Miserable Marquette Season Ends with a X

Marquette did not make an appearance on the bubble. Nobody talked about how the Golden Eagles 'needed one or two wins' to make the Big Dance. A team picked to win the Big East had become irrelevant in absolutely no time. Although with Villanova falling earlier in the door, the door was open a touch for Marquette to make a run. It did not happen as Xavier beat Marquette, 68-65, where they took control early on in the second half and Golden Eagles could not get their heads back above water.

This game really became a microcosm of the season. A game where Marquette plays competitively in spots, disappear at different occasions and a Buzz Williams decision that makes your head spin. Golden Eagles really played to their season's worth which is about lower than low. It is like praising an alcoholic for not having a drink in a week or so. Marquette did some nice things, but once again, they could not close out a basketball game

One of the more encouraging things about Marquette's season in October was the massive recruiting class coming in for 2014. Duane Wilson, Deonte Burton and JaJuan Johnson were all hyped up to be the next great players for Marquette. Wilson got hurt, Johnson never really made it off the bench and Burton finally got a chance to start on Thursday. He had a career-high 23 points in an aggressive performance where he showed a will to get to the lane and make shit happen. Marquette did not have enough guys this year that wanted to make shit happen. Burton might not have much of an outside shot yet, but he can entirely fill up the tin. The mind-boggling thing is he stayed on the bench for most of the final seven minutes of the game. Buzz Williams told Andrew Gruman and others, it was due to his defense and then you see this from Paint Touches.

Xavier scored on 11 of its 14 final possessions. Good thing Deonte wasn't in to make it worse.
— Paint Touches (@PaintTouches) March 14, 2014

The fact Williams used his lack of defense as an excuse is a fair one for why Burton did not start all year, but to keep him bench when he is playing the best game of his career is absolutely maddening and disappointing. There are times where you need to sacrifice defense for good offense. Marquette has enough players that can fill it up and if they have to play in the eighties, so be it. It is also a complete and utter joke given Davante Gardner cannot guard a statue, Todd Mayo's closes like a 21-year-old kid at the bar, Jake Thomas is a disaster (He did make a really smart play last night though) and basically, none of these guys really play concrete defense. I know Marquette's numbers show they are better than most, but we see mirages all the time. Burton needed to be out there, and the fact, Williams kept him on the bench is such a timid, feeble move. Change scares Williams, let's just all admit that about the coach. He cannot handle freshman being the leaders of this team especially when he kisses the collective asses of all the seniors.

Heavy criticism of Williams feels completely wrong honestly. Many critics would say 'Look at DePaul, they are praising just winning a Big East conference tournament game, and you have coach that got you three Sweet 16, how ungrateful.' It is not ungrateful, just concerned how Williams handled this roster and what the team will be like moving forward. A great coach like a Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, tends to find a way to make things work with a roster and rarely do they get defeated like Marquette's head coach did all season with trying to figure out this roster.

Even though Todd Mayo is about as reckless as anyone in college basketball, but he stayed engaged throughout the game. I did not realize Mayo had 21 points on 8/13 shooting, but he tried his best to keep Marquette in the basketball game. Twice, the Golden Eagles trailed by six points and Mayo nailed a three-point jumper (Worth nothing, Mayo found his three-point shot again at the end of the year). In the last six games, Mayo is averaging 17.1 points and in the last three, he had 20 or more points off the bench. Could a generally troubled player become a leader next year? I have high hopes which might be naive, but I am optimist that Mayo will stay in check knowing he is the man of the 2014-2015 team.

Mayo and Burton give me hope that this could be a one bad year and things might head back to normal. The trio of the two and Luke Fischer midway through the season could be real special. Not to mention, Duane Wilson will get the keys and it could be real special. Even though Williams mishandled this season, I still hold out hope it was an aberration and things will be back to normalcy next season.

The best part of the game yesterday was Jamil Wilson missing two free throws as Marquette down three with under two minutes left. If you wanted a clip to describe Marquette's season and Wilson's career, that would be the perfect one.  Happy, it is over and would not mind making a little noise in the NIT.

Charlie.

The Providence Knockout

AMC does theme weeks almost every week with their movies. This week, it has been the Rocky saga. If Rocky, I really have no time for you as an individual, but I digress. Marquette-Providence felt a little bit like Rocky II even though Providence is nowhere near an 'Apollo Creed' of college basketball and Marquette is not a 'Rocky' of the sport either instead one is on the rise for the first time in years and the other is a great disappointment.
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The reason it felt like the movie is Marquette took all sorts of punches from Providence throughout the game and battled back to have a lead late in the game. Friars forced overtime and a second one where they were victorious, 81-80, where Marquette had Providence on their heels yet failed to deliver the final knockout punch.  Derrick Wilson turning in one of his worst games of his starting career aided the problems for Marquette as well as Buzz Williams keeping two timeouts in his pocket along with another disappointing effort from Jamil Wilson and how Todd Mayo has become my Marquette little brother.

Unlike others around college basketball, Derrick Wilson is finishing off his senior season with a complete whimper. The last couple of games have been quite the disappointment for Wilson. This game was no different. The worst came from him in the waning moments of the game. The worst of it being his fifth foul of the game where he reached for a jump ball against Providence's star Bryce Cotton instead of playing defense in the final Friar possession of the game. Cotton made both free throws and won the game. Wilson is known for his defense; that's why Buzz has him out there yet Derrick did not trust him to make a stop against Cotton whom without question was taking the final shot of the game. Such a shame. Let's also not forget he walked the ball up with only 10 seconds left in the first overtime period with no sense of urgency causing a terrible final possession and a bad travel as well. In the end, Wilson put a bun on the dumpster fire sandwich he had on Tuesday night.  

The reason why Cotton got the two free throws were not all Wilson's fault. Marquette had a one-point lead and got the ball back after Providence had a slashing basket. There were 10 seconds left and Williams had two timeouts left. Jake Thomas caught the inbound  pass and instead of trying to dribble or pass to keep the ball away from Providence, he anticipated the foul. With that, Cotton went for the ball and forced a jump ball giving the Friars an extra possession. If Williams gets a timeout there, Marquette at least gets another chance to make a three-point game at the free throw line. I have no idea why no one is thinking about the timeout there. I am sorry, but the ineptitude of this team is mind-blowing. Wilson and Thomas's plays were stuff you would see at the local high school when the freshman team plays, not a high level college basketball team.

The other Wilson on the team was not much better on Tuesday with another game where Jamil Wilson rode the struggle bus in a major way. Jamil's stat line was a sight for sore eyes as he went 4/15 from the field having only eleven points with only getting to the free throw line twice. The senior forward threw up countless mid-range jumpers and nothing was falling for him. The refusal for Wilson to take it to the tin is stunning and amazing. The guy is a beast in size but the mentality of Jamil is that of a soaking wet 140 pound point guard. He could easily be a four with his size on countless teams, but instead, he is a three scared to attack the lane. Everyone will look back on Jamil's career and wonder what if for the next couple of years.

There is such a love/hate relationship right now with Todd Mayo. He did some really dumb things on Tuesday night. He had three turnovers, fouled a guy twice on attempting a three which are bad; Mayo also had 26 points, eleven rebounds and made four threes which are good. While fouling a guy twice on a three is horrible, you cannot say Mayo did not hustle his ass off and attempt to make a play on the ball. Sure it was stupid, but at least he gives a damn. I do not know if I can say about every player on this roster, but I can about Mayo. Let's hope Mayo stays out of trouble in the coming months and has the ability to be a great senior for this team because I believe the future is still bright for him.

For those wondering, Marquette will need a Big East tournament win to be in the tournament. If that happens, they are likely a 12 or a 13 at best so I do not know if you want it.  Marquette has a chance to close out strong and play spoiler against St. John's on Saturday morning in the two Wilsons, Chris Otule, Davante Gardner and Jake Thomas' final game.

Charlie.  

Marquette Shows Its True Colors in Villanova Defeat

The faith in Marquette taking down Villanova on Sunday afternoon was the same faith that one might have in seeing Will Ferrell get an Academy Award... Very little. For the entire year, Marquette failed to step up when the lights shined the brightest and once again, it held true as Golden Eagles fell to eighth-ranked Villanova, 73-56 in a dominating performance. For what seems like the 10th time this year, Marquette could not grab a marquee win. Buzz Williams technical, Jamil Wilson's disappearance, free throw shooting and Derrick Wilson plagued this team on Sunday.

There has been much discussion about the Big East officials in the past couple of weeks probably too much, but Buzz apparently had enough yesterday. He received a technical after Jake Thomas appeared to get a timeout on the sideline yet the officials did not grant him one. Williams could not have picked a worst time for him to get teed up late in the first half. Villanova had an eight to 10 point lead for a majority of the first 20 minutes. Marquette started to gain some steam pulling the lead down to six before Williams drew a technical. Villanova would make the two free throws and Darrun Hillard hits a three to put Nova up eleven as they hit halftime.

Marquette did not get closer than six points for the rest of the game. While it is totally understandable to see Williams' frustration with the call, his technical changed the direction of the game. If he is a first or second year coach, we could excuse the outburst, but not Williams whose been there for awhile. Coaches are not perfect nor should anyone expect them to be, but there needs to be something to just pump the breaks. Marquette might have had the same outcome if Williams did not get the technical, but Golden Eagles needed a perfect game which getting technicals are not a part of it.  

Another thing hindering Marquette from playing perfect was Jamil Wilson pulling a disappearing act. Wilson has been great for almost the entire month of February minus the St. John's performance and then he completely crumbled in a game that should have benefited him. Villanova does not have a player that can play with Wilson on the perimeter with the same size yet he could not take advantage. Wilson's stat line looked like the fourth player off the bench with five points, only made shot on four attempts and only playing 21 minutes. The last part could have been his coach realizing Wilson did not have it on Sunday afternoon. It is hard to believe the senior 'leader' of this team failed to show up in the biggest game. 

While in the grand scheme of things this probably did not make a difference, but Marquette was below or near their average for the fourth straight game. Three of the four featured the Golden Eagles dipping well below their average of 70.8 percent including yesterday's game where Marquette went 64 percent from the field. This is sort of bizarre after the team went 54/61 in two straight games against Seton Hall and Xavier before falling apart on the line. This could likely be blamed on the usual inconsistency of this whole Marquette team throughout the year.  

Derrick Wilson had a great February, but his March looked like November from him. It felt like the game was too big for him which should not happen as he is a senior whose played in big games, but that's what it looked like with Wilson. He played tentative and forced some shots that were not there plus his defensive was subpar to say the least. With seniors you would like to see them close out strong and Wilson did not get off on the right foot of his last month of college basketball.  

My buddy Coach asked me 'What are Marquette's chances of the NCAA Tournament without a Big East Conf. Champ win?'  I said five percent. There are still chances for some craziness, but Marquette looks completely on the outside. Truthfully, the last thing this team deserves is an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Charlie.  

Marquette's Big Apple Appearance is Spoiled Rotten

Marquette grasped for NCAA Tournament life after beating Providence on Thursday night. It seemed like the table could be set for a February run. Golden Eagles headed to Madison Square Garden in a place where they have yielded inconsistent results. Marquette fell to St. Johns, 74-59, meaning they have flip-flopped in the last 12 games with wins and losses. As Golden Eagles were down by 20 or more in this game, they officially hit rock bottom. Marquette's lackluster effort by seniors, D'Angelo Harrison taking over and the bizzaro world Buzz Williams is living in right now.

Marquette did not play well at all. There is not really one thing we could point to and say 'Hey! Well at least this happened!'  I mean this is a dumpster fire of epic proportions with the Golden Eagles getting dominated by a team whose lost seven of their nine Big East games. Sure, they could be better than their record, but at the same time, that is not an excuse for the effort shown by Marquette throughout the entire game. It felt like a team that had lost six straight games rather than one beating the hottest team in the Big East.

Jamil Wilson is probably one player where the finger points to although most of the Marquette team is at fault for this season as well as this game. Wilson only played 13 minutes, one of his lowest totals of the season, and this had nothing to do with foul trouble. I am hard on Buzz Williams, but I give him credit for sitting Wilson in the second half. He deserved it, and frequently, I do not expect him to respond well to it. I cannot believe I fell for the rouse that Wilson would be the next Marquette player to take a leap as a senior like many of the other players have before him. It is too bad Jamil could never put it together. He might be the greatest 'what if' player with Williams.

Although Wilson is not the only one at fault as Harrison, St. John's star, had a massive game against Marquette. I am not trying to rain on Harrison's parade, but he spent most of the time wide open. Harrison made six three pointers as well as shooting 43 percent from the field. This seems to be a trend of Marquette struggling against a team's number one player. Bryce Cotton is the only one in recent memory where the Golden Eagles found a way to stop him. I shudder to think what Doug McDermott might do when he comes to Milwaukee.

THERE IT IS, Buzz blamed this loss on playing on Thursday. Fun. #mubb
— Anonymous Eagle (@AnonymousEagle) February 1, 2014

I have no idea what Williams is saying here. Can he just admit they lost the game? I do not really like Jim Boeheim, but at least the guy will admit the team got their asses kicked. Jim Calhoun does the same. John Calipari just blames his players, but he does not find excuses. Williams putting a loss on playing two nights before is not something I would expect out of Williams. It is a horseshit response. I would kill for Williams to go on a complete rant that gets a million YouTube hits setting fire to everything and everyone. He loves his players, but I am starting to wonder if he cares too much about them without enough separation.

The season is officially lost. Basically, the only way Marquette gets in is if they win the Big East conference tournament. Other than that, Golden Eagles are probably heading to the NIT or heaven forbid, a CBI bid. Maybe they can put together a few wins, an upset here or there, but all in all, Marquette is just a hopeless wanderer in college basketball.

Charlie.

Lineup Shakeups Lead to Marquette Victory

It is pretty much do or die game for Marquette Golden Eagles as they took on Providence Friars on Thursday night. They are nowhere near the bubble right now for the NCAA Tournament, and if they wanted to make a push, Golden Eagles needed a victory on Thursday night against an emerging Providence team who had won four straight games prior to playing last night. Marquette took down Providence, 61-50 with a big first half including a new way to do lineups even if there is still some ironing out to do plus Buzz Williams needs to stop acting like Marquette's fanbase is filled of soccer moms and dads.

Much of the criticism in the last couple weeks has been the play of Derrick Wilson and Jake Thomas including how many minutes they get in the game, Williams decided to change up the lineup on Thursday and it worked pretty damn well. JaJuan Johnson and Deonte Burton both started their first collegiate game, and the first time two freshman have started for Marquette since February 24th, 2012 against West Virginia. Burton and Johnson had immediate impact contributing with points and rebounds extending Marquette lead early. I have no idea if this starting lineup will continue, but at least both of them showed they were not too big for the moment.   

Golden Eagles never trailed in this game although it feels like there were moments in this game where Marquette seemed to be discombobulated. Williams put these guys in like hockey line shifts, and at times, it did work for this squad. Some of the units were not perfect, but some excelled. Nine players saw 10 or more minutes in the game, and one could wonder if some of these guys never got a feel for things, but most did seem comfortable. What might show through in the tape when Providence made their 16-0 run in the second half was Wilson and Thomas were both in the game at that time for most of the run. Wilson actually did play an above average game with four steals and eight assists yet there are still defects. We really do not need to waste words on Jake Thomas. It is the same thing we have been saying for the last month. 

This really felt like a kitchen sink game for Marquette and Williams. Golden Eagles threw in everything, but the kitchen sink in this one trying to figure out what will work for them moving forward this season.  Will it be this way for the rest of the year? No I do not think so, but I feel like it should be expected for St. John's this Saturday as it did not all work for Marquette tonight. There is nothing wrong with this attitude either from Williams. Throwing shit to a wall and seeing what sticks is not a bad way to go about things, and hopefully Williams will not shy away from it. 

Buzz Williams on hearing MU fans boo in the second half: "Maybe as disappointed as I've been as the head coach since I've been here." #mubb
— Andrew Gruman (@AndrewGruman) January 31, 2014

Someone needs to let Williams know not everything is going to be rainbows and unicorns. Green Bay Packers got booed multiple times this season and made the playoffs. Hell, they were booed IN THE PLAYOFFS. Aaron Rodgers does not condone booing, but he usually realizes the frustration giving fans a pardon.  Booing is a stupid thing honestly, but it is a part of some fans' nature. Williams needs to worry about what's happening on the hardwood versus hearing a couple jerkoffs booing aimlessly. He is the king of the Marquette castle, but at the same time, there needs to be a little humility there. The attitude of 'How dare they boo MY TEAM' is the type of stuff that turns fans off from following the basketball team. 

Marquette heads to New York City for a Super Bowl tripleheader that became a complete dud with the Golden Eagles not having the best season, Georgetown struggling and St. John's also being a disappointing team. The last time these two played in the regular season, this happened....  

The Marquette Guard Problem

If Marquette wanted to make a run at the bubble, it probably meant getting a marquee win against number four ranked Villanova on Saturday afternoon. Marquette had won 20 straight conference games at home, and Bradley Center figured to be rocking following the Golden Eagles big overtime victory on Monday night at Georgetown. After a spirited Marquette comeback to somehow force overtime, Villanova pulled away in the extra period winning the game, 94-85 dealing the Golden Eagles yet another defeat against an upper echelon team.

This is a classic game where the Wildcats had an answer for Marquette every time they tried to make it close whether it be a big three or Nova getting a key offensive rebound leading to them finding a way to separate themselves. Marquette tying the game at the end of regulation was the closest it had been since 22-21 favoring Villanova. Simply put, this game is a stellar example of why Marquette is an average basketball team compared to be an above average tournament-worthy team, and how Buzz Williams' mismanagement of this roster cost the team another win.

In the last couple years, Williams did a great job making the most of a marginal roster at times finding the right combinations of players to be great together. This year, Williams deals with injuries to Duane Wilson and others as well as Jameel McKay's transfer right before the season. Williams continues to play Jake Thomas and Derrick Wilson despite the evidence on the court showing these two players are eighth and ninth guys on tournament rosters while on a deep team, they are probably playing garbage time. Rasheed Wallace once said 'Ball don't lie', but apparently, Williams does not buy into that theory. 

Villanova always has a talented array of guards with the likes of Scottie Reynolds, Randy Foye, Allen Ray and others. They are good, but in no way are they good enough to outscore Thomas and Wilson by 64 points as James Bell had 30 points, Ryan Arcidiacono and Darrun Hillard II both had 20 points giving them 70 for the game. If you add Todd Mayo as Marquette's third guard, they still get outscored 70-24. That is completely inexcusable, and hopefully, the wake up call Williams needs to see the Golden Eagles need to do something else because this clearly is not working. Worst part of it all might be Thomas did not have a shot attempt until five minutes left in the game. Think about that for a second given what his role is on this basketball team. 

I would love to hear Williams explain why Jajuan Johnson, Deonte Burton, Mayo (Smaller scale) and John Dawson could do any worse. The more infuriating thing was Dawson played his ass off on Monday and keyed the comeback for Marquette yet he only played eight minutes on Saturday. Johnson did not even sniff the court while Burton's time continued to decrease as he only played five minutes. In the last four games, Burton is averaging 5.25 minutes a game while between December 1st-January 9th, Burton averaged 17.77 minutes a game. Did he pooped in the refrigerator at practice or what? None of this really makes sense. 

There is really no reason why Marquette could not basically just have a 'ride the hot hand' situation at guard. It does not matter who starts honestly, but rather, if a player is feeling it, keep them out there versus relying on Thomas and Wilson to make things happen on their own. Relying on those two is like hoping a seven-year battery will be able to start in a polar vortex... Doubtful.

Marquette faces an emerging Providence team on Thursday night whose guard play is one of the better in the Big East. Maybe it is not the players on the court rather the man whom patrols the sidelines that needs to be figure out a way to make these guards come alive because right now, it is not working.

Charlie.  

Bad Second Half Bites Marquette

It is never a good thing to play a team needing a win. No matter what the sport is, the scariest thing is playing a desperate team on the road. Marquette dealt with this on Saturday playing Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a place where they had lost three straight games, something they have not done since 1990. It seemed for awhile Marquette had control of this game, but once again, the second half turned into a complete disaster for a variety of reasons, some of them fall on their head coach Buzz Williams, and I begin to wonder if he is officially lost on this team.

Marquette is the worst scoring offense in the Big East while Butler is the worst scoring defense in the Big East (Granted some of that is overtime-related, but they are not great whatsoever) meaning something had to give in this one. It seemed like Marquette figured it out a bit with a strong first half, and a strong four minutes out of halftime, something this team and other Golden Eagles teams have struggled with in the past. But the ugly side of this team reared its head as Marquette stopped hitting shots all together and Butler started hitting them putting the Bulldogs ahead late in the game. Golden Eagles somehow forced overtime due to missed free throws, poor execution from Butler, but in all, Williams mismanaged his bench leading to this team being dead tired when overtime rolled around.

The clearest example of this is the fact Marquette gave up 20 points in overtime. While they are not a good offensive team, Marquette is not that bad defensively especially against a team like Butler. They were all tired. No reason whatsoever with Marquette's limited depth that Davante Gardner is playing 42 minutes and Jake Thomas is playing 39 especially when this team has a game tonight against Georgetown (Davante getting a double-double is encouraging though, just wish he would try a touch more on defense). I understand this was an important game to win, but at the same time, this is a better team when the minutes are balanced versus relying on a starting five that really is not elite in any shape or form. It is like Williams channeled his inner Tom Thibodeau for this one.

Another real issue I had with Williams was the strategy of the game. Khyle Marshall had a hell of an afternoon for Butler, but he cannot make free throws to save his soul. Marquette trailed 48-45 with two minutes left in the game, and they could have employed a hack-a-Marshall. This is not a popular method to play basketball, but Golden Eagles extend the game a bit giving them more of a chance to win versus relying on a tired defense. Granted it did not matter in the long run as overtime happened, but you never know if Marquette gets a couple extra possessions. I do not know if Williams is resting on his laurels thinking teams of old figured it out so why cannot these guys, or he just does not really have a concept on how to deal with more ineptitude than usual?  

I think it is a little bit of both. Williams is not free of criticism. This is not a good basketball team, but it does not help things when Williams runs this team into the ground combined with relying that things will just turn around for them. Things need to change with the lineup. I mean it is clearly not working for a full game. They have their spurts, and what needs to be figured out if how to put all those spurts together for a complete game. It is pretty clear that this is not a tournament team by any means whatsoever, and there is nothing to really make me think a light can just switch on for this squad.

People will compare it to 2010-2011 when Marquette slid into the tournament as an eleven seed. They were 15-11 at a time and finished with 14 losses yet they played in an amazing Big East that year meaning most of their losses were expected. This is not a good conference right now meaning Marquette's chances are more doubtful. They play another team in Georgetown where it is a team in desparate need of a win, good thing Marquette needs one too.

Charlie.

Gardner Guides Marquette past DePaul

The first 30 minutes of the DePaul-Marquette game felt like rock bottom.  This team has been struggling all season, but not to the level where they would be trailing everyone's little brother DePaul by 10 points in the second half at home. Marquette had not lost to DePaul at home since 2001 when I was in sixth grade. Things honestly looked grim for Marquette, but Davante Gardner took control of the game giving Marquette a bolt of energy it needed. Could this be a turning point in the season, or did Golden Eagles just take care of business against a team they are supposed to beat plus what's up with JaJuan Johnson's minutes?

The thing that stuck with me from this game is Marquette could have easily quit in this game and let DePaul win this basketball game. Basketball is probably the one sport when you can definitely see a team quit and Golden Eagles definitely could have laid down letting DePaul win this basketball game, but they did not allow it to happen. Instead, they started nailing down some 3-point shots which in turn opened up the middle for Gardner whose been struggling as of late. He stepped up in the moment after being called out by his coach, Buzz Williams earlier in the week for his sluggish play. 

The head coach had a right to call out Gardner. There is really no leader on this basketball team which is another story for another blog post, but some player needed to grab this team by the collective balls, possibly that player is Gardner which would be my assumption as to why Williams targeted Gardner. Marquette's big man in the last four games before DePaul, he managed only 32 total points and barely grabbed down any rebounds. He still struggled a bit from the rebounding angle getting only six against the Blue Demons, but that is still an upgrade from what Gardner's output has been in the last couple of games. A leader sometimes is not a player who is yelling and screaming rather a player making the biggest plays in the game. It was 40-30 DePaul with 15 minutes left, and Gardner plus the others ended the game on a 30-16 run which was 30-9 before a late 7-0 DePaul run. Marquette found their stride in the final 15 minutes. 

Out of all the things that happened with the game, maybe the most puzzling thing is the lack of minutes for freshman JaJuan Johnson. There is definitely a feel that Williams is not really keen on playing many freshmen. I have no idea how Johnson at least gets 10-15 minutes a game to give Jake Thomas a breather. Honestly, I have no idea why him or Deonte Burton does not start over him at this point. Even though Thomas had some clutch 3-pointers on Saturday, he is nowhere near a starter in the Big East or any power conference. Against Samford, Johnson gave Marquette 25 minutes and had 14 points yet in the first two conference games, he played a full seven minutes all against Creighton. There seems like a disconnect there. Hopefully whatever issue Williams has with Johnson against high quality teams dissolves sooner rather than later. 

It is hard to tell what to expect from Golden Eagles moving forward even with their win against DePaul. Like this is a team they are supposed to beat meaning this win should not be a rallying cry for a 'saving of the season' at this point. There is a long way to go, and as I mentioned on Friday, expectations should not be very high right now meaning it is okay to take what is given right now. Xavier on the road Thursday will be a true test and Seton Hall at home this next weekend will not be an easy task either. 

Charlie.