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.
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.
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