Twitters's @PaintTouches dimed us some good intel on Marquette.
#1 Run down this Kolek guys game. He seems to make them go. You know those old heads at the gym that can’t jump over a piece of paper, are slower than molasses and yet run each and every game they are in? That’s Kolek. He has a tremendous feel for the game and his nature is to pass first, so he’s constantly probing the defense just looking for the best lane to dish it in. His shooting and finishing have course corrected a bit since a poor offensive year last season, but the scoring is gravy. He’s one of the most instinctive players I’ve ever see and Shaka himself has called him the most gifted passer he’s ever coached.
#2 Is Prosper or Jones the most improved from last year? You can’t go wrong with ether answer. Both play a heavy dose of minutes and are vital cogs. But I think it’s OMax. Jones is flashier and has a much better shot, but OMax also defends 1-5 on defense. He’s still a mediocre long-range shooter, looks a bit funky when dribbling, but when he does get to the rim he’s so money. He’s scoring over 1.5 PPP at the rim (which is in the 95th percentile nationally) and leads the country in And-1s per game.
#3 How does Smart deploy them offensively, ge really? There’s an amazing article in The Athletic this week on just that, but basically, it’s a very pick and roll heavy offense where the pick isn’t necessarily meant to create a gap for the ball handler to shoot or score, but rather create space for playmaking, hence why Kolek is so good in this offense. They also play through the center Oso Ighodaro a ton, as he’s an elite passer from the elbow. This team can back cut you to death. And the transition game is also a nice bonus, as they often create turnovers and always look to push the pace in transition.
#4 Is that 3-2 zone they run the most zone Smart has utilized It is and it sucks. They don’t play it well and teams with even decent ball movement can tear it to shreds. It’s mostly used to hide David Joplin and Ben Gold when they are in the game together, though has become more common the last week+ as bigs have had their way inside.
#5 wh is the x factor guy? Oso is the x factor. His defense is irreplaceable and Marquette is about 26 points better per 100 possessions with him on the floor than when he’s off, against top-200 opponents. He can’t shoot and isn’t terribly imposing, but what he does for Marquette, there simply is no duplicating.
#6 Outcome ? Marquette thrives in P&R settings. Georgetown is in the 3rd%ile nationally defending pick and roll + passes. I think this is a 15 point margin for Marquette.
#1 Run down this Kolek guys game. He seems to make them go. You know those old heads at the gym that can’t jump over a piece of paper, are slower than molasses and yet run each and every game they are in? That’s Kolek. He has a tremendous feel for the game and his nature is to pass first, so he’s constantly probing the defense just looking for the best lane to dish it in. His shooting and finishing have course corrected a bit since a poor offensive year last season, but the scoring is gravy. He’s one of the most instinctive players I’ve ever see and Shaka himself has called him the most gifted passer he’s ever coached.
#2 Is Prosper or Jones the most improved from last year? You can’t go wrong with ether answer. Both play a heavy dose of minutes and are vital cogs. But I think it’s OMax. Jones is flashier and has a much better shot, but OMax also defends 1-5 on defense. He’s still a mediocre long-range shooter, looks a bit funky when dribbling, but when he does get to the rim he’s so money. He’s scoring over 1.5 PPP at the rim (which is in the 95th percentile nationally) and leads the country in And-1s per game.
#3 How does Smart deploy them offensively, ge really? There’s an amazing article in The Athletic this week on just that, but basically, it’s a very pick and roll heavy offense where the pick isn’t necessarily meant to create a gap for the ball handler to shoot or score, but rather create space for playmaking, hence why Kolek is so good in this offense. They also play through the center Oso Ighodaro a ton, as he’s an elite passer from the elbow. This team can back cut you to death. And the transition game is also a nice bonus, as they often create turnovers and always look to push the pace in transition.
#4 Is that 3-2 zone they run the most zone Smart has utilized It is and it sucks. They don’t play it well and teams with even decent ball movement can tear it to shreds. It’s mostly used to hide David Joplin and Ben Gold when they are in the game together, though has become more common the last week+ as bigs have had their way inside.
#5 wh is the x factor guy? Oso is the x factor. His defense is irreplaceable and Marquette is about 26 points better per 100 possessions with him on the floor than when he’s off, against top-200 opponents. He can’t shoot and isn’t terribly imposing, but what he does for Marquette, there simply is no duplicating.
#6 Outcome ? Marquette thrives in P&R settings. Georgetown is in the 3rd%ile nationally defending pick and roll + passes. I think this is a 15 point margin for Marquette.
