Today, Indiana introduced Tom Crean as its new men's basketball coach. Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Crean was the head coach at Marquette since the 1999/2000 season. Crean guided Marquette to the Final Four in 2003.
Showing posts with label Marquette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marquette. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It's Official: Tom Crean a Hoosier
Today, Indiana introduced Tom Crean as its new men's basketball coach. Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Crean was the head coach at Marquette since the 1999/2000 season. Crean guided Marquette to the Final Four in 2003.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Weekend of the Upset
The weekend of January 19 & 20 will likely go down as having been 2008's weekend of the upset in college basketball.
Yesterday, #1 ranked and previously undefeated North Carolina was stunned at home by the enigmatic Maryland Terrapins, 82-80. More here. And here.
On the West coast, Tim Floyd and O.J. Mayo's USC Trojans upset #4 UCLA, 72-63.
Out in the Big 12, Michael Beasley and Kansas State stomped #10 Texas A&M 75-54. Earlier in the week, A&M had also been upset by Texas Tech, as Tech coach Bob Knight netted his 900th career win.
In the Big East, Cincinnati surprised #15 Pitt, 62-59.
And the upsets didn't end on Saturday. Today, Connecticut knocked off #13 Marquette 89-73, in Storrs, CT.
Although most sports fans' eyes were on the NFL, as the NFC and AFC Championship games were played today, the weekend's real action was in college basketball.
Over the last two days, college basketball teams from coast to coast elevated their games and pulled off huge upsets, both at home and on the road.
Drive and Dish would just like to say: Now that's what we're talkin' about!
Yesterday, #1 ranked and previously undefeated North Carolina was stunned at home by the enigmatic Maryland Terrapins, 82-80. More here. And here.
On the West coast, Tim Floyd and O.J. Mayo's USC Trojans upset #4 UCLA, 72-63.
Out in the Big 12, Michael Beasley and Kansas State stomped #10 Texas A&M 75-54. Earlier in the week, A&M had also been upset by Texas Tech, as Tech coach Bob Knight netted his 900th career win.
In the Big East, Cincinnati surprised #15 Pitt, 62-59.
And the upsets didn't end on Saturday. Today, Connecticut knocked off #13 Marquette 89-73, in Storrs, CT.
Although most sports fans' eyes were on the NFL, as the NFC and AFC Championship games were played today, the weekend's real action was in college basketball.
Over the last two days, college basketball teams from coast to coast elevated their games and pulled off huge upsets, both at home and on the road.
Drive and Dish would just like to say: Now that's what we're talkin' about!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Duke Wins the ... Duke Invitational
By Mark Buckets
Chalk another Maui Invitational Title up for the Duke Blue Devils. As most of you already know, this was the fourth title for Duke in the 25 year history of this prestigious event. Kyle Singler - who was lauded for his tenacious offensive rebounding by yours truly - was named the tournament MVP.
The the title game was, frankly, a bore. Both teams combined for 43 personal fouls - of which 27 were assessed to the Golden Eagles. The vultures are circling around Ed Hightower after this one - and, after watching this one, rightly so. I'll be the first to say - and I mean the first - that the anti-Duke sentiment is undeserved. How can you bash a program that hasn't even entered the NCAA infractions committee's area code under a coach that has done it "the right way"? Sure, much of the vile is self-inflicted - perpetual ACC pusher Dick Vitale doesn't assist in improving Duke's public image - but is also unnecessary.
There I go again, going off on a tangent.
Back to the game, Mark.
Some brief observations (hello SI's Stuart Mandel) from tonight's game:
-As I've stated in previous posts, Sean McDonough needs to pipe down when it comes to analysis. But we needn't go down that path now.
-Tom Crean has put on some serious poundage. You know a coach is in denial when he reaches for a diet pepsi during a stoppage in play - as Crean did tonight - conveniently placed on the scorers table.
-On the subject of Mr.Crean, how many basketball coaches do you know use a laminated play-chart? Remember, these kids aren't football players. Remembering to tuck in jerseys is considered a mental chore.
-Yet another Tom Crean observation that ties into the weight loss issue. Do you really need to wear a windbreaker in a gym where temperatures routinely hover around 90 degrees. Besides, losing water weight won't help him shed that belly fat.
-DeMarcus Nelson is an absolute bull. Despite all of his shooting and ball-handling issues, he continues to gather garbage points through sheer athleticism. Hence, Coach K will utilize him more around the basket than ever before. That's saying something, considering his penchant for rebounding throughout his career.
-You have to be impressed with the babysitting job that Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas do with Sean Mickee. When given the chance to speak - and break the game down - they are second to none. Too bad that CBS has them on separate broadcast teams during the NCAA Tournament (Bilas is paired with Dick Enberg and Raftrey with Verne Lundquist.)
-And finally, if I'm a Marquette fan - which I am not - I wouldn't be too concerned with tonight's result. Sure, it would have been an NCAA tournament-booster - when it comes to seeding, of course - but it is not a death knell. In significant foul trouble most of the game, the Eagles keep Duke within striking distance. Not a bad result considering the situation.
Chalk another Maui Invitational Title up for the Duke Blue Devils. As most of you already know, this was the fourth title for Duke in the 25 year history of this prestigious event. Kyle Singler - who was lauded for his tenacious offensive rebounding by yours truly - was named the tournament MVP.
The the title game was, frankly, a bore. Both teams combined for 43 personal fouls - of which 27 were assessed to the Golden Eagles. The vultures are circling around Ed Hightower after this one - and, after watching this one, rightly so. I'll be the first to say - and I mean the first - that the anti-Duke sentiment is undeserved. How can you bash a program that hasn't even entered the NCAA infractions committee's area code under a coach that has done it "the right way"? Sure, much of the vile is self-inflicted - perpetual ACC pusher Dick Vitale doesn't assist in improving Duke's public image - but is also unnecessary.
There I go again, going off on a tangent.
Back to the game, Mark.
Some brief observations (hello SI's Stuart Mandel) from tonight's game:
-As I've stated in previous posts, Sean McDonough needs to pipe down when it comes to analysis. But we needn't go down that path now.
-Tom Crean has put on some serious poundage. You know a coach is in denial when he reaches for a diet pepsi during a stoppage in play - as Crean did tonight - conveniently placed on the scorers table.
-On the subject of Mr.Crean, how many basketball coaches do you know use a laminated play-chart? Remember, these kids aren't football players. Remembering to tuck in jerseys is considered a mental chore.
-Yet another Tom Crean observation that ties into the weight loss issue. Do you really need to wear a windbreaker in a gym where temperatures routinely hover around 90 degrees. Besides, losing water weight won't help him shed that belly fat.
-DeMarcus Nelson is an absolute bull. Despite all of his shooting and ball-handling issues, he continues to gather garbage points through sheer athleticism. Hence, Coach K will utilize him more around the basket than ever before. That's saying something, considering his penchant for rebounding throughout his career.
-You have to be impressed with the babysitting job that Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas do with Sean Mickee. When given the chance to speak - and break the game down - they are second to none. Too bad that CBS has them on separate broadcast teams during the NCAA Tournament (Bilas is paired with Dick Enberg and Raftrey with Verne Lundquist.)
-And finally, if I'm a Marquette fan - which I am not - I wouldn't be too concerned with tonight's result. Sure, it would have been an NCAA tournament-booster - when it comes to seeding, of course - but it is not a death knell. In significant foul trouble most of the game, the Eagles keep Duke within striking distance. Not a bad result considering the situation.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Maui Wowie! PART DEUX
By Mark Buckets
Phew. What a first day of action from Maui, eh? It was a good day for this “Drive and Dish” scribe, as my four predictions were spot-on on the first day of action. Marquette needed a late surge to stave off host Chaminade (who have a couple of quality players - told ya so about Marko Kolaric). The second game of was a game of ebb-and-flow. Oklahoma State raced out to a huge lead only to see it evaporate into a 6 point win. Keep in mind, LSU was without star Tasmin Mitchell, who was battling a foot injury.
The night session continued the trend of one-sided affairs. It didn’t take 24-point favorite Duke very long to match that mark (even though in the end, they failed to cover), they had 24 points about 3 minutes into the game. A swarming bunch of Devils applied full court pressure for most of the first half and Princeton was helpless to overcome it. On the subject of first half blowouts, Illinois put up 20 before Arizona State even scored a basket. Needless to say, the Illini rolled to an easy win.
Now, we take a look at today’s semifinals (as an aside, I have omitted the consolation bracket as Drive and D wishes not to bore you).
Marquette and Oklahoma State square off in a game that features a slew of freakish athletes. Marcus Dove’s ability is well-documented, but another highly touted McDonald’s All-American, James Anderson - doesn’t everyone seem to be a burger star (but not Arby's) these days? - has the Cowboys thinking upset. While Cowboy fans should be satisfied with an impressive opening win, the Marquette faithful are a little less jubilant. Not only did the big three of James, McNeal and Matthews have atrocious shooting nights, but their man-to-man defense was shredded (it's possible that I'm being being too harsh in that assessment, but the game was close) by a division 2 team. The good news for Marquette is that they couldn’t possibly shoot any worse than they did a day ago. My prediction: Take the GOLDen Eagles - but it's going to be closer than the experts think (thank you Lee Corso).
A game that does not lack for intrigue is the nightcap where Duke will take on Illinois. Duke is a team coming off a commanding win, which was highlighted by the play of frosh superstar Kyle Singler. Anytime a Duke player - a wing player, no less - has nine offensive boards in a game, you know that he is destined for greatness. Duke will look to attack the offensive glass once again against an Illinois team that has superior size and strength on the blocks. In spite of that, my homerism is showing through once again - Duke wins, setting up a tremendous finale (and the game that ESPN wanted) with Marquette.
Phew. What a first day of action from Maui, eh? It was a good day for this “Drive and Dish” scribe, as my four predictions were spot-on on the first day of action. Marquette needed a late surge to stave off host Chaminade (who have a couple of quality players - told ya so about Marko Kolaric). The second game of was a game of ebb-and-flow. Oklahoma State raced out to a huge lead only to see it evaporate into a 6 point win. Keep in mind, LSU was without star Tasmin Mitchell, who was battling a foot injury.
The night session continued the trend of one-sided affairs. It didn’t take 24-point favorite Duke very long to match that mark (even though in the end, they failed to cover), they had 24 points about 3 minutes into the game. A swarming bunch of Devils applied full court pressure for most of the first half and Princeton was helpless to overcome it. On the subject of first half blowouts, Illinois put up 20 before Arizona State even scored a basket. Needless to say, the Illini rolled to an easy win.
Now, we take a look at today’s semifinals (as an aside, I have omitted the consolation bracket as Drive and D wishes not to bore you).
Marquette and Oklahoma State square off in a game that features a slew of freakish athletes. Marcus Dove’s ability is well-documented, but another highly touted McDonald’s All-American, James Anderson - doesn’t everyone seem to be a burger star (but not Arby's) these days? - has the Cowboys thinking upset. While Cowboy fans should be satisfied with an impressive opening win, the Marquette faithful are a little less jubilant. Not only did the big three of James, McNeal and Matthews have atrocious shooting nights, but their man-to-man defense was shredded (it's possible that I'm being being too harsh in that assessment, but the game was close) by a division 2 team. The good news for Marquette is that they couldn’t possibly shoot any worse than they did a day ago. My prediction: Take the GOLDen Eagles - but it's going to be closer than the experts think (thank you Lee Corso).
A game that does not lack for intrigue is the nightcap where Duke will take on Illinois. Duke is a team coming off a commanding win, which was highlighted by the play of frosh superstar Kyle Singler. Anytime a Duke player - a wing player, no less - has nine offensive boards in a game, you know that he is destined for greatness. Duke will look to attack the offensive glass once again against an Illinois team that has superior size and strength on the blocks. In spite of that, my homerism is showing through once again - Duke wins, setting up a tremendous finale (and the game that ESPN wanted) with Marquette.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Maui Wowie!
By Mark Buckets
Monday kicks off something that ESPN has coined as "Feast Week," which is headlined by the 24th annual Maui Invitational. At first glance, the teams that will trot up and down the Lahaina Civic Center this year is weaker than in past years. That will change with next year's field - Carolina and Louisville are the feature teams - which is more loaded than Larry Eustachy at a fraternity party. But in spite of the level of competition in this year's tournament, the games played here are pure class. Since we here at "Drive and Dish" are glad to be of service to you - the fan -we've decided that the way in which we can best help the masses - or the gamblers - is to handicap this year's classic in Maui. So, as they say in Hawaiian "No Ka 'Oi." To those of us that aren't fluent in island tongue, it means "Maui is the Best."
So, herewith is a breakdown of this year's field.
This year's classic tips off today at 1:30 with Marquette and host Chaminade. Picked to finish third in their division 2 conference this year, the Silver Swords appear to be outmatched and outclassed. In this case, perception is reality. As I have documented in a previous post, the Golden Eagles - or, as some might remember, the hideous Gold - lack for size in the post. And Chamindae does rely on their inside duo of Marko Kolaric (who had a tremendous tournament last year) and Rodrick Johnson. In the end, though, Marquette should have enough (sense the sarcasm?) to advance.
In the final game of the first session (leave the opinions to Bilas and Raftery, Sean McDonough, and do your job - play-by-play man) LSU and Oklahoma State square off. Both teams suffered some serious roster turnover from last year. LSU is a relatively unknown team this year as they've lost Big Baby Davis and the underrated Daniel Lazarre. The Tigers rely on Dameon Mason - who, ironically, began his career at Marquette - and a crop of talented tweeners. Tasmin Mitchell has been battling injuries this year, leaving freshman Anthony Randolph to serve as Mason's right-hand man. Similarly, Oklahoma State's roster is decidedly young and inexperienced. The Cowboys will have to rely on point guard Byron Eaton (The former McDonald's All-Americane has been a bit of a disappointnent so far in his career) and swing man Marcus Dove. This very well may be the most competitive first round game, and, after further consideration, I'm a Cowboy believer. OSU wins.
Bereft of any suspense, Duke takes on Princeton in a game that is a massive mismatch on paper. Princeton is a team that runs out only 7 players who play 15 minutes or more a game, while the Devils have been substituting liberally this year. As is common knowledge, the Tigers run an offense that bears their name - the Princeton Offense - to near perfection. Pete Carril will be rolling in his grave after this game - he is dead, right? - as the tournament-favorite (and the favorite of this writer) Blue Devils should win running away.
In a game that begins at 11:30 eastern time and should reel in solid TV numbers (Bartender, can I have another shot of sarcasm?) Illinois takes on Arizona State. Fire up some Maxwell House for this one, as both teams struggle to put the ball in the hoop. I'm interested to see the freshmen play for both teams. Demietry McCamey of Illinois and James Harden of the Sun Devils should go back and fourth, which should make the game worth watching. An ominous sign for Arizona State, however, is their reliance on former Dukie Eric Boateng. That in of itself should give Illinois an advantage. Bruce Weber's squad takes out Herb Sendek's bunch and gets a chance to exact revenge on Duke (we all know the Scheyer story).
Despite its lack of elite programs and star power - no, I didn't forget Duke - the 2007 version of the Maui Invitational should offer up extremely competitive games. I'll have second round breakdowns and predictions early Tuesday morning
Monday kicks off something that ESPN has coined as "Feast Week," which is headlined by the 24th annual Maui Invitational. At first glance, the teams that will trot up and down the Lahaina Civic Center this year is weaker than in past years. That will change with next year's field - Carolina and Louisville are the feature teams - which is more loaded than Larry Eustachy at a fraternity party. But in spite of the level of competition in this year's tournament, the games played here are pure class. Since we here at "Drive and Dish" are glad to be of service to you - the fan -we've decided that the way in which we can best help the masses - or the gamblers - is to handicap this year's classic in Maui. So, as they say in Hawaiian "No Ka 'Oi." To those of us that aren't fluent in island tongue, it means "Maui is the Best."
So, herewith is a breakdown of this year's field.
This year's classic tips off today at 1:30 with Marquette and host Chaminade. Picked to finish third in their division 2 conference this year, the Silver Swords appear to be outmatched and outclassed. In this case, perception is reality. As I have documented in a previous post, the Golden Eagles - or, as some might remember, the hideous Gold - lack for size in the post. And Chamindae does rely on their inside duo of Marko Kolaric (who had a tremendous tournament last year) and Rodrick Johnson. In the end, though, Marquette should have enough (sense the sarcasm?) to advance.
In the final game of the first session (leave the opinions to Bilas and Raftery, Sean McDonough, and do your job - play-by-play man) LSU and Oklahoma State square off. Both teams suffered some serious roster turnover from last year. LSU is a relatively unknown team this year as they've lost Big Baby Davis and the underrated Daniel Lazarre. The Tigers rely on Dameon Mason - who, ironically, began his career at Marquette - and a crop of talented tweeners. Tasmin Mitchell has been battling injuries this year, leaving freshman Anthony Randolph to serve as Mason's right-hand man. Similarly, Oklahoma State's roster is decidedly young and inexperienced. The Cowboys will have to rely on point guard Byron Eaton (The former McDonald's All-Americane has been a bit of a disappointnent so far in his career) and swing man Marcus Dove. This very well may be the most competitive first round game, and, after further consideration, I'm a Cowboy believer. OSU wins.
Bereft of any suspense, Duke takes on Princeton in a game that is a massive mismatch on paper. Princeton is a team that runs out only 7 players who play 15 minutes or more a game, while the Devils have been substituting liberally this year. As is common knowledge, the Tigers run an offense that bears their name - the Princeton Offense - to near perfection. Pete Carril will be rolling in his grave after this game - he is dead, right? - as the tournament-favorite (and the favorite of this writer) Blue Devils should win running away.
In a game that begins at 11:30 eastern time and should reel in solid TV numbers (Bartender, can I have another shot of sarcasm?) Illinois takes on Arizona State. Fire up some Maxwell House for this one, as both teams struggle to put the ball in the hoop. I'm interested to see the freshmen play for both teams. Demietry McCamey of Illinois and James Harden of the Sun Devils should go back and fourth, which should make the game worth watching. An ominous sign for Arizona State, however, is their reliance on former Dukie Eric Boateng. That in of itself should give Illinois an advantage. Bruce Weber's squad takes out Herb Sendek's bunch and gets a chance to exact revenge on Duke (we all know the Scheyer story).
Despite its lack of elite programs and star power - no, I didn't forget Duke - the 2007 version of the Maui Invitational should offer up extremely competitive games. I'll have second round breakdowns and predictions early Tuesday morning
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Aloha means hello-Mark Buckets is back
By Mark Buckets
The college basketball season began in earnest tonight as a slew of classics and foundation-based games tipped off. We'll get to the rest in a moment. As a devout follower and worshiper of Duke University basketball, I was pleased to receive communion tonight in the form of live competition for the Devils(no pun intended). And no, North Carolina Central's foray into the deep end of college basketball's highest division does not qualify. Tonight, it was time for the New Mexico State Nomads - I mean Aggies - to have a stab at the home standing Blue Devils. Yes, I'll admit, Duke's 52-game home non-conference winning steak that dates back a decade doesn't include a whole lot of blue-blooded programs. Regardless, tonight - with Duke hosting an undermanned Aggie team (without blue chip recruit Herb Pope, who would have been extremely useful for NMSU tonight) - the games began.
Over on ESPN 360 (which is unavailable to people using Comcast in the Chicagoland area without a fee) Syracuse was trying to tame the Siena Saints. Winning the game wasn't a problem for the home standing Orange. Rather, performing with panache and flash was of paramount importance tonight...it was a night to round up the faithful at the Carrier Dome, with an exciting new brand of Boeheim Basketball. Johnny Flynn, whose 28-point opening performance trumped even that of the debut of one Carmelo Anthony, led the way. Although the cancer that is Eric Devendorf remains fully malignant at this time, Coach Boeheim and staff seem to be soothing the Devendorf ailment. A good night, indeed, for all of those involved at the country's number one broadcast journalism school (No need to mention alumnus Dick Stockton's putrid performances on FOX NFL Sundays this year).
And how about Marquette? Talk about a team that is stumbling out of the blocks. Sure, their record remains unblemished at this early point in the season, but things haven't been all roses in Milwaukee. When you're being outrebounded by the likes of Utah Valley State and IUPUI, things can't be running smoothly. Maybe Tom Crean needs to strap his players up with football pads and put a lid on the net a la mentor Tom Izzo of Michigan State. But although toughness may be instilled through the personality of a coach, but height certainly isn't.
Speaking of teams that are vertically challenged, exhibit B, the Duke Blue Devils. Talk in the preseason centered around what kind of production (or lack thereof) that post men Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek would contribute this year. After two games, the results are mixed. Both are extremely energetic players who leave it all on the court, and still, both are powder puffs around the goal.
Let's set the scene:
Zoubek gets a weakside rebound, has a chance to take it up strong against another fairy tale of a center, Martin Iti (he really needs to lay off the Edy's Ice Cream, but I digress). Instead of squeezing the air out of the ball and taking it up strong, Zoubek proceeds to - to put it bluntly - get his shit packed. This is supposed to be a player that was coming into the year with a renewed toughness and grit, not the blocking dummy he was last year. To be fair to the kid, he is only a true sophomore.
More disconcerting for Duke fans, however, is the tentativeness that Lance Thomas has shown around the basket. Let me make this abundantly clear: Both Thomas and Zoubek are schooled in the way of K on defense, and play it to a "T" (no, not like Psyco T, but you get my point). But what worries me most about Thomas and Zoubek is that this isn't a fundamental or strategic error. It's that both players lack that killer instinct, and it may ultimately lead to Duke's demise down the road.
That's all for now, but be sure to check back periodically for more updates. As the season swings into full gear next week, posts will be coming fast and furious.
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