Bo Ryan is normally the king of Wisconsin college basketball coaches at this time of year. That's because he always seems to get more out of his talent than the experts think he can. Most people regard him as a better head coach than former Marquette boss Tom Crean and UWM's Rob Jeter.
And, with UWM's struggles over the last two years, combined with Crean's departure (or was it defection) to Indiana, Ryan was all set to take his customary post on top of the state's basketball programs. But, a funny thing happened on the climb up the mountain. The Badgers lost a couple of conference games, including one at the Kohl Center (where they are almost automatic).
It's not a crime to lose conference games, especially to teams like Purdue and Minnesota, but it created an opening for Buzz Williams and Rob Jeter to steal some of Bo's thunder. And, that's exactly what has happened.
Let's start with MU and Williams, who most saw as a 'settle' choice to replace Crean. In other words, the prevailing feeling was that MU settled for Williams after trying in vain to hire others like Washington State's Tony Bennett, Xavier's Sean Miller, and VCU's Anthony Grant. He was a nice enough guy, and knew basketball, but was he the right choice to replace the charismatic Crean?
It turns out (at least up until now) that none of us should have worried about Williams. He has the Golden Eagles off to a 5-0 start in Big East play (16-2 overall). Granted, MU has yet to face the likes of Louisville, UCONN, Georgetown, and Notre Dame, but they do have wins over Villanova and West Virginia.
Marquette's relative lack of size may wind up hurting them as we get closer to March, but right now you cannot argue with the job Williams has done. He's got the Golden Eagles running on high octane right now.
Maybe the most impressive thing so far has been the breakout season that Wesley Matthews has been putting together. Where was this production in his first three years on campus? He seems to have benefited the most from Williams' system.
After Matthews, Dominic James has to rank second in terms of pleasant surprises. It's not like he's breaking out, but he is playing more like a point guard should be playing. Sure he still gets his touches and points, but he's dishing more, he's playing better defense, and when he does shoot, he's making his shots count. James currently is posting career highs in field goal and three point percentage.
Will MU be able to keep this pace up? It's still a little too early to tell, especially considering that they count on four players in Matthews, James, Jerel McNeal, and Lazar Hayward. But, the start they are off to relieves any concern that the job was too big for the new coach.
Then there is the story that Rob Jeter and the UWM Panthers are authoring as we speak. Did anyone see the Panthers getting off to a 7-1 start in the Horizon League? Nope. Not anyone outside the UWM locker room. But, after beating Cleveland State, that's exactly what they were. After losing to MU in December, some of UWM's rabid fans wondered about the future of the program under Jeter, whose father passed away in late November. But, for now, at least, no one is calling for the coach's head.
Will UWM be able to continue their run? It's a great question. They still have two matchups with Butler (the first place team in the Horizon League) on the schedule. They also have a rematch coming up with the UWGB Phoenix, who handed the Panthers their only conference loss up till now. But one thing is for certain. This UWM team seems to be the best one that Jeter has had in a couple of years.
One of the reasons for that is Tone Boyle, UWM's leading scorer. But don't underestimate the contributions of Avery Smith. Last year at this time, Smith was a player without a team, booted from the Panthers because of off the court issues. This year, an older, more mature Smith is back on the squad. We all knew he could play, but what we didn't know is whether or not he could mature off the court. He has, and it's been inspiring to watch it unfold.
Then there's James Eyars. Guys who are built like Eyars aren't supposed to be basketball players. He is a football player - an offensive lineman at 6-7, 340 pounds to be exact, playing basketball. But even though he looks out of place (and other teams tend to ignore him), Eyars is averaging nearly ten points a game and hitting nearly forty percent of his three point attempts. Make fun of this kid at your own risk. That's what the rest of the Horizon League is finding out.
There are still nearly two months to go before we get to Selection Sunday. A lot can happen between now and when the brackets come out. But for now, MU and UWM are have stolen some of the Badgers' headlines. Deservedly so.
And, with UWM's struggles over the last two years, combined with Crean's departure (or was it defection) to Indiana, Ryan was all set to take his customary post on top of the state's basketball programs. But, a funny thing happened on the climb up the mountain. The Badgers lost a couple of conference games, including one at the Kohl Center (where they are almost automatic).
It's not a crime to lose conference games, especially to teams like Purdue and Minnesota, but it created an opening for Buzz Williams and Rob Jeter to steal some of Bo's thunder. And, that's exactly what has happened.
Let's start with MU and Williams, who most saw as a 'settle' choice to replace Crean. In other words, the prevailing feeling was that MU settled for Williams after trying in vain to hire others like Washington State's Tony Bennett, Xavier's Sean Miller, and VCU's Anthony Grant. He was a nice enough guy, and knew basketball, but was he the right choice to replace the charismatic Crean?
It turns out (at least up until now) that none of us should have worried about Williams. He has the Golden Eagles off to a 5-0 start in Big East play (16-2 overall). Granted, MU has yet to face the likes of Louisville, UCONN, Georgetown, and Notre Dame, but they do have wins over Villanova and West Virginia.
Marquette's relative lack of size may wind up hurting them as we get closer to March, but right now you cannot argue with the job Williams has done. He's got the Golden Eagles running on high octane right now.
Maybe the most impressive thing so far has been the breakout season that Wesley Matthews has been putting together. Where was this production in his first three years on campus? He seems to have benefited the most from Williams' system.
After Matthews, Dominic James has to rank second in terms of pleasant surprises. It's not like he's breaking out, but he is playing more like a point guard should be playing. Sure he still gets his touches and points, but he's dishing more, he's playing better defense, and when he does shoot, he's making his shots count. James currently is posting career highs in field goal and three point percentage.
Will MU be able to keep this pace up? It's still a little too early to tell, especially considering that they count on four players in Matthews, James, Jerel McNeal, and Lazar Hayward. But, the start they are off to relieves any concern that the job was too big for the new coach.
Then there is the story that Rob Jeter and the UWM Panthers are authoring as we speak. Did anyone see the Panthers getting off to a 7-1 start in the Horizon League? Nope. Not anyone outside the UWM locker room. But, after beating Cleveland State, that's exactly what they were. After losing to MU in December, some of UWM's rabid fans wondered about the future of the program under Jeter, whose father passed away in late November. But, for now, at least, no one is calling for the coach's head.
Will UWM be able to continue their run? It's a great question. They still have two matchups with Butler (the first place team in the Horizon League) on the schedule. They also have a rematch coming up with the UWGB Phoenix, who handed the Panthers their only conference loss up till now. But one thing is for certain. This UWM team seems to be the best one that Jeter has had in a couple of years.
One of the reasons for that is Tone Boyle, UWM's leading scorer. But don't underestimate the contributions of Avery Smith. Last year at this time, Smith was a player without a team, booted from the Panthers because of off the court issues. This year, an older, more mature Smith is back on the squad. We all knew he could play, but what we didn't know is whether or not he could mature off the court. He has, and it's been inspiring to watch it unfold.
Then there's James Eyars. Guys who are built like Eyars aren't supposed to be basketball players. He is a football player - an offensive lineman at 6-7, 340 pounds to be exact, playing basketball. But even though he looks out of place (and other teams tend to ignore him), Eyars is averaging nearly ten points a game and hitting nearly forty percent of his three point attempts. Make fun of this kid at your own risk. That's what the rest of the Horizon League is finding out.
There are still nearly two months to go before we get to Selection Sunday. A lot can happen between now and when the brackets come out. But for now, MU and UWM are have stolen some of the Badgers' headlines. Deservedly so.
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