It's awful hard for a team to stomp through the NCAA tournament with no true big man and no marquee star. Perhaps that's why Marquette is overlooked this year as they get poised to begin battle in the South Region.
But make no mistake about it, coach Tom Crean's team is no stranger to the art of war.
The Big East brings an astounding eight teams to the Big Dance this year: Georgetown, Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburg, Notre Dame, Villanova, West Virginia, and Marquette's Golden Eagles. The troop of Big East teams was divided two per region, with Pittsburgh and Marquette stationed on the path to Houston.
While a gritty Pitt team enters with a No. 4 seed, Marquette takes its first-round position at No. 6 against 11th seeded Kentucky. Even though Pitt finished seventh to Marquette's fifth in Conference play this season, the Golden Eagles received a fair enough seed. Their season has no-doubt been marked by fluctuations of brilliance and dissappointment.
Under the direction of Crean, however, a 2003 finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award, Marquette may surprise the South in 2008. Here are the reasons why.
1. The Triple Perimeter Threat: Although lacking a force in the paint, Marquette's backcourt trio of Jerel McNeal (06-07 Big East Defensive Player of the Year), Dominic James, and Wesley Matthews have the ability to open up the court and nail the resulting shots. What the team lacks in size, they make up for in these three players.
The 6-3 McNeal averages 14.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game, while James and Matthews put up comparable numbers. These guys can mount quick, game-changing assaults on unsuspecting defenses.
2. The Wins: Despite some regettable regular-season losses, Marquette did defeat the now fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers back in December. They also pulverized Notre Dame in January (finishing 2-1 against them on season), manhandled Pitt in February, and rose victorious over Villanova in March.
3. The Bad Losses: Unfortunately for Marquette, the team seems to have a "Good-Rex/Bad-Rex" complex that leaves fans wondering which Golden Eagles team will take the floor for a given contest. This year they were twice embarrassed by Louisville (by a total margin of 34 points), they fell to Notre Dame and West Virginia, and Conneticut took them for a 16-point ride to the L column.
The silver lining in this cloud of defeats is that Marquette simply plays in a damn hard conference. Coach Creane stresses individual player development, and there were certainly lessons for his players to learn from the bad times. By the time the Golden Eagles tip-off against Kentucky, the team should be tested and matured from an arduous regular season.
4. The "Good" Losses: Some would say that a loss is simply a loss, nothing more or less. By staying within four points of Duke in November and taking Georgetown to overtime in a two-point heartbreaker earlier this month, Marquette has proven it can hang with the truly elite. And in the NCAA tournament, anything is possible if a team can last 12 rounds.
If Marquette does defeat Kentucky in its first round contest, it will most likely tango with Stanford for a spot in the Sweet 16. After that, powerhouses like Texas and Memphis loom. The Golden Eagles, however, have honed their endurance by playing tough teams all year, and they have proven they have the stomach for a fight.
Watch for the boys from Milwaukee to surprise.
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6 months ago
I have always thought Marquette is way over rated. I saw them lose by 16 to UConn, they were down by nearly 30 with 10 minutes to go.
6 months ago
They may indeed be over rated, but they do have the capacity to win big games. If they don't go to at least the Sweet 16 this year, I think they will have to prove a top 25 rating all over again next year ... srom scratch. But they are a wild card ... we'll see what happens. They need to come out early and establish their game.
6 months ago
Hmmmm - did someone here go to Wisconsin?
6 months ago
I think they'll get a top 25 next year. James, McNeal, and Matthews got it for them as juniors. They'll be seniors and there's gonna be a couple more names like Hayward and Burke to add to that list. Even if they don't start in the top 25, they'll get their chance to beat Wisconsin early in the year and prove their mettle against Tennessee. It won't be long before they're ranked.
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