Marquette 79, West Virginia 74
New Year's Resolution: Write something -- anything at all -- about every basketball game I watch. I had hoped to get this blog into better shape over break, but my hard drive crashed almost as soon as I got to DC and I haven't been able to do much. I'm currently posting using my Dad's Netbook, which isn't great for stuff like that. Maybe I'll have time to do it once I get back to LA and get my computer fixed.
Woke up this morning hangover-free thanks to a low-key New Year's Eve spent by myself watching 12 straight hours of college hoops and caught a terrific Big East game. Buzz Williams has got himself another solid team at Marquette, with five double-figure scorers -- Jimmy Butler, Darius Johnson-Odom, Jae Crowder, Vander Blue, and Dwight Buycks. The Golden Eagles always seem to have squads like this: a bunch of solid perimeter players without a really strong inside presence, with an undersized four (Crowder in this case, Lazar Hayward in years past) doing some of the dirty work inside. What I like about this year's squad is that it doesn't rely too heavily on the three-pointer. I know that threes are an efficient form of offense, but one thing that has soured me on the college game is how so many teams are just three-point factories. The college line is too close and it's not a terribly difficult shot for many college players, and it can be fun when a capable team gets hot from the arc (like Ohio State did yesterday against Indiana), but it's just not enjoyable to watch when mediocre shooters take so many three-pointers. The Golden Eagles get a lot of stuff at or near the rim -- another very efficient shot -- so it's not as if they are hurt by this year's offensive strategy.
This was a back and forth game. Oddly, given Marquette's balanced scoring attack and perimeter orientation, it was the only bucket scored by Chris Otule that put the Golden Eagles ahead for good. That had to have been a frustrating play for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. Down by a point with less than two minutes remaining, Buycks took what the defense gave him, which was a wide-open three-pointer from the right wing (Buycks was 11-for-32 from deep on the season heading into the game). The shot hit the front rim and bounced softly off the backboard on the weakside, where Otule was waiting to slam it home. On a play where West Virginia chose to leave the shooter open, it also left the weak-side rebounder uncontested, and that's gotta drive a coach crazy.
The game wasn't sealed until a couple of possessions later, when Crowder -- last year's juco player of the year -- ripped the ball from Casey Mitchell, another former juco player of the year, at the top of the key, and Mitchell instinctively reached out and grabbed Crowder's shorts before he could stop himself, resulting in an intentional foul. Crowder was outstanding all night; career high on offense (I think he ended with 29), some nice assists, disruptive on defense, and leading the way on the boards.
Marquette's experience late in close games showed; they played something like 16 games decided by four points or less last year. West Virginia played its fair share of close games last season, too, and have plenty of returning players. The difference is that they don't have Da'Sean Butler, last year's closer who had like six game-winning shots last year. Mitchell is the Mountaineers most talented offensive player, but he's also something of a loose cannon from what I've seen and I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable with his shot selection in that situation. Truck Bryant had a great offensive game, but couldn't come up with the big baskets late. It will be interesting to see who carries the load for WVU down the stretch going forward.
Bryant did most of his damage, by the way, when he shared the court with fellow point guard Joe Mazzulla. It's interesting, because it's not like Mazzulla was creating a lot of opportunities for him. I guess being relieved of the burden of initiating the offense and getting everyone else involved is enough to set Bryant free on offense.
One other note about West Virginia: On paper, they had the edge inside, but didn't get much out of Deniz Kilicli and Kevin Jones in the early stages of the game, or late in the game. They also didn't get to the free throw line as often as they should have given their size advantage.
Woke up this morning hangover-free thanks to a low-key New Year's Eve spent by myself watching 12 straight hours of college hoops and caught a terrific Big East game. Buzz Williams has got himself another solid team at Marquette, with five double-figure scorers -- Jimmy Butler, Darius Johnson-Odom, Jae Crowder, Vander Blue, and Dwight Buycks. The Golden Eagles always seem to have squads like this: a bunch of solid perimeter players without a really strong inside presence, with an undersized four (Crowder in this case, Lazar Hayward in years past) doing some of the dirty work inside. What I like about this year's squad is that it doesn't rely too heavily on the three-pointer. I know that threes are an efficient form of offense, but one thing that has soured me on the college game is how so many teams are just three-point factories. The college line is too close and it's not a terribly difficult shot for many college players, and it can be fun when a capable team gets hot from the arc (like Ohio State did yesterday against Indiana), but it's just not enjoyable to watch when mediocre shooters take so many three-pointers. The Golden Eagles get a lot of stuff at or near the rim -- another very efficient shot -- so it's not as if they are hurt by this year's offensive strategy.
This was a back and forth game. Oddly, given Marquette's balanced scoring attack and perimeter orientation, it was the only bucket scored by Chris Otule that put the Golden Eagles ahead for good. That had to have been a frustrating play for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. Down by a point with less than two minutes remaining, Buycks took what the defense gave him, which was a wide-open three-pointer from the right wing (Buycks was 11-for-32 from deep on the season heading into the game). The shot hit the front rim and bounced softly off the backboard on the weakside, where Otule was waiting to slam it home. On a play where West Virginia chose to leave the shooter open, it also left the weak-side rebounder uncontested, and that's gotta drive a coach crazy.
The game wasn't sealed until a couple of possessions later, when Crowder -- last year's juco player of the year -- ripped the ball from Casey Mitchell, another former juco player of the year, at the top of the key, and Mitchell instinctively reached out and grabbed Crowder's shorts before he could stop himself, resulting in an intentional foul. Crowder was outstanding all night; career high on offense (I think he ended with 29), some nice assists, disruptive on defense, and leading the way on the boards.
Marquette's experience late in close games showed; they played something like 16 games decided by four points or less last year. West Virginia played its fair share of close games last season, too, and have plenty of returning players. The difference is that they don't have Da'Sean Butler, last year's closer who had like six game-winning shots last year. Mitchell is the Mountaineers most talented offensive player, but he's also something of a loose cannon from what I've seen and I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable with his shot selection in that situation. Truck Bryant had a great offensive game, but couldn't come up with the big baskets late. It will be interesting to see who carries the load for WVU down the stretch going forward.
Bryant did most of his damage, by the way, when he shared the court with fellow point guard Joe Mazzulla. It's interesting, because it's not like Mazzulla was creating a lot of opportunities for him. I guess being relieved of the burden of initiating the offense and getting everyone else involved is enough to set Bryant free on offense.
One other note about West Virginia: On paper, they had the edge inside, but didn't get much out of Deniz Kilicli and Kevin Jones in the early stages of the game, or late in the game. They also didn't get to the free throw line as often as they should have given their size advantage.
Labels: Casey Mitchell, Chris Otule, Jae Crowder, Marquette, Truck Bryant Joe Mazzulla, West Virginia
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 10:36 AM
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