinnati and will look to make life just as difficult tonight against RU freshman Mike Rosario, who seems to be the catalyst of the RU offense.

Marquette is not the biggest team in the conference and the Scarlet Knight could match-up very well in the frontcourt with Greg Echenique, Hamady N’Diaye and JR Inman, but they will only be as productive as their backcourt getting them the ball in position to score.

Marquette is a 9 ½ point favorite on the road, but look for RU to play this one tough. Marquette still pulls it out with more talent, but the young Knights will also use some of their experienced players and play well at home.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 70
Rutgers 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI @ MARQUETTE

2009-01-04T07:35:00.001-08:00

January 4, 2009

Marquette looks to start 2-0 in the Big East for the first time since joining the conference as Cincinnati visits the Bradley Center for the 2 PM tip-off on Sunday. The Golden Eagles started off conference play with a win over Villanova on New Year's Day.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from around the web this morning:

Eagles Can Set Tone Early in Big East Slate (Journal-Sentinel)
Bearcats Hope They're Ready (Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Bearcats come into Milwaukee with a 10-3 record in their non-conference schedule. UC dropped their last game of 2008, 60-45, at Memphis. The Bearcats shot a woeful 26% from the field and junior Deonta Vaughn was their lone player to reach double figures. UC has also lost to Florida State (58-47) in Vegas and at home to crosstown rival Xavier, 76-66, thus far.

Like usual, Vaughn is the offensive catalyst for Mick Cronin's club, averaging a team-best 15.2 PPG as well as 4.6 assists predominately playing the point guard position because of the preseason knee injury suffered by freshman Cashmere Wright who was supposed to help take some of the ballhandling duties off of Vaughn's shoulders.

Freshman Yancy Gates anchors an improved and deeper frontline, averaging over 10 points and a team high 6.5 rebounds a game. Mike Williams and Steven Toyloy join returnee Anthony McClain in a unit that should give the smaller Marquette club some trouble.

The power of strong guard play and home court is definitely reflected in the early NCAA basketball odds in this game as Marquette is a 10 and a half point favorite over the Bearcats. MU is, of course, led by the dynamic guard trio of seniors Wesley Mathews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James. The ability of Lazar Hayward to hold his own as the most productive frontcourt performer in Big East battles will go a long way in determining the success of the Golden Eagles this season.

Hayward, usually playing out of position as often the biggest Golden Eagle on the floor, averages 17 points and 9 rebounds a game. Mathews is off to a great start this year as the complete wing averages a team-high 19 points a game, getting over seven of them from the foul line each time out. McNeal continues to fill the stat sheet with 17.6 points a game as well as 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and nearly two assists a game. James runs the show and averages 11 points, over 5 assists and better than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio.

The weakness of MU is depth, especially in an already thin backcourt where Dwight Burke is the starter, but plays just under 20 minutes a game and averages just 2.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. Marquette will need to find Hayward some help when the bigs of the Big East come calling.

Today will be a challenge...but, on their home floor, their guard play should set the tone for a win.

Prediction:

Marquette 71
Cincinnati 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ MARQUETTE

2009-01-01T09:59:00.001-08:00

January 1, 2009

Marquette hopes to host a New Year's party at the expense of Villanova when the two teams meet New Year's Day at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The latest college basketball odds list the Golden Eagles as the three-point favorite to start off 2009 with a win.

This is a match-up of two teams with excellent guard play, but neither would be considered to have a strong frontcourt. We would give the edge in the backcourt in this one to Marquette, while the Wildcats, led by Dante Cunningham, will be expected to have the edge up front.

Here are a couple pre-game stories from the web:

Villanova to Test Big East Waters (Philly Inquirer)
Familiar Setting as Villanova Opens Big East Play (Philly Daily News)
MU Has Big Task in Conference (Milwaukee Journal-sentinel)

Marquette is led by the senior guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, all having strong starts this year under new coach Buzz Williams. Lazar Hayward provides most of the scoring and rebounding for an undersized and undermanned front line.

Villanova always has strong guard play under coach Jay Wright. Scottie Reynolds returns to lead the troops, but the emergence of senior Dante Cunningham as a highly productive post player on both ends makes the Wildcats very dangerous.

In this one, look for the home crowd to help energize Marquette to push and attack the 'Nova defense. It should be a good game, with the senior trio in the MU backcourt pulling out the win.

Prediction:

Marquette 69
Villanova 63

Marquette Recruiting Update: Maymon, Memorial Dominating

2008-12-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

By Zach Smart

To paraphrase Quentin Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs, "This cat is like Charles Bronson in the Great Escape."

On the hardwood, that is.

Ever since Jeronne Maymon authored the book “March 2008 Timely Tear” also found under the title, “How To Sell Stock In Ten Games,” the kid from Madison, Wisconsin has etched a name for himself.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that high expectations for a highly-touted recruit have been quick to follow.

Maymon owned the stat sheet last March. The 6-foot-6 manchild averaged 30 points, 14.6 boards, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and three dimes, helping steer Madison Memorial to their second consecutive state championship appearance.

These titanic numbers vaulted him into the top-percentile of Wisco's high school players. Maymon is currently ranked 58th amongst the nation's top players, according to Scout.com.

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A Marquette-commit, Maymon tells me the transition to Big East ball will be seamless for him. He’s the quiet confident type, where you really have to force the issue to get him to self-boast a little bit.

But when Maymon visited the Milwaukee campus in the fall, he was able to hold his own against guys like Dominic James (who he stayed with during his visit), hometown buddy Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal, Lazar Hayward, Dwight Burke, and the rest of the MU basketball click. He said his performance didn’t seize to surprise his future teammates, adding “they know how I get down.”

I first met Maymon this fall, as he was playing for the Unique All-Stars at the bandbox IS8 gym in Queens, N.Y.

Maymon had just helped his team gut-out a down-to-the-wire victory over Mount Vernon and Sherrod Wright, another hotly-pursued recruit who could be headed to the Big East.

Wright scored 24 points during the Knights’ 77-36 drubbing of Clarkstown South a few nights ago.

“He can shoot the ball like they were talking about,” said Maymon who scored 24 points to Wright’s 31 during an epic frontstage showdown between the two players at the aforementioned IS8 AAU game
“I didn’t even know anything about the kid until I got down here. But no question, he can shoot. There was one point where he was just letting that rock ride.”

Maymon and Madison Memorial, one of the top-ranked programs in the state, are rolling through the meat of their early-season slate with ease.

Maymon is leading the way for the alma mater of the aforementioned Matthews. He averaged 16.4 points through the first five games of the season, nearly all of them blowouts. Considering the way 5-0 Madison Memorial was clubbing the competition, Maymon’s stats don’t tell the story.

His minutes dipped as he was relegated to cheerleader role in games that were about as important as the old 3-on-2, 2-on-1 drill some old-school playground rat used to dominate in practice.

Against Madison LaFollette, Maymon hung 28 points.

The book on Maymon has many chapters to it. Trrimmed down from his once 240-pound frame, Maymon is a pretty accurate depiction of the real deal. Fresh off a junior year that saw him average 21 points and 11.7 boards, Maymon executes a tough arsenal of post moves and is physical around the basket who will make an immediate impact on Marquette's college basketball odds next season.

His toughness is supplemented by good life on his mid to long range jumper. He’s also an extremely versatile player, with the ability to sky for rebounds and create offense.

Don’t get it twisted, though. Ball handling, mano y mano moves, and taking players off the dribble is one of the weaker qualities of his game. The lack of a quick first step and his penchant for barreling to the bucket with his head down is what prevents him from emerging into a 30-point scorer in high school. It’s still early, so the sky is the limit for this young man.

As you all know, Tobias Harris, who Marquette is heavily pursuing, suffered a severe ankle injury.

The Long Island star is expected to miss around two months. Harris, who received an offer from USC and is on several Big East team’s radar, including UConn’s, suffered torn ligaments in his ankle.

-The action heats up for Marquette-signee Junior Cadougan, who will play in the prestigious Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout tournament on Friday and Saturday at the Al Mcguire Center.

Cadougan, a potent point guard, is a presence in the passing lanes and loves to attack the rim. He can knife through the teeth of the defense and finish on anyone. His outside shot is nothing to stamp home about, as he’s feast or famine from beyond the arc. Still, his ability to score is evident with pull up jumpers and barrels to the basket. If he pans out, J.C. will fill the void left by Dominic James.

JC and Christian Life Center Academy (Humble, Texas, right outside Houston), open up against Wauwatosa East, Friday at 8. Wauwatosa East is the defending WIAA Division-I champion. A rack of perpetual powers are to compete in the event.

Notes For MU/Villanova New Year's Jumpoff

2008-12-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

by Zach Smart

In their final out-of-conference tune-up before the first Big East game of the season, Dominic James bailed out the Golden Eagles in heroic fashion.

The senior, hated on by cats who felt he should have never entertained NBA draft illusions, played like…well…a senior.

Let’s not forget, James has been the bulwark and mainstay of Marquette’s offense since he was a freshman. During his freshman year, James turned many heads in a competitive college basketball landscape.

The Big East was leaking with NBA talent that year, as guys like Rudy Gay (UConn), Marcus Williams (UConn), Hilton Armstrong (UConn), Kyle Lowry (Villanova), Randy Foye (Villanova), Quincy Douby (Rutgers), Solomon Jones (South Florida) and James’ then-teammate, super sniper Steve Novak, were all surefire draft picks.

James, the 5-foot-10 guard from Indiana, flexed his elder statesmen muscles and canned a game-winning three with a mere .4 ticks left against N.C. State. The Golden Eagles’ pulsating 68-65 triumph over N.C. State lifted them to 10-2 on the season, allowing them to creep back into the Top-25.

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The No. 25 Eagles sat in a zone early, one that Wolfpack freshman Brandon Costner seeped into early and often. Costner, a feast-or-famine junior forward, put on his best show of the season.

The 6-foot-9 behemoth dropped 24 points, hitting on nine of ten shot attempts and scoring 11 of the game’s first 15 points. He busted the 2-1-2 zone matchup that Marquette soon ditched, nailing treys at a 5-for-5 clip.

Marquette came roaring back from an early funk. They surged ahead, 23-20 with 7:23 to play in the first.

In the game that saw The Eagles struggled with Marquette’s length and springy athleticism (though MU was only outrebounded by a thin 25-23 margin), James, the team’s foundation who shoulders more Big East big game experience on this side of Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie, had the final say. .

James scored 18 points and handed out six assists. The trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Lazar Heyward combined for 54 of the Golden Eagles’ 68 total points.

With Wesley Matthews, the local product who’s established himself as a go-to-guy (his numbers are up to 19.1 ppg after averaging 11 as a junior) leaving his game in parts unknown, the three computed for nearly 80 percent of MU’s offensive output.

The Wolfpack bench won the pine time battle by outscoring their opponents, 12-5.

Still, Marquette has arguably one of the top backcourts in the nation with the three-guard set of James, McNeal, and Matthews. With college basketball still a guard’s game, their college basketball odds are always strong.

Guard play, always a dictator of destiny in Big East basketball, will be a major factor in the Golden Eagles’ New Year’s day showdown with 11-1 Villanova.

Villanova no longer has the four-guard operation that drove teams crazy in 2006, but Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher, and junior guard Scottie Reynolds (14.5 points, 4.5 assists, 18.0 ppg in the last three games) will put the Marquette backcourt to the test.

While Marquette had trouble handling the length of N.C. State, it doesn’t get much easier against the Wildcats.

Not one single iota of easier, especially now that Dante Cunningham has started to flower.

The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 boards got the better of heavy NBA prospect Damion James in an eyeball to eyeball matchup with heavy during the Jimmy V Classic.

Cunningham’s meteoric rise was kick-started with a 31-point, 11-board eruption in a win over Fordham back in November. His 23 and 12 night at Madison Square Garden upgraded him into a new zip code. A.J. Abrams lights-out shooting, however, was what really tamed the Wildcats.

With Dwayne Anderson back in the swing of things like clockwork, the ‘Cats seem to have augmented thier depth.

With Cunningham beginning to percolate (shooting a blistering 58 percent from the floor), MU will need some manpower as a stopgap measure up front.

Marquette’s Dwight Burke, who’s putting up meager numbers (2.3 points, 3.5 boards) and looked more lackadaisical than Ben Wallace on offense in last year’s Big East tournament, needs to get his game up.

MARQUETTE SIGNING REVIEW

2008-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

November 22, 2008

In Buzz Williams first full recruiting effort, he pulled in a class that ranked at the top of the Big East for November period signings. With Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G), Junior Cadougan (PG and Brett Roseboro (PF) all coming on board, look for the Marquette college basketball odds to be on the move upwards in the coming years.

The class features the point guard of the future (Cadougan) to replace Dominic James and a scoring guard (Buycks) to add some punch to the future line-up. Maymon and Williams are a pair of athletic forwards with Maymon adding toughness and Williams an exciting upside that promises to have his basketball ahead of him. Roseboro was the latest addition and the 6'9+ big man has been developing quickly and could be a late steal.

Currently, Marquette is void of open scholarships, but Buzz Williams seems to be outworking many on the trail and has the attitude of never stopping on the recruiting trail.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Aaron Bowen, 6'5 Guard from Wolfson High School in Jacksonville (FL). Class of 2010.

There has been no denying that Buzz Williams is a hard-worker on the recruiting trail and that hard work has paid off once again as MU Gaines a 2010 Commitment (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) from Florida shooting guard Aaron Bowen last week.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Juniors: Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)*
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF)
2010 Early Commitments: Aaron Bowen (G)

* sitting out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

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The commitment to Marquette from Wolfson High School junior G/F Aaron Bowen took many by surprise. The Jacksonville (FL) native Bowen missed much of the summer AAU circuit because of an injured knee, so not a whole lot is known on him outside of his local area. Last season for coach Bruce Rosebrock, Bowen averaged about 17 points, over 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game, helping one of the state's top programs to another successful season.

A Closer Look at Aaron Bowen can be found at Todd Rosiak's blog on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's website. Bowen has recently received a visit from an Auburn assistant coach and Florida, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Jacksonville were other schools involved early. A sensational 41-point performance in last year's playoffs really go the ball rolling on his recruitment and Marquette came in and stole one out of the Sunshine State.

Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

Brent 'Buzz' Williams has proven to be a hard worked on the recruiting trail and it seems that everywhere you turn you have a player listing Marquette as a school of interest. College basketball odds are greatly impacted by your recruiting efforts as recruiting is the lifeblood of your program. Williams has gone north of the boarder, down to Texas, locally and now to Pennsylvania for recruits in the class of 2010.

Brett Roseboro is a 6-foot-9, left-handed C/BF out of Quakertown (PA) High School. One the summer circuit, Roseboro showed to be a very fundamentally sound basketball player with good hands and nice footwork in the pain to score with several post moves. For his size, he has the ability to show himself quite agile and nimble. for more on his play this summer, you can check out his player profile at CAAInsider.com: Brett Roseboro.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan verbally committed to MU in early July.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

The commitment of Roseboro, on paper, fills the last available scholarship for Marquette among the class of 2009. However, Jamil Wilson, one of the top players in the state out of Racine (WI) has long been a target of the Golden Eagles since Tom Crean was the head coach. Wilson has MU on his short list, but many feel Michigan State is the team to beat here. 2010 forward prospect Tobias Harris of Long Island and NYC forward Shane Southwell are also high on the MU recruiting radar and were among the expected guests for Marquette Madness. Other underclassmen visitors for the event-filled weekend included 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).

It is tough to say how much the last commitment for 2008 will impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow is already on campus at Marquette and will join Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will sit out as a transfer in 2008-2009 and work at developing into a Big East caliber player over the next 15 months before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce, McMorrow and Butler join fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this season for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

BIG EAST TOP TWO-GUARDS 2008-2009: 1) JEREL MCNEAL

2008-11-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2008

In today's game, college basketball odds of winning and making March Madness are greatly enhanced by having a top-notch backcourt. New Marquette head coach Buzz Williams has just such a thing and the cornerstone has become Jerel McNeal.

McNeal, a senior from Hillcrest High School in Chicago, is one of the top players in the Big East conference. The 6-foot-3 guard has long been considered among the best perimeter defenders and rebounding guards in the country, but last season he began to show more of a complete offensive game to his arsenal.

McNeal has always filled the stat sheet, and last year was no exception with averages of 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals a game. The points, rebounds and assists were all career high averages, but more evidence of his overall improvement was the reduction in turnovers. After averaging a frightening 3.8 turnovers a game as a freshman and a sophomore, McNeal lowered his turnover rate to 2.8 a game.

McNeal was at his best last season in the post-season, trying his best Dwyane Wade impersonation in an attempt to carry the Golden Eagles in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. In the five games under the bright lights and intense pressure, McNeal averaged 23.2 points a game, including 30 in the nail biting loss to Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He also averaged 6.2 rebounds, shot 84% from the line, 38% from three (12-32) and 53% from the floor (44-83), all improvements from the regular season.

At the end of last season, McNeal briefly made himself available for the NBA Draft, figuring to strike while the iron was hot. However, he quickly withdrew his name and began concentrating on his senior season with new coach Buzz Williams.

McNeal is one-third of the senior trio of guards for Marquette that also includes Dominic James and Wesley Mathews. This trip is a great resource for coach Williams in his first year as the experienced trio still has some unfinished business to attend to in the college careers. It should be an exciting season in Milwaukee as they attempt to write a final chapter on their excellent careers.

BIG EAST TOP POINT GUARDS 2008:2009: 5) DOMINIC JAMES

2008-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2008

Even with his numbers and effectiveness sliding each year since a standout freshman campaign, Dominic James still ranks rather high among Big East point guards in the eyes of NBE Basketball Report staffers.

James took the Big East by storm as a freshman, averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds leading the surprising Golden Eagles into contention in their Big East debut and into the NCAA Tournament. James averaged over 16 points in Big East conference games that season and showed the nation how dangerous he was scoring 57 points in back to back road wins over West Virginia and DePaul.

As a sophomore and junior James saw his numbers dip as his lack of perimeter shooting has led to more and more teams to use zone defenses against Marquette. James is still an explosive athlete that is as fast with the basketball as anyone in the nation. James is also a defensive wizard that will disrupt and opponents' offense by pressuring the ball on the perimeter.

One area James did improve in last season was nudging his assist to turnover ration above the 2:1 mark, a standard for top point guards. However, his sub-40% shooting from the field and 31% clip from three-point range continues to haunt him and makes him easier to defend by teams will to play zone to contain his speed and quickness.

This season, James also has to adapt to a new coach as Buzz Williams takes control of the Golden Eagles from Tom Crean, who recruited James to MU and was always his staunchest supporter. It does not appear that Williams will tinker a whole lot with the schemes at Marquette, so expect James to have the ball in his hands often. If James can find a way to increase his offensive efficiency with improved shooting percentages, the college basketball odds of Marquette challenging for a championship should improve greatly. James is still a weapon because of his athletic ability and his improving assist to turnover ration with his experience is good enough to keep him in the top 5 of Big East point guards, according to the NBE Basketball Report evaluators.

SHANE SOUTHWELL TALKS MARQUETTE

2008-10-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2008

Over the weekend, Marquette launched their 2008-2009 season for their fans by hosting a 'Marquette Madness' event, debuting this year's team and new coach Buzz Williams. With all the excitement around the program for the weekend, it was also a great opportunity to bring in some top recruits for them to get a feel of the atmosphere that is Marquette basketball.

Since taking over at Marquette, coach Williams has been working hard on the recruiting trail. With a senior class in place that includes Wes Mathews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James, Williams knows that recruiting will keep the NCAA Basketball Odds of reaching the NCAA Tournament in the Golden Eagles' favor, and using 'Marquette Madness' as a recruiting tool is a wise move.

One recruit that made the trip was New York City forward Shane Southwell. The class of 2010 prospect out of powerful Rice High School and the NY Gauchos program made the trip to the midwest with his mom for the weekend's events.

"Marquette was great, everybody showed me love especially Wesley Matthews and Dwight Burke," Southwell told the NBE Basketball Report.

While a kid from NYC may not be too familair with the Milwaukee-based program, the history of the Marquette program is impressive and the era of Al McGuire definitely catches one's attention when shown off to a recruit visiting. With mega-NBA star Dwyane Wade also on display as well and a supportive fan base, there is a lot for a recruit to take in.

"The lasting impression or highlight was looking at walls and seeing all the NBA players and the history of Marquette," Southwell explained. "Another highlight is how great the fans are."

Being just a junior, Southwell seems in no hurry to make a college decision. He has interest from several other schools in the Big East and powers from other conferences as well. The Golden Eagles definitely rate high on this junior's list.

"Marquette is probably the leader right now if I was senior, but its still a lot of time left and my dream school is Memphis," indicated Southwell.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Brett Roseboro, 6'9 power forward from Quakertown (PA)

In a commitment that catches many by surprise, Brett Roseboro has given Marquette head coach Buzz Williams a verbal commitment while making an official visit to the campus this weekend for 'Marquette Madness' weekend. MU Gets Commitment from Forward Roseboro (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), who stands just over 6-foot-9 and is definitely a position of need for the Golden Eagles.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Juniors: Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Sophomores: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)*
Freshmen: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G), Junior Cadougan (PG), Brett Roseboro (PF)

* sitting out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010.

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Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

Brent 'Buzz' Williams has proven to be a hard worked on the recruiting trail and it seems that everywhere you turn you have a player listing Marquette as a school of interest. College basketball odds are greatly impacted by your recruiting efforts as recruiting is the lifeblood of your program. Williams has gone north of the boarder, down to Texas, locally and now to Pennsylvania for recruits in the class of 2010.

Brett Roseboro is a 6-foot-9, left-handed C/BF out of Quakertown (PA) High School. One the summer circuit, Roseboro showed to be a very fundamentally sound basketball player with good hands and nice footwork in the pain to score with several post moves. For his size, he has the ability to show himself quite agile and nimble. for more on his play this summer, you can check out his player profile at CAAInsider.com: Brett Roseboro.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan verbally committed to MU in early July.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

The commitment of Roseboro, on paper, fills the last available scholarship for Marquette among the class of 2009. However, he was not the only 2009 visitor for 'Marquette Madness' as Chris Colvin from Chicago's Whitney Young HS was scheduled to visit as well. Colvin has long been on the MU radar, however, with a verbal commitment from point guard Junior Cadougan already, it is unclear how Colvin would fit into the mix in this class. Jamil Wilson, one of the top players in the state out of Racine (WI) has long been a target of the Golden Eagles since Tom Crean was the head coach. Wilson has MU on his short list, but many feel Michigan State is the team to beat here. 2010 forward prospect Tobias Harris of Long Island and NYC forward Shane Southwell are also high on the MU recruiting radar and were among the expected guests for Marquette Madness. Other underclassmen visitors for the event-filled weekend included 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).

It is tough to say how much the last commitment for 2008 will impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow is already on campus at Marquette and will join Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will sit out as a transfer in 2008-2009 and work at developing into a Big East caliber player over the next 15 months before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce, McMorrow and Butler join fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this season for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 5) MARQUETTE

2008-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2008

Marquette fans and players were rocked April 1st of 2008 with the news that Tom Crean was leaving the Golden Eagles to take over the head coaching position at Indiana University. What seemed like a cruel April Fool’s joke was real, and it left the Marquette fan base reeling.

With the Final Four coming just days after Crean’s departure, the Marquette administration got the wheels in motion quickly to find Crean’s replacement. After a couple flirtations with some of the bigger names that many speculated would be available, Marquette decided to look within and Brent Williams, better known as Buzz, was promoted to the head coaching position.

Williams had spent just one season on the MU staff under Crean, but he quickly established himself as a top recruiter with strong ties to Texas from his days as an assistant at Texas A&M and other Lonestar State stops. Prior to his season at MU as an assistant, Williams was the head coach for one season at New Orleans, trying to help the program recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that wet their program back. After a 14-17 season at UNO (9-9 in the Sun Belt), Williams resigned as the task to rebuild the Privateers had many factors working against him. Tom Crean was glad to add him to his staff shortly after.

Williams walks into a pretty good situation with the Golden Eagles as they return four starters from last season’s 25-win club that advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. It is the last go-round for the ‘Three Amigos’ in the MU backcourt, they will look to make it work with a new head coach.

Read Rest of Team Preview...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Comings:

Caught in the middle of a coaching change, Buzz Williams had to go to work quickly to add players in the spring recruiting period and hold together the class that Tom Crean, with his help, was putting together. While the class lost talented guard Tyshawn Taylor, who opted out of his letter of intent and eventually ended up at Kansas, and Nick Williams, who followed Crean to Indiana after being releases from his LOI, Williams was able to add three recruits from Texas to the squad.

Tyler Community College forwards Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce, along with Richmond (TX) native Chris Otule, a 6-foot-10 center, signed on with Marquette. Butler averaged nearly 18 points and 7 rebounds in his freshman season at Tyler. A full qualifier out of high school, Butler will have three years of eligibility at MU. Fulce was recruited to Texas A&M when Williams was an assistant, but he failed to qualify. After a stop at prep school, Fulce committed to New Orleans in hopes to play for Williams there. After Williams left UNO, Fulce opted for Tyler CC and, finally, he will get to play for coach Williams at Marquette. Fulce will also have three years of eligibility. Otule is a developing big man that improved by leaps and bounds in his last year of high school.

The final newcomer is mystery transfer Liam McMorrow. The 7-footer is not your ordinary transfer as he comes from Durham College of Oshawa Ontario where he played just his first season of organized basketball as a freshman. McMorrow will sit out this season as a transfer and continue to develop his basketball acumen and hopefully be a major payoff for Williams down the road.

Goings:

Judging by the numbers, Marquette did not lose a lot of firepower through graduation nor attrition following the coaching change. Seniors Ousmane Barro, Lawrence Blackledge and Dan Fitzgerald have moved on and a pair of freshmen, Trevor Mbakwe and Scott Christopherson, have left for different opportunities. While none averaged more than Barro’s 5.5 points or 5.5 rebounds, there is a hole created in the Golden Eagle frontcourt that adds a major question mark to this year’s team.

Net Impact:

It is a large unknown to what kind of impact Butler, Fulce and Otule will have this season. With seniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Mathews entrenched at the guard positions in the three-guard attack, with Lazar Hayward at the forward position, Butler and Fulce are likely to provide depth this season, but will be asked to step in quickly after the departure of the senior guards this season.

Otule enters a frontcourt picture that is much more unclear. Mbakwe was expected to play a big role in this year’s team and his sudden departure just before school was to begin left the coaching staff shocked. The timing of the departure meant no replacement could be added and with the graduation of Barro, Blackledge and Fitzgerald, there is not a lot of height or depth in the MU frontcourt.

2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

There is no denying that the strength in this Marquette squad lies in the backcourt with an outstanding trio of starting guards in seniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Mathews. The trio also has capable back-ups Maurice Acker at point guard and sweet-shooting combo guard David Cubillan. The new additions of Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce add depth to the wing as well.

James is the engine that runs the Golden Eagles. Despite struggling at times the last two seasons with his shooting ability, James is still a factor that needs to be accounted for with his blinding quickness and uncanny athletic ability. Last season James averaged 13 points, 4 assists and nearly 2 steals a game. His assist to turnover ratio was better than 2:1. While his numbers have decreased each year since his elite freshman campaign, some of that is due to the development of the talent around him, especially backcourt mate Jerel McNeal.

McNeal is known as one of the top perimeter defenders in the country. Last season he showed he could be a dominate scorer as well, leading the Golden Eagles with a 15 point per game scoring average and he continued to fill the state sheet adding 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals a game. McNeal finished the season averaging 23 points a game in the last six contests, which included five postseason contests. That run concluded with a 30-point performance in their 2nd round NCAA Tournament loss to Stanford and had McNeal flirting with the prospect of entering the NBA draft. Now he is back and ready to continue his ascension towards one of the league’s elite players.

The final member of the ‘Three Amigos’ guard trio is Wes Mathews. The do-everything, 6-foot-5 wing also saw his production drop noticeably from the previous season. One thing Mathews continues to excel at is getting to the line and he led MU with 167 trips to the stripe and continues to be a near 80% shooter on his free throws in his career. Mathews is a player that seems to do everything well, but you always feel there is a little more to his game if he was willing to be more assertive offensively.

Acker and Cubillan are a pair of junior guards that are perfect compliments to the three seniors ahead of them. Acker is a true point guard that began his college career at Ball State and after sitting out a season as a transfer student, worked his way into the mix and was playing well at season’s end. Cubillan is a designated shooter off the bench who can strike from three-point range with regularity. A shoulder injury, however, might limit his work this preseason and could linger into the season. Butler could work his way into the mix with a strong offensive potential and ability to score from long-range as well.

2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

Lazar Hayward is not your ideal frontcourt stalwart for a Big East team. If you have followed Hayward’s career, that is definitely something you would have never thought of as he was finishing a high school career in Buffalo and headed off to prep school. However, to Hayward’s credit, he has developed into a forward capable of battling inside in the Big East and still has the skills to cause match-up problems with his diversified game.

Last season Hayward averaged nearly 13 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds a game. While the 6-foot-6 forward may have been traditionally more comfortable on the wing prior to coming to Marquette, he has made big strides in his game to play a position of need and battle some of the big forwards of the conference. He will have to continue that role this season and might be asked to rebound even more as the help for him is slim.

The only returning player with meaningful experience is 6-foot-8 senior Dwight Burke, who averaged less than three points and rebounds last season in 12 minutes of nightly action. Sophomore forward Pat Hazel totaled 48 minutes of game action last season, 14 coming in Big East action, and newcomers Chris Otule and Joseph Fulce round out the front court personnel.

Otule has the potential to be a solid big man in the Big East, but the 6-foot-10 freshman is still quite raw. He might be forced into action early on to team with Burke in the post. Fulce is a smooth athlete that is really just suited for the wing. Even playing in a role that Hayward has assumed will be new for Fulce who is more of a long and lean wing than a player looking to mix it up in the Big East.

2008-2009 Team Outlook:

Well, ready or not, the Buzz Williams era is upon the Big East. For the most part, it is going to look an awful lot like the Tom Crean era to start as the Golden Eagles will be perimeter heavy and, actually, might even be a little less productive in the frontcourt than they were under Crean the last couple years, which was the main item holding Marquette back from advancing higher in the Big East hierarchy.

Luckily, college basketball is a guard’s game and your college basketball odds are heightened by excellent guard play. However, in the Big East, nearly everyone can boast of a good group of guards, at the very least, and many a night, a Big East battle is won in the paint and on the class. The Marquette backcourt will win more than their share of games, rising stars in Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward are a good place to start and excellent senior seasons from Dominic James and Wes Mathews should be expected, too. However, in order to move up in the rankings, or to even solidify their placement just outside the top four, the Golden Eagles are going to have to improve their play in the frontcourt. They are going to have a tough time rebounding against other Big East clubs and, being that they are not the most dangerous outside shooting squad, the lack of second chance opportunities might be the difference in several games.

Still, with a backcourt as good as Buzz Williams has to put on the floor, this is a top 20 team that will make their presence known come March Madness, there will be some bumps in the road along the way with a new coach to answer to on the bench in games, but this group has been through a lot in the Big East in their first three years, they will adjust and could be stronger near the end of the season.

2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 11-7

MARQUETTE COMMIT SHINES IN IS8 ATMOSPHERE

2008-10-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

by Zach Smart

Jeronne Maymon enjoyed the fall ball action in New York, though he thought his team and his play could have been better. "Playing down here is totally different. These fans..I like the yelling, screaming, they get into it. People are jacking at us because they believe we should lose. It's a big test, but we always step up to the challenge. I was happy to come down to New York. This is a real good experience with all the scouts and the street credit you get."

Maymon had 24 points in helping lead the Unique All-Stars to a first-round upset of Mount Vernon. The All-Stars lost a tight one in the quarters.

The Mount Vernon game lived up to its billing/intriguing subplot, as Maymon and Mount Vernon's Sherrod Wright (UConn, Rutgers, St. John's, Providence and West Virginia have all shown interest) went eyeball-to-eyeball.

"We were going back and forth, he was doing a lot of good things. We were just trying to contain him, which we did so we obviously got the win. But, my shot was off, we weren't making any free throws, we were missing layups. A lot of stuff went wrong with my game, but I think I still maintained a decent appearance.

Maymon reflected on his recent visit to Marquette, the Big East school which he's given a verbal commitment.

"They play is tough, they are real aggressive. I was getting by, holding my own but they play real physical. After that, it's almost like I'm used to the type of (physical) play down here."

The penchant for physical play that Maymon has displayed in the Big Apple will come in handy in the Big East with the Golden Eagles and keep Buzz Williams' squad in the thick of the March Madness Betting action for seasons to come.

MARQUETTE BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES

2008-09-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2008

Buzz Williams has been buzzing since taking over for Tom Crean at Marquette. The new Golden Eagles head coach already has secured new verbal commitments from Jeronne Maymon, Junior Cadougan and Dwight Buycks and re-affirming the previous commitment of Erik Williams. The sudden departure of Trevor Mbakwe has opened another scholarship and the staff has been pursuing several front court prospects to close out an excellent class as well as a highly rated shooting guard.

Todd Rosiak has a lengthy Interview With Michael Snaer for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Snaer is a highly touted 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Moreno Valley (CA) and he took a trip to Marquette for an official visit this weekend. During the campus visit, there were a few open runs involving the basketball team which allowed Rosiak to get Look at Snaer (Journal-Sentinel) in action. Previous verbal commitment Jeronne Maymon was also on the campus for a visit and it allowed Rosiak some time Checking in With Jerrone Maymon (J-S) as well.

In other MU recruiting news, Sasa Borovnjak Will Take an Official Visit to Marquette, according to Boyscouthoops.com. Borovnjak is a 6-foot-9, 230 pound Serbian that is currently attending Veritas Christian Academy in North Carolina. MU head coach Buzz Williams recently made a trip to watch the Serb workout at Veritas and offered him to come check out Marquette for their Midnight Madness event. Another school of high interest to Borovnjak is North Carolina State. He hopes to sign with a school in November.

Here’s the Buzz from Jeff Goodman and his Good ‘N Plenty Basketball Blog at FoxSports.com on Buzz Williams as he prepares to lead the experience-laden Marquette team into the season. Williams was an assistant for MU last season before being picked to succeed Tom Crean when he left for the head coaching position at Indiana. With his loaded backcourt and a fast-improving Lazar Hayward, if you into College Basketball Betting for March Madness success, maybe this Golden Eagle squad is one to watch in the 2008-2009 season.

MARQUETTE RECRUITING NOTES

2008-09-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

September 24, 2008

Recapping some recruiting notes linked at the NBE Basketball Report in recent days on the Golden Eagles so Wisconsin residents can take a break from checking the NFL Odds of their beloved Packers reaching the Super Bowl in '09.

Sean Kilpatrick had a big senior year at White Plains (NY) High School, averaging over 25 points per game and was a hit spring target for many programs, even giving a brief verbal commitment to St. John’s last spring as he hoped to be part of the 2008 incoming class. Now that he is at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg (MA) and a member of the class of 2009, Kilpatrick Has Named Providence as his Leader, according to ZagsBlog.net as new Providence coach Keno Davis continues to hit the recruiting trail hard in New England and the surrounding area. Cincinnati, who also made a run at him last spring, is involved still with a scholarship offer and Marquette is also showing strong interest (no offer yet) in the 6-foot-5 wing guard.

Some recruiting lists from players at the recent Hoop Group Fall Jam Fest:

John Johnson ’11, Girard College HS (PA), Hunting Park Warriors (PA): LSU, Marquette, La Salle, Virginia Tech, St. Joseph’s, Villanova and Notre Dame.

Jean Paul Kambola ’10, St. Benedict’s (NJ), Grassroots Canada: Kansas, Arizona, Syracuse, Michigan, Louisville, Miami, Marquette, Minnesota, Virginia, and Louisiana Tech

Kyrie Irving ’10, St. Patrick’s (NJ), New Jersey Roadrunners: Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana, Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, Providence, Pitt, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, UConn, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Memphis, Duke, USC, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Texas A&M, St. Joseph’s, Arizona, and George Washington

Fuquan Edwin ‘10, Paterson Catholic (NJ), Playaz Red (NJ): Providence, UMass, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Marquette, Texas, and La Salle
Favorites: Providence, UMass, and Marquette are his top three, but Edwin said, “I like all of them.”
Dream School: UMass

Carson Desrosiers ’10, Central Catholic (MA), Expressions Elite (MA): Syracuse, Rutgers, Providence, Pitt, Richmond, Fordham, Oregon State, Arizona State, Purdue, New Hampshire, Marquette, Virginia, UMass, Notre Dame, and UNLV
Favorites: None; “I still have another year to go, so I’m just going to take it easy.”
Note- Desrosiers, who said he “took a visit to Syracuse and Providence . . . [and] liked them both,” mentioned that New Hampshire “was [the] first school over the summer” to extend a scholarship offer.

Nadir Tharpe ’11, Brewster Academy (NH), New England Playaz: Xavier, Georgetown, Providence, Marquette, Boston College, and UMass
Favorites: Xavier, Georgetown, and Providence.

MARQUETTE BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES

2008-08-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2008

Many times when a coaching change takes place, the most important first step of the new coach is to identify, recruit and land his point guard of the future. New Marquette coach Buzz Williams looks to have landed a good one as the Golden Eagles received a verbal commitment from summer AAU star Junior Cadougan earlier this summer.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak has an Interview with Junior Cadougan on his J-S MU blog.

In other Marquette news, they will take on Nebraska, likely November 1st, in a preseason scrimmage. The Huskers are to Scrimmage Marquette (Lincoln Journal Star) in Lincoln and it will be closed to media and no statistics are to be released. Marquette had a similar meeting last season with Kansas State prior to the season.

One More Thing (Journal-Sentinel) on Marquette, the Golden Eagles will host in-state rival Wisconsin December 6th at the Bradley Center. ESPNU will televise the game.

Be sure to check out the latest Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Championship and see how your favorite team stacks up.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-07-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

July 7, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Junior Cadougan, 6'1 point guard from Toronto, Canada

Buzz Williams goes north of the border once again, this time for the point guard he needed as Junior Cadougan Completes 2009-'10 Class (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) for Marquette with a verbal commitment.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)
Early 2009 Commitments: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G), Junior Cadougan (PG)

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Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

One week after getting Canadian 7-footer Liam McMorrow in a surprise addition to wrap up the 2008 class, Buzz Williams closed on another Canadian native as Christian Life Center Academy's Junior Cadougan looks to have closed out the 2009 class for the Golden Eagles by making a verbal commitment.

Cadougan is a native of Toronto, but has been attending prep school in Humble (TX), averaged 21 points a game last season before breaking his foot in December. The 6-foot point guard is a tough lead guard with a stocky frame and recently had a very impressive NBA Top 100 camp. Marquette was wise to get him on campus and seal the deal with him as his stock was beginning to tick upwards rapidly.

While Williams had been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two commitments for 2009 from local players earlier, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson recently saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

It is tough to say how much the last commitment for 2009 will impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow is already on campus at Marquette and will join Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will redshirt and work at developing into a Big East calibre player over the next 15 months before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce, McMorrow and Butler join fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

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As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

TOBIAS HARRIS CHECKS OUT MARQUETTE

2008-06-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2008

First up on the latest leg of the Tobias Harris Tour was a stop at Buzz Williams' elite camp at Marquette.

"Marquette elite camp was very intense, you had to play at a high level of intensity. Lots of high level intensity drills," according to Tobias' father, Torrel Harris Sr. "Coach Buzz and his staff work everyone hard, a very energetic coach who cares about his players," Mr. Harris continued.

The entire package impressed the Harris' at Marquette and Torrel Harris could not stop gushing about the experience in an e-mail to the NBE Basketball Report:

"The school is great (and) the coach(es) are committed to winning a National Championship, everything is with (a) high level (of) intensity," Mr. Harris said. "Lots of history at Marquette."

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-06-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Liam McMorrow, 7'0 Center from Toronto, Canada

Buzz Williams and staff have to be among the busiest in the entire nation. Not only do they seem to be involved with everyon 2009 and 2010 recruit we come across, but they are also crossing international borders for the class of 2008. Liam McMorrow, a 7-footer, has joined the MU program as the Center is the Final Recruit for 2008.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C), Liam McMorrow (C)
Early 2009 Commitments: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G)

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Since April 1st, Marquette seems to be a team in the news more than anyone else in the Big East. Although the original jolt on April 1st was probably bad news with Tom Crean leaving for Indiana, since then, the news has mostly been positive and the transition from Tom Crean to Buzz Williams seems to be going pretty well.

It is tough to say how much the latest bit of news is going to impact the Marquette program. It is going to take some time to find out as Liam McMorrow, a 7-foot center from Toronto, Canada, has committed to the program. McMorrow is already on campus at Marquette and will join Chris Otule, Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce as the new faces in Buzz Williams' program. McMorrow will redshirt and work at developing into a Big East calibre player over the next 15 months before seeing live action at the college level.

McMorrow played just one season of organized basketball, avaregd 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 league games for Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. McMorrow had been a hockey and lacrosse player for most of his life, but a late growth spurt has him on the basketball court now.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce, McMorrow and Butler join fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

While Williams has been busy with the class of 2008, he has also secured two new commitments for 2009 from local players, including Dwight Buycks, who thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson recently saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although Maymon and Williams are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

With Buycks, Williams and Maymon on board, Buzz Williams and his staff can now move onto filling their last open scholarship for 2009. Most feel a true point guard is in order for Buzz Williams and staff.

A point guard high on the Golden Eagles list of possibilities is another Bay View product in Johnnie Lacy who is also being aggressively pursued by Minnesota and Tubby Smith. Chris Colvin is also a player high on the MU radar and has a style of play that could resemble Dominic James quite a bit. Another Chicago product, Darius Smith has also seen a lot of attention early from Buzz Williams since repalcing Tom Crean at MU. Recently, Junior Cadougan, another product of the improving Canadian talent pool has been linked seriously to the Golden Eagles and could be their most immediate target for the point guard position. Cadougan is a 5'11 point guard with some bulk to him. He has beeb playing in the Christian Life Center prep program most recently.

Jamil Wilson is another in-state player the Golden Eagles would love to land, but since Tom Crean has moved on, Wilson seems to be looking at programs out of the area more than staying close to home. As the spring moves towards summer, we will also keep an eye out for potential big men that the Marquette staff will be following on the trail as well, too.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

TARAN BUIE: 2010 PG HEARS FROM MARQUETTE

2008-06-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Buie, a 6-foot guard out of Bishop Maginn High School in Albany (NY) and standout for the City Rocks AAU program, is a name that has not generated a lot of attention nationally in the media to date. However, judging by the coaches that have reached out to him the first chance they were allowed to, college coaches are VERY aware of his talents.

“This week I’ve talked to Boston College, Notre Dame, Clemson, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Penn State, Miami, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Florida, Xavier, West Virginia, Marquette, and Maryland,” Taran Buie relayed to the NBE Basketball Report, doing the best he could to recall all of the coaches that have placed calls to him this week.

“He is a great kid,” City Rocks Vice President Carmen Maciariello stated. “Respectful and hardworking. His personality is a big attribute. He makes a difference on the floor not only in the scoring column but in the hustle categories as well. Deflections, loose balls, charges, rotations etc.,” Maciariello, a former standout at Siena college, said in describing Taran’s impact on the floor.

Maciariello continued to note how well-rounded Buie is off the court, too. “He is a no-brainer for the high majors because he gets it done in the classroom as well!” It was a sentiment echoed by Bishop Maginn coach Rich Hurley as well, “Taran carries a B+ average in the classroom and his involved in many school activities aside from basketball.”

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-06-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Dwight Buycks, 6'3 Guard from Indian Hills CC

Just a few weeks after landed Jeronne Maymon, Buzz Williams landed another top Wisconsin product, this time dipping back into the JUCO ranks for Dwight Buycks. MU Snares Local Product (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) who has made a JUCO detour, but will be at Marquette for the 2009-2010 season.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C)
Early 2009 Commitments: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F), Dwight Buycks (JUCO G)

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Dwight Buycks thought he was headed to the Division 1-A ranks out of Milwaukee's Bay View High School as he was verbally committed to Bradley. However, academics caught up to him and forced him to head to Indian Hills CC to complete a couple seasons at the JUCO level. After just one season at Indian Hills, the interest in Buycks became intense, especially from the new Marquette staff led by Buzz Williams and Buycks has offered an early commitment to the Golden Eagles.

The 6'3, 185 lb guard led Indian Hills is scoring last season, nearly 16 points a game, as the JUCO power finished in 6th place at the NJCAA national tournament. Buycks was also generating interest from schools such as Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky and Illinois.

The uptempo atmosphere of the Marquette offense was a big attracting to Buycks, as well the location and a chance to come back closer to home was equally important.

Earlier this spring, for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson recently saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Buycks and Maymon join Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although both are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce and Butler joing fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

With Buycks, Williams and Maymon on board, Buzz Williams and his staff can now move onto filling their last two open scholarships. Most feel a true point guard and another big man are in order for Buzz Williams and staff.

From the east coast, Danny Jennings, a 6’8 power forward/center who played this past season at Oak Hill Academy after leaving NYC’s Bishop Loughlin High School. Jennings will attend prep school this season and be a hot commodity in the class of 2009 and he already has seen St. John’s, DePaul, Rutgers, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Louisville and West Virginia show interest in him this spring.

The interest in East Coast talent does not end there as Adam Zagoria reports that Kevin Parrom and former St. Ray’s teammate Omari Lawrence will take an unofficial visit together to Marquette this summer.

Moving down the east coast a little bit, Zags also continues to follow the Donald Williams recruitment closely. Williams is Still Deciding and after visiting St. John’s last week, the 6’5 shooting guard who attended Progressive Christian Academy last season, hopes to visit Marquette in the next week. Williams is a native of Baton Rouge (LA).

And, finally, another 2009 big man on the Golden Eagles radar is Talib Zanna, a 6’9, 215 lb native of Nigeria, now playing at Bishop McNamara in the tough WCAC conference in the DC-area recently indicated to the NBE Basketball Report that Villanova, West Virginia, Marquette and Connecticut were among the schools he is hearing from the most. Zanna averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds for Marty Keithline’s squad last year.

Closer to home, a point guard high on the Golden Eagles list of possibilities is another Bay View product in Johnnie Lacy who is also being aggressively pursued by Minnesota and Tubby Smith. Chris Colvin is also a player high on the MU radar and has a style of play that could resemble Dominic James quite a bit. Another Chicago product, Darius Smith has also seen a lot of attention early from Buzz Williams since repalcing Tom Crean at MU.

Jamil Wilson is another in-state player the Golden Eagles would love to land, but since Tom Crean has moved on, Wilson seems to be looking at programs out of the area more than staying close to home. As the spring moves towards summer, we will also keep an eye out for potential big men that the Marquette staff will be following on the trail as well, too.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

MARQUETTE LOOKING EAST UNDER BUZZ WILLIAMS

2008-06-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2008

New Marquette coach Buzz Williams has a strong reputation as a recruiter in the state of Texas from his time on Billy Gillispie's Texas A&M staff. In his brief time at Marquette, as an assistant and head coach, he has used those ties to bring in recruits such as Chris O'Tule, Joseph Fulce, Jimmy Butler and Erik Williams. Williams also hit the local market for a 2009 commitment from Jeronne Maymon of Madison (WI). Now, it looks as though the Marquette staff is strongly looking toward the east for some of their next targets.

While the NY Gauchos are Battered, But Ready to Rumble, three of their players have seen interest from Marquette, and the interest looks mutual.

The star and leader of this year’s NY Gaucho U-17 squad is Durand Scott, a 6’4 G/F from Rice High School in New York City. Playing with a broken knuckle that took away his ability to shoot from outside all weekend, Scott still dominated and got to the rim to score at will at the MDC.

“Durand was truly un-guardable in leading us to the championship game,” according to Gauchos assistant Chad Babel. “He is one of the best defensive players in the country and can guard all five positions on the court. His best attributes are his leadership, will to win, and his refusal to lose.”

Out of the Big East, schools like St. John’s, Connecticut, Rutgers, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and West Virginia are just a sampling of the college interest that Scott is receiving from across the country.

Another Gaucho battling through injuries this summer is the ultra-athletic 6’6 forward Tevin Baskin out of Trinity Catholic in Connecticut. “Tevin has a reliable mid range jumper and the ability to defend both out on the perimeter as well as on the block,” comments Babel.

With high-major schools from several conferences in hot pursuit of Baskin, including St. John’s, Rutgers, Marquette, and Seton Hall, Baskin will concentrate on getting healthy for the important July evaluation events and is not expected to participate this weekend in the Rumble in the Bronx.

Anchoring the paint for this year’s squad is Danny Jennings, a 6’8 power forward/center who played this past season at Oak Hill Academy after leaving NYC’s Bishop Loughlin High School. Jennings will attend prep school this season and be a hot commodity in the class of 2009 and he already has seen St. John’s, DePaul, Rutgers, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Louisville and West Virginia show interest in him this spring.

Jennings is an imposing presence visibly and, according to Babel, “Danny greatly improved his strength, physique, and conditioning during his year at Oak Hill Academy.”

The interest in East Coast talent does not end there as Adam Zagoria reports that Kevin Parrom and former St. Ray’s teammate Omari Lawrence will take an unofficial visit together to Marquette this summer.

Moving down the east coast a little bit, Zags also continues to follow the Donald Williams recruitment closely. Williams is Still Deciding and after visiting St. John’s last week, the 6’5 shooting guard who attended Progressive Christian Academy last season, hopes to visit Marquette in the next week. Williams is a native of Baton Rouge (LA).

And, finally, another 2009 big man on the Golden Eagles radar is Talib Zanna, a 6’9, 215 lb native of Nigeria, now playing at Bishop McNamara in the tough WCAC conference in the DC-area recently indicated to the NBE Basketball Report that Villanova, West Virginia, Marquette and Connecticut were among the schools he is hearing from the most. Zanna averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds for Marty Keithline’s squad last year.

MARQUETTE 2008-2009 SNAPSHOT

2008-06-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

June 10, 2008

Head Coach: Buzz Williams
2006-2007 Record: 25-10 (11-7 Big East) NCAA 2nd Round

Returning Players:
Dominic James, Senior (Point Guard)
Jerel McNeal, Senior (Guard)
Wesley Mathews, Senior (Guard)
Dwight Burke, Senior (Forward/Center)
David Cubillan, Junior (Guard)
Lazar Hayward, Junior (Guard/Forward)
Maurice Acker, Junior (Point Guard)
Trevor Mbakwe, Sophomore (Big Forward)
Patrick Hazel, Sophomore (Forward)

Incoming Players:
Chris O'Tule (Center)

Eligible Incoming Transfers:
Jimmy Butler, Small Forward (JUCO w/3 years eligibility)
Joseph Fulce, Forward (JUCO w/3 years eligibility)

Graduated:
Dan Fitzgerald, Senior (Forward)
Ousmane Barro, Senior (Center)
Lawrence Blackledge, Senior (Forward)

Transfers Out:
Scott Christopherson, Freshman (Guard)

Open Items/Issues:
The news broke on April 1st and it was anything but an April Fools Day prank to the Marquette faithful. Tom Crean was accepting the head coaching job at the University of Indiana. With the prospects of returning four starters from a NCAA Tournament team, Tom Crean was leaving the job that had made him one of the most secure coaches in the country for the fishbowl job at the University of Indiana that has NCAA sanctions over their head.

Marquette acted quickly and promoted Brent 'Buzz' Williams to the head coaching spot. Williams was an assistant at Marquette for one season after leaving the head coaching job at New Orleans, which he also held for one season. Williams was an assistant to Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M prior to being the coach at UNO.

This spring saw two recruits de-commit in the aftermath of the coaching change (Tyshawn Taylor and Nick Williams), one player transfer (Scott Christopherson), one player change his mind on transferring (Trevor Mbakwe) and a JUCO commitment from Jimmy Butler. Jerel McNeal also briefly flirted with the NBE draft before deciding to return and give the new coach, Buzz Williams, and his staff one year with the tremendous guard trio that Tom Crean left behind.

Summary:
It is always an adjustment when a coaching change takes place. Marquette, seeing the foundation in place for a successful 08-09 season, wanted to minimize the adjustment and promoted assistant Buzz Williams to take the reigns. Williams inherits a veteran club, featuring seven upperclassmen among its 12-man roster. The wealth of experience is led by the guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathwes, all have been starters for the majority of their previous three seasons. College basketball is a guard's game and Marquette is stocked again in their backcourt, which also includes quality reserves Maurice Acker and David Cubillan. This group creates match-up problems for many opponents with on the ball pressure and an attacking offense with quick guards. McNeal's offensive devlopment near the end of his junior year could have him positioned for a big senior season.

Also returning to the Marquette line-up is junior Lazar Hayward, a versatile forward who has altered his game to play inside on defense while remaining a perimeter shooting threat. His three-point percentage will likely continue to improve as he becomes more and more of a focal point of the offense and to create driving lanes for their three guards, the perimeter threat is a very big need on the floor for Marquette.

The player most likely to see a significant increase in responsibility this season is sophomore Trevor Mbakwe. The strong and athletic big forward missed much of last season after having knee surgery for a pre-season injury. It was a curious decision not to redshirt him with him returning to the line-up in February, but all indications pointed to him transferring out of Marquette in the offseason. However, after the coaching change, Mbakwe has decided to stick it out and he expects to get the majority of playing time in the paint, which is still an area of concern for the Golden Eagles because of their lack of size and depth in the front court.

It will be an interesting season for Marquette, their overwhelming experience will help balance the inexperience of their head coach. Having three guards with so much time under their belt will be a big asset for Buzz Williams and should help Marquette remain in contention among the top half of the Big East. Now, if they could just find some consistent and solid interior play to help match-up with more teams, this group might be able to get farther along than they have since joining the Big East.

MARQUETTE OFFERS DC FORWARD

2008-06-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

June 4, 2008

Even with a pair of verbal commitments from 2009 forwards Jeronne Maymon out of Madison (WI) and Erik Williams of Cypres (TX), new Marquette coach Buzz Williams is casting a wide net in his 2009 recruiting efforts as the Golden Eagles are among the Big East Crews Warming Up to Thomas Robinson.

Thomas Robinson, a 6’8”, 205 pound forward from Washington, DC has seen his interest move into the recruiting fast lane, going 150 miles per hour. He has received offers from Marquette, Georgia, George Washington, Virginia, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Boston College, Minnesota, UMASS, Drexel, Robert Morris and George Mason have all expressed strong interest, with others like Providence taking a look.

Presently, Robinson is a hard playing forward most comfortable in the interior, where he rebounds, defends, attacks the cup, and displays a much improved jump hook with either hand. Going forward, Thomas will continue improving his perimeter skills, which will as a coach recently suggested allow him to excel at either the high or mid major levels.

His Squash All Beefs AAU coach, Dwight Redd recently noted to Ron Bailey during the spring open period, college coaches have indicated “when they see Thomas, they see a kid who works hard, is aggressive, and has a mean streak”.

Robinson is being strongly recruited by Marquette as they want him to attend their Elite Camp.

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Remember, check out the NBA Odds on ths year's championship series between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics! Post your prediction!

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-05-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Jeronne Maymon, 6'6 (F) from Madison (WI) Memorial HS

Buzz Williams landed a big prize on the recruiting trail on Tuesday morning as in-state prospect Jeronne Maymon committed to the new Golden Eagles head coach. With Hoops Star Maymon Going to Marquette (Capital Times), the buzz at MU is that Williams will keep the ball rolling after Tom Crean's departure on April 1st for Indiana.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C)
Early 2009 Commitments: Erik Williams (F), Jeronne Maymon (F)

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Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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For the second year in a row, and third time in the last four, Marquette lands the state of Wisconsin's player of the year. This time it is Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon Committing to MU (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) over schoalrship offers from schools including Baylor, Iowa State, Tennessee, USC, Temple and Providence, among others. Wisconsin did not offer Maymon a scholarship.

As a junior, Maymon averaged 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game and he turned it on during the state playoffs, leading Memorial to a 2nd place finish while he averaged 30.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game for the Spartans in the WIAA state basketball tournament. Maymon visited Marquette May 20th and has been the top target of coach Williams and his new staff since he was hired in April.

NBE Basketball Report writer Doug Ferguson recently saw Maymon perform with the Illinois Bobcats at the GBOA North AAU tournament and was very impressed with his play. Here is the recap and detailed scouting report on Maymon included: GBOA North AAU Report.

Maymon joins Erik Williams, from Cypress Springs (TX) High School, as players in the Marquette class of 2009. Although both are listed as combination forwards, they compliment each other perfectly. Maymon is a physical bruiser who is likely to play power forward and Williams is long, lean and athletic and could play more of a role on the wing. Williams was a recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant and he will honor his commitment as earlier in April Erik Williams Reaffirmed Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

In the middle of all the chaos follwing Tom Crean's departure and the sorting out of the aftermatch, MU Moved Quickly and Signed Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce and Butler joing fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

With Williams and Maymon on board, Buzz Williams and his staff can now move onto attracting guards to play for them after Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews graduate after the 2008-2009 season. Lately, guard targets such as Chris Colvin, Darius Smith, David Brown, Justin Jordan and Johnnie Lacy seem to be getting a lot of attention from Marquette.

Jamil Wilson is another in-state player the Golden Eagles would love to land, but since Tom Crean has moved on, Wilson seems to be looking at programs out of the area more than staying close to home. As the spring moves towards summer, we will also keep an eye out for potential big men that the Marquette staff will be following on the trail as well, too.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

MARQUETTE LOOKIN TO REPLACE THREE AMIGOS

2008-05-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

May 23, 2008

With the news that Jerel McNeal is Returning to Marquette (Chicago Tribune) and withdrawing his name from consideration for the NBA draft, Buzz Williams will have the dynamic guard trio of McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Mathews in place for their senior seasons.

Now, with that bit of good news, coach Williams will need to go out and aggressively find the new generation of Marquette guards to carry on the recent tradition of the 'Three Amigos.'

In their recent Arizon Cactus Classic Scouting Reports, CollegeHoopsNet.com identified Playground Elite point guard Johnnie Lacy as a top target of the new Marquette staff.

Other potential guard targets receiving strong interest from the Golden Eagles this spring include Chris Colvin, Darius Smith and David Brown, who also has been offered by DePaul.

Another Marquette recruiting note is in regards to target Jeronne Maymon, a rugged 6'6 forward from Madison (WI) that has an offer from the Golden Eagles. Maymon Sets a Tuesday Press Confernece to Announce College Decision (Wisconsin HS Sports) and will decide between MU, Iowa State, Baylor, USC and Tennessee, according to Mark Miller.

Maymon recently visited the Marquette campus earlier this week and has seen a lot of attention from Buzz Williams since he took over for Tom Crean in April.

MARQUETTE LOOKS AT 2009 PG

2008-05-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

With Dominic James, Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal all seniors next season, new Marquette coach Buzz Williams will be looking for guards in the Class of 2009 to form his future nucleus. One possibility is Fort Wayne native Justin Jordan, a lightning quick 5'10 point guard who is playing this spring and summer with the Speice Indy Heat. Doug Ferguson of the NBE Basketball Report filed this scouting report on the guard from his play at the Bill Henlsey Memorial AAU event in Fort Wayne last weekend. Jordan also has interest from Purdue, Michigan and Butler, as well as Marquette an others:

Justin Jordan, 5-10 point guard in the Class of 2009

Top Interest: Purdue, Michigan, Marquette, Butler, Tennessee Tech

Strong Point: Point Guard whose quickness impacts the game on both ends of the floor.

Area of Improvement: Can be a bit careless and loose with the basketball at times causing unnecessary and untimely turnovers.

Skinny: Jordan is a player who is quickly jumping on a lot of team’s radar recently with his lighting quick point guard play. On defense, he hawks his opponent with his tenacious on the ball pressure. A perfect example came less than a minute into this game when he force a five second call in the backcourt, setting the tone for how the game would be played throughout defensively.

On offense, he is raw, but very talented. One thing he does with great proficiency is quarterback the fast break. He has an array of ways to get it done and isn’t always flashy. The bottom line is that he knows a finisher when he sees one and they are the one’s who see the ball at the rim.

His quickness allows him to penetrate the lane at will where he finds perimeter shooters just a easily as he does transition finishers. He also uses a floater in the lane fairly effectively. He is by no means a finished product. He definitely needs to work on his perimeter shooting. He is given a decent cushion by most defenders and improved shooting would make it close to impossible to stop him from penetrating.

See more notes on Justin and news and notes from last weekend's Bill Hensley Memorial Tournament from Doug Ferguson at the NBE Basketball Report

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2008-04-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Jimmy Butler, 6'6 G/F Tyler (TX) CC

Buzz Williams may soon turn Marquette into the UNiversity of Texas-Milwaukee with his recruiting efforts in the Lonestar State. His latest recruiting victory came quickly as Jimmy Butler from the Tyler (TX) CC program pledges to join the Golden Eagles next season. With the addition of Butler, Recruits Revolve In and Out (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) at Marquette as another is granted his release as well.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Trevor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF), Jimmy Butler (G/F)
Freshmen: Chris Otule (C)
Early 2009 Commitment: Erik Williams (F)

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The action has been fast anf furious at Marquette the last two and a half weeks. The wheels were put in motion on April 1st when Tom Crean accepted the head coaching position at Indiana University. What most Marquette fans felt was an April Fools joke turned into being reality and left the Golden Eagle program in an uproar. By the time the Final Four was completed in San Antonio, assistant Buzz Williams surfaced as the leading candidate for the position and was hired in the next few days. Shortly afterward, Scott Christopherson opted to transfer out of the program and recruit Nick Williams, who committed prior to Williams joining the MU staff, was released from his letter of intent in which he signed last November. Another recruit, Tyshawn Taylor of St. Anthony's in Jersey City, also requested to be released. Taylor was recruited by Williams who made a trip to Jersey City to meet with Taylor and his high school coach Bob Hurley. After the meeting coach Hurley reiterated their request to be released from the LOI, but as of April 16th, the Update on Taylor (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) showed little movement from Marquette, frustrating Hurley.

On top of that, Trevor Mbakwe, a promising young power forward was rumored to be leaving the program, and that shed some light on the peculiar choice of Tom Crean to play Mbakwe int he last several games of the season after missing the first 75% because of a knee injury. The latest Mbakwe Update from Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel puts an end to the transfer speculation as Mbakwe firmly says he will be staying put. He indicates his knee is 85% healed and he should be ready to perform full workouts sometime in May. Again, if he was never going to transfer, the decision not to redshirt him this season is VERY strange, especially, nearly a month after the season, he is still only about 85% healed and not cleared for full workouts. If he was going to transfer, he would have had to sit out another full season, essentially wasting two, so that seemed logical not to save the redshirt.

Rosiak also reports that Marquette has agreed to release Taylor from his letter of intent and both sides can now move forward.

In the middle of all this chaos, MU Moves Quickly and Signs Jimmy Butler (Milwaukee J-S) to a letter of intent as the Spring signing period opened. Butler, a 6.6 JUCO swingman from Tyler (TX) Junior College. The 6'6, 215 lb Butler was a teammate of November signee Joseph Fulce at Tyler this past season.

Butler was Tyler's leading scorer this past season, averaging 18.2 PPG and also added 7.7 rebounds a contest. Butler, like Fulce, will have three years of eligibility at Marquette and was also looking at Kentucky, Iowa State and Mississippi State.

Fulce also re-affirmed his commitment to Marquette, which was never in much doubt as he has long been linked to coach Buzz Williams. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas who, out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College where he was once again recruited by coach Williams, this time to Marquette, where he will have three years of eligibility left.

Fulce and Butler joing fast-developing big man Chris Otule in the incoming class as it currently stands. Otule chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. Another native of Texas, the Richmond (TX) product played this seasn for Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. Courtney took over the high school program after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

The connections to Texas do not end there as 2009 recruit Erik Williams is from Cypress Springs (TX) High School. Another recruit that coach Buzz Williams reeled in as an assistant will honor his commitment as earlier this past week Erik Williams Reaffirms Commitment to MU (Milwaukee J-S). The 6'7 forward had heard from Tom Crean since he moved on to Indiana, but his comfort level in Buzz Williams was the deciding factor to stay with his commitment.

As for underclassmen, in addition to Erik Williams, Jamil Wilson of Racine Horlick is the Golden Eagles top target for 2009. Coach Williams wasted little time in contacting Wilson to make it known he will continue to recruit the highly touted forward to Marquette, but the competition will include Wisconsin, North Carolina and other elite schools across America, including Indiana now as well.

With all this moving and shaking, the Golden Eagles still have once scholarship available for the 2008 season. It is unknown at this time if they are determined to use it, with all that has been going on the last two weeks, they may not even know themselves.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ VILLANOVA

2008-02-25T05:42:00.000-08:00

February 25, 2008

In a matter of a few short weeks, Villanova has bounced back off rock bottom to put themselves back into the NCAA Tournament mix. After losing 77-55 to city rival St. Joseph's, the Wildcats had a five-game losing streak and were 3-6 in the Big East. Talk of the NCAA Tournament was erased from the minds of Villanova fans in replace of hoping they would make the Big East Tournament. However, four wins in their last five games have given Villanova new hope and their win over UConn Saturday adds to their momentum.

Tonight's guest for Villanova is the Golden Eagles of Marquette. Tom Crean's club has won four in a row, all rather comfortably and have positioned themselves solidly in 5th place in the Big East. They have a tough closing three game stretch in the conference (home game with Georgetown sandwiched between road trips to Villanova and Syracuse), but if someone was to falter among the top four, Marquette could steal a bye.

Here are the local media game stories and previews for tonight's game:

The 'D' returns for Wildcats (Phillyburbs.com)
Marquette Men's Basketball Preview (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Eagles Pecial Reserve (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
UConn Win Bolsters 'Nova (Inquirer)

The oddsmakers have pegged the game as a pick-em, but the line has moved to Marquette's favor as they are now listed as 1.5-pt favorites in tonight's Big East contest.

Each team relies heavily on their backcourts to win basketball games. Much has been written about the trip of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews for Marquette, but if your not careful, Lazar Hayward is the one that will beat you. The sophomore forwards has really come into his own as a scoring threat this season and holds his own defensively against bigger frontcourts in the Big East. The Golden Eagles have also gotten more consistent production and play from senior Ousmane Barro in the post and the addition of freshman Trevor Mbakwe from injury gives them another physical and athletic post presence that they definitely needed.

However, the game will likely be decided on who comes out on top in the match-up of guards. I like Marquette's chances because of the defensive pressure they will apply to Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher when they have the ball. I expect them to force a lot of challenged shots. Corey Stokes has shown the three-point stroke he came to Villanova with the reputation of having of late, so the secret is out and look for Marquette to extend the defense and be up under him at all times.

Villanova has a capable forward trio in Antonio Pena, Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark and depth in the middle with Casseim Drummond, but often the frontcourt is forgotton about as VU attacks with their guards. The emergence of Dwayne Anderson has also give the Wildcats a lift. Their offense really needs a shooter like Anderson or Stokes to be a threat from the outside to be the most effective as they rely on a lot of one-on-one dribble penetration from the guards and the kick-out safety valve is needed.

Villanova got a huge win over Connecticut on Saturday, but the deeper guard line-up of Marquette will really challenge the Wildcats' strengths tonight. Look for Marquette to set the tone tonight on defense, limiting easy shots on the perimeter. Marquette's offense has been clicking lately with excellent ball movement for easy baskets, I think that will continue against Villanova tonight. Villanova will likely play zone and force Marquette to make perimeter jumpers. Marquette does have a habit of going cold, if they do, Villanova will be in it to the end. I predict Marquette makes enough from the perimeter to stay out in front and hold on for a tough road win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 72 Villanova 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ PITTSBURGH

2008-02-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

February 20, 2008

Marquette has won two in a row impressively and now they head out on the road to take on St. John's. The Redstorm have followed their three-game winning streak with back-to-back losses where they scored a combined 85 points.

Here are the local media previews and game stories on tonight's contest:

Stepping into the Fray (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Storm Read for a Rumble (NY Post)

The Golden Eagles are coming off their punishing of Pittsburgh Friday night and now look to finish the Big East schedule strong. It was an up and down first 2/3 of the conference schdule for Tom Crean's club, but wins over Seton Hall and Pitt in impressive fashion look to have righted the MU ship.

St. John's, well...their young squad has certainly taken their lumps. A three-game winning streak over South Florida, Rutgers and Providence showed the team is capable of gutting out a few wins, but their last two have been more of the same. Their young squad is very prone to horrendous offensive play against solid defensive teams, so the ball pressure that Marquette will apply will make scoring a very difficult chore for the 'storm tonight.

Marquette definitely is not the prettiest team to watch. They extend ball pressyre with physical guards. Not a great shooting team by any means, Marquette likes to attack the basket for their points in transition or in the halfcourt. A team in a zone with long and athletic players could give them fits (Louisville, UConn), but that is not the make-up of St. John's.

Marquette is about an 8-pt favorite, and with how difficult it will be for SJU to score points, I think the Golden Eagles cruise past that number.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 70 St. John's 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH @ MARQUETTE

2008-02-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

February 15, 2008

The Big East gives us a nationally televised Friday Night special as Pittsburgh travels to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee to meet Marquette. The Panthers have a 1/2 game lead on the Golden Eagles for 5th place in the conference standings, so this is an important game in the standings in what has quickly become a very competitive rivalry in the two+ seasons since Marquette has joined the Big East. Marquette has won three of the five meetings with an OT victory at the Pete and two other wins that have come right down to the final minute at the Bradley Center.

Here are the local media previews and stories on tonight's game:

MU Can Keep Progressing by Pushing Past Pitt (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Pitt's Dixon Far From Satisfied (Tribune Review)
Pitt Begins Grueling Stretch (Tribune-Review)
Final Four Team to be Honored (Journal-Sentinel)
Fields' Return Buoys Pitt's Big East Hopes (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Bradley Center should be in a frenzy with Pitt coming to town for a national television audience for a Friday night match-up. As if they needed any additional excitement, Marquette will honor the 2002-2003 NCAA Final Four squad at halftime. That team was led by Dwyane Wade, Steve Novak and Travis Diener.

This is an important judgement game for the Golden Eagles. We are still trying to determine how good this team is. While many teams in the Big East have been battling the injury big and breaking in new players, the Golden Eagles have been pretty healthy since the season began with a line-up that returned pretty much intact from last season. They spent much of the early season ranked around the top 10, but in recent weeks they have fallen down in the polls as they have been beaten badly by the likes of Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville two times, by an average of 16 points. They were able to snap a two-game losing streak by running Seton Hall out of their own building with a full 40 minute effort that saw them defending and rebounding with renewed energy and effort. They will look to carry-over that effort tonight.

Over the last two seasons, no team has been a tougher match-up for the Panthers than Marquette. The Golden Eagles' attack is centered around their three-guard attack of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Mathews. The trio's quickness and speed gives any backcourt difficulty and Pittsburgh's backcourt has been short-handed for the past seven weeks due to the injury of Levance Fields. The junior point guard Fields is expected to play tonight, his first action since December 29th, but there probably is not a tougher game to get back into action for a guard than this one.

Marquette does struggle shooting the ball and teams have found success playing a variety of zones and forcing Marquette to play at a slower pace and rely on their inconsistent perimeter attack. They have Dan Fitzgerald and David Cubillan off the bench to knock down the three's, but they give up something in other areas with them on the floor (rebounding, defense). Pittsburgh, however, is a tough as nails man-to-man defensive team. That is their identity and Jamie Dixon is not one to often vary from that plan. Playing a zone could allow Pitt to go with a big line-up against Marquette and try to dominate the paint and the boards.

Marquette will be challenged by Pittsburgh's strength inside. DeJuan Blair will look to be physical inside against Ousmane Barro to score around the basket and control the defensive glass. Sam Young and Lazar Hayward might be the key match-up of the night. If Hayward can be similarly production as Young, Marquette's chances are great. If Young gets to the foul line and Hayward is in foul trouble, it could mean big trouble for MU as they do not likely have another forward on their roster to guard Young.

Keys for Pitt include Blair staying out of foul trouble and getting some perimeter scoring from senior gaurds Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin. Both players have played well in the 12 games since Fields have been injured, as they have persevered through their own ailments. Ramon has a bad shoulder and Benjamin cut his shooting hand a few weeks ago and his perimeter shot has not been the same. If he can regain that touch, and with the return of Fields, the Pitt backcourt suddenly becomes one to fear as well.

Marquette is a 4.5-pt favorite tonight and the history of these two teams indicates a game played relatively close to that number. The return of Fields is likely to give the Panthers a bit of an emotional lift and he is their leader on the court with his play and his fire. Marquette is eager to prove that they are a team that will contend for a Big East title down the stretch and closer to a top-10 calibre team. They know they need to beat some big players in the game and this would definitely qualify.

With the Friday night crowd howling behind them, look for the Golden Eagles to get a tough and important conference win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 72 Pittsburgh 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ SETON HALL

2008-02-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2008

Only one game separates Marquette and Seton Hall in the Big East standings as they two teams prepare for a rematch of a very close contest from earlier in the season. Seton Hall led for much of th egame at the Bradley Center back in January and took Marquette to the wire in a heated and intense contest that had the coaching exchanging barbs during the game and a hard foul by Jamar Nutter on Dominic James.

As they prepare for the rematch, here are the local media previews and stories on the game:

Marquette Basketball Preview (Appleton Crescent)
Seton Hall Keeps its Focus on Big East Tourney (Star Ledger)
A Quick Looks at Seton Hall (Providence Journal)
Hayward Makes Big Gains in Sophomore Season (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Seton Hall-Marquette Scouting Report (Courier News)

A couple teams trying to end losing skids meet at the Pridential Center in Newark (NJ) tonight. Seton Hall has lost three in a row and Marquette has dropped a pair. The Pirates pushed Tom Crean's club to the limit in an earlier meeting this season, before losing 61-56 when Dan Fitzgerald iced the contest with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired in the games' final moments. Marquette overcame a 32.8% shooting performance as a series of zones used by Bobby Gonzalez and his Pirates slowed the Marquette attack and forced them to become a jump-shooting team. The Pirates will look to do the same tonight and hope that Jeremy Hazell heats up in his home building and improves on his 1-5 showing in the first meeting.

These teams are pretty similar in terms of personnell. Each team uses three guards and a wing at the power forward slot. They both also cover the post position by committee and would not hesitate to go smaller if they need to.

Marquette has the edge in experience and big-game success, while the Pirates are still trying to create their identity in the Big East. Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews can play both ends of the floor as well as anyone, but look for Eugene Harvey, Jamar Nutter and Hazell to be pumped up for the match-up. Brian Laing is Seton Hall's go-to guy on offense and will be matched with the rapidly improving Lazar Hayward at the forward spot. This is an excellent match-up as both players like to face up and shoot the ball or take it to the basket. In the post, neither really has a player to consistently rely on, but Ousmane Barro has been showing signs of stepping his game up. John Garcia is definitely a load inside, but a gimpy knee and his conditioning will hold him back.

Marquette is a sligh 2.5-pt favorite and both teams should play with plenty of intensity and emotion. If one team doesn't bring that energy level, they will not be able to win tonight. Assuming both teams are ready to play, I think Marquette is the better team overall. Barring Jeremy Hazell going completely off down the stretch of a close game, I think Marquette does enough on the defensive end to come up with another tough win in this match-up.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 72 Seton Hall 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ NOTRE DAME

2008-02-08T12:04:00.001-08:00

February 9, 2008

The Notre Dame home winning streak gets one of its toughest tests yet as the Irish host Tom Crean's Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon. With the Irish coming off one of their best performances of the season, a 95-69 win over Seton Hall, and Marquette coming off one of their worst, a 71-57 loss at home to Louisville, it will be interesting to see how each team responds from very different experiences.

One thing on the mind of the Notre Dame players to keep them from relaxing going in this game is the memory of Marquette's 92-66 drubbling of the Irish back in January at the Bradley Center. Marquette was all over the court that afternoon, forcing Notre Dame into 24 turnovers and shooting 50% from beyond the arc with 12 made three's. Was that really the same Marquette team that struggles so much shooting from the perimter?

Even in their defeat in the last meeting, Luke Harangody was dominate inside, scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Against Marquette's soft interior, look for similar success inside again on Saturday.

What Notre Dame has to do a better job in is defending Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward as the Irish had little luck defending the pair in the first meeting. McNeal and hayward combined for 35 points while forcing Kyle McAlarney and Rob Kurz to shoot 6-16 from the floor and commit a combined 10 turnovers, clearly winning that match-up.

Notre Dame will almost certainly settle into a zone defense and dare Marquette to shoot the ball that well again. The Irish do not have the lenght and athleticism that UConn and Louisville have that have given the Golden Eagles so much trouble this season. However, they can provide a similar challenge to what West Virginia did when MU lost in Morgantown.

Both teams should have plenty of motivation in this one. If Kyle McAlarney provides the outside threat to Luke Harangody's inside dominance, Notre Dame should continue their home win streak. It will not be easy as Marquette provides a challenge to the Notre Dame guards that they could be vulnerable to.

I expect a back and forth game, but when it settles into crunch time, Marquette will not have the answer to keep Harangody from scoring.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Notre Dame 74 Marquette 70

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ MARQUETTE

2008-02-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2008

Conference positioning is at stake as Louisville and Marquette both look to break from the masses in the middle of the conference and solidify position for one of the four Big East Tournament byes. The Cardinals beat Marquette in Freedom Hall back in January, 71-51, and the Golden Eagles will look for revenge tonight.

Here are the local media previews on tonight's Big Monday match-up:

Cards on their Mark, Set to Go to Marquette (Louisville Courier-Journal)
MU Rivalry With Louisville Has Developed into a Classic (Journal-Sentinel)
Cards Start Big Week at Marquette (Kentucky.com)
cards Better Be Ready for Primetime (Courier-Journal)

It is a VERY big week for the Louisville Cardinals, beginning tonight as part of Big Monday on ESPN when they travel to meet Marquette and ending late Saturday night with a ESPN Primetime showdown with league-leading Georgetown. The Cards enter tonight's contest at 6-3 in the conference and the second half of their conference schedule is definitely among the toughest in the league.

Marquette played strong and came up with a conference road win, dispatching Cincinnati 75-60 on Saturday. Marquette has now won three in a row in the Big East and got the monkey off their back by winning a Big East game on the road. Like the Louisville schedule, things do not get any easier for Marquette as the Big East heads towards March.

In their prior meeting, Marquette put forth a dismal offensive display, shooting 30% overall from the field, which included an o-fer (0-12) from beyond the arc. The Cards also battered Marquette on the boards, outrebounding Tom Crean's squad 49-34. Terrence Williams (20 pts) and David Padgett (17 pts, 10 rebounds) led the way for the Cards. The Marquette offense was so bad they registered just two assists in the entire game against 13 turnovers, seven of which were committed by Jerel McNeal (16 pts).

Marquette is coming off what is likely their best performance of the season, a 75-60 win at Cincinnati. Ousmane Barro, who has largely been invisible this season, stepped up and scored a season-high 19 pts and added 10 rebounds as the Golden Eagles won the battle of the boards as well. Lazar Hayward also scored 19 in the win. Jerel McNeal scored 13 points, added 7 assists and did not commit a single turnover.

Marquette will need another strong effort from Barro against the big and deep Louisville frontcourt. The Cards have a senior duo of Padgett and Juan Palacios along with a sophomore pair of Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark to face Barro, Dwight Burke and the small forward pair of Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald that masquerade as power forwards in the Marquette attack. Their lack of size in many instances is covered up by their deep and talented group of guards led by McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Mathews, who all have help from Maurice Acker and David Cubillan off the bench.

Louisville's backcourt is manned by Jerry Smith, a Wisconsin native who was Louisville's hero in last season's thrilling win in the Bradley Center, Edgar Sosa and Andre McGee. This group, along with super-athletic junior wing Terrence Williams demolished Rutgers, forcing them into 24 turnovers, 87-50 over the weekend as the Cards looked like a classic Rick Pitino club flying all over the court.

If Louisville is going to take their place as the challenger to Georgetown that everyone expected in the preseason, this is the week to do it. Marquette will definitely have something to say about that as the Golden Eagles were also expected to challenge. Marquette is a 3.5-pt favorite tonight on their home floor and the Bradley Center crowd should have Marquette amped. The energy buzz that the crowd should provide the home team should allow the defensive clamps to be put down on the perimeter, making it tough for Louisville to take advantage of their front court advantage. If Marquette can make just enough from the perimeter, they should fend off Louisville in a spirited match-up.

NBE Blogger's Prediction: Marquette 69 Louisville 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ CINCINNATI

2008-02-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

February 2, 2008

Saturday's action with an extremely interesting game to dissect. Marquette hits the road to meet the Bearcats of Cincinnati in a Big East battle that was a heated C-USA rivalry previously. Marquette is coming off an uninspiring 62-54 win over South Florida. Marquette has not been shooting the ball well lately and they have virtually given up any hope of an inside game.

Cincinnati is coming off a stunning 62-39 win at West Virginia. The victory was definitely a surprise, but the complete offensive meltdown by the Mountaineers was historical in nature. Cincinnati limited WVU to 10-50 shooting from the field and 1-20 from the 3-pt arc.

Marquette has yet to win on the road in Big East play. They have lost at West Virginia, Louisville and Connecticut and none of the games have been really close. The loss at WVU was close throughout until a late run by WVU made it look worse than it was, but by the same token, the 16-pt loss to UConn was not nearly that close.

What has made Cincinnati so tough is that they have embraced the defensive-first mentality that Mick Cronin has gotten them to use to win games. This is not an extremely talented group offensively, but they are athletic and strong at most positions. They have some experience and a lot of youth, but they have found a style that works to win games and have used it well.

Their big threat offensively is Deonta Vaughn who can put up some relly big scoring numbers. He will be matched against the tough Marquette backcourt and this could slow him down. When Vaughn is struggling to score points, Cincinnati also struggles. The Bearcats have continued to win, however, because they have brought forth the effort defensively and on the boards more consistently than last season.

Rebounding is a big area of concern for Tom Crean when it comes to his club. In fact, it looks like he has just given up, for the most part, in trying to find a big man that will defend the post and rebound and is now using a line-up of his three stud guards and a couple wing forwards, Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald, in the frontcourt to fill most of the minutes. The backcourt is deep with Maurice Acker and David Cubillan behind Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews and they will look to hound Vaughn on the perimeter and make life difficult for Jamual Warren handling the ball. UC will try and make this group beat them from shooting outside and will likely to go zone to stop the dribble penetration of the MU guards. The Golden Eagles will have to prove to teams they can make the shots to defeat a zone.

I see this game being played right into the hands of Cincinnait. Low pace, low scoring with the Bearcats and Golden Eagles in a race to get to 60. Cincinnati won at Louisville playing this style and beat Pittsburgh at home in this manner.

Marquette is going to come motivated for a road win. Being 0-3 on the road in the Big East has many questioning the quality of the team. I think they will produce enough offense from their defense to pull the game out, but it will be the proverbial Big East 'rock fight', I am sure.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 61 Cincinnati 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2008

South Florida looks to end their futility on the road in the Big East play when they travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette in the Bradley Center. Expecting a win at one of the toughest venues in the conference might be a tall order, but after seeing Rutgers win at Pittsburgh, hey...you never know!

Here are some local media previews on tonight's game:

Previewing South Florida (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Eagles Need Help on Boards (Journal-Sentinel)
Most National Pollsters Giving MU Respect (J-S)
No. 17 Marquette Looks Toward Fitzgerald to Man the Middle (CNNSI.com AP Story)
Coaches to Start Friendly Rivalry (Tampa Tribune)
Heath Kicks Bulls out of Locker Room (Tampa Tribune)

Head coaches Tom Crean and Stan Heath are very familiar with each other. They both served on the Michigan State staff that went to the Final Four in 1999 under Tom Izzo. Now, they get their first crack at each other when South Florida makes the long trip north to Milwaukee to take on the Golden Eagles.

The Bulls have yet to win a road game in their Big East conference history. While Stan Heath does nto care too much about what has happened prior to his arrivial, his players certainly are and the weight of road losses continue to build and crush any momentum the Bulls seem to earn.

Winning on the road in the Big East IS tough, but winning at the Bradley Center might be one of the most difficult tasks in the Big East. First, the crowd is very energetic for Marquette basketball and the atmosphere is great. Secondly, Marquette is very good and they are 11-0 at home this year and have a 13-game home win streak to protect.

South Florida will look to explot Marquette's soft middle with Kentrell Gransberry, amog the league leaders in scoring and rebounds. The 6'9, 270 lb Gransberry is a force inside and Marquette might have to let Gransberry get his and shut down the rest of the Bulls attack. With the advantage at every other position and one of the league's best defenders in Jerel McNeal to guard Dominique Jones, the Golden Eagles should be able to accomplish that feat.

The backcourt speed, quickness and depth of Marquette is likely to cause USF fits. Forward Lazar Hayward also has a good match-up as USF gets VERY little from their power forward position. Marquette will use Dan Fitzgerald as their 'C', but he will be used to stretch the defense and draw Gransberry from the paint. Marquette can also rotate Ousmane Barro, Dwight Burke and Lawrence Blackledge as well. Both teams are likely to combat match-up problems by using zone defenses. Marquette's perimter quickness and ability for Fitzgerald and Hayward to spot up for the 3-pt shot should help them attack the zone better than USF can.

Anything can happen in the Big East, but look for things to play out as expected tonight. Marquette is a 16-pt favorite and will likely be in control from start to finish.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 85 South Florida 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2008

For the Marquette Golden Eagles, there is no doubt that the Bradley Center will be a very welcomed sight for sore eyes. Marquette, who had been ranked near the top 10 all season in the country, suffered two blowout losses on the road to Louisville and Connecticut just days apart. Now they have had six days to stew on those losses and prepare for former C-USA rival DePaul.

DePaul, along with Cincinnati, is one of the surprise teams of the Big East sitting with a 4-2 conference record. The Blue Demons also have been off a week after surviving a scare against Rutgers at home last Saturday. The Blue Demons are going to have to be ready for a big effort from Marquette this weekend.

Even though the Bradley Center is an NBA arena, it has become a GREAT college basketball atmosphere. The Golden Eagles can ride the wave of the energy produced by the crowd to make it a tough road venue for any opponent. Marquette could use the lift of the crowd as they try to get back into the thick of the Big East after the consecutive road losses.

DePaul is a young team, but since the start of the Big East they have started to settle into their roles much better. They have also learned how to close out games, something that they did not do well at all in their non-league schedule. Jabari Currie and Cliff Clinkscales have become a solid and more consistent duo at point guard. Each brings something different to the table, so coach Jerry Wainwright can mix and match based on the opponent. Draelon Burns has the green light to shoot it whenever he can and his defined role of scorer has been accepted and cherished by the senior guard. He gets a lot of help from exciting freshman Dar Tucker who is an explosive athlete and shows a knack for the big play when it is needed. Antoher senior, Karron Clarke, is another big athlete that can contribute on both ends of the court for the Blue Demons.

Where DePaul could make things tough on Marquette is inside. Mac Koshwal and Wesley Green offer a lot of size, something Marquette does not have. DePaul can also go a little bit smaller to match Marquette's preferred line-up by using Tucker and Clarke with Koshwal on the frontline. This group actually matches up well with Marquette and Will Walker adds a scoring punch to the backcourt off the bench.

Marquette will counter with an athletic and quick group of guards that will look to attack DePaul with pressure on the ball. Dominic James and Jerel McNeal are two of the best on the ball perimter defenders. Look for McNeal to be everywhere on the court that Burns is and for James and Maurice Acker to be all over the DePaul point guards. Wesley Mathews and Lazar Hayward round out the perimeter players in the starting line-up for the Golden Eagles. Mathews is a quality all-around player, but he has been quiet offensivley this season. Hayward has stepped up his game offensively, finding a comfort level that did not exist last season. Dan Fitzgerald and David Cubillan add another perimeter threat to the line-up when they are in.

Where marquette has to be careful is in the paint. Dwight Burke, Ousmane Barro and Lawrence Blackledge get most of the time in the paint and they have to battle DePaul's bigger front line. Against UConn, coach Tom Crean completely abandoned the interior, offensively and defensively, by using Dan Fitzgerald in the starting line-up. The look of three guards and two wings was hoped to spread out UConn, but the Huskies were not phased and with the Marquette perimeter shots not falling, they had nothing else to fall back on while on the road and found themselves down 67-38 miday through the second half.

Back home and in their comfort zone, I look for Marquette to pressure DePaul into early mistakes with an all out defensive blitz. Dominic Jame's bad wrist is worrisome, but he can contribute in other ways and if he can fuel the offense with dribble penetration and kick out to open shooters, they could be better off.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 78 DePaul 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ LOUISVILLE

2008-01-17T06:18:00.001-08:00

January 17, 2008

The highlight of tonight's schedule brings together two former rivals from Conference USA as Marquette travels to Freedom Hall to take on the Louisville Cardinals.

After dropping their conference opener at home against Cincinnati, Louisville has won their last two Big East games, beating West Virginia at home and getting the win at Rutgers last weekend.

Marquette is one of the many tied atop the conference at 3-1 and looks to make their break from the pack. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 92-66 thumping of Notre Dame and also owns home wins over Seton Hall and Providence. Their lone conference defeat came at West Virginia.

Here are the local media previews of tonight's game:

Marquette Will Try to Steal One (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Marquette Men's Basketball Preview (post-Crescent)
Eagles Can Make Move in Big East (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Looking at louisville (Journal-Sentinel)
cards Eyeing 'Big-Time' Win Over Marquette (Kentucky.com)

We are waiting for someone to make a statement in the Big East and show they are serious about winning this conference. Marquette has just that opportunity tonight when they travel to face Louisville in a Big East conference game.

For the Cards, if they hope to compete for the conference crown, these are they games they must win, on their home floor against other good teams. We are still waiting for Louisville to show us how good they are, but with David Padgett and Juan Palacios back in the line-up, the Cards could be hitting their stride soon.

The strength of the Marquette squad is obviously in their guards. With Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews the Marquette guard trio is among the best in the country. It doesn't stop there, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan are very capable back-ups each adding a distinct role to the rotation.

At the forward spot, Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are far from proto-type Big East power forwards. However, they each create match-up problems for most opponents with their inside-out talents. That probably will not be as much of an advantage against a team like Louisville who also has a pair of versatile big forwards in Juan Palacios and Earl Clark to match-up with Hayward and Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are still trying to sort out their rotation with the talent they possess, so they have not been as consistent as they should since the return of Palacios and David Padgett from injuries. Padgett teams up with Derrick Caracter in the post for coach Rick Pitino and Marquette counters with their two-headed center tandem of Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro. On paper, Louisville should be able to take full advantage in the paint with their depth and talent.

That leaves the Louiville guards. The trio of Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee will have their hands full with Marquette. Terrence Williams should do well against Wesley Mathews and find his opportunities to shine, but coach Pitino will need his guards to be at their best in terms of decision making and shot selection. Louisville has some clear advantages in the game and it will be up to their guards to take take advantage of the opportunities.

I expect the Cards to learn from other teams that have played Marquette and use several different defenses, but mostly find themselves in a zone. The zone will cut down on the MU dribble penetration and force them to make perimeter shots on the road, a tough task.

This promises to be a very good game. Marquette will try to steal this one with pressure on the ball from their guards, but Louisville, a 2.5-pt home favorite, knows the importance of winning at home in the conference, especially after letting the game with Cincinnati get away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 66 Marquette 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: NOTRE DAME @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-11T11:28:00.001-08:00

January 12, 2008

One of two marquee match-ups in the Big East on Saturday afternoon pits the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame against the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Bradley Center. Notre Dame is one of just two conference unbeatens left, but this is their FIRST true road game of the season. They have played 10 home games and four neutral site games, so venturing to the Bradley Center is a tough first road test for ANY team.

Here are the local media previews on the game:

Small fries Staple of Marquette Diet (Chicago Tribune)
Marquette Basketball Preview (Post-Crescent)
MU Has Sizable Challenge (Journal-Sentinel)
McAlarney, Irish Set for Road Test (South Bend Tribune)

Marquette has won their first two home contests in Big East play, blowing out a short-handed Providence team and escaping a fiesty Seton Hall squad when they might have been looking ahead to this match-up. Marquette also lost in their only conference road game at West Virginia.

In their last two games, the Golden Eagles struggled mightily against zone defenses. West Virginia tripped them up by mixing in a triangle and two defense and Seton Hall used several types of zones that kept Marquette on the perimeter, rather than attacking the basket.

One word of caution, if you decide to pack in the zone, make sure you know where Dan Fitzgerald is, especially if he makes his first shot or two. Fitzgerald hit four three's to account for all 12 of his points against SHU, including a dagger with 10 seconds left to clinch the 61-56 victory.

I expect Notre Dame to definitely follow the defensive script set by SHU and WVU and go zone against MU. Notre Dame really does not have the perimeter depth or speed to match-up man to man for 40 minutes, but they do have the size advantage to rebound effectively out of that defense.

Kyle McAlarney lit up UConn in ND's last win for 32 points. He has also accumulated 14 assists in two conference games, turning it over just once. However, on Saturday, one of the nation's top defensive guards, Jerel McNeal, will be shadowing McAlarney's every move. Do not expect McNeal to give any good looks up easily on his home floor.

In ND's win over West Virginia, the Irish showed they could prevail without a big game from the perimeter as Luke Harangody bulled his way to 29 points and 16 rebounds. He should be able to find success against a small-ish Marquette frontline. Harangody struggled against the size of UConn (5-23), but he shoud find this one a little more to his liking.

This is going to come down to how well Marquette solves the Irish zone. They also need to create a tempo in their favor with pressuring defense on the ball. This will also make it difficult for the Irish guards to easily feed Harangody inside. With a lot of attention focused on Harangody, you can not forget about Rob Kurz either.

Playing their first true road game is a tough task to ask a team to pull out a win in the Bradley Center. I think it will be a very good game, especially once Notre Dame finds their footing in the different environment, but the adjustment will leave them with too tall of a defecit to climb. The Marquette ball pressure from Dominic James, McNeal and a very deep stable of guards will limit ND's effective perimeter attack.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 73 Notre Dame 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

January 8, 2008

Tom Crean was not a hapy basketball coach following his team's 79-64 loss on Sunday at West Virginia. The Marquette coach was upset with his player's effort, when a coach calls out his team's effort, you expect to see a big improvement in that area in their next game.

Seton Hall lost thier conference opener a week ago, 98-86, at home to Connecticut. Over the weekend, the Pirates picked up a non-conference victory over Morgan State, 89-81, ridig the hot hand of senior Jamar Nutter, who scored 29 points.

Both teams like to play fast and are very perimeter oriented. Marquette, of course, is led by the dynamic guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. The trio plays both ends of the court, excelling offensively and defensively. They will put pressure on the defense all game long by attacking off the dribble. In two conference games, James has not committed a turnover while dishing out 11 assists to go with the 31 points he has scored.

The Marquette interior game is not one that is feared by too many teams. Ousmane Barro and Dwight Burke split time at center. They combined for 16 pts and 11 rebounds against Providence and nine points and 10 rebounds against WVU.

The forward position is manned by Lazar Hayward with veteran Dan Fitzgerald providing depth behind him. Hayward is one of the most improved players in the league and his 15 PPG in two conference games has shown how much more of a part of the offense he is this season. He was limited by foul trouble in Sunday's loss, playing just 17 minutes (scoring 13 points), and that was a key factor in their loss.

Sometimes Marquette even goes with a 4-guard look with David Cubillan or Maurice Acker on the floor as well. Their backcourt is strong and deep, but they are vulnerable in the paint and on the boards (they had just 5 rebounds in the 2nd half as a team against WVU).

Seton Hall is not likely a team to take advantage of the Marquette shortcomings. Seton Hall will have no interest in slowing the game down to play halfcourt because the Pirates want to be playing fast and furious. The pace could bother some teams, but I do not expect it to unnerve the Golden Eagles in any way.

Seton Hall will try to press often, but without their top defensive guard, Paul Gause, their press will lose a big part of its effectiveness. Once the press is broken, Seton Hall generally lacks a defensive stopper waiting at the basket. Augustine Okosun, Mike Davis and John Garcia form a three-headed monster at the center position with Garcia seeing most of the time. Garcia is a solid big man that knows his limitations, but the uptempo game might not be the best fit for him and he is definitely not the intimidating factor waiting for opponents at the rim. Okosun and Davis add more in the way of shot-blocking, but less in terms of defense, rebounding and offense.

Brian Laing and Eugene Harvey continue to lead the Pirates and they will be face a team that can match their quickness equally. They have help on the perimter with Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell, both capable of scoring in a hurry from the arc, but Seton Hall is far from a strong team on the defensive end of the court.

Seton Hall is going to have their hands full at the Bradley Center facing a Marquette squad that will be playing with quite a chip on their shoulder after Sunday's effort, or lack thereof. Seton Hall plays a style that works really well for Marquette and should let the Golden Eagles score a lot of points.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 93 Seton Hall 73

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ WEST VIRGINIA

2008-01-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

January 6, 2008

The air out of the West Virginia balloon was let out a bit when Notre Dame dominated them inside and shut down their perimeter offense. While Marquette might not have the same interior strength, their perimter defense will be much tougher than what WVU saw on Thursday.

Marquette sent a message to the rest of the Big East with Thursday's drubbing of Providence, now they will try to do the same on the road and cement their status as a conference favorite, and impressive win here, and maybe they are THE favorite.

Neither team has much inside, but Marquette's Ousmane Barro showed some signs against Providence that he is ready to step up his game. West Virginia really does not even have anyone as good as him inside, so they Golden Eagles are not at a disadvantage inside as they are against many conference foes.

West Virginia's best player is at the forward spot, Joe Alexander. He is very athletic and WVU likes to lean on him often. However, the improvement of Lazar Hayward at Marquette from his freshman to sophomore season has been impressive and I think he will relish in the assignment of slowing down Alexander, who was largely invisible against Notre Dame.

Then there is the backcourt trios. Darris Nichols, Alex Ruoff and DaSean Butler is a very underrated and under-appreicated group. Joe Mazzulla provides solid depth. However, that group will have their hands full, and then some, with Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews on both ends of the floor.

Marquette is deeper in the backcourt with Maurice Acker and David Cubillan, they also have role players in Dwight Burke and Dan Fitzgerald in the mix. West Virginia can also bring Wellington Smith and John Flowers off the bench to add some length and athletic ability.

After their loss to Notre Dame, Marquette might be the last team WVU wants to see. Their perimeter orientated attack now has to go up against the best perimeter defensive team that will pressure the ball and defend the arc. Having not much to worry about inside plays right into Marquette's hands and WVU is not a strong rebounding team either.

After this weekend, Marquette establishes themselves as the team to beat early on.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 73 West Virginia 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

January 3, 2008

For the second year in a row, Marquette and Providence open up Big East play facing each other. Here are the local updates on the game found on the internet:

Friars Counting on Efejuku to Take it to the Limit (Providence Journal)
Marquette Game Preview (Post-Crescent)
Eagles Have Pieces to Fly High in Big East (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
PC at Marquette (Providence Journal)

And, for the second consecutive season, Providence enters the game without Sharaud Curry. Last season the Friars upset Marquette (who was without Jerel McNeal) as Curry sat out for disciplinary reasons, this year PC goes to Milwaukke to open the Big East and Curry remains out with a foot injury suffered in the preseason.

Providence has been using a guard-heavy line-up often in their out of conference schedule, but tonight those guards will be tested by one of the nation's best trio of guards and deepest guard groups. Juniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews are as good as any guard group and sophomores Maurice Acker and David Cubillan add quality depth behind the first wave.

The player who might be taking Marquette to another level is sophomore Lazar Hayward, a 6'6 forward, who is averaging 13 PPG and gives Tom Crean's club another offensive option who can score in a variety of ways to compliment the guards. They still do not have much of a post scoring threat, where Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro are mainly used for defense and rebounding. Also coming back from injury and off the bench is Dan Fitzgerald, a 3-pt threat at the forward position.

Burke and Barro will be taking turns guarding Randall Hanke, the redshirt junior who has gone from hardly playing at all the first half of the OOC schedule to starting and playing well, offensively at least, in the last several games. Hanke is shooting 73% from the floor, but the Big East will call for more physical tests so we will see how Hanke fares right away. Jonathan Kale and Ray Hall also split time in the post, but neither have shown any consistency since the real games have begun, Kale was expected to take a big step forward this season, but it has not translated in game action.

The Friars rely on their guards, with Curry out, Dwain Williams has assumed the PG duties and he has been solid. He came to PC last year with the rep of a scorer, but he has improved his distribution skills. Three-point threats Brian McKenzie and Manhattan-transfer Jeff Xavier can really stroke the three-ball and will be watched closely by the Marquette guards. Weyinmi Efejuku has been giving the Friars a spark off the bench and they will need him to play a very good game on offense and defense against the Marquette guards. Geoff McDermott is a forward that is a tough match-up for anyone, but Marquette uses a similar line-up as the Friars and can negate some of his match-up problems he usually creates.

With a crowd of 18,000+, look for MU to be raring to go tonight. The on the ball pressure applied by James and McNeal and the athletic and strong play of Mathews and Hayward should cause the PC offense to struggle. Without Curry to handle the ball and break down the defense, it might be a long night for PC as 12-pt underdogs.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 85 Providence 70

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2007-11-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Chris Otule (C), Fort Bend Bush HS in Richmond (TX)

For the second weekend in a row a weekend visit for Marquette ended with a verbal commitment for a player in the class of 2008. This weekend Chris Otule, a 6'10 C from Texas made the trip to Wisconsin and Otule Commits (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) to Tom Crean and Marquette.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Scott Christopherson (G), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF)
Freshmen: Nick Williams (SG), Tyshawn Taylor (G), Chris Otule (C), Trvor Mbakwe (PF),
Early 2009 Commitment: Erik Williams (F)

note: Trevor Mbakwe is expected to take a medical redshirt for the 2007-2008 season.

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Marquette finally landed that elusive center when they went deep into Texas once again and pulled a commitment from fast-developing big man Chris Otule. Otule visited the Marquette campus this weekend and chose to commit to the Golden Eagle program over offers from Baylor, Rice and Nebraska. Otule is an athletic specimen for a 6'10 player, but has a ways to go yet in his basketball development. As a junior at Fort Bend Bush High School, Otule came off the bench and averaged about 5 PPG and 7 rebounds a contest. The Richmond (TX) native will have quality intstruction this seasn as Ronnie Courtneytakes over as coach at Fort Bend Bush after a six-year stint as head coach at Division I Texas Southern University.

Otule is the third Texas player to commit to MU over the past three weeks, joining Class of 2009 wing Erik Williams and Class of 2008 wing Joseph Fulce, showing the dividends assistant coach Buzz Williams is paying for Tom Crean.

last week the good news for Tom Crean was provided by fast-rising St. Anthony's guard Tyshawn Taylor. As a member of Bob Hurley's tremendous corps of guards, Taylor was playing mostly under the radar as one of five Division 1-A guards on the squad last season with Miles Beatty (GW), Travon Woodall (Pitt), Mike Rosario (Rutgers) and Jio Fontan (Fordham). Taylor had a very strong spring and summer on the AAU circuit, teamming with Mookie Jones and Kevin Jones to help lead the Westchester Hawks. It was with his AAU program that Taylor showed off his ability to play point guard and with excellent athletic ability and a 6'3 frame, his recruitment took off with that versatility. Taylor can put a lot of pressure on a defense with his ability to get out in transition and get to the rim. Taylor had scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Kansas, and had been offered a scholarship by North Carolina last Thursday, who also lost out in the Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech) sweepstakes with Marquette.

Taylor and Otule join Joseph Fulce and Nick Williams in the 2008 recruiting class. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas that is very familiar with at least one member of the Marquette coaching staff. Out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College. He will come to Marquette as a sophomore next year and have three seasons of eligibility left.

Williams of Mobile (AL), is a rock-solid 6'3 shooting guard who can really dial it in from the perimeter when he has it going. Williams also has shown the feel for the game to take midrange jumpers when the opportunity arises and knock them down.

The commitment from Otule was important because at this point, seldom-used Dwight Burke is the only player taller than 6'7 scheduled to be on campus for 2008-2009, which is a concern for the staff who has been putting an emphasis on interior toughness, defense and rebounding this preseason.

As for underclassmen, in addition to Erik Williams, another recruit from Texas who committed while visiting for 'Marquette Madness', Diamond Taylor and Joey Brooks from the class of 2009 were on campus recently and Jamil Wilson of Racine Horlick is the Golden Eagles top target for 2009. Recruiting for 2008 is most likely closed at this point, in fact, the Golden Eagles currently have 14 players commited to scholarships for the 2008-2009 season, one over the NCAA limit.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: MARQUETTE

2007-10-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

October 30, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Tyshawn Taylor (G), St. Anthony's in Jersey City (NJ)

The situation looked good for Tyshawn Taylor and Marquette over the weekend when Taylor took an official visit to the Marquette campus. After returning home to New Jersey and sleeping on it, he decided to make it official and the latest guard to commit to Tom Crean and the Golden Eagles as Taylor to Marquette (zagsblog) became official yesterday.

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Wesley Matthews (WG), Dominic James (PG), Jerel McNeal (SG), Dwight Burke (BF)
Juniors: David Cubillan (G), Lazar Hayward (G/F), Maurice Acker (PG)
Sophomores: Scott Christopherson (G), Trvor Mbakwe (PF), Patrick Hazel (F), Joseph Fulce (SF)
Freshmen: Nick Williams (SG), Tyshawn Taylor (G)
Early 2009 Commitment: Erik Williams (F)

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After a tough week where the Golden Eagles lost top targets Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech) and Jared Swopshire (Louisville), Tom Crean quikcly rebounded and landed fast-rising St. Anthony's guard Tyshawn Taylor. As a member of Bob Hurley's tremendous corps of guards, Taylor was playing mostly under the radar as one of five Division 1-A guards on the squad last season with Miles Beatty (GW), Travon Woodall (Pitt), Mike Rosario (Rutgers) and Jio Fontan (Fordham). Taylor had a very strong spring and summer on the AAU circuit, teamming with Mookie Jones and Kevin Jones to help lead the Westchester Hawks. It was with his AAU program that Taylor showed off his ability to play point guard and with excellent athletic ability and a 6'3 frame, his recruitment took off with that versatility. Taylor can put a lot of pressure on a defense with his ability to get out in transition and get to the rim. Taylor had scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Kansas, and had been offered a scholarship by North Carolina last Thursday, who also lost out in the Iman Shumpert sweepstakes with Marquette.

Taylor joins Joseph Fulce and Nick Williams in the 2008 recruiting class. Fulce is a 6'6, 210-pound wing from Plano, Texas that is very familiar with at least one member of the Marquette coaching staff. Out of high school, Fulce committed to Texas A&M where he was recruited by Buzz Williams, an assistant at the time under Billy Gillispie. However, academic concerns derailed his attempt to join the Aggies and it was off to Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia. In one season there, Fulce averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds and re-opened his recruitment. In last seasons late signing period, Fulce signed with the University of New Orleans, who was coached by Buzz Williams. However, later in the spring, Williams resigned from New Orleans and opted to join the staff at Marquette as an assistant coach. Fulce was released from his letter of intent over the summer and has enrolled Tyler (TX) Junior College. He will come to Marquette as a sophomore next year and have three seasons of eligibility left.

Williams of Mobile (AL), is a rock-solid 6'3 shooting guard who can really dial it in from the perimeter when he has it going. Williams also has shown the feel for the game to take midrange jumpers when the opportunity arises and knock them down.

Although the Golden Eagles now look to be full with 13 scholarships committed for the 2008-2009 season, they most certainly will continue pursuing a big man. BF/C Chris Otule of Fort Bend Bush High School in Richmond (TX) is another prospect high on the radar for Marquette and Garrett Stutz from Kansas City (MO) has also been getting recruiting interest from the Marquette staff. At this point, seldom-used Dwight Burke is the only player taller than 6'7 scheduled to be on campus for 2008-2009, which is a concern for the staff who has been putting an emphasis on interior toughness, defense and rebounding thsi preseason.

As for underclassmen, in addition to Erik Williams, another recruit from Texas who committed while visiting for 'Marquette Madness', Diamond Taylor and Joey Brooks from the class of 2009 were on campus recently and Jamil Wilson of Racine Horlick is the Golden Eagles top target for 2009.

As always, for more information on Marquette recruiting and their program, visit Cracked Sidewalks on the blogger network which is a blog dedicated to Marquette basketball.