I Bleed Blue and White

Marquette held on late against the feisty home-town Johnnies and will move on to the Quarterfinals to face our Villanova Wildcats. We’ll get into this game more on the new site (!!!!!!) but for now, let’s just say this is going to be a difficult game. Villanova is for all intents and purposes, reeling. We’ve beaten Marquette 4 straight times (all wars) dating back to last year. They will be out for revenge.

Any early thoughts on this game?

This will probably be the final post on IBBW (other than the farewell).

In retrospect, I don’t know why I started flipping around to different games about 5 minutes into the 2nd half of Villanova’s win over Marquette on Saturday. I’ve grown up on the ‘it ain’t over til it’s over’ mantra and I’ve seen far too many comebacks to think any win was a given. Yet, when ‘Nova went up by 20 (and was really having their way) my friend Jeff and I decided to start checking in on some other college hoops happen.

Let’s go back to 1 p.m. I was on my way to run some errands before the game and I’d just watched UConn demolish Georgetown — in the first half. I even tweeted that this one was over, a fact not lost on TheUConnBlog.

And then there came the score — Georgetown 72, UConn 69. I was in utter shock, as was Jeff, a diehard Huskies fan. It was right then I should have realized to immediately switch back to the ‘Nova game, but I didn’t. I laughed at Jeff. And then, around 10 minutes later, the text messages started pouring in. Here’s a sampling:

• Are you nervous yet?
• In my best Steve Berthume voice -  Lazar Hayward…for 3!
• Over/Under on F-Bombs you’ve dropped in the last 10 minutes: 15.5

These all came in pretty much simultaneously, and sent me into a state of complete panic. And as I switched it back to the ‘Nova game, the horror set in. Marquette had closed it to 3 behind 8-11 from downtown in the 2nd half. Dear God.

Luckily, Villanova again staved off the Eagles thanks to a big steal from Scottie Reynolds and two clutch free throws from Antonio Peña (ironically, we’re playing Louisville tomorrow. I don’t want to reminisce about ‘Tone and Louisville last year). Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I’m gonna see these games through from now on.

Some random thoughts from the game:

• I might be jumping the gun, but I think we can remove “Corey Stokes‘ Shooting Ability” from milk cartons everywhere. Brian mentioned this a while back, but with guys like him usually it just takes one game to fix the problems. Hopefully that’s true.
• Scottie Reynolds only took 6 shots. Good that he’s sharing the wealth, bad in that he’s our star player and he needs to assert himself a little more. But he was still solid, minus a terrible giveaway late in the game.
• All of the starters finished in double figures tonight, a very good sign for the balance of this team moving forward.
• Mouphtaou Yarou logged just 5 minutes, but he had a great play where he tracked down a guard from behind on a fast break and blocked the shot, but also crushed the guy with the body, and was called for the foul. It was an impressive display nonetheless.
• Maalik Wayns started off really strong, and then kind of faded as the game went on. He didn’t do anything bad, but he didn’t stand out either. Tough to follow up after his last game though.
• Peña was 5-5 from the stripe. Hey-Oh! Also, I’d like to see us give him the ball on offense more often. His game is pretty nice.
• Two pretty quiet games in a row from Taylor King. I’m expecting big things from him tomorrow though. ‘3-point barrage’ might be in order.
• Brian already touched on it, but our end-of-game management was brutal. I don’t know if that’s the players (it shouldn’t be with Corey Fisher and Reynolds) or if it was Jay Wright (more likely), but we can’t be turning it over left and right and taking quick shots. I know that works early in the game, but when you are protecting a 5-point lead with 60 seconds left, it might behoove you to not start shooting with 20 seconds left on the shot clock.
• Reggie Redding was steady, yet again. With his stats I don’t see him making All-BIG EAST, but it’s going to be a crime if he doesn’t. And I will assuredly go nuts.

That’s all til tomorrow when we travel to Freedom Hall (ugh) to play the up-and-down Louisville Cardinals, and their slut of a coach.

Courtesy of RFC here are the highlights (sans the last 8 minutes) of Villanova’s win over Marquette, which completed the season-sweep (not easy) of the Golden Eagles and moved the Cats to 3-0 in the BIG EAST. Enjoy!

Ahh, the home court advantage. In football, this is typically worth 3-4 points in the spread. Not so much in basketball apparently, at least when comparing to last weekend.

• On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
• In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
• Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
• Anonymous entries will not count.
• Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
• If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
• If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
• The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
• In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.

The spread for today’s game is Villanova -9.5. Let’s have it people.

One of the first (and best) BIG EAST blogs I discovered was the Marquette blog Cracked Sidewalks. A unique name to say the least, it had accomplished what I hoped to accomplish myself — a bunch of die-hard ‘Quette fans writing and conversing with people like them about what they love most.

I haven’t exactly modeled what I do after them, but it’s totally within reality to give those guys the credit they deserve. They’re good at what they do. So I reached out to Tim Blair for the 1st game this year, and never heard back. Turns out Tim was swamped with work (something that is hurting me as well) but he got back to me for this round and we’ve done our typical Q&A. Below are my questions and his responses. Enjoy!

Chris (IBBW): When is Lazar Hayward graduating? Seriously, get him out of my life. Despite losing all the talented guards around him, he continues to produce and lead this team. He’s severely underrated in my opinion, and is definitely a guy opposing teams/fans hate. Give me your thoughts on his career to this point and his role on this year’s squad.

Tim (CS): It is true that Hayward has been suiting up for the Warriors since Kevin O’Neill took over the program 20 years ago and what a ride it’s been.  Oh, if it could be so.  Hayward has been one of the most interesting and productive players Marquette has ever had.  When Crean brought him to campus he was billed as a great outside shooter who projected to be a big two guard or small forward.  I think it was apparent right away that Hayward lacked the lateral quickness to be an effective guard or small forward, but he found a way to contribute immediately.

Ultimately, despite being undersized and playing out of position for his entire college career Hayward has demonstrated remarkable improvement year-to-year, filling the void at power forward for a program that is continually starved for baseline talent.  Hayward is the toughest player I’ve ever seen at Marquette, refusing to use his height or circumstance as an excuse.  His inspired play against bigger and presumably more talented players is remarkable.  Hayward’s late domination of Greg Monroe earlier this week was particularly noteworthy.  With the game on the line in the final minute Hayward ripped the ball from Monroe’s grasp twice — once on a steal to create a defensive stop, and then a second time on an offensive rebound which was followed by two clutch free throws after the Hoyas fouled him.

Chris (IBBW): Talk to me about the emergence of Jimmy Butler. He seemed to come out of nowhere late last year.

Tim (CS): Butler was an unheralded recruit, in fact his junior college teammate Joseph Fulce was considered the more talented player when both landed up on campus before last season.  While Fulce was slowed by injury last year Butler emerged as a consistent role player for Buzz Williams and blossomed in the final weeks of the season.  Last season Butler was a tremendous offensive rebounder and a remarkably efficient offensive player.  Butler rarely plays out of character, he focuses on his strengths which are high-percentage shots and a knack for the offensive rebound. Hayward needed a wingman this year and Butler is delivering.

Chris (IBBW): How much will revenge play a factor on Saturday?

Tim (CS): I gotta tell you, I’m tired of losing to you guys at the buzzer.  Last season’s BIG EAST Tournament loss was an absolute nightmare — I still want to know why Jerel McNeal decided to leave his man alone under the basket.  Of course Reynolds’ extraordinary skill in splitting a lazy double team last week was equally nauseating.  I sure hope revenge is part of Marquette’s motivation this week.  More than that though, the win over Georgetown in a tight game should do wonders for the Warriors’ confidence.  After losing the first two conference games at the buzzer, MU needed a boost of confidence and they got it.

Chris (IBBW): Good to see you guys finally pulled out a close win over Georgetown. After several tough losses, you deserve it. Does that speak to the resiliency of this somewhat inexperienced team, or it’s coach?

Tim (CS): The win over Georgetown was huge.  When the BIG EAST schedule was first released many folks had MU down for an 0-4 start in league play, so bouncing back after two devastating losses can’t be overstated.  I think that yes, the team is resilient.  While MU is small, Coach Williams has done a good job of establishing roles for his top seven players and those guys play their hearts out.  Despite MU’s vertically challenged roster the guys are tough — they out-rebounded the Hoyas despite being outscored in the paint 32-6.  I think the only way to explain that is a combination of scheme, skill and heart.  Of course with only seven players in the typical Marquette rotation it’s no wonder the Warriors lost close games late to FSU, West Virginia and your Wildcats.  Most Marquette fans are hoping Coach Williams will find a way to extend his bench and find serviceable minutes from freshmen Erik Williams and Yous Mbao.  EWill is a mystery — he was a highly rated recruit who has just not yet cracked the code.

Chris (IBBW): There was some chatter about some possible bad blood between Buzz and Jay after a very brief/cold post-game handshake last weekend. Anything to that?

Tim (CS): I must have missed that.  Coach Williams can be very emotional in tight games — just ask the zebras who officiated MU’s loss to Missouri in last year’s NCAA Tournament.  I’d be surprised if any of that ever spilled over to Buzz’ conduct with his coaching brethren.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for the game. Does Marquette snap The Pavilion winning streak or does ‘Nova get the regular season sweep?

Tim (CS): It’d be easy to view this game as a Wildcat romp, but I do like Marquette’s chances to stay close for most of the game.  That said, I don’t see how MU will pull this one out.  I hope the Warriors can build on the tremendous defensive effort they exhibited late in the Georgetown game, but unfortunately MU is not a strong FG% defense team.  Marquette’s best counter is to force turnovers and to own the offensive glass, which combined with reasonable outside shooting, should keep them in the game. In the end, I expect Scottie Reynolds to rip our hearts out and show it to us before we die — which should be midway through the second half.  Villanova 81-67.

Just want to say thank you to Tim again, and make sure to check out my answers to Tim’s questions before the game tomorrow!

Greetings from the road. I’m coming to you from The Courtyard Marriott in High Point, NC. I’m not going to do my usual write up on DePaul because frankly, it’s just not worth it. We did exactly what a good team does to a bad team. We buried them early, and then kept our foot on the pedal and didn’t let them see the light.

Enjoy it, because it won’t be that easy again this season. But with Marquette coming up again on Saturday (and our Pavilion streak actually on the line this time), let’s take a few minutes to enjoy the work of Ray Foye Combo as he gives us highlights from both of our conference wins.

Enjoy!

1st Half Highlights -- DePaul

2nd Half Highlights -- DePaul

Marquette Highlights

I was so ecstatic all week about the beginning of the BIG EAST schedule. I was sick of the creampuffs, sick of semi-caring about the games, sick of watching the games on my laptop, or even worse, following them on my phone. I need HDTV, and battles with the big boys on a weekly basis.

After Chapter 1 though, I’m not sure I’m going to make it through the season without an incident. I know Marquette is a lot better than their now 9-5 record. I know The Bradley Center is one of the tougher venues in the conference. I know we’re a young team still sifting its way to an identity. But I’m already missing those comfortable wins.

However, it was great to look back on this game and think about all the good that happened. Maalik Wayns may have just grown up in front of our eyes. In his first conference road game he came off the bench for 16 points, 2 assists and 0 turnovers. Not to mention the countless times he got to the goal, and finished despite being fouled. AND he knocked down his free throws. He played like a senior.

Isaiah Armwood gave this team 14 very solid minutes. He’s playing like a guy who just wants to be on the court. The best thing I can say about him is that he is just an active player. You rarely see him standing around, which is a trait that is sometimes hard to teach. He’ll continue to see the court if he stays with that kinda play.

And can you say enough about Scottie Reynolds? I tweeted at the end of the game that though I shouldn’t be shocked anymore at his heroics, I continue to be. There’s nobody in college basketball I’d rather have at the end of the game. It’s just truly amazing. And I haven’t even touched on the rest of his game, which was remarkable to say the least. A true Wildcat. His jersey will hang from the rafters, and not soon enough.

Some other, random thoughts:

• I know some people probably didn’t mind that broadcast team, but the trio of Fran Fraschilla, Doris Burke and Eric Collins nearly got me to mute the game a couple times.
• What made this win better – Antonio Peña, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes didn’t really have great games. And yet we still came away with the W. That’s the mark of a good team. Or it’s the mark of a team that has an assassin at the helm.
• Reggie Redding was good at times, and at times was making me scratch my head. But it was his first competitive game, so he gets a pass.
• We need to be a lot better on our FT’s down the stretch. We gave Marquette a few extra chances at the end when it should have been over.
• Quiet day from Taylor King. From what I remember he battled pretty good in his first taste of the BEAST. I was a little concerned, but banging against Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler is a good test of things to come.
• Speaking of Hayward and Butler, they’re very good. Especially Hayward. I won’t lie, I thought he was a product of last year’s guards. Not the truth at all. He can carry a team.
• We’re 1-0 on a weekend where both West Virginia and Syracuse went down. That feels good.

‘Nova returns to action on Wednesday when they host DePaul at The Pavilion. Game time is 8:00 p.m. Talk to you then.

Time for the next installment of Pick’em. All BIG EAST games going forward, so hopefully you have saved the memories of those 20-30 point spreads someplace safe, because there aren’t going to be any more of those. Quick refresh of the rules:

• On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
• In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
• Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
• Anonymous entries will not count.
• Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
• If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
• If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
• The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
• In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.

The spread for the game is Villanova -1.5. Fire away.

The Game: #8 Villanova (11-1) at Marquette (9-4, 0-1)

Location: The Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Broadcast: ESPN2

Brief Rundown: Villanova got some excellent news on New Year’s Eve when it was announced that freshman Mouphtaou Yarou had been cleared to resume basketball activities, just in time for the BIG EAST. Because of the creampuff schedule they faced after getting Reggie Redding back, we haven’t been able to tell what this team is going to look like heading into BIG EAST play. The return of both, however, will definitely aid the super-thin frontcourt.

After losing three spectacular senior guards last year, nobody really expected them to be that formidable of a foe, despite the return of Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler. Both have performed admirably thus far, with Hayward averaging just under 20 points per game. Greg Norman spoiled the fun in their conference opener against West Virginia, but they definitely proved they aren’t going to be a push-over this year.

Last Time Out: After Scottie Reynolds led a great first-half assault in the BIG EAST Tournament, ‘Nova allowed Marquette to make it a nail-biter before Dwayne Anderson provided the heroics with a layup as time expired.

What I Want To See: This could go two ways. Marquette could fold early because of the heartbreaking loss they suffered, or they could come out looking to actually get that upset-win. I’d bank on the latter. I want to see how our young players handle what should be a very hostile environment, because it certainly isn’t going to be the last one they face this season.

Links:

• Cracked Sidewalks
• Buzz Williams talks ‘Nova
• Marquette players talk ‘Nova
• ‘Nova talks BIG EAST,Marquette, and Yarou’s return (click on ‘Sportsnite’ tab, and clips are from 12/31)

Expert bracketologist Joe Lunardi returns for the 2009-2010 campaign with his initial breakdown of the field of 64.  As we all know, this means absolutely nothing, and this bracket will look very different come March.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, Villanova is ranked as a 2 seed in the East (Syracuse) region.

There were a few things that caught my eye right away in terms of the Big East.  First, I don’t think Marquette will be challenging for a bid this year, as Lunardi has them as “one of the first four out.”  Losing Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews is too much to overcome this year in my opinion.  In the “next four out” Lunardi has Cincinnati.  No, this program has not had much success since the Bob Huggins era, but this year’s team has a good chance to make the tournament and even be a decent seed.  They bring back a good nucleus to go along with freshman phenom Lance Stephenson.  Lastly, Pittsburgh was given an 8 seed.  I think Jamie Dixon is a great coach and always admire the toughness of the Pitt teams, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Panthers on the outside looking in.  No doubt, though, they will be very well prepared and play each game extremely hard.

We will see how it unfolds over the course of the season.  The excitement continues to build as we head towards Friday night and the Fairleigh Dickinson game.

Added by Chris:

I do not like Joe Lunardi one bit, and frankly I am surprised to see him give us this kind of respect this early on. I think we would all sign up for a 2-seed right now, especially with the inexperience of some of our team. That projection is entirely dependent on a lot of guys growing up fast.

As for the other Big East projections, I agree that I have a tough time seeing Marquette in the at-large mix. Hayward is a great player but too many new parts to go along with not much experience. If Jimmy Butler can become a go-to-guy though, they could sneak in. Cincinnati is a near lock for the tournament to me. Too much talent. I actually think Pittsburgh will be higher than an 8 seed. Whenever they are highly-rated they underachieve (last year is a good example) and whenever people think they are rebuilding they tend to exceed expectations.