5 Things Marquette MUST Improve On
Through two games-one exhibition and one real one-the Warriors have not lost, yet they have left a lot to be desired against D-III Cardinal Stritch and D-II Hillsdale. Their play in these two games will not be good enough against Big East opponents or even in next week's CBE. Here are five things that the team absolutely must improve upon in order to be the team that they could be, which is a team that will challenge for the regular season and tournament Big East championships.
1. Fouling
The Warriors have committed an unnacceptable 52 fouls through two games. This has led to 56 free throw opportunities, 40 of which came Sunday night against Stritch. Luckily, their two opponents have managed to hit only 60% of those, but that is just the inneptitude of the two schools. Better schools will hit more free throws, and that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
2. Free Throw Shooting
This seems to be a continuing theme from last year. Marquette has managed to shoot an abysmal 68.4% from the charity stripe, yet Dominic James is somehow shooting 91% (11-12). So even with D James miraculously improving, the Warriors have still been horrible from the line. Add to this the fact that James will likely come back to earth and you have got to be worried. With Wes Matthews and Jerel McNeal shooting worse than they should for guards, and no one who looks like they will be anywhere near as automatic at the line as Steve Novak was last year, the Warriors look like they need to spend a little time practicing their free throws.
3. Perimeter Shooting
It was hard to predict how well Marquette would shoot from the outside this season. They lost sharpshooter Steve Novak to the NBA, but they still have Dan Fitzgerald and brought in freshmen David Cubillan and Lazar Hayward. Unfortunately, the Warriors have managed to shoot only a respectable but not quite good enough 31.6% from the downtown. They shot just 2-10 last night against Hillsdale, which is very worrisome for a team that has no real post threat. Cubillan, Fitzgerald, and Hayward are all capable of hitting a good number of threes, and Wes Matthews showed against Stritch that he can hit a few every now and then as well. But if the Warriors want to play deep into March they will need to find their shooting stroke.
4. Perimeter Defense
Even more importantly than their own outside shooting, the Warriors have allowed their two opponents to shoot43.8% from behind the arc. Better opponents should in theory shoot better, so it's not inconceivable to think that a strong outside shooting team could shoot 50% from downtown against this team. This would be simply unacceptable, so Marquette needs to step up their perimeter defense. Jerel McNeal, Wes Matthews and Dominic James are all good if not great on the ball defenders, and all three should be able to more or less shut down their opponents on the perimeter. The zone defense they have shown thus far has been ineffective as this is a team that is much more suited to play man to man. This should work itself out with practice and a few more games, but if it doesn't, it could be a real problem.
5. Energy
Energy has been a problem in both games, and has allowed both opponents to stay in the game much longer than they should have, and Hillsdale managed to have a four point lead at the half. Marquette looked much better in the second half of both contests, although it took a little bit longer last night. The second halves showed that this team can do it, but against better teams it will be crucial to have a high energy level for a full forty minutes. I'm not too worried about this as I suspect that it has had something to do with the level of opponents, but it is a concern.
1. Fouling
The Warriors have committed an unnacceptable 52 fouls through two games. This has led to 56 free throw opportunities, 40 of which came Sunday night against Stritch. Luckily, their two opponents have managed to hit only 60% of those, but that is just the inneptitude of the two schools. Better schools will hit more free throws, and that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
2. Free Throw Shooting
This seems to be a continuing theme from last year. Marquette has managed to shoot an abysmal 68.4% from the charity stripe, yet Dominic James is somehow shooting 91% (11-12). So even with D James miraculously improving, the Warriors have still been horrible from the line. Add to this the fact that James will likely come back to earth and you have got to be worried. With Wes Matthews and Jerel McNeal shooting worse than they should for guards, and no one who looks like they will be anywhere near as automatic at the line as Steve Novak was last year, the Warriors look like they need to spend a little time practicing their free throws.
3. Perimeter Shooting
It was hard to predict how well Marquette would shoot from the outside this season. They lost sharpshooter Steve Novak to the NBA, but they still have Dan Fitzgerald and brought in freshmen David Cubillan and Lazar Hayward. Unfortunately, the Warriors have managed to shoot only a respectable but not quite good enough 31.6% from the downtown. They shot just 2-10 last night against Hillsdale, which is very worrisome for a team that has no real post threat. Cubillan, Fitzgerald, and Hayward are all capable of hitting a good number of threes, and Wes Matthews showed against Stritch that he can hit a few every now and then as well. But if the Warriors want to play deep into March they will need to find their shooting stroke.
4. Perimeter Defense
Even more importantly than their own outside shooting, the Warriors have allowed their two opponents to shoot43.8% from behind the arc. Better opponents should in theory shoot better, so it's not inconceivable to think that a strong outside shooting team could shoot 50% from downtown against this team. This would be simply unacceptable, so Marquette needs to step up their perimeter defense. Jerel McNeal, Wes Matthews and Dominic James are all good if not great on the ball defenders, and all three should be able to more or less shut down their opponents on the perimeter. The zone defense they have shown thus far has been ineffective as this is a team that is much more suited to play man to man. This should work itself out with practice and a few more games, but if it doesn't, it could be a real problem.
5. Energy
Energy has been a problem in both games, and has allowed both opponents to stay in the game much longer than they should have, and Hillsdale managed to have a four point lead at the half. Marquette looked much better in the second half of both contests, although it took a little bit longer last night. The second halves showed that this team can do it, but against better teams it will be crucial to have a high energy level for a full forty minutes. I'm not too worried about this as I suspect that it has had something to do with the level of opponents, but it is a concern.
posted by Rob Stack @ 3:57 PM
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