1.) 3-pointers are not friends of Marquette - For the last two years, Marquette cannot shoot from the outside. They had a good night at Xavier where they made six threes on 13 attempts. That is a good night shooting from the outside for Marquette's standards. They really should only shoot about that total give or take for most of the games. Golden Eagles shot 10 threes in the second half and missed them all. Is there any other reason why this team nearly lost the game? Nope. That is unacceptable for this team. Golden Eagles are their best when they are striking towards the basket and making plays rather standing around the outside trying to make something happen.
2.) Jake Thomas experiment needs to end - I have no idea what's happening here with Thomas. I cannot explain it. My buddy and biggest Badger homer I know, Doz, asked me at the bar Saturday 'What's up with Jake Thomas getting all these minutes, I do not know if he plays at all on the worst Bo Ryan Badgers team.' When your Wisconsin friends are saying things like that, it probably needs to come to an end. Thomas is providing this team with nothing playing 30 minutes a game. He had open looks from 3-point land where is his quote 'specialty' and Thomas clanked all of them. FOX Sports analyst Kevin O'Neil basically called him useless, but he said it in a more polite manner. Marquette has too much talent on this roster to keep trotting out Thomas for more than 20 minutes a night. Further Thomas' effectiveness might be better out there for a shorter period of time instead because he spends a ton of energy on defense due to his lack of prowess on that end.
3.) Todd Mayo might becoming a star - Am I getting a little Jon Gruden here? Yeah I am. Do I trust Mayo will stay the course? Not really, no, I think he is on his final chance with the program and university but then again, I thought that last year around this team. In the last five games, Mayo has been a double-digit scorer for this team with him playing really efficiently and not relying on his 3-point shot which is truly important to Mayo's development. He made nine free throws on Saturday against Seton Hall having 19 points in total meaning he is attacking the lane. Now, Mayo should be starting, but I like to think he is one of those Manu Ginobli type meaning he prefers to come off the bench. If it is not the latter, Mayo should be starting for the rest of the year without question.
4.) Davante Gardner needs to be a rebounding machine - These last two reasons will be me banging a drum from a couple recaps I have had in the last couple of weeks. Gardner had five rebounds on Saturday against Seton Hall bringing his five game average to a sparkling 3.8 which would be good if he played point guard. But Gardner is a power forward meaning he needs to be around the six to eight rebounds per game. Marquette is not going to be beat some of the better teams in the Big East if Gardner is only pulling down only four rebounds a game. I honestly believe this is complete laziness from his end. The man can put his ass into anyone, and get a rebound or at the very least, get a foul out of the opposing team. It should be easy for Gardner to grab five rebounds, and it should not be too much to ask for him to get close to 10.
5.) Jamil Wilson cannot be a magician - The disappearing act from Wilson is something I have only seen from one player in recent memory, Wisconsin's Marcus Landry. In his senior year, Landry had the same sort of expectations that Wilson had when the season began. Wilson had the first half that I think we as Marquette fans expected all season then he disengaged from the offense in the second half leading to Wilson only having 16 points rather than a 20 or 25 point afternoon when he started the game off with 12 points in the first half. Additionally, Wilson had only his second double-double of his career which is stunning to think about given his size and stature. Jamil needs to be more than just a role player. Landry never got past that, and my biggest fear is Wilson will remain status quo. This Marquette team still has a lot of work, but a win is a win. They now get a week off before heading out for a road trip to Butler and Georgetown in two games in three days. Both games are entirely important to Marquette's dimming tournament hopes. Let's hope Marquette is not okay with 'just winning' this team and staying the course because if they are, this team is doomed.
Charlie.
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