UPDATED
After a soul-crushing defeat is there any greater gift than seeing DePaul next up on the schedule? No sir, there is nothing better.
DePaul basketball ... it's how Big East teams get back on track!
Marquette beat DePaul senseless tonight, racing to a 94- 64 victory highlighted by forced turnovers, alley-oops and domination on the backboards. The Warriors used a convincing 16-2 run to build a commanding 46-29 halftime lead and never looked back. Out of the gate in the second half MU extended the lead to 73-41 with 10:25 to play ending any hope for a Blue Demons comeback.
The Fearsome Foursome led the way for the Warriors. Jae Crowder finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Jimmy Butler and DJO finished with 20 points each, while Dwight Buycks added a dozen. Vander Blue played his best game in Big East action finishing with twelve points and two assists while displaying the confidence MU fans noted in his play earlier this season.
Marquette's defense was stifling once again, dominating the Blue Demons throughout. The win marked the third straight game where the Warriors held the opposition to a points per possession (ppp) of 0.92 or less. Last night MU held DePaul to an ineffective 0.88 ppp while running its offense at a remarkable clip of 1.35 ppp. Marquette's efficiency on offense remains impressive, and the defensive numbers are trending positively. Don't look now, but MU has been the fourth best team during conference play (and that was before last night).
With the win Marquette moves to 13-6 overall and 4-2 in the Big East. After disposing of the league's dregs, the Warriors now embark on a stretch of four games against top 20 teams (two in the top 10) in the next two weeks. First up the Warriors head to South Bend to take on the Irish on Saturday. Following the Domer game, MU faces UConn and Syracuse at home before traveling to Villanova on Feburary 2.
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Lets now build on this. We have tremendous opportunities to get some impressive wins. I personally feel @ ND is very winnable, I also feel home games against 'Cuse and UCONN are winnable, @ Villa will be the real toughie. I could see us going 3-1. If we play SMART!
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER! This is always the deal with Marquette - glimpse's of brilliance only to refert back to idiocy. I really think this season should be a reflection on Buzz. Is he being out-coached? Does he understand how to make in game adjustments? Will he learn what to do with a last possession?
An 0-4 run here will remove us from the NCAA's. Bottomline, a win vs. W.VA isn't enough.
Play smart Marquette - don't step out of bound's, do not trip on the way to the hoop, and don't drive and miss a lay-up without getting fouled.
Lets now build on this. We have tremendous opportunities to get some impressive wins. I personally feel @ ND is very winnable, I also feel home games against 'Cuse and UCONN are winnable, @ Villa will be the real toughie. I could see us going 3-1. If we play SMART!
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER! This is always the deal with Marquette - glimpse's of brilliance only to refert back to idiocy. I really think this season should be a reflection on Buzz. Is he being out-coached? Does he understand how to make in game adjustments? Will he learn what to do with a last possession?
An 0-4 run here will remove us from the NCAA's. Bottomline, a win vs. W.VA isn't enough.
Play smart Marquette - don't step out of bound's, do not trip on the way to the hoop, and don't drive and miss a lay-up without getting fouled.