The Warriors Gold Golden Eagles come for a visit. An article yesterday pointed out how much trouble Pitt has had against athletic guards like Marquette. Of course, earlier in the season, there was an article about how forwards capable of going inside or out (Boggans, Tucker) give Pitt trouble. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter the position, if a team has a top-flight talent at a position, generally he will give opposing teams trouble.
Having said that, yes Marquette has 3 excellent guards that will be another challenge for Pitt. Especially since it means better defense on the outside.
The three guards dominate the Golden Eagles’ statistics. They rank 1-2-3, in no particular order, in scoring, assists, steals, minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made and free throws attempted. James leads the team in 3-pointers. McNeal and Matthews rank 2-3 in rebounding.
…
Marquette ranks first in the Big East in forced turnovers, and second in steals.
“We have to make them pay for pressure,” forward Mike Cook said. “If they want to pressure us, we have to make them pay. … Levance is really looking forward to the challenge and everyone on the perimeter is looking forward to the challenge.”
Dixon said the key to guarding James is to keep a defender in front of him, similar to the effort the Panthers used to hold DePaul’s Sammy Mejia to 10 points two weeks ago.
The big thing will not be the 3s, it will be preventing the penetration. Marquette has gotten hot as it stopped settling for the outside shot.
Four players have scored in double figures in victories over Connecticut, West Virginia and, most recently, Louisville as 24th-ranked MU (16-4 overall, 3-2 Big East Conference) has bounced back from a 0-2 start in league play largely by sharing the basketball and working for high-percentage shots.
“The more we can space the floor, the better off we’re going to be,” coach Tom Crean said after practice Friday. “It’s going to open up the way we play, whether it’s man or zone. Getting the ball spread so we can drive it will create drop-offs and great post-ups out of it, drive-and-kicks out of it. When you’re moving the ball like that, a lot of people are going to be recipients of it.”
Not surprisingly, the Golden Eagles’ sophomore trio of guards – Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews – have been front and center in the resurgence.
Should be a great game.
