The last week won't be considered one of the best in Marquette Basketball history. Dominic James, the Golden Eagles' star point guard, went down with a broken foot in the early stages of last Wednesday's game against UCONN. Even though MU put up a tremendous effort, they came up short against both the Huskies, and last Sunday at Louisville.
It wasn't a particularly good time for the injury to happen, as the Golden Eagles were in game two of the five game 'gauntlet' when James got hurt. And, it would be a tall order for this Golden Eagles team to walk into Pittsburgh and beat the Panthers tomorrow night. But I do know this. They will give the Panthers everything they can handle.
There are some Marquette fans that are ready to throw in the towel thanks to the James injury. But, I will resist the temptation to do that (I know, you're shocked).
Am I saying that the Golden Eagles will make a run in the Big East tournament next week? Am I saying they are a Sweet Sixteen team? No, I'm not. But nothing would shock me.
We learned a lot about the Golden Eagles in these last two games. The first thing we learned is that they have heart.
It would have been easy for this team to fold up the tent when they found themselves down by ten to UCONN last Wednesday. After all, James was hurt and this was a top-five team they were facing. But, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews wouldn't allow their teammates to do that, and as a result they fought UCONN until the very end of the game.
The Golden Eagles could have easily folded on Sunday as well. Louisville got off to a strong start in the second half and found themselves leading MU 41-30. But, again, the Golden Eagles wouldn't give up. Even in the final minute, when they were down by six, this team continued to battle.
The show of heart was impressive. It told me a couple of things, too.
The first thing it told me was that the seniors (McNeal and Matthews) aren't going to let this team go down without a fight. These two players realize this is their last chance on this level to live up to all the hype they came in with a few years ago. That's a huge motivating factor. The future (NBA) isn't guaranteed. These seniors can only deal with what's in front of them right now. And what's in front of them right now is one last chance to make a run in The Big Dance.
It also showed me that Buzz Williams can coach. Remember, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I needed to see more out of Buzz before I give him my stamp of approval. Well, I have seen more (you see I will admit when I'm wrong about something). First of all, Williams somehow kept his team's spirits up when James went down. It would have been really easy for the players to go into a funk with their leader on crutches. Williams didn't let them do that and as a result they didn't allow UCONN and Louisville, two teams with a lot more depth than they have, to run them out of the gym.
Williams also got this team to go to Losuiville, not the easiest of places to play, and give Rick Pitino's Cardinals a battle they wouldn't forget anytime soon. And, had McNeal not struggled as badly as he did on Sunday afternoon, maybe MU would have scored the upset win.
The odds are certainly against MU right now. James will not play again. The so called 'experts' have already written them off. But, they still have the two seniors giving them the leadership they need. They have Lazar Hayward, who is proving he can be an inside and outside threat. And, they have a coach in Buzz Williams, who has found a way to keep his team going in the face of adversity.
In other words, it would be a mistake for anyone to take this Golden Eagles team lightly.
Check out today's podcast and find out why I am done with all the Ted Thompson bashing!
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