Marquette 57, Hoyas 51 - Game Discussion Thread

[DanMcQ]

[Jack]

Bring on the Gold.

[Gold Hoya]

You want a piece of me?

[hoya73]

Got to make their freshmen seem like freshmen. Dominic James and the other guard,
Hoyas have not let other touted freshmen from Providence, Pitt,Depaul have ROY-type games against us, and need to do it again. Novak alone can't beat us if we stifle his supporting cast. Need to get this one to get us back on track for 12-4.

[YB]

This is a big game for us for confidence and seeding reasons. Need to show this year is different. I think we could dissassemble MU, but we have to be deliberate and poised and precise.

[TBird41]

The sooner we clinch a winning BE record, the better. If we do it at MU, then we don't have a possible repeat of last year hanging over our heads. Plus we need to be hitting on all cylinders if we want to go into Nova and pull off the upset.

So we need to come back out and execute offensively and defensively.

[CAHoya07]

After the loss to WVU, this game is huge. We need to erase any possibility of a losing streak like last year's. This is a huge bounce back game.

I know at Marquette is a tough place to play and that they beat UConn there, but they also lost to Cincy there, and have lost their last two to Nova and Rutgers. We're a better team, we can beat them, but we'll need to play much better than we did today.

Our best road win so far in terms of RPI is UTEP, which comes in at 94. This would be a solid road win for us and definitely help the tournament resume. Plus, we're now tied with Pitt in the Big East standings at 8-3, so our margin for error to hang on to that final first round bye is very slim.

[hoyaboy1]

If we are going to finish 12-4 and get a bye, we MUST have this.

I also don't want to think about a 3 game losing streak.

[hchoya]

Lets repeat the first half of WVU and WIN!

[nychoya3]

If we jump on Marquette like we did WVU, they won't be able to claw back. WVU stayed in that game because they're the most experienced good team in the nation. We can bury MU if we play well early.

[xpathoya]

Marquette worries me a little because G-town seems to struggle against teams that shoot well (pullup mid-range shooting included). Granted, they don't handle the ball as well as WV and Novak is no Pitsnoogly I still wouldn't want to see him get any opportunities down the stretch in a close game.

While containing Novak is a given - to tell you the truth I'm more worried about Dominic James. Unlike most freshman, James doesn't really seem to disappear or make any crucial mistakes during the big games. I say we rough him up a little - he's been nursing a bum shoulder the last couple of games. In fact, watching Marquette play, they've probably got to be one of the softest teams in the Big East (being that they're still getting broken in to BE play). They aren't used to playing physical which is why we have to crash the boards, get second opportunities, go to the foul line and get Hibbert involved again

I saw us try to press WV, but they were just too good a ball handling team for it to have any effect. w/ Marquette I say we increase the pressure in the early going to expose that suspect backcourt of theirs (Jerel, Matthews, and Chapman) and try to create the bulk of our first half offense off of turnovers/transition opportunities - just hope we don't run out of gas again though.

[YB]

Who does the Golden Shower have other than Novak? Who are their good pl,ayers? I haven't seen a lot of them this year so I don't know them well.

Thx-

[SFHoya99]

Box and one?

For the person who said that Novak isn't Pittsnobgle -- they are right, he isn't Nogle. He's better. A better shot, and a better all-around player.

Marquette is some of the same problems WVU did. But luckily, Novak doesn't play the five. James and Co. will be able to beat our guards off the dribble, but as long as we can keep some shotblocking help, our D will be okay.

The issue, of course, is if you zone, you leave Novak open to destroy you. I'd definitely like to see a box and one with Brandon and DJ alternating on Novak to stay fresh.

[xpathoya]

sfhoya99 said:

For the person who said that Novak isn't Pittsnobgle -- they are right, he isn't Nogle. He's better. A better shot, and a better all-around player.

Okay, maybe I was a little too harsh on Novak. Pure shooting wise, Novak wins but I still think Pittsnoogle's better overall (defense, scoring in the paint). Although Novak will always hit at least one three per game, that doesn't mean he's shooting well overall. Sure he can drop 40 on UCONN but ever since the ND game I think Novak's been a little off of his form forcing other guys to step up.

[MrB]

Novak is nice, Pittsnoogle has proved he can do it night in, night out, in big games and small.

plus, he does have the world's greatest name.

MU is a very tough place to play and a win there will help out loads come march.

[GIGAFAN99]

Has El Noglo ever put 41 and 16 on the #1 team in the nation?

Novak is good and if he had Gansey, he'd be better than 'Nogle. But Marquette's team defense is their undoing and I think it will be against the Hoyas.

[TBird41]

mrb said:

Novak is nice, Pittsnoogle has proved he can do it night in, night out, in big games and small.

plus, he does have the world's greatest name.

MU is a very tough place to play and a win there will help out loads come march.

I'm sorry, but what kind of Hoya are you that you think Pittsnoogle has the world's greatest name?

Bobucar Aw? Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje? And, the actual best name ever?

Dikembe Mutombo Mplondo Mukamba Jean Jacques Wamutombo.

So, basically, your assertion that Pittsnogle has the world's greatest named has been Dikembed.

[MrB]

while i agree that our lineage of great names cannot be topped, i have to give it up to pittsnoogle as the best.

first off, that name sounds like he should be a cartoon character

secondly, in their native tongue, I am sure that Aw, Boumtje, and Mutombo are like Smith, Jones, and Thomas. While Pittsnoogle is bizarre in any language aside from those that children make up for their imaginary friends.

And finally, pittsnoogle's mix of coal miner looks, nowitskian range, and the worst tatoo's I've ever seen makes him my winner.

but i will give zeke props that he sounds like the cookie monster.

[xpathoya]

tbird41 said:

I'm sorry, but what kind of Hoya are you that you think Pittsnoogle has the world's greatest name?

Bobucar Aw? Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje? And, the actual best name ever?

Dikembe Mutombo Mplondo Mukamba Jean Jacques Wamutombo.

So, basically, your assertion that Pittsnogle has the world's greatest named has been Dikembed.

I think that honor still rests with Saudi Arabian league most improved player of the year Dog Shammdog.

[Big Dog]

I can't think of anybody else in the country that give us the matchup problems that WVU does. Hibbs was basically rendered ineffective in the second half because when he was in and guarding Pittsnogle he was too far from the basket to help stop the deadly penetration put on by Gansey and others.

But WVU basically put on an offensive clinic (I really don't want to see those guys again this year.) Yes our offense was ugly in the second-half, but the ball movement WVU demonstrated in the second half was at times breathtaking. They ran our offense better than we did. Constant ball movement, breaking defenders down off the dribble etc.

Marquette poses SOME of these challenges, but for my money not to the same extreme. Novak is an excellent player, but he is not their center. They let him roam far from the basket but they have other (not particularly impressive) big people who try and crash the boards and hang out closer to the basket from what I've seen. These players give Hibbs a purpose on the floor, while JG or BB will be on Novak. Dominic James does pose some Gansey-like problems, though he's not the shooter Gansey is. He certainly can break people down, and JW and other's one-on-one perimeter defense last night did not exactly look spectacular, so there is reason to fear the dribble penetration with kick-out to Novak (and others) on the perimeter.

This will NOT be an easy game. I might favor the Golden Eagles if I were Vegas by a point or two because I'm convinced of the power of the Bradley Center as a homecourt venue (and while I'm loud, I'm not going to be loud enough, even with some others of you, to counter 16,000 fans.) This will probably be the loudest place we play all year, and its been 8 games or so since we've played in a truly hostile environment (we can argue over whether South Bend counts I suppose, though they always seem to expect the worst, and get quiet in a hurry.)

I do expect we'll shoot considerably than we did last night, and I think they'll have a hard time matching up with our size and strength.

I also view this as a tremendous tuneup for Sunday's game at Nova.

I expect a terrific, competitive game. Perhaps our edge of experience and success in close games tips the scales in our favor.

If we want that first round BET bye, this is a game we need.