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.
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.
posted by Rob Stack @ 3:15 PM
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