Marquette Basketball: Three keys for game against Creighton
By Brian Foley
Defensive strategy
For as explosive as Marquette’s offense is, its defense is almost equally as bad. The Golden Eagles rank 128th in defensive efficiency, and have struggled to even put together complete halves of competent defense.
When Markus Howard went down in the previous Creighton contest, Wojo switched to a zone that absolutely stymied the Blue Jays. In the following game with Howard still sidelined, Marquette switched between a zone and man-to-man defense essentially at random, and limited St. John’s star Shamorie Ponds to just 5-18 from the field.
But with Howard back in the lineup for the last two games, Marquette has played more man than zone, with mixed reviews. In the first half against Georgetown, Marquette surrendered 1.37 points per possession, which would be the worst rate in the country over a full season (remember, the Hoyas’ offense ranks just 88th in efficiency).
But in the second half, the Golden Eagles held Georgetown to 1.00 points per possession. That’s not great, but it’s more than enough for a top-20 offense.
But as we’ve seen throughout the year, pick and roll defense is the real bane of Marquette’s existence on the defensive end. Georgetown is not a good pick and roll team, so it’s not surprising to see the Golden Eagles limit them. Creighton is an elite ‘PnR’ team though, and the Blue Jays sliced through Marquette’s man defense in the first half of the previous matchup.
The zone slowed them down, but they will likely be more prepared for that tactic the second time around. And one more thing: Rowsey and Howard continue to log big minutes together, and it remains to be seen if two 5-foot-11 guards can defend atop a zone defense when length is usually key.
I’m guessing Wojo goes with his St. John’s strategy and alternates between the two defenses. This is a kitchen sink game for Marquette – try everything and hope something sticks.