GameCap - February 18 vs. Pittsburgh

In a game in which the Golden Eagles had the home crowd rocking from start to finish, Marquette came away with an 84-82 win over the 9th ranked Pitt Panthers. Pitt tried time and time again to take over the pace of the game, but the Golden Eagles limited the effectiveness of center Aaron Gray, and the Panthers were unable to establish an inside presence.

Gray was held to 10 points, and Pitt got their only significant scoring from Carl Krauser, who had 18 to go along with 5 assists. Fouls limited Levon Kendall to only 5 points in 19 minutes. Pitt was unable to dictate the flow of the game, and even though the Golden Eagles were content to play the Panther's physical type of game, Pitt could not come away with a W.

Steve Novak led all scorers with 27 points, and added 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Dominic James, looking for his 5th Big East Rookie of the Week award, added 16 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Guard Wes Matthews had his best game since returning from injury, scoring 13 points while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

The home crowd willed the team to victory, and the attendance was the largest to see a college basketball game in the state of Wisconsin. The team fed off the energy and held on to the game, even as the Panthers tried to take it away late. Marquette now has one home game remaining, March 4 against Providence.

Game Preview - February 18 vs. Pittsburgh

On Saturday, the 9th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers will come to the Bradley Center for a rematch with the Golden Eagles. The two teams met on January 28 at Pittsburgh, in a physical game that saw Pitt come away with a six point victory. Marquette has gone 2-2 since that game, most recently picking up a 57-51 win over Georgetown on Thursday night. The game will feature a halftime ceremony celebrating Maurice Lucas, in which his No. 20 jersey will be retired.

Senior Carl Krauser leads the charge for the Panthers, averaging 15.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. Marquette will also have to keep an eye on center Aaron Gray, who put up a career high 19 points in the last meeting. Look for Coach Tom Crean to employ the zone defense that was so effective in limiting the effectiveness of Hoyas center Roy Hibbert in the second half of Thursday's game. The student section will likely be very unkind to Antonio Graves after his unnecessary shove of Dominic James.

Offensively, Steve Novak will need to put in his usual strong perfomance. His ability to shoot from the perimeter will be crucial as always. If Dominic James can repeat his strong perfomance, without the shoulder injury, Marquette could have a very strong game. The Golden Eagles will also have Wes Matthews, who missed the first game with a stress fracture in his foot, and did not return until the next game against St. Johns. He plays strong defense and could make a large difference.

Marquette is hoping that the home court will make as big of a difference as it did against Georgetown. The home crowd was electric, and made a huge difference in the final five minutes of a game that the Golden Eagles likely would have lost had they been on the road. With a win against Pitt, they would improve to 8-5 in Big East play, and could move up as high as fifth in the conference standings if Seton Hall and Georgetown also lose today and tomorrow, respectively.

GameCap - February 16 vs. Georgetown

Marquette found out just how sweet it is to be playing at home in the last five minutes of a game. This game started to shape up much like two recent road games against ranked teams, in which the Golden Eagles controlled the tempo for much of the game only to lose the lead late at Pitt and 'Nova. This game worked out similarly, only this time the home crowd was able to will MU to a victory.

The Golden Eagles were lead as always by senior Steve Novak, who lead all scorers with 19 points. Dominic James had a solid game as well, scoring 16 and dishing out 5 assists. His reverse dunk capped a 14-1 Marquette run late in the first half. Chris Grimm got 15 minutes off the bench, and although he didn't score, he limited the effectiveness of 7 foot 2 Georgetown center Roy Hibbert when matched up one on one. Hibbert picked up 17 points to lead the Hoyas, but most of that came while matched up against Ousmane Barro and Novak.

Marquette managed to stay out of foul trouble, commiting only 9 in the entire game. The Golden Eagles committed their first shooting foul of the second half with less than ten minutes to play. Fouls have been a problem for the young team thus far, and the ability to avoid them made a key difference in this one.

Marquette (17-8, 7-5 Big East), will face 9th ranked Pittsburgh on Saturday at the Bradley Center. It will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Pitt picking up the win in the first matchup, 77-71. Marquette will be looking for revenge on their home court.

Game Preview - February 16 vs. Georgetown

The Golden Eagles (16-8, 6-5 Big East) look to rebound-both literally and figuratively- at home against No. 17 Georgetown (17-5, 8-3 Big East). The Golden Eagles are coming off their first two game losing streak of the season, after heartbreaking road losses to Villanova and Rutgers. The Hoyas are coming off a loss to West Virginia on Sunday that ended their seven game win streak. With that streak, Georgetown entered the top 25, rising as high as 15 before settling to 17 in this week’s polls.

This will be the third meeting between the two schools, with each team picking up a victory. Both games were at Marquette, just like this game, so the Golden Eagles will have to wait until at least next season to make their first ever trip to Georgetown.

Three players average over 10 points a game for Georgetown. Brandon Bowman and Jeff Green are the Hoyas leading scorers at 12.1 and 12.0 points per game respectively. Roy Hibbert is a tough post player at 11.2 points per game and guard Ashanti Cook is a veteran scorer at 9.5 points per game. Hibbert creates matchup problems for Marquette as he stands 7-feet-2. The Golden Eagles have no one that can matchup with him physically so the bigs will have to rely on better positioning and strong perimeter play.

Marquette will need freshman point guard Dominic James to continue his strong play. He scored 16 points in the Villanova game and 22 in the Rutgers game, the latter earning him the Big East Rookie of the Week award for the fourth time this season. The Golden Eagles will also need Steve Novak and the other perimeter players to bring it, as the big men will likely be overmatched down low by the bigger, more aggressive Hoyas post players. So far this season, the perimeter guys have shown that they are up to the task, especially DJ and Novak. The two have led them to big wins at home against UCONN and Notre Dame, as well as near wins on the road against 'Nova and Pitt. This will be the only nationally televised game of the regular season for Marquette, available on ESPN, and it has been designated National Marquette Day.

GameCap - February 12 at Rutgers

Marquette simply did not come to play at Rutgers in a game in which most fans did not show up due to a large snowstorm in the northeast. Marquette falls to 6-5 in the Big East and may struggle to finish .500 in league play with tough home games upcoming and an inability to win on the road.

Marquette set the tone early, building their lead up to as much as 9 points with about 4:30 to play in the first half. The Golden Eagles let up though, and Rutgers was able to come back and tie the score at 39 at the half. Scarlet Knights standout Quincy Douby led the charge, scoring 14 of his 32 points in the first half. In the second, Marquette was able to hold Douby scoreless for the first 9:30, but freshman Anthony Farmer picked up the slack, hitting three 3 point baskets, finishing with 14. Douby would pick it up soon thereafter, and was able to take over the game, hitting a big shot every time Marquette seemed poised to make a run.

In an odd move by head coach Tom Crean, Chris Grimm got his first start of the season, passing over Ousmane Barro and Ryan Amoroso. Marquette once again had trouble rebounding, which truly told the tale of the game. The Golden Eagles had a slight rebounding edge while building their lead in the first half, but that lead evaporated when the Scarlet Knights made their first half comeback. Another problem was freethrow shooting, as Steve Novak seemed to be the only one that could consistently knock them down from the charity stripe. Dominic James continued to struggle at the line, the one blemish in his otherwise stellar performance. He led the team with a 22 point effort, but it just wasn't enough, especially as he missed key freethrows down the stretch, finishing 4-9 from the line.

Marquette has a tough stretch coming up, as they face two ranked teams in Georgetown and Pittsburgh. Both games are at home, but both will be tough and could potentially send the Golden Eagles into a four game losing streak. Those games will be followed by tough road games at Notre Dame and Louisville. Marquette has already beaten ND at home and Louisville has been struggling in Big East play, plus the Golden Eagles have had success there in the past. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Marquette can beat anybody on the road right now. They will then finish at home against Providence, a game the Golden Eagles should win, much like this game. Although unlikely, it is conceivable that Marquette could finish the season on a 7 game losing streak and finish 6-10 in BE play. I doubt it, and still predict them to finish 4-1, with the only loss being at home against either Georgetown or Pitt, to go 10-6 overall. This would give them a good seeding in the Big East Tournament and should assure them a spot in the Big Dance. This would be a good time for Marquette to start winning those games where, as Tom Crean would say, "we showed we can play with anybody." If they don't, it will be very hard to get an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. I still think they'll pull it off, although I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't. This loss will likely kill the Golden Eagles' chances of being ranked this season, unless they somehow upset both Georgetown and Pittsburgh this week, or they go deep into the tournament.

5 Things I Think I Think

Hey there, sorry for the long layoff, here's 5 Things I Think I Think:

1. The Golden Eagles will be fine without Lott and Kinsella.
Without these two big men, the center position will be filled mostly by Ouse and Amo, which isn't a big change. Neither of these two have rebounded well, so their prescence will not be missed all that much. I did think that Kinsella needed more playing time, but that was mostly because he has a nice jump shot and I thought his rebounding would improve with more playing time. Ultimately, though, I don't think we're really losing anything except for fouls. I do feel bad for Kinsella, though, this guy just can't catch a break when it comes to his health. Lott should bounce back alright, although his season may be over. It all depends on how quickly he can get his strength back. Amo and Ouse will have to step up, especially as far as rebounding is concerned, but the team should be fine.

2. The team will be okay without Novak next year.
Steve is the team's undisputed leader, there is no doubt of that. He is also the only true 3 point threat on the team (True, Dan Fitzgerald has been stepping it up as of late, but generally he is not a guy that you expect to just knock them down one after the other. His strength is hitting a three here and there). But several things have to be looked at. One is the progression of the freshman, and not just the three guards. DJ stopped playing like a freshman a long time ago, and while Wes and Jerel still make some freshman mistakes, they are making them less often than they were and they show more and more flashes of their future greatness. All three will be even better next year, and that will begin to compensate for the departure of Novak. Also, Dwight Burke and Matt Mortensen will be better next year as well. True, Burke rarely plays(although that will change will Lott and Kinsella out for the forseable future) and Mortensen is redshirting, but both will be improved. Mortensen can also hit the three. He may not be anywhere near the marksman that Novak is, but like Fitz he can knock one down occaisionally. New recruit Lazar Heyward can also shoot from downtown. Mortensen, Fitz, and Lazar, along with improved outside shooting from Wes should be able to compensate for Novak's shooting. True, there won't be that one guy that you can always count on to knock it down, but there will be several guys that you can have confidence in. Now, where will the leadership come from? Dominic James is certainly a born leader, but I don't know that you can really count that since he already has a large leadership position. Maybe he steps into Novak's role, but then someone will have to step into his role as number two. Lott and Kinsella will be the only seniors, but juniors Barro, Amo, and Fitzgerald might be able to step up. Also, Matthews and McNeal are likely candidates.

3. This team can play with anybody in the Big East.
Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into wins at Pittsburgh and Villanova. Part of that has been a young team making mistakes in the clutch, although one could make the case that the Pitt game would have been a win if DJ doesn't injure his shoulder. Both of those games likely would have been wins if they had been played at the Bradley Center. This team won the Great Alaskan Shootout, they beat UCONN, and they played tight against 'Nova and Pitt on the road. This team should go at least 10-6 in Big East play, and that, along with a good showing in the conference tourney, will get them a good seed in the Big Dance, where the sky's the limit.

4. With a dominant center, this team would be unstoppable.
The one thing that this team is lacking is a big man that can finish down low and pull down ten boards a night. This team's offensive strength is outside shooting, and that can be shut down by a good perimeter defense. All of the big men have trouble finishing down low, and there is nobody that is a great rebounder. Novak leads the team in rebounding because of his length, no one really boxes out or has good rebounding form. Also, while Novak picks up some key rebounds and had a career high 16 against UCONN, he doesn't pull down that many. A great big man would make this team great.

5. Duke is the best team in the country, not UCONN.
UCONN is good, there's no doubt. But they are not Duke. The Blue Devils have the best player in the country in J. J. Redick, and one of the better big men in Shelden Williams. Both teams have lost only once, on the road, but UCONN was destroyed by Marquette in a game they were never in, while Duke played a poor first half and came back in the second. If the game was a minute longer, Duke would still be undefeated. UCONN could have played all night and they wouldn't have won that game. UCONN is an overrated team that took advantage of the fact that the only two teams in front of them lost on the same day, moving the Huskies up to the top spot. It has been proven that they are in fact better than the Florida Gators, but not the Blue Devils. Rudy Gay has underperformed, and anytime he has a bad game UCONN has a chance to lose. Great teams find ways to win even when their best player isn't having a big night.

GameCap - February 4 at Villanova

This is a game that Marquette should have won. In a game in which the Golden Eagles led by as much as 10, they simply handed the game over late. They lost this game for three reasons: rebounding, turnovers, and Tom Crean's weak zone defensive game plan.

True, Marquette was only outrebounded 31-30, but that margin changes to 14-5 on the offensive glass. Big East teams will capitalize on second chance opportunities. Villanova did just that, and this game ended up looking just like the one last week at Pittsburgh.

You cannot turn the ball over 25 times and expect to beat a team like Villanova. Several turnovers came late in the game with Marquette struggling to hold the lead. Dominic James commited 6, Jerel McNeal 5, and Dan Fitzgerald and Wes Matthews turned in 4 each. Turnovers lead to easy points. It is a philosophy that the Golden Eagles have used on defense all season. Well, today that same strategy was used against them. They were pressured and they gave it up; they couldn't take the heat.

Once again, Marquette showed why it should abandon its zone and go to a man to man defense. The team doesn't rotate well to cover shooters, leaving the opposition with too many open jump shots. St. John's got many open looks from the outside on Wednesday night, and the same happend with 'Nova. The Golden Eagles beat St. John's and lost to Villanova. What was the difference? St. John's missed open looks when it counted, Villanova knocked them down. Now, the Wildcats shot only 31% for the game, however that increased to almost 50% in the second half, which is when the game was decided. The three freshman guards are all outstanding on the ball defenders, as it Dan Fitzgerald when he's not asked to guard the point guard. This team's makeup is perfect for man to man, but in a zone they just seem to collapse down low and leave the perimeter wide open.

In the end, this team should be disapointed in itself. This was game it should have won, a game in which they controlled the tempo until the last few minutes. Tom Crean spoke about being happy that his team is showing that they can play with and beat anybody in this conference. The only problem is that they're not showing that they can beat anyone. They've lost three games they should have won in conference play: vs. Cincinnati, at Pitt, and at Villanova. That's not exactly something to be proud of. All they've shown is that they can beat weaker conference teams like DePaul and Notre Dame, and Connecticut when they play their worst game of the season. They can play with the big boys, but they can't actually beat them yet. At a certain point, they need to start winning.

January Awards

I'd go on and on about something regarding awards and accomplishments and all that crap, but instead let's just get to it.

Step-up Player of the Month
This one goes to Joe Chapman, the senior from Chicago Heights. He stepped up big time this month filling in for injured starter Wes Matthews. He hit many key shots, and put up a key 11 points on January 17 at DePaul. But his big night came in the month's first game, in the 94-79 upset of then #2 UCONN. He put up 12 points, many in the first half to keep Marquette in the game until Steve Novak took it over in the second.

The "I Really Deserve More Minutes" Award
This has to go to Junior center Mike Kinsella. He showed that he can hit the turnaround jumper in a 67-65 home win over ND. He may have only picked up 2 points, but they came on a nice jumper in which the defender let him take it, assuming that he couldn't drop it down. He did, and even though he has continued to play limited minutes, he has shown that he can hit the jumper whenever he's in the game.

The "I Really Need a Little More Confidence" Award
Dan Fitzgerald. When he shoots, he frequently knocks it down. However, until the January 20 game against DePaul, he rarely did. In that game, he came out and put up a career high 18 points on 6-7 3point shooting. He followed it up by shooting 2-3 from behind the arc against Pittsburgh, giving him an 80% 3point over the two games. If he shoots more, that just gives the Golden Eagles one more weapon on the perimeter.

And finally...

The Player of the Month Award
Tommie Brice! Just kidding. Steve Novak. Who the hell else would it be? He averaged 19.3 ppg(23.5 if you discount the last two games of the month in which he was battling a sprained ankle) and 8.1 rpg this month. So many moments were crucial, including his clutch game winner against ND. But his big moment of course came against #2 UCONN when he picked up 41 points and 16 boards, both of which were career highs.

January was a good month for Marquette. It was a month that saw the Golden Eagles go 6-3, all of which came against conference opponents. It was a month that saw the team not only upset, but embarrass the #2 team in the country, as well as come an injured shoulder away from upsetting the #10 team on the road. It was a good month, let's hope February can be even better.

GameCap - February 1 vs. St. John's

Senior leader Steve Novak was back in business in an 81-61 win at home over St. John's. The big man from Brown Deer picked up 29 points and 8 rebounds in a physical game that eventually got out of hand.

Marquette improved to 16-6, with a 6-3 conference record. The win also marked the return of Freshman guard Wesley Matthews, who had missed all eight Big East Conference games with a stress fracture. His return came as a surprise to the more than 14,000 fans at the Bradley Center, who noticed his prescence during pre-game warmups. He entered the game with 12:23 remaining in the first half, and registered three assists and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

Steve Novak showed that his sprained ankle was completely healed by more than doubling his combined scoring total of the previous two games. Dominic James added 16 to show that while his shoulder may not be completely healed, he is in good enough shape to play. Ousmane Barro put in a big effort with 10 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Late in the game, Dominic James brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk on the fast break. After the Golden Eagles managed to get another steal on the ensuing St. John's possession, James brought the pushed the ball up the floor and passed it off the backboard to fellow freshman Jerel McNeal, who threw down a fancy dunk of his own.

Now, before I move on to my next point, let me just say that if there is one thing that I hate, it is fans complaining about the officiating in a game, especially after a loss. It says that the team is not good enough to win without a little help from the officials.

That said, the officiating in this game was probably the worst that I have ever seen. Throughout the first half and into the early goings of the second, the officiating was very loose, and many calls were missed. As the no calls mounted, the play became more and more physical, and it started to get out of hand. At this point, the officials attempted to tighten it up and call every little touch, but by then it was too late. Dominic James and Lamont Hamilton were each called for a technical with 16:07 remaining in the game after getting into a heated argument under the game. With about 7 minutes remaining, Jerel McNeal was assaulted near the sideline when two St. John's players latched onto him and the three wrestled around on the ground before a jump ball was called, no fouls were issued, and possession was given to St. John's. Fans responded favorably when Steve Novak and Ousmane Barro set blindside screens to knock down St. John's guards as they attempted to apply full-court pressure to Dominic James as he brought the ball up the court. Officials continued to call a tight game till the end, issuing a total of 43 fouls.

On the whole, however, it was a satisfying win for a Marquette team trying to rebound from a tough loss at Pittsburgh and trying to build momentum for a difficult road game against #4 Villanova on Saturday. I will be back tomorrow with my awards for the month of January. See you then.

Game Preview - February 1 vs. St. John's

On Wednesday night, the Golden Eagles (15-6, 5-3 BIG EAST) will host St. John’s (10-8, 3-4 BIG EAST) at the Bradley Center. This will be the twelfth meeting between the two teams, and the first since the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Legendary Marquette Warriors coach Al McGuire played for St. John's from 1948-1951. He averaged 8.5 points per game over the course of his career and helped St. John's to the 1951 NCAA Regional and NIT Semifinal.

Marquette is coming off a disappointing 77-71 loss at Pittsburgh that saw freshman phenom Dominic James leave for 71/2 minutes with a shoulder injury. It ended Marquette's three game winning streak, and the fourth straight loss that occured on a Saturday. St. John's is coming off a 66-61 loss to West Virginia that was their second straight loss since handing Pittsburgh their first loss of the season.

The Golden Eagles will have their hands’ full with the Red Storm Wednesday night on the glass as St. John's boasts a +9 rebounding margin and has outrebounded all but two opponents this season. Currently St. John’s ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding led by Lamont Hamilton who stands ninth in the BIG EAST in total rebounding (7.4 rpg) and offensive rebounding (2.78 rpg). The Red Storm also play tough perimeter defense, as they have held opponents to 30.6% 3point shooting, second best in the Big East.

Marquette will need senior leader Steve Novak to step up to get the W. Novak leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but has managed only a combined 13 points in the last two contests due to a sprained ankle. Freshman Dominic James is also a concern after injuring his shoulder in the loss to Pittsburgh. The Golden Eagles clearly lost all momentum after he left the court. He is expected to play, however it is unknown how effective he can be. With these two warriors injured and possibly limited, and with Wes Matthew still out with a stress fracture, some other players will be forced to step up their game. Fellow freshman Jerel McNeal will have to recapture the magic that he flashed at the end of non-conference play and early in the Big East schedule. He will have to limit his mistakes and find a way to get to the free throw line. Dan Fitzgerald will also need to step up. With James likely not seeing his full slate of minutes, Fitz will likely be asked to spend more time at the point, as opposed to his natural position at the three. If he can continue his hot shooting (80% from 3pt in the last two games), as well as making crisp passes and playing tight D, the Golden Eagles might be able to take a few minutes from James and Novak to prevent aggrevating their injuries.

I will be back later with the Gamecap, as always leave a comment or drop me an email about the game or anything else Marquette related.

Injury Notes
Marquette
Wes Matthews-out(foot stress fracture)
Steve Novak-expected to play(sprained ankle)
Dominic James-expected to play(strained shoulder)

St. John's
None to report