Preview
Week two of the Big East season welcomes another rebuilding team to Verizon Center Tuesday.
Much like Creighton, Marquette enters Tuesday's game with youth on its side, which is not always a good thing. The Warriors (9-5) have struggled through some strange losses this season, including losses to Nebraska-Omaha and North Texas, and a late flurry that cost them a win at DePaul. But this is not the cellar dweller some had envisioned in Steve Wojciechowski's first year, and this Marquette team figures to be the kind of defensively minded team that will challenge Georgetown at every turn.
Marquette's scoring lineup is well balanced among its five starters--any of them can lead the team in scoring, any can play a supporting role. Senior Matt Carlino, a former teammate of Georgetown's Josh Smith while both were at UCLA, is the team's best outside shooter but has struggled mightily in two Big East games thus far, averaging just 24 percent from the field, but 10.5 points overall, thanks to good free throw shooting. The Warrior are also struggling from the field from guards Derrick and Duane Wilson, whose scoring has been inconsistent entering Big East play.
In conference rankings, Marquette's shooting numbers trail most other Big East teams, but its inside game took a step up with the mid-year eligibility of Indiana transfer Luke Fischer. At 6-11, he provides some of the height MU needs, with no other starter taller than 6-6. Forward Juan Anderson (11.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) has carried the effort inside but Fischer should provide a good test for Josh Smith in this game and force Georgetown out of easy conversions as it did versus Creighton.
Coach Wojciechowski has seen some nice contributions off the bench from forwards Sandy Cohen and Jajuan Johnson, but that's been about it on the bench--the Warriors are no more than seven man deep on the bench this year and have only eight on scholarship in the post-Buzz Williams era. Nonetheless, MU plays a strong brand of defense and will force its share of turnovers. Second in the Big East in assists and turnovers, the Warriors are no more than eighth of ten teams in most other major Big East statistical categories, which illustrates that it is a team capable of struggling late, as it did versus DePaul.
Some keys to the game:
Week two of the Big East season welcomes another rebuilding team to Verizon Center Tuesday.
Much like Creighton, Marquette enters Tuesday's game with youth on its side, which is not always a good thing. The Warriors (9-5) have struggled through some strange losses this season, including losses to Nebraska-Omaha and North Texas, and a late flurry that cost them a win at DePaul. But this is not the cellar dweller some had envisioned in Steve Wojciechowski's first year, and this Marquette team figures to be the kind of defensively minded team that will challenge Georgetown at every turn.
Marquette's scoring lineup is well balanced among its five starters--any of them can lead the team in scoring, any can play a supporting role. Senior Matt Carlino, a former teammate of Georgetown's Josh Smith while both were at UCLA, is the team's best outside shooter but has struggled mightily in two Big East games thus far, averaging just 24 percent from the field, but 10.5 points overall, thanks to good free throw shooting. The Warrior are also struggling from the field from guards Derrick and Duane Wilson, whose scoring has been inconsistent entering Big East play.
In conference rankings, Marquette's shooting numbers trail most other Big East teams, but its inside game took a step up with the mid-year eligibility of Indiana transfer Luke Fischer. At 6-11, he provides some of the height MU needs, with no other starter taller than 6-6. Forward Juan Anderson (11.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) has carried the effort inside but Fischer should provide a good test for Josh Smith in this game and force Georgetown out of easy conversions as it did versus Creighton.
Coach Wojciechowski has seen some nice contributions off the bench from forwards Sandy Cohen and Jajuan Johnson, but that's been about it on the bench--the Warriors are no more than seven man deep on the bench this year and have only eight on scholarship in the post-Buzz Williams era. Nonetheless, MU plays a strong brand of defense and will force its share of turnovers. Second in the Big East in assists and turnovers, the Warriors are no more than eighth of ten teams in most other major Big East statistical categories, which illustrates that it is a team capable of struggling late, as it did versus DePaul.
Some keys to the game:
- Jabril Trawick: Trawick did not play in last season's game in Washington due to injury. His defensive presence will be a big plus for Georgetown, but he must avoid early foul trouble.
- Press Forward?: The Hoyas have not utilized much of a press this year with Josh Smith's relative immobility. Some of GU's lineups may allow this, however.
- Turnovers: Georgetown did a much better job in ball control versus Creighton. This figures to be a key against Marquette. Control the ball, and control the score.
- Bench Play: Georgetown has much more depth off the bench and ought to gain the advantage in this game from that bench.
